Author: nfltalk

  • Is Penn State losing ground in recruiting to Notre Dame?

    Is Penn State losing ground in recruiting to Notre Dame?

    First Grayson McKeogh, now Tyler Merrill. Those are two offensive linemen that the Nittany Lions have let slip through their grasp and have ended up with the Fighting Irish. Thus, this continues a slippery slope for the Nittany Lions as they continue to lose traction not just within their state, but in the Big Ten and on a national stage as well.

    For the past couple of weeks, it has just been continuous bad news on the recruiting trail as more and more top recruits eschew the Nittany Lions in favor of the men from South Bend. McKeogh and Merrill specifically were Pennsylvania guys and two of the better O-linemen in the cycle.

    To make matters worse, another Pennsylvania product in safety Joey O’Brien is said to be leaning in favor of the Irish. His five-star status as well makes it ever more painful, as Penn State fans are sure to notice the lack of one in this cycle thus far.

    As the recruiting process grows ever more tense, look for this burgeoning recruiting rivalry to continue as Notre Dame gets ever more aggressive. They are already making moves in the 2027 cycle, extending an offer to a Penn State commit in the past couple of days. Thus the question arises: is Penn State rapidly losing ground in its own state, and will they be able to recover before it’s too late?

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  • Caleb Williams on Green Bay fans: “They suck”

    Caleb Williams on Green Bay fans: “They suck”

    It didn’t take Bears quarterback Caleb Williams long to decide he hates Packers fans just like generations of Bears before him.

    Williams said at Fanatics Fest that when it comes to negative experiences with fans, it was the fans in Green Bay who stand out from his rookie year.

    “Probably Green Bay,” Williams said. “I mean, they suck. After the game, after we won at Lambeau — 1-0 at Lambeau — we tried to do the Lambeau Leap, tried to jump into the crowd where our fans were. [Packers fans] just started throwing everything at you, push you off. The Lambeau Leap, it’s a real leap. It’s not a little baby jump, you actually have to high jump, basically. And they’re pushing you, pushing your face.”

    By winning at Lambeau Field in Week 18, Williams salvaged a good conclusion to a disappointing rookie season. He’ll be back at Lambeau in Week 14 this season, when he’ll be motivated to run his record in Green Bay to 2-0. And where he’s just given the fans in Green Bay some extra motivation to tell him he sucks.

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  • College football’s 10 best backup quarterbacks: LSU, SMU among teams with strong QB2 options in 2025

    College football’s 10 best backup quarterbacks: LSU, SMU among teams with strong QB2 options in 2025

    Building depth at the quarterback position in college football is almost impossible in the transfer portal era. It’s rare that a quality backup actually sticks around, especially since — if they’re good enough — they can go somewhere that they’re promised a more immediate starting spot. 

    So quality backup quarterbacks are an invaluable commodity. Teams hope they never need them, but it’s entirely possible that a No. 2 quarterback could make or break a season, depending on injuries and other factors. 

    From Nick Saban at Alabama to Jeff Brohm at Purdue: College football’s top 25 coaching hires this century

    Shehan Jeyarajah

    That’s why it’s appropriate to shine a spotlight on those unheralded backups. Whether it’s a veteran that’s stuck around in spite of other changes to the quarterback room, or a young player that decided to transfer to a better situation, here’s a look at the top 10 backups quarterbacks in college football. 

    It should be noted that this list is limited to collegiate backups that have played meaningful snaps before. One could make an entire article based around the former blue-chip prospects that are serving as backups in 2025 while they wait their turn to start. 

    As such, those highly rated No. 2s are included in a rapid fire list at the end of the article. 

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  • Titans’ Treylon Burks, former first-round pick, out to ‘prove myself right’ in recovery from torn ACL

    Titans’ Treylon Burks, former first-round pick, out to ‘prove myself right’ in recovery from torn ACL

    Treylon Burks’ NFL career hasn’t gone as planned. The former first-round pick’s latest challenge is coming back from a torn ACL he suffered in practice last October, but he still believes he can make an impact with the Tennessee Titans.

    Before Burks even stepped onto an NFL field, he was already behind the eight ball. The draft pick the Titans used to select Burks in the 2022 draft, No. 18 overall, was the one they received from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for A.J. Brown.

    Fair or not, Burks was always going to be compared to Brown. Through his first three years in Nashville, Burks’ production has gone down each season.

    Now, coming off an ACL tear with more competition in the receiver room, there is some question about whether Burks will even make the final roster. The fourth-year receiver said his focus isn’t on proving the doubters wrong. Instead, he wants to validate the confidence he has in himself.

    “I am not going out to prove nobody wrong, I am going out to prove myself right,” Burks said, per the Titans’ website. “I tore my ACL (last October) and I am running. I am running routes, doing everything within those seven months, and it’s like, ‘Wow.’ And it’s nobody but God who made it happen. That’s who I play for and that’s who I lean on.

    “I am not worried about whoever is in the room or whoever we’ve got. We’re a team and we’re going to go out and play ball.”

    How does new Titans QB Cam Ward plan to get ready for training camp? ‘Throw the f— out of the ball’

    Chris Bengel

    Last year, Burks was…

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  • Blue tops Gold in DFRC all-star football game

    Blue tops Gold in DFRC all-star football game

    DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star High School Football Game

    MVP Brysheem Davis of Hodgson sparks big-play Blue offense

    Brysheem Davis, who will attend Albright College, earned game MVP honors with 225 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Blue team.Ryan Tattersall, future Harvard wide receiver, threw an 80-yard touchdown pass and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass for the Blue team.The Blue team’s 48 points set a new scoring record for the Blue-Gold game.

    A constellation of Blue all-stars sprinkled big plays across Tubby Raymond Field on June 20, stirring up some Friday night football moments they’ll remember fondly.

    Three different passers, including one who’d lined up as wide receiver, threw four touchdown strikes to three different Blue teammates.

    Hodgson Vo-Tech’s Brysheem Davis hauled in 80- and 97-yard scoring passes to highlight the happenings as the Blue trounced the Gold 48-18 in the 69th edition of the DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star Football Game at Delaware Stadium.

     It was just 21-18 before Ryan Tattersall, lined up at wide receiver, caught the football and then heaved the 80-yard strike to the speedy Davis with 3:34 left in the third period. Tattersall was a wideout his first two seasons at Friends before playing quarterback the last two and will be a receiver at Harvard.

    Tattersall had also caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Brady McBride on the first play of the second quarter, but said throwing for the TD was more fun.

    “Being able to see my teammate score, that was great,” Tattersall said. “Sheem and I lived right across the hall from each other [in a University of Delaware dorm leading up to the game] so we spent a lot of time talking. I knew right when I caught it, I saw him wide open.”

    Salesianum quarterback McBride then threw…

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  • As Micah Parsons contract negotiations continue, Cowboys should remember the key ingredient to their ‘instant grits’ defense

    As Micah Parsons contract negotiations continue, Cowboys should remember the key ingredient to their ‘instant grits’ defense

    When the Dallas Cowboys secondary took the field in recent years, they waited for the signal.

    How quickly should they expect their opponent to get the ball out?

    Al Harris, Dallas’ defensive backs coach from 2021-24, would give them a clue.

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    “I used to say, ‘Instant grits,’” Harris told Yahoo Sports recently from Chicago, where he’s now the Bears’ defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. “When you boil water, you just put the grits in there. So it’s funny because [the defensive backs] would be like, ‘Hey, how the grits?’”

    In other words: How effective was the Cowboys’ pass rush at pressuring and hurrying the quarterback?

    Harris’ metaphor came in handy most when edge rusher Micah Parsons was healthy. Harris, also the Cowboys’ assistant coach last year, knew which play calls gave the two-time All-Pro edge rusher the green light to pressure and when his defensive backs should be ready accordingly.

    Injuries limited Parsons to 13 games in 2024, but Parsons nonetheless finished with the fifth-most quarterback pressures in the league. With 75 total pressures, his 5.77 per game led the league among defenders who played at least a third of the season, per NFL Next Gen Stats.

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    Next Gen Stats credits a defender with a quarterback pressure when the defender tallies a sack; gets within 2 yards of a quarterback at a forward pass; or within 1.5 yards of the quarterback at any point in the play.

    Parsons has met those criteria 335 times in four regular seasons with Dallas. He’s raced to 52.5 sacks in that period.

    Harris learned to tee off his secondary to takeaway opportunities Parsons’ pressure would create.

    “It’d be like second quarter [and I’d say,] ‘Hey, grits hot,’” Harris said. “They’ll give me a chance to watch Micah rush a couple of times to where I say, ‘OK, he’s going to beat these guys all day. And I just say, ‘Hey man, grits hot, so let’s get to the ball.

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    “‘Let’s get to…

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  • College football returning production for 2025 season: List of starters coming back for every Power Four team

    College football returning production for 2025 season: List of starters coming back for every Power Four team

    Arizona State17 [7] Sam Leavitt (QB), Jordyn Tyson (WR), Chamon Metayer (TE), Joshua Atkins (LT), Ben Coleman (LG), Kyle Scott (RG), Max Iheanachor (RT) 
    [10]
    Prince Dorbah (DL), C.J. Fite (DL), Elijah O’Neal (DL), Clayton Smith (DL), Jordan Crook (LB), Keyshaun Elliott (LB), Keith Abney (CB), Javan Robinson (CB), Xavion Alford (S), Myles Rowser (S)

    Illinois16[9] Luke Altmyer (QB), Aidan Laughery (RB), Collin Dixon (WR), Tanner Arkin (TE), J.C. Davis (LT), Josh Gesky (LG), Josh Kreutz (C), Brandon Henderson (RG), Melvin Priestly (RT)[7] Gabe Jacas (OLB), Dylan Rosiek (LB), Torrie Cox Jr. (CB), Kaleb Patterson (CB), Xavier Scott (CB), Matthew Bailey (S), Miles Scott (S)

    Clemson16[8] Cade Klubnik (QB), T.J. Moore (WR), Bryant Wesco Jr. (WR), Antonio Williams (WR), Tristan Leigh (LT), Ryan Linthicum (C), Walker Parks (RG), Blake Miller (RT)[8] DeMonte Capehart (DL), Peter Woods (DL), T.J. Parker (DE), Sammy Brown (LB), Wade Woodaz (LB), Jeadyn Lukus (CB), Avieon Terrell (CB), Khalil Barnes (S)
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  • Steelers rookie QB Will Howard relishing being mentored by ‘legend’ Aaron Rodgers: ‘He’s been awesome to me’

    Steelers rookie QB Will Howard relishing being mentored by ‘legend’ Aaron Rodgers: ‘He’s been awesome to me’

    Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said upon his arrival at the team’s practice facility that he was eager to mentor rookie Will Howard, whom the franchise selected in the sixth round of this year’s NFL Draft. The free agent signee made good on that goal early in the duo’s time together as teammates.

    The 2025 season is a learning opportunity for Howard as he develops on the bench behind Rodgers, and the reigning national champion at Ohio State said he quickly picked up bits and pieces of knowledge in minicamp.

    “I had an open seat next to me, and there came Aaron,” Howard said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I just thought it was pretty cool that he was willing to sit next to me. I remember even Day 1 he had a couple of things that we hadn’t really gone over yet … a couple of things he was asking me for clarification on. I’m like, ‘Holy s—, man. Aaron Rodgers is asking me questions right now, and I’m answering them. What is going on?’”

    Aaron Rodgers explains why the Steelers were the right fit for him, hopes to mentor rookie Will Howard

    Bryan DeArdo

    Rodgers signed with the Steelers just in advance of minicamp, joining his third team in the last four years. The 41-year-old veteran and four-time MVP garnered attention all offseason as he worked through a high-profile free agency period fraught with uncertainty. His arrival in Pittsburgh placed him in the same room as a young quarterback in Howard, not dissimilar to his situations in Green Bay with Jordan Love and in New York with Zach…

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