Author: nfltalk

Texas men’s basketball coach Rodney Terry has apologized for his postgame criticism of several Central Florida players who made “Horns Down” gestures following a game last Wednesday.

“I had no intention of trying to show up anyone, or offend anyone in terms of what occurred at the end of that game,” Terry said Saturday after the Longhorns’ 75-73 upset of No. 9 Baylor.

“We have a lot of passion for who we are and what we are representing. We try to do that in a class manner, at the highest level,” he added. “I apologize to our fan base as well, and understand what it means to be the head coach at the University of Texas and what our brand stands for.”

Rodney Terry is in his second season as Texas Longhorns men’s basketball coach.

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Terry told several UCF players, “That’s classless” as they made their way through the handshake line after the Knights’ 77-70 victory at Texas’ Moody Center. He also yelled, “Don’t do that,” multiple times at the players and doubled down on his criticism when he spoke to reporters after the game, calling their display “classless.”

Terry led the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and an NCAA Tournament appearance last year in his first season in Austin. Saturday’s upset win over No. 9 Baylor improved the team’s record to 13-5 overall, 2-3 in conference play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas coach Rodney Terry apologizes for ‘Horns Down’ tirade

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San Jose State is set to hire former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo to replace Brent Brennan, according to 247Sports. Niumatalolo will replace Brent Brennan, who accepted the Arizona job this amid a wave of job openings stemming from Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama. 

Niumatalolo recently accepted the tight ends job at UCLA after he spent the 2023 season in a support staff role with the coach Chip Kelly and the Bruins. He will bring ample head-coaching experience to SJSU after a 15-year run with Navy from 2007-22 during which he compiled a 109-83 record. Niumatalolo is Navy’s all-time wins leader, led the program to six bowl victories and posted a 10-5 record vs. Army.

What Niumatalolo will not be bringing with him to San Jose State, however, will be the triple-option offensive scheme that wreaked havoc on opposing defenses as he led the Midshipmen to relevance. According to ESPN, Niumatalolo is currently targeting an offensive coordinator who will install more of a wide-open offense with emphasis on the pass. 

Though largely successful during his tenure, Navy took a downturn under Niumatalolo amid the sport’s changing landscape. The Midshipmen limped to an 11-23 record during his final three seasons after going 11-2 in 2019. Precautions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic left Navy ill-prepared in 2020, and Niumatalolo struggled to find a winning formula for a program with stringent admissions standards in the transfer portal era.

No such challenges will await him at San Jose State, a program which has earned bowl game berths in three of the past four seasons under…

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Jan. 19—Godley Wildcat football standout Landon Thigpen played in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Jan. 8 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Thigpen played as a running back for the West team, which won the game 35-28. The team was coached by Seneca Wallace, a National Football League veteran who played quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks from 2003-09, the Cleveland Browns from 2010-11 and the Green Bay Packers in 2013.

Blue-Grey Football was established in 1989 to help prep prospects from all over the country receive national exposure and increase their chances to secure college scholarships. The program continues to grow as the annual All-American Bowls have become must-see events with college coaches from all over the country interested in the results.

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Washington transfer quarterback Austin Mack intends to transfer to Alabama, following coach Kalen DeBoer from the Huskies to the Crimson Tide, he announced Thursday. Mack was the No. 73 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to 247Sports, and received offers from a handful of Pac-12 schools before committing to the Huskies. 

The 6-foot-6, 226 pounder heads to Alabama with four seasons of eligibility remaining after redshirting during his lone season at Washington. He did not see any playing time for the Huskies during their run to a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance. 

Mack was initially a member of the 2024 cycle before reclassifying and graduating a year early from Folsom (California) High School. Mack led Folsom to 12 wins and CIF Sacramento Division 1 championship in 2022, passing for 3,498 yards and 40 touchdowns. 

Mack is the first player — transfer or high school prospect — to commit to Alabama since DeBoer took over as coach on Jan. 12. 

Mack brings depth to Alabama QB room 

In committing to Alabama, Mack joins a quarterbacks room that already features an incumbent starter in Jalen Milroe. Despite inconsistent play — especially early in the season — Milroe’s efforts were enough to lead Alabama to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Milroe, who still has two seasons of eligibility remaining, finished the year with 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns through the air. He ran for an additional 531 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

While it seems unlikely he’ll unseat Milroe in 2024, Mack has a solid chance to emerge as the…

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