Author: nfltalk

There was a time when it looked like the Oklahoma Sooners were the frontrunners for four-star defensive back Aaron Flowers. A crystal ball from back in December indicated the Sooners were trending in a positive direction.

Flowers announced his commitment to the Oregon Ducks on Friday afternoon. The commitment comes as a bit of a surprise. In the last month, USC began to make strides in securing Flowers in the 2024 cycle. But it’s Dan Lanning and the Ducks that pick up the blue chip defensive back prospect.

There’s a bit of irony to the story. The Sooners picked up the surprise commitment of Peyton Bowen, pulling him from the Ducks at the buzzer of the early signing period in December. Now, it’s the Ducks returning the favor and picking up Flowers’ commitment.

Flowers is a versatile defensive back capable of playing corner or safety and was being recruited by both secondary coaches at Oklahoma.

USC received several projections late in the recruitment, but it was their Pac-12 rivals to the north that earned the commitment.

In March, Oklahoma turned the heat up in their recruitment of four-star safety Jaydan Hardy. Out of Lewisville, Texas, Hardy is an athletic player, capable of providing some playmaking to the backend of the defense.

With Flowers’ commitment done, the Sooners turn their attention to Michael Hawkins, who is set to commit on Saturday, April 8. The Sooners are battling it out with TCU for the four-star quarterback’s pledge.

More Recruiting!

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Sooners land in Top 4 for 2024 offensive tackle Garrett Sexton

Sooners pick up another crystal ball for 2024 WR Isaiah McMorris

2024 Prospect Profile: Oklahoma offers 4-star RB Nathaniel Frazier

Oklahoma Sooners On3 recruiting winners for the month of March

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and…

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How much does it cost to buy the resources necessary to win a national championship? If you ask the two-time reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs, the answer is $16,518,859. The Bulldogs spent that much between 2017-22 on recruiting expenses, which was more than $5 million more than any other program in the country over the same period, according to analysis of public records obtained by USA Today for Power Five schools. The gap between Georgia and No. 2 spender Alabama almost matches the difference between Alabama and Nebraska. 

Recruiting budgets can cover a wide variety of expenses during the process, including vast recruiting departments, transportation, visits and much more. While spending does not guarantee success, seven of the last eight titles were won by schools in the top three in recruiting spending: Georgia, Alabama and Clemson. 

It’s worth noting there was a downswing in spending in 2021 — for obvious reasons. The pandemic severely limited recruiting expenses, but it bounced back in a major way in 2022 with record spending across the board. Additionally, schools compile these numbers differently, which impacts comparison. Still, the bottom-line number gives us a baseline comparison. 

Private schools were not included in USA Today’s analysis as they are not subject to records requests. Additionally, data could not be found for Pittsburgh, which is not subject to FOIA requests under Pennsylvania law. 

ACC

Clemson

$3,158,941

$1,661,691

North Carolina

$1,306,117

$856,072

Georgia Tech

$1,240,706

$763,426

Louisville

$1,019,027

$659,819

Virginia

$994,851

$641,396

Florida State

$899,308

$1,257,758

Virginia Tech

$898,675

$623,166

NC State

$632,696

$538,879

If you want to be the best, you have to spend like the best. Clemson more than doubles any other…

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ESPN recently released their future power rankings for the top 25 quarterback rooms in college football.

The projections take into account each program’s position group for the next three seasons (2023, 2024 and 2025). The state of current rosters, committed recruits and likelihood of transfer is all taken into consideration.

For Texas in particular, they have to feel pleased with where their quarterback room is right now. Returning starter Quinn Ewers appears to have turned the corner and progressed this offseason and talented signal-callers Maalik Murphy and Arch Manning are waiting in the wings.

The Longhorns quarterback room landed among the top 10 in ESPN’s rankings. USC took the top overall spot with returning starter Caleb Williams and former five-star Malachi Nelson set to take over when Williams departs for the NFL draft after the 2023 season.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s top 10 future quarterback power rankings.

Oregon Ducks

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Projected starter for 2023: Bo Nix

Florida State

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Projected starter for 2023: Jordan Travis

Tennessee Volunteers

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Projected starter for 2023: Nico Iamaleava or Joe Milton

Texas Longhorns

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Projected starter for 2023: Quinn Ewers

Michigan Wolverines

Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Projected starter for 2023: J.J. McCarthy

Alabama Crimson Tide

Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Projected starter for 2023: Jalen Milroe

Georgia Bulldogs

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Projected starter for 2023: Carson Beck

Oklahoma Sooners

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Projected starter for 2023: Dillon Gabriel

Ohio State Buckeyes

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Projected starter for 2023: Kyle McCord

USC Trojans

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Projected…

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Michigan enters 2023 in a better place than it’s been in a long time. In the last two seasons, the Wolverines have won a pair of Big Ten titles and made as many College Football Playoff appearances. Even if they’re still waiting for that first playoff win, at least two dominant wins against Ohio State — which came after eight straight losses — alleviate the sting.

Can the Wolverines make it three straight Big Ten titles in 2023? Can they pick up their first playoff win? There’s a lot of time left to figure that out, but first things first, the Wolverines need to get through the spring. The first phase of any new season is spring practice, and Michigan’s wraps up Saturday, April 1, at The Big House with the annual spring game.

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s game.

How to watch 2023 Michigan spring game live

Date: Saturday, April 1 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Michigan Stadium — Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV channel: Big Ten Network | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)

2023 Michigan spring game storylines

1. It’s J.J. McCarthy’s show this year: There’s a different vibe around the QB position in Ann Arbor this year. Last spring, it was an open competition between J.J. McCarthy and returning starter Cade McNamara. The competition did not get settled in the spring. In fact, it went into the season when Jim Harbaugh announced both players would start games during the nonconference schedule before the team made a final decision. In the end, McCarthy took the job and led Michigan to another Big Ten title and the College Football Playoff. McNamara has since transferred to Iowa, and McCarthy begins the spring as the unquestioned starter.

2. There are a lot of new faces in the trenches: With the transfer portal, roster churn is a…

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