Category: College Football

Monte Kiffin, the longtime defensive coordinator at both the NFL and college levels who became the innovator behind the renowned “Tampa 2” defense, died Wednesday at age 84. The father of Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, the elder Kiffin’s coaching career stretched back to 1966 when he started as a graduate assistant at Nebraska. He was most recently a player personnel analyst for the Rebels. 

“As his grandson Knox said, he’s free of pain and smiling down on us from above,” a social media statement from the university said. “Please keep the Kiffin family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.” 

Kiffin’s “Tampa 2” defense was a variant of Tony Dungy’s “Cover 2” that helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII. The 2002 Buccaneers’ defense is regarded as one of the NFL’s all-time great units. Against the Raiders in that year’s Super Bowl, Tampa’s defense picked off then-NFL MVP Rich Gannon five times, returning three for scores. The Buccaneers’ defense featured future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Ronde Barber. 

Along with coaching future Hall of Famers, Kiffin was involved in the hiring of six former assistant coaches who would eventually become NFL head coaches. That list includes current Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and Falcons first-year head coach Raheem Morris. Tomlin was 29 years old when Kiffin and Co. gave him his first NFL opportunity as the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach. 

“We interviewed 15, 16 guys for the secondary job,” Kiffin once said about hiring Tomlin. “Then we heard about a young guy at the University of Cincinnati by the name of Mike Tomlin. Rick Minter was the head coach. I had worked with him. I said, ‘I heard you have a young coach who is under the radar.’ He said, ‘How did you…

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Texas high school football is only weeks away from fall practice, and excitement grows as fans, players and coaches with high aspirations anticipate the return of Friday night lights in West Texas.

Despite the turnover from departing senior classes, many of the nearly 40 teams in the Standard-Times coverage area retained plenty of young talent, as well as bringing in some new faces, looking to make their mark on the 2024 season.

Before the season begins, the Standard-Times will highlight the top local players in seven position groups — quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs, offensive linemen, defensive backs, defensive linemen, and linebackers.

Today, we finish our position group watch list by spotlighting the top returning linebackers to watch in West Texas.

Linebackers to watch in 2024

Honorable Mention: Devin Medina, sr., Miles; Jaidyn Vineyard, sr., Coahoma

Sire Garcia, jr., Grape Creek

Garcia was a breakout star for the Eagles on defense in 2023 earning Defensive Newcomer of the Year in District 2-3A Division II. He finished the season with 68 tackles, five tackles for a loss and two interceptions returned for touchdowns, earning an All-West Texas Honorable Mention.

HS FOOTBALL: See what Dave Campbell’s Texas Football predicts for West Texas, San Angelo programs

HS SPORTS: A deep dive into UIL’s split division playoff format, how it affects West Texas sports

Crue Levien, jr., Junction

Junction took a huge step forward last season going winless in 2022 to a playoff birth and six wins in 2023, and Levien’s performance was a large part of the success. In his first season on varsity, he finished with 93 tackles and one sack and was an All-West Texas Honorable Mention.

Ethan Michalwicz, sr.,…

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Utah star quarterback Cam Rising is not aspiring to become an eighth-year senior, even though he would be eligible to play again in 2025. The 25-year-old Utes icon clarified during Big 12 Media Days that he intends for the 2024 season to be his last in the college ranks.

In response to a question from Brett McMurphy of the Action Network about using an eighth year of eligibility, Rising said “that’s not the plan,” adding “seven years is more than enough.” 

Rising is among a handful of players in line to benefit from a proposed consent decree by the United States Department of Justice that would prohibit the enforcement of NCAA transfer rules. One of the provisions states that Division I student-athletes deemed ineligible for any portion of a season during or since the 2019-20 academic year will be granted an extra season of eligibility by the NCAA. Rising began his college career at Texas as a redshirt in 2018 before transferring to Utah in 2019 and sitting out a year as was required by NCAA rules at the time.

The 2020 season also didn’t count against Rising’s eligibility because of the relief provided by the NCAA amid the COVID-19 pandemic. If Rising wanted to capitalize on the DOJ’s proposed consent decree, none of his first three seasons of college football would count against his eligibility.

Rising used two seasons of eligibility as Utah’s starting quarterback in 2021 and 2022 before taking a medical redshirt in 2023. Rising has thrown for 46 touchdowns and run for 12 more in his two full seasons as the Utes’ starting quarterback. Utah was picked to win the…

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LAS VEGAS –  Big 12 Conference commissioner Brett Yormark was asked a question Tuesday about what actually went down behind the scenes one year ago, when he helped convince four schools from the Pac-12 to leave that league and join the Big 12 instead.

He didn’t want to talk about it.

But documents obtained from the schools by USA TODAY Sports – and brief remarks by Yormark here Tuesday – paint a picture of a cutthroat strategy to destabilize the Pac-12 last year to the point that it fell apart to the Big 12’s benefit.

According to the documents, the University of Colorado was offered a $2.5 million signing bonus from the Big 12 Conference last year as an added enticement to get the Buffaloes to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12 instead, starting on Aug. 2, 2024.

But here’s what’s curious about that: The other three Pac-12 teams that followed Colorado’s path into the Big 12 a week later apparently didn’t get any signing bonus, according to their Big 12 admission agreements.

Why not?

Was Yormark hoping that by sweetening the pot for Colorado and getting the Buffs to jump first, then the others would do the same out of fear of being left behind in a crumbling Pac-12?

“I’m not going to discuss my negotiating tactics, but listen, we were thrilled that Colorado was the first mover,” Yormark told USA TODAY Sports Tuesday at the Big 12 football media days event. “Ultimately one got us four, you know, when you think about it. Whatever we did in those negotiations seemed to work out pretty well for us.”

How it factors into the realignment timeline

Colorado announced its move to the Big 12 on July 27 last year – the first of eight defections from the Pac-12 last year that all but destroyed it. A week later, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah also announced they were leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 12, but…

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247Sports

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore picked up his first significant win on the recruiting trail by flipping four-star safety commit Ivan Taylor from Notre Dame. Taylor committed to the Fighting Irish in December 2023 but flipped after taking an official visit to Michigan last month.

Taylor is the son of former NFL defensive back Ike Taylor, who won two Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers during a 12-year career from 2003-14. The younger Taylor ranks as the No. 41 overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle by 247Sports and is the second-ranked player at his position in the class. The West Orange High School product out of Winter Garden, Florida, is the fifth-ranked player from the Sunshine State.

He becomes Michigan’s highest-ranked recruit in the 2025 cycle, jumping four-star safety Kainoa Winston. Despite coming off a national championship in January, Michigan ranked No. 41 in the national recruiting rankings as recently as May 31. With Taylor’s commitment, the Wolverines jumped eight spots to No. 15 in the 2025 class rankings from 247Sports.

“I like Coach Wink [Martindale], I like Coach [Lamar] Morgan, and I like Coach Moore,” Taylor told 247Sports. “I think they’re all great people, and it was a really good time on the official visit getting to know them and getting to know their families as well.”

Other members of Michigan’s recruiting class include four-star defensive linemen Nathaniel Marshall and Jaylen Williams and four-star offensive tackle Avery Gach.

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Jul. 8—Grant Beerman verbally committed to Purdue over the weekend.

A three-star linebacker prospect, Beerman chose the Boilermakers from a final four that also included Cincinnati, West Virginia and Michigan State.

He is the third player from Lakota West’s class of 2025 to commit to an NCAA Division I FBS school, joining tight end Luka Gilbert (University of Miami) and tight end/defensive lineman Vincent Giordano (Bowling Green).

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Beerman is the No 17 prospect in 247Sports Composite rankings for Ohio and the 46th-ranked linebacker.

He had 79 tackles, including 12 for loss and three sacks, last season for the Firebirds, who advanced to the regional finals in the Division I playoffs before losing to Cincinnati Moeller.

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247Sports

Ohio State added another coveted prospect to its top-ranked recruiting class on Saturday when five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn committed to the Buckeyes live on 247Sports. Pettijohn chose Ohio State over Texas, Texas A&M and USC to give the Buckeyes yet another big win on the trail.

Pettijohn is entering his senior year at McKinney High School in McKinney, Texas. In addition to starring on the football field for McKinney, Pettijohn has excelled in track, posting a 10.7 second 100-meter dash time as a junior. That speed translates well to the football field, where he posted 125 tackles in 2023.

He also comes from a strong football pedigree. His father, Duke Pettijohn, starred on the defensive line for Syracuse from 1997-2000. Riley Pettijohn is considered the nation’s No. 5 linebacker prospect by 247Sports and is ranked the No. 10 overall prospect from the state of Texas.

“Athletic volume tackler who can fit multiple off-ball linebacker roles in varying schemes,” wrote 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks in an evaluation of Pettijohn. “Well-developed build with a stout, athletic base. Early on, looked like a candidate to ultimately play off the edge, but now clearly belongs as a traditional linebacker who exhibits broad pursuit range with excellent verified athleticism to bolster his long-term projection.”

Pettijohn is Ohio State’s 23rd commitment in the 2025 class and the 10th who is ranked inside the top-100 of the Top247 Rankings. His pledge softens the blow after the Buckeyes struck out on another front-seven prospect, four-star linebacker Justin Hill,…

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Florida State football will play on Labor Day weekend for the fourth consecutive season.

It will also be its home opener during the prime-time game at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN at Doak Campbell Stadium Sept. 2.

It is a new era for Boston College.

Bill O’Brien is a college football head coach again after one season as an offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the New England Patriots.

Before that, he served the same role under Nick Saban in Alabama.

With his college and pro coaching experience, Boston College could likely be a better team than the last meeting with FSU.

Boston College went 7-6 last season but ended the year losing three of the last four games, leading to Jeff Hafley’s departure.

Who is Boston College’s head coach

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 10: Alabama Crimson Tide Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien looks on prior to a game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

O’Brien was hired on Feb. 9. He is BC’s 37th head coach in program history. It is the first time since 2012 that O’Brien has returned to the college head coaching ranks.

O’Brien is no stranger to building a winning team right away. He led the Nittany Lions to an eight-win season in his first season at Penn State.

He was 15-9 during his tenure before taking an NFL head coaching job for the Houston Texans in 2014, which lasted for six seasons.

He became Alabama’s offensive coordinator and QB coach for the 2021 and 2022 seasons and one year for the Patriots last year.

FSU-BC all-time record,

16-5, FSU

Last meeting between FSU and Boston College

Florida State defeated Boston College 41-16 last season at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Boston College’s top players

Offense: QB Logan Thomas Castellanos, 2248…

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