NFL News Updates

Category: College Football

  • SEC stadium rankings: Newcomers Oklahoma, Texas lag behind legacy league members after conference expansion

    SEC stadium rankings: Newcomers Oklahoma, Texas lag behind legacy league members after conference expansion

    EA Sports turned heads when it released its assessment of college football’s toughest places to play ahead of the upcoming “College Football 25” video game release. Game developers pegged Texas A&M as the sport’s top home-field environment and listed nine SEC venues among the top 15.

    While plenty of respect was shown to the SEC and its rabid fan bases with a strong representation near the top, EA’s ordering of the SEC environments was a lightning rod for controversy. Did Kyle Field really deserve the top spot ahead of LSU’s Tiger Stadium, which is notoriously perilous for visitors during night games?

    What about Georgia coming in at No. 5 on the list? The Bulldogs have been dominant at home under coach Kirby Smart. But is that mostly the byproduct of a talent advantage and a favorable SEC East schedule?

    College football realignment 2024 links: Big Ten stadium rankings | Big Ten rivalry rankings | SEC stadium rankings

    While some factors are quantifiable, selecting the best stadium environment in the SEC requires nuance. As Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC for the 2024 season, we set out to take a deeper and more detailed look at the hierarchy of SEC home environments.

    1. LSU

    LSU is 11-0 in home night games through two seasons under coach Brian Kelly. Its only home loss of the Kelly era came in an 11 a.m. local time start against Tennessee in 2022, lending credence to the belief there is just something different about Tiger Stadium at night. The venue is appropriately nicknamed Death Valley as it’s a place where dreams go to die, especially when the lights are on and the fans have spent all day fueling up.

    2. Alabama

    Alabama owned a 21-game home winning streak before a loss to Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium last season. The Crimson Tide were…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • 62 days until it is football time in Tennessee

    62 days until it is football time in Tennessee

    Tennessee will kick off its 2024 football season in 62 days.

    The Vols will open its upcoming campaign on Aug. 31 against Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 12:45 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the contest.

    2024 will be the fourth season for Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel. In his first three seasons, Heupel is 27-12 and guided the Vols to three bowl games.

    The Vols finished 9-4 (4-4 SEC) last season.

    With 62 days remaining until the start of the 2024 football season, Vols Wire looks back at Tennessee student-athletes who wore No. 62.

    The number is retired in honor of fullback Clyde Fuson, who died in World War II. He wore No. 62 for the Vols in 1942. It was last worn by Nick Zecchino in 1988 and officially retired by UT in 2006 prior to the Vols’ victory over Air Force.

    Players who wore No. 62 at Tennessee:

    Mike Balitsaris (1938-40)

    Clyde Fuson (1942)

    Bill Kincaid (1954-56)

    Don Schultz (1957-58)

    Jack Kile (1959-60)

    John Pierson (1961-62)

    Robbie Franklin (1963)

    Bobby Gratz (1965)

    Alex Melas (1966)

    Joe Graham (1967)

    Gary Wemlinger (1968-69)

    Claud Simonton (1971-72)

    Bill Bandimier (1973-74)

    Brent Watson (1975-77)

    David James (1980-82)

    Johnny McAdams (1983-84)

    Nick Zecchino (1987-88)

    *Source: 2023 Tennessee Football Media Guide

    Story originally appeared on Vols Wire

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Big Ten stadium rankings: Where USC, Oregon, UCLA, Washington stand as conference expands in 2024

    Big Ten stadium rankings: Where USC, Oregon, UCLA, Washington stand as conference expands in 2024

    Atmosphere is a word routinely heard when discussing college football, particularly when comparing the game to its professional counterpart, the NFL. The stadiums in which the games are played provide much of that atmosphere.

    While many NFL stadiums, particularly the newer ones, look and feel the same every Sunday, college football stadiums have unique personalities. Some are gigantic, while others are a bit more intimate. All are special to those who call them home, but some are better than others.

    With the Big Ten adding four new schools and stadiums, it felt like a good time to rank the buildings the 18 teams in the league call home. I’ve ranked them based on their atmosphere — the indefinable vibe you get from every place. Whether it’s awe-inspiring size, the fans who fill them, or the tailgate scene, it’s nearly impossible to objectively define the best of the best.

    Well, unless you’re me, it is. I’ve done it, and I’m sure you will all agree that my rankings are immaculate.

    1. Penn State – Beaver Stadium

    The sheer size of Beaver Stadium (106,572) is impressive enough, but the sound its occupants produce when the place is packed is eardrum-shattering, particularly if it’s a white-out game at night. Another factor that sometimes goes unconsidered but makes a big impact is that, for the most part, the stadium is in the middle of nowhere. That makes it the only show in town in a lot of ways, and that ensures the people who show up are excited to be there.

    2. Washington – Husky Stadium

    I can already see the angry messages from Big Ten fans outraged that I’d include this newcomer so highly, but trust me. Once you visit the place, you’ll get it. Husky Stadium’s overall capacity of 70,138 ranks ninth in the league, but few buildings are as…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Ohio State misses out on four-star running back

    Ohio State misses out on four-star running back

    We are in the portion of the year where college football news is a bit slow, but recruiting news is picking up. As we inch closer to National Signing Day monitoring the class of 2025 becomes more and more important. Unfortunately, a star out of the state of California made his announcement today and he pledged his commitment to another Big Ten rival.

    Jordon Davison is a four-star recruit, who recently trimmed his list down to four schools. Ohio State was among those four school, but the competition included other college football blue bloods in Alabama, Michigan and Oregon.

    Today he announced his commitment to play for the Oregon Ducks, which is not the greatest news for Buckeye fans, but it should be noted that the Ohio State recruiting class of 2025 already has two running backs committed.

    Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

    Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Meet college football’s 12 under-the-radar defensive players who already have NFL scouts buzzing

    Meet college football’s 12 under-the-radar defensive players who already have NFL scouts buzzing

    Summertime is a great chance to gain some perspective on the talent pool in college football. So every year, I take some time to ask NFL scouts how draft-eligible college players are viewed as prospects by those in the NFL space.

    In the coming weeks, I’ll share different pieces of feedback that have come from those conversations. Yesterday, we covered 12 under-the-radar draft prospects on offense generating buzz among NFL scouts. Now, here are 12 defensive players (listed alphabetically):

    Syracuse S Alijah Clark

    School measurements: 6-foot-1, 186 pounds

    A former top-150 overall recruit, Clark has been a starter for Syracuse for the last two years. At least some scouts see the Rutgers transfer coming off the board in the first few rounds of next year’s draft. He has limited ball production (with no interceptions and just five pass breakups the last two seasons) but recorded 120 total tackles during that time and helped Syracuse rank 14th nationally in pass defense in 2022.

    Pro Football Focus gave him the fourth-best pass defense grade among ACC safeties last season.

    “Really talented and gifted player,” a coach who worked at Syracuse in 2022 and 2023 told CBS Sports. “Physical and athletic. Can lose focus and attention at times, but looks the part.”

    UTSA DL Joe Evans

    Official measurements:…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Phil Steele says USC has one of top three hardest schedules in 2024 football season

    Phil Steele says USC has one of top three hardest schedules in 2024 football season

    Phil Steele has made his annual list of college football’s top 25 hardest schedules. Steele utilized the “NCAA method” to rank these schedules, which compiles the records of each team’s opponents from the previous season. You can imagine that USC made the list. You would be right.

    With the 2024 season right around the corner, let’s take a look at which teams including USC come in ranked with their future schedules.

    Florida is No. 1. UCLA is No. 2. At No. 3 are the USC Trojans. USC has its work cut out from Week 1 until the end of the season. Kicking off the season in Las Vegas against the LSU Tigers, the Trojans immediately test themselves. The Trojans will battle Utah State at home before traveling to Ann Arbor for a date with reigning national champion Michigan on the road.

    Matchups against conference opponents such as Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA and finally non-conference rival Notre Dame  in the season finale.

    The magazine on digital version was available June 19 this week and should hit the newsstands by July.

    Phil Steele’s Big Ten Forecast for 2024:

    1. Ohio State
    2. Oregon
    3. Penn State
    4. Michigan
    5. Iowa
    6. USC
    7. Nebraska
    8. Rutgers
    9. Wisconsin
    10. Maryland
    11. Washington
    12. Indiana
    13. Illinois
    14. UCLA
    15. Minnesota
    16. Northwestern
    17. Purdue
    17. Michigan State

    — WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) June 23, 2024

    There is a lot of excitement around the USC program heading into year three of the Lincoln Riley era. The Trojans head coach talks overhauling the roster, new coaches, NIL, recruiting, evaluating QBs and more. Story: https://t.co/IpBEEXsgiE pic.twitter.com/3S7zLN7qiT

    — Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) June 25, 2024

    Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

    Check out more NFL draft coverage with…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Why high school QBs are committing earlier than ever — and then putting on their hard hats

    Why high school QBs are committing earlier than ever — and then putting on their hard hats

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A year ago this week, Tavien St. Clair walked into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at Ohio State with news to share.

    The five-star quarterback from Bellafontaine (Ohio) was ready to commit to the Buckeyes, a childhood favorite team with a rich history of producing top talent at his position. Two-time Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud had been taken second overall in the NFL Draft just two months prior, and St. Clair could not wait to start mapping out a similar blueprint in Columbus. He stepped into coach Ryan Day’s office equally nervous and excited.

    “Coach Day and coach Corey Dennis had started asking about a commitment a couple months before that moment, just dropping hints here and there and wondering when I wanted to do it,” St. Clair said at the Elite 11 Finals. “My family and I were overwhelmed with joy when we finally did it. Enrolling early was a big factor in the timing. Obviously it was two full years before the start of my first college season, but it’s big for the quarterback to jump in early and recruit the guys he wants around him.”

    The results, at least for Ohio State, have been tangible — the Buckeyes hold a healthy lead atop the 247Sports Team Composite Recruiting Rankings for the 2025 class with six months remaining until the Early Signing Period. St. Clair is one of three five-star prospects in the group that also features 12 other Top247 members. 

    Ask any coach and they’ll tell you there’s no better way to kick-start a class than by landing an elite quarterback recruit. He’s a magnet for other elite players. He’s a testament to your fans, boosters and bosses that your program’s going in the right direction. And he’s usually the most vocal one in building out the class, organizing group…

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More

  • Defensive end from Germany commits to Nebraska

    Defensive end from Germany commits to Nebraska

    A defensive end from Germany has officially announced his commitment to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. David Hoffken is a 6-foot-7, 257-pound prospect out of Keil, Germany.

    Hoffken was offered and accepted a scholarship from the Cornhusker coaching staff earlier this month, but he announced his acceptance on social media earlier this week. The Huskers found the Keil, Germany native at a football clinic in Houston earlier in the month.

    While early reports had Germany possibly playing on the offensive line, Hoffken told 247Sports that after extensive conversations with coaching, he would remain on the defensive line.

    The fact that I’m 22 and was 6-7, 257 pounds, it would be pretty hard to gain that much weight to get me game ready. And due to the athleticism and mobility it would make more sense to play defensive line, and I’m very comfortable with that decision.

    The prospect has his full eligibility available and will enroll at Nebraska later this summer.

    Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

    Story originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire

    ..

    [ad_2]

    Read More