Category: College Football

Two teams stand above the rest of college football entering the 2024 season with a strong case to rank No. 1 in the preseason polls. Both Ohio State and Georgia play spring games on Saturday with major focus on their programs. 

Georgia’s quest for a three-peat fell short in last season’s SEC Championship Game, but the Bulldogs exorcised those demons with a 63-3 evisceration of Florida State in the Orange Bowl. A handful of key playmakers are off to the NFL, but Georgia is focused on setting the tone for 2024 despite missing out on a trip to the national championship. 

Conversely, Ohio State limped into the offseason after an embarrassing 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. In response, coach Ryan Day quickly set his eyes on the most important offseason of his career. His strategy will decide everything. 

The 2024 season also marks a demarcation in the history of the sport. The SEC and Big Ten grow by a combined six members, bringing 24 new claimed national championships to the leagues. The path to a national championship also gets more difficult as the College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams. Including a conference title game, winning a national championship could involve winning as many as four consecutive games against top-eight opponents. 

With both programs facing pivotal offseasons, which program faces the most pressure in 2024? 

Georgia’s pressure: Taking advantage of a post-Saban SEC

For all the success Georgia has put together over the past seven years under Kirby Smart, it’s amazing to think the ‘Dawgs only beat Alabama once: the 2021 CFP National Championship to capture their first title in 40 years. The Bulldogs dodged the Crimson Tide during the second national title run the following year and…

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Former Robbinsdale Cooper star and LSU defensive end Jaxon Howard, one of the most highly touted high school football recruits from Minnesota in recent years, is on the market again.

Howard played five games as a true freshman at LSU last season and participated in spring practice, but he’s entering the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

A 6-4, 240-pound Minneapolis native, Howard was a four-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the state of Minnesota’s 2023 class.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck received an official visit from Howard in high school. The Gophers were among his finalists with Miami and Michigan before he signed with the Tigers in July 2022. Howard’s most productive game for LSU came against Wisconsin in the Jan. 1 ReliaQuest Bowl, when he had one tackle and a quarterback hurry against the Badgers.

Fleck and the Gophers will be looking in the transfer portal to add depth on both sides of the ball for the 2024 season.

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Oregon State running back Damien Martinez intends to enter the college football transfer portal when it opens next week, 247Sports reports. Martinez ranked among the top 25 rushers in the nation in 2023 and posted 6.1 yards per carry. In the transfer portal, Martinez will be rated as the No. 2 running back, behind only Quinshon Judkins (from Ole Miss to Ohio State). 

The two-year starter from Lewisville, Texas, rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns in two seasons with the Beavers. He earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors as a sophomore while pacing an underrated Oregon State offense. With Martinez gone, Oregon State is down to three scholarship running backs for the spring. 

Martinez was one of the few star players to stick around after coach Jonathan Smith was poached by Michigan State over the offseason. Three All-Pac-12 teammates — quarterback Aidan Chiles, TE Jack Velling and OL Tanner Miller — joined Smith in East Lansing. Multiple other players landed at Florida State and USC. 

Fifteen different Oregon State players earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 team after the 2023 season. With Martinez set to leave, only one — offensive lineman Joshua Gray — will return.

Devastating loss for Beavers

Martinez had been vocal about returning to Corvallis, even after Smith left. He seemed to embrace the role of cornerstone.

“I’m not one foot in, one foot out,” Martinez told 247Sports in November. “I’m here. I’m stuck on being here. This is where I want to be, and like I said, I’m comfortable here. I haven’t had talks about leaving at all even with all of the coaching stuff happening. I think I’ve said it before, but the coach here told me he wasn’t leaving and he ended up leaving. Loyalty is another big thing and I just wanted to…

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STILLWATER — One of the most intently watched Oklahoma State football players last December and January was cornerback Korie Black.

Speculation was rampant about where he’d play in 2024.

Would he go to the NFL?

Would he enter the transfer portal to leave for another program, even perhaps join his younger brother at Texas?

Any of those seemed like viable possibilities, yet Black went with option No. 3, remaining at OSU for his super-senior season.

“I had a lot of talks with coaches and my parents,” Black said. “Through all those conversations, we pretty much came up with this.”

Black’s return is hugely valuable for a Cowboy defense looking to take a big step forward in the second year under coordinator Bryan Nardo.

Here’s a look at the cornerback position for the Pokes this spring:

More: Which Oklahoma State football players have most to gain in spring practice?

OSU’s Korie Black (2) celebrates a defensive stop next to OU’s Drake Stoops (12) during the Cowboys’ win in Bedlam on Nov. 4, 2023, in Stillwater.

Season rewind

Among players with more than 60 snaps played, Black was the third-best graded player on the OSU defense last season, according to Pro Football Focus, coming behind only Anthony Goodlow and Collin Oliver.

He played 680 snaps and his receiver was targeted just 35 times all season, so quarterbacks were avoiding him when possible. He allowed just 16 catches for 264 yards.

The second-most used cornerback was redshirt freshman D.J. McKinney, who has since transferred to Colorado, but the Cowboys rotated cornerbacks more frequently than ever before, getting plenty of experience for Cam Smith and Kale Smith (no relation).

The cornerback group was solid last year, but there’s still room for growth, and that seems to be happening this spring.

Roster management

Who’s out: D.J. McKinney

Who’s in:…

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Since parting ways with the New England Patriots in January, Bill Belichick has managed to keep a pretty low profile. 

The six-time Super Bowl winning coach hasn’t been seen on a football field in nearly three months, but that changed over the weekend, when he showed up at the University of Washington for a spring practice. Not only did Belichick make an appearance at practice, but he showed full support for the team by wearing a Washington hoodie and hat. 

After 24 years in New England, it’s almost jarring to see him wearing a hoodie that doesn’t have the Patriots’ logo on it.  

This is the first time we’ve seen Belichick in a Washington hoodie, but it probably won’t be the last. Belichick’s son, Steve, was hired in February to be the team’s defensive coordinator. 

Steve seemed pretty thrilled to have his dad around for practice. 

“It was cool. I’m glad he got to come out here,” Steve told the media when asked about his dad’s attendance at practice. I look up to him in so many different areas. To have him out here, it’s been awesome.”

Steve had worked on the Patriots’ coaching staff since 2012, so this is the first time that he’s had a job in football where his dad isn’t his boss. 

It appears that the elder Belichick had a busy weekend at the school. Not only did he attend practice, but he was also the featured speaker at a coaching clinic that the school held on Saturday. 

The 71-year-old Belichick has some free time this spring, which is rare for him. This year will mark the first time since 1974 that the six-time Super Bowl winner doesn’t have an NFL…

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For the first time since Rutgers entered the Big Ten in 2014, there is a quarterback competition that features two experienced players who each have deep Power Five starting experience.

The offseason addition of Athan Kalaikmanis, who started every regular season game for Minnesota last year, certainly changes the look and feel of the Rutgers quarterback room. With the incumbent starter, Gavin Wimsatt, back from a year where Rutgers won a bowl game, there is a level of depth and competition that hasn’t existed around this program in quite some time.

Of the four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, Wimsatt and Ajanni Sheppard spent last season at Rutgers and with offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.

“For two of them, it’s their second year in the system now so you would expect a better understanding from a whole offseason of studying yourself,” head coach Greg Schiano told reporters on Saturday.

“But yeah, there’s a healthy competition in the room. I think it’s deeper so we’ll just let it play out.”

Rutgers has had inconsistent quarterback play for much of the last decade and the hope this offseason is that Kalaikmanis or Wimsatt will step up and manage the offense effectively.

While Sheppard is promising and A.J. Surace, a three-star quarterback who arrived on campus in January, the quarterback competition is likely to favor the most experienced players.

Wimsatt and Kalaikmanis both have significant starting experience in the Big Ten and that is likely what is needed with this veteran roster.

“Well, Athan I saw do things in Big Ten games, so I’m not really surprised – I think he’s doing well, but it’s not a surprise,” Schiano said.

“AJ only saw (him) play in high school and yes, he’s pleasantly surprised me. I mean, AJ is a really fine young quarterback prospect. Very excited about…

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Auburn will be one of the first major programs to close practice as the Tigers host their annual A-Day spring game on Saturday. The Tigers will give fans a first glimpse of the 2024 roster as Hugh Freeze’s squad enters its second season. 

The Tigers struggled in Freeze’s first season, finishing 6-7 with an embarrassing three-touchdown loss against New Mexico State. Freeze’s signature passing unit finished worst in the SEC, mustering just 162.2 yards per game. Mississippi State was the only SEC West program to average fewer points per game. 

Of course, the roster that takes the field on Saturday may not be the final version. Four additional high school prospects arrive on campus in the summer, including national top-40 wide receiver Perry Thompson. The Tigers could also be active in the post-spring transfer portal. Still, the spring game provides key evaluation time for both fans and coaches. 

The format of the spring game is meant to build excitement and competitiveness. In the offense-defense battle, the defense will start with a 27-0 lead on the scoreboard. The offense has four 10-minute quarters to try and surpass the total in order to win the game. Whichever unit has the most points at the end of the 40-minute game will be declared the winner. Here are some spring game storylines as well as information on how to watch the Tigers 2024 debut. 

How to watch 2024 Auburn spring game live

Date: Saturday, April 6 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium — Auburn, Alabama
Live Stream: SEC Network+ 

2024 Auburn spring game storylines 

1. Has Payton Thorne taken a step? Auburn weighed some quarterback options in the transfer portal but ultimately decided to ride into 2024 with the returning group of signal callers. Incumbent…

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MONTGOMERY — Alabama State football held its Black and Gold Spring Game on Saturday at Hornet Stadium.

Entering the third year under head coach Eddie Robinson Jr., the Hornets kicked off their 2024 campaign, dazzling fans with the new offensive skill players acquired during the offseason.

Team Gold (the ASU offense) was dominant and won the spring game, 34-24. Here were the major takeaways from Saturdays game:

More: Alabama State football: Former Auburn quarterback Dematrius Davis to enter transfer portal

Dominant first half for offense

The offense for the Hornets came out firing, scoring on its first three offensive series en route to taking an early 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Running back Daquon Kincey netted the first score of the game with a 5-yard rush on the opening drive. Andrew Body followed up launching a 70-yard touchdown pass to Eric Horn on the next series for the second score. In the closing minutes of the first quarter, Jamari Hotclaw sprinted down the sideline for a 35-yard score — extending the lead for the Gold team.

Team Black (the ASU defense) only allowed a field goal in the second quarter, as the offense led 24-6 at the halftime mark.

Offensive standouts

In their debut at Hornet stadium, quarterbacks Andrew Body, Zachary Sims, and Jayvious Langford gave fans a preview of what they could see in the fall. Body got the start and led the offense to touchdown drives in his first two series of the game. He completed four of his seven passes with a touchdown. Sims also showed flashes of being a possible starter leading the offense down the field for a second half score.

Wide receiver Bakari Daily was doing it all in from the slot position, catching passes out of the backfield and down the field. His open-field vision allowed for several yards after catch opportunities. Eric Horn and tight end Derrick…

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