Category: College Football

Auburn has a major need at running back in the 2025 recruiting cycle and one of their top targets is four-star prospect Akylin Dear. Head coach Hugh Freeze and new offensive coordinator and running backs coach Derrick Nix visited the Quitman, Mississippi, product on Tuesday.

It was a big visit for Dear, who told On3’s Cole Pinkston that it “went great.”

“Actually, Auburn is one of my favorite offers I have,” he added. “Growing up, they were my favorite team. It went great, Auburn is recruiting me hard.”

The Tigers are not the only school pursuing the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder with Florida, Alabama, USC, Florida State, and others visiting him recently. While they have competition, Dear admitted that the Tigers are in a great spot to land the talented tailback.

“They’re in my top for sure,” Dear said. “I don’t want to say where, but just know, yes sir.”

Dear is the No. 148 overall player and No. 10 running back in the On3 industry ranking. He is also the No. 4 player from Mississippi.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

..

[ad_2]

Read More

USATSI

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel wasn’t caught off guard when the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday. In fact, Manuel said Harbaugh has always been, “extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities.” Harbaugh’s return to the NFL came less than three weeks after he led the Wolverines to the program’s first national title since 1997.

“We had a great conversation tonight when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward,” Manuel said. 

While it appears there are no hard feelings, Manuel made it clear the university was aggressive in attempting to keep Harbaugh. Michigan was even willing to grant its coach immunity from termination for the two ongoing NCAA investigations into the program, according to 247Sports’ Sam Webb.

“We have been discussing a new contract that would make Jim the highest paid coach in college football,” Manuel said. “In the end, he wanted to explore and ultimately decided to pursue a return to coaching in the NFL. We can’t thank Jim enough for all that he has done for our student-athletes, staff and Michigan Football. He will always be a huge part of our rich history, and will be remembered as an all-time great Wolverine, as both a championship player and coach.”

Harbaugh posted an 86-25 (60-17 Big Ten) record. The former Wolverines quarterback led his alma mater to a 37-3 (26-1) record with three Big Ten titles and three wins over rival Ohio State in the last three seasons. He also leaves behind the two NCAA…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s 2023 season saw the Jayhawks compile what at the very least was the program’s best campaign in more than a decade.

In the third year of the coach Lance Leipold era, Kansas went 9-4 overall and 5-4 against the Big 12 Conference. That’s the most wins, overall and in conference play, for the team since the 2007 season. And after the Jayhawks captured a Guaranteed Rate Bowl victory against UNLV, they wound up finishing No. 23 in the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll.

But while it’s still only January of 2024, with the status of rosters still very much in flux across the college landscape, that doesn’t mean it’s too early for some to start to project where teams will rank in the first top 25 of the 2024 season. It doesn’t mean it’s too early for Kansas fans to generate excitement for what their Jayhawks could accomplish in a new-look Big 12. And it appears there’s a lot of belief in what Kansas is capable of accomplishing in year four with Leipold.

Here’s a look at five way-too-early projections for next season’s top 25:

Kansas isn’t the top-ranked Big 12 team in this prediction. Kansas State (No. 21), Oklahoma State (No. 18), Utah (No. 13) and Arizona (No. 9) all come in ahead of the Jayhawks. But it’s an indication of how Leipold and company are being viewed nationally.

This prediction actually has Kansas ahead of a couple of Big 12 foes in Kansas State (No. 22) and Oklahoma State (No. 23). Utah (No. 12) and Arizona (No. 10) still come in ahead of the Jayhawks. Kansas’ schedule also looks pretty favorable, at least at this point, which should help the Jayhawks be in position to maintain a top 25 status.

Kansas is once again viewed as a top 25 program here, albeit still at the tail end of the ranking. However, considering the extent of the rebuild Leipold and his…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Should Michigan find itself in a position where it needs to execute a search to replace Jim Harbaugh, the school intends to cast a wide net. Well, that’s assuming it ultimately needs to replace Jim Harbaugh. Perhaps, though, that net will need not extend much further than then end of Schembechler Hall.

Who are we kidding? If Harbaugh heads to the NFL — given his numerous interviews, it appears as if that might be an inevitability — there is one name clearly atop a list of potential replacements: offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore. In his sixth season at Michigan, Moore was already a rising star before he took over as acting coach for four games this past season, including wins over Ohio State and Penn State.

When given a chance to showcase his leadership skills — at least on game day — Moore made a huge difference in Michigan’s national championship season. He knows the culture, the roster, and really, the future in Ann Arbour.

The world got to know Moore more personally after his emotional postgame interview on Fox after the Penn State win.

“I don’t really care about what other people say about it,” Moore said in December. “I made sure I talked to my mom about it, and that’s what really mattered.”

What mattered more that day was Moore calling for 32 straight runs for the Wolverines in that game, which wore down the Nittany Lions defense. He was in charge during a fourth-quarter rally against Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal that saved Michigan’s season and led it to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

While the offensive production dipped overall this season, how do you argue with back-to-back Joe Moore Awards (best offensive line) in 2021 and 2022? In 2023, Moore’s unit was incredibly efficient, committing only…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Ohio State football is winning the offseason and although it is extremely fun to track all of the transfers coming in from the SEC and the heavy-hitting five-star recruits from the states of Florida and Georgia, it is also fun to see local kids get an opportunity to shine.

This is college football and despite the emergence of the transfer portal and bags of name, image and likeness money, the heart and soul of the sport is local kids getting an opportunity to play for their favorite school. Preferred walk-ons don’t get much press, but they play a vital role in every football program and provide some of the most inspiring stories.

Ohio State has had a ton of success transforming walk-ons into contributors, most recently Xavier Johnson who eventually earned a scholarship. Zach Boren, Nate Ebner, and Antonio Smith are other examples of former walk-ons who developed into contributors and the most famous example is the amazing story of the late, great, Biletnikoff winner Terry Glenn.

The Buckeyes may have snagged another special walk-on in West Muskingum’s Rashid Sesay, who set numerous area records including 42 touchdowns on the season, earning him recognition as an Ohio Mr. Football finalist.

Chances are slim Sesay turns into Xavier Johnson or Terry Glenn, but the local kid will get a shot. Sesay primarily played running back in high school, but walk-ons often change positions and some rumors are floating around that he could play defensive back at Ohio State. Time will tell and we wish Rashid Sesay good luck!

BREAKING: 2024 ATH Rashid Sesay has committed to Ohio State he has announced.

The 5’11” 190 lb athlete from West Muskingham High School was a finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football award.

Welcome to Buckeye Nation @RashidSesay6 🌰. pic.twitter.com/DWrsxUJSkP

— The Scarlet and Gray Podcast (@TheSG_Podcast)…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Getty Images

San Jose State has hired former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo to replace Brent Brennan, who accepted the Arizona job amid a wave of openings stemming from Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama. Niumatalolo’s deal is for five years, according to ESPN. 

Niumatalolo recently accepted the tight ends coach job at UCLA after he spent the 2023 season in a support staff role with coach Chip Kelly and the Bruins. He will bring ample 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 and has six bowl victories. He also posted a 10-5 record vs. Army.

Niumatalolo will not bring Navy’s triple-option offense to San Jose State, however. According to ESPN, Niumatalolo is targeting an offensive coordinator who will install more of a wide-open offense with an 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 Brennan. 

San Jose State’s hire ends a busy late lap for college football’s coaching carousel, although things could start spinning once again if…

..

[ad_2]

Read More

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.

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter for exclusive content

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

..

[ad_2]

Read More

Getty Images

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…

..

[ad_2]

Read More