Category: College Football

Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze spoke publicly for the first time about the lawsuit filed by Michael Oher against Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, lamenting over the situation and expressing his love for all parties involved. Freeze was Oher’s head coach at Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee and went on to serve as an assistant coach at Ole Miss during Oher’s playing career with the Rebels. He also considers the Tuohy family to be close friends.

“I love Michael Oher,” Freeze told Auburn reporters Thursday. “He’s like part of our family. I love the Tuohys. I think it’s sad, and I certainly don’t claim to understand all the ins and outs of adoption, conservatory, all of that. But I know what I witnessed, and I witnessed a family that totally took in a young man. And I think without that, there is no story.”

Oher’s lawsuit, which was obtained by ESPN, claims the Tuohys entered Oher into a conservatorship while presenting it to be the same process as legal adoption. The lawsuit demanded an end to the Tuohys’ conservatorship of Oher, which has been in place since 2004, just months after his 18th birthday. 

Entering Oher into a conservatorship allowed the Tuohys to oversee Oher’s financial life and enter into legal deals without his consent, though Oher was not a legal member of the family. In the case of ‘The Blind Side,’ the award-winning film grossed more than $300 million and earned actress Sandra Bullock an Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. 

Oher’s attorneys claim the four biological members of the Tuohy family were all compensated $225,000 and 2.5% of “defined net proceeds”.

The Tuohy family and their legal team called accusations “hurtful and absurd.” Attorneys for the family said Wednesday the $500,000 in proceeds from…

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Back in the winter, just as he and his Michigan football staff began to conceptualize what this next team may look like, Jim Harbaugh was asked whether he planned to remain in his post beyond 2023. He could have responded with a strong declaration reminding his audience of the long-term commitment he made to his alma mater.

But he didn’t.

Each of the past two offseasons launched with Harbaugh entering the mix for an NFL job opening, which signaled his future in Ann Arbor was tenuous. He didn’t seem to dispel that notion, indicating that coaching the Wolverines had become a year-to-year proposition for him.

“That’s something you assess,” he said. “You assess … after every season. That’s something that I will do after every season.”

HIGH RANK: Michigan starting No. 2 is a shortcut to College Football Playoff

The words hung in the air. Almost six months later they still do, leading some to wonder what will factor into the calculus behind his next big decision and whether the final outcome for this Michigan team will sway Harbaugh one way or another.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh on the field during the spring game at Michigan Stadium, April 1, 2023 in Ann Arbor.

It’s a fraught question, which is probably why Harbaugh didn’t seem keen on answering it when it was presented Tuesday.

Instead he chose to recite the mantra of his father, Jack.

“Attack each day,” Harbaugh began. “Attack this day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

MORE FROM SABIN: Jim Harbaugh stole the spotlight from Michigan’s promising team … again

Throughout a 27-minute news conference, Harbaugh tried to steer the conversation away from what lies in the distance back toward the here and now. He ran through the depth chart, dispensing compliments to the players who make up a team picked No. 2 in the country in both…

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Welcome to Year 154 of college football where, still, some things never change. They were talking about paying players (improperly) back in the 19th century. Coaches are still overvalued and overhyped. Bowl games are still a big deal. (Hey, what else are you going to watch in December?)

This season might as well be the jumping off point for the future. It is the last year of the four-team College Football Playoff, after all. We are on the brink of paying players (legally) beyond NIL. And realignment just … won’t … stop. That’s why there will never be another season like 2023.

As Texas coach Steve Sarkisian likes to say, “adapt or die.” Deion Sanders is bringing in the equivalent of a small front-range mining town to Colorado via the transfer portal. Jim Harbaugh has his best team ever at Michigan and may be a no-show in the first month.

Look for some new blood in the CFP if the likes of USC gets hot. Their potential excellence, along with that of Washington, is part of a bittersweet farewell in 2023 of what used to be the “Conference of Champions.” The Pac-12 appears to have saved (some of) its best for last.

Nevertheless, the game will endure. Here are 23 things to watch before wading into Season 154.

College football’s 23 for 2023

1. Georgia three-peat? The two-time reigning champions will attempt to win three national titles in a row. That’s never been done before in the wire service era (since 1936). And that’s all that counts. Before then, you could win a national championship by proclamation of the guy’s poll down the street. These Bulldogs are on the brink of completing the greatest run of all time. Coach Kirby Smart has installed a culture of “eating off the floor.” His players have bought in. In the process, Smart has…

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The start of the 2023 District 10 football season is right around the corner. Visit GoErie.com throughout August for updated videos and photos from team camps. Here is one in a series of previews for all 39 D-10 teams:

Seneca Bobcats

Coach: Jack Corey (2nd season, 9-3)

2022 record: 9-3 (3-2 Region 2)

2022 playoff results: Defeated Northwestern 46-13 in the District 10 Class 2A quarterfinals before losing to Farrell 48-6 in the semifinals.

Assistant coaches: Seth Hembree, Eric Albrecht, Walter Chevalier, Dave Tome, Jerry Adamus, Brian Roberts

Preseason prep: Everything you need to know for the 2023 District 10 football season

Leading the way

Seneca has one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks returning this fall in Nolan Seabury. The senior threw for 1,059 yards and 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions last fall. He also ran for 965 yards and 16 touchdowns as Seneca’s second-leading rusher. Seabury has been a big part of the Bobcats’ offense throughout his career and led Seneca with three interceptions on defense last fall. Seabury was a leader for the Bobcats last fall and will face another challenging year as Seneca lost numerous starters to graduation.

Starting over

Seneca has some work to do in camp to replace numerous starters gone to graduation. One of the biggest losses is Ryan Miller, who ran for 2,473 yards and 33 touchdowns and caught 12 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. Miller also led the defense with 125 tackles, three sacks and had two interceptions. Seneca also lost Dylan Ellenberger and Trey Pound on the offensive and defensive lines and playmaker Collin Libra as well. Libra was the Bobcats’ top receiver with 37 catches for 568 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Anthony Buscemi had 10 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown, and Beau Barber had six catches for 143 yards and one touchdown….

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James Snook, USA Today Sports

A barrage of mass defections put an end to the Pac-12 as we knew it Friday. When the dust settled,  Washington State, Oregon State, California and Stanford were left as the league’s only members committed beyond 2024. While those schools are actively looking for a path forward, Washington State athletic director Pat Chun took a little time from his Wednesday press conference to lament on the potential loss of a conference that was long considered one of the cornerstones of college football. He also firmly pointed the finger at who he believes is to blame. 

“There’s a century of history that has gone by the wayside because this conference has mismanaged itself on a bunch of different levels,” Chun said in a press conference Wednesday. “And when you have poor leadership, one of the outcomes is failure. That’s what has happened to the Pac-12.”

While the broad term “leadership” could be interpreted many ways, most would read Chun’s statement as an indictment on the two most recent Pac-12 commissioners Larry Scott and George Kliavkoff. Many consider their inability to close a media rights deal that could compete with the other power conferences as the main catalyst in the departures of Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado. 

Chun also called for better guidance from the top down in college football, painting a grim picture of what the future could look like without it. 

“Until there’s better leadership as a whole, this is going to continue,” Chun said at…

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Tory Horton gets the sole nod from the Mountain West

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Receivers are on the run.

College football’s watch list season continued today with the reveal of the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best pass catcher. This year, just one Mountain West player made this preseason cut.

Tory Horton continues collecting preseason honors for Colorado State. Being named to the 2023 Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list is the third honor for Horton. He was also named to the preseason watch list for the Maxwell Award (nation’s best player) and the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player).

Horton went on a tear last season, even though everyone knew the ball was coming to him. He accounted for ~48% of Colorado State’s receiving yards. Horton had 71 catches for 1,131 yards and eight touchdowns. He added 2 rushing attempts for six yards and went 2-2 through the air for 35 yards.

Last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner was Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt.

Story originally appeared on Mountain West Wire

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The 2023 summer of realignment surprisingly emerged as one of the most chaotic in recent memory. The Pac-12 as we know it could be on the verge of collapsing after more than 100 years, and now its members are scattering in what has become the latest reshaping of college football. 

Following the Pac-12’s lackluster media rights presentation, Oregon and Washington opted to take partial shares to join the Big Ten. Soon afterwards, the remaining so-called “Four Corners” schools — Arizona, Arizona State and Utah — followed Colorado to the Big 12. Oregon State, Washington State, California and Stanford remain in a holding pattern as Pac-12 leadership attempts to learn what’s next. 

Ultimately, all six members that left the conference — eight including USC and UCLA — will make more money in their new homes. However, the consequences for every athletic department could be wide-ranging. Here are the winners and losers of the most recent round of realignment, perhaps the most destructive session yet. 

Winner: Colorado

The Buffaloes have quietly been one of the headiest programs in realignment over the last 15 years. When it looked like the Big 12 could go under in 2010, Colorado allied itself with the then-safe ground of the Pac-12. Now, Colorado ran back to its old friends in the Big 12 right before the foundation started crumbling in the Pac-12. 

Unlike every other team on this list, Colorado’s move actually reunites it with a handful of historic rivals from the old Big Eight. The Buffaloes have played Kansas 70 times and Iowa State 65 times and built rivalries with schools in Texas and Oklahoma during a stint in the Big 12. 

Perhaps most importantly, rejoining the Big 12 also allows coach Deion Sanders to go down into Texas and recruit….

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With the summer winding down, the start of college football season is getting closer by the day. On August 20, football fever returns to Piscataway when Rutgers football hosts their fan fest on Bush campus. The event will occur from 5 to 7 p.m. in front of the Rodkin Academic Success Center.

As fans get in the football spirit, they will have the opportunity to meet the team during the autograph session, presented by Knights of the Raritan. New Jersey’s best food trucks will also attend, serving sandwiches, wings, ice cream and more.

Additionally, there will be free carnival games and a photo booth to cover all the unforgettable moments of the event. A day full of sports doesn’t end there as Rutgers women’s soccer host Hofstra at 7 p.m. that night. Admission for that game will be free.

After the event, fans can circle Sep. 3 on their calendars. That is when the Scarlet Knights will open their season against Northwestern at SHI Stadium. It is the first time they will ever begin a season against a Big Ten team since joining the conference. Rutgers will enjoy the comforts of home for their first three games before going on the road.

While football fans have waited months for the return of football, the fanfest marks that the wait is soon coming to an end.

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire

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