Category: College Football

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Northwestern will promote defensive coordinator David Braun to serve as interim head football coach for the 2023 season, according to ESPN. Braun was hired by Northwestern to serve as defensive coordinator in January, but will now be assuming the role of interim head coach in the wake of the school firing Pat Fitzgerald earlier this week. 

The school fired Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal that rocked the university as a plethora of former Northwestern players pointed out culture issues within the program. Northwestern initially handed down a two-week suspension to Fitzgerald to be served immediately, but as more allegations came to light, the school ultimately decided to part ways with the longtime football coach. 

“The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program,” Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a statement this week. “Over the last 72 hours, I have spent a great deal of time in thought and in discussions with people who love our University — the Chair and members of our Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni and Coach Fitzgerald himself. I have also received many phone calls, text messages and emails from those I know, and those I don’t, sharing their thoughts. While I am appreciative of the feedback and considered it in my decision-making, ultimately, the decision to originally suspend Coach Fitzgerald…

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Jul. 12—MORGANTOWN — Closing in on his one-year anniversary of becoming Big 12 commissioner, Brett Yormark spoke at Big 12 media days Wednesday about what he accomplished in his first year at the head of the conference.

“It’s hard to imagine that one year ago I stood before you for the first time, ” Yormark said. “As many of you know, when I took this job I did not have a background in college athletics. I relied on the advice and guidance of many people who helped coach me through my first year and heading into year two, I still have much to learn.”

Yormark, who came to the Big 12 from entertainment agency Roc Nation, stood at Big 12 media day last year and proclaimed that the conference was “open for business “. In the 12 months since his introduction, Yormark believes the conference has delivered on that proclamation.

“Since then we’ve jumped ahead of the line and extended TV agreements with existing partners through 2031, creating tremendous stability and clarity for this conference, ” he said. “We accelerated Texas and OU’s withdrawal, which was a win-win for all parties.”

Just three months after Yormark was introduced, the Big 12 announced a new media rights agreement with ESPN and Fox Sports. The conference also negotiated Texas and Oklahoma’s exit from the league to the SEC in 2024 and added four new teams, Central Florida, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati.

“This event kicks off our first-ever season as a 14-team league, ” Yormark said. “We plan to use this season to celebrate the incredible strength we have going forward with our eight continuing members, our four incoming members and also to celebrate the impact that Texas and Oklahoma have had on this conference since day one.”

Asked about the impact that the exit of Texas and Oklahoma, the conference’s two biggest brands, will have, Yormark downplayed it’s…

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Northwestern has fired coach Pat Fitzgerald days after details surfaced alleging graphic instances of hazing within the program, the school announced Monday night. Fitzgerald’s departure comes three days after he was initially suspended without pay for two weeks. However, university administrators opted to revisit his status with the program after two former players provided details of the hazing, which was sexual in nature, to The Daily Northwestern student newspaper. Defensive coordinator David Braun is expected to step in as a liaison managing the team before an interim coach is named, according to multiple reports. 

An executive summary provided by Northwestern recapped an independent investigation that concluded there was not sufficient evidence to believe the Northwestern coaching staff knew about the hazing. Fitzgerald, who has served as head coach of his alma mater for 17 seasons, claimed that he was “not aware of the alleged incidents.” However, as further details came to light through the weekend, university president Michael Schill announced Sunday night that he would reassess the penalty.

Less than 24 hours later as even more details of alleged hazing surfaced, Schill dismissed Fitzgerald.

“The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program,” said Schill in a statement. “Over the last 72 hours, I have spent a great deal of time in thought and in discussions with people who love our University — the Chair and members of our Board of Trustees, faculty leadership, students, alumni and Coach Fitzgerald himself. I have also received many phone calls, text messages and emails from…

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The top remaining in-state target for Ohio State is cornerback, Aaron Scott, and he is set to make his commitment at the end of this month.

His three main suitors are the Buckeyes, their hated rivals, Michigan and Oregon. Any edge that any of the schools can get in Scott’s recruitment could be a deciding factor, but this one isn’t what Ohio State fans want to see.

Scott, who is participating in a 7-on-7 tournament in Dayton was captured by Kevin Noon wearing Wolverine gloves and cleats. Now it could be that Scott’s team uniform closely matches that school up north’s colors or it could mean something else.

It’s hard to read into what the talented cornerback is thinking, but all three schools would love to see the 6-foot-, 170-pound Scott lining up for their school. The Springfield, Ohio native is rated as the No. 5 best cornerback and 53rd overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

More!

Did Ohio State football just hint at new alternate uniforms?

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Mylan Graham bumped up to a five star in newest On3 rankings

Ryan Day shares thoughts on controversial targeting rule

2024 linebacker target will choose between Ohio State and SEC school

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire

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Football’s meathead culture still exists — even at one of the nation’s most prestigious institutions. That was obvious through the weekend culminating with the firing of Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday.

What was once accepted — and thought since to be rejected — still endures today. That, of course, is tragic. The only difference is the level of surprise across the 20th and 21st centuries. Apparently, we haven’t come too far.

Green Bay Packers lineman Jerry Kramer wrote a best-selling book in 1968 about how the great Vince Lombardi drove his players to the edge to win championships.

Fitzgerald didn’t have the romanticized chasing of championships as a (poor) excuse. Northwestern punched above its weight playing for the Big Ten title twice since 2018. It also fell to 4-20 over the last two seasons. And then what was going on behind the scenes came to light in what should be the enlightened year of 2023.

Abuse is abuse and Northwestern’s former coach allegedly oversaw a program in which hazing was normalized. Within that culture, young players were supposedly “dry humped” in the dark by upperclassmen. A naked center snapped the ball to a naked quarterback proving … what, exactly?

Certainly not that manly men were shaped by the experience. The conclusion is that, incredibly, the default setting for some coaches a quarter century into the 21st century remains that figurative sledgehammer: beat up players enough and they are become motivated enough.

The difference being that, until now, we thought we were left with only those romanticized versions of hazing. Remember Junction Boys, the so-called “survivors” of Bear Bryant’s preseason camp at Texas A&M? Frank Kush was a molder of men at Arizona State until it was discovered…

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The middle of summer is when college football fans and bloggers study the schedule and see which teams and conferences have tougher or easier rides. July is a month made for schedule analysis, and that’s precisely what Don Smalley of Ducks Wire did in his article on the most important games for each Pac-12 football program in 2023.

Because some rivalry games are the most important game for both teams, there will be some repeat selections in Smalley’s list. Because of that replication, we’re adding some of our own selections which differ from Smalley — not because we think he is wrong (this is all opinion and personal viewpoint), but because there are other games which need to be spotlighted.

We’ll start with Ducks Wire’s selections and then move into our own (added) choices for the biggest games of Pac-12 football in 2023, the last fully year in which USC and UCLA will be members of the Pac-12 Conference:

DUCKS WIRE BIGGEST GAME FOR WASHINGTON STATE: VS. WISCONSIN, SEPT. 9

Luke Fickell at his new program goes up against Jake Dickert and Washington State, coming off a 2022 campaign in which WSU won at Wisconsin. It will be interesting to see how good the Badgers are with their new head coach, but Dickert getting a win would be a huge boost of momentum for the Cougars.

Get more Wisconsin news, analysis and opinions at Badgers Wire.

BIGGEST GAME FOR WASHINGTON: VS. OREGON, OCT. 14

Nov 12, 2022; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) throws a pass during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

Washington versus Oregon once again is a game that could decide who heads to the Pac-12 title game.

BIGGEST GAME FOR UTAH: VS. FLORIDA, AUG. 31

Cam Rising and Utah against Anthony Richardson and Florida was sensational a year ago….

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247Sports

Alabama stayed hot on the recruiting trail Sunday when it received a commitment from four-star defensive back Zabien Brown. The 6-foot, 180-pounder from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, chose coach Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide over USC and several other suitors. Brown is ranked No. 45 overall in the Class of 2024 and is the fifth-ranked cornerback in the current recruiting cycle. His decision was based largely on the way the coaches and staff treated him on his official visits.

“I have a great comfort level at Alabama and I’m very excited about the decision,” Brown told 247Sports. “I’ve been there four times now and really have built some strong relationships with the coaches and support staff. It’s Bama, it’s a great opportunity for me to grow and develop as a player and learn from the greatest coach of all time. They had everything I was looking for a in school so this is a great feeling for me.”

Andrew Ivins, national recruiting director for 247Sports, provided this scouting report on the newest member of the Crimson Tide. 

“A fluid cover corner that’s pretty advanced from a technical standpoint,” Ivins wrote. “More than comfortable in 1-on-1 situations and has experience working in both off-man and press-man coverage. Size hasn’t been third-party verified, but in-person evaluations suggest that he’s hovering around 6-foot. Clean footwork allows him to gain plenty of depth while loose hips allow him to mirror assignments better than most his age. 

“Active eyes help him…

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Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Continuing this series is a look at a key player returning from injury in 2023, offensive guard Landon Tengwall. Tengwall was just getting started in his role for the Nittany Lions before missing the second half of the season after injuring himself in warmups before the Michigan game. But he should be counted on to help out what could be the best offensive line James Franklin has had in State College since his arrival. Here is a look at Landon Tengwall entering the 2023 season.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Height: 6-6

Weight: 317

247Sports Composite Ranking

[4-stars] | [No. 1 in Maryland] | [No. 7 overall offensive tackle]

Class of 2021

Class in 2023: Redshirt Sophomore

The landing of a commitment from Landon Tengwall was a massive one for Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff. To get the top-rated player out of Maryland was one thing, but to fend off competition from Michigan, Notre Dame, and Alabama was a confidence boost for the future outlook of Penn State’s offensive line.

Penn State was one of the first schools to extend an offer to Tengwall, doing so in February 2018 after hosting Tengwall for an unofficial visit in November 2017. Tengwall certainly saw plenty of potential options in person during his recruiting process with visits to Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, Notre Dame, and Maryland.

Career Stats

After making appearances in three games during his true freshman season of 2021, Landon Tengwall was ascending to a starting…

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