Category: College Football

Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald was issued an unpaid two-week suspension, effective Friday, following an investigation into hazing allegations within the program. The investigation, led by former Illinois inspector general Maggie Hickey, found “evidence to corroborate claims made by an anonymous whistleblower regarding hazing activities and events.”

The investigation began in December following allegations that football players participated in locker room hazing as part of rituals that may have started at the team’s preseason training camp referred to as “Camp Kenosha” in Wisconsin. On Saturday, a day after the investigation findings were revealed, The Daily Northwestern spoke with two former players who claimed the hazing often involved coerced sexual acts. 

A common form of hazing, known as “running,” was often used as a punishment for team members — mostly freshmen — that made a mistake in practice or another football setting. A player who spoke with the Daily said that an athlete selected for “running” would be restrained by a group of upperclassmen and “dry-humped” in a dark locker room. 

“It’s done under this smoke and mirror of ‘oh, this is team bonding,’ but no, this is sexual abuse,” the player said.

According to the Daily, teammates commonly identified players for “running” by clapping their hands above their heads around that player, a motion Fitzgerald allegedly made repeatedly during practices. One player who spoke with the Daily believes that other players interpreted that as Fitzgerald “encouraging” the hazing. 

“The investigation team did not discover sufficient evidence to believe that coaching staff knew about the ongoing hazing conduct,” read an executive summary of the investigation. “They determined, however, that there had been…

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The world of conference expansion never really slows down. It just keeps plugging along. Where the Big Ten goes is likely to be the domino that creates a chain reaction throughout college football.

After all, last summer, the Big Ten created a domino effect when it raided the Pac-12 for USC and UCLA. And all the recent buzz is that the Big Ten may not be done plucking the Pac-12’s best programs.

So where could the Big Ten turn to next? There are a variety of different options in play here. Keep in mind a few things:

Every Big Ten school, upon entry into the conference, has been an AAU member. This matters.

The Big Ten is likely to add two more schools from west of the Rocky Mountains to balance the conference.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any other expansion, simply that targeting the West Coast seems likely.

Television market size matters.

Football matters almost as much as television sets. Basketball is a distant third in the priorities.

Scroll down and check out where things are being projected to shake out for the Big Ten’s next big move in the conference expansion sweepstakes!

Boston College has a couple things working against it. First, it isn’t an AAU member institution. Second, it isn’t exactly strong in football or men’s basketball right now.

Those aren’t knock out factors (although the AAU membership might be), but it certainly hurts Boston College’s resume for the Big Ten.

Now, BC has a strong reputation in football and historically has been a solid team in the ACC and prior to that in the Big East. They could fit into the Big Ten and would bring a top 10 media market, but there are just too many hurdles to clear on this one.

Without AAU, this one is admittedly a long shot. But Boston is the seventh largest television market in the nation. Would the Big Ten overlook AAU status given that Boston…

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247Sports

Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, a four-star defensive lineman in the Class of 2024, announced his commitment to Georgia, giving Kirby Smart’s program yet another blue-chip talent to extend its recruiting lead. Jonah-Ajonye, a 6-foot-4, 275-pounder from Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas, chose the Bulldogs over Georgia Tech, Oregon and Oklahoma. 

“I really love the coaching staff, the fans are amazing people, and just the city of Athens in general,” Jonah-Ajonye told 247Sports.

Jonah-Ajonye is ranked No. 65 overall and is the No. 11-ranked defensive lineman in the recruiting cycle. Gabe Brooks, national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, provided this scouting report on the newest member of the Georgia recruiting class: 

Big-framed, scheme-versatile defensive lineman with jumbo edge dimensions and true interior frame capacity over the next few years. Pushing 6-foot-4 with a 6-10+ wingspan. Powerful at the point of attack with long levers that can separate from blockers. Displays engagement strength to knock opponents on their heels.

Functional athlete who can redirect better than expected relative to size / role. That broadens an already wide pursuit range thanks to closing speed and motor. Works his way back into plays that initially aren’t there for him. Appears to be extremely personnel versatile. Already owns experience outside and inside in odd and even fronts.

His commitment to Georgia extends its lead in the race for the 2024 national recruiting title. Smart has commitments from 24 prospects,…

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Jul. 6—Going from high school to college football for student-athletes takes a lot of work and patience.

Muskogee football’s senior class is garnering a lot of attention from college recruiters. Prentice Joseph, Muskogee defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator, said the 2024 class has 11 players with at least one scholarship offer from a Division II college or higher.

Those scholarship offers didn’t appear from luck, it came from Joseph putting in the work and making sure the kids put in the work necessary, too.

The skill level on the field for student-athletes is a major aspect of their recruitment. Joseph said he believes the classroom is the key part.

“The classroom is the biggest aspect in recruiting in my opinion,” Joseph said. “First, you got to be able to get into to the school. Once you’re able to get in, you’re more recruitable because a lot of schools like to save money. How do schools save money? Well, if this kid can get a lot of academic money, then they save on football money. That makes you more marketable. It’s always good to take care of your business in the classroom and luckily my kids understand that.”

It may be hard for high schools to market its student-athletes to the college ranks considering there are more than a million high school football seniors per year and only 7.3% of the seniors play in college, according to the NCAA.

Joseph said it’s about having connections with college coaches and pinpointing schools would most benefit his student-athletes.

“So a lot of that is a lot of research,” Joseph said. “I look at schools and schemes and what they run and if we have a kid that can fit, then I reach out to that school and say I have a kid that reminds me of the same things as this guy on your team that does kind of the same things. It might be a coach I know. If it’s a coach I know, I…

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USASI

The Big 12 released its annual Preseason All-Big 12 squad on Wednesday ahead of the conference’s media days scheduled for next week. Texas, the betting favorite to win the conference, led the way with five total players. That list is headlined by the preseason Defensive Player of the Year Jaylan Ford and the conference’s only unanimous pick in wide receiver Xavier Worthy. 

Kansas, Kansas State and TCU all had four selections. Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels was tabbed the conference’s preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Kansas State running back Treshaun Ward was named Newcomer of the Year. Oklahoma State was next on the list three. 

Defensive lineman Ethan Downs is the only Oklahoma player on the list as the Sooners are looking for playmakers to step up after last year’s disappointing 6-7 campaign. Baylor, Iowa State and West Virginia all had one player honored. 

Cincinnati was first among the conference’s newcomers with two selections. BYU had one in offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia. No UCF and Houston players were picked. 

Here is a look at the Preseason All-Big 12 Football Team ahead of the 2023 season. 

Star denotes unanimous selection.

All-Big 12 Offense

QB

Jalon Daniels

Kansas

RB

Richard Reese

Baylor

RB

Devin Neal

Kansas

FB…

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Four-star offensive line recruit Jonathan Daniels has named his top three schools. Daniels’ top schools are Georgia, Kentucky, and Florida State.

Jonathan Daniels went on June official visits to all three of this top schools. The elite offensive line prospect additionally visited the LSU Tigers, but did not put LSU among his contenders.

The 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman is considered both an offensive tackle and offensive guard recruit. Jonathan Daniels plays high school football for Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida.

Daniels is ranked as the No. 101 recruit in the nation and the No. 5 interior offensive lineman, per 247Sports. ON3 ranks the Pine Forest standout as a five-star recruit.

Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels is a key recruiter for the four-star offensive lineman.

Georgia recently solidified its class of 2024 with a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Michael Uini. Kirby Smart and Georgia have the top rated class of 2024 in the country. The Dawgs are still looking for a few more commitments along the offensive front in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

Jonathan Daniels announced his top three schools via social media:

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Story originally appeared on UGA Wire

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247Sports

Texas A&M landed a program-shifting commitment from five-star wide receiver Cameron Coleman on Tuesday. Coleman, a Phenix City, Alabama, native, edges out Evan Stewart to rank as the second-best wide receiver recruit in Aggies history. 

Coleman boasts elite size and athleticism at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, and analysts believe he can add potentially 20 additional pounds to his frame. The Class of 2024 prospect ranks as the No. 17 player in the nation in the Top247 ratings, as well as the No. 5 wide receiver in the class. Experts compare his profile to former Georgia star George Pickens. 

“Shows the ability to create consistent separation with size, speed, quickness and leaping ability,” 247Sports national recruiting analyst Cooper Petagna wrote. “Plays above the rim down the field and possesses some of the best jump ball ability of any pass catching prospect in the country … projects as an immediate contributor at the next level and a potential Day 1 NFL Draft choice.” 

The addition is a headliner for a rising 2024 class under Jimbo Fisher. The Aggies have added seven blue-chip commitments in the past two weeks, including one from fellow blue-chip receiver Drelon Miller of Silsbee, Texas. With Coleman’s commitment, the Aggies rise up to No. 9 in the team rankings with the fewest commitments of any team in the top 10. 

Texas A&M was the first team to offer Coleman in 2022, and he rewarded the Aggies’ vision with multiple trips to College Station, including an official visit on June 16….

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LAWRENCE — Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold and his staff have continued to build a strong 2024 recruiting class.

There was 247Sports Composite three-star quarterback Isaiah Marshall announcing his commitment in February. There was the month of June, that brought with it a flurry of commitments and announcements from two four-star talents — cornerback Austin Alexander and safety Damani Maxson. And Tuesday, on July 4, four-star edge Dakyus Brinkley added his name to the list to give the Jayhawks 15 public commitments.

According to the overall and composite rankings following Brinkley’s commitment, Kansas’ class ranks 36th in the nation. That makes it among the top half of the Big 12 Conference. And considering so far this is just what Leipold and company have been able to do with high school prospects, this has the potential to be the best class the Jayhawks have pulled in since Leipold took over ahead of the 2021 season.

Here’s a look at who’s committed so far to Kansas:

Dakyus Brinkley (4-star edge)

Austin Alexander (4-star cornerback)

Damani Maxson (4-star safety)

Jalen Todd (3-star cornerback)

Harry Stewart (3-star running back)

Deshawn Warner (3-star edge)

Red Martel (3-star running back)

Isaiah Marshall (3-star quarterback)

Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)

Carson Bruhn (3-star tight end)

Harrison Utley (3-star interior offensive lineman)

Jacorey Stewart (3-star linebacker)

Jonathan Kamara (3-star linebacker)

Carter Lavrusky (3-star interior offensive lineman)

Kene Anene (interior offensive lineman)

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka…

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