Category: College Football

When it comes to player compensation, Alabama coach Nick Saban would much rather see an NFL model in college football than the current name, image and likeness (NIL) landscape. A vocal and visible critic of certain elements of the NIL landscape, Saban recently offered more in-depth thoughts during his discussion with Stephen A. Smith during his “Know Mercy” podcast this week

“If we want to change the model of college football and follow the NFL model, what I would like to see — if that’s the case — is that we pay the players — everybody’s got a part of their scholarship that gives them so much money,” he said. “But now you’re talking about making college student-athletes employees, and that in and of itself may have some issues that would have to be resolved. So you’re talking about a similar model to the NFL where you’ve got to get some sort of legal right to be able to do this. 

Saban’s critiques of NIL echo his controversial comments last year when he publicly accused Texas A&M and coach Jimbo Fisher of “buying” their 2022 recruiting class, which finished ahead of Alabama as the top-ranked class in the star system era. Those comments sparked intense backlash from Fisher and prompted Saban to offer an apology. Nevertheless, it remains apparent that Saban, 71, is disenchanted with flaws in the disorganized NIL structure.

“[Name, Image and Likeness] wasn’t supposed to be me going to give a speech to raise money from alumni so we can get enough money in our collective so can pay players,” Saban said. “That’s not what it was supposed to be.”

Though Saban may not love…

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Michigan State football had picked up a very early commitment from 2024 4-star wide receiver Nick Marsh, so it’s not a huge surprise when, on Tuesday, he announced that he will be rescinding that commitment to think it over.

While this might seem like bad news, it’s become part of the process of these long-term recruiting processes and a fact of life in college recruiting these days.

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Story originally appeared on Spartans Wire

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Charges against Georgia receiver Rara Thomas stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident have been resolved following a deal between Thomas’ attorney and prosecutors. Thomas will instead go through pretrial diversion for a misdemeanor-level offense of family-violence battery, according to his attorney, Kim Stephens. 

As part of his deal with prosecutors, Thomas will complete an anger management course and community service in addition to paying court fees. He could have the remaining charges restricted from his record after a year of good behavior.

Thomas was arrested Jan. 23 and subsequently suspended after police responded to reports of an altercation at a dorm on Georgia’s campus. As a result, Thomas faced felony false imprisonment and domestic family violence (first offense). The incident occurred just over a month after Thomas announced his intent to transfer from Mississippi State to UGA.

Georgia has not announced an update to Thomas’ status with the team, but the Bulldogs are slated to begin spring practice on March 14 leading into the G-Day spring scrimmage on April 15. Thomas made 44 catches for 626 yards and seven touchdowns with Mississippi State last season. As a freshman in 2021, he caught 18 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns after signing as a three-star prospect in the Class of 2021 out of Eufala, Alabama.

The development in Thomas’ case comes as the program grapples with the fallout from a series of other legal issues involving current or former players, including NFL…

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Florida football is scheduled to get the No. 1 overall prep prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle on campus this month, according to 247Sports’ Steve Wilfong.

Five-star offensive tackle David Sanders out of Charlotte (North Carolina) Providence Day School is set to make his first visit to the University of Florida’s campus on Saturday, March 11. The 6-foot-6-inch, 255-pound high school sophomore’s recruitment has been led by inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman, whose experience in the North Carolina area has him assigned to that region’s recruiting efforts.

Other schools on the coveted lineman’s spring docket are the South Carolina Gamecocks, who will host him on March 18, along with the Georgia Bulldogs — who expect a visit in April — as well as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sanders is ranked No. 1 overall and No. 1 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking also has him at No. 1 across the board in the 2025 class. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has an interesting mix of programs in play for his talents led by the North Carolina State Wolfpack with a 28% chance of landing him, followed by the Gamecocks, North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils at 16.6%, 14.2% and 6.2%, respectively.

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Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Gators Wire

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USC coach Lincoln Riley wasted no time turning around the USC football program, guiding the Trojans from missing a bowl game in 2021 to the Pac-12 Championship Game in his first season at the helm. But as he looks forward to his second season in Los Angeles, USC’s last year as a Pac-12 member before joining the Big Ten in 2024, Riley has his sights set high. 

Appearing on the All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, Riley was asked about his expectations heading into Year 2 and the future of this Trojans program. 

“You can only do so much in Year 1, and I feel like we did a lot,” Riley said. “I keep telling people, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re not even good yet. I think we’ll have a chance to get good here pretty quick, which will be a lot of fun. I don’t want to put any limitations on what we can accomplish.” 

Despite flipping the roster in one year, USC improved from 4-8 to 11-3 and a No. 12 postseason finish in the Ap Top 25 in Riley’s first season. Quarterback Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy as the Trojans finished with their best record since 2017. If not for an injury to Williams in the Pac-12 Championship Game loss to Utah, the Trojans might have earned a trip to the College Football Playoff. 

“It’s gone from teaching the guys what winning looks like, what it feels like, to convincing them they can do it because they’ve been down for so long,” Riley said. “There’s a psychological hurdle that you’ve got to get over. I think now we know we can win.” 

Riley has won 10 games or played in a New Year’s Six bowl in every season of his head-coaching career. Riley is one of only four coaches to lead a team to the College Football Playoff at least three times, along with Georgia’s…

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The recruiting dead period ends Tuesday and the Volunteers are actively scheduling upcoming official visits for 2024 targets.

Four-star linebacker Tylen Singleton will take his first visit to Tennessee on March 25, according to Sam Spiegelman of On3 Sports. He will also visit TCU, Ole Miss, LSU and Arkansas this spring.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound linebacker is from Many High School in Many, Louisiana.

Singleton is the No. 60 overall prospect in the class of 2024. He ranks as the No. 7 linebacker and No. 2 player in the state of Louisiana, according to the On3 Sports consensus.

Singleton is a two-time state champion and earned Louisiana 2A All-State honors last season. He was also named to the first-team District 3-2A team as a junior. As a sophomore in 2021, Singleton finished the season with 75 total tackles, four tackles for a loss, four interceptions and two defensive touchdowns.

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Follow us @VolsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Tennessee news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Zach McKinnell on Twitter @zachmckinnell 

Story originally appeared on Vols Wire

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Deion Sanders isn’t a stranger to the state of Florida. The first-year Colorado Buffaloes coach starred at Florida State from 1985-88, and then went on to a stellar career as a defensive back and kick returner in the NFL. Now a high-profile head coach at the Power Five level, Sanders is recruiting against his alma mater in the Sunshine State for some of the best athletes in the country.

Sanders, a native of Fort Myers, Florida, signed three high school prospects and four transfer players during the 2023 recruiting cycle. Most notably, at Jackson State last year, he signed 2022 No. 1 overall prospect Travis Hunter over the Seminoles. Hunter has since followed Sanders to Boulder after Sanders accepted the position at Colorado.

Simply put, current Florida State coach Mike Norvell is directly competing with a Florida State legend to land local players despite the fact that “Coach Prime” is recruiting from way outside of the Rocky Mountain region. He hauled in 11 high school prospects during the 2023 recruiting cycle, and another transfer from the University of Miami. 

Norvell appeared on the “All Things Covered” podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden, and he said that he feels like his sales pitch resonates with local talent.

“We know that is one school with one coach who is trying to get into Florida and get the best that we have,” Norvell said. “One of the things that I’ve been really proud of and excited about is just the type of players that we are able to keep in this state. It was a big point of emphasis this last year. I thought we were able to do a great job with that in the guys we were able to keep home and, obviously, the guys who we were able to bring into the program.”

Six of Florida State’s eight commits in the…

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Following the departure of former Florida safeties coach and defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond is getting a promotion of sorts.

Raymond will coach the entire Florida secondary in 2023, according to a Gators Online report. The Gators have reportedly landed on former Southern Miss defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong to take over Toney’s playcalling role, but it’s Raymond who will take over the safeties room – a room that he helped build.

Several of Florida’s biggest signings in the Billy Napier era have seen Raymond as the lead recruiter, including five-star IMG Academy safety Kamari Wilson and incoming freshman four-star safety Dijon Johnson. He knows the position room well and should manage the increased workload just fine. Raymond is considered among the nation’s elite position coaches and has a knack for developing NFL talent.

It won’t be easy for Raymond in Year 1, though. He has to replace both Trey Dean III and Rashad Torrence II’s production next season. Losing two starters is always tough, but Florida also lost some depth to the transfer portal. Wilson is ready to step into a starting role, but Raymond might have to lean on some of Florida’s young talent this season.

Napier could add someone to help Raymond before finalizing his staff, but this move seems like it addresses the team’s needs.

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Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Gators Wire

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