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  • Notre Dame Football: See Benjamin Morrison’s Insane Spring Practice Interception

    Notre Dame Football: See Benjamin Morrison’s Insane Spring Practice Interception

    Those in attendance as Notre Dame opened spring football practice on Thursday couldn’t give enough praise to Fighting Irish rising junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

    Morrison is among the top cornerbacks in all of college football and recently drew major praise from his former teammates at the NFL Combine.

    Morrison is back for his junior season and started spring practice with a bang on Thursday.  The Notre Dame Football Twitter account released a video of Morrison making about as spectacular of interception as you’ll ever see as he was defending wide receiver Jayden Thomas in practice.  Check it out in full below:

    The catch Thomas makes while being covered very well by Morrison in the second highlight is no light task, but with Morrison’s flat-out ridiculous play before its easy to overlook that.

    Welcome to spring football 2024!

    Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire

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  • 2024 NFL Draft: Ex-NFL QB explains why he shockingly left Drake Maye out of his top 5 QB prospect rankings

    2024 NFL Draft: Ex-NFL QB explains why he shockingly left Drake Maye out of his top 5 QB prospect rankings

    The quarterbacks who are thought to be the top three in this class did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels did not take the field with their fellow signal-callers in Indianapolis. Many mock drafts have the three quarterbacks coming off the board first in April, but opinions on the three are wide-ranging.

    Some are not sold on Williams being the future franchise quarterback many believe he is, while other analysts have Daniels as the No. 2 QB over Maye — or vice versa. Then, there are others who have shocking QB power rankings — like those of former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who now works as an analyst for NBC Sports. 

    Simms has Williams as his top quarterback and Daniels behind him at two, but he has Maye at No. 6 behind Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. 

    Naturally, these rankings created a stir online, and Simms explained his reasoning on his podcast, “Chris Simms Unbuttoned.”

    “There’s things you watch, and you go, ‘Wow.’ If you watch the highlight package, you go, ‘Woah.’ You watch the highlight package and you go, ‘Wow, he looks the part, he’s got the prototypical size, and kind of has the look of a franchise quarterback,” Simms said of Maye, who is ranked as the No. 3 QB (and No. 6 overall prospect) in CBS Sports consensus prospect rankings

    “You watch the best games in his career, and yeah, you’ll see a few of those (great) throws, but for every one of those throws, there’s five of, like, what the hell is that throw? There’s no way evaluators, coaches are going to be able to get behind Drake Maye and go, ‘Oh yeah, he’s ready to go, he should be the No. 2 or No. 3 pick in the draft.’ No way! There are too many things about his game that need to be polished, better, improved.”

    However, Simms does admit that Maye has legitimate potential.

    “I think there’s potential here….

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  • Chip Kelly seeking fulfillment in leaving UCLA to become Ohio State assistant: ‘I just want to be happy’

    Chip Kelly seeking fulfillment in leaving UCLA to become Ohio State assistant: ‘I just want to be happy’

    Former UCLA coach Chip Kelly shocked the college football world last month when he left his job as a power conference coach to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. The move is unprecedented, even in the ever-changing landscape of college football. In his introductory press conference at Ohio State on Tuesday, Kelly said the decision came down to personal fulfillment. 

    “I just want to be happy,” Kelly told reporters. “And I’m really happy coaching a position. I’m really happy to be at this place (Ohio State)”

    Kelly said it was UCLA’s LA Bowl game preparation that rekindled his desire to coach at a more grassroots level. Quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson left the Bruins to become the offensive coordinator at Oregon State and Kelly stepped in, working hands-on with a posiiton group for the first time for the first time since he was the offensive coordinator at Oregon from 2007-08. 

    “I think my wife remarked, ‘I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time,’” Kelly said. “To me, the best part of football is the football. So you got to do football, and not some of the things that are involved with the head coaching deal. And, to me, the best part of football is football. And so you got to do football and not do some of the things that involve with the head coaching deal.”

    The Buckeyes originally hired Bill O’Brien as their offensive coordinator in January, but he left to become the head coach at Boston College. Ohio State coach Ryan Day then turned to Kelly, who was an assistant when Day played at New Hampshire in the late 1990s. Day also served as an assistant on Kelly’s staff with the 49ers in 2016. 

    “It would have taken a special place for me to leave UCLA because I love those players, and I love that coaching staff,” Kelly…

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  • Cowboys re-sign DT Carl Davis

    Cowboys re-sign DT Carl Davis

    The Cowboys re-signed defensive tackle Carl Davis on Wednesday.

    The team originally signed Davis to practice squad on Nov. 16, and he ended up playing three regular-season games with the Cowboys. He totaled three tackles.

    Davis was with the Patriots in the preseason and on the Seahawks’ practice squad to start the season.

    The Ravens made him a third-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2015. He has played games for the Ravens, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Patriots and Cowboys.

    In his career, Davis has 68 tackles 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, three passes defended and a fumble recovery.

    The Cowboys have Johnathan Hankins and Mazi Smith at the top of the depth chart at nose tackle.

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  • Auburn target Husan Longstreet sets commitment date

    Auburn target Husan Longstreet sets commitment date

     

    One of the nation’s top quarterbacks from the 2025 recruiting cycle is counting down the days until he announces his college destination and Auburn is among the eight programs still in the running.

    According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, four-star quarterback Husan Longstreet will choose between Auburn, Oregon, UCLA, Michigan, Texas A&M, Miami, Ole Miss, and Louisville on April 14.

    Auburn joined Longstreet’s recruitment journey late but has skyrocketed in value. Hugh Freeze and company offered Longstreet late last year, which caused Longstreet to schedule a spring visit to the Plains.

    According to On3’s Recruiting Machine, Texas A&M is the school to beat for Longstreet’s commitment as they hold a 98% chance to land him. Steve Wiltfong and Andrew Hattersley of 247Sports shares the same sentiment as On3 regarding Longstreet’s possible college destination, as they have submitted Crystal Ball predictions in favor of Mike Elko and the Aggies.

    Freeze and the rest of his staff have the chance to change Longstreet’s recruitment journey by hosting him for a visit on March 23.

    NEWS: Four-Star QB Husan Longstreet will announce his Commitment on April 14th between these 8️⃣ Schools!

    The 6’2 190 QB from Corona, CA is the Top Uncommitted QB in the ‘25 Class (No. 6 QB) per On3

    Where Should He Go?👇🏽https://t.co/UkW1fGuoED pic.twitter.com/kq3Mm56Apw

    — Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 4, 2024

    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 Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

    Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

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  • Cowboys to pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option, but at a different position, per report

    Cowboys to pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option, but at a different position, per report

    USATSI

    As expected, the Dallas Cowboys are going to pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option. The surprise, however, is how Dallas is conducting said business. 

    Parsons will receive his option as a defensive end and not as a linebacker, according to The Dallas Morning News. By doing so, the Cowboys will save roughly $3 million. Parsons would make $21.32 as a defensive end for the 2025 season if he plays under his option. He would make $24 million as a linebacker. 

    Teams have until May 2 to apply the fifth-year option to 2021 first-round draft picks. 

    Labeling Parsons as a defensive end is more than a cost-cutting move. Technically, Parsons was used more as a defensive end than as a linebacker last season. Nearly 88% of Parsons’ regular-season snaps last year came on the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus. 

    This will likely be a moot point given that Parsons probably won’t play under his fifth-year option. It is widely expected that Parsons will receive a lucrative, long-term contract sometime between now and before the start of the 2025 season. 

    Parsons is been one of the NFL’s top defensive players since entering the NFL in 2021. Since then, the former first-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections and was tabbed as the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

    Along with Parsons, the Cowboys have upcoming contract decisions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is currently slated to play under his fifth-year option in 2024. Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year, $160 million extension. 

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  • NCAA rejected Reggie Bush’s plea to reconsider USC case because sanctions were an ‘institutional penalty’

    NCAA rejected Reggie Bush’s plea to reconsider USC case because sanctions were an ‘institutional penalty’

    The NCAA rejected Reggie Bush’s request to reconsider penalties levied against the USC football program — as part of Bush’s effort to regain his Heisman Trophy — because he was “not an involved individual” in the landmark case, CBS Sports has learned. 

    In a 2022 letter from the NCAA to Bush’s legal team, obtained by CBS Sports, the NCAA Committee on Infractions explained to Bush, “… you were never officially charged by the NCAA enforcement staff” in the 2010 case. 

    The letter clarifies to Bush that the sanctions were “an institutional penalty. Therefore, you do not have standing to seek reconsideration. Your request is therefore denied.” The letter goes on to explain that the committee’s decision is final. A similar request was denied in 2023. 

    The Heisman Trust told Bush it will not evaluate potentially returning the 2005 trophy he voluntarily surrendered in 2010 until the NCAA reconsiders penalties against USC.

    Bush is not mentioned by name in the USC public infractions report despite the program being forced to vacate statistics and school records achieved by the running back “in which [he] competed while ineligible,” according to the NCAA. The NCAA itself said the case was “centered” around impermissible benefits given to “student-athlete 1,” who is largely assumed to be Bush. “Student-athlete 1” is mentioned 340 times in the 67-page report.

    Penalties levied following four-year NCAA investigation included USC receiving a two-year postseason ban and being docked 30 scholarships. The school was forced to vacate 14 wins in which Bush played. Bush was also disassociated from USC for a 10-year period, which ended in 2020. 

    Bush continues to push for the return of his 2005 Heisman.

    College sports’ player compensation climate changed…

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  • Ryan Bates trade signals two things about Bears’ 2024 offseason path

    Ryan Bates trade signals two things about Bears’ 2024 offseason path

    Ryan Bates trade signals two things about Bears’ 2024 offseason path originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

    It took over 700 days, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles finally got his man Monday when he acquired veteran offensive lineman Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick. The deal is pending a physical and can’t become official until the start of the new league year on March 13.

    The trade for Bates comes almost two years after Poles signed Bates to a four-year, $17-million contract offer that the Bills matched.

    Bates, 27, has played all across the offensive line during his five-year NFL career, with most of his snaps coming at right guard. Bates was a full-time starter for the Bills in 2022, playing 810 snaps at right guard and 135 snaps at center, per Pro Football Focus. During that season, Bates gave up just 28 pressures and one sack in 615 pass-blocking snaps. Last season, Bates moved to a reserve role and played just 35 snaps, all of which came at center.

    At the very least, the trade for Bates gives the Bears a veteran swing interior offensive lineman behind Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis, who both missed time in 2023. Jenkins played just 12 games last season and played fewer than 40 snaps in two of those games. Given Jenkins’ injury history, the Bears needed to find reliable depth behind the young left guard.

    The trade for Bates gives the Bears a starting option at center, but it doesn’t take them out of the market for a veteran like Lloyd Cushenberry or Connor Williams. The trade for Bates gives the Bears flexibility in free agency and the draft not to chase a center. With the salary cap rising, Cushenberry and Williams should command deals in the $9-12 million per year range. The Bears have the salary cap flexibility to dole out a top-level contract for a center, but Bates gives them the security to avoid a bidding war or choose to allocate funds elsewhere if the price is outside their value zone.

    The Bears also don’t…

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