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  • Auburn football recruiting: Four-star RB J’Marion Burnette commits to Tigers over Alabama, Georgia

    Auburn football recruiting: Four-star RB J’Marion Burnette commits to Tigers over Alabama, Georgia

    247Sports

    J’Marion Burnette, a four-star running back from Andalusia (Alabama) High School, announced Friday that he will stay in his home state and play for Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers in 2024. Burnette chose the Tigers over several other FBS offers, including Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida State and Michigan.

    Burnette is ranked No. 153 overall and is the 10th-ranked running back in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound bruiser has rushed for 4,038 yards and 30 touchdowns during his three-year high school career. He rushed for 1,473 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior, which helped lead his high school to a 14-1 record and a 4-A state title.

    Burnette credited former interim head coach and current assistant Carnell “Cadillac” Williams as one of the big reasons why he chose to commit to the Tigers. 

    “It’s because they make their recruits feel like family,” Burnette told Auburn Undercover. “It’s a great program, great coaching staff. Coach Caddy is amazing. He’s been going out of the way since Auburn first offered me a year ago. He’s just been keeping up with me nonstop.”

    Burnette attended Auburn’s Junior Day on January 28, which led to 247Sports analysts giving him a 100% chance to join the Tigers in the 247Sports crystal ball. However, he made an unofficial visit to Florida State on March 21 prior to announcing his commitment on Friday. 

    Burnette will join a program that could offer immediate playing time. Rising junior running back Jarquez Hunter will be eligible for the NFL…

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  • NFL Draft 2023: Panthers may have let slip which QB they plan to select at No. 1

    NFL Draft 2023: Panthers may have let slip which QB they plan to select at No. 1

    The Carolina Panthers put themselves on the clock by trading up to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this month. While we know that this leap will lead to a young quarterback making his way to Charlotte, who that actually will be is unclear. Unlike other drafts, there isn’t a slam-dunk, bona fide No. 1 overall pick that stands above the rest, so there is a bit of mystery as to which way Carolina will ultimately end up going.

    That said, we may have gained a bit of clarity on that following Ohio State’s Pro Day on Wednesday. That was where C.J. Stroud — one of the top quarterback prospects in this class — was showing off his skills in front of various NFL evaluators, including a sizable contingent from the Panthers headlined by owner David Tepper, head coach Frank Reich, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and several others. 

    After the workout, Stroud could be seen speaking with Reich and a Panthers group that also included McCown. At the end of that conversation, McCown and Stroud could be heard talking about playing a game of HORSE against one another, and that’s where the coach may have let slip what the team plans to do with their top selection.

    “Maybe when you live in Charlotte we’ll find a court,” McCown said to Stroud as they embraced. 

    Depending on how you view that interaction, you could come away with the impression the Panthers — or at least McCown — expect to take Stroud and bring him to Charlotte. Of course, McCown doesn’t have the final say on such a massive decision for the organization, but if his feelings mirror the rest of the coaching staff and front office, Stroud seems to be sitting pretty as the top pick. 

    McCown has previously been on record talking about how much he likes Stroud as a prospect and even compared him to current Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. 

    “Physically, as I watch him, I think his skill set is very similar to Joe Burrow,”…

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  • 5 offensive storylines to follow as Alabama begins spring practice

    5 offensive storylines to follow as Alabama begins spring practice

    On Monday, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide football team began spring practice in Tuscaloosa.

    Over the course of five weeks, Alabama will complete 14 practices and will conclude the spring activities with the annual A-Day Game on Saturday, April 22 from inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

    With each new season, position battles and question marks take center stage and 2023 will be no different.

    Coach Saban not only has a lot of new faces on the roster, but a ton of new coaches will also be making their Alabama debuts in 2023.

    As spring practice gets underway, let’s take a look a look some of the top storylines on each side of the ball. We will begin with the offense!

    Tommy Rees as OC

    Syndication: Notre Dame Insider

    After two seasons with Bill O’Brien as the Alabama offensive coordinator, Nick Saban hired a young gun in Tommy Rees to take over the play-calling duties for the Tide. Rees, even at a young age, brings a wealth of knowledge to the table and enjoys playing a physical brand of football and focusing on development at the quarterback position. How Rees fits in at Alabama is a huge piece of the puzzle.

    The wide receivers

    Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

    Alabama returns a pair of veteran players at receiver in Jermaine Burton and Ja’Corey Brooks as well as a herd of true sophomores who received plenty of playing time in 2022 as freshmen. The wild card of the bunch is JUCO transfer Malik Benson, who by all accounts has the potential of some of the recent Alabama greats such as Jerry Jeudy or DeVonta Smith. It will be interesting to see how Alabama lines those guys up this spring.

    The running back rotation

    Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

    Jase McClellan is back in the Alabama backfield for 2023 and will likely provide better production than most Alabama fans assume. After that, you have Roydell Williams, Jam Miller, and…

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  • Damien Harris feels signing with Bills can take him to a new height

    Damien Harris feels signing with Bills can take him to a new height

    Running back Damien Harris is switching teams in the AFC East for the 2023 season.

    Harris has signed with the Bills after spending four seasons with the Patriots and he’s joining an offense that is bringing back a number of weapons from their third straight division champion. Those weapons include running backs James Cook and Nyheim Hines, but Harris does not sound like he believes those players will keep him from thriving in Buffalo’s offense.

    “I always said that playing against the Bills, I felt like brought out the best in me as a competitor and as a player,” Harris said, via the team’s website. “And from the outside looking in as an opponent if I felt that way then I knew that if I was able to join this organization, I feel like I could just take it to a new height.”

    After rushing for 929 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021, Harris dipped behind Rhamondre Stevenson in the New England backfield pecking order last year. It remains to be seen just how he’ll fit into the Bills attack, but it’s clear he feels like he can bounce back to previous heights.

    Damien Harris feels signing with Bills can take him to a new height originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

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  • 2023 NFL free agency: Cowboys signing RB Ronald Jones to one-year deal after adding OL Chuma Edoga

    2023 NFL free agency: Cowboys signing RB Ronald Jones to one-year deal after adding OL Chuma Edoga

    Life moves fast in the NFL. On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys had three players stop by for a visit: running back Ronald Jones, linebacker Travin Howard, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga. Come Tuesday afternoon, two of them — Edoga and Jones — signed with the Silver and Blue. The team announced both of their deals. 

    The Cowboys will be Edoga’s third team after beginning with the New York Jets (2019-2021) and spending last season with the Atlanta Falcons. The soon-to-be 26-year-old was the Jets’ third round pick (92nd overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. Edoga has totaled 13 starts in 26 career games played, including starting half of his games with the Jets (12 of 24). A knee injury limited him to two games played with the Falcons in 2022. Given Tyron Smith’s (32 years old) advancing age, Edoga could be a decent backup in case of injury to him or any of the others Cowboys’ offensive line starters. 

    More NFL free agency

    Just five days after releasing the franchise’s No. 3 leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys brought in a younger running back with less tread on his tires in the 25-year-old Ronald Jones, per the league’s transaction wire. Jones has been a part of two of the past three Super Bowl champions, suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season and the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in 2022. Now, he will likely serve as the franchise-tagged Tony Pollard’s backup. 

    The 38th overall pick (second round) in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC, Jones has amassed 2,244 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns on 505 career carries. His best season was at age 23, season three, with the Buccaneers en route to their Super Bowl LV title when he totaled 978 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 192 carries. In 2021, Jones was beaten out by Leonard Fournette as the Buccaneers’ lead back, so his productivity declined. He…

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  • Garrett Riley is fueling Clemson’s next offensive evolution as Tigers eye return to national title contender

    Garrett Riley is fueling Clemson’s next offensive evolution as Tigers eye return to national title contender

    For the more than half of the College Football Playoff’s existence as a four-team format, few teams were as consistently present as the Clemson Tigers. Coach Dabo Swinney’s ascent with the program he first joined in 2003, and later took over as the full-time coach in 2009, coincided with the sport’s evolution into a new era. First came snapping a 20-year ACC championship drought in 2011; then, in 2013, came the program’s first top-10 finish in the AP poll. 

    Recruiting was improving, and Swinney had sparked real change on the field thanks to the hires of offensive coordinator Chad Morris and defensive coordinator Brent Venables. When the playoff era began, the Tigers were peaking as a program. Clemson won six straight ACC championships from 2015-2020, appearing in the CFP in each of those seasons. The Tigers reached the national championship four times, twice winning it all against Nick Saban and Alabama. At points during a 29-game winning streak that spanned the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Clemson’s status at the top of the sport seemed unshakeable. 

    But then the razor-thin margin for high-level success in college football was revealed. After losing just three regular-season games combined from 2015-2020, the Tigers lost five times across 2021 and 2022. After six straight top-four finishes in the AP poll, Clemson found itself finishing the year outside of the CFP and outside of the top 10. 

    The causes for this stumble came from many places, including a devastating series of injuries in 2021. However, the one area where fans and analysts alike could easily focus their criticism was the offensive side of the ball. Clemson ranked dead last in the ACC and No. 103 nationally in yards per play in 2021, with a slight improvement to 8th in the league and No….

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  • Breaking down the Steelers picks in the new TD Wire mock draft

    Breaking down the Steelers picks in the new TD Wire mock draft

    Our friends over at Touchdown Wire have a new three-round mock draft out and with excitement building for the 2023 NFL draft, we decided to take a look. We have to admit, this one went way off script and took us completely by surprise.

    First round – CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia

    News Joshua L Jones

    Second round – TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

    Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

    Second round – C Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin

    Third round – OT Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse

    (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

    Breakdown

    OK, there is a lot to unpack here so let’s start at the end and work backwards. I like Matthew Bergeron and think he will be a very good starting right tackle. But I’m not sure he’s ready to contribute as a rookie so making him your single offensive tackle pick in the first three rounds means the team is planning to address the need via free agency.

    Moving to the second pick of the second round, again like Bergeron, we like Joe Tippmann. Hard-nosed and very much a Steelers type of player. But with the addition of Herbig and Seumalo, I’m not sure what they do with him this year. Mason Cole will be back as the starting center and if he isn’t, it will be because James Daniels moves over and the new guards will take over the starting spots.

    Now we come to the big one. Giving the Steelers a tight end, even a really good one with the No. 32 overall pick might send the entire city of Pittsburgh a heart attack. There are a dozen guys who are taken after Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer who can help this roster more. Not to mention he’s the third tight end taken. Complete lack of value there.

    In the first round, I don’t hate Kelee Ringo as a pick. His man-coverage skills are great and he’s a ridiculous athlete. He needs a lot of coaching and is quite raw but again this is more about value. Ringo is the fourth cornerback on the 2023 roster. Is that how you use the No. 17 pick for a team on the verge of returning to the playoffs?

    Let us know in the comments what you think of this…

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  • Sophomore WR target planning April visit with Florida

    Sophomore WR target planning April visit with Florida

    Pensacola Catholic wide receiver Koby Howard is one of the top players at his position in the class of 2025, and he’s not short on offers heading into his junior year of high school. To wrap up his sophomore year, Howard has a ton of visits lined up throughout the spring, and Florida’s should come in the middle of April at the latest, according to Gators Online.

    “Right now, it’s looking like April 15. It’s set; I will most definitely be there for that one,” Howard said to GO. “I may get down there sooner to catch a practice; I just don’t know if I will have enough time to fit in a visit to catch a spring practice before the 15th.”

    LSU and Miami are the teams that have hosted him so far in the spring. Howard also has plans to stop by Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU before the end of the month. Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee are all on the schedule with Florida in April.

    Howard most recently stopped by the Swamp in January for one of the team’s Junior Days, but that was before wide receiver coach Keary Colbert left the team. Metting the new position coach, Billy Gonzalez, is one thing he’ll have to look forward to for this upcoming trip.

    Florida State is currently the favorite to land Howard with 21.0% odds, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine. Florida is a close second though at 18.4%. Tennessee (11.9%) and Miami (9.9%) are also still in the race.

    Howard is ranked No. 69 overall on the On3 industry ranking and is No. 11 among wide receivers in the class of 2025. He’s also ranked the 10th-best player in the Sunshine State.

    More Football Recruiting!

    Gators to host Colorado DB commit on two future visits

    Blue-chip teammates set to visit the Swamp next weekend

    Gators to get visit from this legacy 2025 ATH on his spring college tour

    Florida…

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