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  • Deion Sanders explains challenges of recruiting Florida talent to Colorado: ‘It’s really not that cold’

    Deion Sanders explains challenges of recruiting Florida talent to Colorado: ‘It’s really not that cold’

    High-level success in college football starts with high-caliber players, and first-year Colorado coach Deion Sanders is already winning in that all-important category. Sanders delivered for the Buffaloes in his first recruiting cycle despite a short turnaround, hauling in the nation’s fifth-best transfer class and No. 21 overall class, according to 247Sports. 

    Seven of those players hail from the talent-rich state of Florida — somewhere Sanders, who went to Florida State from North Fort Myers High School, is quite familiar with. Colorado is a long way from the Sunshine State, and Sanders explained his approach to recruiting the state with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on the All Things Covered podcast. 

    “I’m trying to introduce these young men to the other side of the country that they never thought about,” said Sanders. “When you get out there, they say ‘You got mountains with snow on it and it’s not even cold?’ Because when it’s really snowing, it can’t be so cold. It’s really not that cold. Like, 30 [degrees] in Boulder is like hoodie weather.

    “Once I get these Florida guys over that hump and they see it,” he continued, “and the summers are unbelievable in Boulder.”

    Sanders’ sales pitch to high school and transfer prospects generates from a mindset that he developed from his own time as a coveted recruit. 

    “Guys from the South like us, we didn’t have the financial means to travel. We never traveled. So the furthest we went was Georgia. We aren’t seasoned on the other side of the country. We never fathomed it. It wasn’t our thing. We always thought it was too cold. I didn’t own a jacket in high school. I remember going to visit the University of Georgia with no socks, no jacket.”

    Sanders’ success on the recruiting trail…

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  • What TV channel is Super Bowl 57 Eagles-Chiefs game on? Time, streaming, game info

    What TV channel is Super Bowl 57 Eagles-Chiefs game on? Time, streaming, game info

    Super Bowl LVII: Philadelphia Eagles (16-3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (16-3)

    When: 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

    Where: State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

    TV: Fox.

    Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1).

    Betting line: Eagles by 1½; game total over/under is 50½.

    ∙ Box score

    Game notes: The Eagles and Chiefs meet at the Super Bowl for the first time, and both have done it as the No. 1 seed. For the Eagles, this is their fourth Super Sunday appearance; this is the Chiefs’ fifth overall and third in the past five seasons. In the 2019 season, they rallied to win 31-20 over San Francisco in Super Bowl 54, then lost Super Bowl 55 the next year, 31-9, to Tampa Bay. Philadelphia won Super Bowl 52 over New England, 41-33, to finish the 2017 season.

    THE GAME:One reason why Chiefs will beat Eagles in Super Bowl: Patrick Mahomes

    LIONS GM:Coaches, QBs get pub, but Super Bowl teams are built by great GMs. Is Brad Holmes the next one?

    Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, MVP of Super Bowl 54, was named Thursday as the NFL’s MVP of the 2022 season, with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts the runner-up. Philadelphia is 16-1 with Hurts starting this season and he has scored 15 rushing TDs in 17 games, setting a new QB single-season record (including playoffs). The Eagles’ defense finished with the third-most sacks ever (70) in the regular season. They have eight more in two playoff games, and became the first team ever with four players grabbing at least 10 sacks in the regular season: Haason Reddick (16), Josh Sweat (11), Javon Hargrave (11) and Super Bowl hero and Detroit native Brandon Graham (11).

    Mahomes is dealing with a sprained ankle suffered three weeks ago vs. Jacksonville, but should be in better shape after two weeks of rest. Chiefs DT Chris Jones registered 15½ sacks and TE Travis Kelce scored a career-best 12 touchdowns. Mahomes and Kelce have connected on 13 playoff TDs, two behind Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski (15). Kelce will face his older brother and fellow All-Pro, Eagles C Jason Kelce, the first brothers to face off in a…

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  • What’s harder, football or rugby? Australian Eagles LT Jordan Mailata weighs in from Super Bowl 57

    What’s harder, football or rugby? Australian Eagles LT Jordan Mailata weighs in from Super Bowl 57

    PHOENIX – The champions of the NFL’s 2022 season will be determined when the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet in Super Bowl 57.

    But as two evenly matched squads prepare to clash, another debate was “settled” in the days before Super Sunday: What is the tougher sport, football or rugby?

    No less an authority than Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, who played professional rugby growing up in Australia, weighed in when asked about the sports’ fundamental distinctions.

    “Everything. Physically, mentally, the playbook, learning the techniques. I think the difference between the two sports – I would say rugby is such a free-flowing sport, right? And we know how many (play) stoppages there are in a football game,” he said.

    “There’s so much technique involved in (football) – it’s an absolute chess match – if you step 6 inches too far, you could ruin the play. To me, just from my experience, I really do believe that football is a lot harder than rugby.”

    Mailata then broke into his signature laugh, knowing several Aussie media members surrounded him.

    “But don’t come at me now,” he added. “You’ve got to give (football) a try, then we’ll talk.”

    Mailata, 25, gave football a try five years ago, a decision that changed his life.

    Eagles LT Jordan Mailata (68) celebrates a touchdown with TE Dallas Goedert in Philadelphia’s divisional playoff rout of the New York Giants in January.

    After seeing this outsized man move about a rugby field, NFL scouts invited Mailata to participate in the league’s International Player Pathway Program, which identifies prospects outside the U.S. and Canada. He trained at Florida’s IMG Academy in 2018 while performing at various pre-draft workouts. Mailata said he felt like a “guinea pig” in what he described as a “rigorous” curriculum. He and the other international players had to bike around IMG while prospects headed for that year’s scouting combine in Indianapolis were driven about in golf carts.

    “That was great motivation to…

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  • 2024 Four-star wide receiver Aeryn Hampton

    2024 Four-star wide receiver Aeryn Hampton

    The Oklahoma Sooners are early in their recruitment of four-star wide receiver Aaryn Hampton. After offering back on February 2, the Sooners found their way into his top seven released on February 8.

    Emmett Jones had been recruiting Hampton from his time at Texas Tech, and that’s likely the reason the Sooners have quickly joined the race.

    The Sooners will have some ground to make up, but as we’ve seen in some recent recruitments, don’t count Brent Venables and his staff out until a prospect’s name is signed on that national letter of intent.

    As a prospect, Hampton displays incredible athleticism and breakaway speed. He’s a big-play threat every time he’s on the field because of his incredible agility and vision once the ball is in his hands. He’s a two-way player, starring in multiple defensive back roles, at wide receiver, and even returns kick with great effectiveness.

    He’s a player that can play both in the slot and on the outside because of his quickness, agility, and speed.

    The Sooners will have to catch up to the Crimson Tide to become a serious contender in the recruitment. They’ve already made significant headway in such a short time that they’ll be in it till the end.

    Aeryn Hampton’s Recruiting Profile

    Projections

    On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine favors the Alabama Crimson Tide.

    Rivals FutureCasts currently favor Alabama.

    Crystal ball predictions are split between Alabama (2), Texas (1), and Nebraska (1). The most recent predictions came from Steve Wiltfong and Horns247 writer Mike Roach in January.

    Film

    Hudl

    Rating

    Stars

    Overall

    State

    Position

    ESPN

    4

    128

    20

    12

    Rivals

    4

    33

    3

    4

    247Sports

    4

    149

    21

    17

    247 Composite

    4

    77

    12

    7

    On3 Recruiting

    4

    152

    27

    20

    On3 Consensus

    4

    59

    7

    11

     

    Vitals

    Hometown

    Daingerfield, Texas

    Projected Position

    Wide Receiver

    Height

    5-10

    Weight

    175

     

    Recruitment

    Notable Offers

    Per 247Sports

    Story…

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  • Super Bowl 2023: National anthem singer and more pregame performers for Arizona’s Super Bowl 57

    Super Bowl 2023: National anthem singer and more pregame performers for Arizona’s Super Bowl 57

    Getty Images

    The Super Bowl is historically the most-viewed television program in the United States with the hype surrounding the game like no other, and the entertainment level goes far beyond the action on the field. We are just one day away away from kickoff for Super Bowl LVII, and a whole lot of people will be watching. The pregame festivities and ceremonies as well as the halftime show make the big game a major moment in pop culture.

    We already know that Rihanna will be the halftime show performer for Super Bowl LVII, but the NFL also announced the rest of the Super Bowl entertainment.

    Eight-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton will be performing the national anthem ahead of the game. The country music singer also has 15-time Country Music Association and 10-time Academy of Country Music awards.

    More on Super Bowl

    Babyface will be performing “America the Beautiful” ahead of kickoff. The 64-year-old is a 12-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter and producer with 125 Top 10 hits, 44 No. 1 R&B hits and 16 No. 1 pop hits.

    “Lift Every Voice and Sing” will be sung by Emmy, Critics Choice and Independent Spirit award winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph. The 66-year-old has a successful acting career and is nominated for a Golden Globe and an NAACP Image Award. 

    Arizona native Troy Kotsur will perform the national anthem in American Sign Language (ASL) on behalf of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). Kotsur was the second deaf person in history to win an Oscar for his role in the film “CODA.”

    Colin Denny, a member of the Navajo Nation in Arizona, will sign “America the Beautiful.” Deaf performer Justina Miles…

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  • Notre Dame targets Utah’s Andy Ludwig as offensive coordinator to replace Tommy Rees, per report

    Notre Dame targets Utah’s Andy Ludwig as offensive coordinator to replace Tommy Rees, per report

    USATSI

    Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig is the top candidate for the same job at Notre Dame, according to ESPN. Ludwig, 58, is a well-traveled college assistant who spent the past four seasons guiding the Utes’ offense amid one of the best eras of program history. He would replace Tommy Rees, who left Notre Dame last week to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator. 

    Ludwig’s unit at Utah ranked No. 17 in total offense during the 2022 season as the Utes won the Pac-12 Championship for a second consecutive season. Running the football has been the Utes’ calling card during his tenure on staff, but Ludwig has also shown some quarterback development chops by molding Cam Rising into one of the Pac-12’s best. Developing a quarterback will be among the most critical tasks for the Fighting Irish’s new coordinator as the program looks to build on a 9-4 record from coach Marcus Freeman’s debut campaign.

    Because Freeman’s background is on the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame’s new offensive coordinator should have autonomy to run the offense as he sees fit. Freeman also interviewed Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein for the position, but Klein is remaining with the Wildcats after helping guide the program to the 2022 Big 12 championship. 

    Prior to arriving at Utah, Ludwig spent four seasons as Vanderbilt’s offensive coordinator under Derek Mason. He’s also been the OC at Fresno State, Oregon, Cal, San Diego State and Wisconsin, and worked an earlier stint in the same role for the Utes.

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  • Panthers hire Josh McCown as QB coach

    Panthers hire Josh McCown as QB coach

    The Carolina Panthers have already brought back one of their former quarterbacks to coach the team. So, while we’re having a big ol’ reunion, why not grab another?

    As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Friday night—in a somewhat surprising development later announced by the team—the Panthers are hiring Josh McCown as their new quarterbacks coach. The 43-year-old, who played in Carolina from 2008 to 2009, now returns to Charlotte—where he also coached at nearby Myers Park High School.

    McCown had himself a well-regarded 16-year NFL career—which also included stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. He started in 76 of his 102 games—passing for 17,731 yards, 98 touchdowns and 82 interceptions between 2002 and 2019.

    This’ll be McCown’s first crack as a coach on an NFL sideline, as he just missed out on the Houston Texans head-coaching gig a year ago.

    More Latest Panthers News!

    Panthers bring back Dom Capers as senior defensive assistant

    Panthers considered ‘sleepers’ for Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson

    Panthers legend Julius Peppers headlines 1st-time eligibles for 2024 Hall of Fame class

    Story originally appeared on Panthers Wire

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  • Super Bowl 57 Props Guide: Odds, picks for more than 500 Chiefs vs. Eagles prop bets from SportsLine

    Super Bowl 57 Props Guide: Odds, picks for more than 500 Chiefs vs. Eagles prop bets from SportsLine

    The Super Bowl matchup is set, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs set to battle in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 12. Not only is it going to be the biggest sporting event in the world in all of 2023, it’s also going to be the biggest sports betting event on your calendars this year.

    Sportsbooks offer hundreds of ways to take a stance on the game, from the player props we see on every NFL game like over/under passing yards and anytime touchdown scorer, to more interesting over/unders like 2.5 players to throw a pass and 1.5 yards for shortest touchdown, to even more specific props like whether there will be a score in a specific window at the beginning or end of a game, will the game be tied after 0-0, and so on.

    You can also get action on the coin toss and Super Bowl MVP, and some books will even post lines for the length of the national anthem, what happens during the halftime show and the color of the Gatorade splashed on the winning coach, among other props that will be determined when the game clock isn’t running. If multitasking is your thing, you can also play cross-sport props that essentially create a choice between something related to the Super Bowl and something else going on in sports that day (i.e., will Ja Morant or the Eagles score more points).

    We’re covering all those angles and more in our Super Bowl props guide. Here, you’ll be able to find lines on all game-related props provided by Caesars Sportsbook and relevant content from SportsLine, sharing model and expert picks along the way. We’ll also cover some of the more exotic props on the anthem and halftime that you may not find at your sportsbook but can add a bit of fun to your party.

    Be sure to check back regularly as we continue to update this post with prop lines as they become available as well as new SportsLine props content up until kickoff. All odds are subject to change.

    Chiefs vs….

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