Category: Football

Former Wisconsin linebacker named to AP NFL All-Pro first team

Former Wisconsin linebacker named AP First Team All-Pro

Former Wisconsin and current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun received yet another impressive accolade on Friday.

Baun, who represented the Badgers from 2015-19, was named to the 2024 AP All-Pro first team. He is one of three inside linebackers on the unit along with Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) and Roquan Smith (Baltimore Ravens).

Other notable names on the unit include edge Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), edge Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati Bengals), lineman Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs) and cornerback Patrick Surtain II (Denver Broncos).

With the nomination, the Brown Deer, Wisconsin native becomes the 15th former Badger to earn NFL All-Pro status.

Baun did virtually everything for the Eagles this season. In 16 starts, the 28-year-old tallied 151 total tackles 11 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, four pass deflections and 3 1/2 sacks. With the output, he became the first player in NFL history to record at least 150 tackles and five forced fumbles in a single season.

ProFootballFocus also named Baun its ‘Breakout Player of the Year’ for the 2024 slate with a 90.1 overall grade, the highest among any linebacker in the league. On top of everything, Baun is also a Pro Bowler for the first time in his five-year career.

The most impressive part of Baun’s season revolves around his previous four years as a pro. After amassing 88 combined tackles and two sacks from 2020-23 with the New Orleans Saints, Baun shattered his previous career-high totals in historic fashion.

Fueled by Baun’s stellar play at inside linebacker, the Eagles defense finished the season leading the league in total defense (280.9 yards allowed per game) and third in points allowed per game (18.1). The NFC’s No. 2-seed will now square off against a dynamic Green Bay Packers offense on Jan. 12 in Philadelphia.[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]

Going deep on UCLA’s quarterback depth in 2025

The Bruins lack experience at quarterback heading into 2025. This could be a wild ride.

Though football season is many months away, the UCLA Bruins are hard at work building their program for 2025. After a bevy of offseason moves along the coaching staff and in the transfer portal, UCLA football head coach DeShaun Foster’s team will look very different in 2025. The most notable shakeup for the 2025 season will be the quarterback position.

After finishing his redshirt senior season, former Bruin Ethan Garbers will no longer be with the program, leaving a significant hole in the lineup. In an up-and-down season with the Bruins, Garbers finished with 2,727 yards on 69.6% passing with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

In addition to Garbers’ departure, the Bruins lost three more quarterbacks. Chase Griffin and Nick Billoups finished their final season of eligibility with the Bruins after the 2024 season. After starting one game last season against Penn State, the Bruins lost Justyn Martin to the transfer portal.

Today, the Bruins have only four remaining quarterbacks on their roster heading into 2025, not including incoming freshmen, none of whom have taken a snap in the Big Ten, let alone the NCAA.  The Bruins quarterback room consists of rising sophomores Henry Hasselbeck, Dermaricus Davis, Karson Gordon, and redshirt sophomore Luke Duncan.

Though the transfer portal could change the Bruins’ fortunes in an instant, at the moment, UCLA has a severe lack of experience at the quarterback position.

As the offseason turns into the preseason for UCLA, the quarterback competition will begin to heat up, and front-runners for the job will emerge.

For newly hired Tino Sunseri, his abilities as both a quarterback coach and offensive coordinator will be tested as he and the coaching staff separate the wheat from the chaff in the UCLA quarterback room.

Trent McDuffie earns second seam All-Pro honors

Trent McDuffie was named an All-Pro for the second time in three seasons on Friday.

Former Washington Huskies star cornerback Trent McDuffie has collected another accolade in his short, but very successful NFL career after he was named to the AP’s All-Pro second team on Friday.

The 2022 first round pick can add that to an impressive trophy case that includes Super Bowl rings from each of his first two years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, and named a first team All-Pro selection in 2023. He’s also the league’s premier lockdown corner according to Pro Football Focus, with a lockdown rate of 66.7 percent while working against some of the league’s top receivers like Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Nico Collins of the Houston Texans.

McDuffie has become even more productive since the departure of L’Jarius Sneed and moving to the outside of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary. He grabbed his first two career interceptions in back-to-back games and set a new career-high with 13 pass breakups.

He was joined on the All-Pro team by another former Husky, Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker, while Minnesota Vikings cornerback finished sixth in voting among cornerbacks.

While McDuffie was snubbed from the Pro Bowl this year and still hasn’t made one in his career, his MVP-caliber performance in Super Bowl LVIII and earning All-Pro honors in the last two seasons should bode well for him when he is eligible for a contract extension at the end of the season.

McDuffie sat out the final game of the season while nursing a knee injury should be good to go when the Chiefs, who are awaiting their next opponent, plays in the divisional round next weekend at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Former Alabama football offensive coordinator to interview for NFL head coaching job

An NFL team is giving this former Nick Saban assistant an interview for its head coaching job.

A former Alabama football offensive coordinator and Nick Saban assistant is set to interview for the New York Jets’ head coaching job, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.

Mike Locksley, who served on Saban’s staff as offensive coordinator in 2018, was scheduled to interview for the Jets’ job Friday.

“The #Jets are spending a portion of today interviewing #Maryland HC Mike Locksley, as the former #Bama OC and current Terps coach gets his another NFL interview,” Rapoport wrote on social media Friday, adding that, “NYJ’s expansive search has left no stone unturned, taking a look at a leader and culture-setter in college.”

RELATED: Breaking down the expansive coaching tree under the legendary Nick Saban

In Locksley’s one season as offensive coordinator at Alabama, the Crimson Tide started the season 14-0 behind Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback before losing to Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers in the national championship game. Locksley left Alabama for the head coaching job at Maryland, where he’s been ever since.

Locksley has a record of 32-36 at Maryland’s head coach since his first season in 2019, including a 4-8 season in 2024. According to USA TODAY’s College Football Head Coach Salary Database, Locksley took home $5,801,900 — 37th among public FBS schools in salary, and one spot higher than Colorado’s Deion Sanders.

Locksley came to Alabama as an offensive analyst before the 2016 season. He worked his way into an on-field role the following year when he was wide receivers coach with Brian Daboll as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. The Crimson Tide defeated Georgia, 26-23, on Tagovailoa’s 41-yard game-winning touchdown to DeVonta in overtime to win the national championship that season.

Daboll, incidentally, is the head coach of the New York Giants.

Locksley is likely a long shot at best for the Jets job, but it’s worth noting that the organization turned to Saban’s friend and advisor Phil Savage as their acting GM to finish out the 2024 season.

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Georgia QB Carson Beck announces transfer destination

Georgia Bulldogs star quarterback Carson Beck is transferring to Miami

Georgia Bulldogs senior quarterback Carson Beck has signed with the Miami Hurricanes. Beck entered the transfer portal after previously announcing his plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft.

Beck committed to Miami over Ohio State and Texas Tech. Beck joins his girlfriend, Miami women’s basketball player Hanna Cavinder, at Miami.

Beck’s NFL draft declaration reversal looks like a wise decision. Beck is recovering from UCL surgery (elbow). Beck suffered the injurt in the first half of Georgia’s SEC championship win over Texas. Beck is expected to make a full recovery and play a final season of college football.

At Miami, Beck is expected to earn a significant amount of money via name, image and likeness licensing deals.

Beck is the top-ranked player and quarterback and is expected to start immediately for Miami. Beck entered the portal with a do not contact tag, so it appears he already had Miami in mind as his destination before he entered the transfer portal.

Beck finished the 2024 college season with 3,485 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His QBR (quarterback rating) of 80.9 is ranked No. 9 in the country.

Beck had some ups and downs throughout the year. He struggled with interceptions at times, but managed to lead Georgia to the College Football Playoff despite facing a challenging schedule. Beck wraps up his UGA career with a 24-3 record as the starter.

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Beck replaces Cam Ward as Miami’s starting quarterback. Ward is projected to be one of the top picks in the 2025 NFL draft.

Former Washington safety Budda Baker named second team All-Pro

Former Washington Huskies safety Budda Baker was named to the NFL’s All-Pro second team for his stellar year with the Arizona Cardinals.

Former Washington Huskies star Budda Baker has had a stellar 2024 season.

The 2017 second-round pick signed a three-year, $54 million extension in December as a reward for his standout play at safety for the Arizona Cardinals. On Friday, that play was further recognized by the NFL with a second-team All-Pro selection.

It’s the fourth All-Pro selection for Baker, who has spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Cardinals. He was a first-team selection as a rookie in 2017 and again in 2020, and a second-team selection in 2021.

Baker set a career-high in total tackles with 164 this season, which finished second in the NFL behind Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Frankin, including 10 tackles for loss. He also had 5 passes defended, a forced fumble, and 2 sacks and was named to his sixth consecutive and seventh career Pro Bowl.

Baker was joined on the second team by Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton. The first team selections at safety were Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions and Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers.

Fellow Huskies alum Trent McDuffie was also named to the second team after his standout season at cornerback with the Kansas City Chiefs. A third former member of Washington’s secondary, Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy, finished sixth in the voting and narrowly missed out on second-team selection.

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Colin Cowherd compares Riley Leonard to this superstar NFL quarterback

That is one heck of a comp

While Notre Dame football quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] didn’t have his best game against Penn State, the Irish still managed to pull out a victory and advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.

While he did throw two interceptions, the transfer went 15-of-23 for 223-yards and a touchdown, with 35-yards on the ground and another score. His performance stood out to Fox Sports [autotag]Colin Cowherd[/autotag], as he went to social media to make a bold comparison for Leonard, to three-time Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler [autotag]Josh Allen[/autotag].

While Leonard is a bit smaller than Allen, both stand over 6-foot, 4-inches and weigh over 215-pounds. They are great runners at the position, and while the current potential NFL MVP played at Wyoming, he still put up impressive numbers. The Irish starter has done the same, but to me I see on big difference, it’s that Allen was a much better passer than Leonard at this point in each of their developments.

Yes, Allen did make strikes at this in the NFL, but he showed much more glimpses of becoming the player he is today. Leonard has some work to do, and while I wouldn’t compare him to Allen, I can see why Cowherd did.

Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions safety Zakee Wheatley (6) sacks Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) in the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Two Trojans earn Pro Bowl invitations

Sam Darnold will make his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance, and he completely deserves it. Congratulations, Sam!

This past weekend marked the conclusion of the NFL’s 2024 regular season. With the playoffs on the horizon, there is still plenty of football left to be played. With the regular season now concluded, however, the league released its annual NFL Pro Bowl rosters earlier this week, and two Trojans saw their names selected. One of those players was Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. After starting his career with six disappointing seasons and largely being written off, Darnold experienced a career resurgence in 2024. In his first season in Minnesota, he threw for a career high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

In addition to making his first career Pro Bowl, Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a playoff spot. Minnesota will take on the Los Angeles Rams in a homecoming matchup Monday evening. (The game was originally supposed to be a homecoming trip to LA for Darnold, but was instead moved to Glendale, Arizona, due to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.)

While Darnold is headed to the Pro Bowl for the first time, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown will be making his third straight appearance. St. Brown went over the 1,100-yard mark for the third consecutive year, and also caught a career-high 12 touchdown passes.

By finishing with a 15-2 record, St. Brown and the Lions earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs. They will enjoy a bye this weekend, where they will get to rest up and see who their opponent is for the divisional round. It could be the Vikings and Darnold if Minnesota beats the Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Washington Commanders,

Georgia DB Daylen Everette announces NFL draft decision

Georgia defensive back Daylen Everette has announced his return for the 2025 college football season

The Georgia Bulldogs’ top cornerback, Daylen Everette, will be returning for the 2025 college football season. Everette is coming off a breakout junior season.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback recorded a team-high three interceptions in 2024. Everette was particularly effective against the Texas Longhorns. He recorded nine tackles, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble, a pass deflection, two interceptions and a sack in two games against the Longhorns.

Everette is Georgia’s top 2025 NFL draft prospect to announce his return to school. Everette is ranked as the No. 100 prospect in the draft, per Pro Football Focus.

Everette’s return gives Georgia a lockdown cornerback for the 2025 season. He’ll try to become a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

The former five-star recruit posted 58 tackles, three interceptions, three pass deflections and one sack in 2025. Everette’s decision is a bit of a surprise considering his NFL potential.

Everette announced his return to UGA via social media.

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Tar Heels add three-star safety from the Big Ten in the transfer portal

Bill Belichick adds more help to the depleted defense in the transfer portal with this three-star safety.

Bill Belichick and UNC football continue to make moves in the transfer portal in an effort to revamp the mediocre defense that the Tar Heels had last season. The latest addition to the Carolina family is actually a player that North Carolina saw this season and was high on Belichick’s radar.

North Carolina’s first win of the season came on the road at Minnesota, a Big Ten Conference school, and won 19-17. Safety Coleman Bryson ended that loss with three tackles, one tackle for a loss, and one defended pass.

Bryson was a three-star safety out of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School. He was the No. 91 ranked safety and No. 108 ranked player in Georgia in the Class of 2022. According to 247sports, he had a rating of 85 in his freshman season.

In the three years of experience at Minnesota, the senior defensive back totaled 31 games, 54 tackles, one interception, one touchdown, and four defended passes.

Since the opening of the transfer portal, Belichick has also brought in lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude, CJ Mims, and Pryce Yates. He has also brought in defensive back Gavin Gibson alongside of Bryson. In the middle of the defense, he added linebacker Khmori House.

On top of that, he brought back Ty Adams and Amare Campbell, who withdrew their name after entering the portal before the Belichick hiring.

With plenty of players left on the market, this Belichick-run Tar Heels team is still taking shape and will undoubtedly sign more players as the days transpire. You can check out all of the transfer portal additions, here.

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