Tag: 2024 College Football Season

Ryan Wingo among freshman SEC wide receivers expected to make instant impact

Ryan Wingo is expected to make an impact in year one.

The Texas Longhorns lost quite a bit of production from the 2023 team that finished with a trip to the College Football Playoffs after winning the Big 12 title.

The trio of Xavier Worthy, AD Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington tallied 172 receptions for 2,364 yards and 17 touchdowns. That equates to 13.7 yards per reception and these numbers don’t include standout tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders.

The staff did a phenomenal job with the transfer portal additions of Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Silas Bolden. The trio racked up a combined 140 receptions for 1,818 yards and 19 touchdowns. There is another newcomer that could pay dividends this season, five-star freshman [autotag]Ryan Wingo[/autotag].

The high school All-American finished his varsity football career in St. Louis with 129 receptions for 2,160 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also added a pair of touchdowns as a punt returner and one as a defensive back.

Recently CBS Sports listed Wingo among the top three freshman wide receivers who could make an impact alongside Auburn’s Cam Coleman and Alabama’s Ryan Williams.

What CBS Sports Said…

Wingo made four catches for 81 yards with a couple of touchdowns in the Texas spring game, which suggests he’s got the mettle to play an early role. Texas’ receiver room is immensely talented but vastly overhauled following the departures of Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell and Jordan Whittington. Wingo will have a shot to establish himself within the position’s evolving hierarchy. He brings elite speed and has caught the eye of No. 2 quarterback Arch Manning, who may sling a lot of passes in Wingo’s direction during the 2025 season. “Wingo is going to be a stud,” Manning said. “He’s going to play a lot this year. He’s just everything you want in a wide receiver.”

Quick look at freshman WR Ryan Wingo

SEC top freshman WR impact list

  • Cam Coleman, Auburn Tigers
  • Ryan Williams, Alabama Crimson Tide
  • Ryan Wingo, Texas Longhorns
  • Mario Craver, Mississippi State Bulldogs
  • Mazeo Bennett, South Carolina Gamecocks
  • Hardley Gilmore, Kentucky Wildcats
  • Terry Bussey, Texas A&M Aggies

College football analyst has five SEC teams in the College Football Playoff

On3’s Andy Staples thinks that five of the teams in the 12-team playoff will be from the SEC.

College football is expanding to a 12-team [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

After decades of the polls deciding the national champion (1936-1991) and early attempts at creating a national championship game such as the Bowl Coalition (1992-1994) and the Bowl Alliance (1995-1997), the Bowl Championship Series was born. The [autotag]BCS[/autotag] lasted from 1998 to 2013, when the College Football Playoff was introduced and the four-team model stuck for a decade (2014-2023).

Now, the playoffs will feature 12 teams with five automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champions. The top four of those champions will get a first-round bye (likely the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag], [autotag]ACC[/autotag] and [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] champs). The seven at-large teams and the fifth conference champion (probably coming from the [autotag]Group of Five[/autotag]) will be seeded 5 through 12, rounding out the field with the first round of games.

It’s yet to be seen how the playoff committee will balance teams with better records coming from easier conferences like the Big 12 and ACC against teams with worse records coming from harder conferences like the Big 10 and SEC. One college football analyst, however, believes the Oklahoma Sooners’ new league will be well-represented come December.

On3’s Andy Staples gave 10 of his predictions for the [autotag]2024 college football season[/autotag]. Among the most notable was that the SEC would get five of the 12 spots in the new expanded playoffs.

“It’s not apples to apples because you can’t just port Texas or Oklahoma playoff appearances to the SEC because of how the automatic bids work and because we don’t know if those teams would have had a different record playing in a different league, but seven teams that will be in the SEC in 2024 (Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU, Oklahoma) finished in the top 13 last season,” Staples said. “The No. 12 team is likely getting kicked for the highest-ranked Group of Five champ, but the power conferences are so big now that the champions of all four likely will finish in the top 11. That would keep anyone else from getting punted.”

Staples also backed up his prediction by touting the sheer competition that SEC teams will face every single week.

“The SEC’s schedule draw is the biggest reason for this prediction,” Staples said. “Alabama and Georgia got tougher conference schedules, but they’re also talented enough to handle them. Texas and Ole Miss appear to have CFP-caliber rosters and fairly manageable schedules. Missouri and Tennessee may not be perfect, but they’re going to be good and they fared well in the schedule draw. Oklahoma and LSU are Oklahoma and LSU; they’re almost always a threat to win double-digit games. That’s a lot of legitimate contenders, and it’s entirely reasonable that five-eighths of that group could finish in the top 11.”

Staples’ comments are felt by many in the new SEC footprint, hoping that the depth and competitive nature of the league will be rewarded.

For example, should a 9-3 SEC team with three close losses to playoff-caliber teams be left out in favor of a 10-2 ACC team that hasn’t played the same overall level of competition? That’s the answer Oklahoma and SEC fans are waiting for the committee to answer for the first time this winter.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian ranked among SEC’s best

Where does Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian rank in CBS Sports’ Top 10 coaches in the SEC?

The Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners announced their move to the SEC nearly three years ago, yet even with the move becoming official on July 1st, it’s still hard to believe it’s real.

When the move was announced, many people believed the Sooners would have a seamless transition while the Longhorns would struggle, but the perception has flipped.

Brent Venables and the Sooners are coming off of a 10-3 season but will play arguably the hardest schedule in the country this year. It certainly does not help that Heisman Trophy candidate QB Dillon Gabriel transferred to the Oregon Ducks. All the while new starting quarterback Jackson Arnold struggled mightily in the lone game he started last year with three interceptions against Arizona.

Texas on the other hand is firing on all cylinders as they are coming off of a Big 12 title and CFP berth. QB Quinn Ewers will be back on the Forty Acres for his third year as a starter and many NFL draft experts project him to be a future first-round pick. Additionally, the Longhorns landed one of the best players in the country via the transfer portal this offseason in former Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond.

However, the biggest thing Texas has working for them is that head coach Steve Sarkisian is quickly proving himself to be one of the best coaches in the country. After a losing season in year one, Sarkisian has gone 20-7 over the following two years with the Longhorns widely regarded as a pre-season top-five team this year.

As we head into the first season of the 16-team SEC, CBS Sports ranks the top ten coaches in the conference with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian coming in at No. 3 on the list (No. 5 in all of college football) saying,

“Texas looks like it’s ready to hit the ground running upon joining the SEC. The Longhorns have steadily grown each year under Sarkisian, and it all culminated in a Big 12 title and College Football Playoff appearance in 2023. With quarterback Quinn Ewers back to lead the charge and an impressive transfer haul filling the gaps on a roster already laden with tremendous talent, the Longhorns have national title upside entering the 2024 season. A spot in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game is the expectation, at the very least.”

One bold prediction has Arch Manning to start at least one game

CFB expert makes a bold prediction involving backup quarterback Arch Manning.

As of July 1st, the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners are officially members of the Southeastern Conference.

With conference realignment in full effect and the introduction of the 12-team Playoff, this year of college football will be unlike anything we have ever seen. However, the changes for the sport are for the best with regular season matchups like the Georgia Bulldogs traveling to Austin to take on the Longhorns or the Oregon Ducks flying out East to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The changes coming make the sport almost impossible to predict, but I suppose that is what makes college football the best sport on earth.

Andy Staples of On3 makes 10 bold predictions ahead of the 2024 season including five teams from the SEC getting into the 12-team Playoff. However, his most interesting take was that he projects the Longhorns’ backup QB Arch Manning to start at least one game in 2024 saying,

“This is one I would prefer not to come true, and I don’t want anything to think I’m wishing ill on Texas starter Quinn Ewers. But the fact is Ewers missed three starts to injury in 2022 and two starts to injury in 2023. It’s also true that for a team to have the season Texas wants to have in 2024, that team would have to play 16 or 17 games.

Every playoff contender needs to be cognizant of its backup quarterback situation, and Texas probably is among the most comfortable with the idea of its backup coming in and winning games. Arch Manning looked quite grown-up when we saw him in the spring game, and coach Steve Sarkisian seems confident in Manning should he be needed.

Texas survived Kansas State by the skin of its teeth with Maalik Murphy starting last season. The Longhorns lost to Texas Tech with Hudson Card starting in place of Ewers in 2022. If something happened this season, Manning should be capable of keeping the offense humming until Ewers’ healthy return.”

QB Quinn Ewers is a third-year starter receiving first-round NFL draft projections, so it’s hard to imagine he loses his job, but Staples’ point about staying healthy for a 16 or 17-game season is something to think about.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Big 12 football media poll and all-conference team revealed

Who is the favorite to win the Big 12 in 2024? The media weighed in on Tuesday.

We are just a week away from Big 12 media days in Las Vegas, Nevada. In anticipation of the upcoming season, the conference announced the poll and all-conference team as voted on by the media.

Last season the Oklahoma State Cowboys finished second in the conference to the champion Texas Longhorns. With the latter moving on to the SEC, the Big 12 is guaranteed to have a new champion in 2024. They will earn an automatic bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff in the upcoming season.

With anticipation mounting, we break down the media poll and the all-conference teams for offense and defense.

Big 12 media poll

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

The media poll was released with first-place votes in parenthesis. The top three on the list were viewed as the most likely teams to contend for the Big 12 title in 2024. The Utes have won two of the last three Pac-12 titles and now set their sights on taking home the first Big 12 title of the new era.

  1. Utah Utes: 906 (20)
  2. Kansas State Wildcats: 889 (19)
  3. Oklahoma State Cowboys: 829 (14)
  4. Kansas Jayhawks: 772 (5)
  5. Arizona Wildcats: 762 (3)
  6. Iowa State Cyclones: 661
  7. West Virginia Mountaineers: 581
  8. UCF Knights: 551
  9. Texas Tech Red Raiders: 532
  10. TCU Horned Frogs: 436
  11. Colorado Buffaloes: 400
  12. Baylor Bears: 268
  13. BYU Cougars: 215
  14. Cincinnati Bearcats: 196
  15. Houston Cougars: 157
  16. Arizona State Sun Devils: 141

Big 12 media all-conference team

Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

The preseason Player of the Year selections are as follows:

Offensive Player of the Year: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State

Defensive Player of the Year: Travis Hunter, DB, Colorado

Newcomer of the Year: KJ Jefferson, QB, Central Florida

All-Big 12 Offense

  • Shedeur Sanders, QB: Colorado
  • Ollie Gordon II, RB: Oklahoma State
  • Tahj Brooks, RB: Texas Tech
  • Stevo Klotz, FB: Iowa State
  • Tetairoa McMillan, WR: Arizona
  • Kobe Hudson, WR: Central Florida
  • Jayden Higgins, WR: Iowa State
  • Brennan Presley, WR: Oklahoma State
  • Brant Kuithe, TE: Utah Utes
  • Jonah Savaiinaea, OL: Arizona
  • Luke Kandra, OL: Cincinnati
  • Dalton Cooper, OL: Oklahoma State
  • Joe Michalski, OL: Oklahoma State
  • Wyatt Milum, OL: West Virginia
  • Tyler Loop, PK: Arizona
  • Drae McCray, KR/PR: Texas Tech

All-Big 12 Defense

  • Tyler Batty, DL: BYU
  • Dontay Corleone, DL: Cincinnati
  • BJ Green II, DL: Colorado
  • Lee Hunter, DL: UCF
  • Junior Tafuna, DL: Utah
  • Jacob Manu, LB: Arizona
  • Nick Martin, LB: Oklahoma State
  • Collin Oliver, LB: Oklahoma State
  • Tacario Davis, DB: Arizona
  • Travis Hunter, DB: Colorado
  • Jeremiah Cooper, DB: Iowa State
  • Cobee Bryant, DB: Kansas
  • Mello Dotson, DB: Kansas
  • Jack Bouwmeester, P: Utah

Texas Longhorns introduce a new era to the Forty Acres

Check out these tweets and images in regards to the Texas move to the SEC.

Out with the old and in with the new.

A new era of Texas Longhorns athletics officially began when the clock struck midnight. Texas officially left the Big 12 behind for a new life in the SEC.

A new conference meant a lot of work on the Forty Acres would get underway prior to Jul. 1. The Longhorns staff worked tirelessly to change over all the old Big 12 logos to the new SEC.

Before it became official, Texas and the staff from various sports held a Texas-sized celebration on Sunday to usher in this new era of athletics on the Forty Acres.

The official account on X, formerly Twitter, kicked off the fun with a look at the new era of football at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Check out these photos from the Texas-sized SEC celebration:

Duke football not included in Sporting News bowl predictions for 2024 season

Sporting News released its 2024 bowl game projections on Friday, and the team from Durham didn’t make any of the matchups.

Sporting News released its bowl game projections for the 2024 college football season on Friday, and one ACC team remained curiously absent from the list.

Among the nearly three dozen matchups included in the article, none of them featured the Duke Blue Devils.

Despite the Blue Devils winning 17 games over the past two seasons, the loss of former head coach Mike Elko and quarterback Riley Leonard has the football world unsure if Duke can repeat such success. First-year head coach Manny Diaz has exceeded on the recruiting trail so far this offseason, but 2025 commitments don’t change the 2024 team.

ESPN FPI gives the Blue Devils a 60.3% chance to finish with at least six wins, and their projected record by the popular formula is almost exactly 6-6.

Check here for Duke Wire’s game-by-game projections for how the 2024 football season might go at Wallace Wade Stadium (spoiler alert: we think the Blue Devils reach six wins).

Quinn Ewers and Isaiah Bond rated as top duo in CFB

The Texas duo were at the top of the list according to one analyst

As the Texas Longhorns prepare for their first year in the Southeastern Conference, they will have a few key advantages that will make the transition much smoother for them than their bitter rivals the Oklahoma Sooners.

When the two schools announced their decision to leave the Big 12 a few years ago, many thought that Texas would be the school in for a rude awakening, however head coach [autotag]Steve Sarkisian[/autotag] has done a phenomenal job getting the Longhorns back on top of the recruiting trail as well as establishing a culture. After guiding the Longhorns to a Big 12 title and Playoff berth a season ago, the expectations haven’t been this high on the Forty since the days of Mack Brown.

With the playoffs expanding to 12 teams, it is pretty safe to assume that Sark and his Longhorns will be competing for one of those spots come December. Especially considering the fact that QB [autotag]Quinn Ewers[/autotag] will be returning for his third season as a starter.

There will be some growing pains on the offensive side of the ball as WR Xavier Worthy, WR Adonai Mitchell, TE Ja’Tavion Sanders and RB Jonathon Brooks were all selected in the 2024 NFL draft.

Fortunately, the Longhorns were able to add one of the best wide receivers in the country via the transfer portal this season in [autotag]Isaiah Bond[/autotag. As the Alabama Crimson Tide’s No. 1 receiver a year ago, Bond had 48 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns.

Heading into 2024, JD Pickell of On3 Sports ranks the Top 10 QB-WR duos in the NFL. The Longhorns duo of Ewers and Bond ranks No.1 on the list saying,

“Here’s your top combo going into the 2024 season, featuring a Heisman candidate and an Alabama transfer. Bond is eclectic and he only adds to the Longhorns’ offense. Bond spent two years at Alabama, compiling 65 catches, 888 yards, five touchdowns and 13.7 yards per catch. But he had 48 catches last year, vastly improving. Ewers threw 22 touchdowns and nearly 3,500 yards in 2023.”

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Best, worst case for Texas Longhorns in 2024 college football season

What is the best and worst case scenarios for the Texas Longhorns’ first season in the SEC?

The expectations couldn’t be higher for the Texas Longhorns heading into the 2024 college football season. And the anticipation for the upcoming season is right up there as well.

Coming off their first Big 12 title since 2009, the Longhorns head to a loaded SEC along with long-time rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. There is also the return of old conference matchups with the Arkansas Razorbacks and the return of the Lone Star Showdown with the Texas A&M Aggies.

The season is much more than just getting an opportunity to stick it to old rivals, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian have national championship aspirations. This might be the best chance the Longhorns have had in recent years. Quarterback Quinn Ewers returns for a third year as the starter along with a bevy of talented receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Simply put the offense is loaded.

There is plenty of young and veteran talent on the defensive side of the ball. Losing linebacker Jaylan Ford along with defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat are massive for this team. Roles for Anthony Hill Jr, Colin Simmons, Jermayne Lole, and Tiaoaalii Savea should help alleviate the losses. Pete Kwiatkowksi’s defense should be ready to roll in 2024.

Worst Case for Texas in 2024

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

What CBS Sports Says…

Texas could see a bit of a drop off if it can’t handle the weekly rigors of an SEC schedule. It isn’t hard to fathom three losses — a worst-case scenario for which most programs can only hope — if everything goes wrong. Despite what Michigan may have lost, the Wolverines should still have one of the nation’s most ferocious defenses, and it’s never easy to win in Ann Arbor. And then there’s Georgia, which has been the toughest out in the SEC over the past few seasons. Those are two potential losses right there. Oklahoma always presents a tough challenge, and Texas’ regular-season finale reviving the rivalry against Texas A&M could be a sneaky upset pick with emotions sure to fly high. First-year Aggies coach Mike Elko will be gunning hard for a cornerstone win within the friendly confines of Kyle Field on which to build his program.

As Backus states, the Longhorns could at worst be 9-3 after year one in the SEC. That might still be good enough to land in the College Football Playoffs expanded field. There will be a lot of teams wishing that was their worst case scenario.

Best case for Texas in 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

What CBS Sports Says…

Texas could take this thing all the way to a national title. The Longhorns are already a trendy pick to compete for an SEC championship and seem about as close as one can get to a lock for a return to the College Football Playoff. Coach Steve Sarkisian has this program firing on all cylinders, with elite recruiting and a steady build towards a national breakout finally paying off in 2023. QB Quinn Ewers is back to lead an offense bolstered by key receiver transfers, a rising star in running back CJ Baxter and an offensive line loaded with talent. An early road game against a rebuilt Michigan team could set the tone for the year, while an October home game against Georgia gives Texas the opportunity to announce its arrival to the SEC in grand fashion.

I think the best-case scenario is a return to the College Football Playoffs and securing the national title for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. Texas has the talent on offense and defense, the big key will be the new additions to the team. Can the wide receivers match the output of last year’s team and can the defense get to the quarterback consistently? If both occur, there is a confidence that Texas could return to the title game picture.

In-state kicker John Hohl transfers to Nebraska

Former Lincoln Southwest kicker John Hohl announced on Friday that he is transferring to Nebraska for the 2024 season.

The Nebraska football team made another offseason addition to its roster, this time in the kicking department. Former Lincoln Southwest kicker John Hohl announced on Friday that he is transferring to Nebraska for the 2024 season.

Hohl previously attended Iowa Western Community College and redshirted his freshman year in 2023. He arrives at Nebraska with four years of eligibility remaining. Hohl garnered attention from his performance at a Kohl’s Kicking showcase in late May.

His performance earned him the rank of top transfer kicker at the event. Following the event, Hohl also received an offer from Coastal Carolina, temporarily joining the Chanticleers. However, Hohl instead opted to walk on at Nebraska, earning a spot on the roster for the upcoming season.

Hohl is now one of three kickers for the Huskers, joining Tristan Alvano and incoming true freshman Nico Ottomanelli.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.