Tag: Adam Rittenberg

What is the biggest question mark facing Alabama heading into the 2024 season?

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg breaks down the biggest question mark the Crimson Tide face entering the 2024 season

On Jan. 10, 2024, the world stopped for a moment as legendary Alabama Crimso Tide head football coach [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] made the shocking decision to step away from football and retire from coaching. It was one of those earth-shattering moments that almost everyone, including non-Alabama fans, will be able to tell you exactly where they were when the news broke. The ensuing days were chaos filled with coaching rumors, transfer alerts and a profound level of sadness.

Fast forward four months, and yeah the loss of Saban still stings, but there is a very strong sense of optimism surrounding new head coach [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] and what this new era of Alabama football might look like. DeBoer is picking up steam on the recruiting trail and the team had a phenomenal showing at the annual spring game A-Day, but that doesn’t mean everything has been sunshine and rainbows in Tuscaloosa.

DeBoer is a national champion-level coach and widely regarded as one of the top two or three coaches in the country, but replacing the value of Nick Saban is nearly impossible. Adam Rittenberg of ESPN breaks down (Subscription required) the biggest question currently facing the Crimson Tide: How has Alabama adjusted to life post-Saban?

“There have been some obstacles. DeBoer’s initial plan was to have Ryan Grubb, DeBoer’s offensive coordinator at both Washington and Fresno State, oversee quarterback [autotag]Jalen Milroe[/autotag] and the Tide offense. But Grubb stayed in Seattle to work for the Seahawks, alongside talented offensive line coach Scott Huff. DeBoer went with familiarity in promoting Nick Sheridan and JaMarcus Shephard — Sheridan as the playcaller — and hired veteran line coach Chris Kapilovic to fill Huff’s role. Despite the moving parts on the staff and a new scheme for players, Alabama didn’t let up during spring ball.

“We pushed hard, even the installs and all that,” DeBoer said. “We’ve really kept the pedal down on trying to get things to our guys. A credit to them, too, because they’ve embraced it all. They want to be great. That’s why they’re here. The players have dived into it and put in the extra time on their own to make every practice real efficient.”

On-the-field success in 2024 will be the true indicator of how life is truly going in Tuscaloosa, but I think anything short of a playoff appearance will be a disappointment in DeBoer’s mind. DeBoer and his new staff will make their debut inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024 against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

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

Social media reacts to Sam Hartman’s long TD pass to Chris Tyree

That’s a good answer to adversity.

Notre Dame’s offense was slow out of the second half, and USC took advantage. Marshawn Lloyd ran for a 31-yard touchdown to cut into the Irish’s lead.

Needing a score to seize momentum back and keep the Trojans at a reasonable distance, the Irish did just that. [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] ran play-action and hit [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] on a post route for a 46-yard touchdown. That increased the Irish’s lead to 31-13:

As has been pointed out before, the Irish need to keep the pressure up. Williams is starting to get a little too comfortable out there, and he’s doing what he does in that situation.

At the same time, the offense needs to respond to every Trojans score from here on because that’s the only way victory will be assured. The defense can’t be solely responsible for a win.

Until we see what happens, enjoy some of these tweets about Hartman’s scoring connection to Tyree:

ESPN handicaps Ohio State’s quarterback battle heading into the fall

Who emerges as the starter? #GoBucks

Although Ohio State head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] said that [autotag]Kyle McCord[/autotag] has a slight edge over [autotag]Devin Brown[/autotag], the competition is still ongoing.

Day doesn’t have to make a decision until late into camp, as each of the two quarterback combatants will get first team reps as the team prepares for the season. ESPN’s [autotag]Adam Rittenberg[/autotag] looked around the country at who has the edge in key quarterback battles (subscription required) across the country and obviously touched on the Buckeyes.

Rittenberg has a source say that the competition is “not over” which is something we all knew after Day spoke with at Big Ten media day’s. What we didn’t know was who he thinks wins the competition: Kyle McCord.

He explains his rationale by saying McCord’s “familiarity with Day, the offense and (Marvin) Harrison should be enough, although Brown can make things interesting with a surge in the first weeks of camp.”

While it seems that Buckeye nation is split between the two as to who should start, Rittenberg’s logic is sound. If I had to guess, it will be McCord taking the first snaps against Indiana, but I’d still like to see Brown get some non-garbage playing time to see what he can do when the bullets are flying.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Fighting Irish Wire mourns the loss of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson

We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great sports reporter and even better human being.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

While we at Fighting Irish Wire are here to cover Notre Dame athletics, every sports journalist feels like family to us. It doesn’t matter what team they cover or who they work for. In the end, we all are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

That’s why we were devastated to learn of the passing of ESPN reporter Jeff Dickerson from colon cancer at the age of 44. Publicly, Dickerson was best known for covering the Chicago Bears for the outlet. For those who worked with him or had a chance to know him, he was an all-around good guy who made everyone feel like they mattered to him. That alone makes this news tough to take, but even sadder is that Caitlin, his wife, lost her own battle with cancer two years ago, meaning Parker, his 11-year-old son, now has lost both parents to cancer.

While I never worked with Dickerson professionally, I did meet him on one memorable occasion. While pursuing my master’s at DePaul, he came to speak to my online sports reporting class, which was taught by Adam Rittenberg, his ESPN colleague. That course featured many prominent guest speakers, but Dickerson easily was the best because of his graciousness, enthusiasm and the obvious vibe that he was happy to be there. If he had talked long into the night, it’s doubtful many in that room would have complained.

Keep the Dickerson family in your prayers as they go through this difficult time. This was one individual who deserved a much better end to his story, but as we know all too well, cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. He will be missed terribly, and that hole never will be filled in this life.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Maryland head coach Locksley via ESPN: Marcus Freeman is a ‘Unicorn’

A mythical creature indeed

When [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was named [autotag]Brian Kelly’s[/autotag] successor, not many of us were surprised. In fact, it was the logical choice to elevate the fast-rising coaching star.

Not only did Notre Dame hire one of the best coaches in the country, they did what many schools have not done, make a minority as the face of their program. It is obviously not the first time the Irish have done that, with [autotag]Ty Willingham[/autotag] paving the way, but it still was an important move.

As ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg put it, “Freeman became head coach of arguably the sport’s most famous team,” when looking at which rising minority coaches could follow in his footsteps. Current Maryland head coach [autotag]Mike Locksley[/autotag] knew the importance of Freeman’s hire, calling him a “unicorn” due to getting his first head coaching job with the Irish.

As the story continues from Rittenberg, Freeman understands “that you are the representation for a lot of people. I want to make sure that I do this in the right way so that future generations and coaches continue to get the opportunity that I was presented.”

So far, so good in Freeman’s tenure, even with losing his first game against Oklahoma State. He has big shoes to fill, not just in South Bend, but across the country.

[lawrence-related id=56287]

[listicle id=29791]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

ESPN staffer gives prediction for Clemson’s QB battle

ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg recently published a piece breaking down college football’s top remaining quarterback battles (subscription required), and he weighed in on Clemson’s quarterback competition between rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei …

ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg recently published a piece breaking down college football’s top remaining quarterback battles (subscription required), and he weighed in on Clemson’s quarterback competition between rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei and true freshman Cade Klubnik.

Following Uiagalelei’s stellar freshman debut in 2020, when he threw for 781 yards and four touchdowns with no picks in two starts vs. Boston College and Notre Dame, the former five-star prospect struggled in his first full season as Clemson’s starter last year while completing only 55.6 percent of his passes with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (nine).

“Before the 2021 season, few thought Uiagalelei would be here, fighting off an incoming freshman to keep a job that was set up to be his after Trevor Lawrence’s NFL departure,” Rittenberg wrote. “But little about last fall went as planned for Clemson’s offense or Uiagalelei… He looked lost at times while leading an offense that plummeted to 82nd nationally in scoring. Longtime playcaller Tony Elliott has gone to Virginia, although Clemson maintained continuity by promoting quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter to offensive coordinator.”

Uiagalelei is being pushed by Klubnik, a former five-star prospect from Westlake High School (Austin, Texas) who was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class by multiple recruiting services.

In Clemson’s spring game, Uiagalelei went 17 of 36 passing for 175 yards and threw the game’s only interception, while Klubnik was 15 of 23 and had the only passing touchdown of the game.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made it clear that Uiagalelei is still the starter exiting the spring. By all accounts, Uiagalelei had a solid spring in which he improved on his accuracy and decision-making, though Klubnik seems to be breathing down his neck after performing well in his first 15 practices as a Tiger.

So, what is Rittenberg’s prediction for how Clemson’s QB battle will shake out?

Rittenberg gave his Week 1 starter prediction, opining that it will be Uiagalelei who gets the nod in the Tigers’ season opener against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 5 (8 p.m., ESPN).

“Swinney is all about continuity, as he showed in promoting Streeter and Wes Goodwin to replace longtime coordinators Elliott and Brent Venables,” Rittenberg wrote. “He seems unlikely to abandon Uiagalelei despite last season’s struggles. Unless Klubnik shows in August that he’s undeniably better, Uiagalelei should get the first opportunity during a manageable opening stretch (Georgia Tech, Furman, Louisiana Tech).”

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.

ESPN guesses who will be Notre Dame’s week one starting quarterback

Who do you have as the week one starter?

As the days get warmer and warmer and fall camp gets closer, the biggest question surrounding the Irish program is who is going to be the starter behind center when they visit Ohio State in the season opener. Neither of the potential starting candidates, [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag] or [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag], has started a game for [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag], but both have had their moments.

Buchner with his legs, averaging over seven yards-per-carry and scoring three times. His 68-yard jaunt against Georgia Tech was spectacular as was the 33-yard scoring scamper against Stanford.

Pyne’s heroics against Wisconsin will not be forgotten, completing six of his eight passes for 81-yards and a score. His efforts against Cincinnati a week later however was forgettable, as he struggle mightily.

Each of them has their strengths and weakness, [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and offensive coordinator [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag] have a difficult decision. In an lengthy breakdown of what to expect during fall camp leading to the season opener, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg handicapped the competition and selected a winner, Buchner.

This should not come as a surprise and I agree with Rittenberg’s selection. Buchner gives the offense a better chance to put points on the board, to move the ball downfield to give the elite Irish defense the advantage. It’s great to have depth at the position as well, but ultimately, it does seem like Buchner should win the job come game one.

[lawrence-related id=56499]

[lawrence-related id=56492]

[listicle id=56426]

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen

ESPN very high on future outlook of Clemson’s defense

ESPN is high on the future outlook of Clemson’s defense. On Monday, ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg released his top 25 future defense power rankings for college football (subscription required) and has Clemson ranked No. 1 for the second …

ESPN is high on the future outlook of Clemson’s defense.

On Monday, ESPN Senior Writer Adam Rittenberg released his top 25 future defense power rankings for college football (subscription required) and has Clemson ranked No. 1 for the second straight year. 

Rittenberg’s power rankings are an assessment of the next three seasons (2022-24) and factor in current rosters, incoming recruits and transfers, and potential NFL departures, as well as coaching changes.

Here’s some of what Rittenberg wrote about why he ranked the Tigers at the top:

“In a close race for the top spot, Clemson leads off the rankings for the second consecutive year. The unit loses two outstanding cornerbacks (Mario Goodrich and Andrew Booth Jr.), mainstays at linebacker (James Skalski, Baylon Spector) and longtime coordinator Brent Venables. Still, the outlook remains extremely promising. Clemson’s defensive line has been a strength through the CFP era and will remain that way, especially in 2022 as All-America candidates Bryan Bresee, Tyler Davis and Myles Murphy all return. The line got a bonus boost as end Xavier Thomas, a two-time third-team All-ACC selection, is back for one final season. …

“First-year defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin will oversee a new-look linebacker group, although Trenton Simpson returns for at least one more year after recording a team-high six sacks and starting 12 games in 2021. Dynamic sophomore Barrett Carter should see a much bigger role, and junior Keith Maguire might be Skalski’s replacement in the middle. Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson’s top-ranked recruit and ESPN’s No. 7 overall player in the 2021 class, will be a big factor in the coming years, and junior Tyler Venables (33 tackles in 2021) is back at nickel. There are short-term questions in the secondary other than safety Andrew Mukuba, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021.”

Rounding out the top five of ESPN’s future defense power rankings are No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Wisconsin.

NC State (No. 20) is the only ACC team besides Clemson ranked in the top 25.

Congratulations! You did it! You graduated! Now is the time to preserve your diploma in a custom frame. Here at Clemson Variety & Frame, we build all our frames in-house – from the frame to the mats and etchings to the installation – to guarantee the quality. You worked hard for your degree. Trust us to show your diploma in the best light possible.

Tigers take a tumble in ESPN’s future quarterback power rankings

On Thursday, ESPN released its quarterback future power rankings for college football (subscription required). The list projects the top 25 quarterback situations for the next three seasons (2022, 2023 and 2024) and is based on the QBs currently on …

On Thursday, ESPN released its quarterback future power rankings for college football (subscription required).

The list projects the top 25 quarterback situations for the next three seasons (2022, 2023 and 2024) and is based on the QBs currently on each roster, while also considering other factors such as returning starters, recruiting, depth, coaching and the potential for players to enter the NFL draft early/enter the transfer portal.

In ESPN’s future QB power rankings, Clemson is now ranked No. 17, a significant tumble from where the Tigers were a year ago in the same rankings at No. 2.

Here is ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg’s reasoning for where he ranked Clemson:

Clemson was going to drop in the rankings after a season in which it did not reach the CFP or produce anywhere near normal levels at quarterback. I can’t remember an elite program that returns both its head coach and starting quarterback, and faces as many question marks as Clemson does in 2022. … (Quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Brandon) Streeter will try to engineer improvement with Uiagalelei, who looked good in limited action as a freshman but threw more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9) last season and finished 97th nationally in total QBR (43.2). Uiagalelei has size, arm strength and a slimmed-down frame, but must recapture his confidence to lead a unit with fewer assurances than usual.

If Uiagalelei stagnates or regresses, expect Clemson to go with Cade Klubnik, ESPN’s top-ranked dual-threat quarterback and No. 28 overall player in the 2022 recruiting class. The Austin, Texas, native made an impression early in spring practice and could give Clemson the playmaking boost it needs at the position. Clemson also regains graduate transfer Hunter Johnson, an ESPN top-25 recruit who started his career with the Tigers before several disappointing seasons at Northwestern.

The top 10 in ESPN’s future QB power rankings, in order from Nos. 1-10, are Ohio State, Southern Cal, Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, NC State and Michigan.

Besides Clemson, Miami and NC State, Wake Forest (No. 23) is the only other ACC team in the rankings.

South Carolina is ranked right behind the Tigers at No. 18.

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

Does this ESPN writer think NC State is team to beat in ACC?

During a recent edition of The ESPN College Football Podcast, an ESPN writer discussed whether NC State is the team to beat in the ACC next season. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg believes the Wolfpack “might be” the favorite to win the conference in 2022 …

During a recent edition of The ESPN College Football Podcast, an ESPN writer discussed whether NC State is the team to beat in the ACC next season.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg believes the Wolfpack “might be” the favorite to win the conference in 2022 coming off of last season, when they finished 9-3 (6-2 ACC), came in second in the Atlantic Division behind Wake Forest and ahead of third-place Clemson (10-3, 6-2), and slotted in at No. 20 in the final AP Top 25 Poll and No. 19 in the final Coaches Poll.

“In some ways, they’re a safer pick than Clemson because Clemson had so much change after last year on the staff coming off of a down season for them, a year when they didn’t win the ACC and didn’t enter the College Football Playoff,” Rittenberg said.

“NC State’s been one of those right-on-the-cusp programs under Dave Doeren, who now has been there almost a decade. It’s crazy to think about that. But you look at four of the last five years, they’ve won eight or more games, they just haven’t broken through. They finished in the top 25 twice, including a top-20 finish last year, and may have been even higher if they were able to play that Holiday Bowl, which they were obviously very upset with UCLA about that cancellation and how everything went down. That would’ve been their chance for a 10th victory.”

Rittenberg added that “if there’s ever a chance for NC State to break through, it’s this year” — if the Wolfpack can beat the teams they’re expected to beat.

“Dave always has had a really good eye for talent. … That’s never been the issue for them,” Rittenberg said. “It’s been consistently winning the big games and avoiding some losses like even last year — losing to Mississippi State was a loss that I was like wow, that felt familiar. So, if they can take that out of their system and truly break through with a talented quarterback (Devin Leary), continuity on their staff, and enough talent returning, this could be their year.”

Rittenberg thinks NC State could possibly be on the verge of a breakthrough season in Doeren’s 10th year at the helm, similar to the type of seasons 2021 ACC Atlantic champion Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1 ACC) and 2021 ACC Champion Pittsburgh (11-3, 7-1) had last year.

“The environment at NC State, a big-time football environment. That is, in many ways, more of a football school than a basketball school,” Rittenberg said. “And so when they get it going, they could really be an emerging power in the ACC now that they have their coaching staff aligned, now that they’re stringing together some good seasons. But it won’t happen unless they have that breakthrough, like Pitt had, like Wake Forest had last year. NC State’s just been unable to deliver that, and we’ll see if they can do that this year.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks