Tag: All-American

Notre Dame All-American safety Xavier Watts declares for NFL draft

Go Xavier!

Ask any Notre Dame fan who the leader of the 2024 defense, and most if not all of them will say [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag]. Nobody did more for that unit than him, and there’s no way the Irish would have gone as far as they did without him. Now, he’ll see how he contribute at the next level.

Watts, a graduate student at Notre Dame, has announced his declaration to enter the 2025 NFL draft. There wasn’t any question that he would turn professional after this past season, especially with sites like Tankathon projecting him as a second-round pick. The question now is how soon if at all he will make an impact as a professional.

Watts was a two-time consensus All-American for the Irish. In 55 career games, he recorded 188 games, nine tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and had 13 interceptions, one of which resulted in a 100-yar return for a touchdown, the longest such play in Irish history:

https://www.instagram.com/xavier.watts/p/DFOFA2ZyTk3/?hl=en

Best of luck to Watts on his next adventure. It figures to be a good one.

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DJ Lagway named to FWAA Freshman All America Team

The Football Writers Association of America has DJ Lagway as the top freshman quarterback of 2024 and gives the Florida signal caller an All-American nod.

Florida quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] is a Freshman All-American, according to the Football Writers Association of America’s annual team release for the 2024 season.

Lagway joins fellow SEC quarterback LaNorris Sellers out of South Carolina as one of two quarterbacks on the team. Sellers is one of five finalists for the FWAA Offensive Freshman Player of the Year after leading the Gamecocks to a 9-3 regular-season record. Lagway wasn’t the full-time starter for Florida until Graham Mertz went down with an ACL tear, whereas Sellers spent a redshirt year behind Spencer Rattler last year in Columbia.

“The SEC owns both quarterbacks in Sellers and Florida’s DJ Lagway,” reads the FWAA release. “Sellers was named to the third-team All-SEC squad and was recognized as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes (172-for-265) for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns and added 155 carries for 655 yards and seven scores. Lagway was the fourth Gators true freshman quarterback to start a bowl game and improved to 6-1 as a starter in Florida’s 33-8 win over Tulane. He threw for 300-plus yards twice while leading Florida to a four-game win streak to end the season.”

Lagway follows in the footsteps of receiver Eugene Wilson III and tight end Arlis Boardingham — now in the transfer portal — who made the team a year ago. Before Billy Napier brought in back-to-back classes with FWAA Freshman All-Americans, Florida had gone since 2016 without one. Lagway is the only Florida quarterback to earn the honor other than Chris Leak in 2003.

The Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers, and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA governs media access and gameday operations and presents awards and honors, including an annual All-America team.

2024 FWAA Freshman All-American Team

OFFENSE (14)
QB DJ Lagway, Florida (6-3, 239, Fr., Willis, Texas)
QB LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina (6-3, 242, R-Fr., Florence, S.C.)
RB Ahmad Hardy, ULM (5-10, 205, Fr., Monticello, Miss.)
RB Bryson Washington, Baylor (6-0, 203, R-Fr., Franklin, Texas)
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (6-3, 215, Fr., Miami Gardens, Fla.)
WR Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson (6-2, 180, Fr., Midlothian, Texas)
WR Ryan Williams, Alabama (6-0, 175, Fr., Mobile, Ala.)
TE Mason Williams, Ohio (6-5, 257, R-Fr., Mogadore, Ohio)
OL Aidan Banfield, North Carolina (6-3, 300, Fr., Buford, Ga.)
OL Tyler Mercer, North Texas (6-4, 290, Fr., Prosper, Texas)
OL Elijah Paige, USC (6-7, 320, R-Fr., Phoenix, Ariz.)
OL Tyson Ruffins, Nevada (6-2, 291, R-Fr., Carson, Calif.)
OL Jordan Seaton, Colorado (6-5, 285, Fr., Washington, D.C.)
OL Josiah Thompson, South Carolina (6-7, 300, Fr., Dillon, S.C.)

DEFENSE (13)
DL Jamarioius Brown, Ole Miss (6-1, 315, R-Fr., Moss Point, Miss.)
DL Jayden Jackson, Oklahoma (6-2, 312, Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.)
DL Colin Simmons, Texas (6-3, 245, Fr., Duncanville, Texas)
DL Dylan Stewart, South Carolina (6-6, 248, Fr., Washington, D.C.)
LB Sammy Brown, Clemson (6-2, 235, Fr., Commerce, Ga.)
LB Isaiah Chisom, Oregon State (6-0, 218, R-Fr., Santa Clarita, Calif.)
LB Josiah Trotter, West Virginia (6-2, 242, R-Fr., Philadelphia, Pa.)
CB OJ Frederique Jr., Miami (6-0, 180, Fr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson (6-2, 200, Fr., Tallahassee, Fla.)
CB Leonard Moore, Notre Dame (6-2, 191, Fr., Round Rock, Texas)
S KJ Bolden, Georgia (6-0, 185, Fr., Buford, Ga.)
S Koi Perich, Minnesota (6-1, 200, Fr., Esko, Minn.)
S Zechariah Poyser, Jax State (6-2, 190, R-Fr., Wildwood, Fla.)

SPECIALISTS (5)
K Nolan Hauser, Clemson (6-1, 190, Fr., Cornelius, N.C.)
P Rhys Dakin, Iowa (6-0, 222, Fr., Melbourne, Australia)
KR Samuel Singleton Jr., Florida State (5-11, 195, R-Fr., Charleston, S.C.)
PR Kam Shanks, UAB (5-8, 180, R-Fr., Prattville, Ala.)
AP Isaac Brown, Louisville (5-9, 190, Fr., Homestead, Fla.)

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Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo out for second straight game

So much for a one-game absence.

The hope for Notre Dame was that it only would miss All-American guard [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] for one game. Her absence against Clemson proved a footnote as the Irish picked up a win on the road.

However, the sprained ankle Hidalgo suffered against Wake Forest the week before still was bothering her ahead of the Irish’s next game against Georgia Tech. Consequently, Hidalgo missed her second consecutive game. That allowed [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] to make her first start of the season in the fourth game she’s played since coming back from her own injury.

The question is how long the Irish can survive without their best player. There’s no doubt [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] can be equally lethal in Hidalgo’s absence, but the Irish have been unstoppable with both of them in the backcourt.

Even taking Miles out of the equation, Hidalgo has had plenty of on-court highlights so far this season. Here are a few of them:

Hopefully, Hidalgo won’t be out for much longer.

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Two Notre Dame football players earn ESPN All-American honors

Congrats to Xavier and Rylie!

Two members of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team have earned ESPN All-American honors.

Safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] and defensive lineman [autotag]Rylie Mills[/autotag] have been given the nod — Watts as a first-team All-American and Mills as a second-team.

Watts has 47 solo tackles, six interceptions, and one forced fumble in 2024-2025 — and there’s still one game to play. Mills is out for the rest of the season with an injury, but he racked up 19 tackles and 7.5 sacks before being sidelined.

Watts and Mills are two key pieces of a dominant Notre Dame defense that has led the Irish to the national championship game against Ohio State.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Rylie Mills (99) celebrates after kicking a field goal against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Florida’s Jake Slaughter earns ESPN First Team All-America honors

Jake Slaughter added yet another piece of hardware to his 2024 season awards haul.

ESPN’s Chris Low released his 2024 college football All-America team on Wednesday morning, which arrived a bit later than usual this year because of the expanded College Football Playoff schedule.

Among those who made the cut for the prestigious honor was Florida’s starting center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag]. The redshirt junior put up a heckuva performance for the Gators this fall and was an instrumental part of their second-half surge.

“Florida’s offensive line improved steadily in the latter part of the 2024 season, when the Gators won their last four games, and Slaughter’s play was a big reason,” Low points out. “A redshirt junior who has announced he will return for the 2025 season, Slaughter allowed just one sack and one quarterback hit in 728 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.”

The latest accolade adds to his 2024 campaign haul, which includes AP All-American First Team, AP All-SEC First Team, PFF All-American First Team, 247Sports/CBS Sports All-American Second Team, CFN All-American Second Team, Phil Steele Fourth-Team All-American and USA TODAY Sports All-SEC First Team recognition.

Slaughter started all 13 games at center this season, leading the offensive line in snaps with 800. He earned a pass block grade of 83.9 according to Pro Football Focus while ranked fifth nationally among centers with an offense grade of 81.1 in addition to a run block grade of 79.0 — good for seventh in the nation.

He led the Gators in PFF offense, pass block and run block grades.

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Notre Dame standout Hannah Hidalgo out vs. Clemson with ankle injury

Let’s hope it’s not too serious.

Since [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] arrived at Notre Dame, the Irish have been able to count on her availability. That’s a good thing considering she’s become one of the best players in women’s basketball. That luck finally ran out though.

Hidalgo rolled her ankle late in the Irish’s victory over Wake Forest, and she had to come out of the game. That ankle has not fully healed, so she was ruled out for the Irish’s road game against Clemson, the first game she has missed in her collegiate career. [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] took her place in the starting lineup.

Hidalgo has picked up right where she left off from her freshman All-American season. She is second in the ACC in scoring (25.7 points a game), and she leads the conference in steals (4.1) and minutes (35.3). She’s a major reason the Irish are ranked third in the country.

She has great personality, too. Even though Christmas is over now, let’s enjoy her rendition of a holiday classic one more time:

Hopefully, she’ll be able to recover in time for the Irish’s next game against Georgia Tech.

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Trio of Oklahoma Sooners selected to preseason All-American teams

Three Oklahoma Sooners were selected to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams.

The Oklahoma Sooners will open the 2025 softball season on Feb. 6 against the CSUN Matadors in San Diego. After a historic season, Oklahoma faces a lot of turnover after losing a number of fixtures in the lineup to graduation.

The Sooners certainly aren’t lacking for talent, however, as a trio of players were named to Softball America’s preseason All-American teams on Tuesday.

Sophomore outfielder [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] and Utility/DP [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] were named to Softball America’s first team. Newcomer [autotag]Abby Dayton[/autotag] was named to the second team.

Parker led the Oklahoma Sooners with a .415 batting average from the utility role. She also had 13 home runs and 62 RBIs as a true freshman. Parker hit .500 over Oklahoma’s final four games to clinch their fourth-straight national title.

Pickering hit .389 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs as a true freshman for the Sooners. In the Women’s College World Series final against Texas, she had home runs in both games against the Texas Longhorns to win the championship.

Abby Dayton is one of a number of impact transfers for the Oklahoma Sooners this season. She led the Pac-12 in batting average, hitting .431 and also had an on-base percentage of .510 for the Utah Utes.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have a new look, but led by this trio of stars, the defending national champions will be ready to compete in the SEC.

More: 5 Oklahoma Sooners included in Softball America’s top 100

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2 Texas A&M Volleyball players land on the AVCA All-American team

Two Texas A&M Volleyball players earn All-American recognition from the AVCA Committee

After a hard-fought Sweet 16 loss to Wisconsin, the Texas A&M Volleyball team finished ranked No. 16 in the nation. Coach Jamie Morrison has done an outstanding job developing this team, quickly turning A&M into an attractive place to play volleyball.

The talent will continue to trickle into Aggieland to join the proven roster to make a deeper run in next year’s NCAA Tournament. On December 18, the American Volleyball Coaches Association committee announced that Aggies Logan Lednicky and Ifenna Cos-Okpalla were named to the AVCA All-American Teams. Juniors Lednicky was named to the 2nd team, and Cos-Okpalla was named an Honorable Mention.

Join us in congratulating these two dynamic athletes on their accomplishments after a great 2024 season, and we are eager to watch them next year.

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Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts becomes two-time consensus All-American

The Irish will miss him after this season.

Notre Dame safety [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] has a bright future in football. The NFL is calling him, and he hopefully will have a nice career there. For now though, he continues to rack up accolades as part of the Irish.

Watts has repeated as a consensus All-American, becoming the first Irish player to do so since [autotag]Aaron Taylor[/autotag] in 1993 and the first Irish defensive back to achieve it since [autotag]Todd Lyght[/autotag] in 1990.

When the Irish face Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Watts will have chance to add onto his five interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, nine passes defended and 49 tackles. He has earned one honor after another this season, and a college football team usually can’t get far without a player of his caliber.

Hopefully, Watts enjoys what will be his final game at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday win or lose. And if you’re interested in his thoughts about these honors, here’s what he recently said on WNDU-TV:

The Irish are lucky to have him for sure.

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Florida C Jake Slaughter named to AP All-America First Team

The postseason honors keep coming for Florida center Jake Slaughter, who was named an AP All-America First Teamer on Monday.

The Associated Press named Florida center [autotag]Jake Slaughter[/autotag] to the All-America First Team on Monday.

It’s Slaughter’s third All-America honor after being named to the first team by Pro Football Focus and second team by CBS Sports/247Sports. USA TODAY Sports included him on the All-SEC First Team, as did the AP, but the SEC did not name Slaughter in the All-Conference three-deep list. He was also snubbed as a finalist for The Rimington Award, given to the nation’s best collegiate center.

Slaughter is the third center in program history to be named to the AP All-America First Team, following in the footsteps of Bill Carr (1966) and Maurkice Pouncey (2009). He’s the second Gator to make the list under Billy Napier after guard O’Cyrus Torrence earned his brick in 2022. Torrence was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Slaughter anchored Florida’s offensive line, playing 728 of 746 offensive snaps this season. Pro Football Focus graded him as Florida’s best offensive player (81.2), pass blocker (83.8) and run blocker (79.1) this year. Those figures rank fifth, 18th and sixth, respectively, among FBS centers who played at least 475 snaps.

He allowed just eight quarterback pressures — six hurries, one sack — earned a 98.7 efficiency rate and drew threw penalty flags all year.

Slaughter has one year of eligibility remaining but could opt to turn pro as a redshirt junior. The transfer portal is also an option, but he’s a player Florida would fight to keep if losing him came into question. Slaughter must decide by Jan. 15.

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