Tag: Antonio Gates

Michigan State football loses WR to the transfer portal

Michigan State loses WR to the transfer portal

Michigan State wide receiver Antonio Gates Jr. has made the decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal, leaving the program.

This decision comes on the heels of the emergence of several different wide receivers within the program, including Nick Marsh, Aziah Johnson and Jaron Glover.

Gates had 5 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown in his MSU career.

Michigan State is already in the mix for a handful of WRs in the transfer portal and will surely make a move in that department.

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Chargers legend Antonio Gates misses cut for Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2024

Antonio Gates will have to wait a little longer if he wants his bust on display in Canton, OH.

Former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates will have to wait a little longer if he wants his bust on display in Canton, OH.

At the NFL Honors ceremony, held Thursday night, the list of inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced, and Gates’ name wasn’t on the list.

This year’s list of inductees includes:

  • Julius Peppers
  • Devin Hester
  • Dwight Freeney
  • Andre Johnson
  • Patrick Willis
  • Steve McMichael
  • Randy Gradishar

Gates finished his 16-year career, all with the Bolts, with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns. His 116 touchdown receptions are the most by a tight end in NFL history.

Gates was a five-time All-Pro selection and made eight Pro Bowl teams. He was inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

Twitter reacts to Antonio Gates Pro Football Hall of Fame induction snub

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the news of Antonio Gates not getting the first-ballot nod in the Hall of Fame.

Legendary tight end Antonio Gates was denied entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024.

The news came as a shock to those across the football universe.

Here is how social media reacted when they found out that Gates wasn’t going to Canton, OH this year.

 

Jarrett Bailey’s 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class

While all 15 finalists undoubtedly have their respective arguments for earning their induction, these five would get my vote as to who will make up the class of 2024.

The 15 finalists for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class have been announced. Five of these modern-era candidates will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next August, and we will find out who they are on Feb. 8 during the “NFL Honors.”

While all 15 finalists undoubtedly have their respective arguments for earning their induction, these five would get my vote as to who will make up the class of 2024.

First, here are all 15 finalists.

  • Eric Allen, Cornerback – 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders
  • Jared Allen, Defensive End – 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers
  • Willie Anderson, Offensive Tackle – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
  • Jahri Evans, Guard – 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers
  • Dwight Freeney, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker – 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Seattle Seahawks, 2017 Detroit Lions
  • Antonio Gates, Tight End – 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
  • Rodney Harrison, Safety – 1994-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-08 New England Patriots
  • Devin Hester, Punt Returner/Kick Returner/Wide Receiver – 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-15 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens
  • Torry Holt, Wide Receiver – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver – 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans
  • Julius Peppers, Defensive End – 2002-09, 2017-18 Carolina Panthers, 2010-13 Chicago Bears, 2014-16 Green Bay Packers
  • Fred Taylor, Running back – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots
  • Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
  • Patrick Willis, Linebacker – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers
  • Darren Woodson, Safety – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys

The Selection Committee may elect up to five Modern-Era Players for the Class of 2024; each must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent for election. Four others — Seniors category Finalists Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell, along with Coach/Contributor Finalist Buddy Parker — also are candidates for the Class of 2024. Voting on each of those four will be held individually, in conjunction with the meeting to decide which Modern-Era Players are elected.

The Finalists in the Modern-Era Player category were determined by a vote of the Hall’s Selection Committee from a list of 173 nominees named in September that was reduced to 25 Semifinalists on Nov. 28.

Antonio Gates named Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist

The eight-time Pro Bowler was among 15 finalists for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Chargers great Antonio Gates was among 15 modern-era finalists named on Wednesday for the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gates never played college football despite initially enrolling at Michigan State with the hopes of playing basketball and football. He transferred to two schools before ending up at Kent State.

This is where he helped the Golden Flashes reach the Elite Eight of the 2002 NCAA tournament. He switched to football after graduation, signing with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003.

Little did many know when Gates entered the league that he would go on to be one of the best to play the sport and revolutionize the tight end position.

Gates finished his 16-year career, all with the Bolts, with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns. His 116 touchdown receptions are the most by a tight end in NFL history.

Gates was a five-time All-Pro selection and made eight Pro Bowl teams.

Gates was recently inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

Here are the 15 modern-era finalists:

  •     Eric Allen, cornerback
  •     Jared Allen, defensive end
  •     Willie Anderson, offensive tackle
  •     Jahri Evans, guard
  •     Dwight Freeney, defensive end
  •     Antonio Gates, tight end
  •     Rodney Harrison, safety
  •     Devin Hester, punt returner/kick returner/wide receiver
  •     Torry Holt, wide receiver
  •     Andre Johnson, wide receiver
  •     Julius Peppers, defensive end
  •     Fred Taylor, running back
  •     Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
  •     Patrick Willis, linebacker
  •     Darren Woodson, safety

The Class of 2024 will be unveiled before Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, NV. The class will be announced live on the “NFL Honors” telecast on February 8. They will then be enshrined in August in Canton, OH.

Fred Taylor a Hall of Fame semifinalist for 5th straight year

Fred Taylor is one of 25 semifinalists for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. Is this the year he gets in?

Former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor is one of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.

Taylor, 47, has now been a semifinalist in five consecutive years, but has never made it to the next round of the voting process. In January, the 15 finalists will be announced and the Class of 2024 will be formally introduced days before the Super Bowl in February.

During his 11 seasons with the Jaguars, Taylor accumulated 11,271 rushing yards, 2,361 receiving yards, and 70 total touchdowns. He later finished his career with two seasons as a member of the New England Patriots.

Taylor’s 11,695 career rushing yards are 17th most in NFL history behind 14 Hall of Famers and a pair of likely future inductees in Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson.

Only two players this year, former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates and former Panthers pass rusher Julius Peppers, are semifinalists in their first year of eligibility. Taylor is one of four running backs on the list, along with Tiki Barber, Eddie George, and Ricky Watters.

Also among the semifinalists is Torry Holt, who played 10 seasons with the St. Louis Rams before finishing his career with one year in Jacksonville. Holt has now been a semifinalist in 10 straight years and has been a finalist in each of the last four years.

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10 Michigan State football players Jonathan Smith needs to retain

10 current MSU players Jonathan Smith should heavily focus on retaining:

The first thing on the list for Jonathan Smith upon arriving to East Lansing will be meeting with the current roster, and recruiting the current roster to stick around and not hit the transfer portal.

No one is denying that the Spartans have a plethora of young talent on the roster, with the past two recruiting classes being very good, and it will be imperative that Smith can keep that talent in East Lansing for his staff to develop.

Let’s take a look at ten players Michigan State and Coach Smith need to retain on the roster:

Chargers WR Keenan Allen reaches 10,000 receiving yards: ‘One of the best to ever do it’

Keenan Allen achieved the historic milestone in seasonable style.

Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen exceeded 10,000 receiving yards on Monday Night Football versus the Jets. The veteran achieved the historic milestone in seasonable style with an insane 23-yard left-handed grab.

To make the memorable night even sweeter, Los Angeles earned a 27-6 win over New York, which puts the Bolts at a 4-4 record. As Allen entered the tunnel postgame, he shared a quick embrace with general manager Tom Telesco while holding the ball he earned the benchmark with.

Allen is the 54th player in NFL history to surpass 10,000 receiving yards. The five-time Pro Bowler now trails Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe on the list, who reached 10,060 yards playing for the Ravens and Broncos. 

Only one other former Chargers receiver, Antonio Gates, has reached 10,000 career yards. Allen ranks second in franchise history in yards and receptions behind Gates. 

Allen joins an elite group of current players as the only active pass-catchers with at least 10,000 career receiving yards. The group includes Davante Adams, Travis Kelce, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones and Mike Evans. 

The veteran, who has played for the Chargers all his 11 seasons, is what some may call timeless. 

“He’s one of the best to ever do it,” Justin Herbert said of his No.1 receiver. “I’m privileged and honored to be able to throw him the ball.” 

Michigan State football’s trio of young WR show out in week one, buy stock now

Buy stock now: Michigan State’s trio of young wide receivers are ready to step up in 2023

As the dust settles in the first weekend of college football, it is time dissect some of the things we saw. Most recently, Spartan fans are feeling a little down after former WR Keon Coleman had a big first game for Florida State in his debut. While not having Coleman isn’t ideal, it is not something Michigan State football fans should be extremely worried about.

Michigan State recruited a huge haul of wide receivers in the 2022 recruiting class, and with the trio still remaining at the school, having one year under their belt, they are poised to have a big season for Michigan State:

TE Antonio Gates to be inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame

Antonio Gates will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame against the Broncos at SoFi Stadium.

Former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame on December 10th against the Broncos at SoFi Stadium.

The announcement came as a surprise to Gates himself, as the Chargers posted in a social media video:

Gates’ Chargers’ Hall of Fame induction will come before his first year of Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility in 2024. It’s widely expected that the all-time leader in tight end touchdowns will get into Canton on his first ballot next year.

The former undrafted free agent went on to have an illustrious career in blue and yellow that spanned two decades in two cities. 2023 actually marks 20 years since the Chargers signed Gates as an undrafted free agent. He formally retired in 2020 after not playing in the 2019 season.

By the end of his career, Gates was an 8x Pro Bowler, 3x First Team All-Pro, 2x Second Team All-Pro and made the HOF All-2000s team. He finished his career with 11,841 receiving yards and 116 touchdowns. Perhaps the crowning achievement of his career was when he broke the tight end touchdown record in Los Angeles against the Miami Dolphins:

The Chargers are stingy about which numbers they formally retire even with their own Hall of Fame inductees, but it feels very likely (though not confirmed) that Gates’ No. 85 will be retired at the same ceremony.