Tag: athlon sports

DJ Lagway among Athlon’s way-too-early 2025 Heisman contenders

DJ Lagway is among the top candidates to contend for the 2025 Heisman Trophy according to Athlon Sports.

The 2025 college football season is still a long way away — after all, there are still plenty of bowl games and the CFP that need to be played before the end of the current campaign. However, that has not stopped some from looking ahead to what next fall has in store.

What has been decided already was the 2024 recipient of the Heisman Trophy, which went to Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter. The award represents the pinnacle of collegiate honors and is coveted by every person who plays the sport.

So who will bring home the bacon next season? Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassand published his way-too-early outlook on the prestigious award after the announcement and included Florida Gators quarterback [autotag]DJ Lagway[/autotag] among his frontrunners.

“Lagway’s move into the starting lineup was instrumental in Florida’s late-season improvement that included big-time wins over LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State and also likely saved coach [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s job after a 3-3 start,” Lassan notes. “The sophomore-to-be has enormous upside and talent that will only get better with more snaps in ’25.”

Athlon Sports Heisman Trophy frontrunners

Along with Lagway, quarterbacks Cade Klubnik (Clemson Tigers), Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee Volunteers), Arch Manning (Texas Longhorns), Jalen Milroe (Alabama Crimson Tide), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU Tigers) and LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina Gamecocks) also made the cut.

Running backs Jordan James (Oregon Ducks) and Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) were also included in the top tier along with wide receivers Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State Buckeyes) and Ryan Williams (Alabama).

Other Heisman predictions for Lagway

CBS Sports writer Blake Brockermeyer also included Lagway in his list of 14 players who have a strong possibility of winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy.

“Lagway has been as advertised as the top-ranked QB in the 2024 class and just earned 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team honors,” Brockermeyer wrote.

“He’s trending towards being a very high pick in two seasons if he continues to develop but until then he’s got the chance to be the face of a Florida turnaround and one of the best QBs in the country. The big-framed dual-threat QB has plenty of big-name teams on the docket next year to deliver a Heisman moment or two.”

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

A look at who the experts are picking to win the Texas A&M vs Notre Dame matchup in Week 1

Experts weigh in on who they think will take home the victory between Texas A&M vs Notre Dame

Texas A&M fans couldn’t ask for a much better game to kick off the Mike Elko regime in Bryan-College Station. They will host the top 10 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the marquee matchup on Saturday at 6:30 pm CST.

Both team’s calling cards before the start of the season are their defenses. A&M arguably has a top 5 defensive line, an All-SEC caliber middle linebacker, and a much-improved secondary. All these combined could catapult them into a top 20 overall defense in the nation.

Notre Dame thrived on keeping teams out of the endzone last season only allowing 15.9 points a game and having a defense littered with preseason All-Americans.  If they bring back the same intensity will be a long night for the Aggie offense.

Here is who the experts are picking to come out victorious in this week’s matchup:

Steven Lassan / Athlon Sports

Big Game Ben / CFN

Pete Fiutak / Sports Illustrated

Shehan Jeyarajah / CBS Sports

Brandon Marcello / CBS Sports

If you ask anyone outside the teams’ fanbase this game is essentially a toss-up that will be decided by a touchdown or less. Texas A&M is a three-point favorite, and the predictions are about even.

However, it shakes out it’s a win for college football fans and a great game for two top 25 teams that have a number of questions that need to be answered.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

Athlon Sports predicts Clemson football to finish 2nd in ACC

Clemson football finishes 2nd behind FSU in Athlon Sports’ latest prediction.

The ACC isn’t much of a mystery this season. There are a few legitimate contenders like Clemson, Florida State, Miami, and Louisville, but most are in a race to stay off the bottom.

Athlon Sports tries to project exactly how the ACC will shake out with its 2024 conference predictions. In Steven Lassan’s article, Clemson finishes second in the ACC behind FSU, including a Seminoles over Clemson in the conference title game.

Here’s what Lassan has to say about his prediction of Clemson’s season and his projected order of finish in the ACC:

Coach Dabo Swinney’s lack of activity in the transfer portal garnered most of the offseason attention for Clemson, but this team is still positioned to return to the top of the ACC. Although the Tigers have slipped just a bit in recent years, this program is 30-10 since ’21.

For Swinney’s team to win the conference and return to the CFB Playoff, jumpstarting the offense is the top offseason priority. Under new coordinator Garrett Riley, the Tigers averaged only 23.6 points in ACC contests last year. Another offseason for the personnel to develop under Riley should be a positive, and quarterback Cade Klubnik is poised to take a step forward in his progression. Phil Mafah should be one of the ACC’s top running backs, and the line brings back four starters for ’24. Better play from the receivers is needed for Klubnik to reach his potential – which could come in the form of true freshman Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore.

Although the defense returns only two starters, the concerns about this group are minimal. T.J. Parker and Peter Woods are two rising stars in the trenches, and linebacker Barrett Carter passed on the NFL for one more season at Clemson. Rising star cornerback Avieon Terrell and safety R.J. Mickens lead the way in the secondary.

Athlon Sports projected ACC order of finish

  1. Florida State
  2. Clemson
  3. Miami
  4. Louisville
  5. NC State
  6. Virginia Tech
  7. SMU
  8. North Carolina
  9. Georgia Tech
  10. California
  11. Syracuse
  12. Boston College
  13. Pitt
  14. Wake Forest
  15. Duke
  16. Virginia
  17. Stanford

Six Wisconsin Badgers named to Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten teams

Six Wisconsin Badgers named to Athlon Sports preseason All-Big Ten teams

Six Wisconsin Badgers were included in Athlon Sports’ collection of preseason All-Big Ten teams.

Star safety Hunter Wohler made Athlon’s first-team defense, both wide receiver Will Pauling and right tackle Riley Mahlman made the second-team offense, cornerback Ricardo Hallman made second-team defense, running back Chez Mellusi made third-team offense and, finally, left tackle Jack Nelson made fourth-team offense.

Related: Big Ten Football Power Index Rankings for 2024: Which teams are underrated, overrated?

The selections are not a surprise for a Wisconsin team that is flying mostly under the radar entering the season. It has undeniable star power in Wohler, Pauling and Hallman, but the rest of the team is somewhat of an unknown.

Transfers QB Tyler Van Dyke, RB Tawee Walker, DL Elijah Hills, LB Leon Lowery, LB John Pius and LB Jaheim Thomas all expect to play significant roles. But there is a legitimate question surrounding whether any can become impact, top-of-the-conference performers.

A strong season in year two under head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo should see a collection of players join Wohler, Hallman and Mahlman on the postseason All-Big Ten teams. But Athlon Sports shares the opinion of many: we’ll believe it when we see it from the new-look Badgers.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman earn Athlon Sports preseason All-American selections

Danny Stutsman grabbed the first-team spot in Athlon Sports’ preseason All-America predictions.

Oklahoma Sooners linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] will see plenty of preseason honors roll in over the next couple of months. The senior got some big-time recognition from Athlon Sports earlier this week.

Steve Lassan, writing for Athlon Sports, unveiled the publication’s All-America Team prior to the 2024 season. Stutsman made the first team at his linebacker position and safety Billy Bowman was a third team selection.

Back in December, Stutsman decided to return for another season of college football, changing course after initially choosing to enter the [autotag]2024 NFL Draft[/autotag]. His announcement on social media was met with excitement by Sooner fans everywhere.

Stutsman will once again serve as a veteran leader for [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], as the head coach enters Year 3 in Norman. Stutsman will also be instrumental in helping to smooth Oklahoma’s transition from the [autotag]Big 12 [/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Stutsman tallied 104 total tackles and 16 tackles for loss as a junior. He was an All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2023 and was also named to the Associated Press’ third-team defense.

Another player who could’ve turned pro but decided to stay, Bowman will have an opportunity to improve Oklahoma’s defense and his draft grade ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.

Bowman was another first-team all-conference player for Oklahoma’s defense a year ago. He was second in the nation in interceptions with six and led the country in interception returns for touchdowns. He also finished second on the team in tackles.

One former Sooner made the list as well. Oregon quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was named the second-team quarterback after transferring to Eugene.

Gabriel spent two seasons at Oklahoma, hitting the [autotag]portal[/autotag] following the 2023 regular season. Gabriel reportedly made the decision to leave because, according to Gabriel’s mom via the Athletic (subscription required), the former Sooners quarterback was concerned “[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] might leave, and he didn’t want that for the program.”

With the 2024 season quickly approaching, we won’t have to wait long to see if these current and former OU players live up to lofty expectations.

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.

Takeaways from Athlon Sports’ season preview for Oklahoma Sooners

Athlon Sports previewed Oklahoma’s 2024 season, focusing on reasons for optimism and concern.

The Oklahoma Sooners are still almost three months from beginning their first season in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] will be a crucial one, as OU tries to build upon a 10-3 record in 2023.

With the dog days of summer and the college football calendar upon us, Athlon Sports is doing season previews for multiple teams, including the Sooners.

In its Oklahoma Sooners preview, Athlon notes the Sooners haven’t won a conference title since 2020 after previously owning the Big 12. They also note OU hasn’t produced a first-team All-American since 2019.

But it wasn’t all criticism. The reemergence of defense in Norman and the talented wide receiver unit were cited as reasons for optimism. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s obvious talent is a big plus as well.

In fact, according to the article, “Oklahoma’s big-picture transition — leaving the relative comfort of the Big 12 for the snake pit of the SEC — revolves around a more micro transition: Jackson Arnold’s growth at quarterback.”

Arnold holds the present and future of the program squarely on his shoulders. If he grows and becomes the star OU fans believe he could be, the Sooners could be poised for a great deal of success. If he isn’t developed properly, it could set Oklahoma back for years.

Athlon Sports also highlighted the retooled offensive line, falling in line with just about everyone else predicting 2024 for Oklahoma. With the pieces at the skill positions on offense, led by the talented wide receiver corps and running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the offensive line will be a hinge point for the offense and the team overall.

While Athlon Sports had concerns about the offense, it was very complimentary of the defense. According to the article: “Eleven of the top 13 tacklers return, led by two first-team All-Big 12 performers in linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. Stutsman led the unit with 104 tackles, while Bowman’s six interceptions tied him for third nationally.”

Sooner fans have been fooled by heightened expectations for defenses quite a few times over the years, but OU might actually have the talent and coaching to make a return to high-level defense this year. Besides Stutsman and Bowman, [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] will be players to watch out for on that side of the ball.

Overall, a bit of a mixed bag from Athlon Sports in its season preview, but Oklahoma was ranked No. 16 nationally in the article. Only time will tell if the national media is undervaluing Venables and the DNA of the program, or if OU fans are a bit too glass-half-full entering football’s most unforgiving conference.

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.

Athlon Sports Names Notre Dame’s Team MVP Ahead of 2024 Season

Who do you think is Notre Dame’s team MVP ahead of 2024?

Notre Dame enters the 2024 college football season with extremely high expectations.

The Fighting Irish are coming off a 10-3 campaign that saw them demolish Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl last December, but also saw them put out a couple of major road duds in losses to Louisville and Clemson.

If Notre Dame is going to reach their potential and not just make the College Football Playoff and make some noise when they get there, they’ll need their stars to play like stars.

Athlon Sports has their annual college football preview magazine out and broke down the Fighting Irish for 2024 and named defensive tackle [autotag]Howard Cross III[/autotag] their MVP ahead of the season.

Despite lacking typical stature for a nose tackle (he’s 6-1, 284 – a typical defensive tackle in about 1975), Cross makes plays all over the field.  His 66 stops were second on the team in ’23 and his 99 tackles over the 2022 and ’23 seasons ranks third among Irish players in that span.  Over the past two years he also had 12 quarterback hurries and six passes broken up. – Athlon Sports

You can debate who Notre Dame’s biggest star is ahead of 2024 as cornerback Benjamin Morrison projects as a future first round NFL draft pick.  However, with Cross playing in the middle of the defensive line and having a bigger impact on more plays than Morrison makes me agree with this call.

Notre Dame should have an improved offense in 2024 but they’ll ultimately go as far as their defense can take them and that starts up front, with Cross being a big reason they’re thought so highly of.

[lawrence-related id=86693,86669,86664]

Athlon Sports preseason top 25 has Penn State in College Football Playoff hunt

Here is where Penn State is ranked by Athlon Sports going into the 2024 season.

Remember when you would be on summer vacation and have some required reading material for school before going back in the fall? That time-honored tradition has graduated to picking up a copy of a college football preview magazine when going through the grocery store. Athlon Sports is one of the most popular summer must-reads for many college football fans, myself included, so it is always interesting to see what they have to say about Penn State.

As is expected to be a theme this summer leading up to the start of the new season, Athlon Sports has Penn State as a top-10 team in 2024. Penn State is ranked no. 8 in Athlon Sports’ preseason top 25 ranking. Penn State is coming off a 10-3 season and should have a solid roster next season with the players that are returning.

There are some questions to answer for Penn State, most notably with how well the passing game will operate. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki inherits an offense with stud running backs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and one of the top tight ends in the nation with Tyler Warren. Leading the offense is Drew Allar, who has plenty of tools in his arsenal but is coming off a bit of an up-and-down season in his first year as the starting quarterback. Penn State added Julian Fleming at wide receiver but will need someone in the receiver room to step up and help create explosive opportunities this fall after some departures in the transfer portal.

Here is what Athlon Sports says about Penn State in 2024;

A favorable schedule and a standout defense should carry the Nittany Lions into the top-10 mix. But for coach James Franklin’s squad to push for a spot in the Big Ten title game, quarterback Drew Allar needs to take a step forward under new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Also, concerns remain at receiver after the spring departure of Keandre Lambert-Smith.

That feels like a pretty fair assessment of where Penn State stands going into the 2024 season. The pieces are there, but how soon can they put it all together, and can Penn State get over one of the biggest hurdles getting in the way? The College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams gives Penn State as good a chance as ever to make the playoff. Not having to face Oregon or Michigan in the regular season is a nice scheduling gift for Penn State, although road trips to USC and Wisconsin are not the easiest trips to make. And, of course, Ohio State still exists.

But a no. 8 ranking suggests Athlon Sports is confident the Nittany Lions will be one of the teams chasing a spot in the College Football Playoff, and potentially in the running for a possible home game.

You can view the entire Athlon Sports top 25 for the 2024 season to see what the rest of the rankings look like. Here is Penn State’s updated 2024 schedule and some game-by-game predictions as well.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Where does Rutgers football slot in for the updated Big Ten power rankings?

Rutgers football is in a solid spot in the Athlon Sports preseason rankings.

There is nothing quite like power rankings to fill that void when the news cycle hits a lull. Need content? Create some power rankings for the Big Ten!

Thankfully, Athlon Sports did that earlier this month, unveiling an updated power rankings for the Big Ten. This includes what has to be said is a rather fair ranking for Rutgers.

While putting Ohio State (and then Oregon) as the top two teams in the Big Ten, Rutgers was given a very fair shake by Athlon Sports and even a measure of respect. Last year, the Scarlet Knights finished the season 7-6 and won the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl over Miami.

This year, in the expanded Big Ten, Rutgers is checking in middle-of-the-pack in the Athlon pre-spring Big Ten Power rankings. Athlon has Rutgers at No. 10 in the Big Ten:

“The Scarlet Knights return four starters up front and underrated running back Kyle Monangai. Can the passing game take a step forward with Gavin Wimsatt or Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis under center?”

Being placed tenth in the rankings by Athlon is probably pretty fair. Rutgers is good enough to win three or four conference games this season and could once again potentially sweep the out-of-conference schedule. That Week 3 game at Virginia Tech, much like it was last year, could well decide the direction of the season.

[lawrence-related id=36375,36382,36367]

Athlon praised the defense and the job done by head coach Greg Schiano and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak with the unit.

Where Oregon’s roster ranks among the most-talented in the Big Ten Conference

A look at which teams have the most roster talent based on past recruiting rankings in the Big Ten going into the 2024 season.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of all college sports teams, but not more so than in football. Television networks allot blocks of time dedicated to Signing Day.

In short: Recruiting is a very big deal.

The level of success in recruiting can determine a team’s success on the field. But it’s not an exact science. Coaching and team chemistry have their places too. For teams competing for national championships, however, they usually rank near the top on a consistent basis. Those in the top 25 or so can have their moments, but they’re not playing for a title year after year.

Athlon Sports used recruiting rankings from 247Sports and attempted to show which teams in the Big Ten have the most talent on the roster. Of course, recruiting ratings don’t always perfectly result in talent on the field, as coaching and development has a huge part to play, but it does give us a good baseline for where the talent lies.

The usuals such as Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State are near the top and they included the new four schools from the Pac-12.

Oregon should fit in nicely and cause some problems in the new conference, but the other three, even USC, has some work to do on the recruiting trail if they want to compete for Big Ten titles.

Here’s a look at the most talented rosters in the Big Ten in 2024, ranked by Athlon Sports.