Tag: athlon sports

Athlon projects Florida football as a top-15 team to start 2025

The way-too-early outlooks are already looking good for the Orange and Blue on the collegiate gridiron next fall.

Florida football is coming off a successful 2024 campaign that not many foresaw after a rough start to the fall campaign. Subsequently, the emergence of quarterback DJ Lagway as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender as well as the second-half coalescing of the program has the future looking bright for the Gators.

Billy Napier and Co. were an afterthought in the rankings during the regular season and remain voteless in the US LBM Coaches Poll while earning five votes in the AP Poll ahead of bowl season. The Orange and Blue looks to build on its success this year and there are some among the media who are feeling bullish.

Athlon Sports writer Steven Lassan offered up his way-too-early picks for next season’s top 25 teams, with Florida landing at No. 14 — between the No. 13 Arizona State Sun Devils and No. 15 Kansas State Wildcats.

“The Gators seemed poised for a second straight losing season, and coach Billy Napier was all but fired after a 3-3 start,” Lassan begins. “Instead, the Gators rallied behind Napier down the stretch, defeating LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl to finish the ’24 campaign 8-5.

“A big reason for the late-season surge was ultra-talented quarterback DJ Lagway’s insertion into the lineup after starter Graham Mertz was lost for the year due to injury,” he continues. “Also, Florida’s defense showed drastic improvement. After surrendering 27.3 points a contest in the team’s first four matchups, the Gators did not allow more than 17 points in each of their final four games.

“The schedule is tough for Napier’s squad once again in ’25. But with one of the nation’s top quarterbacks under center along with a roster that doesn’t lose many significant contributors, contending for a spot in the playoff is within reach,” Lassan concludes.

Athlon’s early 2025 preseason top 10

The Ohio State Buckeyes hold the top spot in the projected rankings, followed by the Texas Longhorns, Georgia Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, respectively, to round out the top five.

The Oregon Ducks, Clemson Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide wrap up the teams in the top 10.

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Athlon Sports names Texas A&M one of six transfer portal winners this offseason

Texas A&M’s 12 transfer portal additions have a chance to immediately impact the Aggies’ in 2025

Texas A&M’s 2025 offseason is off to a solid start amid the Aggies’ disappointing 1-4 finish to the 2024 season, as coach Mike Elko is determined to build the roster to his liking and add substantial depth at every position of need.

After losing to Texas in the regular season finale, Elko and his staff immediately took advantage of the growing number of talented transfer portal additions.

The staff focused on adding talent to the wide receiver corps, depth in the secondary, and replacing NFL-bound defensive linemen Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner, and Shemar Stewart.

In just one month, the Aggies have added 12 portal additions, led by landing NC State transfer wide receiver KC Concepcion, who looks like the team’s No. 1 receiver option after losing veteran Noah Thomas to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Two months before the spring football season, Athlon Sports writer Steven Lassen named Texas A&M as one of six transfer portal winners, joining Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Florida State.

“The Aggies met their needs on the offensive side, landing former five-star prospect Micah Hudson (Texas Tech) and a pair of productive receivers in Mario Craver (21.7 yards per catch at Mississippi State in ’24) and Kevin Concepcion (124 catches in two seasons at NC State).

Former Georgia defensive back Julian Humphrey and slot cornerback Jordan Shaw (Washington) are critical pickups to address a secondary that allowed 20 touchdown passes in ’24. Restocking the trenches was another priority with Shemar Turner, Nic Scourton, and Shemar Stewart off to the NFL. The pickups of Dayon Hayes (Colorado), Tyler Onyedim (Iowa State), and T.J. Searcy (Florida) add much-needed depth and talent up front.”

Lassen covered every detail about the Aggies’ offseason achievements. Although Elko still requires a few more additions to feel completely secure with the roster, the program is doing exceptionally well following an impressive transfer portal haul so far.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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