Tag: athlon sports

Where Auburn lands in Athlon Sports’ preseason SEC RB rankings

The trio of Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, and Brian Battie could lead Auburn to the top of the SEC rushing ranks this season.

The 2023 season is upon us, and one position group that appears to have the least amount of questions is the running back unit.

Auburn football has experienced a program overhaul thanks to incoming transfer portal talent, with quarterback, offensive line, and wide receiver all expected to be affected by this change. The one constant, however, is running back.

[autotag]Jarquez Hunter[/autotag] is expected to be the team’s premier back this season, and has made quite the impression on [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag].

“I think Jarquez (Hunter) is the best that I’ve coached thus far,” Freeze said during spring practice. “(I’m) excited about his demeanor and the way he goes about his work. He keeps his mouth shut and just goes to work.”

Following Hunter’s lead is expected to be USF transfer [autotag]Brian Battie[/autotag]. Battie rushed for 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns last season, and his speed will definitely aid Auburn in the return game as well.

Those two names are the most popular around the Plains, but it is worth keeping an eye on Damari Alston as well. Alston only recorded 14 touches last season but his versatility impressed offensive coordinator [autotag]Philip Montgomery[/autotag] in the spring.

“From Day 1, I thought (Alston) had a pretty good feel with what we were trying to do in the run game, with seeing it, setting up blocks, and still had that physicality about him,” Montgomery said. “But the speed that he brings… man, he’s got gears in there.”

The three-headed monster that Auburn will bring into the season sure seems impressive, but does the national media see it that way? Athlon Sports ranked each SEC program’s running back situation in its preseason magazine, and believes that the Tigers have one of the best units in the conference.

Here’s a rundown of Athlon Sports’ running back unit rankings ahead of the 2023 season.

Athlon Sports provides 3 reasons why Texas A&M will be the SEC’s most improved team in 2023

Athlon Sports writer Steven Lassan wrote about Texas A&M’s chance to rebound in 2023, leaving me to agree and disagree on his three reasons why things will turnaround

No matter how much you try to ignore the wave of pre-season expectations, every major college football outlet will attempt to cloud your vision regarding Texas A&M’s chances to rebound after their dreadful 5-7 (2-6 SEC) 2022 campaign.

However, here at Aggies Wire, it’s our job to not only provide you with breaking news regarding Texas A&M Athletics daily but to analyze and dissect articles that may sway you in an unrealistic direction or flat-out characterize the Aggies in an unflattering and biased manner, while altogether avoiding facts.

Late last week, Athlon Sports, one of the more trusted outlets in the sports writing sphere, released one of their many previews regarding Texas A&M’s 2023 season outlook. This time, author Steven Lassan provided his “Expert Prediction,” writing “3 Reasons Why Texas A&M will be the SEC’s Most Improved Team in 2023.”

To his credit, Lassan didn’t spend too much time lamenting the failure of the coaching staff and play-calling issues but instead focused on the bigger picture, including the critical offseason moves that should make an immediate impact as soon as September rolls around.

Pointing out that the Aggies return the highest number of starters in SEC with 15, any positive outlook is based on the roster finding to reach their talent potential. At the same time, new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is assumed to take the play-calling reigns, leaving Jimbo Fisher to manage the game in a CEO-type fashion.

Here are Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan’s three reasons why Texas A&M can rebound in 2023.

Ducks ranked prominently in Athlon Sports 2023 preseason poll

A look at where the Oregon Ducks ranked in the Athlon Sports college football preseason preview poll.

Do you remember back when you were growing up before the internet was a few taps of the finger away from your reach? It may have been a summer day, and while there were NBA playoff games or your typical baseball double-header taking place, the sport that you were longing to watch and read about was still a couple of months away from getting going.

Walking through your local store, you passed by the magazine section and something grabbed your eye and lit you up with excitement. The college football preview copies were starting to hit the shelves.

Things are much different in today’s day and age as the vast majority of college coverage has turned to the interwebs. However, there is still something to be said about the physical copies — the Athlon Sports, or Phil Steele’s, or Lindy’s Sports. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

You can buy your physical copy here.

To help keep that part of our upbringing alive, we went and grabbed the 2023 Athlon Sports college football preview. One of the gems inside for Oregon Duck fans was an anonymous Pac-12 assistant coach giving his two cents on the upcoming season for Dan Lanning.

The main entre, however, is the preseason poll according to Athlon. In that, the Ducks are featured prominently. While they rank every team in the nation, 1 to 133, we wanted to take just a small piece of that and focus on the top 25.

Here’s where the Ducks are ranked according to Athlon:

Opposing Pac-12 assistant coach weighs in on 2023 Oregon Ducks season

The Athlon Sports college football preview magazine is out. In it, an anonymous Pac-12 assistant coach gave his take on the 2023 Oregon Ducks.

After an impressive 2022 season left Dan Lanning with 10 wins in his inaugural year as the head man in Eugene, there are some high expectations for the Oregon Ducks in the future.

There has been a lot of turnover on both the roster and the coaching staff. Still, the Ducks boast an offense that is spearheaded by Heisman candidate Bo Nix, and a defense that is expected to improve with Lanning’s notorious scheme hopefully taking root in year two.

While the Ducks’ expectations are high, they will have their work cut out for them in a highly-competitive Pac-12 conference that boasts as many as five or six teams who realistically have a chance at winning the conference title.

Should the Ducks fall short of that mark, it will look like a disappointment on the surface, but depending on how things play out, fans still have a chance to remain optimistic.

So how are Oregon opponents viewing the Ducks heading into the 2023 campaign?  The Athlon Sports college football preview magazine is out and features an at-length quote from an opposing assistant coach in regard to Dan Lanning and the Ducks.

Here is what that unnamed coach said about the Irish:

Via Athlon Sports, SEC football coaches provide their opinions on Texas A&M ahead of the 2023 season

From Athlon Sports, Various SEC football coaches provide honest opinions on Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M ahead of the 2023 CFB season.

Since Jimbo Fisher arrived in College Station, Texas A&M has slowly become a favorite team to hate among fan bases outside the Texas Longhorns. After the Aggies signed what is still considered the most significant recruiting class of all time in 2022, the hatred grew tenfold.

Well, usually, the reason a program is historically disliked is due to their consistent success on the field, so after the Aggies’ 5-7 (2-6 SEC) 2022 season, all Fisher could hear, both literally and figuratively, was laughter based in ridicule outside of the fanbases utter disbelief, so heading into what a pivotal 2023 season, all eyes will be on the Maroon and White this fall.

This week, a portion of Athlon Sports’ 2023 preseason preview focused on the collective voice of various SEC football coaches’ thoughts and opinions on every one of the 14 conference teams ahead of the season, and for Texas A&M, nothing, and I mean nothing was left out concerning A&M’s enormous potential to either succeed or fail once again in the always brutal SEC schedule.

Texas A&M’s immensely talented roster featured notable returned veterans on offense and defense. Yet, the slightly controversial hiring of Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator has remained the primary talking point of most of the media and, apparently, every SEC coach.

“The (Bobby) Petrino experiment (at offensive coordinator) is absolutely a must-watch in the coaching community. We’re all dying to see how those two dudes work together. Or not. Jimbo (Fisher) told all the candidates for the OC job they’d actually be play-calling, so let’s see if he can hold off and not try to manage the book. Offensively, they were awful last year when you think about the talent have. … Defensively, they’re really strong. DJ (Durkin) is really impressive and has built a really strong unit there, and even with the turnover, we think they’ll be strong. This is a roster where everyone talks about NIL as a bad thing. They have culture issues and it shows on their sideline in games.”

Where I agree: Jimbo Fisher’s assumed transition to more of a game manager role while handing off most (hopefully all) of the play-calling duties to Petrino is the right move and should result in consistent offensive production.  And yes, Durkin’s new role as linebacker coach should do wonders for a group that woefully underperformed last season, while the defensive line and secondary are highly competent units.

Rising sophomore star safety Bryce Anderson’s post-Maroon and White Spring quote completely squashed the “rotten culture” argument. Anderson eloquently stated that certain members who disrupted the program’s positive team philosophy have left through the transfer portal.

“Cause I feel like that this team is committed… like last year some of the young guys were kind of like ‘loose in the head’ they weren’t really focused. But I feel this year, we coming out, everybody’s ready to practice, everybody wants to practice like it’s a whole different mindset this year.”

Trust the players who play the game, and know that before the 2022 season’s rollercoaster ride, they made us all sick; culture was never an issue, and from everything we’ve seen so far in the offseason, this team is ready to prove every doubter wrong from start to finish.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Oklahoma No. 2 in Athlon Sports preseason Big 12 power rankings

There’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Oklahoma Sooners for 2023 and Athlon Sports has them No. 2 in their Big 12 preseason power rankings.

The 2023 college football season is still three months away. However, with what Brent Venables and this coaching staff have done in the transfer portal, there’s optimism surrounding the Sooners’ prospects this fall.

Count Athlon Sports’ Steve Lassan as a believer in a Sooners rebound. The college football writer put the Sooners in his preseason top 25 and has Oklahoma ranked No. 2 in his Big 12 power rankings for 2023.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ debut didn’t go according to plan with Oklahoma posting its first losing season since 1998. However, with a little better luck (0-5 in one-score games last season), and some improvement on a defense that struggled to stop the run and allowed 6.04 yards per snap in conference play, the Sooners should rebound back into the top 25. Venables hit the portal hard for help on defense and the second year under this staff should help this group show some improvement. Replacing a couple of starters up front and finding new playmakers at receiver with [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] departing tops the list of offseason priorities for play-caller [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]. However, the foundation is strong here with quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] and running backs [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] leading the offense. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

In their power rankings over at Athlon Sports, Texas was No. 1 and Oklahoma was followed by Kansas State at No. 3 and TCU at No. 4.

So much of what Oklahoma will be about in 2023 is going to come down to how much improvement they can make on the defensive side of the ball. In four of the five one-score losses for the Sooners in 2022, the defense allowed 30 points or more. In the one loss where the defense held their opponents under 30 points, the Sooners didn’t have an answer for West Virginia’s ground game spearheaded by Garrett Greene.

The offense has areas to improve, particularly in the red zone and on third down. However, if the defense doesn’t make a significant jump, this team will still be trying to outscore teams to win. And that wasn’t a recipe for a lot of success in 2022.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Notre Dame football: Another way-too-early, but fun bowl projection

An opponent Notre Dame has never beat…

Notre Dame’s 2023 season could go a variety of ways.

Perhaps Sam Hartman exceeds the hype, the offense goes wild and defense is better than assumed, and the Irish win 11 games and end up in the College Football Playoff.

Or perhaps things don’t go as planned and six or seven wins becomes the reality – and Tyrone Willingham memories will be come to mind.

Or maybe there is a middle ground that sees the Irish short of the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six but still having won nine games or so.  If that’s the case where would Notre Dame end up?

Athlon Sports released their college football preview magazine and in it they had Notre Dame going 9-3.  The bowl game they have the Irish headed to?

The Holiday Bowl in San Diego to take on Oregon State.

Notre Dame checked in 14th in the Athlon Sports preview rankings while Oregon State was No. 19.  See the full rankings 1-40 here.

Oregon State won both games against Notre Dame – the 2001 Fiesta Bowl in blowout fashion and the 2004 Insight Bowl where the Irish were playing following the firing of Tyrone Willingham.  Neither was particularly competitive.

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Athlon Sports gives Georgia’s postseason prediction

Athlon Sports projects Georgia to have an opportunity to become the first team to three-peat in the CFP and AP poll era. 

Georgia football is at the top of Athlon Sports top-25 post-spring rankings.

According to Athlon, the Bulldogs are projected to take on USC in the Sugar Bowl college playoff semifinal and the Michigan is predicted to take on Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal.

The Dawgs and Wolverines are projected to play for the national title, giving Georgia an opportunity to become the first team to three-peat in the college playoff and AP poll era.

“There’s a new king — or should we say top dawg? — in college football,” the outlet writes. “For most of Nick Saban’s tenure at Alabama, the path to a national championship has gone through Tuscaloosa. But after the past two years, a changing of the guard has officially taken place: College football’s path to the title now runs through Athens. Thanks to head coach Kirby Smart’s relentless pursuit of perfection and work in stockpiling blue-chip talent at every position, the Bulldogs have claimed back-to-back championships and are positioned for a rare third title in a row in 23. The roster and coaching staff have experienced their share of turnover, but Georgia’s schedule is favorable, and the aforementioned talent will grow up as the season progresses. Outside of the Nov. 18 road date at Tennessee, the Bulldogs are likely to be favored by double digits in their other 11 regular-season contests.”

Four Aggies named to Athlon Sports’ Preseason All-Americans list

Athlon Sports has released their Preseason All-American list for the 2023 season, and four Aggies have deservedly made the list.

Get ready because we are just in the beginning stages of nearly every major sports outlet releasing their preliminary Top 25 rankings and, of course, preseason accolades that, in their most negative sense, may boost the egos of certain players who are then unable to live up to the hype on the field.

For Texas A&M, the 2023 season is filled with enough storylines to fill a novel, starting with new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino’s role in developing former five-star prospect and ascending sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman.

What the Aggies aren’t lacking in the slightest is talent and experience on what has become a loaded roster after recent transfer portal additions have solved several depth issues, while veterans such as wide receiver Ainias Smith and Safety Demani Richardson are returning for their final season in Aggieland, looking to do whatever they can to aid in the program’s substantial rebound after the 5-7 (2-6 SEC) 2022 season has plagued many fans expectations.

Due to their importance and expected impact next season, Athlon Sports named Smith and Richardson to their Preseason All-American list, including electric sophomore wide receiver Evan Stewart and Punter Nik Constantinou. Here is the complete list per their team designation:

  • Senior Wide Receiver/Return Specialist Ainias Smith, Third-Team Specialist
  • Senior Safety Demani Richardson, Third-Team Defense
  • Sophomore Wide Receiver Evan Stewart, Fourth-Team Offense
  • Senior Punter Nik Constantinou, Fourth-Team Specialist

For Texas A&M to achieve their lofty goals in 2023, all four young men listed will need to take a big step forward in their play on the field (excluding Smith’s season-ending injury in 2022), but with all the failure experience last season, the only way to go is up, am I right?

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Athlon Sports has 15 Ducks on their preseason All-Pac-12 squad

Athlon Sports have put out their all-conference teams for 2023 and a total of 15 Ducks have made the list.

The premier college sports magazine, Athlon Sports, have published their all-conference teams around the country and for the Pac-12, a total of 15 Ducks have made the list.

But it’s the quality of player that is on the Third and Fourth Teams shows how good and deep the Pac-12 will be in 2023. When you have a possible Heisman Trophy candidate in Bo Nix being relegated to the Third Team, this conference has to be one of the best and most competitive in the sport.

Two Ducks have made the First Team and three more on the Second Team. Kicker Camden Lewis gets some recognition he sorely deserves and transfer defensive lineman Jordan Burch is bound to have a big year in Eugene.

Three new offensive linemen were listed, but somehow transfer linebacker Jestin Jacobs wasn’t on the list for some reason. Here are the 15 Ducks that were listed on the various teams.