Tag: BYU

CFN Preseason All-Independent Football Team, Top 30 Players: Preview 2022

Who are the best players among the independents going into the 2022 college football season? They’re highlighted in the CFN 2022 Preseason All-Independent team and top 30 players.

Who are the best players among the Independents going into the 2022 college football season? They’re highlighted in the CFN 2022 Preseason All-Independent team and top 30 players.

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2022 Preseason CFN Independent Offensive Player of the Year

TE Michael Mayer, Jr. Notre Dame

No, he’s not the receiver or big play target Brock Bowers of Georgia is, and there are plenty of other great tight ends coming into the season, but the 6-4, 251-pound veteran will get more than his share of the spotlight as one of the season’s biggest stars.

The future NFL starter caught 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns last season after making 42 in 2020. Now it’s salary drive time as he pushes to be a high first round draft pick with his physical style, blocking, and pass catching skills. He can do it all.

2022 Preseason CFN Independent Defensive Player of the Year

LB Andre Carter, Jr. Army

Yeah, yeah, yeah, a slew of Notre Dame defensive players probably should be fighting it out for this spot – Isaiah Foskey is fantastic; he’s the better pro prospect and more talented overall player – but Army’s special pass rusher gets the top nod assuming he can come close to matching the production of last year.

Who led the nation in sacks? Alabama’s Will Anderson had the most, but it was Carter who had the most sacks per game – 1.19 compared to 1.17 – to go along with his 44 tackles, four forced fumbles, and 18.5 tackles for loss.

No, he didn’t play an SEC schedule like Anderson, and he didn’t deal with the slate that Foskey had to, but he came up with big plays against Wisconsin and in the bowl win over Missouri, and the production was steady. Expect him to keep it all going as the star of an Army team with a defense to match the deadly rushing attack from the other side – almost.

College Football News 2022 Preseason All-Independent Team: Offense

QB Jaren Hall, Jr. BYU

RB Ellis Merriweather, Sr. UMass

RB Tyrell Robinson, Jr. Army

WR Caleb Snead, Sr. Liberty

WR Puka Nacua, Jr. BYU

TE Michael Mayer, Jr. Notre Dame

OT Blake Fisher, Soph. Notre Dame

OG Clark Barrington, Jr. BYU

C Cam Reddy, Sr. Liberty

OG Jarrett Patterson, Sr. Notre Dame

OT Blake Freeland, Jr. BYU

College Football News 2022 Preseason All-Independent Team: Defense

DE TreShaun Clark, Jr. Liberty

DT Jacob Lacy, Sr. Notre Dame

DT Jayson Ademilola, Sr. Notre Dame

DE Isaiah Foskey, Jr. Notre Dame

LB JD Bertrand, Jr. Notre Dame

LB Andre Carter, Jr. Army

LB Keenan Pili, Jr. BYU

CB Cam Hart, Sr. Notre Dame

S Brandon Joseph, Sr. Notre Dame

S Javon Scruggs, Sr. Liberty

CB Clarence Lewis, Jr. Notre Dame

College Football News 2022 Preseason All-Independent Team: Special Teams

PK Ethan Albertson, Jr. New Mexico State

P Ryan Rehkow, Soph BYU

KR Brian Brewton, Soph. UConn

PR Hobbs Nyberg, Soph. BYU

CFN 2022 Team Previews
Army | BYU | Liberty | New Mexico State
Notre Dame | UConn | UMass
Independent Predictions For Every Game
CFN Preview 2022
Bowl Projections | Preseason Rankings

College Football News 2022 Preseason Top 30 Independent Players

30. Kaleb Hayes, CB Sr. BYU

29. Trevor Brohard, LB Sr. New Mexico State

28. TreShaun Clark, DE Jr. Liberty

27. Joe Alt, OT Soph. Notre Dame

26. Caleb Snead, WR Sr. Liberty

25. Chris Tyree, RB Jr. Notre Dame

24. Marquel Broughton, S Sr. Army

23. Jack Kiser, LB Sr. Notre Dame

22. Jakobi Buchanan, FB Sr. Army

21. Blake Fisher, OT Soph. Notre Dame

20. Tyrell Robinson, RB Jr. Army

19. Chris Ojoh, LB Sr. New Mexico State

18. Josh Wallace, CB Jr. UMass

17. Clarence Lewis, CB Jr. Notre Dame

16. Puka Nacua, WR Jr. BYU

15. Ellis Merriweather, RB Sr. UMass

14. Payton Wilgar, LB Jr. BYU

13. Jackson Mitchell, LB Soph. UConn

12. Keenan Pili, LB Jr. BYU

11. Tyler Buchner, QB Soph. Notre Dame

10. JD Bertrand, LB Jr. Notre Dame

9. Javon Scruggs, S Sr. Liberty

8. Cam Hart, CB Sr. Notre Dame

7. Jaren Hall, QB Jr. BYU

6. Blake Freeland, OT Jr. BYU

5. Jarrett Patterson, C/OG Sr. Notre Dame

4. Brandon Joseph, S Sr. Notre Dame

3. Michael Mayer, TE Jr. Notre Dame

2. Isaiah Foskey, DE Jr. Notre Dame

1. Andre Carter, LB Jr. Army

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CFN 2022 Team Previews
Army | BYU | Liberty | New Mexico State
Notre Dame | UConn | UMass
Independent Predictions For Every Game
CFN Preview 2022
Bowl Projections | Preseason Rankings

BYU Cougars Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players

BYU College Football Preview 2022: Team breakdown, season prediction, keys to the campaign, and what you need to know

BYU Cougars Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the BYU season with what you need to know and keys to the season.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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BYU Cougars Preview
Head Coach: Kalani Sitake, 7th year at BYU, 48-29
2021 Preview: 10-3 record
Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
BYU Top 10 Players | BYU Schedule

BYU Cougars Preview 2022

They’re not there quite yet.

It’s going to be easy to write this season off as the warm-up before finally joining a Power Five conference – going to the Big 12 next season – but there’s way too much talent, way too much experience, and way too many big opportunities for this year to be anything less than special.

The Cougars were a thrilling loss to Coastal Carolina away from going unbeaten in 2020, and last year they won the “Pac-12 Championship” with victories over Utah, Arizona State, Utah, Washington State, and USC in a fun ten-win campaign.

Now it’s time for the program to prove it can take things up a few notches.

Yeah, all those wins over Pac-12 teams were great, and rolling to a 66-49 victory over Virginia was fun, and taking down Mountain West champ Utah State was terrific …

So how does that team lose a bowl game to a good-but-not-killer UAB?

There were a slew of injuries that didn’t help in the midseason losses to Boise State and Baylor, but this time around there’s more depth, more options, and more talent to make a huge splash before the big move.

There isn’t a conference championship to play for, and there isn’t a date against Utah to use as a chest-thumping moment, but the team and schedule are strong enough to push for a New Year’s Six bowl.

21 wins over the last two seasons was a whole lot of fun.

Now it’s time for BYU to expect more.

BYU Cougars Preview 2022: Offense

The offense wasn’t always explosive, but it was efficient. It wasn’t always consistent, but it was great at moving the chains and keeping the big mistakes to a minimum. It wasn’t always clutch, but it finished the year 17th in the nation overall and 29th in scoring.

And now it’s loaded.

The offensive line might be among the program’s best ever if the tackles play up to the hype. The combination of tackle Blake Freeland and guard Blake Barrington on the left side should be dominant – BYU was among the best teams in the nation in pass protection. The best of the bunch though might be Oregon transfer Kingsley Suamataia – he’s a future NFL starter who’ll work at right tackle for now.

The strong front five doesn’t have Tyler Allgeier to block for anymore, but the running game will be more than fine. Cal transfer Christopher Brooks will be an instant fit, and 215-pound veteran Lopina Katoa can add some work. Also able to add to the running game …

QB Jaren Hall is on the verge of being special. He’s not Zach Wilson, but he’s improving as a passer – throwing for 2,583 yards and 20 touchdowns with five picks – and he’s great on the move. Now he has to stay healthy with backup Baylor Romney leaving football to start his real job career.

Gunner Romney, though, is back along with Puka Nacua to form a deadly 1-2 punch. Those two combined for close to 1,400 yards and nine touchdowns, and they’re not alone. It’s a deep corps, and tight ends Isaac Rex and Dallin Holker can catch.

The offense will be great, and now …

BYU Cougars Preview 2022: Defense

The defense has to be better. It has the talent, and it has the experience, but the D that allowed 388 yards and 25 points per game needs to generate more of a pass rush and has to be far tougher against the run.

There weren’t too many issues overall. Virginia and Baylor were the only two teams to hit the 500-yard mark, and Baylor beat the Cavaliers. There weren’t too many problems with everyone else, but …

Again, the defense needs to be better, and it will be. It starts with getting healthy parts back to what should be a loaded linebacking corps. Payton Wilgar and Keenan Pili return after getting hurt – they should combine for well over 100 tackles.

Combine them with 2021’s leading tackler Ben Bywater and with second-leading tackler Max Tooley playing a hybrid role, and look out.

Now the pass rush has to be there. The Cougars only generated 20 sacks and 64 tackles for loss, and just three players registered more than 1.5 sacks – Tyler Batty is back after leading the way with only 3.5 sacks. However, there’s size, depth, and there should be a solid rotation for the 4-2-5 alignment.

The secondary did a good job despite the lack of a pass rush. The corner tandem of Kaleb Hayes and D’Angelo Mandell is experienced and outstanding, and the safeties are diverse and versatile. There are a whole lot of ways to play around with the deep lineup.

Keys To The Season | Season Prediction, What Will Happen
BYU Top 10 Players | BYU Schedule

BYU Cougars: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT

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247Sports sees this game as a potential trap for Notre Dame

It’s a trap!!!

Every year, teams overlook another and get beaten by a team that isn’t nearly the same quality as the triumphant. This type of games are what make college sports so exciting to watch and now 247Sports has predicted each trap game for the Top 25 teams.

For Notre Dame, Sam Marsdale predicted it will be the contest in Las Vegas against BYU that the Irish could struggle in. The Cougars are a solid team, but the rationale of this game being a trap is due to having a bye week following a three-game home stand for the Irish. As Marsdale put it, “this will be no relaxing game.”

For me, this isn’t necessarily a trap game, as he pointed out that a 21-4 record over the last two years for BYU. A trap game is more of an underrated squad; that could catch a team off guard as they look to the next week or struggled the week before.

The trip to Syracuse fits the mold for me, as the Irish will have a huge contest against Clemson the week after. The Orangemen should have a solid squad, even though they most likely won’t be ranked when they face off against the Irish. The JMA Wireless Dome is the only one the Irish will play in this fall. On paper this game looks to be easy for Notre Dame but ‘Cuse could give the Irish a game.

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High School Football Highlights: Isaac Wilson’s off-platform touchdown pass 1 of 6

Wilson went 21/30 for 450 yards and six touchdown passes.

Some High School Football programs got a head start to the year, playing their first games of the 2022 season this past Friday night.

There are still a lot of great quarterbacks that have yet to make their debut. For now, one standout worth mentioning is Isaac Wilson from Corner Canyon (Utah) – who put up some video game numbers in the Chargers’ dominant 45-7 win over Herriman (Utah).

Wilson went 21/30 for 450 yards and six touchdown passes, including this off-platform beauty.

Wilson (5-foot-11, 166 pounds) is a four-star recruit from the class of 2024 that is as yet uncommitted. He has nine offers so far, including BYU, Arizona, Idaho State, Miami, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State and Weber State.

Wilson’s older brother Zach played his college ball at BYU and is now the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Unfortunately, the elder Wilson suffered a knee injury in his team’s first preseason game and is expected to miss the next few weeks.

As for Isaac, next on the schedule for Corner Canyon is a road game against Bishop Gorman (N.V.) — another team that is no stranger to the USA TODAY Sports Super 25.

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See It: Notre Dame Shamrock Series uniform photo gallery close ups

Awesome or too much like Georgia Tech?

As expected, Notre Dame released their [autotag]Shamrock Series[/autotag] uniforms for their October date in Las Vegas with [autotag]BYU[/autotag].  The release came in epic fashion as [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag], and [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] all participated in a four minute video that was essentially a tribute to “The Hangover” which was released 13 years ago (where does the time go?).

Notre Dame has also released photos of the uniforms that to me look about as good as any alternate uniform we have seen the Fighting Irish wear in a very long time.  My favorite Shamrock Series uniforms the Irish have ever worn came in the 2013 game against [autotag]Arizona State[/autotag] and the white is in line with those.

The one issue I have with them is the because the pants are plain the uniform as a whole looks exactly what [autotag]Georgia Tech[/autotag] wears regularly.

Whatever the case, these are still some of the better alternates Notre Dame has rocked and I can’t wait to see how good they look in action.

Watch: Notre Dame unveils Shamrock Series jerseys in ‘Hangover’ salute

Watch the three…er, two best friends that anyone could have get their jerseys.

You surely have heard by now that Notre Dame is playing this year’s Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas. That also means it will have a different look when it faces BYU on Oct. 8. The unveiling of the special jersey for this game has become as anticipated an event as the unveiling of The Shirt, so it only makes sense to treat it as such.

Since the game is in Las Vegas, why not make the announcement in a parody of “The Hangover”, perhaps the best buddy comedy ever set there? Well, that’s what happened, and here’s the resulting beauty:

No, none of these guys are going to win Academy Awards for acting anytime soon or probably ever, but that’s not the point here. [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] and [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] definitely are believable as a trio you would want to hang out with. To have [autotag]Mike Golic[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Golic Jr[/autotag]. play the heavies while also referencing 1988 makes it even better. Makes you want to have your own Las Vegas adventure, doesn’t it?

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame Shamrock Series uniforms coming soon

What color should be most prominent this year?

Notre Dame began playing [autotag]Shamrock Series[/autotag] games in 2009 with a route of Washington State in San Antonio, and a year later started wearing alternate uniforms for the almost annual affair.  2022 sees Notre Dame traveling to Las Vegas in early October to take on BYU for the next edition of the series and it would appear the alternate uniforms are soon to be released.

As you may recall, [autotag]Houston Griffith[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyren Williams[/autotag] recorded a video at Soldier Field in Chicago last summer that revealed what the 2021 uniform would be.  It would appear two stars from the 2022 squad are about to do the same from Sin City.

After [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] tweeted a teaser of sorts in regards to the uniform unveil on Tuesday, star pass rusher [autotag]Isaiah Foskey[/autotag] responded with a photo of himself and tight end [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] from Las Vegas.

I have no idea what the uniforms are going to look like but I’m guessing they’ll have an emphasis on gold since it is Las Vegas and all.  Then again, last year’s at Soldier Field looked like they were done to pay homage to the Green Bay Packers so who really knows?

Or maybe they should just model them after Mayer’s shirt and pay homage to “The Hangover”.

Stay tuned.

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Saints pick BYU quarterback Jaren Hall in pre-preseason 2023 mock draft

Saints add BYU quarterback Jaren Hall in pre-preseason 2023 mock draft, adding another name to our college football watch list:

Will quarterback be a position of need for the New Orleans Saints next year? Maybe. There’s a lot of pressure on Jameis Winston to play at a high level and get them back to the playoffs, and his short-term contract with the team keeps the door open for change should he fall short of expectations. If Winston flops, odds are slim that the Saints will find a future at quarterback on their roster between Andy Dalton (who is here on a one-year rental), Ian Book (who hasn’t inspired much confidence), and Taysom Hill (who is attending meetings in the tight ends room these days).

One name to remember is BYU quarterback Jaren Hall, who was linked to the Saints in a recent two-round 2023 mock draft from Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire. Hall, listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, has performed well on a small sample sizer as a passer (completing 220 of 342 career pass attempts for 3,003 yards, with 21 touchdown passes against 5 interceptions) and brings some mobility as a runner (with 95 carries for 450 rushing yards and 6 touchdown runs), but he’s missed a lot of time with injuries. He was limited to 7 games in 2019, missed the 2020 season with a medical redshirt, and was held out of BYU’s bowl game with an ankle injury in 2021. A smaller frame and an injury history aren’t a great combo.

Still, we’ve seen more undersized quarterbacks stand out in the NFL than in the past — largely thanks to the Hall of Fame-worthy career that Drew Brees accomplished in a Saints uniform. High-profile passers who don’t meet conventional weigh-in prototypes like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray are helming Super Bowl contenders. If Hall can stay healthy this season and meet his potential, he could be in the conversation to be drafted quickly in 2023.

He’s off to a good start. Hall was recently named to the Davey O’Brien Award watch list, which is given to the nation’s best quarterback — previous winners include past No. 1 NFL draft picks Jameis Winston (2013), Joe Burrow (2019), and Peyton Manning (1997). Winning that recognition wouldn’t guarantee pro success, but it’s still interesting to see Hall in the mix at this early stage.

But what’s most clear is that there isn’t much consensus about which position New Orleans could be targeting in the 2023 draft, which makes sense given there’s an entire season to play out before the Saints start to evaluate that problem themselves. So let’s add Hall to our own draft watch list, along with other players who have been linked to New Orleans in never-too-early mock drafts like Ole Miss running back Zach Evans and South Carolina defensive tackle Zacch Pickens.

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Cincinnati, UCF and Houston to join Big 12 in Summer ’23

Big 12 expansion is happening as the AAC and its departing schools reach an exit agreement. Will OU and Texas still be around?

The Big 12 will expand to 14 in 2023 as it was  the AAC and their three departing members have reached an exit agreement.  The Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars and UCF Knights will all join the Big 12 next summer according to a report from The Athletic (subscription). BYU, who’s played as an independent will be taking their place in the Power Five as well.

All three schools are coming from the American Athletic Conference, who has their own replacements.

Here’s what this says to me:

OU and Texas will be moving to the SEC sooner (see what I did there?) rather than later. Originally scheduled to move in 2025, recent events may have pushed up the timeline for the move. The University of Oklahoma and ESPN have just signed a massive multi-year contract for Soonervision on ESPN+.

The money earned from that deal could be what gives OU the capital they need to justify an early exit from the Big 12 and join the strongest conference in college football.

Fun Fact: ESPN owns the SEC Network.

While a 14-team Big 12 would be fun to watch for a year or two, it doesn’t feel like it’s destined to happen.

Of course, I could be wrong.

However, giving Brent Venables a year in the Big 12 to get his feet wet as a head coach before sending him off to the SEC seems like a good idea.

Meanwhile, OU Softball just won another national championship, OU Baseball is one win away from the College World Series, Women’s Gymnastics just won another national championship, Men’s Gymnastics placed second, and the list goes on and on.

OU Athletics as a whole is in a very good place right now. An early move seems more and more likely.

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Four new members officially set to join the Big 12 conference in 2023

Texas and Oklahoma will likely remain in the Big 12 for at least one season with these new members.

The lengthy discussions regarding Houston, Cincinnati, UCF and BYU joining the Big 12 conference is finally official. Continue reading “Four new members officially set to join the Big 12 conference in 2023”