Tag: Cam Smith

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is perfectly balanced, as all things should be

Penn State has signed its Class of 2025, and it’s a solid class.

Penn State may be preparing for the Big Ten championship game this week, but Wednesday was a cause to pause and celebrate the future of the program beyond this season. Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period in college football, and Penn State officially inked 26 members for its Class of 2026. With a recruiting class split evenly with 13 offensive players and 13 defensive players, James Franklin and his staff have managed to pull in a balanced class that will continue to sustain what the entire staff has been working to build for the next few seasons.

More than half of this recruiting class is scheduled to enroll early in January. Penn State announced 14 members of its Class of 2025 will be early enrollees, which will allow them to go through offseason workouts and conditioning and participate in spring football practices.

This recruiting class will be one of Franklin’s best overall classes at Penn State as well. A total of 23 of the 26 commits were ranked as a four-star or five-star player by On3, 247Sports, Rivals, or ESPN. The class also spread the Penn State footprint into 10 different states, including 19 from Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.

Among the top-rated recruits in the Class of 2025 are interior offensive lineman [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] from New Jersey, cornerback [autotag]Daryus Dixson[/autotag] from California, and linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (yes, THAT LaVar Arrington).

Here is a full list of Penn State’s Class of 2025 that has been signed during the early signing period:

  • DL [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] (Miami, Fla.)
  • OL [autotag]Owen Aliciene[/autotag] (Cheshire, Conn.)
  • LB [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (Annapolis, Md.)
  • DL [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag] (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • DL [autotag]Chaz Coleman[/autotag] (Warren, Ohio)
  • RB [autotag]Jabree Coleman[/autotag] (Darby Township, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Jeff Exinor Jr.[/autotag] (Baltimore, Md.)
  • OL [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] (Bloomfield, N.J.)
  • DL [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] (Largo, Md.)
  • RB [autotag]Tikey Hayes[/autotag] (Aliquippa, Pa.)
  • TE [autotag]Matt Henderson[/autotag] (Powhatan, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] (Pensacola, Fla.)
  • DB [autotag]Joshua Johnson[/autotag] (Ironton, Ohio)
  • DB [autotag]Jahmir Joseph[/autotag] (Nyack, N.Y.)
  • DL [autotag]Yvan Kemajou[/autotag] (Burtonsville, Md.)
  • TE [autotag]Brian Kortovich[/autotag] (Willoughby, Ohio)
  • QB [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • OL [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] (Mars, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Matt Outten[/autotag] (Portsmouth, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • LB [autotag]Cam Smith[/autotag] (Salem, N.J.)
  • LB [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • DB [autotag]Braz Thomas[/autotag] (Glassboro, N.J.)
  • DB [autotag]Xxavier Thomas[/autotag] (Canonsburg, Pa.)
  • OL [autotag]Michael Troutman III[/autotag] (Trenton, N.J.)

The focus will now shift to the transfer portal as Penn State’s offseason roster changes could be continuing in the coming weeks amidst its Big Ten and College Football Playoff push.

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Dolphins place 2nd-year CB on injured reserve, bring back rookie CB

The 2024 season is likely over for the Dolphins’ top pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

The Miami Dolphins placed second-year cornerback Cam Smith on the injured reserve, likely ending his season after he suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s Thanksgiving loss to the Green Bay Packers.

“His injury was a little more severe,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said earlier this week. “Discussing ways to attack it, but it was a rough injury that will keep him out for this week. I know that much.”

Smith, a second round pick in 2023, will be out at least four games, which means the earliest he could return is for the team’s regular season finale in Week 18.

Filling Smith’s spot on the 53-man roster is veteran offensive lineman Jackson Carman, who was previously elevated from the practice squad three times to play snaps on special teams.

The Dolphins also announced that rookie cornerback Jason Maitre has returned to the team as a member of the practice squad. Maitre, 24, earned a spot on the roster after impressing at a rookie minicamp tryout earlier this year, but he was released by the team at the end of training camp, despite a pretty impressive preseason. Fellow undrafted rookie Storm Duck earned a spot instead and has started two games for Miami this season.

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After calling conditions at Australian Open ‘BS,’ Cameron Smith’s wild week continues with a 76

Smith said he thought organizers were using the rain as a cop-out.

It’s been a rough week at the ISPS HANDA Australian Open for LIV Golf star Cameron Smith, who made his displeasure known about course conditions, hoping to build off a second-place finish at the recent Australian PGA Championship.

The Aussie Open, which is being held at Kingston Heath and Victoria Golf Club, has presented some slower conditions after wet weather swept through the region, but Smith said he thought organizers were using the rain as a cop-out.

“The weather down here the last couple of weeks has been pretty good, I know they got some rain over the weekend and again this morning. But I’ve played down here in rain before and it’s still been like that the next day,” Smith said before the event started. “So, I think that’s a bull—- excuse, to be honest. think it’s been prepared like this for a reason and it’s now how these golf courses are meant to be played.”

Cam Smith speaks to the media prior to the ISPS Handa Australian Open 2024 at Kingston Heath Golf Club on November 27, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

After an opening round 65 that had him near the top of the leaderboard, Smith fell apart on the back nine while playing Kingston Heath. His group was warned about slow play and Smith shot a 41 on the back in falling to an even-par 72.

“It didn’t seem like we were playing that slow, and it felt like we were just rushing,” Smith said after the second round. “I made some really poor choices mentally, I think, that led to a few bogeys. You kind of get on that train in that wind and it’s not a good spot to be in.”

In the third round, things got even worse. Thanks to three bogeys, the 2022 Aussie Open winner made the turn at 38 and he didn’t fare any better on the back, finishing with a 76 that has him down to a tie for 49th place.

Lucas Herbert struggled in the third round with an even 72, but still holds a piece of the 54-hole lead in the event with American Ryggs Johnston. Both are 14 under. By virtue of a 64 in the third round, Joaquin Niemann is in a five-way tie for third at 12 under.

Mike McDaniel on benched veterans: ‘You’re entitled to nothing’

“The best players have to play and that’s my job to follow through with that.”

The Miami Dolphins haven’t been shy about mixing up their lineup amid a rough start to the 2024 season.

Running back Raheem Mostert has just three carries in the last two weeks, tight end Durham Smythe is averaging one target per game after finishing third on the team in targets last year, and David Long Jr. was waived just two months after he was named a defensive team captain.

“I think it’s been the same pattern each and every season,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday afternoon. “One thing that I’m very upfront with with the players, the second they get in the building, the second we start talking projected lineups or positions within a position group, I think it’s important people know you’re entitled to nothing in this world.

“Playing time is solved by players on the field and the best players have to play and that’s my job to follow through with that. I don’t look at someone lost something, I look at who earned the opportunities.”

Among the beneficiaries of that philosophy are De’Von Achane, who already has 168 touches this season after finishing his rookie year with 130. and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., who has stepped into the starting lineup in the last three weeks.

“It’s something that I think is important to players, in general, is — not only for themselves — but teammates want the teammate next to them that best deserves that situation,” McDaniel said. “Quite frankly, everyone that roots for the Dolphins is counting on me to make the hard decisions, regardless of what the ifs, ands, or buts, you have to do what’s the best for the team.”

More recently, the Dolphins turned to undrafted rookie Storm Duck to play extensively against the Las Vegas Raiders with Kendall Fuller out of action rather than relying on 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith.

“Tomorrow if Cam Smith completely outplays Storm Duck and we feel comfortable with what we’re doing, he’ll absolutely play over Storm Duck,” McDaniel said. “Everybody’s very aware of that. I think it’s very important to get the most out of people that they realize that it’s about what they’re doing in unison with what they’ve done. They get to dictate the terms at the present and moving forward.”

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Dolphins make injured reserve swap, bring back CB Cam Smith

The Dolphins added their 2023 second-round pick back into the fold.

Miami Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith is set to make his season debut Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals after he was activated from the team’s injured reserve Monday.

To make room on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins placed return specialist Braxton Berrios on the injured reserve. Berrios suffered a knee injury Sunday late in Miami’s 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, an MRI revealed a torn ACL for the returner.

Smith, 23, was the Dolphins’ top pick in the 2023 NFL draft, taken with the No. 51 overall selection in the second round. However, he rarely saw the field as a rookie aside from special teams, and played only 20 defensive snaps.

While the cornerback appeared primed to play a bigger role in 2024, Smith suffered a hamstring injury in the Dolphins’ second preseason game and landed on injured reserve when the team cut its roster down to 53 players. In his absence, undrafted rookie Storm Duck has been called upon to step into the lineup as a reserve defensive back behind Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, and Kader Kohou.

The Dolphins opened Smith’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve on Oct. 2, meaning the team had to decide in the next few days whether it would return the cornerback to the active roster or lose him for the remainder of the year.

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Dolphins release QB Tim Boyle, QB Skylar Thompson to serve as backup

The roster move clears a spot for the Dolphins to activate WR Odell Beckham Jr. or CB Cam Smith from the PUP list.

The Miami Dolphins released quarterback Tim Boyle from their roster Friday.

Boyle, 30, signed with the Dolphins practice squad in August after he was released by the Houston Texans at the end of training camp. After a few weeks with Miami, he was bumped up to the active roster following Tua Tagovailoa’s move to the injured reserve due to a concussion.

It didn’t take long for Boyle to be called into action, as Skylar Thompson suffered a ribs injury in his first start of the season. After taking over in the third quarter, Boyle completed seven of his 13 passes for 79 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.

With Tagovailoa and Thompson unavailable to start in Week 4, the Dolphins passed up Boyle to start Tyler Huntley instead. And despite Huntley’s struggles in a loss to the Titans, the Dolphins again named the newcomer their starter in Week 5.

Now it’s Thompson who will serve as the backup for Huntley on Sunday against the New England Patriots.

The reason for the move is likely to make room on the roster for one of the team’s PUP list members to get activated. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Cam Smith are both listed as questionable for Sunday, but aren’t currently members of the active roster and don’t count against the team’s 53-man roster limit.

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Jordan Poyer ruled out, 3 Dolphins questionable vs. Patriots in Week 5

Odell Beckham Jr. is listed as questionable and could make his Dolphins debut on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins will be without safety Jordan Poyer, but will have running back Raheem Mostert back in action Sunday against the New England Patriots in Week 5.

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. may make his Dolphins debut, as he’s one of three players for Miami who is questionable to play.

Both Beckham and cornerback Cam Smith are still technically members of the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but can be moved to the active roster at any point in the next three weeks. Once they’re activated, a player (or two) will need to be released from the 53-man roster to make room.

The other questionable player, quarterback Skylar Thompson, started for the Dolphins in Week 3, but was the emergency third quarterback last week against the Tennessee Titans.

The list of injured Patriots is much longer with linebacker Sione Takitaki doubtful to play, and 12 New England players listed as questionable. That includes safeties Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Duggar, and cornerbacks Marcus Jones and Jonathan Jones, all of whom are listed as starting members of the Patriots secondary.

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Dolphins place CB Cam Smith, WR River Cracraft on short-term IR

Cam Smith and River Cracraft will both miss at least four games after landing on the IR with a designation to return.

The Miami Dolphins placed cornerback Cam Smith and wide receiver River Cracraft on the injured reserve with a designation to return Tuesday.

The ability to place up to two players on injured reserve at the cuts deadline is a new rule added by the NFL in 2024. Previously, players had to occupy one of the final 53 roster spots for at least a day before being moved to the short-term IR. Players added to the IR prior to the cut deadline were ruled out for the remainder of the year.

Thanks to the change, the Dolphins were able to save two additional places on the roster and will be able to bring Smith and Cracraft back after they miss at least four games.

Both players were injured in the Dolphins’ second preseason game earlier this month. It was a hamstring injury for Smith and an undisclosed “upper body” issue for Cracraft.

Miami also kept Odell Beckham Jr., Bradley Chubb, Cam Goode, and Isaiah Wynn on the PUP list, ruling those four players out for at least four games, as well.

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Cam Smith’s injury won’t cost him too much time, says Mike McDaniel

Mike McDaniel anticipates Cam Smith making a return to the practice field soon after leaving with an injury Sunday.

Miami Dolphins second-year cornerback Cam Smith left training camp practice with a trainer on Sunday and was absent from the Monday session. Head coach Mike McDaniel, who is typically reticent about sharing information about injuries, wasn’t too concerned about Smith, though.

“Based upon the severity of the injury and his previous injury history, let’s say that training camp and preseason games won’t be compromised in terms of their entirety,” McDaniel said. “He should be able to participate in that. I don’t know when that’ll be.”

The nature of Smith’s injury hasn’t been revealed.

The Dolphins are banking on a sophomore leap for Smith after the 2023 second-round pick spent almost all of his rookie year watching from the sidelines. In June, Smith told reporters that while he didn’t get the opportunities he wanted, he took advantage of the chance to go “to school for a year” with Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard ahead of him on the depth chart.

But following the departures of Howard and Eli Apple, the Dolphins are banking on Smith or Ethan Bonner emerging as a reliable fourth option with Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, and Kader Kohou.

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Cam Smith: ‘I didn’t really get the opportunities I wanted’ as a rookie

After spending almost all of his rookie year on the bench, Cam Smith is itching for the chance to prove himself.

For almost all of the 2023 season, Cam Smith watched the Miami Dolphins defense from the sidelines.

The second-round pick — Miami’s top selection in the 2023 NFL draft — was on the field for only 20 defensive snaps as a rookie, and he was a healthy scratch in the Dolphins’ playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“I didn’t have the season I wanted. I didn’t really get the opportunities that I wanted, but I mean that’s that,” Smith said last week, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “In the end, ain’t nothing given to you in this league. Stuff happens and I’m here so I feel like I’m free.”

Smith, 23, tried to take positives from his year on the bench, though.

“[It wasn’t] really that bad. I’m under two of the greats in the league, two of the best to ever do it, in [Xavien Howard] and Jalen [Ramsey],” Smith said. “I literally learned so much from them just sitting in a room with them just picking their brain and stuff like that. Just seeing what they see when I’m on the field. So it was just kind of really a learning experience. I just went to school for a year.”

Was it enough to mean a significant sophomore leap is on the way? The Dolphins certainly hope so.

After cutting ties with Howard, the team signed Kendall Fuller in free agency to be their new starter opposite Ramsey. But depth behind that duo will be awfully thin if Smith isn’t ready to see the field in 2024.

“Timelines are unique to each individual,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said when asked about Smith last week. “What I’m really pumped about is I know in year two that the relationships that he’s holding within his position and the coaches and the way he’s attacking this offseason is that he’s not satisfied with that by any stretch nor is the organization.”

The battle for snaps at cornerback behind Ramsey and Fuller will include Kader Kohou, Nik Needham, Siran Neal, and Ethan Booner, in addition to Smith.

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