Tag: Chris Brown

Notre Dame’s top 25 3-star recruits since 2010

Just because someone is a three-star doesn’t mean they can’t be great.

In the world of recruiting, rankings clearly matter. It’s no shock that when you look at the best teams nationally, they’re the ones who usually ranked the highest in team recruiting rankings during the previous three or four years.  Maybe the top team doesn’t always have the top class, but you can bet they’re in or right there with the top-five nationally.

Another key part of recruiting comes to finding those diamonds in the rough.  That isn’t to knock three-star talents, but the hype around them clearly isn’t the same when a five-star prospect visits campus or commits to a program.

We decided to go back and rank the top three-star players Notre Dame brought to campus dating to the start of Brian Kelly’s run at Notre Dame that began with the 2010 recruiting class. Here are the top 25 of those such players in the last roughly dozen years.

The 247Sports composite was used in each player’s star rating for this piece. 

LFA 121 full results: Chris Brown stuns Steve Jones in third, scores ground and pound TKO finish

LFA returned to action on Friday evening and produced a number of highlight-reel moments in the promotion’s first card of the year.

Legacy Fighting Alliance kicked off its year in Texas on Friday with an exciting slate of fights.

LFA 121 took place on Friday evening in Dallas at The Factory in Deep Ellum and produced a number of highlight moments on the main card.

Headlining the evening was a welterweight matchup between [autotag]Chris Brown[/autotag] (8-3) vs. Steve Jones (8-3), who closed the show in their first main event slots with the promotion.

The pair of 32-year-old fighters traded kicks throughout the first round, with both men having their moments. Jones pressed the action by stalking his opponent around the cage early, but Brown was ready to counter with kicks when he saw the opportunity.

Jones closed the round with a takedown and carried that strategy into the second round, as he tried to bring the fight to the canvas. However, Brown was able to take the back of Jones in the closing seconds.

The big moment occurred early in the final round as Brown rocked Jones with a left hook, leading to a flurry of punches as he tried to secure the finish. Jones scrambled and did his best to hold on stop the onslaught, but Brown ended up in back mount and continued to rain down elbows and punches until the referee saw enough.

Brown, a JacksonWink MMA product, picked up his third straight victory and second consecutive finish. During his post fight interview, he made a case for a shot at the LFA welterweight title.

“It’s the only fight that makes sense,” Brown said. “‘Breezy’ looks good in gold.”

Full results of LFA 121 include:

Oklahoma set to square off against Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl

The Sooners have their bowl destination. Oklahoma will play Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 beginning at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN.

How fitting it is. After demonstrating ultimate loyalty to Oklahoma throughout the Sooners’ head coaching transition, interim head coach Bob Stoops gets a chance to exact some revenge.

Oklahoma is officially set to play Oregon with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. on ESPN in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 from San Antonio, Texas.

Stoops and OU were famously robbed against the Ducks back in the 2006 season when the Sooners lost 34-33 in Eugene, Ore., after an onside kick was erroneously awarded to Oregon.

The fallout led the Pac-10 to suspend the officiating crew and the instant replay officials that worked that OU-Oregon tilt for one game.

Oklahoma fans haven’t forgotten and Stoops probably hasn’t either. It adds an intriguing storyline entering this Valero Alamo Bowl.

Oklahoma has played Oregon seven times in its history. The Sooners have won six of the seven all-time meetings, most recently in the 2005 Holiday Bowl.

The Sooners won that matchup 17-14 after OU linebacker Clint Ingram intercepted Oregon quarterback Brady Leaf at the 10-yard line with 33 seconds remaining.

Rhett Bomar was Oklahoma’s quarterback that day. Bomar completed 17-of-30 passes for 229 yards with one 17-yard touchdown pass to fullback J.D. Runnels.

OU’s leading rusher was running back Adrian Peterson who carried the football 23 times for 84 rushing yards. Fellow running back Kejuan Jones had an 8-yard rushing touchdown in the Sooners’ upset win over the Ducks.

Oklahoma also beat Oregon 31-7 in Norman during the 2004 season under Stoops.

The Sooners’ other victories over Oregon include a 6-0 win in 1958, a 17-0 win in 1966, a 68-3 win in 1972 and a 62-7 win in 1975.

This will be Oklahoma’s 55th bowl appearance overall but first in the Alamo Bowl. OU has played in San Antonio one time in its history. The Sooners beat then-No. 1 Missouri 38-17 in the 2007 Big 12 Championship game from inside the Alamodome.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford passed for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Missouri while OU running backs Allen Patrick and Chris Brown combined for three rushing scores. Patrick finished with 88 rushing yards in the 2007 Big 12 Championship game.

Oklahoma owns a 30-23-1 mark all-time in bowl games. OU beat Florida 55-20 in the 2020 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to end last season.

Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns against the Gators, while OU running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and Marcus Major combined to rush for 296 yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Both eclipsed the century mark. Stevenson rushed it 18 times for 186 yards and Major carried it nine times for 110 rushing yards.

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

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Where does the 2008 OU offense rank among the best since 2000?

Where does the Oklahoma Sooners 2008 offense rank among the best in college football since 2000?

The Oklahoma Sooners have been known for great offensive football for much of the last 20 years. They’ve produced some of the best offensive seasons in football. From the National Championship team that was rolling teams until Josh Heupel’s elbow injury forced them to take a more defensive approach to the Lincoln Riley era that’s produced an incredible run of quarterback play, the Sooners have been an offensive explosion waiting to happen since the turn of the century.

As the Sooners get ready to (hopefully) put on an incredible offensive display in week 2 of the season against the Western Carolina Catamounts, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report took a look back and ranked the top 10 offenses since the 2000 season, and the Oklahoma Sooners came in fourth.

The 2008 Oklahoma squad dropped two games, but ignoring this offense would be foolish considering it set a then-FBS record with 716 points for the season.

Led by Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, the Sooners put up 60-plus points in five straight games. They steamrolled second-ranked Texas Tech 65-21, rolled No. 11 Oklahoma State 61-41 and crushed No. 19 Missouri 62-21 for the Big 12 championship.

Bradford posted 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns, and OU averaged a nation-leading 51.1 points. Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray both ran for 1,000-plus yards, and five receivers tallied at least 500 yards with Juaquin Iglesias (1,150) leading the way. – Miller

The Sooners were incredible that season. They scored 50 or more points in nine of their 14 contests, including five straight games of 60 points to close Big 12 play, including the Big 12 championship game.

Not only did Sam Bradford throw for 50 touchdowns, but he also rushed for five, and the Sooners as a team rushed for 40 touchdowns on the season. Bradford led the way, but it was an incredibly well-balanced attack as Oklahoma gained 180 more yards per game than their opposition.

Tracker: Where each Texas prospect landed in the 2021 NFL draft

Longhorns Wire compiled an updated tracker of where each Texas prospect lands in the 2021 NFL draft.

Longhorns Wire has compiled a tracker to keep up with where each Texas prospect lands in the 2021 NFL draft. Continue reading “Tracker: Where each Texas prospect landed in the 2021 NFL draft”

NFL draft grades for the eight Texas Longhorn prospects

NFL.com draft grades for the eight Texas Longhorn prospects that will take part in the 2021 NFL draft.

The 2021 NFL draft is finally only a few short days away with the first round slated to begin on Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. CDT.

Eight Texas Longhorn draft prospects will be anxiously waiting to hear their name called. Where they get drafted, or if they get drafted, is all based on how each team grades the players and where they fall on their particular boards.

Each NFL organization is different. The team’s need at the time often causes players to fall further than expected, get drafted higher than expected, or even become undrafted free agents.

In regards to what we do know, NFL.com’s database has draft grades for every prospect at any position. This is their grading scale:

8.0: The perfect prospect

7.3-7.5: Perennial All-Pro

7.0-7.1: Pro Bowl talent

6.7-6.8: Year 1 quality starter

6.5: Boom or bust prospect

6.3-6.4: Will be starter within first two seasons

6.1-6.2: Good backup who could become starter

6.0: Developmental traits-based prospect

5.8-5.9: Backup/special-teamer

5.5-5.6: Chance to make end of roster or practice squad

5.4: Priority free agent

5.0-5.3: Chance to be in an NFL training camp

No grade: Likely needs time in developmental league

Here’s how each Longhorn prospect was graded by NFL.com:

Predicting which round each of Texas’ NFL draft prospects will be selected

The 2021 NFL draft is quickly approaching and there are eight Longhorns who will be a part of the event. Which round will they be selected?

The upcoming 2021 NFL draft is a little over a week away and there will be eight different players representing Texas throughout the three-day event: Sam Ehlinger, Samuel Cosmi, Joseph Ossai, Caden Sterns, Ta’Quon Graham, Chris Brown, Brennan Eagles and Tarik Black.

It’s never a sure thing in terms of where each player will be selected, but after a few months of draft evaluation, it does become easier to get a general idea of the rounds that each prospect is expected to be taken off of the board.

Cosmi and Ossai appear to be top-60 picks, whereas Graham and Sterns both look like fringe day two or day three prospects. Ehlinger could be a noteworthy day three name, while Brown, Eagles and Black are all up in the air and could potentially not get drafted.

Given the players skills, game film, Senior Bowl (Graham and Ehlinger) and pro day performances, I’ll take a stab at which round each of Texas’ draft prospects will land in.

Five Longhorns who need a solid showing at Texas’ pro day

Texas’ Pro Day is scheduled for March 11 and these are the five players it could benefit most.

The Longhorns pro day for the 2021 NFL draft is scheduled for March 11 and all eight of Texas’ draft prospects are slated to participate. Continue reading “Five Longhorns who need a solid showing at Texas’ pro day”

2021 NFL draft profile: Texas safety Chris Brown

Longhorns Wire will create a draft profile for each former Texas player transitioning to the NFL.

Longhorns Wire will create a draft profile for each former Texas player transitioning to the NFL in 2021.

Each profile will be updated according to where the player is eventually selected in the 2021 NFL draft and/or where they choose to sign as undrafted free agents. Former Texas safety Chris Brown is up next.

Class: Redshirt Senior

Height: 5-11

Weight: 210

Pros

Strong tackler. He’s able to wrap up defenders upon contact and doesn’t get his tackles broken up. Takes good angles to the point of attack, determining where the play ends up.

Very good at blitzing. Brown is able to take angles and either create pressure or make a play on the ball carrier.

Sticky in coverage on the receiver when forced to either pick up a player crossing his zone, or when flexed out in man coverage. Makes the play harder for the receiver.

Cons

Lets up on plays too soon rather than playing until the whistle. Doesn’t play full speed on every play and often gets caught doing so.

He’s shown reliable coverage ability, but not the skills to consistently make a play on the ball.

Brown has ‘ankle tackling’ tendencies in situations when he could wrap the player up, instead tries to take them down low and is not near as effective in bringing down players that way.

Analysis

There’s a bit of upside to Brown’s game. While he’s likely not an immediate starter, he’s a good tackler and plays with such strength and speed that he he’ll get plenty of chances to prove himself on special teams.

He needs to better develop his skills in playing the ball, otherwise he’ll be a player quarterbacks target religiously on deep passes.

He’s a developmental player who can come in on rotation and be helpful in the running game first, but will need to work on play-making skills to be able to become a full-time starter.

Projection

Fifth round to sixth round

Texas Football: Five Longhorns honored in All-Big 12 teams

Individual UT players throughout both the offense and defense had excellent seasons. Five were rewarded on Thursday with All-Big 12 honors.

To say it was a disappointing season for Texas would be quite the understatement. Coming in, a Big 12 championship was the expectation and the Longhorns came up well short. COVID-19 canceled their final game of the regular season against Kansas and saw Texas finish with a 6-3 record, third in the conference.

However, there were still some positives to come out. Individual players throughout both the offense and defense had excellent seasons. Five were rewarded on Thursday afternoon with All-Big 12 honors.

Samuel Cosmi and Joseph Ossai lead the way on the first team. Beginning with Ossai, he had a breakout season in his new jack position. 55 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks drastically improved Ossai’s NFL Draft stock.

Much of the same with Cosmi. The Longhorns’ offensive line struggled all season but had one person they could rely on at left tackle.

Three Longhorns appear on the second team in Sam Ehlinger, Chris Brown, and Cameron Dicker.

QB1 threw for over 2,400 yards this season while completing 60.1% of his throws and having 25 touchdowns. He added eight more scores on the ground to give him 30 or more touchdowns in all three years as the full-time starter.

Chris Brown, who has already declared for the NFL Draft, managed 46 tackles, 2.0 which were for a loss. He also notched one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and seven passes defended.

Finally, with Dicker, he was voted to the second team, despite having the worst year from a statistical standpoint. Dicker made all but one PAT, going 43 of 44. It was with his field goals where he struggled, going 13 or 18. The lowest make percentage of his career.

Here are the honorable mentions Texas received for All-Big 12 teams and Big 12 awards:

Cade Brewer (TE), Keondre Coburn (DL), Samuel Cosmi (OLoY), Brennan Eagles (WR), Ta’Quon Graham (DL), D’Shawn Jamison (STPoY, KR/PR), Derek Kerstetter (OL), Joshua Moore (WR), DeMarvion Overshown (LB), Joseph Ossai (DPoY, DLoY), Bijan Robinson (OFoY)

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