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Wisconsin is one of two teams to drop out of ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25

The Badgers drop out of the ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25

On Thursday morning, ESPN updated their latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 and Wisconsin was one of two teams to drop out of the updated rankings.

ESPN’s latest rankings maintained the same top three from earlier in the offseason, with Alabama coming in at No. 1, Ohio State in at No. 2, and Georgia in at No. 3.

Two other Big Ten teams joined Ohio State in the top ten, as Michigan dropped from No. 5 to No. 9, with Michigan State rising from No. 10 to No. 8.

The Badgers were joined by South Carolina as the only two schools to drop out of the latest rankings. Iowa rounded out the Big Ten presence at No. 25 in the list.

Texas mentioned among ESPN’s top 10 teams helped most by transfer portal

Texas received immediate help via the transfer portal this offseason. Where do their additions land in ESPN’s top 10 rankings?

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian made it abundantly clear that he wanted to revamp the roster this offseason after the team finished 5-7 in his first year with the program. Continue reading “Texas mentioned among ESPN’s top 10 teams helped most by transfer portal”

Where does Florida’s recruiting class stand ahead of NSD?

Billy Napier has Florida on the rise in ESPN’s latest recruiting rankings update. Will national signing day provide another boost?

When Billy Napier took over at the University of Florida he likened his situation to getting in the ballgame with only a few minutes left in the fourth quarter.

After the Gators fired Dan Mullen, several blue-chip recruits backed off their commitments from Florida. ESPN was forced to leave UF outside of its top 50, but that wouldn’t last long. Napier scored big during the early signing period by landing five-star safety Kamari Wilson and getting four-star linebacker Shemar James back in the fold.

The Gators jumped to No. 43 in the last update, and now ESPN has them at No. 35 with six more commits set to sign on national signing day. That number could grow as Napier has Florida in play with several undecided recruits.

Improving the depth of the class with multiple three-star commitments, including safety Miguel Mitchell, who can be a punishing hitter, the Gators have moved inside the top-35.

They are also in a position to continue to rise in the final days, as they’re in the running for several of the remaining highly touted prospects like Harold Perkins.

Perkins, one of the nation’s best linebackers, recently decommitted from Texas A&M and is considering Florida and LSU. Four-star safety Jacoby Mathews and four-star running back Trevonte’ Citizen will also have orange and blue hats on the table Wednesday.

Adding a few more of these names would be the equivalent of Napier coming into the game with minutes left and miraculously tying it up. He’s proven himself as one of the conference’s top recruiters in a short amount of time and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

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Oregon Ducks ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s ‘Way-Too-Early Top 25’ for 2022 season

The Ducks came in at No. 12 on ESPN’s way-too-early Top-25 for the 2022 season. The Utah Utes (No. 7) and USC Trojans (No. 22) are the only other Pac-12 teams.

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We can officially put a stamp on the 2021 college football season and start looking ahead to 2022.

In the hours after the Georgia Bulldogs won their first championship in 41 years, downing the Alabama Crimson Tide, ESPN released their traditional ‘Way-Too-Early Top-25′ rankings, which offers college fanbases to get irrationally upset, or elated about the prospects of how their team might perform next season.

For the Oregon Ducks, the outcome is pretty encouraging, considering all of the turnover that took place in the program after former head coach Mario Cristobal took off for Miami, and the team hired Dan Lanning to be the next head coach.

ESPN ranked the Ducks 12th in the nation, noting that they will be losing some huge pieces on the defense, namely Kayvon Thibodeaux, Mykael Wright, Verone McKinley, and DJ James. ESPN also noted the additions of Bo Nix, Devon Jackson, Jalil Tucker, and Christian Gonzalez.

After former coach Mario Cristobal bolted to return to Miami, his alma mater, the Ducks are gambling on Lanning, a first-time head coach. Lanning inherits a defense that loses Thibodeaux, potentially the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, but brings back a lot of talent, including LB Noah Sewell, CB Dontae Manning and NT Popo Aumavae. Only three starters on offense are expected to leave, and Lanning is bringing in former Auburn starter Nix to compete for the starting quarterback job. Even with Lanning’s inexperience, there’s enough in place for the Ducks to win the Pac-12 North again. The Ducks open the season against Georgia in Atlanta and play BYU at home.

Elsewhere on the list, the Utah Utes got some extreme love, with ESPN ranking them at No. 7 in the nation at the start of the offseason. The only other Pac-12 team to be ranked was USC at No. 22.

A few other teams to note on Oregon’s schedule next season are the Georgia Bulldogs (No. 3), and the BYU Cougars (No. 18), both of whom the Ducks will play in the first three weeks of the season.

There are a lot of unknowns facing this team over the next several months as they quickly rebuild under a new coaching staff, but we will learn a lot about them pretty instantly next season.

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Texas still lands in the top 15 of ESPN’s updated Football Power Index

Even after consecutive losses to Big 12 opponents, the Longhorns still crack the top 15 of ESPN’s updated Football Power Index.

First-year head coach Steve Sarkisian had a promising start to his tenure at Texas. Continue reading “Texas still lands in the top 15 of ESPN’s updated Football Power Index”

Texas drops out of ESPN’s college football power rankings this week

Baylor and Texas A&M jumped into ESPN’s college football power rankings this week, while Texas fell out.

Week 6 of the 2021 college football season was a tough one to stomach for Texas Longhorns fans. Continue reading “Texas drops out of ESPN’s college football power rankings this week”

Texas moves up to No. 4 in ESPN’s 2022 recruiting class rankings

Texas’ 2022 recruiting class moves up in ESPN’s updated rankings.

Steve Sarkisian and his staff have had a phenomenal start with their first full recruiting cycle for Texas.

There is always expected to be some sort of drop off in recruiting when a new coaching staff takes over, but Sarkisian’s staff is composed of a few elite recruiters that are doing a great job of attracting big name prospects to play in Austin.

In ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings (subscription required), the Longhorns moved up from No. 11 to No. 4 in the nation. This puts Texas ahead of schools such as Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia while being behind programs like Alabama, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

This is primarily due to Texas’ success on the recruiting trail recently, where they’ve received four defensive line commitments in the last 30 days, all of which are four-star prospects. Here is what ESPN had to say about Texas’ 2022 class thus far:

After guiding one of the most high-powered attacks in college football as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Steve Sarkisian is now assembling his first full class as head coach at Texas. Offense defines this group early on. The Longhorns went to California for their quarterback, Maalik Murphy, a prospect who has a big arm. The class also features some big-play offensive targets from in-state: top-20 wide receiver Armani Winfield and two top-10 RBs in Jamarion Miller and Blue, who can be an explosive runner with good ball skills. Defense is not being overlooked either, as the Longhorns added one of the top defensive back prospects in the state in Bryan Allen Jr., a top-five safety who is fluid with good instincts. The Longhorns ended the summer by adding four ESPN 300 defensive linemen, including Bledsoe, a big man from a smaller school that brings high upside with flexibility and agility. Aaron Bryant was an out-of-state pickup that can be a physical and stout presence in the trenches.

Texas is still in the mix for a few other highly rated recruits that are labeled must-get prospects to close out the cycle, but the Longhorns badly need to perform on the field better than what they displayed against Arkansas. The more success this team has, the better the chances of attracting more top talent to the Forty Acres.

Updated game-by-game predictions for Texas using ESPN’s Football Power Index

The Longhorns are now favored in all but one game on their schedule according to ESPN’s updated FPI.

The Steve Sarkisian era at Texas got off to a strong start in Week 1. Continue reading “Updated game-by-game predictions for Texas using ESPN’s Football Power Index”

Where Texas lands in ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings

ESPN recently released their updated 2022 recruiting class rankings.

After getting off to an extremely strong start in the recruiting world, it seems as if Steve Sarkisian and his staff have hit a wall when it comes to landing big-time commitments.

The most probable reason is that players and their families want to see the Longhorns in action this fall in order to see if they’re able to produce and develop under the new coaching staff. Texas is in a situation where Austin is always seen as an attractive destination, but recruits need to see some tangible results and success.

ESPN recently released their 2022 recruiting class rankings (subscription required), and Texas’ class landed at No. 11 in the nation. Sarkisian’s group is currently ahead of Clemson, Missouri, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina.

The 2022 cycle for Texas is headlined by a couple of four-star prospects in safety Bryan Allen Jr. and running back Jaydon Blue. Here is what ESPN had to say about the class the Longhorns have assembled up to this point:

After guiding one of the most high-powered attacks in college football as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Steve Sarkisian is now assembling his first full class as head coach at Texas. Offense defines this group early on. The Longhorns went to California for their quarterback, Maalik Murphy, a prospect with limited high school game experience thus far but someone who possesses some impressive physical traits, including a big arm. The class also features some big-play offensive targets from in-state: top-20 wide receiver Armani Winfield and two top-10 RBs in Jamarion Miller and Blue, who can be an explosive runner with good ball skills. Defense is not being overlooked either, as the Longhorns added one of the top defensive back prospects in the state in Allen, a top-five safety who is fluid with good instincts.

The Longhorns are likely pleased with the players they have currently committed, but are still in the mix for some high profile targets in ESPN’s rankings, such as five-star wide receiver Evan Stewart, four-star cornerback Denver Harris, five-star offensive lineman Devon Campbell, and four-star offensive lineman Kam Dewberry.

It’s crucial for Texas to land a few of those names.

After the previous coaching staff issues and underwhelming results on the field for the last decade, it’s understandable that recruits will want results from the program before they can fully commit to suit up in the burnt orange.

Two Longhorns make ESPN’s top 100 college football players

One from the offensive side, one from the defensive side.

There is a plethora of talent around the college football world, and with some games kicking off as soon as this week, ESPN ranked the top 100 players in college football for this season.

The talent across the country is so deep that only two Longhorns were apart of the rankings, even what with could be the one of the most talented Texas teams we have seen in over a decade.

Now whether these two players were properly rated, underrated, or even overrated is all objective. However, the two Longhorns that made the list have consistently been viewed as the team’s two best players.

They were both extremely productive, with one of them being a star on the defensive side of the ball, that after a position change truly showed how much of a playmaker he could be. Under new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, his numbers are expected to be even higher.

On the opposite side of the ball, this star running back is not only one of Texas’ best players, but one of the top players in the nation. He was limited by last year’s staff, but is expected to explode onto the scene under Steve Sarkisian.

Let’s take a look at who, and where, these two Texas players ranked on ESPN’s top 100.

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