Tag: Florida State Seminoles

USC, UCLA set social media aflame after announcements to join the Big Ten in 2024

USC and UCLA are officially joining the Big Ten in 2024 and it set the internet on fire. Here were some of the best social media reactions.

That happened quickly. A day that began with an initial report from Jon Wilner of the Pac-12 Hotline that both USC and UCLA were looking to join the Big Ten conference as early as 2024 ended with official announcements from both on their impending move.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich reported that USC and UCLA were notified Thursday night that their applications to join the Big Ten conference had been accepted.

USC and UCLA will be full members of the Big Ten conference effective Aug. 2, 2024, enabling the two schools to remain in the Pac-12 conference for the duration of its existing media rights agreements.

“Ultimately, the Big Ten is the best home for USC and Trojan athletics as we move into the new world of collegiate sports. We are excited that our values align with the league’s member institutions. We also will benefit from the stability and strength of the conference; the athletic caliber of Big Ten institutions; the increased visibility, exposure, and resources the conference will bring our student-athletes and programs; and the ability to expand engagement with our passionate alumni nationwide,” USC athletic director Mike Bohn released in a statement.

UCLA chancellor and athletic director Martin Jarmond released a joint statement as well: “Entry into the Big Ten will also help ensure that UCLA preserves and maintains all 25 current teams and more than 700 student-athletes in our program. Additionally, it means enhanced resources for all of our teams, from academic support to mental health and wellness. And although this move increases travel distances for teams, the resources offered by Big Ten membership may allow for more efficient transportation options. We would also explore scheduling accommodations with the Big Ten that best support our student-athletes’ academic pursuits.”

Naturally, a move of this magnitude drew all sorts of reactions. Here were some of the best social media reactions as the shocking news very quickly morphed into reality.

Multiple predictions favor Oklahoma to land four-star NC running back Daylan Smothers

With a number of recruiting predictions coming in, it looks like the Oklahoma Sooners are closing in on a commitment from 2023 4-star RB Daylan Smothers.

If you blinked, you might’ve missed it. In a whirlwind of events that started the day before, the Oklahoma Sooners look to be closing in on their second running back commit for the class of 2023. While four-star Kalib Hicks is already committed, the Sooners and specifically running backs coach DeMarco Murray aren’t done yet. Four-star running back Daylan Smothers recently dropped a top four featuring Oklahoma, Florida State, NC State, and Alabama.

A little over 24 hours later a slew of crystal ball predictions came in across a span of an hour that swung the momentum heavily in favor of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Smothers’ received four crystal balls and a Rivals forecast from three Oklahoma insiders and two FSU insiders. Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider and Zach Blostein and Brendan Sonnone of Noles247 each issued crystal ball predictions with a confidence level of six or better. Josh McCuistion of SoonersScoop put in a Rivals Futurecast in favor of Oklahoma as well.

24 hours from the time his top 4 was released Smothers looks like he could be on commitment watch at any time now with the overwhelming momentum favoring the guys in Crimson & Cream.

Smothers is an explosive all-purpose back out of West Charlotte High School and dominates with his physical running but has another gear to separate in and out of traffic as well. Smothers originally played for Chambers High School which most recently produced Jeremiah Hall. After seeing him at a Rivals camp in North Carolina in early March, the Sooners offered Smothers and the race was on.

It looks like that race may be coming to an end shortly and a commitment to Oklahoma would all but solidify the Sooners’ running back recruitment efforts for the 2023 class.

Daylon Smothers’ Recruiting Profile

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Oklahoma spurned as four-star running back Dylan Edwards chooses Big 12 foe Kansas State

After leading the race at one point for his services, the Sooners ultimately miss out on the commitment of four-star Dylan Edwards.

Oklahoma has had a rough go of it with some of their targets of late,  this time getting a little more bad news with Dylan Edwards’ commitment to Kansas State. While it’s important to note that the Sooners can’t ultimately sign everyone, missing out on some still stings.

Edwards joins a list of Wilkin Formby, Tyler Turner, and Reid Mikeska as players Oklahoma was targeting and missed out on in the last few days.

The four-star running back was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Kansas in 2021. He totaled 3,214 all-purpose yards and 40 total touchdowns while averaging almost 13 yards a carry last year. The Sooners offered Edwards on January 29th and shortly after receiving the offer told Kansas City Star reporter Kellis Robinett that “Oklahoma has been a dream of mine.”

While that may have been true somewhere along the way, there was a disconnect between both sides as the Sooners didn’t land Edwards who opted to stay in-state and play for the Kansas State. With the Wildcats he will most likely draw comparisons to current running back Deuce Vaughn and KSU legend Darren Sproles. Edwards, like Sproles and Vaughn, is a small, shifty, dynamic, and fast running back.

Oklahoma landed multiple predictions to land Edwards in the days and weeks following the initial offer and continued to apply pressure. They made the top 10 list for Edwards along with Kansas State, Nebraska, Washington, Jackson State, Oregon and a few others. Ultimately, after his official visit on June 3rd for the Champ U BBQ, and a few weeks to deliberate the in-state school won out.

The Sooners have four-star Kalib Hicks and will be looking to fill one more spot at running back for this 2023 class. As it stands with names like Tre Wisner and Dylan Edwards out the picture, Daylan Smothers becomes one of the priority targets for the Sooners.

Smothers has taken his official to Oklahoma and enjoyed himself quite a bit. A Florida State official is up next for him but the Sooners are closer in this race than they were with Edwards, giving them a much better shot here to land the four-star dynamo from North Carolina.

Five-star can’t miss prospect Richard Young is very much a take if he decides to be a Sooner. While that is a long-shot, the Sooners should continue to hang around and recruit him. Crazier things have happened like Louisville landing five-star running back Reuben Owens this week.

The state of Kansas will continue to be a place the Sooners attack on the recruiting trail as head coach Brent Venables played and coached at Kansas State himself and has maintained excellent relationships throughout the state.

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New ACC names to know: Florida State

Clemson figures to have its share of newcomers that will contribute immediately this fall, but what about the Tigers’ competition? The Clemson Insider is taking a look at some of the new faces around the ACC that could make an immediate impact for …

Clemson figures to have its share of newcomers that will contribute immediately this fall, but what about the Tigers’ competition?

The Clemson Insider is taking a look at some of the new faces around the ACC that could make an immediate impact for their new teams. Whether it be transfers or incoming freshmen, we’ll start with key players on teams that the Tigers will face next season before moving on to the rest of the league.

Florida State

DB Sam McCall

A top-50 recruit in the 247Sports Composite, McCall was the highest-rated prospect in FSU’s signing class and showed why he had that ranking as an early enrollee this spring. Primarily a safety in high school, McCall lined up at cornerback and intercepted three passes this spring, looking like a natural at the position. McCall is a rangy, versatile defensive back that could line up at multiple positions in FSU’s secondary sooner rather than later.

ATH Azareye’h Thomas

Thomas was ranked as the fourth-best athlete in the 2022 recruiting cycle in the 247Sports Composite and is likely to see the field early in Tallahassee. The 6-2, 195-pounder played on both sides of the ball in high school, where he accounted for more than 850 yards on offense and scored 17 touchdowns as a senior. He also had multiple interceptions as a defensive back, where Thomas will begin his collegiate career. And don’t rule out seeing the explosive playmaker on special teams either.

RB Trey Benson 

FSU lost its leading rusher, Jashaun Corbin, off last year’s team, creating an opportunity for Benson to get early playing time in his first season with the program. Treshaun Ward (533 rushing yards last season) is still around, but Benson, a transfer from Oregon, reportedly impressed during his first spring with the Seminoles. Benson got just six carries in nine games as a backup for Oregon last season, but the 6-1, 215-pounder could be in line for the biggest role of his collegiate career.

Photo courtesy of Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/USA Today Network

Sooners offer one of Washington D.C.’s best players in defensive end Dylan Stewart

The Sooners extended an offer to one of D.C.’s best defenders in 2024 edge Dylan Stewart.

Much has been made about the Oklahoma Sooners being more active in the southeastern part of the country and with good reason. There’s a lot of talent in the southeast.

However, it may surprise some that the uptick in offers to athletes in the Mid-Atlantic region has also gone up. It makes sense for this team considering defensive tackles coach Todd Bates has had success that same region, landing Bryan Bresee, the number one overall player in the class of 2020 while still at Clemson.

Now that he, Miguel Chavis, and head coach Brent Venables are at Oklahoma there’s no reason to believe they’d stop mining the area for talent. With that said, one of their newest offers to four-star edge Dylan Stewart out of Washington D.C.’s Friendship Collegiate Academy should shock no one.

Stewart is built in the mold of how the Sooners want their defensive ends to look. Long, lean, and a frame that can withstand added weight. Stewart is will only be a junior on 2022 and already is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. He displays the versatility to play inside and out but looks like a prime candidate to be a certified edge in college.

Stewart becomes the ninth edge the Sooners have offered in the 2024 class and the sixth edge in the top 150. Miguel Chavis looks to be the primary recruiter in this recruitment going forward with the likelihood that Todd Bates backs him up.

Dylan Stewart’s Recruiting Profile

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No Crystal Ball Predictions at this time

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Nebraska meets an old adversary in latest bowl projections

Sure it is early but never too early to take a look at where the Nebraska Cornhuskers are projected to play in the postseason.

Since his arrival in Lincoln, Nebraska Cornhusker fans have waited for head coach Scott Frost to turn around their beloved program. After loading up his roster with the transfer portal, this could be the first step in the right direction.

Frost will have a new quarterback in former Texas Longhorns signal-caller, Casey Thompson. Not to mention they were able to get Ochuan Mathis from the TCU Horned Frogs. Those are just a couple of the newest Huskers to take the field in 2022. Could they be a huge reason for success this year? If so they could find themselves battling it out with another iconic team.

247Sports projects Nebraska to the Pinstripe Bowl

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Husker fans have been waiting for a return to the postseason, something that has been lacking since the second season of the Mike Riley era. It wasn’t much of an era per se, more of a blip on the radar but you get the idea. It has been since the 2016 Music City Bowl that we have seen Nebraska suit up following the regular season’s conclusion.

Could this finally be the year in which Scott Frost leads his alma mater out of the doldrums and into a postseason game? Brad Crawford of 247Sports believes so.

Ah, the “Finally Here” bowl for the Huskers and Seminoles. After a multi-year hiatus, Florida State could be bowl eligible for the first time under coach Mike Norvell and match up here with Scott Frost, who’s in a contract year at Nebraska. Both of these coaches must show positive momentum this fall to extend their tenures. Nebraska tapped the portal for help, and Florida State hopes better play during the second half of last season carries over to 2022.

Both schools were once on top of the sport and are trying to climb back into the race at the top. Florida State-Nebraska has seen some memorable games including back-to-back Orange Bowl showdowns in the early 1990s. This game could bring back memories of a time when Tom Osborne and Bobby Bowden were patrolling the sidelines.

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NCAA Championship: Match play field, pairings set for 2022 women’s quarterfinals

Check out who’s teeing it up in match play for a shot at the national title.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The women’s individual national champion has been crowned, which means one thing: it’s time for match play.

Stanford freshman Rose Zhang won the individual national title at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship on Monday evening, signing for a 75 to seal the deal at 6 under, three shots clear of San Jose State’s Natasha Andrea Oon.

Zhang helped propel her Cardinal to the No. 1 seed in Tuesday’s quarterfinals of match play, where they’ll meet No. 8 Georgia, who is one of four teams to qualify for match play for the first time alongside No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 6 Florida State and No. 7 San Jose State. No. 2 Oregon, No. 4 UCLA and No. 5 Auburn round out the top eight teams.

Don’t forget: The No. 1 women’s seed has never gone on to win the national championship in the match play era.

With the quarterfinals set to begin on Tuesday morning and the semifinals to follow, here’s a breakdown of the teams and matches competing for the team national championship (all times Eastern).

Leaderboards: Team | Individual
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual

Oklahoma Sooners make Top 8 for four-star Florida CB Makari Vickers

Four-star cornerback Makari Vickers lists Oklahoma as one of his top 8 schools along with the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Texas, and FSU.

Oklahoma’s cornerbacks’ room could look different in the fall of 2023. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] may very well be off to the NFL, and [autotag]Jaden Davis[/autotag] will be eligible for a fifth year. Still, there’s no guarantee he’ll be around, transfer cornerback [autotag]C.J. Coldon[/autotag] will use his final year of eligibility this season, and UNC transfer [autotag]Trey Morrison[/autotag] will also be gone following 2022.

With that being said, recruiting cornerbacks who may need to be ready to play next year could be of significant importance. So it should come as no surprise that the Sooners have offered 19 cornerbacks in the 2023 recruiting class. One of those offers, Makari Vickers, has been highly receptive to Oklahoma’s efforts and has gone on to list the Oklahoma Sooners as one of the top 8 schools he’ll be focusing on as he narrows his recruitment.

The Sooners join Oregon, Georgia, Florida State, Alabama, Michigan, Miami, and Texas as finalists for the highly touted four-star cornerback.

Vickers is a four-star on every major recruiting service in the industry. Vickers has commanded attention from almost every major program in the country. Competing against the likes of Alabama and  Georgia for defensive talent is no easy proposition but it’s one the Sooners may get used to with the new crop of defensive coaches. Spearheaded by Brent Venables who has recruited the southeast like none other over the last decade, the Sooners will be facing recruiting battles on the defensive side of the ball in 2023 and beyond.

The Sooners are very much in a good spot as Jay Valai was recruiting Vickers while he was still at Alabama as their cornerbacks’ coach. That relationship has continued to grow since coming over from Tuscaloosa to the same position at Oklahoma. With no crystal ball predictions in, it may be tough to get a read but considering he will take his official to OU for the ChampU BBQ, the Sooners have to like their positioning heading into the summer.

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Florida State Seminoles Top 10 Players: College Football Preview 2022

Who are the top 10 Florida State players going into the 2022 college football season?

Florida State Seminoles Preview 2022: Who are the top 10 players going into the season?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

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Florida State Seminoles Preview 
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen | FSU Schedule & Analysis 

Florida baseball hits walk-off HR versus No. 20 Florida State

Florida baseball’s Sterlin Thompson hit a walk-off, two-run bomb to give his team the 7-5 victory over Florida State on Tuesday.

Florida baseball second baseman [autotag]Sterlin Thompson[/autotag] entered his at-bat in the bottom of the ninth in a tied ballgame versus No. 20 Florida State 0-for-2 with a walk. With left fielder [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] on second as the go-ahead runner, he took the first two pitches for a ball and a strike.

Then the Seminoles reliever Andrew Armstrong then lofted a fastball over the heart of the plate. Thompson kept his eyes locked on the baseball and launched the pitch into orbit where it eventually landed in the left-field berm. The walk-off bomb gave the Gators the 7-5 victory against Florida State on Tuesday at Condron Ballpark.

Langford kept raking as he has through most of SEC play. He hit a solo shot to lead off the game and did it again in the third inning.

FSU responded in the top of the second with three runs off of Florida starter [autotag]Nick Ficarrotta[/autotag] via a two-run shot and an RBI double.

Just like a seesaw, the momentum then shifted back and forth. It tilted toward the Gators in the bottom of the third as they scored four runs to take the lead back at 5-3. Then it went back to the Seminoles in the fourth when they tied the game.

The game became a pitcher’s duel from the fifth inning on between Florida’s [autotag]Tyler Nesbitt[/autotag] and Florida State’s Jonah Scolaro. Nesbitt went 3 1/3 innings, allowing only one hit that came at the start of the ninth. Scolaro tossed 4 1/3 innings, giving up two hits, a walk and an earned run.

Langford then singled in the ninth, which was then followed by Thompson’s walk-off home run to give the Gators the game and series victory. Langford finished the evening three for five with two homers and two RBIs. Thompson and designated hitter [autotag]Jac Cagilanone[/autotag] also recorded two hits.

Florida will stay at home this weekend as it will face South Carolina in the regular-season finale. The first game of the series is Thursday at 7 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network+.

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