Jones, who was a five-star recruit in the class of 2022, originally signed with the Bulldogs. He played sparingly during his freshman year, racking up one sack before improving his tackling numbers in 2023.
Now, he is transferring to his third team, the Oklahoma Sooners. Jones still has massive potential given his size and athleticism. With two more years of eligibility, Jones was ranked the No. 77 transfer in the country and the No. 11 edge rusher.
Oklahoma’s defense is coming off a solid season. The Sooners mainly need to retool on offense.
The Fenway Bowl was another upsetting ending to UNC’s 2024 football season, as North Carolina played primarily with players who didn’t see the field much in 2024, during a 27-14 loss to UConn.
One Tar Heel who saw the field sparingly during regular-season action was freshman linebacker Caleb LaVallee, who actually was one of the rare defensive standouts in the Fenway Bowl.
LaVallee led UNC with nine tackles, recording seven solo stops and one tackle for loss, being one of the few who benefitted from opt-outs and NFL Draft declarations.
Looking ahead at North Carolina’s depth chart, LaVallee would be a likely starting 2025 linebacker.
Not having LaVallee next year will definitely be a loss for North Carolina, but it isn’t roster-altering, as Bill Belichick continues to land commitments in his first offseason as head coach. The Tar Heels’ greatest defensive get, through early January, is former Washington linebacker Khmori House.
Like LaVallee, House is a freshman who played more as the season came to a close. LaVallee totaled 14 tackles (eight solo, six assisted) across five 2024 games, while House collected 33 tackles (19 solo, 14 assisted), forced a fumble, intercepted one pass and deflected four more across nine contests.
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The 49ers selected a pass rusher in this 2025 mock draft. While OL may top their list of needs, pass rush is always a good guess for San Francisco in Round 1.
Let’s dive into one final mock draft of the offseason before we dive into the 49ers’ 2024 campaign, shall we?
A first-round projection from our friends at the Draft Wire offers an interesting talking point that will surround any discussion about San Francisco’s future. The pick at No. 31 for the 49ers is Florida State edge rusher Patrick Payton.
Payton is listed at 6-5, 210 pounds which doesn’t necessarily scream ‘NFL edge rusher,’ but that’s something we’ll sort out closer to the draft once he goes through the height/weight portion of the pre-draft process. He has played 28 games across three years at Florida State, and has 12.0 sacks with 20.5 tackles for loss. If he improves again in 2024, there’s a chance he’ll go much earlier than 31st overall.
All of that is mostly beside the point though since so much changes about the draft throughout the college season. What’s intriguing from the 49ers’ standpoint here is that they’d pick an edge rusher in Round 1 instead of addressing some glaring needs on the offensive line (and potentially in the secondary).
However, it stands to reason that San Francisco would rather go that route while addressing the offensive front elsewhere in the draft. They’ve shown time and time again during the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan tenure that they’ll prioritize their defensive line and play makers in the first round. The only time they strayed from that was the selection of right tackle Mike McGlinchey at No. 9 overall in the 2018 draft. Without a pick inside the top 10, we can almost guarantee the 49ers will go with defensive line or offensive playmaker.
This season could certainly change that. If Colton McKivitz struggles again at right tackle, or if Trent Williams decides to retire, or if rookie Dominick Puni struggles to make any mark as an offensive tackle, the 49ers might be forced to maneuver and get into the range where they can take an offensive lineman in Round 1.
For now though signs point to another offensive weapon or defensive lineman for the 49ers in the first round of the 2025 draft, making the Payton projection a good one given where we are on the calendar.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Florida State wide receiver Johnny Wilson with pick No 185 in the 2024 NFL Draft
The Eagles added more size, versatility, and length to the wide receiver and tight end room after selecting Johnny Wilson with pick No. 185 in the sixth round.
A big, physical wide receiver the size of Harold Carmichael or Alshon Jeffery, Wilson averaged over 20 yards per catch in 2022 after transferring from Arizona State.
Wilson logged 41 receptions for 617 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games as a senior in 2023, playing alongside Keon Coleman, while his best statistical season came in 2022 when he hauled in 43 passes for 897 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte, who was projected to commit to Florida State several months ago is no longer considering the Seminoles.
Elite linebacker recruit Jadon Perlotte has been committed to the Georgia Bulldogs since December 2022. Several months ago, the four-star linebacker was projected to flip his commitment to the Florida State Seminoles. Now, Perlotte is no longer considering Florida State.
Perlotte told On3, “I dropped Florida State, so I’m not even looking at them anymore.”
Perlotte plays football for Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. Buford is one of the top high school football programs in the country. Perlotte played alongside elite Georgia signee KJ Bolden this past season at Buford.
The four-star, who grew up a Georgia fan, is the No. 54 recruit nationally and the No. 8 recruit in Georgia in the class of 2025. The elite linebacker is the sixth-ranked player at his position.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker runs track and has committed to playing in the 2025 All-American Bowl. Perlotte’s brother, Jordan, plays college football for Wofford. Kirby Smart and Georgia have the top recruiting class in the nation in the 2024 recruiting cycle ahead of national signing day.
We take a look at the good, bad, and ugly reactions to UNC Basketball’s 75-68 win over FSU to stay unbeaten in ACC.
The UNC men’s basketball program traveled to Tallahassee for an ACC showdown against Florida State, and it got off to a fiery start.
From tip-off, the energy was oozing off the court onto social media, as college hoop fans reacted to the fast action. [autotag]Elliot Cadeau[/autotag] was receiving love early, showing another aggressive offensive attack to score the Tar Heel’s first four points.
UNC was able to create separation, leading by 11, before FSU surged back with a physical attack and got hot behind three. The physical play brought high emotions and one of the bigger moments in the first half with a near scuffle taking place between De’Ante Green and Armando Bacot.
As tempers flared up, so did social media with UNC being down 41-36 at the half, leaving fans hoping for deja vu from the first game.
UNC caught up quickly in the second half, snagging the lead back in the first five minutes.
Shortly after, FSU came crawling back, putting UNC on upset watch. FSU cut the lead to two, but the Heels were able to pull away thanks to…who else, but RJ Davis.
The Tar Heels showed their resilience once again, with a dominating second half to push UNC’s winning streak to 10. It was a great win, filled with emotion, as RJ Davis kept up his hot scoring finishing with 24 points while Harrison Ingram dominated the boards once again with 17 rebounds..
It was the ideal away game to prepare UNC for next week’s games against Georgia Tech and Duke. Before we get ahead, let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly social media reactions to UNC’s 75-68 win over FSU.
Looking at some of the eye-opening numbers from Georgia’s shocking blowout of Florida State.
The Georgia Bulldogs made history with their dominant 63-3 win over Florida State in the Orange Bowl. For a second straight bowl game Georgia set the record for largest margin of victory in bowl history. Last season, Georgia memorably routed TCU 65-7 in the national championship game. This year, Georgia topped that with a 60-point win over Florida State.
Georgia broke a number of records against a Florida State team that had numerous opt outs. The Bulldogs had several notable absences, including tight end Brock Bowers and offensive tackle Amarius Mims. Both are projected to be first-round picks.
Let’s take a look at some of the eye-opening numbers from Georgia’s epic blowout of Florida State.
Georgia dominates FSU with a monster 42-3 first half
The Georgia Bulldogs came to play in the Orange Bowl against Florida State. Georgia holds a 42-3 lead over the Seminoles after an absolutely dominant, historic first half.
Georgia scored 35 points in the second quarter. The Bulldogs outgained Florida State, 383-185, in the first half. Georgia averaged an incredible 11.3 yards per play and picked up 20 first downs in the first half.
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck threw two touchdown passes in the first half. The Bulldogs scored four rushing touchdowns, including two from senior running back Kendall Milton.
The Bulldogs forced three turnovers before the first half mercifully ended for the Seminoles. Georgia will have a chance to break the record for the largest margin of victory in bowl game in the second half. Georgia’s 65-7 win over TCU in the national championship last year is the biggest bowl win ever.
What did social media have to say after Georgia’s insanely dominant first half?
Which college football programs have produced the most NFL Pro Bowlers?
We all know that Michigan State football has produced a lot of great NFL talent over the years, but where do the Spartans stack up in terms of the schools that have produced the most high-end, Pro Bowl level players?
Recently, the College Football Report put out the list of the top-19 college football programs in terms of Pro Bowl selections. Perhaps the craziest thing will be where MSU comes in, as well as one of their rivals, a certain school located in Ann Arbor…
So which college football programs have the most NFL Pro Bowl selections? Find out below.
Good morning, Winners! I hope you all have had a fantastic weekend. Well, uh, FSU fans, I know you probably didn’t. But I hope there was … something redeemable about your weekend outside of FSU’s snub!
What happened to Florida State over the weekend does feel like a travesty the more I think about it.
FSU did everything right. It won out with its schedule. It went out of its way to schedule a tough non-conference opponent on a neutral field to start off its season. None of that mattered. It ultimately came down to the fact that its quarterback broke his leg.
That’s why this is so frustrating. Perfection is an impossible standard to hold someone to. Team record, style points, health. Everything has to go right.
But it’s football. Nothing ever goes right. Somebody is going to get hurt. Things are going to go bad. It’s what teams do with the unfortunate circumstances they get handed that ultimately make them champions. FSU’s fate was decided by a room of 13 people before it ever got a chance to prove itself. Something about that feels wholly unfair to me.
College football has always been about pageantry when it comes to the postseason — even in the BCS era. It’s about who you beat and when you beat them. It’s also about how well you beat them. College football gave up one imprecise system for another. And it’ll do it again next season when eight more teams are added to the playoff action. Then all this hemming and hawing over FSU wouldn’t be necessary.
But I just want to ask the question: Do we really need all of this? Does this really capture the essence of college football?
For centuries college football was about so much more than playoff implications and postseason play. The only thing people cared about the rivalry between their alma mater and that other off-brand school down the highway.
We didn’t fall in love with this sport by calculating strength of schedule week after week. It was Michigan vs. Ohio State that brought us there. It was Auburn vs. Alabama. Texas vs. Oklahoma. That’s why we love college football.
Conference realignment is going to rob us of that. As more time goes by, those rivalries will begin to fade into the background. And, more and more, all people will talk about — and all teams will schedule for — will be the playoff. Playoff this. Playoff that.
But that’s not my college football. In my college football, FSU has already proven itself worthy enough to be called a champion.
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San Francisco came out and walked the walk on Sunday with a 42-19 drubbing over the Eagles in Philadelphia. Sheesh. Robert Zeglinski has more in his weekly awards column.
“Even with all of Nick Sirianni’s brash motivational tactics to get his team ready, the 49ers took a needle to the Eagles’ balloon and popped it without mercy. Seriously, after a first quarter where it looked like both squads were feeling each other out, San Francisco flat-out opened the salvos and left Philadelphia’s beloved “birds” in tatters. From right around halfway through the second quarter, the 49ers scored a touchdown on six consecutive possessions. They outgained the Eagles by over 100 yards, gained over eight yards an offensive play, and were effectively perfect on third down.
The Eagles had their [expletive] handed to them. A security guard getting into it with linebacker Dre Greenlaw was probably the most fight anyone associated with Philadelphia showed all day. I legitimately can’t remember a ruthless road whooping of a Super Bowl contender like this.”
We need round three of this, man. This is the sort of rivalry that makes the game so much fun. Please, football gods. Let us have it.
But his own coach is raining on his parade! On Friday, Kyle Shanahan made the case for one of Purdy’s teammates over him — it’s Christian McCaffery.
“Yeah, I think without a doubt,” Shanahan told reporters Friday. “I know it goes to quarterbacks the majority of the time, and there’s plenty of worthy quarterbacks, but you definitely can’t say that Christian’s behind anyone. He’s as valuable in this league as anyone.”
Someone needs to check back in with Kyle after Sunday’s performance. But, as Prince points out, he’s making a pretty good point here. McCaffery has been the 49ers best player all season long and he also had an incredible game against the Eagles.
But, then again, who didn’t on Sunday? Sheesh.
Quick hits: Ah, yes, more officiating complaints … Ime Udoka vs. LeBron … and more
