Tag: Greg McElroy

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy says ‘don’t sleep on Clemson’

Don’t sleep on Clemson in 2024.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program have a lot of doubters heading into the 2024 college football season.

The Tigers have a wide range of outcomes this upcoming season. If the offense takes the next step, Clemson could be one of the top contenders in the country. The thing is, many don’t believe they will. There is a lot of doubt surrounding this program, but not from everyone. 

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is fully aware of Clemson’s capabilities and warns against sleeping on the Tigers. 

A lot of talk this offseason about Miami, tons of talk about Florida State, rightfully so, you can make a case that those two rosters are the best in the ACC, but don’t sleep on Clemson,” McElroy said on his ESPN podcast, “because that defense is built like a championship unit at all three levels. And offensively, if they can get more consistency out of Cade Klubnik. more consistency out of the run game behind Phil Mafah, their new starting running back — he was situational last year and played a lot, him becoming now the bellcow will be even more effective for this Clemson team becoming more physical and more downhill in the run game.

Clemson is a polarizing team for sure, but even with all the media attention, McElroy believes they are flying under the radar.

I think Clemson is a team that is flying under the radar in a really good way for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers.

I agree with what McElroy is saying here. Flying under the radar is great for the Tigers, as it leads to people doubting them and taking them lightly. While there are no guarantees that teams themselves will do this, we’ve seen what Dabo Swinney teams are capable of as an underdog. 

Former Alabama Quarterback Weighs Marcus Freeman’s National Championship Chances

So you’re saying there’s a chance…

Winning a national championship in anything is hard but in major college football its even that much more difficult.

Consider this: only three current college head coaches have won a national championship at the FBS level.

Kirby Smart has won a pair at Georgia and appears primed to take dead aim at another this fall.

Dabo Swinney doesn’t believe much in the transfer portal but has guided Clemson to a pair of national championships in his time.

And Mack Brown didn’t do it at North Carolina but did lead Texas to their most recent national championship in 2005.

Other than that no current head coach has guided his respective team to an FBS crown.

So what are the chances that [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] can join that rare air at Notre Dame?

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy discussed several coaches chances of winning it all on a recent episode of Always College Football.

“I put the percentage chance that he will win a national championship at Notre Dame at 10%,” said McElroy. “Still, I think, pretty good – pretty good.”

McElroy discussed Freeman and Notre Dame at length noting that he has massive respect for the Fighting Irish head coach.  He sees it more about being difficult to win big at Notre Dame specifically than any particular thing about Freeman.

“When you have to play in round one – Clemson in round one perhaps? Maybe, in round two, you have to go play Alabama. In round three you have to play Georgia. Then, for the national championship, you have to play Ohio State,” McElroy thought. “Will Notre Dame’s roster be deep enough? Will they be talented enough to be able to play up to the level of competition multiple times throughout a deeper playoff format?”

What McElroy didn’t mention is that in the current 12-team format, an undefeated Notre Dame team could theoretically have a much easier path than he mentioned.

For instance, if Notre Dame were to go 12-0 in a regular season they could very likely earn the fifth-seed which gets them a date with the top-ranked Group of Five opponent.

Following them would be the lowest seeded conference champion from the big four, likely coming from the Big 12 or ACC.

Win those games and all of a sudden you’re in the national semi-finals and the path, although plenty challenging, doesn’t appear nearly as awful.

Then again, this format will only be for the next two years.

Interesting stuff, regardless.

Related:

Notre Dame Sits Atop Latest 2025 Recruiting Rankings

Notre Dame football’s post-spring program checklist

Rhule praises Dylan Raiola’s preparation following spring game performance

The Husker head coach still hasn’t named a starter.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has not yet named a starting quarterback, but speculation surrounds freshman Dylan Raiola. The young quarterback shined during his performance at Nebraska’s annual Red-White game last month.

Raiola finished the day completing 16-of-22 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Early reports have praised Raiola’s skills, but high marks have also been given to quarterbacks Daniel Kaelin and Heinrich Haarberg, last year’s starter.

Rhule appeared on Always College Football with Greg McElroy and was asked about the personality traits that make Raiola a special player.

First of all, he was raised in a football family. So you start there, right? It’s a football family, and every conversation in that family is about ball. And when it’s about ball, it’s about getting better every day. Dylan comes in as a young player, but he understands that its a 24 hour a day deal to be the starting quarterback at a place like Nebraska. That background has helped him walk in here in an extremely mature way, and he wants to be a pro. He doesn’t just want to learn the pass plays. He wants to know how to flip the protections and what are the run checks. He’s up early in the morning and working at it all the time so I think what you saw in the spring game was a guy who is extremely prepared.

The Nebraska legacy recruit committed to the Georgia Bulldogs in May after initially committing to Ohio State. His father, Dominic Raiola, played at Nebraska from 1998 to 2000 and was a consensus All-American.

The Cornhuskers will kick off the 2024 college football season on August 31, when they welcome UTEP to Memorial Stadium.

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Greg McElroy thinks Brian Kelly can win a national championship at LSU

Greg McElroy puts the Tigers’ odds of winning a national title under Brian Kelly at 50%.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]’s first two seasons on the Bayou have not gone perfectly, but he has performed well. The Tigers have won 10 games for two years in a row and LSU had the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback on their team last year.

Recently, a quarterback who won a national championship during his time at Alabama stated that he believes Kelly has a chance to win a national championship while at LSU. To get there, LSU will have to run a gauntlet like never before as Texas and Oklahoma are preparing to join the SEC. Here is what [autotag]Greg McElroy[/autotag] had to say about Kelly’s chances.

“I think Les Miles is a solid coach, I don’t think he’s elite. I think Ed Orgeron is a solid coach, I don’t think he’s elite. I think Brian Kelly is elite,” McElroy said on “Always College Football,” per On3. “That’s why I think the percentage chance that he will win a national championship at LSU is 50%. Now remember, people are going to hear that they’re going to say ‘50%, I mean, that seems a little low, or perhaps seems a little high. Winning a national championship is outrageously difficult. Outrageously difficult.”

I am not a betting man but those seem like pretty good odds to me.

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Greg McElroy predicts Texas as next program to win first CFP title

Greg McElroy believes that Texas is next in line to win a CFP title among teams yet to win it.

Only a handful of teams have won a College Football Playoff national title. One analyst believes Texas will be the next team to win it among programs yet to secure a national championship in the playoff era.

Greg McElroy shared why he believes Texas will be the next program to win its first College Football Playoff.

“I’m going to go with the Texas Longhorns. Now (Steve Sarkisian) has it cooking. You could make a case that they had the most complete team in the sport last year. Now, while it will be a significant step up in competition week to week in the SEC, I think Texas’ resources, understanding of NIL, an innovative coach that has been really excellent in the portal and the recruiting trail, it just feels like for Texas it’s only a matter of time before they win a national championship yet again.”

There’s a long list of teams yet to win a title in the playoff era. Only Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Georgia and Michigan have taken home the national title trophy since the tournament began in 2014. That McElroy views the Longhorns as legitimate favorites to win it speaks to the reputation the team has built in its playoff run last season.

Several things need to go right for Texas to win a title. Good overall health beginning at the quarterback position will be paramount for the team this season. Even so, the Longhorns have the players to compete for a title in 2024.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy on Clemson football’s 2024 season outlook

ESPN’s Greg McElroy shares his thoughts on the Clemson football team as we approach the 2024 season.

The Clemson football program needs a bounce-back year to return to the top of the food chain, with fans hoping that 2024 could be that year for the Tigers. 

This team should be better in 2024, but that doesn’t mean they will be. Clemson has a lot of pieces to put together before they find the success they once had, and it is one Dabo Swinney and his coaching staff who can make this happen. 

Recently, ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy gave his outlook for Clemson ahead of the 2024 season on an episode of his Always College Football show. McElroy sees some promise in the Tigers for this 2024 season.

“Another portal came and went, another portal season, portal cycle, whatever you want to call it – Dabo Swinney did not add a transfer,” McElroy said. “They did try, though. They went after multiple offensive linemen. But if you look at last year’s team – yes, they won five in a row down the stretch, and a lot of the optimism that I have with Clemson this year is the fact that a lot of the guys that were playing pivotal roles in that stretch run were young guys that are going to be back and involved in this team.”

McElroy is great at his job and fully assessed what Clemson’s offense could look like in 2024. Not just the offense but also the defense. Here’s some of what he had to say about the Tigers’ offense.

“Cade Klubnik at quarterback, he returns. Another year in the system, another year in the system with Garrett Riley. He should be more advanced I would hope, knowing that he’s now a little bit more comfortable in the system he’s familiar with… So maybe he’s going to the next level there in Garrett Riley’s system,” McElroy said.

“Phil Mafah was massive last year down the stretch. Very physically imposing back. Not a guy that has crazy outrageous breakaway speed. Man, not a lot of people caught it, and he always seemed to find the hole. He always seemed to find the hole. So, I love that he’s back, and he should be a really good fit in this offense. Would love to see him even more involved in the passing game that aren’t screens, too. So, maybe that’s the next step of his development.”

It goes beyond just these two, however, as the Tigers return a lot of talent on the offensive line and wide receiver. Health will be a concern here, but if the Tigers remain relatively healthy, this offense can be dangerous.

“I think their wide receiver corps is rock solid, assuming they can all stay healthy, and that was a big assumption because last year, there were times where a bunch of guys missed time,” he said. “Cole Turner missed time. He was out down the stretch, got hurt early in the season. Antonio Williams missed quite a bit of time. He’s back as well. He’s been the No. 1 in the past, I expect him to be a No. 1 again. And then Tyler Brown was a little banged up with an ankle at times. He could be a No. 1 guy too. So, you have three guys that are very much top-of-the-roster, high-end wide receiver prospects. Just got to stay healthy. Then you add Troy Stellato, who I think did some nice things for them, and the tight end, Jake Briningstool, who’s returning as well. That’s massive.

“The offensive line also returns mostly intact with the exception of Will Putnam, which is a big loss. He was the center last year and was probably the most physically imposing guy there at center that they’ve had in quite a while. He’s really a good player.”

On defense, the Tigers did lose a lot of talent. That being said, the Tigers’ defense is like a revolving door. When they lose talent, new players step in and perform at a high level.

“Now, they lost quite a bit on defense, so they’ll be a little thinner than they’ve been in recent years. You lose Jeremiah Trotter, you lose Xavier Thomas, you lose Tyler Davis, you lose Ruke Orhorhoro, you lose Nate Wiggins. So they lose quite a bit on the defensive side, but they do have guys that have been kind of rotating into the lineup from time to time,” McElroy said.

“So now it’s time for a guy like Wade Woodaz, who’s going to fill in for Jeremiah Trotter — he’s got to take his game to the next level. The good news is he still has Barrett Carter to his side. He should be in good shape, and the defensive line will be anchored by two guys that were freshmen a year ago that I think are poised for breakout campaigns – that’s T.J. Parker and Peter Woods, two guys that at times last year played well beyond their years. Very optimistic about their development and really think that those two can really anchor a defensive line that’s been very proud for the better part of the last decade. And then finally in the back end, yes, they’ll miss Wiggins for sure. But they do bring back Khalil Barnes, they do bring back Avieon Terrell, so they have some good pieces in the back end.”

Clemson’s 2024 season will be an interesting one. It starts at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Georgia, who is likely to be the No. 1 team in the country.

It could be a make-or-break season for the program.

Always College Football: Texas football could be entering ‘golden era’

ESPN’s Matt Barrie has the Texas Longhorns entering a golden era of football.

Texas is a winner again. The proof of concept from a 12-win season, Big 12 title and College Football Playoff berth has national media giving the Longhorns due credit.

The retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban has some thinking the team has staying power with more room at the top of the SEC. Former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy said the following of the Longhorns’ positioning heading out of the month of January.

“It’d be hard for me to look at the SEC right now and not think that the biggest winner in January are the Texas Longhorns.”

Some believe Texas is taking Alabama’s spot opposite Georgia atop the SEC. That’s not necessarily the case long-term, but there’s a sense it will be the case in 2024. ESPN’s Matt Barrie echoed that sentiment on McElroy’s podcast, Always College Football.

“I think Texas is headed to a spot where they just had to believe. Recruits, college football and the public had to believe that Sark could get it done at Texas. The proof is there. I think you are going into another golden era of Texas football.”

A golden era of Texas football implies at least one national title. That’s what Longhorns faithful are hoping to see. Frankly, they have reason for optimism after seeing the team make a College Football Playoff in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s third season.

Barrie went on to discuss why he believes the Longhorns are set up for success.

“(Sarkisian has) proved it in the portal. They’re loaded again. Quinn Ewers coming back is the smartest thing he could have done, to play to play one more year of college football. If I was ranking SEC teams going into next year, Georgia sets the standard as they always do, but you need to legitimately talk about Texas 2, 3 and 4, and do it convincingly.”

Texas is set up for another playoff run in 2024. It will look to put it all together over the offseason.

Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy weighs on the Kalen DeBoer hire for Alabama

Former Alabama national champion winning quarterback Greg McElroy weighs in on Kalen DeBoer

After 17 years as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] called it a wrap on his legendary career.

Saban guided the Tide to nine SEC titles, six national championships and four Heisman Trophies. One of those national championships came in 2009 with starting quarterback [autotag]Greg McElroy[/autotag], who is now ESPN college football analyst.

McElroy never found the right opportunity in the NFL, but he found his calling as a broadcaster and analyst. He signed on with ESPN in 2014 before beginning to call games in 2016. Despite his obvious love and ties to the University of Alabama, he usually does a great job removing any sort of bias from his commentary — almost to the point where it makes ‘Bama fans mad.

As someone who has spent time at Alabama and knows what it takes to win in Tuscaloosa combined with his knowledge of the current college football landscape, there probably aren’t many people better positioned to weigh in on the hire. McElroy is a big believer in [autotag]Kalen DeBoer[/autotag] and what he brings to the table for the Crimson Tide.

“I think this is a terrific hire for the Alabama Crimson Tide. In the 36 hours I got to spend with the Washington Huskies, I felt like I was a part of the team. We sat down with Kalen Deboer and his staff for the better part of three to three-and-a-half hours. I found that DeBoer is as approachable and as personably a guy as I’ve been around in the profession. … You talk to his players about him, and he’s willing to go the extra mile.”

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ESPN CFB analysts have Texas returning to the top next season

Greg McElroy and Rece Davis see Texas as a top five team if Quinn Ewers returns.

The Texas football program has endured plenty of roster attrition to the NFL draft and transfer portal over the last 72 hours. Some national college football analysts don’t seem too concerned.

ESPN’s Rece Davis and Greg McElroy can see the Longhorns returning to college football’s elite in 2024. McElroy had the following to say of the Longhorns for next season.

“Texas is in my top three next year, so yeah. I have a ton of respect for the program, and they’re in a great spot. I have tons of faith in Steve Sarkisian. And I’d be shocked, I mean, absolutely shocked if they’re not right back in a situation like they were in last week in the next year or two.”

Texas debuted at No. 3 in our way-too-early Top 25 for next season due in large part to what it brings back on the offensive line and with starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. The team figures to be particularly strong at edge and in the secondary. It could also return a linebacker room that includes David Gbenda, Anthony Hill and Morice Blackwell.

There is portal attrition in Austin, but it’s not isolated to Texas. Even fellow playoff squad Alabama is enduring its own fair share of transfer losses. Even so, we expect to see portal gains at positions of need.

The team has already addressed important positions in the portal with Clemson defensive back Andrew Mukuba and Houston receiver Matthew Golden. We could see more additions in the near future.

Texas will look to build a championship roster as it moves toward spring football as its next major milestone.

Greg McElroy lists LSU vs USC as a huge game in 2024

Both teams will be looking to start 2024 off with a bang.

The 2024 schedules have been released for every SEC team and there are some spicy games ahead of the best conference in college football. The LSU Tigers have started the past two seasons with one of the best opening weekend matchups in the country as they took on the Florida State Seminoles in two neutral site games.

The opponent for those games will change in 2024 but the game will still be one of the best opening weekend matchups in all of college football. LSU will take on the USC Trojans to start next season. A matchup that a lot of people would have liked to have seen this year because both teams have high-powered offenses and bad defenses.

The past two winners of the Heisman Trophy hail from USC and LSU. Both teams will be starting a new quarterback in 2024 but this is shaping up to be a great matchup. Greg McElroy agrees with that sentiment.

“When you think about where things are with the college football world, we’re not gonna have a ton of Big Ten-SEC matchups,” McElroy said, per On3. “USC doesn’t feel like a traditional Big Ten power, kind of weird still. I like it, I’m excited about it, it doesn’t feel like that. But to have Lincoln Riley against Brian Kelly, to me, is really interesting. I think you get this matchup in Vegas, which is becoming more and more a part of sports and kind of an epicenter of big events.

“So I just think that matchup there, Week 1, Sunday, is gonna be massive. It’s gonna have a ton of eyeballs, there’ll be Big Ten-SEC implications on the line. Obviously, I mean, Lincoln Riley really nosedove at the end of that season. Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams — two Heisman Trophy winners — both gone. It’s just a fascinating game with a lot of different tentacles to it.”

Both teams will be looking to start 2024 off with a bang.

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