Tag: High school

Former Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater hired to coach his Miami high school team

Good for Teddy Bridgewater: the former New Orleans Saints quarterback has been hired to coach his Miami high school football team

Good for Teddy Bridgewater: the former New Orleans Saints quarterback has been hired to coach his Miami high school football team, per High School FN’s Andy Villamarzo. Bridgewater is retiring from the NFL after finishing his career on the Detroit Lions. Now he’s going back to Miami Northwestern Senior High.

Expect him to be a popular fit at his alma mater; 20 minutes away is Bunche Park, where he played youth football growing up, and where the field was named after him last summer. Bridgewater had previously announced his plans to retire and turn to  coaching after the 2023 season. That he gets to go home to South Florida and continue his football life is very cool to see.

Bridgewater earned his degree in Sports Administration at Louisville before turning pro, so this is something he’s been planning a long time. He’s been a fan-favorite everywhere he goes, including New Orleans, and he’s in a good position now to be a positive influence on the next generation.

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Wins are on Chris Olave’s mind in Year 2: ‘I’ve never lost that much in my life’

Wins are on Chris Olave’s mind in Year 2 after his rookie season didn’t go as planned: ‘I’ve never lost that much in my life’

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Chris Olave has a simple goal for his second year in the NFL: get back to winning games. The New Orleans Saints’ star receiver opened up about his tough rookie year on Richard Sherman’s podcast, sharing that he didn’t expect to suffer so many losses — it’s a new feeling for him after his teams found rare success in college and high school.

Sherman asked Olave for his goals in 2023, and he’s making it clear that he’s focused on team accomplishments.

“Man I’m just trying to win, man. Last year was tough for me. I’ve never lost that much in my life. That shit took a toll on me, I can’t,” Olave exhaled. “That don’t sit right with me. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself, help my teammates, help them be better, help us win and get to the playoffs.”

He’s not lying. Here’s how each of Olave’s teams performed previously:

  • 2015: 5-6 (Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif)
  • 2016: 7-5 (Mission Hills in San Marcos, Calif.)
  • 2017: 12-1 (Mission Hills in San Marcos, Calif.)
  • 2018: 13-1 (Ohio State)
  • 2019: 13-1 (Ohio State)
  • 2020: 7-1 (Ohio State)
  • 2021: 11-2 (Ohio State)
  • 2022: 7-10 (New Orleans)

So Olave joined the Saints having only lost 17 games since he began playing varsity football, only to suffer 10 losses in his first year as a pro. Olave’s team lost nearly as many games in 2022 as he saw in total from 2021 to 2016. He never lost double-digit games in a single season before. That’s a gut punch for someone who has only experienced success on the gridiron, so of course it’s going to leave him feeling restless. He’s putting that energy to good use.

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Former Alabama first round pick Jahmyr Gibbs set to have high school jersey retired

Former Alabama first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs set to have his high school number retired

Jahmyr Gibbs spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets where he was the first-team All-ACC running back in 2021. Gibbs transferred to Alabama ahead of the 2022 season as he wanted to play for a national championship contender. Improving his NFL draft stock was also another key factor in Gibbs’ decision to join the Tide.

Despite spending only one season with the Crimson Tide, Gibbs was sensational. In just 12 games with Alabama, Gibbs led the Tide’s ground attack with 151 carries for 926 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was also the top option in Alabama’s receiving game as he led the way with 44 receptions that were good for 444 yards and three touchdowns. As if that wasn’t enough somehow, he was also a nice addition in the special teams game with 13 returns for 258 yards (23.9 YPA). Gibbs’ sensational 2022 campaign skyrocketed his draft status all he was eventually selected No. 12 overall by the Detroit Lions.

Long before Gibbs was an Alabama standout or an NFL first-round selection, he was a high school legend.

Gibbs played his high school ball for Dalton High School in Georgia. Gibbs was a top 50 recruit in the country and the No. 4 ranked RB in the 2020 recruiting cycle. He played in 32 varsity football games over three years and had 530 carries for 4882 yards and 70 touchdowns. However,  a remarkable senior season put Gibbs on the map with 233 carries for 2,554 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Dalton High School recently announced that they would be retiring Gibbs’s high school jersey number. Gibbs wore No. 1 for Dalton and will be the last player to ever do so.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton giving back to local high school coaches

“I’m standing here because of my high school coach,” Sean Payton said. Now he’s giving back to Colorado’s high school coaches.

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Last month, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton invited more than 150 coaches from Colorado high schools to attend a practice session during organized team activities.

Payton’s high school coach, the late JR Bishop, had a great impact on his life, and he wanted to relay that to local high school coaches who will be influencing Colorado’s next generation of football players.

“The best gift we could ever get as parents is when a teacher, a counselor, a music professor, a coach — when someone loves our child like we do, that’s powerful,” Payton said after practice on June 8. “You might have two or three difference-makers in your children’s lives. I know for a fact one of mine was my high school coach. I’m standing here because of my high school coach.

“I got a D on his English paper, and he benched me for the first half of a game. All the lessons [he gave]. [He] gave me confidence. I didn’t start till my senior year. These kids — when they’re freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, they’re on social media and there’s a lot going on. All of them want to conform. The message to those [coaches] really is you’re welcome here. We appreciate the job you do. I wanted them to hear my story. [My high school coach] is no longer alive, but he was one of those difference makers for a young kid from Naperville, Illinois.”

After playing quarterback in high school, Payton went on to play college football at Eastern Illinois. He later went on to play arena football and also spent time in Canada and Europe. Payton also had a brief stint with the Chicago Bears.

Payton switched from playing to coaching in 1988 and he now has a Coach of the Year award and Super Bowl victory on his resume. All of that might not have happened if not for Payton’s high school coach, JR Bishop. Payton now wants to give back to local coaches to help them influence kids the same way he was influenced in high school.

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Alabama basketball lands commitment from four-star PF, Jarin Stevenson

Nate Oats lands massive four-star commitment out of North Carolina

Nate Oats continues to add to an already loaded 2023 Alabama recruiting class by adding four-star power forward, Jarin Stevenson, from Pittsboro, NC. Stevenson is 6’10 and the No. 2 recruit out of North Carolina, so to steal him from right under UNC and Duke is a massive win for Oats and the Tide. Stevenson had recently taken visits to Georgetown, Missouri and Virginia, but ultimately, it was too hard to pass on what Alabama is building right now.

Stevenson is the fourth high school commitment Oats has landed alongside Sam Walters, Mouhamed Dioubate and Kris Parker, all of which are four-star and top 100 players in the class. The Tide also landed Grant Nelson, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Aaron Estrada via the transfer portal to entirely revamp their roster.

The Tide will look entirely different in 2023-24 after replacing virtually the entire starting line-up including Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney as well as all three assistant coaches. However, Alabama fans should feel ecstatic with the work Oats has put in this offseason.

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A former quarterback, Drew Sanders now joins Broncos as a versatile defender

A former high school quarterback, Drew Sanders now joins the Broncos as a versatile defender looking to make an instant impact.

In high school, Drew Sanders played on both sides of the football in Denton, Texas. He grew up playing quarterback.

He was a run-heavy quarterback, rushing for more yards (438) and touchdowns (eight) on the ground than he had passing (392; 2) in his freshman season, but Sanders was a quarterback nonetheless.

“I really played quarterback growing up from peewee football all the way until about freshman year,” Sanders said after he was picked by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the NFL draft. “I just ended up playing a little bit more running back and receiver. Junior year, I started playing more defense.”

Playing quarterback, running back and wide receiver, Sanders totaled 2,124 all-purpose yards in three years and scored 57 touchdowns. He also starred on defense with a breakout 119-tackle, eight-sack season as a junior.

His father, Mitch Sanders, played college football at Dayton before later becoming a coach.

“I grew up with the sport,” the younger Sanders said. “Being a kid, you always looked up at football players and football coaches. I just kind of fell in love with the sport. I’m glad he’s a football coach, and I’m glad he let me be around it as much as I was. It just built up a love for the sport.”

Sanders was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and he initially attended Alabama as a linebacker. The Crimson Tide used Sanders both as an inside linebacker and an outside linebacker, but he was primarily a backup.

After totaling 33 tackles and one sack in a bit role at Alabama from 2020-2021, Sanders transferred to Arkansas ahead of the 2022 season. Then he had a breakout year.

Sanders played inside linebacker for the Razorbacks, totaling 103 tackles (13.5 behind the line), 9.5 sacks, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one interception in 12 games. Those impressive totals earned Sanders unanimous All-American recognition last fall.

The Broncos loved everything about Sanders in the pre-draft process and ultimately decided to pick him in the third round of the draft last week.

“It’s been a dream come true,” Sanders said after being drafted. “Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of playing in the NFL. It was just a surreal moment. Just having all my family there — it was a big, big thing for me, my family and everyone that’s been a part of my life getting me here.”

Sanders seems unlikely to start over Josey Jewell or Alex Singleton in Week 1, but he will likely have a key role on special teams while competing for rotational snaps on defense as a rookie. A versatile player, Sanders should be able to win playing time before long.

“I’m thankful to be a part of the Broncos, and I can’t wait to get after it with these guys,” Sanders said.

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Bryan Bresee’s high school highlight reel is almost not worth watching

Bryan Bresee’s high school highlight reel is almost not worth watching. The future Saints first-round pick looked like a man among boys out there:

For most of his football life, Bryan Bresee has been one of the biggest, strongest, and fastest players on the field — and that will still be the case once the New Orleans Saints trot out their 6-foot-5, 298-pound first-round draft pick (whose 9.61 Relative Athletic Score ranked among the best in the class at his position).

But this is just silly. Bresee’s high school highlight reel almost isn’t worth watching because of how dominant he was. He must have hit an early growth spurt; Bresee looked like a man among boys in the video clip shared by former NFL veteran Craig Roh. It’s easy to see why Clemson worked so hard to recruit the former five-star prospect out of Damascus High School.

Hopefully he still has this kind of playmaking ability in him, even if the opponents he’s facing in the pros are running much closer to his own size.

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LOOK: This creative Saints fan has already fashioned a Bryan Bresee jersey

At least one creative New Orleans Saints fan has already fashioned a Bryan Bresee jersey — with a little help from a Saints legend:

At least one creative New Orleans Saints fan has already fashioned a Bryan Bresee jersey — with a little help from a Saints legend. Saints fan Ryan Berger took some duct tape to his old Drew Brees “Color Rush” variant jersey to modify Brees’ last name to, well, Bresee. He probably isn’t the last enterprising fan to think of it, but he does deserve the distinction of being the first.

This does raise an interesting question, though: which jersey number will Bresee wear? He used No. 11 in college at Clemson after waring No. 44 in high school, but neither of those are options for him in the NFL (defensive linemen are ineligible for both numbers). He’s a fan of symmetry, apparently, so maybe he can buy No. 99 off of Khalen Saunders.

If that’s a no-go, Cameron Jordan probably isn’t giving up his No. 94 jersey, but one option Bresee may consider is No. 91. That jersey was used by Kentavius Street last season and opened up when he left on a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. It has the added bonus of being easy to modify from an old Brees jersey with a little more duct tape and some creative thinking.

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Catching up with draft prospect DJ Wagner

DJ Wagner has all the tools and guidance to get to the pro level. After all, his grandfather ( Milt Wagner) and father ( Dajuan Wagner), played in the NBA. Wagner could potentially be the first third-generation player in the near future. Ranked No. …

DJ Wagner has all the tools and guidance to get to the pro level. After all, his grandfather (Milt Wagner) and father (Dajuan Wagner), played in the NBA. Wagner could potentially be the first third-generation player in the near future. Ranked No. 4 on 247Sports and No. 1 back in 2020, Wagner will join Aaron Bradshaw in Kentucky and play for legendary coach John Calipari.

HoopsHype caught up with Wagner at the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland and talked about his journey, his goals at Kentucky, and the NBA players he loves to watch.

College football recruiting: State-by-state talent output in 2023

Texas forever, indeed.

If you were to associate each state with a sport, some would be easy while others would be a bit more difficult.  In the Hoosier state they often speak that “basketball was born in Massachusetts but was raised in Indiana”.

Meanwhile, just to the south you seemingly can’t drive a mile on a local Kentucky road without passing a street named for either a race horse, a horse track, or with some kind of horse racing theme.

And then there is Texas.  Not only is everything bigger there but the hit book/movie/TV show Friday Night Lights was based there for a reason.  We obviously like football all over but simply put – it’s done differently there.

So where does the talent in college football come from?  Although we’ve had an idea, On3 broke down by state where all of their top 300 recruits in the 2023 recruiting class hail from.  A quick look at this shows why it’s such a big deal for Notre Dame that wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey has been able to quickly develop an inroads to Texas.

Here is how many of On3’s top 300 recruits in 2023 came from each of the 50 states as well as Washington, D.C.