Most intriguing transfer portal options at defensive end

Most intriguing transfer portal options at defensive end #GoBucks

We already broke down our expectations for how Ohio State could handle the quarterback position (which it has handled) and then dove into the possible running backs (which it has also handled). We also recently covered the wide receiver position (if things break a certain way), tight ends, and offensive tackle, guards, and of course, the center position that was also already addressed by the staff. But now, we move on to the defensive side of the ball and we will start at defensive end.

Most of the guys on this list have committed already and the winter transfer portal is winding down. Still, these lists also provide the landing spot for these players, which tell an interesting story within the national landscape. For example, Indiana made some heavy-hitting moves in the transfer portal on the offensive side of the football. but let’s see which teams went out of their way to add one of the following big fish.

Korey Foreman, who failed to reach his potential at USC, seeks fresh start at Fresno State

Korey Foreman finds his transfer landing spot.

The USC Trojans never got what they were hoping for out of former five-star recruit Korey Foreman. In his freshman year in 2021, he had 2.5 sacks with seven solo tackles in eight games. Then his numbers went down in 2022 despite playing in 12 games.

In 2023, Foreman played in just three games and was nowhere to be found. He ended up entering the transfer portal. On Thursday, Foreman made it official and committed to Fresno State, as he posted on his Instagram page.

Foreman is originally from Corona, California. He is staying in the state and will become an immediate contributor to the Fresno State defense under coach Jeff Tedford.

Foreman technically redshirted this year after playing just three games, so he has an extra year of eligibility. Foreman becomes the highest-ranked recruit ever for Fresno State, and it will be worth watching to see how he does with the Bulldogs next season.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

8 transfer portal entrants Alabama could pursue

Alabama has struck gold multiple times by landing stars from the transfer portal. Here are eight names currently in the portal to keep an eye on!

The transfer portal season is upon us. There are players and coaches exiting programs left and right for better situations. The decisions made by these players are done in their own best interest, regardless of how fans online feel about it.

Oftentimes, Alabama lands transfers who are looking to make it to the next level. In the past, the Crimson Tide have helped develop transfers like Tyler Steen, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Landon Dickerson. All of them have gone on to the NFL and are currently on active rosters.

Whatever the case may be, Alabama has done an exemplary job of recruiting players in the transfer portal.

Roll Tide Wire takes a closer look at eight transfer portal entrants that Alabama could look to pursue.

Which school is likely to take a chance on Korey Foreman, USC’s five-star bust?

It’s a fascinating question.

Korey Foreman has entered the transfer portal, as you know by now. The California native is a former five-star recruit who headlined USC’s 2021 recruiting class.

According to the 247Sports composite, Foreman was the top defensive lineman and the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He came to the Trojans as the top in-state player in the cycle, but he contributed just 25 total tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, and one interception during his three years at USC.

USC has been hit particularly hard on the defensive side of the ball this week. Multiple transfers have left the program. Domani Jackson, Tackett Curtis, and Foreman were all top recruits in their respective classes, but their primary recruiters either won’t be back or aren’t expected to be back at USC next season.

I expect tons of teams to be suitors for the talented Foreman. Keep LSU, Clemson, Oregon, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Arizona and Colorado to be in the mix for Korey Foreman this offseason.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

Lincoln Riley says USC is considering a redshirt for Korey Foreman

We told you in the offseason not to get your hopes up for Korey Foreman. A redshirt is very much in play as a possibility.

The USC career of Korey Foreman is stuck in neutral.

At a media scrum after USC practice on Tuesday, Lincoln Riley — upon being asked by a reporter — said USC is considering giving a redshirt to Korey Foreman. This is a clear indication that no one should expect Foreman to be a significant contributor to the defense at any remaining point in the 2023 season.

We didn’t spend a lot of time discussing Foreman in the offseason because we were skeptical of him and didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. We needed to see real improvement before we talked up Foreman as a likely contributor to this defense. That instinct — skepticism toward Foreman — proved to be a correct one.

Foreman made one huge play in his USC career, the interception which sealed the win over UCLA last year. It was a very big play. If Foreman does nothing else at USC, at least he will have that moment. However, Trojan fans were expecting this player, this career, to have an impact which reached far beyond one timely play in one game.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.

Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.

USC win over Colorado feels hollow because Alex Grinch isn’t doing his job.

Experts think Alex Grinch will prevent USC from making the Pac-12 Championship Game.

The coach who ripped Jordan Addison for transferring to USC is now staring at a humiliating season in Pittsburgh.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason EDGE watch list and early rankings from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon

The EDGE moniker is a relatively recent name, but EDGE players have been around for a long time. It’s essentially a mix of outside linebackers and defensive ends who have the primary task of rushing the passer. Sometimes they’re stand-up OLB types (think Von Miller), while others are hand-in-dirt ends (think Myles Garrett).

It’s a position where collegiate production is important but athletic upside matters quite a bit, perhaps more than any other spot. The early evaluation of this EDGE class shows a couple of high-end prospects and then a group that is variable based on team/scheme preferences; the No. 3 here might not be in the top 8 for a team that doesn’t run the particular type of scheme that he best fits.

These are very fluid rankings. In general, these are early impressions about the NFL potential of players who still have a considerable amount of football to play before they’re drafted. Some underclassmen are included here strictly as mentions; it is not meant to advocate for a player to leave early.

After watching enough to get a baseline feel for the players, here is an early listing and my preliminary ranking for the EDGEs in the NFL draft class of 2024.

2024 NFL draft: Preseason OT watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason CB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason QB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason RB watch list and early rankings

2024 NFL draft: Preseason WR watch list and early rankings

Why Korey Foreman could hold the key to Alex Grinch’s success (or termination) at USC

If Korey Foreman succeeds, everyone at USC succeeds. If he fails, everyone who has coached at USC over the past two years looks really bad.

Korey Foreman, one could reasonably argue, is the most important USC defensive player heading into the 2023 season.

Think about it.

Foreman was recruited by Donte Williams. He is connected to Clay Helton’s tenure and was retained by Alex Grinch. In 2022, he didn’t develop as fully as Grinch and Lincoln Riley would have hoped. He is an edge rusher. If he becomes a dynamic player at his particular position — in performance of his particular role — he becomes a huge value add for the Trojans. If he fails, he will represent a lot of wasted time and effort. He will become a minus, not a plus, on Donte Williams’ resume.

Foreman succeeding would validate Williams and Helton, but also Riley and Grinch. He would give USC depth and quality. He would bother the elite crop of quarterbacks which will play Pac-12 football in 2023.

Foreman succeeding knits together so many points of uncertainty for USC. Foreman failing would reflect poorly on past and current USC head coaches and defensive coaches. If he thrives, everyone wins, even those no longer attached to the program. Alex Grinch probably saves his job, which means USC wins at least 11 games and wins the Pac-12. If Foreman stumbles, everyone loses. Grinch’s player development reputation takes a severe, perhaps permanent, hit.

Korey Foreman is truly carrying an enormous weight heading into this very long offseason.

[mm-video type=video id=01gpetpmtapt88taf29h playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpetpmtapt88taf29h/01gpetpmtapt88taf29h-d722ae1f6ebdeaab4a2e35fe69d970db.jpg]

[listicle id=55513]

Korey Foreman offers a story of inspiration and dedication at USC

#FightOn is real. Korey Foreman fought on, as did Alex Grinch. They created one of the signature moments of #USC’s 2022 season. There’s a lesson here.

Just as we all predicted, Korey Foreman made the defining, deciding play of USC’s victory over UCLA this past weekend.

No one needs to tell USC fans how improbable that outcome is or was. USC fans have been begging and pleading for something, anything, to happen from Foreman this season. No one expected that moment to come, and most of all not in a 48-45 shootout versus UCLA, a game with barely any punts and with very few defensive stops in the second half.

It did happen, however. It’s now a part of USC’s story and this season’s journey. What do we make of this? What perspectives are worth amplifying in the aftermath of Foreman’s remarkable play?

Let’s talk:

USC Football Report Card: Handing out grades to the Trojans after UCLA conquest

The biggest grade of all: #USC got an “A” for this very big “W” over UCLA. That was the assignment. The Trojans completed their homework.

That was quite a night.

If you had been following USC and UCLA all season long, you knew this was going to be a shootout.

You might have predicted a 48-45 final score. I personally had 52-42 USC if Eric Gentry had been able to play effectively and with force. He briefly played, but clearly was not fit enough to play a lot of snaps. If Gentry wasn’t able to play, I labeled this game as a coin flip, with one team winning 50-49 on a 2-point conversion.

Yet, even though we all knew this would be a video game, it was still thrilling and very entertaining to see it all play out if you were a neutral party.

If you were a USC fan, it was a roller-coaster of stress, anxiety, and ultimately, elation.

Let’s grade the Trojans on their performance:

Beating UCLA unleashed intense USC emotions for Korey Foreman and Bobby Haskins

Korey Foreman and Bobby Haskins felt the weight of the moment in a very powerful way. Other #USC players joined them after beating UCLA.

One of the best feelings in life is to wake up the morning after an ultimate victory by one of your sports teams. It’s the exact opposite of waking up to a crushing defeat in a huge game, like the Utah game on Oct. 15.

Man, this had to feel good for USC players, who celebrated deep into Saturday night after their 48-45 win over the UCLA Bruins. They will wake up Sunday morning and will instantly realize that, yes, it’s real. It’s not a dream.

It’s the actual condition of their world and their 2022 season. They really did it.

USC players get to bask in the glow of beating UCLA. Notre Dame can wait until Monday.

Sunday is a 24-hour “appreciate and savor what you have done before the next big test comes along” zone.

No two USC players felt the weight of the moment more than Korey Foreman and Bobby Haskins.

Foreman, injured and unable to live up to his recruiting ranking and the hype which greeted his arrival at USC for nearly two whole seasons, produced a career-changing play which not only made his season, but validated his own perseverance. It was a classic “Fight On!” moment for “Agent Zero.”

Haskins has spent the past week grieving after the unfathomable tragedy which shook his former school, the University of Virginia. He knew the men who died in that shooting. A piece of Haskins’ heart was shredded and left behind in Charlottesville, though Haskins was in Los Angeles to prepare for this game, in which he played brilliantly.

Let’s take you through the powerful emotions and images of the UCLA postgame scene for various USC players, plus head coach Lincoln Riley: