Tag: L.A. Times

Bronny James releases his top three schools. About Ohio State …

Could the younger James be heading back home? #GoBucks

We all know [autotag]Bronny James'[/autotag] dad, [autotag]LeBron[/autotag], is a huge [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] fan. He is one of the most well-known celebrity Buckeye fans and claims he would have played for OSU if he had gone to college. That connection has helped with the recruitment of his oldest son; the family visited Columbus during the Buckeyes’ season-opening win against Notre Dame.

The younger James is active on social media but not much on Twitter, so for many, it’s hard to keep track of what he is doing unless someone else reports it. That’s exactly what happened today. [autotag]Luca Evans[/autotag] of the [autotag]L.A. Times[/autotag] reported Bronny has a top three: Oregon, USC and, yes, Ohio State.

At the moment, the Buckeyes don’t have a scholarship open for him but if freshman Brice Sensabaugh leaves after this year, it would open a spot for James. Ohio State being in the mix for another potential one-and-done player could be a massive pickup for [autotag]Chris Holtmann[/autotag].

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Conversations with Riley’s representation ‘carried on throughout the season’ per L.A. Times report

Per a report from the Los Angeles Times, USC and representation for Lincoln Riley spoke throughout the season leading to the move to L.A.

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And just like that, he was gone.

Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, the Oklahoma Sooners went from being eliminated from Big 12 and playoff contention to losing their head coach to the USC Trojans. We here at the Sooners Wire were continuing our Bedlam coverage when the news that shocked the college football world came through.

A matter of hours after losing to Bedlam, the USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley had a deal in place to lure him away from the Oklahoma Sooners. There’s no way a deal with Lincoln Riley could have come together as quickly as it did without discussions behind the scenes. And that’s what happens.

Per a Los Angeles Times Story from J. Brady McCollough and Ryan Kartje, representation for Lincoln Riley had been in discussions with USC Athletic Director Mike Bohn for months.

Conversations with representation for Riley and other candidates carried on throughout the season, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions who were not authorized to speak on the record. Bohn and Sosna had once before considered Riley, then-Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator, when conducting their last coaching search at Cincinnati, but ultimately landed on Luke Fickell, whose name was also regularly connected to USC’s search. – McCollough and Kartje, L.A. Times

Though Riley might not have been directly involved in those conversations throughout the Oklahoma Sooners season, it’s clear now that he was considering a move while the Sooners were fighting for their Big 12 and College Football Playoff lives.

There’s zero chance his representation talks with USC without Riley’s permission and there’s zero chance his representation doesn’t relay the information back to Riley.

Which makes this move all the more difficult to swallow. Whether he realizes it or not, Riley was distracted. His team rarely looked right. And while some of that was on execution, it’s up to the coaching staff to help their players execute and play sound football. The Sooners struggled to do that this year.

Consciously or subconsciously, Lincoln Riley wasn’t locked in on 2021. He might have been coaching the Sooners as well as he could, but he was having an emotional affair with the USC Trojans along the way. His flirtations, through his representation, are a betrayal that won’t quickly be forgotten in Oklahoma and across Sooners Nation.

For a guy who was coaching at East Carolina before getting the Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator job and then handed the keys to the OU kingdom by Bob Stoops, his lack of loyalty is as disappointing as his performance as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021.

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Todd Gurley eyeing a big performance at Sofi Stadium on Sunday

There was once a time when former Rams running back Todd Gurley was to be the headlining attraction for the opening of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

There was once a time when former Rams and current Falcons running back, Todd Gurley, was to be the headlining attraction for the opening of SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Emmanuel Morgan of the Los Angeles Times sat down with Gurley to discuss his time with the Rams and his upcoming visit to the newest stadium in the NFL.

Gurley was asked how he felt playing in the stadium he watched get built from the ground up as he prepares to step into the finished product for the first time on Sunday.

“I helped create that stadium,” said Gurley, “so why not try to go out there and try to do damage?”

After a strong start with the Falcons, the former All-Pro running back’s role with the team has been limited over the past few weeks, Gurley was featured on 37 and 33 percent of offensive snaps in Atlanta’s two games coming off the bye week.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris even stated that Gurley is being limited to situational-use now, particularly in the red zone.

“We’re playing him a little situationally now. He’s battling some things like all of us this time of year. Being one of the better red zone runners in the game, we certainly wanted to go to him toward the end.”

Not to mention, Atlanta is in the bottom third of the league in run percentage with 39 percent and the team averages only average 3.7 yards per rush, the second-lowest in the league.

With Gurley set to become a free agent again in March, it’s unlikely the Falcons resign him to another one-year deal, however, this would be at the discretion of the new head coach and general manager, of course.

The former 10th overall selection in the 2015 draft was given a $60 million contract extension back in 2018. Needing the money to re-sign QB Jared Goff, CB Jalen Ramsey and DT Aaron Donald, among others, the Rams needed to part ways with their former MVP-caliber runner.

In 2017 and 2018, Gurley led the NFL in touchdowns and went on to become the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2017. Gurley was also a leading factor in getting the Rams back to the Super Bowl in 2018, after more than a decade-long absence. A Super Bowl that the Rams would eventually lose to New England.

After rushing for nearly 1,300 yards in the regular season, Gurley only managed to account for 45 yards on 14 carries in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl. Despite claiming to be healthy, Gurley’s pitch count carried over into 2019 where he recorded career-lows in rushing attempts (223) and yards (857), although he did score 12 touchdowns.

However, since leaving Los Angeles, Guley seems to have no ill-will towards his former team.

“It’s just a part of life. I grew as a player and a person there, and I appreciate L.A. for everything. It was a good time, man, it was a good five years with the Rams and a good four years in L.A., for sure. It’s always going to be home.”

So while the Falcons won’t be lining up against his former LA team this Sunday, he will be highly motivated to show out in the stadium he watched get built. The 4-8 Falcons will take on the other L.A. team, the 3-9 Chargers, this Sunday as Atlanta tries to salvage whatever is left in another forgetful season.

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