Tag: Marshon Ford

Sam LaPorta ranked No. 8 in On3’s Impact 300 top 10 tight ends for 2022

Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta is once again garnering national acclaim. LaPorta was listed as the No. 8 tight end for 2022 by On3.

Sam LaPorta finds him in the mix as one of the nation’s top tight ends on another preseason list. This time, it’s On3’s Impact 300 top 10 returning tight ends.

The 6-foot-4, 249 pound senior tight end is back in Iowa City after authoring the type of season that Hawkeye fans have become accustomed to at the position. As a result, LaPorta checks in as the No. 8 returning tight end according to On3.

LaPorta had a breakout year as a junior last season, hauling in a career-high 53 passes for the Hawkeyes. He also posted career-highs in yards (670) and touchdowns (3). The Highland (Ill.) native’s junior campaign put him over the 1,000-yard receiving yard mark for his career. LaPorta checks in with an On3 NIL Valuation of $155,000. – On3.

One of the interesting numbers is that final one. As one of the biggest returning stars for the Hawkeyes, a healthy NIL deal from one of the local companies wouldn’t come as any sort of a shock for LaPorta. Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz recently said to expect more news on the NIL front for the Hawkeyes in the coming weeks and month.

As On3 noted, LaPorta is back with Iowa after a career season. He led the Hawkeyes in receiving yards and receptions last season and will be counted upon to deliver every bit of that type of production and more in 2022. The Highland, Ill., native is regarded by multiple outlets as a 2023 NFL draft riser to watch.

Both Athlon Sports and Pro Football Focus have praised LaPorta this offseason. Athlon Sports listed LaPorta as one of its top 10 Big Ten 2023 NFL draft prospects, while PFF’s Michael Renner ranked LaPorta as his No. 5 tight end and the No. 90 overall prospect entering this upcoming college football season.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. actually had the highest preseason draft grade for LaPorta. The longtime draft expert rates LaPorta as the No. 2 tight end on his most recent 2023 NFL draft big board.

Both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele listed LaPorta as a preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection. LaPorta leads a group that also includes redshirt sophomore Luke Lachey and Lafayette transfer Steven Stilianos as the Hawkeyes’ primary tight ends.

The rest of On3’s Impact 300 top 10 returning tight ends list looked like this: Georgia’s Brock Bowers No. 1, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer No. 2, South Carolina’s Jaheim Bell No. 3, Georgia’s Arik Gilbert No. 4, Texas’ Jahleel Billingsley No. 5, Georgia’s Darnell Washington No. 6, Stanford’s Ben Yurosek No. 7, Louisville’s Marshon Ford No. 9 and Ole Miss’ Michael Trigg No. 10.

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Notre Dame vs. Louisville: Third-Quarter Analysis

For the first time this season, we can legitimately say Notre Dame is having a difficult time with an opponent.

For the first time this season, we can legitimately say Notre Dame is having a difficult time with an opponent. We just didn’t think Louisville would provide that before Clemson. Yet somehow after three quarters, the Irish find themselves ahead, 12-7.

The Cardinals got the ball to begin the second half and started to move the ball well, mainly on the ground. They dealt the Irish a back-breaker when Malik Cunningham took it himself and converted on a fourth-and-3, making his way into Irish territory in the process. From there, Cunningham attacked through the air and needed only three plays to find Marshon Ford for a 1-yard touchdown pass. Louisville nearly took the ball right back on a surprise onside kick, but a replay review showed that its kickoff team began blocking before the ball went 10 yards, so the recovery was nullified.

Given new life, the Irish’s offense took advantage and actually found success this time. The drive was highlighted by back-to-back 15-yard runs from Javon McKinley and Chris Tyree. Ian Book punctuated it by running 13 yards into the end zone on a third-and-8 to give the Irish the lead right back. But that was all the points the Irish got as an attempt to go up by a full possession failed after a two-point conversion pass intended for McKinley was broken up.

Depending on how you look at it, the Irish might have a chance of hanging on. On Louisville’s next drive and with time running out in the quarter, Cunningham left the game with an injury and was replaced by sophomore Evan Conley. We’ll see how this changes the course of the game if Cunningham doesn’t return.