Tag: Matt Jones

Breaking: It has now been reported that Mark Stoops is staying at Kentucky

Mark Stoops, who was reportedly expected to become Texas A&M’s next head football coach, is staying at Kentucky.

It has now been confirmed that Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops will not be taking the Texas A&M head coaching position after all, as Saturday’s news has taken a sudden twist after Kentucky Sports Radio host Matt Jones released the news just hours after the first announcement.

Multiple sources, including TexAgs’ Billy Liucci, AggieYell Editor Mark Passwaters, and ESPN insider Pete Thamel, confirmed that Stoops will stay in Lexington (KY) after all, as nothing was finalized between both parties.

Stoops, who is finished his 11th year at Kentucky with a 7-5 record (matching A&M), has compiled a 72-64 record (35-55 SEC) and has taken the Wildcats to seven bowl game appearances, including four wins while recording two 10-win seasons in 2018 and 2021.

At the age of 56, Stoops has a proven track record. Still, after firing Fisher with an enormous $76.8 Million buyout attached, this looks more like a lateral move, if any—Stoop’s $4.5 Million buyout was probably a selling point initially. Still, until we receive the inner details regarding the sudden change in the agreement, the Aggies will return to the drawing board as the coaching search continues.

Saturday’s reports from Thamel and The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman included UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, Arizona’s Jedd Fisch, Duke’s Mike Elko, and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham as fellow candidates for the postion. At the same time, Stoop’s sudden inclusion surprised many. Here is a personal message from the man himself:

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Three Ohio State players appear on Outland Trophy watch list

In case you missed it, three Buckeyes appeared on the Outland Trophy watch list. #GoBucks

Some more college football preseason watch lists are making the rounds. On Tuesday, we saw three Ohio State players make the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watchlist, and that was followed up with three more Buckeyes on the Outland Trophy preseason watch list.

The Outland Trophy was first handed out in 1946. It is administered by the Football Writers Association of America and is given to the college game’s best offensive lineman or interior defensive lineman.

This year’s Outland watch list has 94 names included on it, with defensive tackle Mike Hall, as well as offensive linemen Matt Jones and Donovan Jackson making the cut.

OSU has a pretty good history of Outland winners, with four players receiving the trophy. Jim Parker did it in 1956, Jim Stillwagon received the honor in 1970, John Hicks won the award in 1973, and Orlando Pace pancaked his way to the Outland in 1996. It’s been a dry spell since.

As more of these watch lists come out that have Ohio State players included, we’ll be sure to bring them all to you.

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Arkansas Football: The Razorbacks All-2000s Team

The 2000s: Drama, drama, drama. But oh, so full of highlight reel plays and seven overtime games.

The 2000s ushered Arkansas football into the new millennium.

Texas got a butt whooping in the Cotton Bowl to get the party started, and the Razorbacks closed the decade with turning the corner in the Bobby Petrino era by winning a frigid Liberty Bowl to conclude his second season.

There was a lot that happened in between then, but that’s a story for another day.

Some of the most decorated players in school history played during this decade, and we will document it here.

 

Bryson DeChambeau removes his name from lawsuit with the PGA Tour, all 11 of the original players who filed the suit now are out

“Bryson wants to solely focus on competing at the highest level week in and week out.”

The LIV Golf 11, who sued the PGA Tour, are down to none.

Golfweek has learned that Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Jones, who were the last players still to have their names in the lawsuit between LIV and the PGA Tour after Peter Uihlein removed his name last week, have opted to do the same.

“Bryson has made the decision to remove himself from the ongoing litigation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour,” DeChambeau’s agent Brett Falkoff confirmed in a text. “Bryson wants to solely focus on competing at the highest level week in and week out. He will continue to support the growth of golf and its expansion on a global scale, contributing both on and off the course as a positive influence on the game.”

When reached at this week’s LIV Tour event, DeChambeau, who is captain of the four-man team known as the Crushers, added, “I have a responsibility to grow the Crushers, grow my team, and I really need to focus on golf for the most part. It has been a bit of a focus of mine, but it has gotten to a point where it’s going to happen, no matter what. They’ll resolve it, it’ll be figured out one way or the other, and it’s not my fight. That’s my thought on it.”

Matt Jones, who was also prepping for this week’s LIV event, was asked by Golfweek why he elected to withdraw from the lawsuit now. “No reason at all,” he said.

The original lawsuit, which was issued for attempting to monopolize the sport and discourage competition from other leagues like LIV Golf, was filed in August of 2022 by Phil Mickelson and went on to include 10 other players. LIV Golf, which is almost exclusively financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, joined as a plaintiff but has since taken the lead and now stands alone. The wealth fund, organized in 1971 as a means for the Saudi Arabian government to invest in various projects and companies, has been estimated to be worth over $650 billion.

It was just a few months ago that DeChambeau explained that he remained committed to the lawsuit because the Tour owed him $1.75 million from his Player Impact Program bonus, or half of the $3.5 million he said he should have earned for finishing fifth in 2021.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about the principle,” he told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “It’s the way you deal with situations.”

Uihlein removed his name from LIV Golf’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour, according to a Thursday filing in the U.S. Northern District of California.

LIV is back in action beginning Friday with LIV Golf Tulsa at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

A PGA Tour spokesperson declined to comment at this time.

Cameron Jourdan added reporting to this story.

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Titans hire UT-Martin’s Matt Jones as assistant offensive line coach

UT-Martin assistant coach Matt Jones announced he has taken a job as the assistant OL coach with the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans have made another addition to their coaching staff, hiring UT-Martin assistant coach Matt Jones as an assistant offensive line coach.

Per John Brice of Football Scoop, the news comes from Martin himself, who mentioned his being hired by the Titans in a farewell post to his now-former team.

Martin limits who can view his tweets, so we’ve provided screenshot. The original tweet can be found in the Football Scoop article above.

Over the course of his four years with the Skyhawks, Martin served as run-game coordinator, offensive line coach and tight ends coach, per his school bio, so he’s pretty well-versed.

Martin will work under new Titans offensive line coach, Jason Houghtaling, who was promoted to replace former offensive line coach Keith Carter following his firing earlier this offseason

Houghtaling and Jones will have a ton of work to do with the group upfront, as the Titans are set to have at least three new starters in 2023 and are expected to add to the position in the NFL draft.

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Current Ohio State guards ranked by the 247Sports composite

Current Ohio State guards ranked by the 247Sports composite #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team has 18 offensive linemen on scholarship and five arrived in Columbus, Ohio, listed as guards by 247Sports. Now the Ohio State offensive line is in a state of flux, so some of these players may wind up at center or perhaps even slide out to offensive tackle. We previously listed the offensive tackles and will provide another list of the remaining interior offensive lineman on the roster.

This group is extremely intriguing because Matthew Jones is coming back for his sixth season to bring some continuity to the group and there are some highly recruited players entering the season as upperclassmen that need to step up. One player who has seen some time on the field and will be expected to see a heavy increase in usage is Enokk Vimahi. Josh Fryar is another player whom many are expected to take a big leap forward, but let’s dive into what 247Sports projected.

Ohio State football issues injury and availability for Michigan

Ohio State football issues injury and availability for Michigan. Henderson is a no-go #GoBucks

The Ohio State football program has issued the availability report and injury status for the game against Michigan. A few notable names will not be participating in this cold and mildly blustery Saturday contest.

On the unavailable side, we have an unexpected name and a name that has been on this list weekly. Jaxon Smith- Njigba will be out yet again and this is not going to be surprising too many, a small portion of the Buckeye fan base was hoping he would show up.

TreVeyon Henderson is the surprising name on the unavailable list and will no doubt play a role in the effectiveness of the Ohio State offense.

Here is how it all looks for Saturday:

Game-Time Decision

  • OG Matt Jones

Unavailable

  • RB T.C. Caffey
  • RB TreVeyon Henderson
  • DE Mitchell Melton
  • LB Jalen Pace
  • RB Evan Pryor
  • LS Bradley Robinson
  • WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
  • SAF Kourt Williams

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Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

After Phil Mickelson, three other LIV golfers drop out of lawsuit against PGA Tour, there are only three plaintiffs remaining

Of the original 11 plaintiffs, only three now remain: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones and Peter Uihlein.

Phil Mickelson was one of 11 golfers who sued the PGA Tour for antitrust violations back in August. Before the most recent LIV Golf event at Rich Harvest Farms outside of Chicago, however, the 45-time PGA Tour winner hinted that he might be leaving the suit.

“Now that LIV (Golf) is involved, it’s not necessary for me to be involved,’’ Mickelson said on September 16. “The only reason for me to stay in is (monetary) damages, which I don’t really want or need anything. I do think it’s important that the players have the right to play when and where they want, when and where they qualify for. And now that LIV (Golf) is a part of it, that will be accomplished if and when they win.’’

On Tuesday in a federal court in California, Mickelson filed a voluntary dismissal dropping him from the suit. He wasn’t alone. Ian Poulter, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford also filed similar dismissals on Tuesday.

Of the original 11 plaintiffs, only three now remain: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Jones and Peter Uihlein.

“Nothing has changed. The merits of the lawsuit — the PGA Tour’s anti-competitive conduct — still stand and will be fully tested in court, and we look forward to it,” LIV officials said in a released statement. “We stand by the players who the PGA Tour has treated so poorly, but we also recognize to be successful we no longer need a wide variety of players to be on the suit.”

Although Mickelson’s name is no longer part of the suit, he may still be part of the proceedings moving forward.

There has been much posturing in advance of the antitrust suit that’s scheduled to take place in early 2024.

For example, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was in Washington, D.C., lobbying on behalf of his Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway golf league last week while PGA Tour players were playing in the Presidents Cup. This after a June report from Wall Street Journal that suggested the Department of Justice is investigating whether the PGA Tour engaged in anticompetitive behavior against LIV Golf.

During Norman’s recent visit to the Capitol for a meeting with the Republican Study Committee — which is considered the largest conservative caucus in the House — Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) called Norman’s appearance “propaganda” before walking out of the meeting.

Meanwhile, the PGA Tour sent the U.S. District Court of Northern California a 32-page response to the initial lawsuit back in August, plus a separate seven-page example of what it calls mischaracterizations and mistruths presented by the LIV players.

LIV Golf has long been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to sportswash its human rights record with guaranteed money and multi-million dollar deals. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.

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Arkansas’ memorable nonconference games since 2000

A quick look at the Hogs’ early season non-conference games.

Early season non-conference games are exciting. Two teams who normally don’t see each other, pairing their styles against each other for 60 game-clock minutes.

Arkansas has one of the most anticipated non-conference matchups this season when they host No. 23 Cincinnati on Labor Day weekend inside Razorback stadium.

The Bearcats were voted into the College Football Playoffs after winning 13 games last season. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Arkansas is a 59% favorite over the back-to-back American Athletic Conference champions.

As we prepare for the start of the 2022 season, let’s take a look at some of the most memorable early-season non-conference games since the start of the new millennium.

‘Our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters’: Jay Monahan sends memo to PGA Tour players after LIV Golf court ruling

“Our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters.”

The first of many legal battles between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf officially took place on Tuesday.

Judge Beth Labson Freeman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled against Talor Gooch, Matt Jones and Hudson Swafford after they sought to sue their way into the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. Last week, the trio filed for a temporary restraining order as part of a larger antitrust lawsuit against the Tour.

The three golfers argued they should be allowed to compete in the playoffs because it would cause them irreparable financial harm, seeing as they had already earned a qualifying spot before they were suspended for playing in a LIV Golf event. Freeman, however, ruled in the Tour’s favor.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent a memo to players following the decision. LIV Golf also released a statement Tuesday afternoon.

Report: Player drops name from lawsuit against PGA Tour

“With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks: the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, capping off an incredibly compelling season with the crowning of the FedEx Cup champion at the Tour Championship,” Monahan said in part.

Full memo:

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