Tag: matt zenitz

Report: Ducks add Matt Lombardi as analyst to football program

Report: The Oregon football program is expected to hire Matt Lombardi as an analyst.

According to Matt Zenitz of 247sports.com, the Oregon Ducks football program is expected to hire Matt Lombardi as an analyst.

Ever since Dan Lanning arrived in Eugene, he has transformed the football staff to look more and more like a professional organization and the hiring of Lombardi is another step in that direction.

The newest member of the Duck football staff is coming most recently from the Las Vegas Raiders and he has experience with the Carolina Panthers. With the Raiders, Lombardi was an offensive assistant and an assistant receivers coach.

A bonus is that he worked with current offensive coordinator Will Stein when the two were at Louisville.

Report: Former Texas A&M wide receivers coach has found a new home at Georgia State

According to college football reporter Matt Zenitz, Dameyune Craig is expected to be hired as an offensive assistant coach at Georgia State.

A former Texas A&M wide receivers coach from the Jimbo Fisher era has found a new home.

According to 247Sports & CBS Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz, Dameyune Craig is expected to be hired as an offensive assistant coach at Georgia State per sources. Craig spent the last six seasons in College Station coaching the Aggies wideouts since 2018.

Craig reunites with new Panthers head coach Dell McGee, who he played with at Auburn in the 1990s. McGee is also expected to hire Tigers analyst Jeremiah Wilson as defensive backs coach, Zenitz reported.

Before arriving in Aggieland, Craig had previous coaching stints with LSU (2004 & 2016), Miami Dolphins (2005), Tuskegee (2006-07), South Alabama (2008-09), Florida State (2010-12 & 2017) and Auburn (2013-15).

The native of Mobile, Alabama played quarterback with the Tigers from 1994-97. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers in 1998, where he played for four seasons until 2001. He also had a brief offseason stint with the Washington Redskins in 2002.

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Report: Texas A&M retaining Tony Jerod-Eddie from previous regime as a defensive line coach

A former Aggie who went on to play five seasons in the NFL for the 49ers is staying home in College Station to join coach Mike Elko’s staff.

A former Aggie who went on to play five seasons in the NFL is reportedly staying home at Texas A&M to join head coach Mike Elko‘s staff.

Per 247Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz, former San Francisco 49ers nose tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie is being hired by Elko to serve as a defensive line coach. He was a member of Jimbo Fisher’s staff as a defensive analyst.

After Fisher was fired in November, former Aggies interim head coach Elijah Robinson promoted Jerod-Eddie to a more hands-on role as an assistant coach on the field.

“Tony is not only a bright young coach, he’s an Aggie and can help us through this transition,” Robinson stated in November. “The players love and respect him and he will do an excellent job.”

Before starring at Kyle Field on Saturdays, Jerod-Eddie lettered as a defensive lineman at Desoto High School in Texas. He earned All-Big 12 honors during his senior season in College Station.

 Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

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Report: Former Troy WR Jabre Barber set to visit Texas A&M

According to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, former standout Troy WR Jabre Barber has scheduled a visit with Texas A&M among other suitors.

With now eight players acquired through the transfer portal, new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko is looking to make another splash on offense after offering former Troy star wide receiver Jabre Barber, who, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz, has finalized a visit to College Station.

On paper, the Aggies’ have cleaned up at the WR position, already landing Javon Harvey (Old Dominion) and Cyrus Allen (LA Tech), who are deemed to make significant impacts as soon as the 2024 season, however, with the departure of Ainias Smith, who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, and sophomore receiver Evan Stewart, who is currently in the transfer portal.

After three years in Alabama, Barber, who stands at 5’10” and weighs 174 pounds, has shown the ability to play at all three receiver spots and has the speed to beat coverage deep, already accumulating 1,674 yards and ten touchdowns through the air, including 999 yards and five touchdowns during his 2023 junior season.

Texas A&M is poised to return wide receivers Moose Muhammad, Noah Thomas, Jahdae Walker, and Micah Tease next season, as both Muhammad and Walker combined for 205 yards in A&M’s 31-23 loss to Oklahoma State in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.

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Report: Texas A&M football team set to hire Patrick Dougherty from Duke as special teams coordinator

For the first time since 2017, the Texas A&M football program has a special teams coordinator.

For the first time since 2017, the Texas A&M football program has a special teams coordinator.

According to a report from 247Sports national college football reporter Matt Zenitz, the Aggies are expected to hire Patrick Dougherty from Duke as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. Dougherty previously served in the same roles for new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko with the Blue Devils in 2022.

Before joining Elko in Durham, Dougherty coached special teams and tight ends at Ball State University from 2016 to 2021. He also displayed an ability to serve as associate head coach during his final season with the Cardinals.

Dougherty had an immediate impact at Duke, ranking in the top 25 nationally in blocked kicks, punt & kick return defense, respectively, and punt return average.

During his nearly six-season tenure in College Station, former Aggies leading man Jimbo Fisher did not have a special teams coordinator. Elko has shown that he’s quickly changing things at Kyle Field in more ways than one.

Following the Texas Bowl on Wednesday, Texas A&M made several of Elko’s coaching hires official. Dougherty joins a staff that includes offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach Collin Klein, associate head coach & running backs coach Trooper Taylor, offensive line coach Adam Cushing, defensive coordinator & linebackers coach Jay Bateman, defensive backs coach Ishmael Aristide, defensive line coach Sean Spencer, director of strength & conditioning Tommy Moffitt and director of recruiting Derek Miller.

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Report: Aggies WR Evan Stewart did not travel with the team ahead Texas A&M vs. No. 14 LSU

247Sports’ Matt Zenitz has reported that Texas A&M star wide receiver Evan Stewart did not travel to Baton Rouge ahead of Texas A&M vs. LSU.

Late last week, rumors regarding Texas A&M star sophomore wide receiver Evan Stewart’s status with the program have now been confirmed, as 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz has reported that Stewart did not travel with the team to Baton Rouge (LA) ahead of the Aggies’ season finale road matchup vs. No. 14 LSU.

Stewart, who is second on the team in receiving yards (514) and receiving touchdowns (4), has dealt with a multitude of injury issues in the first and second half of the season, most recently missing two out of A&M’s last three games, while his return in last weekends 38-10 win over Abilene Christian saw just one reception for eight yards.

After firing now-former head coach Jimbo Fisher, many expected several key players, including Stewart, to enter the transfer portal. However, freshman wide receiver Raymond Cottrell remains the only player to place his name in the portal thus far.

Again, his absence could mean several things. Still, he is not injured, so I expect he is mulling his options while waiting to hear who will succeed Fisher at the helm, which will likely significantly impact his collegiate playing future at Texas A&M.

Texas A&M will take on 14th-ranked LSU on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. CT., and ESPN will carry the game.

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Wisconsin NT among six lesser-known Big Ten players with high draft grades

Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton was named by ON3 as a lesser-known Big Ten player with a strong NFL draft grade:

Earlier this week, Matt Zenitz of ON3 named six lesser-known players in the Big Ten that have strong NFL draft grades going into next season, and Wisconsin nose tackle Keeanu Benton made the list.

Related: Wisconsin picks up the No. 46th-ranked IOL in the class of 2023

Benton has been absolutely phenomenal at clogging the middle for the Badgers’ defense over the last few seasons, and even though he might not get the statistics of the edge rushers, the Wisconsin NT finished as second-team All-Big Ten last season. Zenitz states that he is graded by NFL scouts right now as a Day 2 or Day 3 selection in the draft.

Hopefully, this season at the helm of the defense alongside outside linebacker, Nick Herbig, will help to cement Benton’s draft grades with NFL teams.

Bryce Young and Will Anderson among top candidates to win 2022 Heisman Trophy

If either Young or Anderson wins, it would make college football history.

Bryce Young made Alabama history in 2021 by being the first quarterback in Crimson Tide history to win the Heisman Trophy. Young could make even more history in 2022 if he can repeat as the winner.

Young is widely considered the favorite to win the prestigious honor again in 2022 but he isn’t the only player from Tuscaloosa to watch out for.

On Wednesday, Matt Zenitz of On3 released his top 10 Heisman candidates for the 2022 season and it came as no surprise that Young was No. 1 on the list but fellow Crimson Tide teammate Will Anderson Jr. also made the list, coming in at No. 5.

Anderson is the only non-offensive player listed as a potential candidate according to Zenitz.

Here is Zenitz’s complete list.

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Notre Dame punter Bramblett, linebacker Moala enter transfer portal

Will you miss either of these guys?

It didn’t take long after Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State for two players to announce their future plans. One part is surprising, the other not so much. A tweet from Matt Zenitz of On3 indicated that Irish punter Jay Bramblett and linebacker Paul Moala will enter the transfer portal:

Bramblett, of course, has been the Irish’s punter for the past three years. In 13 games this season, he had 58 punts for an average of 42.6 yards. He was pressed into action plenty of times during the Fiesta Bowl with seven punts for an average of 36 yards.

Moala played in the Irish’s season opener at Florida State but suffered a season-ending Achilles injury for the second year in a row. The 12 games he played in 2019 were more than he played during his other three seasons with the Irish combined. A change in scenery most definitely would do him some good.

Alabama QB Taulia Togovailoa makes transfer decision

Yesterday, Alabama football QB Taulia Tagovailoa announced on Twitter where he’ll attend in the fall. Details here

Alabama sophomore quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, the younger brother of Crimson Tide legend Tua, has decided to transfer to Maryland.

Tagovailoa entered the transfer portal on May 8, per Matt Zenitz of AL.com, and posted his official statement declaring his signing with the Terps on Twitter yesterday.

Alabama still looks to be in good hands, though, with Mac Jones returning as a red-shirt junior. He was chosen to take the field over Taulia when his brother went down with the hip injury last season.

Why Maryland, though? The Terps went 3-9 last season, 1-8 in the Big 10, but head coach Michael Locksley spent three years under Nick Saban at Alabama before taking the Maryland job in 2018. It seems he still has some connections in Tuscaloosa.

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