Tag: Miami Hurricanes football

Former Browns RB Duke Johnson joins Hurricanes’ coaching staff

As his playing career has dwindled, former Browns running back Duke Johnson has begun down the journey of coaching.

After a year where he did not log a carry or catch, former Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson is taking on a new career.

Johnson is heading back to his alma mater, where he holds the record for career rushing yards. According to Marcus Benjamin of Rivals, Miami Hurricanes’ head coach Mario Cristobal has stated that Johnson will join his staff as a student assistant this season.

During his time with the Browns, Johnson was known as the best playmaker in some of their worst years. As both a runner and receiver, Johnson made a significant impact on the field while wearing brown and orange. During his four years in Cleveland, Johnson amassed over 1,200 yards rushing, nearly 2,200 yards receiving, and a total of 13 touchdowns.

After being traded to the Houston Texans in 2019, Johnson bounced around to Miami and Buffalo afterward before playing his last regular season snap in 2022.

Best of luck to Duke as he begins down a new path!

Jackson Arnold outside the top 10 in ESPN’s 2024 spring quarterback rankings

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold just outside ESPN’s 10 ten QBs for the 2024 season ahead of spring ball.

Anytime you have turnover at quarterback, there are bound to be questions about how the offense will perform the following season.

The Sooners are one of the teams across the country that will be starting a new quarterback in 2024. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] takes over for [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred to Oregon. And while there may be some uncertainty, the Sooners have one of the best young quarterbacks in the country.

The former five-star prospect isn’t one of the favorites to win the Heisman in 2024 and at this point. At this point he’s just outside the top-10 of ESPN’s quarterback rankings heading into the spring. And a lot of where Arnold is ranked is likely related to his inexperience at the collegiate level.

The only player without much experience that’s ranked ahead of Arnold is Tennessee Volunteers quarterback [autotag]Nico Iamaleavea[/autotag].

Arnold has a lot of talent and is a highly-regarded quarterback, but he and Iamaleava have a lot to prove still. But they’ve got all the talent in the world, and both former five-star quarterbacks were able to get their first start during bowl season.

Arnold and Iamaleava will likely provide the fireworks in the Oklahoma Sooners first conference game in the SEC when they welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to town. That could be the start of a fantastic quarterback battle over the next several years. In the offenses they run with the talent that both schools possess, both former five-star quarterbacks could be dark-horse Heisman contenders in 2024 and frontrunners in 2025.

For the Sooners, everything is set up for Arnold to find himself ranked much higher in these quarterback rankings by the end of the season. The offensive line will come together and the Sooners have a deep pool of skill talent for Arnold to work with.

Here’s a look at ESPN’s top 10.

Where does Jackson Arnold rank in early 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel?

Jackson Arnold is already getting some preseason Heisman buzz before his first year as a starter.

If you think [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] is going to win the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] in 2024, now is the time to bet on it. You probably won’t see the odds this low again if he has the season you think he’s going to have.

Arnold is heading into his first year as the starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners. The sophomore quarterback showed flashes in games last year. Even though his bowl game was soured with all of the turnovers, he showed in that game why people are so high on him and his ability.

He’s definitely got all of the makings to be Oklahoma’s next great quarterback and Heisman contender. Arnold’s going to have plenty of opportunities to show out against several high-quality opponents.

So where does Arnold land in 2024 Heisman odds according to Fan Duel Sportsbook? Let’s take a look at the early contenders.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3006″ ] Fan Duel

Oklahoma among teams with the most players in 247Sports Top247

Oklahoma put together a great recruiting class in 2024, finishing among the teams with the most Top247 signees in the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together arguably their best class of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era in 2024. It wasn’t ranked higher than the 2023 class, but because of the defensive talent it is bringing in, it makes a strong argument for the top spot.

A great way to show the strength of a class is to look at how many blue-chip prospects a team signed. Blue-chip prospects are defined as four- and five-star prospects. To show how important that is, according to the blue-chip ratio, programs need to sign more four- and five-star recruits than two- and three-star players over the previous four recruiting classes (better than a 1:1 ratio) to have a shot at a title.

To go further, three of the four College Football Playoff teams this past season met the blue-chip ratio criteria heading into the season, including the eventual national champion. Every national champion has met the blue-chip ratio criteria dating to the tool’s inception in 2013. So, how did Oklahoma fare compared to other teams in the 2024 class? Turns out, quite well.

The Sooners were among the top 10 teams that signed the most prospects from the 247Sports Top247 player rankings.

Former Marshall junior DE Elijah Alston chooses Miami after decommitting from Texas A&M

After being committed to Texas A&M for a brief 22 hours via the NCAA Transfer Portal, former Marshall junior defensive end Elijah Alston has selected a new destination.

After being committed to Texas A&M for a brief 22 hours via the NCAA Transfer Portal, former Marshall junior defensive end Elijah Alston has selected a new destination.

According to a report from Pete Nakos, an On3 Sports college sports business & transfer portal reporter, Alston has chosen the University of Miami as his next home.

Earlier this week, Alston committed to the Aggies over Georgia on Monday morning. However, less than a day later, he changed his mind and reopened his recruitment. Now he has decided to play for the Hurricanes.

The 6-foot-2, 256-pound defensive lineman had been with the Thundering Herd since 2019 but had extended action since 2021. In the last three seasons at Marshall, he tallied 102 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 9.0 sacks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Alston has a 91.0 overall grade and 90.5 pass-rush grade. Those statistics are based on 235 pass rush snaps in which he racked up 36 QB pressures and 5 sacks.

He redshirted in 2019 and played four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Therefore, Alston has one year of collegiate eligibility remaining at Miami.

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

Opinion: USA Today gives Texas A&M football program a harsh grade for 2023 season

USA Today college sports reporter Paul Myberg released his 2023 season grades for all 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams on Wednesday morning and the grade he gave Texas A&M is harsh, to say the least.

USA Today college sports reporter Paul Myberg released his 2023 season grades for all 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams on Wednesday morning and the grade he gave Texas A&M is harsh, to say the least.

The Aggies were 1-of-12 teams that Myberg gave a solid D to. Texas A&M (7-6) had the second-most wins in the group, only trailing USC (8-5). However, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and consensus No. 1 overall pick was not under center at Kyle Field this season.

Former head coach Jimbo Fisher was fired on Nov. 12, hours after the Aggies smashed Mississippi State by a final score of 51-10. At that point, Texas A&M was 6-4 overall with three of its losses against ranked teams: No. 11 Alabama, No. 19 Tennessee & No. 11 Ole Miss. The other defeat came in Week 2 at Miami.

Whether or not Fisher should’ve been dismissed is an argument for another day. The overall point is that a D grade is a bit harsh in my opinion. If the Aggies were still in high school, that would be considered a passing grade.

Texas A&M is a university though and to say the 2023 season was a complete failure is inaccurate. The Aggies lost their starting quarterback, sophomore Conner Weigman, in Week 4 to a season-ending foot injury.

Even after firing its leader, Texas A&M completed the campaign with a winning record. So to say the season was a complete failure is inaccurate. In my opinion, the Aggies should’ve received a C- for what they overcame during 2023.

Nevertheless, the Mike Elko era is officially underway and everyone in Aggieland is moving on to greener pastures in 2024.

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

Breaking: 4-star DL Kendall Jackson commits to Texas A&M after flipping from Miami and Florida

Johnny Manziel isn’t walking through that door but Aggies coach Mike Elko has been making money moves since coming home to College Station.

Johnny Manziel isn’t walking through that door but new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has been making money moves since coming home to College Station.

Elko’s latest move is a big one. 4-star defensive lineman recruit Kendall “Hollywood” Jackson committed to the Aggies on Tuesday afternoon.

“I want to thank my coaches, coach Wade and coach Bell, all my coaches. I appreciate y’all for these last four years. Y’all have been an integral part of my life today,” Jackson said Tuesday at a news conference held at Buchholz High School. “With that being said, I did post that I won’t be signing with Miami today. For the next three to four years, I’m taking my talents to Texas A&M.”

On July 12, the Gainsville, Fla. native initially committed to stay home and attend the University of Florida. He decommitted from the Gators on Dec. 2. One week later, he committed to the University of Miami.

Five minutes before holding a news conference to announce his decision Tuesday, Jackson announced via X that he would not be signing with the Hurricanes after all. He is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and has 19 total offers.

Jackson’s taken four visits so far to Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and Miami. Elko hired Sean Spencer from Florida as the new Texas A&M defensive line coach on Dec. 3. The hiring appears to be already paying major dividends with the commitment of Jackson this week.

The college football early signing period begins Wednesday and ends Friday.

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

Report: 2024 3-star QB prospect Anthony Maddox decommits from Texas A&M

Class of 2024 3-star quarterback prospect Anthony Maddox decommitted from Texas A&M on Friday according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.

Class of 2024 3-star quarterback prospect Anthony Maddox has decommitted from Texas A&M.

According to a report from Chad Simmons of On3 Sports, Maddox announced his decision on Friday afternoon. He originally committed to play at Kyle Field back in February.

“It was a tough decision. I had a great connection with coach Jimbo Fisher and coach Bobby Petrino, so when they left, it opened me up to other schools,” Maddox told On3 Sports. “I talked to different coaches, I took some visits and I decided to open back up. I saw a great opportunity at Texas A&M under the old staff, but I see better opportunities elsewhere now with the new staff there. The coaching change was a huge factor in my decision.

“I am looking to make a decision by the end of the weekend and it will come down to the atmosphere, what the program can bring me and how I fit into the offensive scheme. I am looking for an opportunity to get onto the field early too, then have a chance to make explosive plays in the offense.”

Maddox is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss. He has 20 total offers, including to both Southeastern Conference schools in his home state, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Per On3 Sports, Maddox visited the Rebels program this past weekend and had a trip planned to College Station that has since been called off. Other frontrunners for the talented quarterback are Louisville and Miami, Simmons said.

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

5 games to watch during the Oklahoma Sooners bye week

The Oklahoma Sooners are on a bye this week, but there are several big time matchups in week 7. Here are five to watch.

It’s a bye week for the 6-0 Oklahoma Sooners. The first-place, undefeated, and Red River Rivalry winner Oklahoma Sooners get a Saturday to rest.

They bye week falling smack-dab in the middle of the season and coming right after your biggest game of the season is pretty perfect. The Sooners get an opportunity to rest and recuperate for the second half of the season. It’s time to get guys healthy in order to get back to the Big 12 title game and possibly more.

While the Sooners are off, there are some big-time college football matchups to take in as neutral observers and one game in which Sooners fans will be incredibly interested in.

Here are five games to watch this week during Oklahoma’s bye week.

Former 4-star UGA WR commit Ny Carr makes commitment

Former UGA football commit, four-star wide receiver Ny Carr makes commitment

Former Georgia Bulldogs commitment Ny Carr has committed to the Miami Hurricanes. Carr is one of Miami’s top commitments in the class of 2024. The Hurricanes have the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation following Carr’s commitment.

Carr’s commitment gives Miami some momentum after the Hurricanes lost in a shockingly mismanaged game against Georgia Tech.

Carr is the No. 53 recruit in his class and the ninth-ranked prospect in Georgia. The four-star is ranked as the No. 11 wide receiver in the country.

The 6-foot, 170-pound receiver plays high school football for Colquitt County in Moultrie, Georgia. Carr was favored to commit to Miami after he decommitted from Georgia.

Carr, who is ranked as a four-star recruit, was one of Georgia’s first commitments in the class of 2024. Carr’s recent decommitment means that Georgia only has two commitments at the wide receiver position in the 2024 recruiting cycle. Georgia is looking to add another commitment from talented wide receiver recruit, but Carr will be a tough player to replace.

The standout receiver also plays high school basketball and runs track. The Colquitt County superstar plans to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl.

[lawrence-related id=93181]

Georgia football has 26 commitments in the 2024 recruiting cycle. The Bulldogs still have the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. Georgia’s two commitments at wide receiver for the time being are four-star Nitro Tuggle and three-star Sacovie White.

Georgia is targeting five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo, but the Bulldogs have other prospects in mind as they are projected to land Wingo.