Tag: NCAAF

Jayden Daniels ended concerns about his weird elbow photo with an 8-word tweet

Calm down, everybody. Jayden (and his elbow) are good to go.

A photo of Jayden Daniels’ elbow floating around the internet has caused panic and concern from football fans, but the former LSU quarterback shared that there is nothing to worry about.

The period between the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft might feel like a million years. Fans have eight weeks to do hundreds of mock drafts and try to guess where guys will land. It’s also a time when players are heavily scrutinized. That’s what happened when news outlets used a head-turning photo of Jayden Daniels (and his elbow) to share updates about his recent pro day.

Fans immediately noticed how his elbow didn’t look how they assumed it would, and the photo sent them into a frenzy with all kinds of wild speculations about what could be “wrong” with it. However, Daniels posted to X (Formerly Twitter) on Friday to clear the air.

Over 10,000 players have opted in to be included in EA Sports’ College Football 25 video game

I guess the debate about this is over.

There’s been debate over the upcoming EA Sports College Football 25 video game — particularly on whether athletes should allow EA to use their name, image and likeness.

The company began getting athlete approval at the end of February. EA offered the student-athletes a one-time payment of $600 and a free copy of the game in exchange for their likeness.

That’s where the debate came in. People questioned whether that was enough. A one-time payment isn’t very much considering that this game will use the players’ likenesses in perpetuity — at least for this iteration.

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Others thought it was a fair deal. And at least 10,000 players fall into this camp, too.

Front Office Sports reports that over 10,000 players have opted in for the game, putting EA Sports 87 percent of the way to its 11,000-player goal.

It seems most players just want to be in the video game. It’s hard to fault them for that — it’s pretty cool. There is validity to the argument that these players aren’t getting enough for their likeness here.

 

Regardless, it seems, the game has the players it needs. Things are moving forward.

Sam Hartman’s 40-yard dash slo-mo video won the NFL combine

Sam Hartman might soon have the best hair in the NFL

Trevor Lawrence may soon have some steep competition for the title of “Quarterback With The Best Hair In The NFL”.

At least that’s assuming former Notre Dame and Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman finds his way onto a roster this offseason. The 24-year-old showed up at the NFL combine in Indianapolis this week to display his talents, but anyone who watched him couldn’t help but get pleasantly distracted by his phenomenal flow.

When it came time for Hartman to run the 40-yard dash (which he did in 4.80 seconds), the hair once again stole the show. Just listen to how the fans reacted to him running:

Slow that video down and it’s even more magnificent. We’re not sure how much looking like a movie star while running plays into a draft decision, but if it does you can go ahead and pencil Hartman into the first round.

Again, just look at this beautiful lettuce:

Fans were understandably in awe.

Why Caleb Williams skipped medical testing at the NFL Combine and what it means for his draft stock

Caleb Williams’ unprecedented decision is causing a stir.

The 2024 NFL Combine is off and running, and that means news will be hitting the internet regularly about guys who are turning heads. Yet, Caleb Williams is turning heads in a different way. The USC quarterback has declined to do medical testing with all 32 teams and is only sharing medical information with the teams he visits.

Caleb Williams has decided that he will not do medical testing with every NFL team as typically customary for NFL Draft prospects. That decision is seemingly unprecedented and is viewed as unconventional by many in league circles. Naturally, it might be hard for evaluators (and fans) not to wonder if there is something he’s hiding from teams.

On Friday, he shared what went into his decision to be intentional with whom he meets with.

Here’s what Caleb said:

“Obviously, when you start doing things that’s not traditional, whether you’re at a school like USC, whether you’re here at the combine…I’d say the main thing has just been that it was a decision with my family and my team, and it really came down to: not all 32 teams can draft me, so, why give all 32 teams my personal medical things?”

Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, NFL draft prospects have complained for years about the time it takes to do a medical evaluation with every team and answer the same or similar questions from multiple team doctors. With this knowledge in mind, it makes sense that Caleb Williams would be selective with his time.

Additionally, despite his unique decision, it should not impact his ability to be a top draft pick. Many pundits agree that Williams is still a highly coveted prospect.

New UTEP coach Scotty Walden fired up the crowd at a basketball game clad in body paint

The 34-year-old knows how to raise the energy in the building.

When you’re taking over one of the toughest jobs in the FBS that only has one bowl appearance since 2014 to its name, you’ve got to think outside the box to garner some fan interest.

New UTEP coach Scotty Walden did just on Thursday night during the Miners men’s basketball team’s game against Louisiana Tech. Walden, who at 34 is the second-youngest head coach in the FBS, fired up the crowd at the game while wearing body paint that read “Win The West.”

Walden jumped on top of the media table, ran into the student section and even helped fans distract free-throw shooters.

Hired this offseason to replace former coach Dana Dimel, who had previously had the job in El Paso since 2018, Walden comes from Austin Peay. In four seasons with the Governors, he had a 26-14 season.

The most impressive result came this past fall when he led them to a 9-3 record and their second-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs.

There are few jobs in the highest echelon of college football more challenging than UTEP, especially in the current NIL and recruiting landscape, but it seems Walden certainly has the energy that will be required to win in West Texas.

Every EA NCAA Football cover star since 1993

The future of EA’s college football series may be uncertain, but for now, here’s a walk through 20 years of NCAA Football cover stars.

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EA’s NCAA Football cover stars operated on a different principle for a while compared to the spotlight athletes in other sports games. NCAA rules forbade college athletes from appearing on the cover, so you nearly always saw an NFL rookie sporting their jersey from a few years previously – usually with at least one trophy or high recognition under their belt as well. EA wasn’t afraid to get a bit silly with the NCAA franchise either. At one point, the publisher honored the community’s voice and made a mascot the star of an NCAA game.

The franchise came to a messy end in 2014, as licensing issues and debates over the appropriate use of player likenesses brought EA’s college football days to a halt. It may be coming back soon, but for now, here’s a walk through 20 years of NCAA Football cover stars.

EA’s College Football 25 video game is officially back, with a teaser trailer and everything

It’s back. It’s finally back.

It’s been nearly a decade since college football fans could boot up their Xboxes, Playstations or PCs, grab a controller and halfback angle their way to a national title. EA Sports gave up its annual release of NCAA Football after the 2014 edition — so long ago the cover athlete was Michigan star Denard Robinson.

Concerns about student athlete compensation rights in the aftermath of Ed O’Bannon’s Supreme Court win over the NCAA in 2015 effectively shuttered the series. But with name, image and likeness rules now allowing players to monetize their college careers, a pathway was created to allow the beloved franchise to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Specifically the kind of phoenix that runs the option and takes Ball State to the national championship.

Years of speculation have finally given way to a concrete announcement. While the name has changed from “NCAA Football” to “College Football,” EA’s back in the game — and the next installment comes out this summer.

Fans were excited enough to watch the teaser — which features zero actual gameplay — 1.5 million times in the first half hour the post was online. This was merely a puddle in a desert of college football video gaming, and folks bathed in it like an oasis. And hell, if it means I get a chance to guide Vanderbilt football to an SEC championship, I’m ready to dive in myself.

College football coaching carousel: Tracking the 2023-24 openings, including Georgia State

After Nick Saban’s retirement, five additional FBS programs got new head coaches.

The college football coaching carousel didn’t wait for the regular season to end before springing into motion. By mid-November, jobs in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Mountain West had opened up. The day after the regular season ended, three FBS jobs had been filled while eight remained open.

More openings followed as dominoes – like Mike Elko leaving Duke for Texas A&M – continued to fall.

The 2023 season began with one job already open after Northwestern fired Pat Fitzgerald over the summer amid a hazing scandal. Then, a few weeks into the season, Michigan State fired Mel Tucker for inappropriate conduct.

By mid-December, it seemed like the carousel had stopped spinning. And then, just days after the National Championship, it restarted in a big way.

And then the cycle kept going as Jim Harbaugh and Jeff Hafley moved on to the NFL.

As more coaches get fired, retire or leave for other jobs – while others will remain on the hot seat heading into next season – we’ll be tracking them here as college football’s silly season progresses.

Updated: Feb. 15

5 things to know about Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes when he played for Texas Tech

Here are some fun facts about Patrick Mahomes while he played college football.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of the most notable athletes in any sport, thanks in large part to his sustained excellence on the field.

As his Chiefs prepare to play in their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons and try to win a third Lombardi in that span, let’s look back on the prolific quarterback’s college days at Texas Tech.

Before he was a superstar quarterback, Mahomes was a budding talent down in Lubbock, Texas, who was working his way to being a starting NFL signal caller and also played baseball for a brief time.

Let’s take a look at a few interesting facts about Mahomes’ time at the college level.

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5 things to know about 49ers QB Brock Purdy when he played at Iowa State

Here are some fun facts about Brock Purdy while he played college football.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been one of the latest sensations in professional football.

After taking over as San Francisco’s starter well into the 2022 season, Purdy won plenty of games for the 49ers and now led the team to Super Bowl 58 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

However, it wasn’t long ago that Purdy was playing college football for the Iowa State Cyclones. He spent four years etching a legacy as one of the school’s best-ever quarterbacks.

Let’s look back on Purdy’s college days, which gave Iowa State one of the programs’ best runs in its history.