Rose Bowl posts highest attendance in past 25 years

An epic game at an epic venue! #GoBlue

It’s already the most dramatic scene in all of college football and it was made that much more dramatic by the way the game ended.

We’re of course talking about the 2024 Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of them all, which took place on January 1 between the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

If you’re living under a rock, then let’s explain what made the game so hype: Michigan football, which hadn’t won a bowl game since 2015, was facing off against a Nick Saban-coached juggernaut in Alabama. A 1-seed, the Wolverines weren’t as highly thought of as their predecessors who were also national champions. Yet, despite nearly turning the ball over on the second play of the game, Michigan dominated the first half, only to let Alabama come back and take a late lead. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy orchestrated a late drive to tie the game, and in overtime, it was a vintage Blake Corum scamper for a touchdown and a defensive stand which rewarded the maize and blue with a win and a trip to the national championship game.

It was also the first time since 2007 that Michigan made a trip to Pasadena, making it extra special.

As it turns out, it was a bigger-than-usual Rose Bowl in many ways. The official Rose Bowl X (formerly Twitter) account reported this week that the 2024 game was the largest to watch it in-person since 1999.

What’s more, it was the most-watched bowl game, with 27.76 million tuning in to see the Wolverines beat the Crimson Tide in epic fashion.

With 19 million watching Michigan beat Ohio State, 10 million watching the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa, and 9 million tuning into the runfest over Penn State, only Alabama rivaled the Wolverines’ overall viewership in 2023. Thus, it makes sense that when the two teams played against each other, the fan bases both packed the house.

Jadeveon Clowney post farewell message to Ravens Nation after signing with Panthers

Jadeveon Clowney post goodbye message to Ravens after deal with Panthers

The Ravens helped Jadeveon Clowney fall in love with football again, and after signing a two-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, he took to Instagram to thank Baltimore and the fan base with a heartfelt Instagram post.

Clowney logged a career-high nine sacks in 2023, and after playing for $2.5 million in 2023, he could make upwards of $24 million in Carolina.

https://instagram.com/p/C5Elk5BpVIz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The Rock Hill native and South Carolina Gamecocks legend visited the Panthers and New York Jets before choosing.

Ultimately, the Panthers chose Clowney to upgrade their pass rush after trading Brian Burns and losing Frankie Luvu in free agency.

Michigan basketball PG Dug McDaniel sets transfer visit

Do you want Dug to come back? #GoBlue

New Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May will have his work cut out for him when it comes to rebuilding the Wolverines’ roster.

At the moment, the maize and blue have but three scholarship players and with Olivier Nkamhoua’s time likely done in Ann Arbor, others have decided to depart via the transfer portal, including George Washington III (though he left the door open to return to Michigan), Youssef Khayat, and Tarris Reed Jr. The biggest, however, is point guard Dug McDaniel, who led the team in scoring in 2023-24.

McDaniel has yet to indicate whether or not he intends to give May a shot — nor has May indicated if he’d be open to his return. But McDaniel has taken a step towards leaving with having set a visit to TCU this upcoming weekend, per On3’s Joe Tipton.

McDaniel found himself in hot water this season when he was suspended for away games for much of the second half of the season due to academic issues. He returned for the final two games, but the Wolverines still struggled (and lost).

Though he struggled with academics as well as turnovers on the court, having an established point guard who is familiar with life in Ann Arbor would be a benefit. But it’s looking more clear that May may have to search for a replacement in the transfer portal if McDaniel’s current trajectory holds.

Michigan football offers 5-star, top 2026 running back

Finally swinging for the fences! #GoBlue

While Mike Hart was a fan favorite, favored son, and incredible developer of talent, his recruiting prowess wasn’t exactly renowned during his time in Ann Arbor. Hart did reel in Jordan Marshall, an Ohio native who spurned the hometown Buckeyes in favor of Michigan football, but when it comes to top prospects outside of Marshall, Hart wasn’t really getting much in terms of highly-rated recruits.

Enter Tony Alford, the former Ohio State running backs coach who defected to Ann Arbor after starting spring ball in Columbus. Known for developing players such as J.K. Dobbins and recruiting TreVeyon Henderson (who committed to OSU sight unseen), he’s already been much more aggressive when it’s come to attacking the recruiting trail.

More evidence of such surfaced on Thursday with the latest offer: 2026 Woodberry Forest (Va.) five-star running back Savion Hiter.

Hiter is listed by the 247Sports Composite as the top running back in the 2026 class as well as the No. 10 overall player in the country, regardless of position.

He has 21 reported offers, including one issued from Alford during his tenure at Ohio State.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 182 pounds, Hiter will have his pick of suitors across the country, including from other elite schools such as Alabama and Georgia. But with Alford leading the charge, in conjunction with Michigan’s offensive philosophy, it would stand to reason that the Wolverines could find themselves in the mix for his services.

Elite 2025 linebacker puts Michigan football in top group

Would be a big pull from SEC country. #GoBlue

Michigan football recruiting has been somewhat slow as the Wolverines adjust to the new-look staff under head coach Sherrone Moore. But it’s starting to heat up as Moore starts to host prospects on campus while reaching out to those who have interest in the maize and blue.

Among those who have interest is 2025 Jesup (Ga.) Wayne County four-star linebacker Tavion Wallace, who is rated by 247Sports’ proprietary rankings as the No. 26 player in the country — regardless of position — which would make him a five-star once those are doled out.

Wallace released his top 12 schools on Thursday, and Michigan football made the cut.

The Wolverines are the only northern team to make his list, with the rest coming in via either the SEC or the ACC. Georgia, Florida, Missouri, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Louisville, and Florida State, and Kentucky round out his top 12.

At the moment, Wallace has just one 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction indicating his potential school of choice and that’s to Florida State. His brother is on the roster at one of his top schools, and that happens to be Kentucky.

The fact that Michigan is mentioned bodes well for the Wolverines’ chances, not just because they’re listed, but because of all the listed schools, U-M is the most recent offer, having extended the invitation to come to Ann Arbor on March 7, 2024.

Cowboys’ John Fassel: New kickoffs will ‘feel like a real football play’; KaVontae Turpin could explode

From @ToddBrock24f7: Fassel called kickoffs “a dying play.” New rules should give a speedy return man- like the Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin- a huge advantage.

The Cowboys felt like they found a secret weapon when they signed KaVontae Turpin away from the USFL after his MVP season of 2022. While he went on to make the Pro Bowl his first year in Dallas, it has felt like Turpin has still been kept largely under wraps, thanks to a set of rules that somewhat limited the blazing speed that had made him so dangerous.

With revised kickoff rules in place for 2024, Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel believes the league is about to see what the 27-year-old is truly capable of.

Fans got a breathtaking preview in a 2022 preseason game against the Chargers, when Turpin returned both a punt and a kickoff for scores.

Since then, Turpin hasn’t taken a kick back to the house. In fact, he’s barely gotten to try. Last season, he logged just 10 kickoff returns the whole year.

But… his per-return average was a jaw-dropping 29.2 yards, the highest of any player with double-digit returns.

That could become the norm rather than the exception, now that kick returns are set to make a return of their own.

“It was a dying play,” Fassel said Thursday on Good Morning Football. “And it feels like it’s back, and it’s back in a big way. I must say, I’m proud of the NFL for being bold, because this is a big change.”

Touchbacks last season were up a whopping 373% over what they had been just 14 years prior, and in the name of payer safety, kickoffs themselves had become a ceremonial formality.

Fassel was instrumental in developing the new rules, which were approved by owners last week at the annual league meeting.

“We were losing the play,” he lamented, “and there’s a lot of history behind the kickoff and kickoff return.”

Just not much recent history.

There were just four kickoff-return touchdowns leaguewide in all of 2023. The last one for Dallas came on Thanksgiving Day 2021, when Tony Pollard brought one back 100 yards versus the Raiders. Prior to that, if you take out CeeDee Lamb’s half-field scoring dash after scooping up an onside kick attempt against the 49ers in 2020, the Cowboys’ last kick return for a TD had come from Felix Jones.

In 2008.

Now, kickers will essentially be incentivized to keep the ball in play rather than blast it through the end zone. Tacklers and blockers will start closer to one another but be forced to remain stationary until the returner has the ball.

Gone are the high-speed collisions and injuries that often result from ten cover men sprinting full-steam and face-first into a wall of charging blockers. And with no one getting a head start on the play, a speedster like Turpin should suddenly have the advantage. (The Steelers, not coincidentally, signed veteran return ace Cordarrelle Patterson just hours after the new rule was approved.)

The NFL’s new-look kickoffs will be on trial in 2024 but could remain permanent past that. And the rule could trickle down to all levels of the sport.

“If this thing gets adopted by college football, high school football, the lower levels, I think we’ve done a great thing for the game of football,” Fassel said. “We’ve made it better, we’ve made it safer, and I just can’t wait to see where it goes. I think everybody’s really going to love it. It’s a unique look at the start, but once that ball gets caught, man, it’s game on and it’s going to feel like a real football play.”

And if all the stars align, the secret weapon the Cowboys have kept stashed for two years could be that real play’s next real poster child.

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Four-star RB Alvin Henderson sets commitment date

Will Auburn land one of Alabama’s top recruits from the 2025 class?

As four-star running back [autotag]Alvin Henderson[/autotag] inches closer to his commitment date, Auburn is beginning to create separation between themselves and Florida State.

Henderson visited the Plains earlier this week, where he revealed his commitment date to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover. The Elba native will choose between Auburn, Florida State, Miami, Oregon, and Penn State on April 5 during a ceremony at his high school.

In an interview with Clemente, Henderson says that relationships will be an important factor with his decision. He also mentions his level of comfort within Auburn.

“If it was Auburn it’d just be the relationship and obviously you know, I feel at home here,” Henderson said. “Even the resources off the field if I was to come here and if I was successful or not successful, once I graduated I’d always be able to come back here and feel welcome.”

What are Auburn’s chances of landing Henderson? The Tigers currently hold two crystal ball predictions from 247Sports, including one from Zach Blostein of Noles247. Auburn also has an 88.4% chance to earn Henderson’s commitment according to On3. Alabama is next in line with a 3.7% forecast, followed by Florida State and Miami.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Browns: S Grant Delpit changing his number from 22 to 9

Delpit will wear his college number moving forward.

Pro Bowl alternate safety Grant Delpit will be wearing a new number for the Cleveland Browns in 2024.

Delpit is not the first Browns player to take advantage of the new single-digit rule that was enacted two years ago, and he will not be the last. Fresh off of his extension to stay with the team for another three years, Delpit is going back to his college number, changing from 22 to 9. Delpit, of course, wore the legacy 7 for LSU during his final year as well, but 9 was his original number when he arrived at Baton Rouge.

The news was first broken by NFL Jersey Numbers, which tends to have the scoop on NFL equipment news. This led to the creation of jersey swaps online.

The Pro Bowl alternate then also responded to this jersey swap of his as well:

Delpit himself then confirmed the change in number on X (formerly known as Twitter), stating he is going to do a jersey exchange at training camp for anyone who owns one of his old jerseys.

 

2024 projected win totals for each NFC East team

We’re looking at a ranking of all four NFC East teams including the Philadelphia Eagles by 2024 win total predictions

We’re about 40 days from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal, but the world and Eagles fans already know who their opponents will be.

The league uses multiple factors to determine the year’s game schedule.

There’s a cycle of inter-conference faceoffs; each NFC division rotates through each AFC division every four seasons and the other NFC divisions every three seasons.

In addition, where a team finishes within their division dictates a same-finish matchup with one team from the opposite conference and whichever divisions aren’t in the rotation for that season.

Philadelphia previously had one of the more difficult schedules over the past two years, but 2024 will see the Eagles among the top ten easiest schedules based on win-loss percentages from last year.

Offering an early glimpse into where the Eagles could finish this season, DraftKings revealed a 2024 win total prediction for all 32 teams, and Philadelphia landed at No. 6 on the list.

Here’s where all four NFC East teams are projected to land.

Former Cowboys DC Monte Kiffin to be honored with Hall of Fame Award of Excellence

From @ToddBrock24f7: Kiffin was on staff in Dallas just 2 seasons, but the influence of one the game’s greatest defensive masterminds can still be felt today.

A former Cowboys coordinator and one of the greatest defensive minds in football history is heading to Canton.

Monte Kiffin was named this week as one of 15 individuals being enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as an Award of Excellence recipient. This is the third year for the awards, meant to honor assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers, public relations personnel, and film/video directors who have made significant contributions to the sport during their careers.

Kiffin served as the Cowboys defensive coordinator for the 2013 season in what was Jason Garrett’s third full year as head coach. He had already been coaching at the college and pro levels for over 45 years, given birth to the revolutionary “Tampa Two” defense, and won a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers by the time he came to Dallas.

Despite having a defensive roster anchored by DeMarcus Ware, Sean Lee, and Jason Hatcher in a Pro Bowl year, the 2013 Cowboys struggled to just an 8-8 finish and missed the postseason.

Kiffin lost the DC job to Rod Marinelli for 2014 but stayed with the team as an assistant head coach for the defense. Dallas put together a 12-4 season, finished in a three-way tie for the NFC East title, and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Kiffin’s fingerprints can be seen all over NFL defenses even today, and his influence still remains in Dallas. Mike McCarthy comes from the Marty Schottenheimer coaching tree, as did Kiffin. And the current Cowboys defense which was put together by Dan Quinn is based on philosophies Quinn developed under Pete Carroll, who in turn was mentored by Kiffin.

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Using safeties as linebackers, prioritizing speed over size, deploying multiple defenses from a single look, emphasizing takeaways, and being willing to give up yards but not allowing teams to score – all are signatures of the style Kiffin invented.

Now 84, Kiffin works as a consultant and player personnel analyst at Ole Miss, where his son Lane is the head football coach.

Former offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese, equipment manager “Buck” Buchanan, and longtime PR exec Greg Aiello are among the previous Awards of Excellence winners with Cowboys ties.

This year’s Awards of Excellence recipients will be recognized in Canton June 26-27.

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