Tag: Ricky Williams

Upstart league says it’s in talks with Ricky Williams, Brian Urlacher to play

The Fan Controlled Football League says it’s in discussions with former NFL stars Ricky Williams and Brian Urlacher to play for the league.

The Fan Controlled Football League says it is in talks with 1998 Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher to play for the upstart circuit, a league source told Touchdown Wire on Wednesday.

It would represent a remarkable feat if either player does return to the field to play for the FCFL. Williams, 43, last played in the NFL in the 2011 season. Urlacher, 42, last appeared in an NFL game in 2012.

Over the past weekend, TMZ reported that 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is considering a return to football with the fledgling league.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CI3fE8ljpBu/

Williams, the No. 5 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft out of Texas, registered 10,009 career rushing yards in an 11-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens.

Urlacher, the No. 9 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft out of New Mexico, was named to eight Pro Bowls in a 13-year career with the Chicago Bears. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

The FCFL, which plans to kick off its upcoming six-game season on Feb. 13, 2021, will rely on fans to help select play calls for coaches via stream on Twitch. Below are the FCFL teams and notable owners:

WILD ACES – (Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, comedian Greg Miller)

GLACIER BOYZ – (Hip-hop mogul Quavo, San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman)

ZAPPERS – (Minnesota Twins pitcher Trevor May, comedian Bob Menery)

BEASTS – (Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch, professional boxer Mike Tyson, professional wrestler Miro)

Fab Four: Selecting Texas football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits

On the eve of early signing day, Longhorns Wire recalls the most hyped commits in school history.

The Texas Longhorns and head coach Tom Herman are preparing for the early period signing day on Dec. 16. This comes just four days after their 2020 college football season finale. The Longhorns have finished with three top-10 classes in as many seasons according to 247Sports composite rankings. Continue reading “Fab Four: Selecting Texas football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits”

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Texas Football: Bijan Robinson provides the stat of the game

Bijan Robinson was an electric back for the Texas Longhorns on Saturday against Kansas State. He even reached a huge feat in this game.

In the Longhorns’ biggest victory on the season in terms of margin of victory, there was no bigger player than Bijan Robinson for Texas. Continue reading “Texas Football: Bijan Robinson provides the stat of the game”

College Football Playoff to move forward, Heisman Trust unsure

The College Football Playoff committee has released their schedule for the upcoming season. The Heisman Trust hasn’t announced plan.

As the college football season approaches, all eyes were on the College Football Playoff committee. It was announced on Monday that the committee will move forward with the playoff, even without the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences. It was an expected decision, going forward with three of the Power Five conferences still in play for the upcoming season.

As fans are aware, six conferences have announced their intention to play, and so the selection committee has established its meeting schedule in order to be prepared,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said at the time. “We will continue to monitor the situation and if anything changes, the committee will be ready to adjust as needed.

The interesting part is that the committee has not made any plans for a spring version of the playoff according to reports. At this time it doesn’t appear that there will be a spring championship but this is a fluid situation and it could change at any time.

Key College Football Playoff dates

  • November 17, 2020- initial rankings released
  • November 24, 2020- rankings released
  • December 1, 2020- rankings released
  • December 8, 2020- rankings released
  • December 15, 2020- final rankings released prior to selection day
  • December 20, 2020- Selection Sunday
  • January 1, 2020- College Football Playoff Semifinals Games
  • January 11, 2020- National Championship Game

Related: Texas viewed as a College Football Playoffs sleeper

While the CFP committee is moving forward with the playoffs, the same cannot be said about the Heisman Trust. Well, at least not yet. According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, the group hasn’t decided if there will indeed be a Heisman Trophy awarded in the 2020-21 college football season.

The annual Heisman Memorial Trophy ceremony is a huge event. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger is looking at his final shot at the award, so this will be a situation to monitor. If they do move forward, Ehlinger will be looking to bring the trophy back to Austin for the first time since Ricky Williams won it. Both Vince Young and Colt McCoy game close to winning the trophy. Can the Austin native bring it home? That remains to be seen.

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Locked on Longhorns Podcast: LSU game cancelled, Big 12 plans

Friday’s Locked on Longhorns podcast discusses the LSU-Texas cancellation and what are the Big 12’s plans moving forward?

Friday’s Locked on Longhorns is packed full of schedule news, recruiting and who should be on the Mount Rushmore of Big 12 running backs and more.

  • SEC officially announces a conference only schedule, LSU-Texas now cancelled.
  • Big 12 virtual media day cancelled.
  • What will the Big 12 do in terms of the schedule and when will it be announced?
  • Jake Smith and Tarik Black will have new jersey numbers in 2020
  • The NCAA will allow social justice patches
  • New helmets
  • Which Longhorns are featured on the Mount Rushmore of Big 12 running backs?
  • Tom Herman’s ambiguous tweet
  • Texas earns blue chip commitment for 2022

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Two Longhorns listed among ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Big 12 backs

Texas has had their fair share of top running backs but where do they rank among the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Big 12 running backs?

During one of the weirdest offseasons in recent memory, the amount of football news has been minimal. Well expect for the constant updates on conference scheduling, COVID-19 updates and award watchlists. One good topic of conversation revolves around the “Mount Rushmore of” insert topic here. Heartland College Sports gave their Mount Rushmore of Big 12 running backs.

What they said

TEXAS RUNNING BACK RICKY WILLIAMS (1995-1998)

Even though Ricky played his freshman season in the Southwestern Conference, it would be insane to leave him off this list. From his sophomore season in 1996 to his senior season in 1998, he was arguably the best running back in college football during that time. Not only is Ricky the all-time leading rusher at Texas but he is the second all-time leading rusher in Big 12 history rushing for over 5,200 yards and 64 rushing touchdowns. However, do not forget that he almost racked up nearly 1,000 receiving yards as well. Oh yeah, in case you forgot, he won the Heisman trophy back in 1998.

TEXAS RUNNING BACK CEDRIC BENSON (2001-2004)

I feel like people sometimes forget just how good Cedric Benson was in college. From his freshman season in 2001 to his senior year in 2004, Cedric rushed for at least 1,000 yards and in his final three years in Austin, he never rushed for less than 1,293 yards in a season. And due to Ricky Williams playing a year in the Southwestern Conference, Cedric Benson is the all-time leading rusher in Big 12 history with 5,540 rushing yards and 69 rushing scores.

It should really come as no surprise to see both Ricky Williams and Cedric Benson are both part of the Mount Rushmore of Big 12 running backs. Williams an obvious member given how dominant he was and the fact that he won a Heisman. Benson is the all-time leading rusher in Big 12 history and he was one of the most consistent backs each and every season.

Jamal Adams just the 8th player traded for 2 first-round picks since 2000

Former Jets safety Jamal Adams became only the eighth player to be swapped for two first-round picks on Saturday.

Jamal Adams joined an exclusive group when the Jets dealt him to the Seahawks on Saturday.

New York received two first-round picks in exchange for Adams, making him only the eighth player since 2000 to be flipped for two first-round selections. Among those eight players are Pro Bowlers, All-Pros and a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

With Adams taking his talents from the Big Apple to Seattle, here is a look at the other players who have been swapped for two first-round picks in the last 20 years.

Joey Galloway

Photo by Matt Rourke/Getty Images

The Seahawks have become known for trading their first-round picks in exchange for veteran talent in recent years. At the beginning of the century, though, they were on the receiving end of a large haul for the services of wide receiver Joey Galloway.

Galloway starred for the Seahawks for the first three years of his NFL career but eventually became disgruntled with his contract. A contract dispute and holdout that lasted 101 days ensued and cost Galloway half of the 1999 season. That was the final straw for Seattle, as it sent him to the Cowboys in exchange for first-round picks in the 2000 and 2001 NFL drafts.

Dallas gave Galloway a contract that made him the second-highest paid receiver in the league upon his arrival, but he never quite lived up to the deal. The Seahawks, meanwhile, used one of the two first-round picks the Cowboys gave them on Shaun Alexander, who went on to become a three-time Pro Bowler and MVP in 2005.

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Locked on Longhorns: Practice notes and number one quarterback prospect

The Locked on Longhorns podcast the latest practice notes for Texas and the top 2022 passer with Longhorns ties.

The Locked on Longhorns podcast kicks off with practice notes from 247Sports. We discussed the quarterback competition behind Sam Ehlinger. Casey Thompson is the number two quarterback for the upcoming season but could one of the young guns take the job from him in 2020 season? Does Thompson have an opportunity for the starting role in 2021?

Roschon Johnson was taking first team snaps in the absence of Keaontay Ingram. Is there a chance Johnson might go back to quarterback in 2021? Who will be the starting ‘Z’ receiver role in 2020? The top two candidates are Joshua Moore and Tarik Black. Moore was taking the first team reps.

Sam Ehlinger was named to the Davey O’Brien Award watchlist. With Ehlinger being the FBS active leader in completions, passing yards, touchdowns and total offense since 2018, it is no surprise. Would Ehlinger be the all-time leading passer in school history if he would have started every game since his freshman season?

2022 quarterback Quinn Ewers holds an offer from the University of Texas. The number one quarterback was recently rated as the number one prospect in the 2022 class overall. Can the Longhorns bring him to Austin? Ewers has ties to the Longhorns which could bode well for the team.

One of the changes to the Texas Longhorns, one of the big changes will be the new name for the football field. Most recently named Joe Jamail field, it will now be known as Campbell-Williams Field. It will be named after the only two Longhorns to ever win the Heisman Memorial Trophy, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. Plus Gunnar Helm set to visit Austin next week.

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Texas announces renaming of football field, ‘Eyes of Texas’ plans

The University of Texas announced a series of actions to promote diversity, inclusion and equity to fully supports Black students on campus.

The University of Texas will be renaming their famed football field. Continue reading “Texas announces renaming of football field, ‘Eyes of Texas’ plans”

Three Longhorns on 247Sports’ Top 50 CFB players of All-Time list

Recently 247Sports released their top 50 college football players of all-time list with three Texas Longhorns legends making the cut.

When it comes to any list that involves the best college football players of all-time, it is hard to imagine that the Longhorns wouldn’t be involved. Some very big names in the football world have come through the University of Texas. Legendary NFL coach Tom Landry, Hall of Fame quarterback Bobby Layne and Colt McCoy to name a few. These players played for top coaches in Dana X. Bible, Darryl K. Royal and Mack Brown.

247Sports put together their all-time greatest college football players list. One of the first names that many think of when it comes to Texas is a particular quarterback who played in an instant classic back in 2005. He comes in at number 44.

Number 44- Quarterback Vince Young

(Harry How/Getty Images)

In the 2005 season, USC running back Reggie Bush beat out Vince Young for the Heisman, but in the following January’s BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, it was Young who turned in the MVP-winning performance, and led his Longhorns to a 41-38 win the over the Trojans, a thriller that was named the best bowl game of all time by the Football Bowl Association.

Coming in at 44 seems a bit low for Young but one can’t complain when being compared with some of the other quarterbacks on this list. The fourth-down run alone is still talked about as one of the best plays in college football history. Hard to believe it has been 14 years since VY raced to the corner of the end zone to give Texas their first National Championship in 35 years. Young is definitely deserving of being named to the top 50 college football players of all-time.

Young is the highest-rated recruit in Longhorns history with a perfect score. In fact he shares that honor with four other players, but he is the only one on offense. The former Maxwell and Davey O’Brien Award winner finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Reggie Bush. Young is currently seventh- in career passing at Texas, third in total offense and one of only two quarterbacks to account for 500 plus yards of offense in a single game.

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