Tag: Rivals

Oklahoma sends offer to Philadephia prep school cornerback Omillio Agard

Oklahoma joins the race for Philadelphia area cornerback Omillio Agard, issuing an offer to the four-star prospect.

Oklahoma has gone to work recruiting the northeast since Brent Venables has taken over. In 2023, they signed a pair of players, Phil Piccioti and Logan Howland, from that neck of the woods.

In the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag], they’ve offered multiple prospects from that area, and this past weekend, they added to that growing list by offering composite four-star cornerback Omillio Agard.

Agard hails from Philadelphia, where he attends St. Joseph’s Prep School. The 5-foot-10 corner excels with physicality at the line of scrimmage despite not being the biggest player on the field. He showcases the ability to jam and reroute receivers while also showing a willingness to come up and tackle.

Agard is being pursued by a number of Power Five schools like Clemson, Penn State, Tennessee, Michigan, and Alabama. Clemson and Penn State look to be early frontrunners, but at this time, it may be too early to call the race.

Omillio Agard’s’ Recruiting Profile

HUDL

Texas A&M Football vs. Texas named one of the most intense rivalries in college sports

In a preview of what’s to come in 2024, Texas A&M’s football rivalry with the Longhorns was named one of the most intense in all of college sports.

Let’s rewind back to November 26, 2022, as the Texas A&M Aggies just pulled off a 38-22 upset victory over the No. 5 ranked LSU Tigers. What made that season finale win taste so sweet? Aside from the fact that it ended LSU’s hopes of a College Football Playoff appearance, the win just so happened at the expense of the Aggies’ heated rival.

It’s one of the many benefits of college sports that fans get to savor: the iconic team rivalry. It doesn’t matter if your team is a behemoth or if they’re at the bottom of the barrel, a win over your dreaded adversary is a moment best celebrated with endless bragging rights.

That element is the inspiration for 247Sports’ latest rankings of college sports’ most heated rivalries. Texas A&M of course made the cut, but as for their most intense rival, it paints a picture of what’s to come in 2024.

The Aggies’ football rivalry with the Texas Longhorns clocked in at No. 11 in the rankings, which is a surprise inclusion given the fact that these two teams haven’t met on the gridiron since 2011. In fact, they’ve purposefully worked to avoid seeing each other during bowl season as well.

That all changes in 2024 when the Longhorns join the SEC, and you can bet this historic rivalry will be ready to add a fresh new chapter to the book.

Texas leads the all-time series between these two programs 76-37-5, but playing against SEC competition is an entirely different beast than the Big 12. With the Maroon and White armed with a talented recruiting class that’s set to make a leap this season, don’t expect this to be a pushover when these two meet in 2024.

The Aggies will be more than ready to show who will be the more dominant SEC school in the state of Texas.

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

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Few NFL teams have been poached as heavily as the Saints in free agency

Few NFL teams have been poached as heavily as the Saints in free agency. They’ve lost at least six players to other teams, at a combined annual contract value of $48 million:

Few NFL teams have been poached as heavily as the New Orleans Saints in free agency. They’ve lost at least six of their in-house free agents to other teams, several of them NFC South rivals. Per Over The Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the six Saints free agents who have left town are earning a combined average annual contract value north of $48 million. That ranks fourth-highest around the league, behind the San Francisco 49ers ($83.6 million), Las Vegas Raiders ($67.3 million), and Philadelphia Eagles ($58 million).

It’s hard to find fault with defensive tackle David Onyemata agreeing to play on a $13 million per-year salary, even if it’s with the miserable Atlanta Falcons. Hopefully he upcharged them, as did linebacker Kaden Elliss (who is bringing in $7.17 million a year in Atlanta). Defensive tackle Shy Tuttle ($6.5 million per year) and quarterback Andy Dalton ($5 million per year) are also drawing nice paydays from the Carolina Panthers. Defensive end Marcus Davenport got $13 million from the Minnesota Vikings. Wide receiver Deonte Harty, coming off a foot injury, received $4.75 million from the Buffalo Bills. We’re waiting to see what safety Justin Evans got from the Eagles, but it’s not expected to be substantial.

But back to the Saints. All of these losses will be challenging to replace, but the team has already gotten started by signing a couple of starting defensive tackles in Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders. They were able to get Jameis Winston to return on a pay cut and back up Derek Carr. More depth along the defensive line, at linebacker, and at receiver is still needed, but that can all be addressed with time. Could they have matched some of these contract offers? Maybe, but it probably wouldn’t have been worth it. Better to stick to their price and rebuilt without breaking the bank.

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OU 2024 targets thrive at Under Armour Dallas camp, trending toward the Sooners

Oklahoma targets Michael Hawkins and Bryant Wesco had big days at the Under Armour Next camp in Dallas, and OU continues to trend in a positive direction for the four-star prospects.

Oklahoma’s top QB target and one of their top wide receiver targets in the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] put on a show at the Under Armour Next All-America Dallas camp this past weekend.

[autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag], a consensus four-star QB prospect, took home the Accuracy Challenge award, while fellow four-star North Texas prospect Bryant Wesco took home wide receiver MVP honors.

Wesco dominated defensive backs with crisp routes, his size, and his ability to bring down any and everything that came his way. For both prospects, Oklahoma and TCU seem to be the top two schools in their recruitment.

Oklahoma and TCU will be on standby come April 8th as Hawkins plans to announce his commitment. Following his performance at UA Dallas Next, Hawkins received another crystal ball prediction in Oklahoma’s favor from Texas Insider Mike Roach on Monday.

Hawkins has 247Sports, On3, and Rivals, all projecting him to land with Oklahoma. Barring a surprise commitment between now and April 8th, Hawkins, if he chooses Oklahoma, will likely be their first commit for 2024.

On the other hand, Wesco seems like a recruitment that still has a little more time before it’s decided.

Like Hawkins, Wesco also received a projection in favor of Oklahoma following his performance in Dallas. Mike Roach also believes Oklahoma will land Wesco, giving the Sooners a four-star wide receiver to combine with potential four-star commit in Hawkins.

Roach joins OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm and Parker Thune in his projection of Wesco to Oklahoma.

With these new developments, Oklahoma could be on the cusp of announcing its presence on the recruiting trail for the class of 2024 in a big way. As recruitment of the 2023 class taught us, Oklahoma will run the whole race to the end. They will also strike while the iron is hot, like in the summer of 2022 when they reeled in 10 commits in 21 days.

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2024 4-Star Quarterback Air Noland receives Crystal ball to land with Texas A&M

In one early, yet trustworthy predicion, 4-Star Quarterback Air Noland is predicted to land with Texas A&M

Ever since the emergence of quarterback Conner Weigman during the latter half of the 2022 season, Head coach Jimbo Fisher has finally found an answer at the position from his recruiting class, but we’ll never forget to give credit to Kellen Mond’s productive four-year career with the Aggies, though he was a member of former Head coach Kevin Sumlin’s 2017 recruiting class.

To further build towards the future at the signal caller spot, Fisher has done a solid job so far, securing commitments from 2023 4-Star Quarterback Marcel Reed, and 2024 3-Star Quarterback Anthony Maddox, both possessing unlimited potential.

However, one special QB prospect in the 2024 class remains in flux, as Fairburn, Georgia native Air Noland recently “unofficially” visited Texas A&M on Jan. 21st, the talented duel-threat just received an official “Crystal ball” from Texas A&M insider, and Aggieyell.com writer Landyn Rosow, predicting that Noland will land with the Aggies in due time.

At this time, it may come down to a recruiting battle with the Auburn Tigers, but with spring football and the summer recruiting rush coming sooner than later, Air Noland’s recruiting journey is far from complete, but hopefully ends in the Aggie’s favor.

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

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Sooners receive third projection to land 2024 4-Star WR Bryant Wesco

Oklahoma continues to set the pace for 2024 four-star wide receiver Bryant Wesco, picking up a Crystal Ball from OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm.

Oklahoma has yet to break the ice on the 2024 class with its first commitment of the cycle. However, as of the last month or so, they’ve been trending in the right direction with multiple prospects. One of those players is 2024 four-star wide receiver prospect Bryant Wesco.

Wesco is a talented receiver and has had Oklahoma in his sights after he camped with the Sooners last summer. Since earning his offer, his recruitment has taken off. The Sooners have worked to build their relationship with Wesco, and it appears it’s paying off.

Oklahoma now has their third projection in favor of landing the consensus four-star playmaker as OUInsider’s Brandon Drumm issued a crystal ball projecting Wesco to be a Sooner. This comes after OUInsider’s Parker Thune [autotag]OUInsider’s Parker Thune[/autotag] and Josh McCuistion of SoonerScoop.com issued predictions for the Sooners.

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With Wesco trending this hard in Oklahoma’s direction, it raises the question of when Wesco would pull the trigger on a decision.

While the Sooners are favorites on 247Sports and Rivals, On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine still favors TCU. Which means there’s at least a competition between the Big 12 foes. Wesco has visited TCU twice this year alone. Once in January, his most recent visit came on Wednesday as he and a few other Oklahoma targets saw TCU for their second Junior Day. By all accounts, former Sooner turned TCU wide receivers coach Malcolm Kelly also prioritizes Wesco as their top target.

This battle could come down to who Wesco fits more with and would likely serve as new Oklahoma wide receiver coach Emmett Jones’ first substantial recruiting battle. The Sooners have positioned themselves for success in this recruitment but will need to seal the deal.

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WATCH: Wisconsin HC Luke Fickell’s interview with Rivals about Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class

Watch HC Luke Fickell’s interview with Rivals’ Clint Cosgrove about Wisconsin’s 2023 recruiting class:

After an outstanding performance to start his first early signing period as Wisconsin head coach, Luke Fickell spoke with Rivals’ Clint Cosgrove about the Badgers’ additions to their 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday.

In the interview, Fickell spoke extensively about the importance of creating strong relationships with current players and recruits, as well as his respect for the culture at Wisconsin. He believes that these were vital to the Badgers keeping many of their commits and adding even more.

Fickell surprised many throughout the county with two huge signees in wide receiver Trech Kekahuna and cornerback Amare Snowden, who are rated as four-star prospects by Rivals. Kekahuna had initially committed to Wisconsin, but de-committed shortly after HC Paul Chryst was fired. The Badgers were, fortunately, able to flip him back on Wednesday after he committed to Arizona last week.

It should be exciting to see what Luke Fickell will continue to do in his first recruiting cycle as the Badgers’ head coach.

49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games without a shutout

The 49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games played without a shutout loss on Sunday. It had been the longest active streak in the NFL:

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It’s been a long, long time since the New Orleans Saints were last shut out. They put points on the board in 332 consecutive games — which had been the longest active streak in the NFL. But the San Francisco 49ers snapped that streak on Sunday, and now the Saints are left to pick up the pieces. Annoyingly, that isn’t even an NFL record. The 49ers themselves set it with 420 games played without a shutout.

So what happened in New Orleans’ last shutout? To give you some context, it happened on Jan. 6, 2002 at the end of the 2001 regular season. Jim Haslett coached the team, and Aaron Brooks was the Saints quarterback at the time, with Drew Brees closing out his rookie year with the Chargers (who played in San Diego at the time). At the time, this was a game between two rivals in the old NFC West; the NFC South would be founded a year later. Sean Payton was finishing out his second season as the New York Giants offensive coordinator and Dennis Allen was busy working the secondary at Tulsa, his first full-time coaching job. It capped a four-game losing streak that put the Saints at 7-9, eliminating them from the playoffs.

And of course it was the same 49ers team who beat them in a 38-nothing shutout at home. Terrell Owens started the game with two long touchdown catches from Jeff Garcia (of 56 and 60 yards, both in the first quarter) and things didn’t get much easier from there. The Niners racked up 407 yards of offense while limiting New Orleans to just 126 yards, intercepting Brooks four times and jarring loose four fumbles (three of them from Ricky Williams). San Francisco improved to 12-4 on the year but got knocked out of the playoffs a week later.

Things might be headed in a similar direction all these years later. The Saints are long shots of reaching the playoffs, while the 49ers look like a possible Super Bowl contender. There are still games left to play and decisions to make, but that’s where we are. History doesn’t always repeat itself  — but it often rhymes.

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Sooners ink two basketball commits headlined by Top 50 prospect Kaden Cooper

Oklahoma signed two athletic wing players during the early signing period, Jacolb Cole and Kaden Cooper. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s basketball program earned a massive boost for its future over the weekend. Oklahoma received signed national letters of intent from two talented basketball players that will join the team as freshmen in 2023. Kaden Cooper and Jacolb Cole signed during the early signing period to help jumpstart Oklahoma’s recruiting efforts for the class of 2023.

Cole, a 6-8 forward from Bellaire, Texas, is a four-star prospect according to  ESPN and Rivals and ranked a three-star per 247Sports. He is the No. 69 player on the ESPN100, ranked No. 107 nationally by Rivals, and the No. 6 player in Missouri according to 247Sports.

Cole’s calling card is his versatility, which is becoming the norm across all levels of basketball for guys with his height. Cole can play against smaller power forwards but will need to put weight on to bang with the older, more physically mature power forwards at the college level. His athleticism, length, and lateral quickness will allow him to guard traditional small forwards too.

Offensively, Cole thrives slashing to the bucket and using his ballhandling skills to help create for others. Long term, he could be great as a secondary playmaker for Porter Moser’s offensive system.

The second of two signees, Kaden Cooper, as of right now, is the crown jewel of the 2023 recruiting class for Oklahoma. The homegrown Sooner is staying in Oklahoma to play his college ball after passing up opportunities to play for Alabama, Kansas, and LSU.

Cooper is a monumental signing for Oklahoma, who hadn’t signed a player in the top 50 of the ESPN100 since they landed in-state legend Trae Young. Cooper is ranked No. 44 on the ESPN100 and No. 56 per 247Sports.

Cooper is a standout two-way player. He has eye-popping athleticism that will help him thrive playing in a system that is a little more free-flowing and plans to get out and run in transition. His long-term ceiling will be determined by how well he continues to evolve as a shooter.

With the signing of both, Oklahoma currently ranks 29th in the nation in team recruiting rankings for 2023. Oklahoma remains hopeful that four-star shooting guard Sebastian Mack announces in Oklahoma’s favor come Wednesday. As of right now, the heavy momentum looks very much in favor of UCLA.

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2023 Defensive tackle and Aggie commit David Hicks achieves unanimous 5-Star status

2023 Defensive tackle and Aggie commit David Hicks achieves unanimous 5-Star status from four major recruiting outlets

Texas A&M’s 2023 recruiting class is still a work in progress but in its current state, “quality of quantity” is the approach they’re taking, and so far, it’s yielding fantastic results.

Although the class is still without offensive skill position players, specifically quarterback and wide receiver, the Aggies have focused on the trenches, receiving commitments from a flurry of 4 and 5-Star offensive linemen such as Chase Bisontis, T.J Shanahan, Colton Thomasson, and Naquil Betrand, as well as defensive tackles Samu Taumanupepe, and David Hicks, with Hicks already solidifying himself as the 5th highest rated prospect to commit to the Aggies in their recruiting history according to 247Sports.

On Monday, On3 Texas A&M recruiting writer Marshall Levenson released the news that David Hick is officially a “5-Star Plus” prospect, meaning that he is now designated as a 5-Star recruit according to every major recruiting site, including 247Sports, On3, Rivals, and ESPN.

Hicks is the highest-rated recruit in the Aggies class and is presumed to continue climbing up the overall rankings by the end of his senior year at Paetow High School in Katy, Texas.

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