ESPN’s College GameDay heading to Knoxville for Alabama vs. Tennessee
After traveling to Lawrence, Kansas for the first time ever for Kansas vs TCU, College GameDay will be headed to Knoxville, Tennessee for the top-10 showdown between bitter rivals the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers The Crimson Tide have dominated this match-up in recent years winning 15 straight, but the Volunteers enter the game with the best roster and ranking its had in recent years.
Alabama opens as a touchdown favorite, but Tennessee will have the home-field advantage. Alabama defeated the Volunteers 52-24 in Tuscaloosa in 2021 and don’t think the Vols have forgotten.
Despite coming off of a narrow win against the Texas A&M Aggies, the Tide will likely return Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young after missing the A&M game due to injury. Even though Tennessee plays Georgia in a few weeks, this is the biggest game on their schedule too.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
Week 6 sees the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Some Illini insight from a discussion with an Illini insider at Rivals.
As the Iowa Hawkeyes get ready to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, the game appears to be shaping up as an old-fashioned Big Ten slug fest.
To get up-to-speed on the upstart Illini who are surprising some with their rebuild, an insider from Rivals provided insight to some key items regarding the Illini.
The insider is one I have known for nearly a decade, was my college roommate, college football teammate, and one that is still a friend although providing he is coverage for the Illini.
The Illini insider is Jonah Puls. Find him on Twitter (@JP_UIRivals) for all things Illinois. From football, to basketball, to even their highly-ranked golf team.
We discuss the Illini’s accelerated rebuild, a few players that could influence this matchup, dive into some advantages that each team has, and get into some predictions on who takes this Big Ten West matchup.
Is there any ACC team you consider to be an actual rival of Notre Dame’s?
When you think of Notre Dame rivals the obvious teams come to mind.
Southern Cal, or USC as they prefer to be called, is probably first while next would be Michigan, who has bounced on and off the Irish schedule for decades because of the general dislike between the two.
Michigan State and Purdue from the Big Ten both have incredible histories with Notre Dame as does Pitt, who have taken on Notre Dame 69 times over the years.
North Carolina might not show up on the list of great Notre Dame rivals, but believe it or not they’re one of the most frequent opponents the Irish have ever played. The two first met in 1949 and will play this Saturday for their 23rd football meeting all-time.
In those previous 22 games Notre Dame has dominated to a 20-2 record, including last season’s Halloween eve victory over Carolina that didn’t feel nearly as close as the final score indicated.
Notre Dame and North Carolina met in 12 of 14 seasons between 1949 and 1962 with the Irish taking all but the 1960 contest, a 12-7 Tar Heels victory.
The two then met four times between 1965 and 1975 with Notre Dame taking each contest, the final being a comeback which rookie (freshmen were ineligible then) quarterback by the name of [autotag]Joe Montana[/autotag] came off the bench with eight minutes to play to lead a 21-14 comeback victory despite trailing 14-6 upon entry.
As exciting as that one was it’d be the last of Notre Dame and North Carolina anyone would see for over 30 years. The two didn’t meet again until 2006 when the Irish won going away, 45-26, on a day that [autotag]Jeff Samardzija[/autotag] set the Notre Dame record for career touchdown receptions.
Notre Dame would then make the trip to North Carolina two years later and fall for just the second time to the Tar Heels, 29-24, in a game that went down to the final seconds.
Since Notre Dame’s football affair with the ACC began in 2014, the Irish and Tar Heels have met three times, all of which Notre Dame has been ranked for and ultimately won.
Oklahoma’s battle with Nebraska this Saturday will have a little extra spice as top 100 recruit Malachi Coleman will be in the building.
While most of Oklahoma’s recruiting efforts have been finished since August, Oklahoma still has some potentially significant recruiting battles to be won.
One of those battles comes on the offensive side of the ball, where the Sooners look to stack up on playmakers as they continue to reshape and retool the offense in the way offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby wants it. He’s got his sights set on another offensive threat in the form of top 100 freak athlete Malachi Coleman who hails from Nebraska.
Coleman, listed as an athlete, initially profiles as a tight end or wide receiver at the next level for Oklahoma. His athleticism and measurables would make him a matchup nightmare.
He stands 6-foot-5 and just over 200 pounds. He can run and jump and has insane big play ability. If you’re keeping track at home, it fits in Lebby’s penchant for recruiting bigger receivers, a la Nic Anderson, Jayden Gibson, and transfer Javian Hester.
Many scouts believe he could be a prominent edge defender should he choose to go somewhere to play on the defensive side of the football. In short, he’s a must-have target for many schools simply because his ceiling is near limitless. The Sooners are in a neck-and-neck battle with their old foes, the Cornhuskers, for his services, and the game between the two schools this weekend will have a little extra meaning behind it. Coleman will be in Lincoln as two of his top schools battle it out.
Sooners Scoop recruiting editor Josh McCuiston seems to believe he’s seen enough to log a Rivals Futurecast in Oklahoma’s favor.
The insiders at 247Sports seem to believe solely in Nebraska, as the Cornhuskers currently have all of the crystal ball predictions in their favor.
This recruitment seems like it has a few more twists and turns but make no mistake, Oklahoma will keep up the pressure on Coleman. Considering they aren’t recruiting any other offensive players of note in the 2023 class anymore, Coleman would be a substantial cherry on top of a great recruiting class for 2023.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.
With several more 247Sports crystal ball predictions in favor of OU, the Sooners looks to be leading the race for 5-star DL David Hicks.
The coaching staff for the Oklahoma Sooners is fishing for the big one. The big one in this case? Five-star defensive line prospect David Hicks. Hicks has offers from every major program in the country. He’s being courted heavy hitters like Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
However, something has tipped the scales in a big way for the Sooners.
In the spring, it looked as if the Aggies were the frontrunners for Hicks in the wake of their top rated class in the 2022 cycle. The summer rolled around and Oklahoma gained ground on the recruiting trail while making up ground in the race for Hicks. We are now days away from kickoff for the 2022 season and Oklahoma looks like the favorite to land the elite 2023 prospect.
That type of declaration can only be made when multiple insiders across multiple recruiting sites put in predictions for Oklahoma. As it stands, Oklahoma currently leads in predictions on Rivals, On3, and after today’s predictions: 247Sports.
OUInsider recruiting analysts Brandon Drumm and Parker ThuneBrandon Drumm and Parker Thune each issued a crystal ball projection in favor of Oklahoma.
As if two crystal balls from those two weren’t enough, 247Sports college football Director of College Football Recruiting Steve Wiltfong also dropped a prediction in Oklahoma’s favor.
The pendulum has officially swung in favor of the crimson and cream.
Oklahoma’s momentum on the recruiting trail, the rave reviews from so many families about the culture they are creating, and the caliber of defense Brent Venables is capable of orchestrating are winning families and recruits over.
Todd Bates is a master recruiter of defensive line talent and even more so he’s a developmental guru sending multiple players to the NFL.
Hicks wouldn’t be wrong for wanting to be one of the faces of this 2023 recruiting class and being at the forefront of an OU defensive resurgence. At his current trajectory and based on what folks in the recruiting industry have said about him, he’s on a crash course for the NFL.
Oklahoma will have to keep their foot on the gas to stave off Alabama and Texas A&M but an official visit to Norman for Bedlam is already secured. Hicks also has an official visit scheduled with Alabama this fall. This race is far from over but Oklahoma is officially a threat and maybe, just maybe, the leader to land David Hicks.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
The Aggies head coach weighed in on future scheduling models at SEC Media Days.
It took a few asks to get there, but coach Fisher eventually got around to sharing his thoughts when asked about the three permanent rivals he’d personally like to see as new SEC scheduling models have been a hot topic as of late.
You want Texas. When Texas comes into the league, when that schedule comes in, definitely because of that rivalry. I think LSU is a great rivalry. But that’s probably our two biggest. Then Arkansas goes into that, too. But I don’t know if that was one of our three that they equated to us in what we did. I mean, you’re going to play great teams all across the board. You have to get those rivalries…I think the Texas rivalry is important. I think the LSU rivalry is important.
While Jimbo focused heavily on a “top-two” – two rivalries that shouldn’t surprise many – overall, Fisher didn’t hesitate to show support for this particular model and the importance of maintaining tradition and rivalries in college football:
…it gives you more consistency, helps keep some traditional rivalries. I think that’s the one thing we’re trying to do in college football. To me it makes college football special, the rivalries of college football, trying to keep as many traditions as you can with the expanding world. Things are inevitable, they’re always going to change. If you can keep as much as you can, I think it’s great. I think that model will be there.
No matter what direction the SEC goes in future college football seasons, I think it’s safe to say there will be some familiar faces permanently etched on Texas A&M’s schedule.
Nebraska gets high marks on its recruiting efforts from one industry analyst.
A national analyst is deep diving into the Big Ten’s recruiting landscape. Rivals has decided to take a deeper look at the efforts of all 14 conference schools as we see the summer recruiting season wrapping up before the start of college football in 2022.
As we’ve discussed, the Huskers currently have 14 recruits committed to the class of 2023. According to Rival’s analysis, Nebraska currently has two 4-star players ( DE Ashley Williams of Louisana and WR Omarion Miller of Louisana), while the remaining 12 players are all 3-star recruits. Nine of the incoming players for 2023 are currently projected to play offense at the collegiate level, and five of the fourteen players are recruits coming from in-state.
This has been a better Husker recruiting effort than we’ve seen in the last several seasons. The addition of wide receivers coach Mickey Joseph is evidence of that, given that his history in the state of Louisana allowed him to poach two recruits from the state, and not just any two recruits but the two top recruits in the class. Those improved and expanded efforts, as well as a willingness to embrace the transfer portal, have placed the Huskers in a good position heading into this season and beyond.
Hopefully, these wins on the recruiting trail will lead to wins on the field sooner rather than later.
Oklahoma’s efforts to recruit SEC territory continue as the Sooners offered four-star EDGE, Sterling Dixon, out of Mobile, Alabama.
Oklahoma’s foray into the state of Alabama to find talented football players has been one of the more notable changes in the recruiting philosophy with this new coaching staff under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Oklahoma was never this active or prevalent in the state of Alabama under [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag], but the Sooners are clearly prioritizing the state.
The latest native of Alabama to receive an offer to play at Oklahoma is 2024 EDGE prospect, Sterling Dixon. Dixon, a four-star prospect out of Mobile Christian School, stands 6-foot-3 and has received quite a bit of attention from SEC schools like Auburn and Arkansas. Auburn already has a crystal ball prediction in favor of landing Dixon, however, it’s early in the 2024 cycle, and things could still change.
Dixon’s calling card is his first step quickness and his lateral agility, which allows him to get on top of offensive linemen while they are still off balance. This allows him to beat them to the edge or push outside then cross their face inside with speed to get into the backfield. It’s clear he needs more weight on him to play in college, but Dixon looks like a nice upside player with more refinement to his technique.
Momentum is starting to pick up significantly in Oklahoma’s favor for four-star linebacker Lewis Carter out of Tampa, Florida.
Oklahoma has become an absolute machine in July and by all accounts, it’s not slowing down this month in the slightest.
After starting the month ranked somewhere in the 40s nationally in team recruiting rankings for the class of 2023, Oklahoma has taken a gigantic Superman-sequel leap into the top 15 of college football recruiting and the best part is: The month of July has more commits to come.
One of the players whom the Sooners are closing in on is four-star athlete Lewis Carter.
Carter, a projected linebacker out of Tampa, Florida, fits the modern off-ball linebacker mold of today. He’s not some hulking 6-foot-3 behemoth but a little undersized with speed to burn and some pop behind his pads. He has the ability to play in space, which is where today’s games are being decided. At six feet tall and playing somewhere around 200 pounds it’s possible the Sooners could move him to safety but it looks like he’ll get a shot as a linebacker out of high school.
The Under Armour All-American boasts over 40 confirmed offers but the Auburn Tigers, North Carolina Tarheels, Clemson Tigers and the Sooners seem to be standing out the most.
Less than 24 hours after Oklahoma landed their 15th commitment of the 2023 class, cryptic “lock” emojis flooded social media from former Sooner great Rufus Alexander and director of recruiting J.R. Sandlin on Friday morning. Those were followed by Carter posting this tweet.
To cap it all off, multiple 247Sports crystal ball and On3 predictions were dropped from Oklahoma and Auburn insiders, raising the idea that Carter’s recruitment could be winding down and Oklahoma looks to be the favorite.
— 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝘀𝗼𝗻 & 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 (@OUCrystalBall) July 15, 2022
With that said, a Carter commitment would be another major pickup as Brent Venables continues to remake the defensive roster in his image. One that more closely resembles the elite defenses he built while at Clemson.
Arch Manning is the prize of Texas’ recruiting class, but the former national director of recruiting for Rivals thinks the QB is overrated in the national rankings.
The University of Texas got its guy. Arch Manning is destined to live up to his namesake, earning the rank of not only top quarterback in the class of 2023 but also the No. 1 player in his year. He is positioned to lead the Longhorns to the top of college football and relevance they haven’t entertained in over a decade.
Or maybe the University of Texas just got a guy.
Arch Manning is nothing more than an above-average high school quarterback who comes from a lineage of greatness, more of a Marcus Jordan than a Ken Griffey Jr. At least, the latter is what one football recruitment expert believes.
Mike Farrell, the former national director of recruiting for Rivals.com, one of the premier recruiting outlets, said on the Daily Wire’s Crain & Company podcast that he thinks Manning is closer to a three- or four-star quarterback than sure-fire five-star.
“If his name was Arch Smith, I think he’d probably be a high three-star quarterback,” Farrell said on Crain & Company. “He plays a very low level of competition. He hasn’t progressed. He had a really good freshman season. I wouldn’t say regression, but he hasn’t progressed. And when he has had to step up against other competition, especially in the playoff game where he looked awful, it just hasn’t translated.”
With that said, Farrell acknowledged that with the natural gifts Arch has as a Manning and the education he received from the likes of Archie, Cooper, Eli and Peyton, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. “You have to assume, based on the success of that family … that he’s going to be good,” Farrell said, adding that he would likely rank Arch a four-star QB.
In that playoff game, Newman (New Orleans, La.) had just 137 yards of offense and went just 2-for-8 on third downs, according to Nola.com. It was Manning’s worst game of the season, and it wasn’t particularly close.
As a freshman, Manning passed for 2,438 yards and 34 touchdowns and six interceptions. He threw for 1,922 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a sophomore and, in seven games as a junior, passed for 1,371 yards to go with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. His junior year saw more yards per game passing than as a sophomore, but a career-low 61.8% completion percentage. He did rush for 310 yards, the most of his career, despite playing fewer games.
But that is only one person’s review. After Manning committed to Texas, ESPN reported that a coach who recruited him believed he would be the No. 1 player even if he weren’t a Manning. In the article, the coach references his arm, mobility and vision down the field.
Recruiting sites are extremely bullish on Manning. 247Sports‘ Gabe Brooks wrote that Manning possesses “elite pocket awareness” and accuracy outside the pocket. On3 raved about his pure throwing motion and ultra-quick release. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill wrote about his improvisation skills and poise.
The major recruiting sites may have him as a consensus No. 1 prospect, but not everybody is convinced. Manning has a year of high school left to prove that he is far superior to the competition and ready for the next stage.
