Tag: RJ Young

Where RJ Young ranks Notre Dame in his preseason top 25

Another preseason top 25?!?

It is that time of year again, as more and more analysts rank teams prior to the season and we find out their thoughts on [autotag]Notre Dame[/autotag].

There have been more than a few preseason polls come out in the last few days, the USA TODAY preseason Coaches Poll and Joel Klatt’s just to name a few.

You can now add FoxSports [autotag]RJ Young[/autotag] to the list. Their national college football analyst dropped his preseason top 25 and of course the Irish made his list. Where they were on this list was always the question and if you look below, you can find out where Young ranks Notre Dame ahead of the season.

Clemson ranks in the top 10 of RJ Young’s preseason top 25 rankings

Clemson is the top-ranked ACC team in RJ Young’s preseason top 25 rankings.

As the 2023 college football season fast approaches, analysts have begun to release their preseason top 25 rankings giving people insight into how they feel about some of the top teams in the country heading into the season. 

One of the latest to do so is Fox Sports national football analyst RJ Young, who revealed his top 25 Wednesday. Young is high on Dabo Swinney and Clemson, having the Tigers ranked No.8 in the country. 

As I wrote last month, the short but punchy fact is that new Clemson play-caller Garrett Riley did more at TCU than Clemson did last season, with considerably less than the Tigers had.

The Tigers haven’t seen a 3,000-yard passer since Trevor Lawrence left in 2020. And they haven’t seen a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in the same year since 2019. Lawrence threw for 3,665 with 36 TDs and eight INTs while Travis Etienne had 2,046 yards from scrimmage, including 1,614 on the ground with 23 total TDs that year.

At TCU last year, Max Duggan passed for 3,698 with 32 TDs to eight INTs, while Kendre Miller accounted for 1,515 from scrimmage.

If Riley can get Duggan-Miller production out of Cade Klubnik and Will Shipley, expect Clemson to win a CFP invitation for the first time since 2020.

Young knows the key to a strong season for Clemson in 2023. If Riley lives up to the hype and the Tigers’ offense gets back on track, they will be one of the best teams in the country.

Clemson ranked as the top ACC team for Young, with Florida State landing at No.10 in Young’s rankings.

Following a tremendous win against defending SEC West champ LSU and a punctuating one against Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl, Mike Norvell’s Noles are looking to win the first conference title in his tenure since 2014.

Many have the Seminoles as the top team in the ACC, but Young didn’t buy into that hype. The Tigers’ ceiling is too big to ignore, with Riley running the Clemson offense.

Clemson has a strong opportunity to make a run at another College Football Playoff appearance in 2023.

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Ohio State quarterback tops the list of RJ Youngs top signal callers for 2024

Young can’t disagree with Day’s assessments on 2024 quarterbacks #GoBucks

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that’s exactly the case for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] quarterback [autotag]Air Noland[/autotag].

In this case, the beholder is Fox Sports college football analyst, [autotag]RJ Young[/autotag], who ranked his top five 2024 quarterbacks.

The usual names were mentioned by Young, and one school’s quarterback wasn’t named, which should make everyone in Columbus extremely happy. We are sure that Buckeye head coach, [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag], knows quarterbacks and this backs up his decision on who to go after once there was a need.

Find out where the Fox analyst ranked his top five along with the full video and Young’s explanation of his breakdown below.

Texas football to face blue bloods in five straight seasons

Texas faces road battles with Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State in consecutive seasons.

The Texas Longhorns updated their future nonconference football schedules on Tuesday. They’ll face a gauntlet of blue bloods for five straight seasons.

As part of exit negotiations with Fox, there was talk that Texas conceded its 2024 home game with Michigan to allow Fox to host rights to the game for its Big Noon Kickoff. It appears the Longhorns will face Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State each on the road in consecutive seasons.

Admittedly, trips to Ann Arbor and Columbus to face Michigan and Ohio State are unlikely wins. In its last few major out-of-conference battles, the Longhorns split with Notre Dame and USC, lost thrillers to LSU and Alabama and got clobbered by Arkansas. That’s good for a 2-5 record in premier non-conference bouts in recent seasons.

Even so, Texas brass don’t seem afraid of big time competition. The games should provide high quality intrigue and increase the strength of the brand.

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Here’s a look at expectations for each game.

Texas LB Anthony Hill mentioned as Big 12 newcomer to watch

Anthony Hill is set to make a splash in 2023.

Texas freshman linebacker Anthony Hill is getting national attention this offseason. Fox Sports college football analyst RJ Young deemed Hill one of his five Big 12 newcomers to watch.

Young said the following about the former Denton Ryan player.

At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, a five-star in the 2023 class and No. 18 overall recruit, he could develop into the kind of destructive force Kenneth Murray Jr. was at Oklahoma in 2018 when he had 155 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Recently, the Fox analyst ranked Texas at No. 24 in his spring football Top 25. Ahead of Texas were No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 23 Kansas, both of which Texas defeated by more than 40 points away from Austin last year. Those predictions were somewhat bold. What’s not so bold is the assumption that Texas will need Anthony Hill to produce at the linebacker position.

Leading Hill’s position group is All-American linebacker Jaylon Ford. After Ford, there are a few question marks from the unit. David Gbenda is likely to be called upon to step up, but the Longhorns could need Hill to be a difference maker. If he plays up to potential, Texas could bring back a conference title trophy to Austin.

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One national analyst higher on Clemson than these others

This quartet of national analysts came out with their college football rankings following Week 7 of the season. CBS Sports’ Danny Kanell and ESPN’s Ryan Leaf, as well as FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and RJ Young, have all released their personal rankings. …

This quartet of national analysts came out with their college football rankings following Week 7 of the season.

CBS Sports’ Danny Kanell and ESPN’s Ryan Leaf, as well as FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and RJ Young, have all released their personal rankings.

Kanell is the highest on Clemson among them, ranking the Tigers at No. 2 behind only Tennessee, which upset Alabama at home last Saturday, 52-49. Michigan and Ohio State round out his top four.

Leaf has Clemson ranked No. 4 behind Georgia at No. 1, Tennessee at No. 2 and Michigan at No. 3. Both Klatt and Young have the Tigers at No. 5.

Klatt’s top four is comprised of Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia and Michigan, in that order, while Young’s top four features Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Tennessee, respectively.

Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) is ranked No. 5 in both the latest AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll coming off its 34-28 win at Florida State last Saturday.

The Tigers return to action this Saturday when fellow ACC Atlantic Division unbeaten and 14th-ranked Syracuse (6-0, 3-0) travels to Death Valley for a 12 p.m. kickoff on ABC.

Where is Clemson ranked by these national analysts?

These national analysts came out with their college football rankings following Week 6 of the season. FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and RJ Young, as well as ESPN’s Ryan Leaf, have all released their personal rankings. All three analysts have Clemson at No. …

These national analysts came out with their college football rankings following Week 6 of the season.

FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt and RJ Young, as well as ESPN’s Ryan Leaf, have all released their personal rankings.

All three analysts have Clemson at No. 5.

Klatt and Young have the same top five with Ohio State at No. 1, Alabama at No. 2, Georgia at No. 3 and Michigan at No. 4, followed by the Tigers.

Leaf, meanwhile, has Georgia at No. 1 with Ohio State at No. 2, Alabama at No. 3 and Southern Cal at No. 4.

Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC), coming off its 31-3 win at Boston College last Saturday, moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 and remained at No. 5 in the latest Coaches Poll.

The Tigers will hit the road this week to face Florida State on Saturday. Kickoff at Doak Campbell Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Fox Sports’ RJ Young reveals controversial top-25 college football rankings

RJ Young’s wild top 25 will have you scratching your head…

Fox Sports’ college football analyst RJ Young released his new top 25 following Saturday’s action.

Young’s top 25 consists of seven SEC teams, including three in the top four. But it’s also filled with controversial selections that I can’t understand.

For starters, Florida just beat Utah. To me it would only make sense that the Gators jump the Utes. Instead, Young has Florida at No. 16, while Utah checks in at No. 9. Then again, if Young is going to throw shade on any specific team, I’m happy it was Florida.

There’s also his ranking of Notre Dame at No. 5. Sure, the Irish played Ohio State close, but no 0-1 team belongs in the top five. And no love was shown to Michigan, which checked in at No. 17 after blowing out its opponent. Yet somehow Iowa, which scored a field goal and two safeties and beat South Dakota State, 7-3, ranks No. 18.

But if there’s one thing Young got right, it’s his top team in the nation.

RJ Young’s Top 25:

C.J. Stroud high atop R.J. Young’s top five Heisman candidates for 2022

Fox Sports top five Heisman candidates #GoBucks

The 2022 college football season has officially kicked off and with it the race for the Heisman Trophy has begun. Although no legitimate candidates played in Week 0 (sorry Chase Brown) we will see numerous candidates during Week 1, including two Ohio State players.

Our lovely friends at Fox Sport and RJ Young have compiled their preseason list of five Heisman Trophy candidates and some of these names are obvious, but it is always interesting to see which players raise your eyebrow. Those that are familiar with RJ Young’s podcast, “The Number One Ranked Show,” might have already seen this list, but it’s worth a read or listen. Let’s dive in.

One College Football analyst believes Notre Dame is in Tier 2 of CFB

Not a bad place to be

The Irish are ranked high, high enough to be seriously considered as one of the few teams that could actually finish as the College Football Playoff champion. Count Fox Sports RJ Young among the believers: His pre-season college football tiers were announced today.

Tier 1 was dominated by the SEC: Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia and Ohio State were the four teams in it. Tier 2 included the Irish along with Utah, Michigan State and Baylor. The third tier had one more team than the previous two: Arkansas, Clemson, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and USC.

There are plenty of arguments to be had about the tiers, but Notre Dame being in the second does make sense. New head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag], new starting quarterback [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag] and extremely difficult season-opening game (Ohio State) seemingly combined to cause Young to hesitate putting the Irish in the top group.

It will be fun to look back on this after the regular season and championship games are played to see how accurate Young was.

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