Tag: Saturday Down South

Saturday Down South writer says Texas is ‘poised to take over the SEC’

“Steve Sarkisian is on his way to building a monster at Texas,” writes one Saturday Down South writer.

The Texas Longhorns made a statement in a dominant 10-point win over Alabama last fall. Apparently it was heard loud and clear by Saturday Down South a publication that covers the SEC.

Some are ignoring the Longhorns’ first 12-win season since 2009, but one college football writer isn’t. Saturday Down South’s Matt Hayes wrote the following of the team as it enters the SEC.

“It’s all set up now. The timing is perfect, the investment has been made and Steve Sarkisian is on the way to building a monster at Texas.

A monster that can take over the SEC.”

Hayes went on to detail everything that is going right for Texas heading into the top conference. The list includes the team’s monetary advantages, recruiting, immediate impact portal players and retirement of Alabama’s Nick Saban as reason to believe in the Longhorns moving forward. It led Hayes to the following conclusion.

“Sarkisian is about as close to a lock at winning a national title at Texas — much sooner than later — as anyone since the Mack Brown golden years of the 2000s.”

Head coach Steve Sarkisian certainly came to Texas at just the right time. If you recall, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers once decommmited from former head coach Tom Herman while the program endured a mess of a culture and on-field product in Austin.

After Sarkisian got added to the fold not only did Ewers return, but fellow five-star quarterback Arch Manning committed to Texas. Sarkisian then hired an elite staff, transformed Texas’ wide receiver and offensive line recruiting and won 12 games and a conference title in Year 3.

Texas is now in position to become a consistent winner, and one that could thrive in the SEC.

We are under no illusion that the Longhorns are going to take over the conference. The level of competition at the top is too strong. They certainly can compete and win a national title out of it. The raised level of competition challenged Texas to play to a higher standard. Now the team is living up to its potential.

Sarkisian and company still haven’t achieved their ultimate goal but they have an opportunity to reach it. They will work towards making the goal reality in the near future.

Saturday Down South picks five most important returning SEC players

Quinn Ewers is one of Saturday Down South’s five most important returning SEC players.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is back for another season in Austin. Saturday Down South views his decision as one of the five most important returns in the SEC.

Ewers was a terrific player in 2023. Over the season, Ewers was No. 9 in the Power Five in passing yards (3,462) and No. 8 in completion percentage (68.5). He added 28 touchdown passes to only six interceptions on the season.

The third-year quarterback is expected to take another step forward in 2024. Though he’ll be throwing to different receivers, there will not be much of a talent drop-off, if any. Ewers’ top targets will likely be Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Bond, five-star receiver Johntay Cook and Houston receiver transfer Matthew Golden.

Here’s a look at Saturday Down South’s five most important returning players in the SEC.

Saturday Down South ranks Alabama No. 1 in early 2024 SEC power rankings

Alabama No. 1 in Saturday Down South’s way too early 2024 SEC power rankings

The 2023-24 college football season is not yet complete but that doesn’t mean it is too early to look ahead to next season in what is sure to be one for the history books. With conference realignment and the expansion of the College Football Playoff, the 2024-25 season will be more like the Wild Wild West.

Earlier this week, Saturday Down South released its way too early 2024 SEC power rankings, and Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide came in at No. 1 just ahead of new SEC foe, the Texas Longhorns.

Here is a look at Saturday Down South’s complete SEC power rankings for the 2024 season.

Saturday Down South ranks Texas No. 2 in 2024 SEC power rankings

Even SEC media members are believers in Texas football for 2024.

How will Texas fare in the SEC? One outlet that covers the conference seems confident in how the Longhorns will perform.

Saturday Down South, one of the more popular sites for SEC athletics coverage, has the Texas Longhorns ranked No. 2 in the conference for the 2024 football season. The ranking comes in stark contrast to the pervasive narrative that Texas would struggle in the SEC.

Texas is set to lose several contributors, but they return quite a few as well. Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is likely to return behind an offensive line with several seasoned starters in Kelvin Banks, Hayden Connor, Devon Campbell Jr. and Cole Hutson. Several other players like Neto Umeozulu, Cam Williams and Malik Agbo could prove reliable as well.

The Longhorns have received significant help through two transfer portal additions in wide receiver Matthew Golden and defensive back Andrew Mukuba. We’ll see how much more help they add, but those two additions could be enough to contend again.

Here’s a look at Saturday Down South’s power rankings for 2024.

Breaking down the student acceptance rates for all 14 SEC schools

The SEC is home to some of the most talented athletes in Division I sports, and the student body that cheers them on is just as extensive across 14 schools.

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is home to some of the most talented athletes in all of Division I sports, and the student body that cheers them on is just as extensive across its 14 schools.

Saturday Down South recently shared a graphic that was compiled through Niche, which is the leading school search platform. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, their aim is to make researching and enrolling in higher education seamless and transparent. Niche compiled the student acceptance rates for all 14 SEC schools, and the range varied across the spectrum.

Some institutions boasted an acceptance rate of fewer than 10%, while others ventured as high as 90% or above. The size of the student body must be taken into account here, as well, as some public institutions may offer more undergraduate or graduate programs than, say, a smaller private institution.

Check out the full student acceptance rate breakdown below to see where Texas A&M stands alongside the rest of its SEC counterparts. Because while the action on the playing field will always be entertaining, so is the breakdown of the student body behind them through the highs and lows of a season.

Saturday Down South ranks every SEC football logo by tiers

Saturday Down South ranked every of SEC football logo by tiers, and Texas A&M was given little appreciation compared to the rest of the conference.

Just because we’re in a summer lull with months separating the return of meaningful college football, doesn’t mean we can’t have some friendly competition while we’re at it.

Fandom and loyalty to one’s school go beyond what happens between the lines of the gridiron. From a school’s raucous fanbase to its storied uniforms, you can claim bragging rights to anything and everything, including a team’s emblem.

Saturday Down South recently ranked its tiers of SEC football logos, and perhaps so as not to stir discourse, they placed each of the 14 programs into either tiers 1,2,3 or 4. But naturally, this is the landscape of college football we’re talking about here, which means you can’t put together a rankings list without inciting some inspired pushback.

Do you value a school that pays homage to its history by keeping its logo relatively unscathed through the decades? Or do you reward the programs that made calculated, and fresh updates that helped logos age well into the 21st century? These are just a handful of thoughts that come to mind when assessing these rankings.

Check out the tiers below, and it’s safe to say that in our humble opinion, the Texas A&M logo is severely disrespected compared to their SEC counterparts. Let the friendly debates begin!

Alabama source: Former Texas commit Jalen Milroe looks “1,000 times better”

Alabama thinks Jalen Milroe is “1,000 times better” than he was last season.

Former Texas quarterback commit Jalen Milroe is reportedly looking vastly improved this offseason. According to an onlooker at Alabama spring sessions, Milroe looks “1,000 times better.”

Tide Illustrated editor Tony Tsoukalas shared the following of the Alabama quarterback.

He looked 1,000 times better than last year. If he would have played the way he did today against Texas A&M, we’d have beat those guys by 80 points.

A couple thoughts come to mind from the above quote. First, the report is pouring on the hyperbole a little too thick. I wonder if the comment is defensive or if he is truly that greatly improved. He will need to be that improved.

The A&M game is mentioned for a reason here and not just because Milroe played in that game. The veteran quarterback played against Arkansas last season, too. The Aggies finished 5-7 last season and should have finished worse. The team was completely inept offensively. Poor offense from the Tide was the only way the Aggies could stay in the game. That’s exactly what the Aggies got from the Crimson Tide offense.

From what little we’ve seen from Milroe, he does appear to be a better player for Alabama this spring. How much better he is could determine the Week 2 matchup against Texas.

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Buzz Williams has the makings of a top-10 coach, according to Saturday Down South

Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams is on the precipice of being one of the greatest coaches in college basketball, according to Saturday Down South.

While Texas A&M embarks on an SEC title run as the No. 2 seed it’s important to remember this year’s success wasn’t a given at the start of the season. Praise is in order for the 14-man roster, and special kudos should be given to the man that helmed this season’s achievements: Buzz Williams.

According to Saturday Down South, Williams’ success at College Station has him on the precipice of being not only one of the greatest coaching minds not just in the SEC but in all of college basketball. Coming off his second AP SEC Coach of the Year Award while leading the Aggies to the second seed in the SEC Tourney, he also has A&M on the precipice of punching their ticket to the big dance. Williams is checking off the boxes that mirror some of the most successful college basketball programs in history.

As outlined by Saturday Down South, let’s review Williams’ contributions to A&M:

The goal of any non-blue-blood should always be to check these boxes:

  • Hire a head coach who provides stability
  • Consistently be one of the better teams in the conference
  • Get better as the season progresses
  • Get to the NCAA Tournament annually

So far, Williams checked all of those boxes. This year somehow one-upped last season’s progression. Well, that’s because the Aggies were a floundering disaster prior to SEC play.

Williams has a 62.5% winning percentage in his four seasons with A&M and this season highlights some of his finest work. They might be competing as the SEC’s No. 2 seed now, but the picture wasn’t so pretty after early losses to Murray State, Colorado, Boise State, and Memphis. After dropping to 6-5 following a home loss to Wofford, that could have been the nail in the coffin for the Aggies.

But that’s where the great coaches in college basketball do their best work. In the face of adversity, they buckle down and adapt. Williams’ work in turning this season around is what makes him so special.

He made sure to emphasize defense as the Aggies went on to surrender just 63 points per game since that home loss to Wofford. Instead of settling for three-pointers, he challenged his team to attack and force their opponents to stay honest in the paint. The end result: A&M became the No. 1 team in the country in free throws made and free throws attempted per game.

After upsetting top-seeded Alabama in the regular season finale, Williams has the Aggies playing the type of basketball that makes them a matchup nightmare for any opponent. It feels as if this program is right on the edge of taking that next leap, and it’s a kudos to the work Williams has done at the helm.

This is no secret to those at College Station, but it’s a welcome sight to see others finally beginning to notice.

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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Texas A&M QB room disrespected with C Grade by Saturday Down South

Texas A&M’s QB room receives a disrespectful C grade by Saturday Down South

The 2023 college football season will be a noisy one for Texas A&M, as the Aggies embark with heightened expectations across the board. From the belief that Jimbo Fisher could be coaching for his future to the hiring of Bobby Petrino to helm the offense, the surrounding narratives are plenty. But taking a shot at the Aggies’ quarterback room? That might be too premature.

Saturday Down South recently graded each SEC team’s current QB room and perhaps unsurprisingly, they did not hold back on their assessment of the depth under center for Texas A&M:

One outlet’s perspective is by no means the spoken word, but a quick glance at the ensuing comments highlights that the Aggies signal-callers are being easily dismissed. If the eye test isn’t enough for the critics, then the hard facts make it tough to argue against.

If the C grade was solely predicated on last season’s tape then that’s only one piece of the puzzle. Yes, the Aggies averaged 219.4 yards per game and finished the season with the third-fewest total yards (2633) and second-fewest points (22.75) per game. Inconsistency from the quarterback position played a role in their offensive struggles.

But Texas A&M could be in for one of its best years for quarterbacks after welcoming back sophomore Conner Weigman, who had a promising freshman season in five appearances for the Aggies. After being the last man standing atop the depth chart a season ago, Weigman finished off the season with 896 passing yards and eight touchdowns.

Now with Petrino at the helm as offensive coordinator, we could see a return of a high-octane offense given Weigman’s ability to move around the pocket and stretch the field while on the move.

That being said, it’s not a foregone conclusion that Weigman will be the starting quarterback in 2023. Max Johnson will return and while he was limited to four starting appearances last season, he has a leg up over Weigman in playing experience after transferring from LSU. While in Death Valley, he accumulated 3,384 passing yards and 37 touchdowns in 18 games for the Tigers.

The Aggies clearly have two capable starters atop the depth chart which bodes well for the short term. And yet also have their eyes toward the future as they welcome Marcel Reed to the roster, a four-star recruit and the No. 20 quarterback in the 2023 class. Reed played in 13 games as a senior for Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell Academy, completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,198 yards and 27 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He also added 944 yards on the ground with 15 rushing scores.

Despite Weigman and Johnson needing to sort out the starting quarterback job, it’s clear that the Aggies QB room has the most upside it’s had in recent memory, perhaps since the days of Johnny Manziel. And the addition of newcomer Reed only paints a brighter picture for the future.

Regardless of how controversial the hiring may be, having Petrino at the helm of the offense should help give a boost to a quarterback position that has held Texas A&M back in recent memory. Not to mention that Petrino has a long track record of developing quarterbacks into draft picks.

With a proven SEC starter and a freshman All-American on the depth chart, and a promising four-star recruit on the horizon, the math doesn’t add up for the Aggies QB room to be granted a mere passing grade. But that’s what hot takes are for, to attract attention. If this unit can deliver in 2023, you can bookmark this SEC QB room breakdown to look back on for a good laugh.

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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Southeastern Conference set on remaining at 16 schools… for now

16 teams is a perfect number for a conference of the SEC’s potency if you asked us.

It has been a wild week for college sports after word came out that the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins intended to jump ship from the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. The aftershocks of the announcement reverberated throughout the remainder of the schools across the nation putting perennial contenders like the Southeastern Conference on notice.

In response, the media rushed to takes on how the SEC might respond to the earth-shaking news, with wild suggestions coming from every angle but nothing that actually stuck. As it turns out, the conference brass never intended to make a countermove — or at least, that is the official word.

According to Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South, who first broke the news, the conference that has been home to the Florida Gators and many of its sister schools since 1933 has no intention of expanding past 16 members after the induction of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners in 2025.

“We’re positioned at 16 (teams) for a robust future,” an unnamed SEC athletic director told SDS. They also added that “the need just isn’t there… I don’t see any (expansion) move as threatening to us.”

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dobbs was able to confirm the report.

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