Tag: SEC

Southeastern Conference players taken in Round 1 of 2024 NFL draft

Among the 32 players selected, 11 came from Southeastern Conference schools stretching across six different programs. 

The first round of the 2024 NFL draft is officially in the books following the festivities held in Detroit on Thursday night. Among the 32 players selected, 11 came from Southeastern Conference schools stretching across six different programs.

The highest-picked SEC alumnus was LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was taken with the second overall pick by the Washington Commanders. The second was another from the same school — wide receiver Malik Neighbors — who was taken at No. 6 by the New York Giants.

The first former Alabama Crimson Tide player off the board came at No. 7 when the Tennessee Titans picked offensive tackle JC Lantham. The Georgia Bulldogs‘ first selection came in the form of tight end Brock Bowers, who the Las Vegas Raiders used the No. 13 pick on.

Edge defender Dallas Turner (Alabama) was taken at No. 17 by the Minnesota Vikings, offensive tackle Amarius Mims (Georgia) went at No. 18 to the Cincinnati Bengals, wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) went at No. 23 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, cornerback Terrion Arnold (Alabama) went at No. 24 to the Detroit Lions, defensive end Darius Robinson (Missouri Tigers) went at No. 27 to the Arizona Cardinals, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (Florida Gators) went at No. 31 to the San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Xavier Legette (South Carolina Gamecocks) was the final pick of the round by the Carolina Panthers.

Round 2 kicks off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET and the draft concludes on Saturday starting at noon ET. NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes will be broadcasting the event; coverage is also available to stream live on NFL+.

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Vols hit six home runs in series opening win against Missouri

Tennessee baseball wins series opener against Missouri.

No. 3 Tennessee (35-7, 13-6 SEC) defeated Missouri (19-24, 6-13 SEC), 10-1, Thursday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Tennessee hit six home runs against Missouri, marking the fifth time the Vols have hit five home runs in a game this season.

Billy Amick went 3-for-5. He hit a solo home run and a three-run home run. He recorded four RBIs and two runs, while Christian Moore went 3-for-4. Moore hit a solo home run to lead off the first inning for Tennessee. He recorded two runs and one RBI.

Hunter Ensley went 1-fot-3 and hit a solo home runs for the Vols. Cal Stark also went 1-for-3. Stark hit a three-run home run, while Cannon Peebles hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the eighth inning, his first of the season.

AJ Causey (7-3) pitched six innings in relief for the Vols. He allowed one run, six hits and two walks, while recording six strikeouts.

Chris Stamos started and pitched 2.2 innings and allowed three hits. He recorded three strikeouts.

Matthew Dallas recorded the final out of the game, totaling two pitches.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver poised to make a major impact in 2024 per On3

The Sooners may have gotten a steal in the transfer portal as one of their wide receivers is poised for a major impact per On3.

Heading into the offseason, the Oklahoma Sooners weren’t really in the market to find a wide receiver in the transfer portal. They had plenty of depth returning despite the loss of Drake Stoops and had a nice group of signees in the early signing period. But they weren’t past adding a player if it made sense.

That’s exactly what happened when [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] entered his name into the portal. Oklahoma won out in his recruitment, and he’s been turning heads since arriving in Norman. Some even believe he could be the next star wide receiver for the Sooners.

But that hyperbole isn’t coming only from inside the house. It’s also being felt by On3. Burks was picked as one of 10 transfers poised to make a major impact this season.

Poor Purdue, Nic Scourton wasn’t the only ex-Boilermaker to turn heads this spring, as Deion Burks looks like a future star in the SEC. The talk of the Sooners’ spring practice followed up a month’s worth of buzz with a monster Red & White Game, finishing with nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. – Jesse Simonton On3

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T’Mars McCallum named SEC Runner of the Week

Tennessee sprinter T’Mars McCallum named SEC Runner of the Week.

Tennessee sophomore sprinter T’Mars McCallum was named SEC Men’s Runner of the Week.

He was named U.S. Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association NCAA Division I Athlete of the Week on Monday.

McCallum recorded a time of 9.94 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the USC Outdoor Open in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday. His mark represents the fastest time recorded by a college athlete this season and is the second fastest time in the world this year.

McCallum’s previous best time in the 100-meter dash was 10.13 seconds. He became the second Tennessee athlete to post a sub-10 second time in the event, joining Christian Coleman.

McCallum’s time is the second fastest mark in program history behind Coleman (9.82).

Texas A&M softball enters the top ten in a handful of the polls

The Aggie softball team keeps making noise in the NCAA landscape moving into the top ten after a sweep of Ole Miss

Texas A&M (37-9, 15-6 SEC) is essentially a top-ten team if you average the four main polls and they have been backing it up on the field. Outside of being swept by LSU last month, the Aggies have been playing like one of the top teams in the country.

Whether it’s spectacular defensive play, solid pitching, clutch hitting, or a combination, A&M is finding ways to win games. They are very close to securing a home regional, which would be a major advantage, as the Aggies have an impressive 23-2 record at Davis Diamond.

Coach Trisha Ford does not settle for just good; she wants her players to be great on the field and in life. It appears her squad has fully bought in and will leave with no regrets once this season finally ends.

Following their sweep of Ole Miss, all major softball polls have moved the Aggies up a few spots in the newest polls.

The 2024 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Records reflect games played through April 21. The poll is released on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. ET during the regular season.

RANKINGS

Rank Team Record Points Previous
1 Texas (28) 38-6 791 1
2 Oklahoma 42-4 772 2
3 Tennessee 34-8 720 4
4 Oklahoma State 39-8 666 6
5 Duke 39-6 652 3
6 LSU 35-10 592 7
7 Stanford 36-10 590 5
8 Washington 30-8 566 8
9 UCLA 27-9 554 12
10 Texas A&M 37-9 536 11
11 Georgia 36-11 516 9
12 Florida 37-10 466 10
13 Virginia Tech 35-9-1 403 15
14 Missouri 35-13 377 13
15 Arkansas 32-12 360 16
16 Florida State 36-10 294 18
17 Alabama 31-12 291 14
18 Mississippi State 30-13 240 17
19 Arizona 31-13-1 235 19
20 California 31-14 163 20
21 Kentucky 29-15 120 24
22 Clemson 31-15 117 21
23 Boston University 40-4 110 23
24 Oregon 26-16 100 22
25 Louisiana 33-15 74 25

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES:

Northwestern (25), South Carolina (21), Texas State (19), Virginia (9), Miami (6), Auburn (4), Grand Canyon (3), Baylor (2), Eastern Kentucky (1).

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 Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Johannus Monday named to SEC All-Tournament Team

Tennessee’s Johannus Monday named to SEC All-Tournament Team.

Tennessee senior Johannus Monday was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Tournament Team.

Monday recorded two victories during the SEC Tournament.

He defeated Florida’s Jeremy Jin, 6-2, 7-5, in the tournament singles quarterfinals. Jin entered the SEC Tournament ranked No. 52 in the nation.

Monday also won in the semifinals, defeating No. 15 Toby Samuel of South Carolina, 6-1, 6-3.

Monday went 17-1 against top ranked opponents during the 2023-24 season, He is also 23-2 in dual matches.

Monday and Angel Diaz also defeated Florida’s Aidan Kim and Nate Bonetto, 6-1, in doubles competition.

Tennessee awaits its NCAA Tournament seeding during the selection show on April 29. The show will be streamed on NCAA.com at 6 p.m. EDT.

Christian Moore named National Player of the Week

Tennessee’s Christian Moore named National Player of the Week after winning series at Kentucky.

Tennessee junior Christian Moore was named National Player of the Week by Perfect Game and D1Baseball on Monday.

He was also named SEC Player of the Week after the Vols’ series win at Kentucky.

Moore recorded at least one hit and one RBI in all three games against the Wildcats. He went 8-for-11, recording four home runs, eight RBIs and five runs.

Moore totaled four hits, tying a career high on Saturday and Sunday. He hit three home runs and recorded six RBIs on Sunday to help Tennessee win the series, Kentucky’s first conference series loss of the 2024 season.

READ: Tennessee baseball career home run tracker

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

The Texas A&M softball team enters the top ten in the power rankings

Texas A&M is one of the breakout teams this year winning six of the seven SEC series for a total of 15 conference wins

One of the better hires we’ve seen before the departure of former Texas A&M Ross Bjork was bringing in softball coach Trisha Ford from Arizona State. In year one under Ford, she led the Aggies to their most overall and conference wins in five seasons. In year two she is starting to flex her muscles and now that her identity has become law on the softball field.

Her no-nonsense approach has brought a sense of accountability and an understanding that just being good won’t cut it at this level. Her team has taken this to heart and has leaped to the next level. While I believe they are a few dominant players short of being among the elite, they are a team you do not want to see when they are clicking.

As we wait for the new polls to drop it’s likely the Aggies will have finally cracked the top ten in most polls. They still have one top-ten team to face in Florida, but right now they sit at No. 7 in the power rankings and are on track to host a regional if they can pick up another SEC win or two.

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 Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

Christian Moore earns SEC Player of the Week honors

Tennessee’s Christian Moore earns SEC Player of the Week honors after the Vols’ series win at Kentucky.

Tennessee junior second baseman Christian Moore was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Moore also earned SEC Player of the Week honors on April 9.

The 6-foot-1, 216-pound infielder went 9-for-15 in three games at Kentucky during Week 10. He hit four home runs, including three on Sunday, in Tennessee’s series win against the Wildcats.

Moore is now Tennessee’s leader for career home runs (46).

The Vols will next play on Tuesday against Western Carolina. First pitch at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. EDT and can be watched on SEC Network+.

READ: Tennessee baseball career home run tracker

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Kalen DeBoer is just behind Kirby Smart in latest SEC head coach rankings

Kalen DeBoer sits behind only Kirby Smart in the latest SEC head coach rankings, but that may not last long.

The Alabama Crimson Tide begin the 2024 college football season against Western Kentucky, and it will be the first time in over 17 seasons that the Tide will take the field without the legendary [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] on the sideline. Saban’s retirement still doesn’t feel real, but seeing new head coach Kalen DeBoer on the sideline could be a breath of fresh air too.

Losing Saban was always going to be incredibly difficult, but athletic director Greg Byrne reacted quickly and landed a phenomenal head coach in DeBoer.

In two seasons with the Washington Huskies, DeBoer was 25-3 with a PAC-12 title and national championship appearance. Between NAIA and D1 football, DeBoer has posted an outstanding career record of 104-12. It was just a matter of time before other programs started calling on DeBoer, so while Saban’s retirement wasn’t a great thing, the timing definitely could have been worse. DeBoer has also shown he can beat the best coaches in the country as he is a combined 5-0 against Dan Lanning and Steve Sarkisian.

Heading into the 2024 season, ESPN ranks DeBoer as the second-best coach in America behind only Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Even in Saban’s later years at the helm of the Alabama program, Smart had begun to catch up. Now, Smart is the undisputed top head coach in the conference, but it may not take long for DeBoer to overtake him. Though, there’s also the risk that some slip-ups lead to DeBoer falling in the rankings.

With a new-look coaching staff and a roster that lost plenty of last season’s playmakers, there’s much unknown about the 2024 Alabama team. While some may see this as a negative, there’s a good chance this can be utilized to the Tide’s advantage. A certain level of unpredictability can boost the team against the strong opponents on the upcoming schedule.

Fans won’t have to wait long to see DeBoer and Smart go head-to-head, as Georgia visits Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama in a regular-season matchup on  Sep. 28, 2024.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow DeBoer and the Alabama football program as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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.