Tag: Watch List

Florida shooting guard Riley Kugel makes Jerry West Award watch list

This Florida Gators shooting guard was added to the Jerry West Award watch list on Tuesday ahead of tipoff for the 2023 season.

Florida men’s basketball season is just beyond the horizon and fans are eagerly awaiting the opening tip.

Head coach Todd Golden returns to the bench for his second year after an early bounce from the NIT, no thanks to the UCF Knights. The 2023-24 squad is young and formidable, and there are seven transfers helping to fill space on the roster.

One of the young weapons who’s expected to make an immediate impact is sophomore shooting guard [autotag]Riley Kugel[/autotag]. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has high expectations for the Orlando, Florida, native, adding his name to the Jerry West Award watch list for the season.

The award is given to the best-performing shooting guard of the season and Kugel joins a watch list with 19 other guards in Division I basketball.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame president John L. Doleva says the list was carefully chosen by a committee of top college basketball personnel.

“Each of the student-athletes nominated for the 2024 Jerry West Award has the same skillset that made Jerry West a household name, and they should be very proud of this accomplishment,” Doleva said.  “Our committee, alongside Jerry, is honored to watch this exceptional group and work together to narrow down the list as the season progresses.”

Kugel adds to a list of accolades amassed over short time. The sophomore earned a second-team All-SEC nod last week and collected SEC All-Freshman Honors in 2022.

The Florida begins its season on Nov. 6 against the Loyola Marymount Greyhounds inside the the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. EDT and will broadcast on the SEC Network+.

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2024 NFL draft watch list: Wide receiver prospects for the New Orleans Saints

2024 NFL draft watch list: Wide receiver prospects for the New Orleans Saints to pair with Chris Olave | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints drafted Chris Olave in the first round of the NFL draft last year and it worked to great success. Despite that move, many people still consider the Saints to have one of the weaker groups in the league.

The good news is that every receiver class seems to get better than the one before it. That seems to be the case again in 2024, as there are fantastic options no matter where you pick in the first round. With Michael Thomas’ health still looming and Rashid Shaheed still needing to improve as an all around receiver, it might not hurt to add another option.

Here are the names to keep an eye on as the college football season gets started:

2024 NFL draft watch list: Safeties for the New Orleans Saints

2024 NFL draft watch list: Safety could be a long-term concern for the New Orleans Saints | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints don’t have an immediate need at safety on their roster, but it is certainly looming. Tyrann Mathieu is aging and Marcus Maye has two years on his contract.

The team did select Jordan Howden in the most recent draft, but they could add some more dynamic players at the position in the upcoming draft cycle. There are a lot of fun ballhawks entering the draft in 2024, which could be intriguing to the Saints if they miss having a Marcus Williams-type player around. With Mathieu aging, they could also be looking at box safeties and more versatile pieces which this class has as well.

Here are the names to keep an eye on at Safety as the season begins to ramp up this week:

2024 NFL draft watch list: Tight ends for the New Orleans Saints

2024 NFL draft watch list: A game-changing tight end prospect for the New Orleans Saints could emerge in the fall | @DillySanders

The tight end room of the New Orleans Saints is not the best it’s ever been, but there is an exciting class of tight ends entering the 2024 NFL draft that could have a bunch of fans drooling.

Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau and even Jimmy Graham are certainly serviceable for an NFL roster but the group’s lacking a real game-changer that some of the league’s best offenses have. A lot of people expected the Saints to draft a tight end last year, but they actually did the opposite and traded one away. It might be time for them to strike in the 2024 draft.

Here are some of the names you need to be sure to remember as the college football season starts to kick off in just a couple of days:

The Senior Bowl published a massive watchlist for 2024

The Senior Bowl published a massive preseason watch list with over 700 names for the 2024 draft season

One of the biggest events on the NFL draft calendar, the annual Senior Bowl is a can’t-miss opportunity for scouts of all persuasions. And while the game doesn’t take place in Mobile, Alabama until late January, the Senior Bowl published its initial watch list for the draft class of 2024.

It’s a giant list compiled by Senior Bowl president Jim Nagy and his team of 11 scouts. There are over 700 players from all levels of the NCAA, from D-I powerhouses like Alabama and Clemson down to D-III Mount Union and Wisconsin-Platteville. Only players who have attained senior status before the end of the 2023 college year are eligible.

This is a nice resource to check early in the season to help identify players to watch in the games. Obviously, there are far more players on the watch list than there are draft slots, but that’s what the scouting process is all about.

 

Wisconsin starting OL on watch list for Comeback Player Of The Year

More watch list news:

The 2023 Wisconsin Badgers have numerous unknowns after a subpar 2022 campaign and the subsequent program overhaul during the offseason.

One big question is whether Wisconsin can return to being Wisconsin along the offensive line. Several factors have played into the program’s struggles at the position over the last few years, but it’s undeniable a return to dominance is necessary for the team to return to Indianapolis and compete for a College Football Playoff appearance.

There were reinforcements brought in this offseason at the position, none bigger than former Cincinnati All-Conference lineman Jake Renfro. While the presumed starting center is currently on the shelf with a foot sprain, he was recently named to the watch list for college football’s Comeback Player Of The Year.

Renfro started every game for the Bearcats during their incredible 2021 run to the College Football Playoff before missing the entire 2022 season with a knee injury.

While Wisconsin is flexible along the line with Tanor Bortolini’s experience at several positions and depth at the guard spots, a healthy Renfro is important to the unit returning to its pre-2020 level.

Fashanu and Singleton named to Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list

Will either of these Penn State players win the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 2023?

Add one more high-profile award watch list to the profiles of two of Penn State’s top players in 2023. Veteran offensive lineman [autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu[/autotag] and sophomore running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] have each been named on the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award for the upcoming 2023 college football season.

Fashanu made a somewhat surprising decision to return to Penn State for one more year of college football. Projected by many to be a likely first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Fashanu’s decision to return was a huge boost for the Penn State offensive line in 2023. Fashanu still projects to be a first-round draft pick in 2024, and some draft analysts believe he could be a high first-round pick.

Fashanu also appears on the watch list for the Outland Trophy.

Singleton was the Big Ten freshman of the year in 2022. He set a new Penn State freshman record with 12 rushing touchdowns and is the fourth Penn State player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards or more as a freshman. Singleton received third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022 following his brilliant freshman season for the Nittany Lions.

Singleton is also making appearances on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award, and the Paul Hornung Award.

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Penn State has two all-time Walter Camp Player of the Year Award winners. The first was running back John Cappelletti during his Heisman Trophy season of 1973. Running back Larry Johnson is the second and most recent winner from Penn State, winning the award in 2002.

Last year’s Walter Camp Player of the Year Award winner was USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The last Big Ten player to win the award was Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III in 2021.

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Kalen King hopes to be Penn State’s first Jim Thorpe Award winner

Will Kalen King become Penn State’s first Jim Thorpe Award winner in 2023? The watch list has been revealed.

Penn State cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] continues to be recognized as one of the nation’s top defensive backs, and now he is one step closer to being recognized as the best in the nation. King was named to the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award this week, recognizing Penn State’s top defensive back as one of the best in the nation in 2023.

The Jim Thorpe Award, presented by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame each year, is awarded to the top defensive back in college football. It is named after Jim Thorpe, arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time and a Pennsylvania sports legend for Carlisle Indiana Industrial School under head coach Pop Warner. Thorpe is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

King is coming off a stellar season in the Penn State defense in 2022. He was named a third-team All-Big Ten player by the Big Ten coaches and media and received third-team All-America from Pro Football Focus and an honorable mention for All-American by Phil Steele. The Walter Camp Football Foundation named King a second-team All-American.

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King intercepted three passes and forced a fumble last season. He also notched a fumble recovery. He was the Big Ten’s leader in defended passes with 21 and pass breakups with 18.

Penn State has never had a player win the Jim Thorpe Award. The first winner of the award in 1986 was Baylor’s Thomas Everett. Last year’s winner was Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson of TCU.

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Linebacker U lands two players on Butkus Award watch list for 2023

Penn State’s top two linebackers are on the watch list for the Butkus Award in 2023.

Penn State’s long line of linebackers is well-documented at this point, and this year the Nittany Lions hope to add a Butkus Award winner to the program’s lineage. The watch list for the Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s top linebacker in college football, was released this week and a pair of Penn State’s top linebackers were named to the watch list.

Sophomore [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] and junior [autotag]Curtis Jacobs[/autotag] were each name don the watch list for the Butkus Award in 2023. Their inclusion should be no shocker given that Carter has already asserted himself as one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten and Jacobs is a sturdy veteran capable of coming up with some big moments in the Penn State defense.

Carter started six games and played in all 13 games for Penn State in 2022. He earned All-Big Ten second-team honors and was a freshman All-American for the FWAA. He led Penn State with 10.5 tackles for loss last season and he finished fourth in the Big Ten with 6.5 sacks last season.

Carter has also appeared on the watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

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Jacobs has started in 23 of the 32 games he has played at Penn State so far and he is coming off a 2022 season where he received honorable All-Big Ten mentions from the coaches and media. Last season, Jacobs had 52 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss with four sacks. He also had two fumble recoveries and an interception returned for a touchdown.

Penn State has two all-time Butkus Award winners in school history. LaVar Arrington won the award in 1999 and Paul Posluszny won the award in 2005.

Last year’s winner of the Butkus Award was Jack Campbell of Iowa.

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Penn State punter Riley Thompson named on Ray Guy Award watch list

Penn State punter Riley Thompson has landed on the Ray Guy Award watch list for 2023.

One of Penn State’s newest additions to the special teams unit is already on the national radar as one of the top punters in the nation. [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag], who transferred to Penn State from Florida Atlantic during the offseason, was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list.

The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to the nation’s top punter by the Augusta Sports Council and is named after former All-Pro punter Ray Guy. The award was first presented in 1990 to Wisconsin’s Kevin Stemke.

Thompson, a native of Australia, was one of the top punters in Conference USA in 2022 with 61 punts for 2,770 yards and 15 punts of at least 50 yards with 26 punts inside the 20-yard line and just three touchbacks. Thompson averaged 45.4 yards per punt in 2022 for the Owls and was the nation’s 12th-best punter for average punt yardage.

No Penn State punter has ever won the Ray Guy Award, so Thompson will be looking to be the first winner in school history. Last year’s winner of the Ray Guy Award was Adam Korsak of Rutgers.

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