Western Michigan DE Marshawn Kneeland set to visit Jaguars

The Jaguars are reportedly using one of their top 30 visits to bring in Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland for a closer look.

Western Michigan pass rusher Marshawn Kneeland is set to meet with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a Top 30 visit, according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network.

Per Fowler, Kneeland has already visited with the Kansas City Chiefs and has visits scheduled with the Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers.

While every NFL team had access to just about every prospect at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, each club is allowed to bring in 30 players for a “Top 30” visit.

Kneeland has no shortage of interest after racking up 28 tackles for loss during his collegiate career at Western Michigan. At the combine, he turned heads with a 119-inch broad jump, 35.5-inch vertical jump, and 4.75 40-yard dash at 6’3, 267 pounds.

The Jaguars are in need of more pass rushing talent with both Dawuane Smoot and K’Lavon Chaisson set to become free agents. While the duo of Josh Allen and Travon Walker combined for 27.5 sacks, the rest of the team combined couldn’t hit half that total.

Last week, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network ranked Kneeland as the No. 48 prospect in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Saints schedule Top-30 visit with Western Michigan combine standout

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled a Top-30 draft visit with Marshawn Kneeland, an NFL Scouting Combine standout from Western Michigan:

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled their second Top-30 prospect visit of the 2024 NFL draft, after lining one up previously with Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd. Next up on the docket is Western Michigan defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland, per Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report.

Kneeland was one of the 321 total players invited to this year’s NFL Scouting Combine and was also a participant at the 2024 Senior Bowl. At the combine, Kneeland weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 267 pounds and stood out as an exceptional athlete in pretty much every event. He ranked highly amongst his peers at the defensive end position:

  • 40-yard dash: 4.75 seconds (19th)
  • 10-yard split: 1.66 seconds (tied-18th)
  • Vertical jump: 35.50 inches (8th)
  • Broad jump: 9 feet 11 inches (T-14th)
  • 3-cone drill: 7.02 seconds (1st by 0.28 seconds)
  • 20-yard shuttle: 4.18 seconds (1st)
  • Bench Press: 21 reps (T-8th)

It is worth noting that he has been listed at defensive tackle in other rankings, which would only help his case. In terms of Relative Athletic Score, a measure created by Kent Lee Platte, Kneeland ranked 75th out of 1,620 defensive tackles from 1987 to present day, with a 9.54 out of 10.00.

Kneeland is an extremely disruptive defensive lineman with 37 total pressures, 6 sacks, 38 tackles, and 2 forced fumbles this past season. He also has NFL size for a defensive lineman, a similar frame to Cameron Jordan who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 287 pounds. Kneeland will absolutely be an intriguing prospect in this draft process, and he may see a substantial rise in draft stock due to his combine success.

He also has other Top-30 visits scheduled with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers, so it is extremely clear that he is garnering attention in the pre-draft process. He’s currently seen as a second-round draft prospect.

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Michigan State football receives commitment from WMU transfer Carson Voss

MSU lands commitment from WMU transfer, Dansville native, Carson Voss

Michigan State has added to their special teams unit through the transfer portal, earning the commitment of Carson Voss, a punter transfer from Western Michigan. Voss will come to MSU as a PWO.

Voss is local to East Lansing, growing up in Dansville, Michigan, and is someone who has loved Michigan State for a long time. He will be a welcomed addition, adding depth to the Spartans special teams unit.

READ: MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL TRANSFER TRACKER

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Michigan State football offers Western Michigan transfer punter Carson Voss

Michigan State football offers Western Michigan transfer punter Carson Voss

Michigan State football has started to get a reputation for producing some amazing punters. From the late Mike Sadler, to Bryce Baringer who is currently lighting it up in the NFL for the Patriots, to Ryan Eckley, the Spartans most recent success, there has become a trend at MSU to have great punters.

On Monday, the Spartans offered a player who could be next in line in Western Michigan transfer punter Carson Voss.

Voss averaged 39.6 yards per punt last season for the Broncos, pinning 11 punts inside the 20. He had six punts go longer than 50 yards and he only had one touchback on the season.

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Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo sweeps weekly awards

What a player.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] continues to make people wonder who she is exactly. Only time will tell, but the early returns are extremely promising. It’s become typical to expect her to win ACC Rookie of the Week almost weekly, but she now is taking that a couple of steps further.

In addition to grabbing the rookie honors for the past week, she was named the ACC Player of the Week, but that wasn’t all. For the first time in her career, she also is the AP National Player of the Week. That’s as good as a freshman can be in the ACC.

Hidalgo played only one game during the past week, but it was a good one. She achieved her first career triple-double against Western Michigan with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to go with five steals. No triple-double in Irish history has been higher scoring, and only one other true freshman has had a triple-double at all.

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Hidalgo has triple-double in Notre Dame win over Western Michigan

The Irish have one special player.

It’s hard to imagine [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] getting even better as her freshman season goes on. Yet she continues to exceed expectations by building her case as one of the best players in the country, period. She achieved her first career triple-double as Notre Dame demolished Western Michigan, 84-47.

The most danger the Irish (9-1) were in was when the Broncos (5-5) held a 9-4 lead in the first quarter. The Irish completely took over after that and never looked back, outscoring the Broncos in every quarter. Even with only eight players healthy, the Irish clearly were the better team. They held advantages in every statistical category, some of them bigger than others.

Hidalgo’s triple-double consisted of 26 points and career highs in rebounds (11) and assists (10). She also added to her national steals lead by picking up five more. When she checked out in the game’s final minute, she was greeted enthusiastically by her teammates and the Purcell Pavilion crowd.

[autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag] scored most of her 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Maddy Westbeld had 15 points and eight rebounds. Also racking up big numbers in the rebounding department were [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] (12), [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] (nine) and [autotag]Natalija Marshall[/autotag] (eight).

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Micah Shrewsberry speaks after Notre Dame loss to Marquette

Here from the coach after the Irish were blown out.

MILWAUKEE – [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] knew Notre Dame had its work cut out for it against Marquette. That doesn’t make the Irish’s 78-59 road loss to the eighth-ranked team in the country any easier to take. While he certainly acknowledges that the Eagles are far and away better than the Irish, there has to be a feeling in the back of his mind that things could and should have gone better.

The competition doesn’t get any easier with former Big East foe Georgetown coming to South Bend right after final exams at Notre Dame are over. A little bit further out is the beginning of ACC play, and that’s when things really could get dicey. This game might have served as a dreary preview of what’s to come.

Fighting Irish Wire was on site for this game, and Shrewsberry spoke to the assembled media, which included other folks who cover the team regularly that made the trip to Milwaukee. Here is Shrewsberry’s opening statement and his answers to the two questions we asked him:

Micah Shrewsberry speaks after Notre Dame beats Western Michigan

Here’s some of what the head man said after his latest win.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – All things considered, Micah Shrewsberry has to be pleased with how his Notre Dame tenure has started. With the roster almost completely turned over from a season ago, any victory should be considered progress. That’s what happened when the Irish defeated Western Michigan, 86-65.

That’s not to say there aren’t some things don’t have to clean up. While he was happy to get the win, there also were some things he feels the Irish need to improve on. He made that clear during his postgame news conference.

One thing the media members covering the Irish have learned is that Shrewsberry gives very detailed responses to every question he’s asked. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] also gave detailed responses, but Shrewsberry really loves to talk about his team and make it sound interesting, even finding humor in some of the answers he gives.

Here is Shrewsberry’s opening statement after the win and his answers to the two questions we asked him:

Tae Davis, Julian Roper II, Braeden Shrewsberry speak after win

Hear from three of the Irish’s key players from their hard-fought victory.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Sometimes, things go so well that you just have to have as many people talk about it as possible. That’s not to say Notre Dame’s 86-65 win over Western Michigan was easy. In fact, it took a real effort by the Irish to hold off the Broncos. Still, enough went well, and many players contributed a lot.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] has emerged as a key player lately, and he showed that with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs. [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] is the 3-point specialist on the team, and he hit four shots from downtown in a 16-point effort off the bench. [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] continues to be a team leader, the latest evidence of which was this 14-point effort.

All three players spoke the media after the victory, and they all definitely earned the right to do so. Here are their answers to the questions posed by Fighting Irish Wire:

Notre Dame holds off pesky Western Michigan

That was a little too close.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – While this isn’t expected to be the best season for Notre Dame, some games should be easier than others. With the Irish having not lost to Western Michigan since 1966, the Broncos’ visit to Purcell Pavilion should have been one of those games. Don’t let that 86-65 final fool you because the Irish had to earn this win.

Before halftime, the Irish (4-4) saw a late 10-point lead whittled down to three before [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] made a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer. Even when they opened their lead up to 18 during the second half, the Broncos (2-6) kept battling until they cut that lead in half. Fortunately, the Irish responded to that with a 9-2 run that essentially put the game out of reach, and they held serve from there.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] did the most damage for the Irish, achieving a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] scored 17 while dishing out six assists. Off the bench, [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] contributed 16 points, most of them coming on a game-high four 3-pointers. Roper also had a solid night with 14 points and six boards.

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