Tag: Willis McGahee

There’s a fourth Willis McGahee and he’s headed to Nebraska

There’s a fourth Willis McGahee and he’s headed to Nebraska.

For years, Willis McGahee III ran through defenses on the gridiron, being a Heisman finalist in college and spending 10 years as an NFL running back. Two decades after his University of Miami career ended, his son Willis McGahee IV is approaching the start of his own collegiate journey.

McGahee IV, henceforth referred to as McGahee in this article, committed to Nebraska on Saturday. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker at Columbus High School (Miami, Fla.) is ranked as a three-star player on 247Sports and had 19 offers, according to the outlet.

As a junior at Columbus, McGahee had 50 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks, according to MaxPreps. He helped Columbus go 14-1 and win the Class 4M Florida High School Athletic Association championship as the Explorers finished No. 23 on the USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25 national rankings.

On3 reported that McGahee visited Nebraska in March and April and was on campus for the spring game. He spoke highly of the coaching staff led by head coach Matt Rhule.

“I liked how Coach Rhule addressed the team before practice started. He told them he knows practice won’t be perfect and that we welcome mistakes. That would’ve taken the edge off for me if that was my first practice. I was impressed with how the coaches were coaching. It’s the type of coaching style I prefer,” McGahee said to On3.

McGahee is the fourth Nebraska commit in the class of 2024, according to 247Sports. The Cornhuskers hope these commits are the start of a strong recruiting class, as neither of the last two classes have ranked in the top 30 nationally, per 247Sports.

Friday Night Notes: Florida lands 5-star DB, Malik Blocton names his top 10 schools and more

The most significant recruitment of the week happened Thursday, when the Florida Gators got a commitment from one of the top safeties in Texas.

USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.

The Florida Gators earned themselves the biggest recruiting prize of the week on Thursday when they got a commitment from one of the top-ranked defensive backs in the recruiting class of 2024.

Here’s how McKinney (Texas) five-star safety Xavier Filsaime announced that he’s on his way to the swamp.

Filsaime had offers from 32 other programs, including Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Pitt.

Asked why he picked the Gators, he told Hayes Fawcett at On3 he feels close with Billy Napier’s staff and likes how they plan to use him.

“What really stood out is the vibe and chemistry I had with the coaches when I first met them in person… I’m close with a few guys… Coach CJ, Joe Hamilton, and coach Armstrong are the main guys I really talk to on a regular basis. But the way the plan on using me in their defense is not really much different from my high school coaches. Playing man, zone, and a lot more blitzing with me.”

Going by the composite rankings, Filsaime (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) is currently No. 2 among safeties in his class behind Buford (Ga.)’s uncommitted star, KJ Bolden. He’s also the No. 7 ranked recruit in the state of Texas and No. 36 overall in his class.

That makes seven hard commits for Florida’s class of 2024. Filsaime is the second-highest ranked prospect behind Willis (Texas) five-star quarterback DJ Lagway. This group ranks No. 6 in the nation.

For more Florida football news, follow USA TODAY’s Gators Wire.

B/R 2003 re-draft gives Bills Larry Johnson, makes Chris Kelsay first rounder

Buffalo Bills and Bleacher Report’s 2003 NFL Draft re-do.

If you recall the 2003 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills and a running back sounds familiar, but in Bleacher Report‘s re-draft of that year’s rookie selections, the Bills change their running back picked.

That draft, the Bills made a surprising selection, taking Miami’s Willis McGahee. Once an electric player, McGahee suffered a gruesome knee injury in college. Because of that, the Bills selecting him No. 23 overall was head-turner.

Now instead of McGahee, the pick is running back Larry Johnson, who was selected No. 27 overall by the Chiefs.

The explanation of the change also has to do with both of their career trajectories:

We’re mixing it up because the impact Johnson made was similar to that of McGahee, but McGahee was coming off a major knee injury early and never fully took off. The Bills never made the playoffs with him on the roster.

Why not try Johnson instead? The Penn State product peaked in a massive way in late 2004 and all of 2005 and 2006, but it’s entirely possible that explosion would have come sooner if the opportunity presented itself.

That might have been the case in Buffalo, where Drew Bledsoe and Co. could have been pushed over the top by a player who compiled over 4,000 scrimmage yards and scored 40 touchdowns in a two-season span with the Chiefs.

But while the Bills might’ve missed with their decision in McGahee, B/R does think the Bills got a first-round talent, of sorts.

At the No. 30 pick, the re-draft has the Eagles have the Bills selecting defensive end Chris Kelsay, the Bills’ second-round pick that year.

So with the re-drafting bad, we’ll take the good, too.

 

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Frank Gore had to overcome 2 ACL tears before becoming the model for NFL longevity

Frank Gore had multiple ACL injuries in college and was defined by them early in his career and is proving critics wrong by still playing.

There comes a time when every athlete has to call it quits, but that day has yet to arrive for Frank Gore.

The soon to be 37-year-old is entering his 16th NFL season after signing with the Jets, which will tie him for the most seasons played by a running back along with Marcus Allen. Gore is third on the all-time rushing list with 15,347 yards, a five-time Pro Bowler and has made it to the Super Bowl. Simply put, there have been few running backs as accomplished as him.

And yet, there was plenty of doubt Gore could make it in the pros, let alone defy Father Time at one of the NFL’s most bruising positions.

Gore suffered two different ACL injuries to his left knee while at the University of Miami. The first one came in March 2002 in one of the Hurricanes’ spring practices. That led to Willis McGahee becoming the starting running back for Miami that season, despite Gore beating him out for the job. The next tear came in October 2003 in a game against West Virginia.

Gore came back for his junior season, however, and put together the best year of his career. He led the team in carries (197), rushing yards (945) and rushing touchdowns (10). That was all Gore needed to put his name in the 2005 NFL Draft.

General managers had their concerns over Gore’s injury history, though. It didn’t help that his 40-yard dash time was a less-than-ideal 4.66 seconds and his weight was a tad high at 208 pounds. Gore also scored a six on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test, too, which led some to believe that he wasn’t smart enough to play in the NFL.

That combination had some teams looking the other way on Gore. Five running backs were picked ahead of him by the time he was picked 65th overall by the 49ers. That included Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson, Cadillac Williams, J.J. Arrington and Eric Shelton.

“Me going through all the injuries, and then when I get to the league just hearing all the negative stuff, I set my goals and said I’ll never let a man judge me,” Gore told NFL.com. “The only man I’ll let judge me is that man up above. But I was determined to be the best in my class.”

Not only is Gore the best running back in his class, but he’s lasted longer than any of them on is way to becoming one of the best backs of all-time. Even after NFL GMs didn’t think his knees would hold up and even after he had major surgery on both his shoulders after his rookie season, Gore continued to work. Let’s not forget about the fractured hip he suffered in 2010 or the ankle injuries that he’s dealt with or the broken foot he suffered while with the Dolphins. He’s proved everyone wrong and is still playing productive football.

When Gore’s career is all done, his next stop will be Canton. When it comes to time to make his speech, he should take a minute to acknowledge all the teams that passed on him.