Jason Licht: Rookie CBs Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish can help Bucs a lot this year
Buccaneers first-round pick Emeka Egbuka's first offseason with the team drew a lot of positive reviews, but the wideout isn't the only first-year player that the team is expecting to make an immediate contribution.
They took cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the second round and then added another corner in the third round by selecting Jacob Parrish. During an appearance on the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast, General Manager Jason Licht said that the two rookies have shown enough for him to think that they'll join fourth-year pro Zyon McCollum in playing significant roles in the secondary this year.
'Those guys have been equally as impressive,' Licht said. 'It's been fun to watch. I don't want to already stamp them, but we feel very, very good about them helping us out a lot this year. Plus Zyon's having an amazing offseason as well, so there's not going to be — Very few teams, I think, have three young corners with that much talent right now.'
The Bucs still have Jamel Dean as well and the group will play a big part in the push for a fifth straight division title in Tampa.
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Fox Sports
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McLaurin to Raiders? 1 Perfect Landing Spot for Each NFL Minicamp Holdout
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There's been plenty of talk about a reunion with the Los Angeles Rams, and there's a lot of smoke that a trade to Pittsburgh could be coming. Personally, I don't know how much sense either of those destinations makes. If I'm purely looking for fit, how about a trade that'd send Ramsey a short drive up I-75 to Tampa? The Buccaneers have the cap space, and their roster looks primed for another run at the NFC South title. Personally, I don't think they're far off from being real-deal contenders to win the entire conference. Yes, Tampa Bay did spend two big picks at cornerback during the draft, but wouldn't it be exciting to have a player like Ramsey to mentor them at least for the 2025 season? Or, if need be, they could easily play Ramsey with Antoine Winfield Jr. at safety. The fun thing about this trade is it would pair Ramsey with one of the league's best defensive minds in Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. The Buccaneers are a good team. 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Retiring South Dade wrestling coach honored with Miami Herald Lifetime Achievement Award
He helped create the most dominant wrestling program in Miami-Dade County history, and it's become one of the best in the nation. After 29 seasons, South Dade's Victor Balmeceda decided to call it a career this past March. And what a distinguished career it was. The Bucs won 20 state titles in 32 years, including 18 championships in Balmeceda's 29 seasons as a head coach. Add to that numerous more individual state champions and hundreds more wrestlers he mentored over the years. For his vast accomplishments, Balmeceda is one of the Miami Herald's 2024-25 Miami-Dade Lifetime Achievement Award recipients. Balmeceda, 54, remains at South Dade High teaching special-needs kids, but departed his role as coach after the Bucs extended their Dade-record active streak of 12 consecutive state titles. 'It's great when one of your wrestlers jumps into your arms after winning state, and you know you helped him reach his goal,' Balmeceda said earlier this year. Balmeceda made the decision in order to spend more time with his wife of 29 years, Susan, and their family. They have two sons, Brevin, 24, and Gavin, 18, both of whom were state champions at South Dade. Brevin was a four-time state champ and won two NAIA national championships at Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Gavin, who won one state title at South Dade, is currently a wrestler at Life. In addition to his teams' accomplishments on the mat, Balmeceda helped numerous wrestlers overcome difficult home lives as a father figure to so many. Many of them included former state champions, Eric Diaz and Kendrick Sanders. Diaz posted on Facebook after Balmeceda announced his retirement: 'Your words of wisdom helped me in dark times. You unselfishly gave so much to so many, and all that you asked was for us to give you our best. 'Just know that you have earned the gratitude, respect, love and loyalty from us all!' Added Sanders: 'I wanted you to be my coach so much that as a kid I would sneak and put on my older cousin's singlet just to see what it felt like to rock that 'S' on my chest. 'You inspired me, and you have impacted so many lives. You instilled confidence in a boy who was lost at times. There were countless times when we couldn't afford to go to a camp, and you spent out of your pocket to make it happen. 'You provided structure. You held us accountable, and you loved us like we were your own sons.' Balmeceda also made the decision knowing the program is in good hands. His long-time assistant coach, Humberto 'Duck' Reyna, replaced him as head coach. 'Duck is half the reason we have the dynasty we have,' Balmeceda said in March.
NBC Sports
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- NBC Sports
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Buccaneers first-round pick Emeka Egbuka's first offseason with the team drew a lot of positive reviews, but the wideout isn't the only first-year player that the team is expecting to make an immediate contribution. They took cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the second round and then added another corner in the third round by selecting Jacob Parrish. During an appearance on the Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast, General Manager Jason Licht said that the two rookies have shown enough for him to think that they'll join fourth-year pro Zyon McCollum in playing significant roles in the secondary this year. 'Those guys have been equally as impressive,' Licht said. 'It's been fun to watch. I don't want to already stamp them, but we feel very, very good about them helping us out a lot this year. Plus Zyon's having an amazing offseason as well, so there's not going to be — Very few teams, I think, have three young corners with that much talent right now.' The Bucs still have Jamel Dean as well and the group will play a big part in the push for a fifth straight division title in Tampa.
