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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
ESPN's Greg McElroy says Texas Longhorns have No. 1 defense in country
While most Longhorns fans believe the UT offense will be much improved in 2025 with new starting quarterback Arch Manning taking the reins, the Texas defense might be the standout unit in a possible national championship run. In face, Greg McElroy of ESPN things the Horns have the best defense in the country. The No. 1 defense coming into the season are the Texas Longhorns," McElroy stated on his most recent addition of his "Always College Football" podcast. "What they have is honestly off the charts from a star-powered standpoint." Advertisement The former Alabama quarterback says the upside for the Longhorns defense is very high. "I don't think there's a team in the country that has a higher ceiling than Texas," he said. "With the amount of guys that can take over the game and absolutely wreck the opponents offense." The ESPN analyst calls out a number of players on the UT defense front seven that he believes put them at the top in college football. "Colin Simmons, I'm not sure there is a more feared pass rusher in the SEC, outside of maybe (South Carolina's) Dylan Stewart," McElroy said. "But he's expected to take on an even bigger role. If he can go alongside of Trey Moore and Anthony Hill's in the middle ... I don't know what you do. One of those guys is going to get home on a down in and down out basis in obvious passing situations." Even though the Longhorns lost some key members of the secondary to the NFL draft like Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron, McElroy thinks the defensive backfield will just reload. "In the secondary, you have five players back that are really, really solid kind of across the board," he said. "And they went out and got some of the best young players in the country and reinforce their depth there in the back end." Advertisement McElroy thinks Ohio State has the second best defense, followed by Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame to round out the top five. Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon and Clemson make up the rest of the top ten. But it is Texas' defense that he feels will have the biggest impact. "I don't think there's a group in the country that can get after the quarterback better," McElroy said. "That's what makes the Texas Longhorns the No. 1 defense in the country heading into the 2025 season." Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Who has No. 1 defense in nation? ESPN's Greg McElroy says it's Texas
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
ESPN's Greg McElroy says Texas Longhorns have No. 1 defense in country
ESPN's Greg McElroy says Texas Longhorns have No. 1 defense in country While most Longhorns fans believe the UT offense will be much improved in 2025 with new starting quarterback Arch Manning taking the reins, the Texas defense might be the standout unit in a possible national championship run. In face, Greg McElroy of ESPN things the Horns have the best defense in the country. The No. 1 defense coming into the season are the Texas Longhorns," McElroy stated on his most recent addition of his "Always College Football" podcast. "What they have is honestly off the charts from a star-powered standpoint." The former Alabama quarterback says the upside for the Longhorns defense is very high. "I don't think there's a team in the country that has a higher ceiling than Texas," he said. "With the amount of guys that can take over the game and absolutely wreck the opponents offense." The ESPN analyst calls out a number of players on the UT defense front seven that he believes put them at the top in college football. "Colin Simmons, I'm not sure there is a more feared pass rusher in the SEC, outside of maybe (South Carolina's) Dylan Stewart," McElroy said. "But he's expected to take on an even bigger role. If he can go alongside of Trey Moore and Anthony Hill's in the middle ... I don't know what you do. One of those guys is going to get home on a down in and down out basis in obvious passing situations." Even though the Longhorns lost some key members of the secondary to the NFL draft like Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron, McElroy thinks the defensive backfield will just reload. "In the secondary, you have five players back that are really, really solid kind of across the board," he said. "And they went out and got some of the best young players in the country and reinforce their depth there in the back end." McElroy thinks Ohio State has the second best defense, followed by Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame to round out the top five. Alabama, Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon and Clemson make up the rest of the top ten. But it is Texas' defense that he feels will have the biggest impact. "I don't think there's a group in the country that can get after the quarterback better," McElroy said. "That's what makes the Texas Longhorns the No. 1 defense in the country heading into the 2025 season." Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @LonghornsWire.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Greg McElroy Didn't Hesitate When Naming The Best Defense In College Football
Greg McElroy Didn't Hesitate When Naming The Best Defense In College Football originally appeared on Athlon Sports. ESPN analyst and former national champion quarterback Greg McElroy believes one defense sits above the rest ahead of the 2025 college football season. Advertisement The Ohio State Buckeyes fielded the top defense last season on the way to their ninth national championship and first under head coach Ryan Day. That group will look differently this season, though, with multiple NFL draft departures and the transition at coordinator from Jim Knowles to Matt Patrica. McElroy is still high on the Buckeyes, ranking them at No. 2 on his list of the top-10 defenses after spring practice and before fall camp. Leading the country, according to the former Alabama quarterback, is the Texas Longhorns. Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski instructs players during practice Austin American-Statesman-USA TO "This group has a ridiculously high ceiling this upcoming season," McElroy said Monday on "Always College Football." "I don't think there's a group in the country that can get after the quarterback better. That's what makes the Texas Longhorns the number one defense in the country heading into the 2025 season." Advertisement Texas and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski had some holes on the interior after NFL draft departures, leading to some notable pickups via the transfer portal like Maraad Watson (Syracuse), Hero Kanu (Ohio State), Travis Shaw (North Carolina) and Cole Brevard (Purdue). The Longhorns return two of the top pass rushers in the country in linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and EDGE Collin Simmons. Hill racked up eight sacks, 17 tackles for loss and earned First-Team All-America honors as a sophomore last season while Simmons posted nine sacks, 14 tackles for loss and took home Freshman All-America honors. McElroy tabbed Hill as the best linebacker in the nation and referred to Simmons as the most feared pass rusher outside of South Carolina's Dylan Stewart. Advertisement "The guy's a complete superstar," McElroy said of Hill. "I think he's the best linebacker in the country. Ridiculously athletic, amazing against the run and the pass, and he's versatile enough to win a third down situation." "I'm not sure there is a more feared pass rusher in the SEC outside of maybe Dylan Stewart, but he's expected to take on an even bigger role here in 2025," McElroy said of Simmons. In the secondary, Texas returns star safety Michael Taaffe alongside experienced cornerback Malik Muhammad. Jelani McDonald returns at nickel and Derek Williams Jr. is back after missing most of the 2024 season due to injury. High expectations surround the Longhorns' defense after finishing third nationally in scoring (15.3 points per game) last season. Advertisement However, It appears that there is enough talent and experience for a third consecutive College Football Playoff berth. That's if, of course, new starting quarterback Arch Manning can keep the offensive success rolling. Related: Updated Recruiting Rankings Feature New No. 1 Team After 5-Star Prospect's Commitment Related: SEC Powerhouse Emerges As Leader For Nation's No. 1 DL This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Greg McElroy Reveals Running Back Ranking for Texas Standout Tre Wisner
The Texas Longhorns' running back room hit a roadblock before the 2024 season even started. After a breakout campaign in 2023, CJ Baxter was the expected starter, but he suffered a season-ending LCL and PCL tear on Aug. 7. Texas needed someone to step up and fill in for Baxter's production. Advertisement In stepped Tre Wisner, who led the Longhorns with 1,064 rushing yards and five touchdowns last season. On a recent edition of "Always College Football," Greg McElroy ranked Wisner as the No. 7 running back in college football. McElroy is excited to see how the Texas backfield looks with both Wisner and Baxter back for 2025. Texas Longhorns running back Quintrevion Wisner (26). Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Baxter gets hurt in the preseason," McElroy said. "Jaydon Blue, early in the season, was struggling, putting the ball on the deck. So, ball security was a bit of an issue, which means Wisner finally gets his chance, and sure enough, it was an outstanding season nonetheless. If you look at the game against A&M, that's where he kind of catapulted into becoming a household name outside of Austin, Texas." Advertisement Wisner was a member of the 2023 class and a former four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings. As a true freshman, he spent most of his playing time on special teams, appearing in 14 games. Fast-forward to last season, and Wisner had a breakout year. He played in 15 games with 12 starts at running back. Texas is coming off a 2024 campaign in which it finished 11-1 in the regular season, qualified for the SEC Championship Game, and was the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns lost to the Georgia Bulldogs in the conference championship but reached the semifinal round of the playoff, losing to the eventual national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, 28-14. Texas opens the 2025 season against Ohio State on Aug. 30. Related: Texas Named Finalist For Elite College Football Prospect on Tuesday
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Curt Cignetti has 'results to show.' It's helping Indiana football recruiting
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti hopes success breeds more success. He joined Greg McElroy's "Always College Football" podcast, noting that the Hoosiers' College Football Playoff season in 2024 enabled them to attract top transfers. Advertisement "Without that success, you don't land a Fernando Mendoza or a Pat Coogan, and some of those other guys we were able to get," Cignetti said. Mendoza joined IU from California, where he completed 66.5% of his passes for 4,712 yards, 30 touchdowns and 16 interceptions over two seasons. Coogan, an offensive lineman, came from Notre Dame, which knocked IU out of the CFP. "Where you're seeing it now is in high school recruiting. In the last two or three weeks, we've picked up seven or eight quality commitments," the coach added. Several in-state Class of 2026 players have committed to IU, including Franklin Central defensive lineman Blake Smythe, Crown Point tight end/linebacker Trevor Gibbs and Decatur Central defensive back Kasmir Hicks, who is rated the state's top player. Advertisement Rosters, revenue-sharing: What will Indiana do after House vs NCAA settlement? IU used the transfer portal to a larger degree last year, with more than a dozen players following Cignetti from his previous coaching stop at James Madison. "That's all promises and a vision," he said of building that team. "Now you've got results to show for it." Though the future looks bright, Cignetti acknowledges the common trepidation of coaches. "I have the typical post-Spring anxiety that I always do this summer," he said. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Curt Cignetti Indiana football recruiting, transfer portal pitch has results
