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Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Notre Dame Football Preview 2025: Marcus Freeman Has Made the Fighting Irish Cool
This isn't your grandmother's Notre Dame football team. All of a sudden, the school with all the schmaltzy movies. The elitist alumni base. The international following. All of your annoying friends and family - at least mine - who never went there, but live and die with the school as if they did. The thumb-nose-at-your-conference semi-loner who keeps all the money. Yeah, that school, Notre Dame, is now ... cool?It's talented. It's ascending. It's the hot program going with the hottest head coach in the recruits are flocking to be a part of the fun, the foundation is getting stronger with great depth, and the elite staff of coaches are in place to keep it all going after last season's improbable run. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Notre Dame Offense BreakdownNotre Dame Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to SeasonI'm the guy who overhonks at fans who get mad when their team wins a ton of games, but it's still not enough. It takes a whole lot of luck to win ten or more college football games in a season, and to do even more, all the planets have to be correctly takes the right year, the right breaks, and ...Marcus Freeman chewed all that up and spat it out. What luck and what breaks did Notre Dame get last year - other than the all-conference-champion-top-four-seed thing that let the Irish enjoy the extra time off without having to play a conference championship? That, and not having to deal with Carson Beck, because Georgia's 13th game was the SEC Championship and Notre Dame's 13th was at home against Indiana ... but I digress ... Everyone has injuries, but Notre Dame was hammered too hard. The Irish lost star offensive lineman Charles Jagusah from an already questionable line before the season started. (He came back late in the run.) All-America cornerback Benjamin Morrison went down with a knee injury. Star defensive tackle Rylie Mills got hurt in the playoff. Those were just a few of the lost parts as the Irish had to do some serious lineup juggling throughout the what did Freeman do? Next man up, keep it all going, and all with a positive attitude that it was going to be okay. And it was. Notre Dame inexplicably forgot to get off the bus for the home opener against Northern Illinois. That was it. Season over. There was no way this team could go on a ten-win run with dangerous dates at USC and Georgia Tech to go, and with Florida State - at the time, that seemed like an issue - and Louisville to deal with. And what did Freeman do? Win the next game, keep it all going, and all with a positive attitude that it was going to be okay. And it was. Did the Irish get SMU, or Boise State, or Clemson, or Arizona State in the College Football Playoff? Okay, so it got Indiana in the first round, but they had to deal with SEC Champion Georgia, and then Penn State, and then Ohio what did Freeman do? His team found ways to push forward, keep it all going, and all with a positive attitude that it was going to be okay. And even with the loss to the Buckeyes - the Irish gave a big shove to the best team in college football by far - it was. Notre Dame had the winningest season in the historic program's history, and by two over the four teams (1988, 1989, 2012, 2018) that got to 12. There's nothing sour about Freeman. There's zero whining, no excuses, and all with the exact type of get-the-job-done style that everyone is looking year's team is just as deep and possibly even better if the quarterback play is good enough. The base is energized, a bumping recruiting class is on the way, the media spotlight is brighter than ever, and it's all because Notre Dame has the guy. And now what does Marcus Freeman have to do? Keep winning lots and lots of games, and then everything will be okay. Notre Dame Offense BreakdownNotre Dame Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Michigan Offense Preview 2025: Yes, the Wolverines Will Have a Passing Game
Think of it this way. Michigan was able to beat Ohio State and Alabama with no will be better than whatever that was, at least from the passing attack. The ground game showed a few moments of greatness - like on the final drive to push past USC - but it was hard to get anything going when the quarterbacks couldn't complete a downfield was dead last in the Big Ten in passing, dead last in the nation in yards per completion, and it's not like the attack was careful, turning over 20 times. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey should change this up fast, but any improvement starts with … X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Michigan Preview Michigan Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season - The quarterback situation last season was inexcusable. Absolutely nothing against former starter Davis Warren - he did what he could - but between him, Alex Orji, and Jack Tuttle, the Wolverines were at a disadvantage in just about every key game at the Michigan. It needs a star at quarterback, and it hopes to have fixed the glitch with superstar prospect Bryce Underwood needing to be the franchise star over the next few seasons. It will be a process, though. He has the size, tools, and talent, but he's a true freshman. This won't always be smooth if he's the main man right Keene brings over 8,000 passing yards and 65 touchdowns over his career at UCF and Fresno State, but interceptions were a problem with the Bulldogs. Redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis is a talent who got more than his share of reps this offseason. And now … - The wide receivers have to do their part. There's talent in this group, but everyone has to make bigger plays, and that's where the transfers come starts with Donaven McCulley (Indiana), a very big, very dangerous downfield target who missed most of last year hurt, but put up 48 catches with six scores, along with Anthony Simpson (UMass), a former Arizona Wildcat who caught 57 passes two years ago with UMass before missing most of 2024 hurt. Simpson will battle with second-leading receiver Semaj Morgan, who caught 27 passes but averaged just five yards per grab, for the starting job in the Moore has the upside to be the top target after catching just 11 passes. He'll combine with Channing Goodwin for the flanker end isn't a concern, but replacing new Chicago Bear Colston Loveland is tough. Marlin Klein isn't Loveland, but he has NFL potential as the next man up, and Hogan Hansen is a good young option who got in a little work as a freshman. - The running backs will once again be terrific. Justice Haynes (Alabama) was one of the top backs in the portal, running for close to six yards per carry with nine scores over the last two seasons, and Jordan Marshall will go from understudy to No. 1B in options. Also coming in is CJ Hester (UMass), a veteran backup option who can catch. - Once again, the line will mash away. Giovanni El-Hadi earned All-Big Ten honors at right guard, and now he'll move over to the left side along with tackle Evan Link. Greg Crippen took over the center gig halfway through and should are more than enough options. For the other spots. Sophomore Nathan Efobi got in a little work as a guard, Andrew Sprague should be ready to take over the full-time right tackle job, and Brady Norton (Cal Poly) is a great get through the portal who could work anywhere, but will most likely factor into the tackle rotation. Michigan Defense Breakdown2025 Michigan Preview Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Michigan Football Preview 2025: Are the Wolverines True Contenders Under Sherrone Moore?
Michigan had a forgivable taking the next-step-up in 2021 and getting to the College Football Playoff, and gagging away the 2022 season to TCU, and all of the drama, fun, controversy, and dominance of everything that happened in 2023, the follow-up was supposed to be tough. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN Michigan Offense BreakdownMichigan Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to SeasonJim Harbaugh was gone, a whole slew of stars from the national championship team had moved on, and the schedule appeared to be - and turned out to be - a Texas, USC, at Washington, Oregon, at Ohio State, and in the end, Alabama. All of that, and going to Indiana, turned out to be a really big deal. And going to Illinois last season was brutal, and Minnesota was really good, and that's all before bringing up what goes into beating Michigan was a lot for new head coach Sherrone Moore and Michigan to deal with, including his own stuff with the fallout from the Connor Stalions shenanigans. So going 8-5 was okay - once. It wasn't great, and there weren't any totally unforgivable losses, but now it's time to get back up to national title contender speed.I spent years honing my Jim Harbaugh Apologists Club bit - the whole idea is that it's really, really hard to win lots of football games every year, even at a place like Michigan, or Ohio State, or Penn State, or Georgia - but there's no reason why Michigan shouldn't at least be a regular in the expanded College Football Playoff. Winning a national title takes something magical, years of building, and a slew of breaks. That's been the brilliance of Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, and to a lesser extent lately, Clemson in the College Football Playoff era. Keep throwing elite runs out there and see if something a difference between "there's always next year" for the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes than it is for TCU and Washington. Ohio State went 12-1 the year after winning the 2014 national title, and the one time it dipped below 11 wins in the CFP era was 2020, and that year it lost to Alabama in the National are catastrophic times in Alabama after the first year post-Nick Saban, and it went 9-3 in the regular season and should've been in the CFP over SMU - long explanation, but just trust me on that. What happened to LSU in the first season after the epic 2019 national title run? It went 5-5 in 2020 and crumbled to 6-7 the year what's Michigan going to be?Will it be one of THOSE programs that wins no matter what, just because it's better and more talented than all but a handful of teams in a given year, or is it one of the programs that gets nice things because it's big and powerful, but flies first class and brags about its CLEAR membership instead of pulling up to the private jet?Is Michigan a true player under Sherrone Moore, or not?We're about to find out. Michigan Offense BreakdownMichigan Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Air Force Defense Preview 2025: Total Turnover on the Falcons D
To be nice about it, there's just a wee bit of work to do on the defensive side, but it'll be okay - it always is under this coaching all of the team's issues, Air Force was No. 1 in the Mountain West in total defense, allowed just 23 points per game, and …It has to replace just about everyone. However … X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Air Force PreviewAir Force Offense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season- The defensive front three should be solid. 6-7, 270-pound Daniel Grobe was an active end with 4.5 tackles for loss to go with his 31 stops, and the tackles should be a Zdroik is a smallish brick block in the middle, with the quickness to come up with three sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. Aidan Swartz is another big body who knows what he's doing after a year in the starting mix. - The linebacking corps has potential stat-sheet fillers. There's a little work to do with a lack of overall experience, but after losing David Santiago to Michigan State, Blake Fletcher should step up and shine at one outside spot, and Luke Fisher has the makeup to be one of the team's leading tacklers in the middle.A pass rusher has to step up in the hybrid role on the outside, needing Jackson Adams and Chances Carter-Hill to form a strong rotation. - The secondary needs a ton of work. Top tacklers Camby Goff and Jamari Bellamy are done, and Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner is off to Southern Utah after finishing fourth on the team in Kyle Chen is the leading returning tackler among the defensive backs, and Houston Hendrix should be among the new stars at free safety. The cornerback situation is even more questionable with no appreciable experience. Air Force Offense Breakdown 2025 Air Force PreviewSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Oregon Defense Preview 2025: The Duck D Will Be One of the Nation's Best
The Oregon defense stepped up over the last two years and should be among the best in the Big Ten again this pass rush was good, the run defense was good enough, and overall, the defense finished 15th in the Ducks were even better than the stats. Out of the 272 points allowed in the 14 games, 143 were allowed against Penn State, Boise State, and in the two dates with Ohio State. So far under head coach Dan Lanning, Oregon is 32-0 when allowing fewer than 34 points, and good luck getting that many on this year's offenses will have a nasty time getting to 34 on this bunch. X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 Oregon PreviewOregon Offense Breakdown Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season - The pass rush and defensive line will be fantastic. Matayo Uiagalelei blew up into an All-Big Ten star with 10.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss on one end, and the rest of the pass rush should come from the outside no Derrick Harmon in the interior, but 6-3, 320-pound A'Mauri Washington will be more than fine at one tackle spot, and Bear Alexander (USC) will step right in on the nose despite missing most of last year hurt. There's terrific talent to rotate in, but it's inexperienced. - The linebackers will wreak havoc. Teitum Tuioti will work in a hybrid role again after finishing third on the team with 5.5 sacks with 7.5 tackles for loss, and 58 stops. Devon Jackson has all-star upside coming off a 47-tackle season, and all-star leading tackler Bryce Boettcher is back in the middle after making 94 stops. - Out of all the great transfers coming in, safety Dillon Thieneman (Purdue) should turn into one of the biggest stars coming off two monster seasons with the Boilermakers. The other safety jobs will be fall camp battles. Kingston Lopa is a promising talent for the free safety spot, and Daylen Austin should be among the team's top Ducks are loaded at corner. Theran Johnson (Northwestern) has four years of experience with over 100 tackles with three picks, and 18 broken up passes. Jahlil Florence missed all of last year, but as he showed in 2023, the NFL upside is Laulea only played in a few games last year, but he has a world of upside in the rotation, and Ify Obidegwu should find a role somewhere if he doesn't work his way into a corner Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season2025 Oregon PreviewOregon Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
