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New York Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
2019 LSU, best of the 2000s? Plus NFL vs. CFB scheduling
Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox. Today in college football news, the rock and roll album of the year is 'I Don't Want to See You in Heaven' by Atlanta's own Callous Daoboys. Recommended for: Those who are now imagining what it would be like if Fall Out Boy was our only source of news on the end of the world. Since the number 25 is special in college football, of course the 25th season of the 2000s needs to have its own top 25s. This week, Stewart Mandel kicked things off with a ranking of the 25 best teams of this millennium-ish. That's a hard job! Stewart went with 2001 Miami at No. 1, pointing out the nine future All-Pros on that cartoonishly loaded roster. It's long been a popular choice, especially as the NFL careers of those Hurricanes only added to that team's standing. Three things: Psst: Now that some readers have already scrolled past the rest of this section, I gotta admit a CFB internet heresy. I'm not sure I would have 2001 Miami at No. 2 on my list, either. 2004 USC, 2005 Texas, 2018 Clemson and 2020 Alabama would each get very strong consideration. Still, Stewart's the one who did all the work of actually ranking 25 teams. Read it here. 🏆 Another ranking! Bruce Feldman has the 25 best players of the millennium so far. I think No. 1 is indisputable here, despite playing just one real year in FBS. Hint, hint. 🎲 This newsletter now delivers good Clemson feelings every week. Bruce's win total picks include this: 'If I had to predict the national title game matchup now, almost 250 days away, I'd predict Clemson versus Texas.' So far, I've been leaning toward exactly the same. Advertisement 🤔 In the big-playoff era, traditional conference championship games already feel a little obsolete (and maybe even counterproductive). Could the SEC really turn its main event into a multi-parter? 🙄 Realignment has already killed way too many rivalries. Now it seems to have conspired with CFP uncertainty to endanger Notre Dame-USC, who have played almost every year since 1926. 🏆 All 136 QB situations in FBS, ranked in tiers by David Hale. My alma mater is in 'Tier 20: Nowhere but up.' Hell yeah. Love going up. 👴🏻 ''Those parents are going to want to have conversations with you. Whereas not many parents in the NFL are calling the head coach saying I need to talk about my son being unhappy,' the ACC assistant said.' (Bill Belichick, college football coach, continues to sound like an experiment designed to make one man hate both college and football.) 💎 Mayhem underway already in the softball championship scene: Texas A&M became the first No. 1 seed to ever lose in regionals, falling to Liberty on Sunday. Million-time champ Oklahoma is now the top seed remaining, and former Sooners star Jordy Bahl leads Nebraska against No. 7 Tennessee. Everything to know here. The NFL and its own de facto developmental league are now counter-programming each other. (To be clear, that's now how I think of college football, but the NFL's opinions matter a lot more than mine.) Personally, I find all of this rude. The NFL has more than enough days, and college football feels like the last entertainment entity it should ever trample upon. Think of everything college football has done for the NFL, such as making sure nobody in the league has to think about Belichick's personal life. In light of all this, Chris Vannini explains this battle actually goes back more than half a century, back to when CFB was nationally entrenched and the Super Bowl wasn't even a thing yet. Advertisement In 1961, when Congress began allowing the NFL to pool its TV rights, college football leadership lobbied for Saturdays to be protected. The bill eventually protected Friday nights as well, ensuring high school football also wouldn't have to compete against the pros. That's part of the reason this year's Black Friday NFL game happens to kick off at 3 p.m. ET, dancing just around the outskirts of the Friday night part. How convenient! Lots more in Chris' story. One last ranking! It's another big one: Stew's updated 2025 top 25 after portal season. More good Texas and/or Clemson feelings! Let's come back to this one on Friday. (Slightly different newsletter schedule this week, like when it's November and the Sun Belt is suddenly playing on Wednesdays.) 📫 Love Until Saturday? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Jadeveon Clowney fails to make it to the Top 25 College Football Player list
(Image via Getty: Jadeveon Clowney) On May 20, Bruce Feldman, a College Football Beat Writer at The Athletic , released the Top 25 College Football Player list. Immediately, Jonathan Williams, Multimedia Sports Journalist at Sports Illustrated, shared that it did not have a name! Jadeveon Clowney . Someone whose stats are far better than the ones listed in the Top 25. For instance, it had New Orleans Saints DE Chase Young, who accumulated 99 tackles, 30.5 sacks, and 43 tackles for loss in his college football career. Jadeveon Clowney, former linebacker at the Houston Texans, scored 129 tackles, 24 sacks, and 48 tackles for loss. Jadeveon Clowney was dropped from the Top 25 College Football Players list after parting ways with the Carolina Panthers Getting snubbed from a list where you were one of the best more than a decade ago - hurts differently. To rub salt in the wound, this loss comes right after the Carolina Panthers released the 32-year-old outside linebacker, Jadeveon Clowney. A quote can be of service here, and it's straight from the source: Jadeveon Clowney wrote on his X back in March 2022 - Never allow someone the power to create a narrative about your character; stay true to yourself. ✊🏾😤😤 Fans were asked what happened to Jadeveon Clowney over the years On May 19, 2025, MLFootball shared a video of Jadeveon Clowney's outstanding play on X with a caption - WHAT HAPPENED TO JADEVEON CLOWNEY…? Clowney is still only 32 years old — was the #1 overall pick and was considered a generational talent . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Fans rushed in their responses. 'injuries killed his career real talk' 'His career was made off of one play in a nonsense bowl game.' 'injuries and inconsistency.' 'Work ethic, motor to name a couple reasons…' 'Lacks the desire or drive to be the best. Elite physical gifts wasted to a degree. Solid player only but with hall of fame gifts' 'He wasn't ever bad, just not generational' 'I mean, it was one of the greatest plays I've ever seen in college football.' 'Undersized, low compete level' 'He had one hellavua play in college. That is what got him clout.' 'Never lived up to the hype because of injuries ..' 'Bust as a first pick' 'Injuries. Luck plays a part in longevity' 'He is lazy and rich' 'Even in college his work ethic was always questioned but his talent over road that in college some thought he was taking it light so he wouldn't hurt himself but no that was the real Him' Also Read: 'Some people are untouchable': Michael Vick talks about Brett Favre on Netflix documentary UNTOLD: The Fall of Favre | NFL News - Times of India Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Where will Travis Hunter play in the NFL? Coaches, scouts have wildly different opinions
(Editor's note: The following is excerpted from Bruce Feldman's NFL Draft Confidential, featuring intel from anonymous coaches and evaluators about every position of the 2025 draft class. The coaches are identified by number to distinguish their contributions from each other.) What will happen when Travis Hunter, Colorado's Heisman Trophy-winning, two-way phenomenon, hits the NFL? Advertisement 'I think he is a defensive back wanting to play receiver, not the other way around,' said offensive coordinator No. 2. 'If he really wants to be a wide receiver, he's got to commit to being a wide receiver. Watch (Colorado's) pro day; he does all this stuff (on his routes) that doesn't matter. All this extra stuff at the line of scrimmage. You're not gonna have time to do all of that. His explosiveness and ball skills are what are so great about him. But walking up, man to man, Jalen Ramsey's over you, what is he gonna do? He's gonna have to grow up fast.' We've seen other elite athletes play both ways in college, most notably Charles Woodson and Champ Bailey, but they only dabbled on offense — just like Hunter's mentor Deion Sanders did in the NFL. In 2024, the 6-feet, 188-pound Hunter almost always logged well over 100 snaps per game, showing off a gas tank unlike any ever seen in major college football. As a receiver, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024. 'He has all the talent, but he is pretty raw as a route runner,' said WR coach No. 1. 'That's not his fault. You can't be 100 percent dialed in if you're literally playing both ways. He's a freak show when it comes to his ball skills. He just doesn't believe there's a ball he can't catch, regardless of where the DB is.' Scouting director No. 1 said he thinks Hunter should play corner: 'I think you're doing him and the team a disservice if you're not playing him at corner. He helps your roster because he can play both, but I think he's more of a package player at receiver. At corner, he can get you 10 interceptions a season.' Who is to make that decision: the team that's likely spending a top-5 pick or Hunter himself? He said last week that he'd 'quit football' if he wasn't allowed to play both ways. Advertisement 'I think you let him figure that out,' said the scouting director. 'You be open-minded to it. At Colorado, he didn't practice much because he took so many reps. In the league, you've just got to let him know these are the practice demands.' Defensive backs coach No. 1, whose team isn't expected to have a shot at Hunter, felt strongly that teams should make him a corner who has a package at receiver, not the other way around. 'It's like the difference between a starting pitcher and a closer,' said DB coach No. 1. 'A corner is like a starting pitcher. He needs to amass reps throughout the entirety of a game. That's when he's rendered most effective. You're not looking for him to get three outs in nine pitches. You need him to play the long game. Be willing to give up a hit here. Give up a walk to a guy there. Be willing for it to get sticky in certain situations. 'When you play outside corner, that's the parallel. It's a long game. Get a feel for what routes you're seeing and when they're targeting guys. It's very tough to just come into that. Greg Maddux couldn't just come into the game in the eighth inning and get you three outs. Part of his genius is that he paints a whole picture. That's the same way with a corner. You've got to paint the whole picture.' The tricky part of all of this is that Hunter is seen by many as the most talented wideout in this year's draft. 'I think he's awesome,' said WR coach No. 2. 'He does a lot of things on tape that you can't teach, and the stuff that he struggles with, you can teach him. Like some of the fundamentals, the things you do at the top of routes, and some of the details, like little route-technique stuff, stuff that when you're playing 150 snaps a game, it's hard to hone in on that kind of stuff. But from an instinct, play-making skill, and the mindset he has, I think he can be awesome at wide receiver.' Advertisement WR coach No. 3 said he thinks Hunter is 'a great receiver' because of his rare twitch, separation skills and ball skills compared with almost all the other receivers in this draft. 'He did a little too much (dancing in his routes at Colorado's pro day) but that's kind of par for the course, especially when they're doing routes on air at a pro day where they make all these moves and do stuff that looks good for YouTube but is not necessarily realistic in a game. But sometimes those moves work. He's raw, but not as raw as you would think for playing over 100 snaps in a game and doesn't necessarily get all the coaching that you would get if you were on one side of the ball or another.' When asked about Hunter's potential as a receiver, passing coordinator No. 1 gushed: 'Oh my God! He could be Justin Jefferson, but he can really play corner. It's gonna be an interesting case study because we've never seen this.' Hunter dominated on both sides at Colorado, but the NFL isn't the Big 12. As talented as he is — several secondary coaches I talked to say he's the top cornerback prospect in this class by far and probably in the past few years — there is some risk involved if teams opt to go the two-way route with him. 'Is he gonna fully commit to doing that (playing defensive back)? I believe that it does take a lot to become a really good corner in this league beyond just having a lot of God-given ability,' said DB coach No. 2. 'He has the ball skills and ability to be a No. 1 corner if he was fully committed to it.' 'He's the best athlete and pure player in this draft,' said OC No. 1.
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona Cardinals land athletic D-lineman in new mock draft
Arizona Cardinals land athletic D-lineman in new mock draft The Athletic's Bruce Feldman believes the Cardinals will pass on a pass rusher to land a defensive lineman. The Arizona Cardinals have a loaded defensive line room currently. However, in a new mock draft from The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, that doesn't stop them from taking one of the top defensive line prospects in the draft. In these projections, the Cardinals select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon with the 16th overall pick. Arizona figures to go in the trenches here with some good options on either side of the ball. The Cardinals added edge Josh Sweat in free agency, so I don't believe they will take Mike Green here, and Harmon is too talented to let go by. The Ducks stepped up big on the name, image and likeness front to land the Michigan State transfer, and he made a big impact, notching 45 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, five sacks and two forced fumbles. He more than looked the part at the combine, measuring 6-4 1/2, 313 pounds and clocking a 4.95 40 with a 1.74 10-yard split. While the Cardinals likely will still continue with the trend of building the trenches, getting a defensive tackle in the first round might be hard for roster management. The Cardinals brought back L.J. Collier and signed veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell. 2024 free agent additions Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols return from season-ending injuries. They drafted Darius Robinson in the first round last year, and Dante Stills has been one of their most productive interior defenders entering his third season. Only Stills doesn't have guaranteed money as part of his salary. The plus is that Harmon would not have pressure to play a significant number of snaps with that group. The trouble is, with their work in free agency, drafting a defensive tackle or an edge rusher would add a premium player they would want to contribute early in crowded rooms. The way the roster is constructed, really only three positions could slide into a starting role — right guard, wide receiver and inside linebacker. Harmon would be a perfect talent and scheme fit. He would be an exciting addition, but it would make decisions for the position group tough. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL mock draft from The Athletic has Raiders trade into bottom 1st round to fill big need
NFL mock draft from The Athletic has Raiders trade into bottom 1st round to fill big need Finding yourself drafting just outside the top five can tend to have people thinking trading down is the right move. Mainly because often times the big ticket guys are gone by then and if your team is picking that high, it likely has a lot of needs to fill, so collecting picks seems wise. But what about trading up? And not into the top five. In the most recent mock draft from The Athletic, Bruce Feldman sees the Raiders making their move not with their pick at six, but with their day two picks in order to jump back into the bottom of the first round. Before they do that, they get what could be considered the best player available at a high value position at six. 6. Las Vegas Raiders: Jalon Walker, edge, Georgia I know there's a lot of speculation that Vegas will take Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, but Walker, the 2024 Butkus Award winner as the nation's top linebacker, is too tempting to miss out on. His production, explosiveness and character have UGA and opposing coaches gushing. If the Raiders aspire to be like the Philadelphia Eagles, getting a game-wrecking defender from Georgia is a good place to start. At 6-1, 243 with 32-inch arms, Walker doesn't have great length, but he was a dominant player who shined in big games for the Dawgs. In two meetings last fall against Texas, which had legit offensive line prospects, Walker had four sacks and six TFLs. In the SEC title game in 2023, he had two sacks against Alabama. He can be a playmaker as an off-the-ball linebacker or harass QBs on third downs as an edge rusher. 'He is a problem on first and second down and a major problem on third downs,' said an SEC O-line coach who has faced a lot of first-round defensive players the past two years. 'He was the best defensive player we saw all year. He's got stuff in him like Will Anderson. Very similar. He's so explosive. I think this guy is a complete stud.''He has a lot of position flex — they dropped him (into coverage), rushed him, blitzed him,' another SEC offensive coach said. 'He's super twitchy and has an array of pass rush moves. He killed our (starting offensive tackle), and that kid is a really talented player who's also gonna play in the NFL.' After getting one of the draft's premier pass rushers, in this mock, the Raiders then make an aggressive move to ensure they address a major need at wide receiver. 32. Las Vegas Raiders (via Eagles*): Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State, WR The Eagles trade the No. 32 pick to the Raiders for the No. 37 pick and a fourth-rounder (No. 108), as Las Vegas scrambles to jump back into the first round to make sure it gets the best slot receiver in the draft. The 6-1, 202-pound Egbuka had a breakthrough season in 2022, when he caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 TDs. After dealing with injuries in 2023, he put up similar numbers in 2024 in helping the Buckeyes win the national title. Ohio State coach Ryan Day told people during Egbuka's freshman season that he was so football savvy that Day thought the young wideout was the player on the roster whom he could most see as a coach down the road. The former baseball player is excellent at tracking the ball and is extremely competitive. He ran a little faster than people thought, going 4.45 in the 40 at OSU's pro day, where he jumped 38 inches. New Raiders OC Chip Kelly spent the 2024 season running the Buckeyes offense and knows just how good this guy is. Egbuka had more catches (14) in third-and-medium situations than anyone in the country last season. Expect him to have multiple seasons in the NFL with 100-plus receptions. Buckeyes wideouts don't bust, and I'd be shocked if this guy did. 'He's as polished as they come,' a Big Ten DBs coach said. 'Terrific route runner who sets guys up really well. I think he's better in the slot than outside, but he can do both. He has a great feel for space. He's also bigger and stronger than you think.' 'He's good at everything,' a Big Ten secondary coach said. 'Our players were really high on him. He's big enough to play big. I could see why the Ohio State coaches would say that Egbuka's so football smart. Jeremiah (Smith) was so special, the other guys got overshadowed, but he's good. Look how long he has done it there — that matters.' So, the Raiders make sure they get Egbuka, rather than hope a team atop the second round gets him before they can. And Chip Kelly gets his best receiver back, something he no doubt is pushing to have in his offense in Las Vegas. The added benefit to getting Egbuka at the bottom of the first round rather than waiting to see if he falls to the Raiders at 37 is getting that fifth year option in his contract. If you believe in him, you think that option year will be executed and the Raiders will get one more year of that sweet rookie contract value before he gets paid.
