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USA Today
16 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Four early-enrollee freshman that should make big contribution to Texas Longhorns
For a good team like Texas to win the national title, or the SEC title for that matter, some members of the freshman class are going to have to step up and be an impactful part of the team. Last year, saw wide receiver Ryan Wingo and defensive end Colin Simmons make big contributions to the Longhorns run to the college football playoff semifinal in the Cotton Bowl. The in-coming class was the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation for the 2025 cycle. So there should be some true blue chip prospects ready to challenge for playing time. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian does a good job or giving freshman a chance and working them into the lineup when he thinks they will help. There are some positions that are more likely to need freshman to chip in. Positions that have a lot of rotation, like defensive line, wide receiver and the defensive backfield, are areas where substitution is needed to keep the everyone fresh. Or, for the defensive backs, adapting personnel to fit changing formations by the opponent. The early enrollees should have a leg up on the Texas players that are just getting to campus this summer. Each early enrollee had the unique benefit of an entire spring to practice with the team and familiarize themselves with the Texas way. Here are four early-enrollee freshmen that could have a big impact this year: 1. Justus Terry - DL It was a huge recruiting coup when the Horns signed Terry. Texas wrestled him away from his home state of Georgia. After signing day, Terry said it was the NIL package that landed him in Austin. Whatever the case, Terry has been on campus since January and even took part in some bowl practices with the team last season. He should be depth in the interior of the defensive line to start and could easily work his way into a larger role down the stretch. 2. Michael Terry III - WR Terry III was also a huge late addition to the 2025 class. The five-star played many positions in high school, but Sark wants Terry to master one position on the 40 Acres before branching out. Right now, Terry is taking reps at receiver. "We've really got him honed in on receiver right now. And you see real flashes of the physical ability that he has. When you're a jack of all trades, like he was in high school, we're trying to get him to be a master of one first." - Steve Sarkisian on Michael Terry III Look for the former Alamo Heights all-purpose back to get some snaps at receiver. If he makes some plays, he'll get more and more. 3. Jonah Williams - S Jonah Williams has already had an impact on campus. Williams enrolled early, but he joined the baseball team and worked his way into a starting role for a stretch during the heart of the SEC schedule. Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian told Williams to work with the football team when he could, but to go play baseball this spring. "I think that starts with Sark, Coach Sark. You know, I've coached plenty of football/baseball guys where either the football coach or the assistant football coach, the position coach, is in their ear, putting pressure on them saying, 'Hey, what are you doing over there? You need to be over here.' And Sark from Day 1 has been, 'Oh no man, he's a baseball player.' You know, for spring practice we're going to have to work through some things. But he's been super supportive and I think that clears Jonah's mind where he can be all-in as a baseball player. We love having him around and hope that he can help us this year." - Texas Longhorns baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle Williams showed off his superior athletic ability and his desire to push his team to a win. He should be getting a lot of snaps in the defensive backfield by mid-season. 4. Jaime Ffrench - WR Ffrench is another early enrollee at wide receiver. The freshman that got to go through quarterback Arch Manning's first spring as started was a unique opportunity. While Manning gained some familiarity some some receivers last year, for the most part it is a clean slate. If a freshman becomes a favored target of QB1's then he'll get more playing time. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Florida native was highly ranked. From an athletic standpoint, he should be one of the most gifted wide outs on the roster. Ffrench is considered a good route runner with good hands. UT lost two receivers to the NFL Draft, which is another reason Ffrench will have an opportunity.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Hurricanes' Cristobal talks possible playoff expansion, NIL after House settlement
The Miami Hurricanes came oh-so-close to making the 12-team College Football Playoff field last year. But their 9-0 start was derailed late as UM dropped two of its final three regular-season games to go from a near lock for the playoffs to missing out entirely. Now talks are continuing about expanding the field even more, potentially to as many as 16 teams. The current format has the top five conference champions qualify to the field automatically with the next seven highest-ranked teams advancing to the playoff field. Different conferences are proposing different stipulations should a field expansion be reached. The Big Ten, for example, is advocating for a 16-team field that includes four automatic bids for its conference and the Southeastern Conference, two apiece for the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 and four at-large bids. Others are pushing for either a 14- or 16-team field that still includes the five automatic qualifiers for the top five conference champions and the rest being at-large bids based on final rankings. Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said he is open to the playoff field expanding 'as long as it's fair.' 'As long as it's settled on the field, as much as it could possibly be settled on the field, I'm all for it,' Cristobal said. 'Automatic qualifier stuff, I'm not for. Like, if you automatically stink, should you be allowed in because it's a rule now? So I think it's always great to expand. There's a lot of great football teams, and a lot of teams get better as a year goes on. So allowing people the opportunity to play themselves into the playoffs would be a great thing.' That mindset follows along with ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, who on Tuesday at the league's annual football kickoff in Charlotte said he supports expansion models that include five conference champions plus either nine or 11 at-large teams. 'I want to stay committed to access and fairness to all of college football, not only the ACC,' Phillips said. There will be slight adjustments to this year's playoff compared to the first iteration of the 12-team format from last season. It will still be 12 teams — five conference champions and seven at-large teams — but the seeding will be straight up, meaning the top four teams regardless of if they are conference champions will get first-round byes. Last year, the top four ranked conference champions, regardless of their actual ranking, were given the top four seeds. The four first-round matchups this season will be on Dec. 19-20, with the higher-ranked team for each game hosting the game. The quarterfinals are the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31 and the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. The Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 and Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 will host the semifinals before the national championship is played at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. NIL clarity Cristobal on Tuesday also spoke about the desire for 'some form of consistency, continuity and clarity' when it comes to the current status of name, image and likeness policies following the approval of the NCAA's House Settlement, which allows athletic programs to pay student-athletes directly. Through the House settlement, which was formally approved June 6 and went into effect July 1, schools are allowed have a cap of $20.5 million in direct revenue they can pay their student-athletes for the 2025-26 academic year. That figure will increase by about 4 percent year over year. But the approval initially appeared to create more roadblocks. The College Sports Commission, which oversees the new revenue sharing policies, sent a memo to schools early in the process explaining it had denied numerous deals from school collectives because it said collectives did not meet the definition of a 'valid business purpose,' which is required to give student-athletes NIL deals. These deals would be in addition to the $20.5 million schools can pay student-athletes. Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that an agreement has been reached between attorneys for House plaintiffs and power conferences and NCAA officials to amend the College Sports Commission's approach to handing deals made with collectives. 'I just think everybody just still wants some form of consistency, continuity and clarity, and we're not there yet,' Cristobal said. 'So again, it's adapt or die. ... In the meantime, just fight your butt off. Do the best you can by your program, by your players, by your people, and let's see where the powers that be settled on it, but there needs a lot of there's a lot of work to be done. Let's just say that.' Cristobal also praised UM's NIL Collective, Canes Collective, for the work it has done since NIL began in 2022. 'We've always been very well established,' Cristobal said. 'We've always been compliant and we've been aggressive in the right kind of way and used it in a form and a fashion that benefits our program and our players. In terms of where they are and all the details surrounding all of that, that's maybe a question for some other time, but you couldn't find a more professionally run organization than our collective.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
College football expert believes the Oklahoma Sooners need John Mateer to be great in 2025
The Oklahoma Sooners need a bounce-back season in 2025. OU went 6-7 overall in head coach Brent Venables' third season last year, which included a 2-6 league record in their first season in the Southeastern Conference. They've retooled the offensive side of the ball to go with what was a strong defense in 2024. Although they were picked to finish 10th in the SEC, there are a number of analysts, like Josh Pate, who believe they are a top-10 caliber team. Now, the Sooners enter Venables' fourth year and their second year in the SEC, needing to prove the naysayers wrong after the disappointment of 2024. They'll face a challenging schedule that includes home games against Illinois State, Michigan, Auburn, Kent State, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU, as well as road games against Temple, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Of course, Oklahoma's schedule also includes the annual Red River Rivalry matchup against Texas and the neutral-site Cotton Bowl in Dallas. OU has to deal with one of the toughest schedules in the country this year, but the Sooners have made plenty of moves this offseason to improve on the product they put on the field last season. J.D. PicKell, who covers college football for On3 Sports, has been vocal in his opinion this offseason that Oklahoma will be much improved in 2025. However, he said this week on "The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell" that he believes OU needs a few things to go right this year to have the kind of success Sooner Nation is used to. PicKell's biggest need for the Sooners this year is for new starting quarterback John Mateer to have an excellent season. PicKell has reason to believe that will happen, given Mateer's relationship with new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle. It's night and day different when it comes to how stable they are and and what you can actually look at from playing games in the college football world on Saturdays and how you feel about it. You're not forecasting. You're forecasting to the SEC to a degree, but you're not forecasting if John Mateer can play D1 FBS football or not. You were a year ago with Jackson Arnold. You were a year ago with your offensive line and your offensive coordinator. You're not right now. You know Arbuckle and Mateer work well together. - PicKell, - The Hard Count PicKell went on to elaborate that Mateer, who was brought in by Venables and his staff to be the difference offensively, has to, in fact, be the difference-maker at the QB position they hope he is. The Sooners didn't have anything near that at QB in 2024, which is a big part of the reason why Mateer now resides in Norman. PicKell stated that Mateer has to be able to make the plays that win Oklahoma games in the fourth quarter in the SEC. Another "need" that PicKell outlined for the Sooners this year was a top-tier season from their defensive front-seven, especially on the defensive line. He believes that OU needs that group to be at their best in the biggest moments, just like Mateer needs to be for the offense. With bringing back the majority of your defensive line, that has to show itself in the biggest spots against those teams. Like, in the 'big dogs' tier of college football, you've got to have the big boys on the defensive side; and they do, but I want to see them play like it in those spots. - PicKell, The Hard Count Although the Sooners lost plenty of veteran talent, leadership and production on defense this year, especially in the front seven, they returned and retained plenty of good players as well. Guys like R Mason Thomas, Gracen Halton, Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis will now be counted upon to be the building blocks of the Venables defense in 2025. PicKell also stated that the 2025 Sooners must understand and embrace the weight of what it means to be playing football at the University of Oklahoma, something he thinks may not have been extremely present in 2024. Because at a place like Oklahoma, a 6-7 season isn't going to cut it. The expectation is to compete for championships. PicKell believes this year's team may have a better understanding of what it means to play at the University of Oklahoma. PicKell believes this year's team has an extra confidence and swagger to them that might have been lacking a year ago in Norman. He also feels strongly that Oklahoma will be far better this season than they were last season. Sooner fans are hoping he's right. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Saints safety Tyrann ‘Honey Badger' Mathieu retires after 12 NFL seasons
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans safety Tyrann Mathieu, a three-time All-Pro who was known as the 'Honey Badger' for the relentless play in college that made him a Heisman Trophy finalist, said on the day the Saints opened training camp Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL after 12 seasons. 'As I hang up my cleats, I'm filled with gratitude as I close this chapter of my life and officially retire from the game that's shaped me in every way,' Mathieu wrote in an Instagram post that was shared by the team. 'This isn't goodbye — it's just the next chapter.' Mathieu, 33, was raised by his grandparents in New Orleans, then became a star football player and track athlete for St. Augustine High School. He played at LSU, where his toughness — along with a blond patch in his hair — earned comparisons to the honey badger, a carnivorous mammal known to fight off much larger predators like lions and hyena. FILE - New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu looks to the scoreboard during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Oct. 7, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann, File) Mathieu was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Cotton Bowl as a freshman and the MVP of the SEC championship game as a sophomore, when he finished fifth in the Heisman voting and claimed the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defensive player in college football. Mathieu was kicked off the LSU team before the 2012 season for failing repeated drug tests and entered a drug rehab program a week later. After sitting out a season, the Arizona Cardinals picked him in the third round of the 2013 draft. In five years with the Cardinals, one with the Texans, three with the Chiefs and three with the Saints, Mathieu intercepted 36 passes, running four back for touchdowns, and forced seven fumbles. He was a member of Kansas City's 2019 championship team. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Mike McIntyre | On Sports Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. 'From my first snap in college to my final play in the NFL, this journey has been nothing short of a blessing,' he wrote. 'Football gave me purpose, discipline, and memories that will stay with me forever. But more than anything, it gave me a community. 'To every coach who believed in me, every teammate who battled beside me, and every fan who showed up, cheered, and rode with me through the highs and lows, thank you. You gave me strength when I needed it most, and your love carried me farther than I ever imagined. 'I hope I made you proud out there.' ___ More AP NFL:
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Massive College Football Playoff expansion risks diluting sport's unique regular season
Earlier in the offseason, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule joked that the College Football Playoff should expand to 40 teams. But at SEC media days, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz suggested the playoff should expand to 30 -- and he didn't appear to be joking. Of course, either program could really benefit from expansion. Nebraska has only made one bowl game since 2016. The Tigers, however, did make a New Year's Six game before the playoff expanded to 12 teams this past year, winning against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Here are Drinkwitz's comments: "Now you've got 30 teams, 30 teams. Now you're talking about an opportunity for 30 teams, 30 fan bases to be excited and engaged, engaged in giving revenue. You've got 30 teams with players who have access to compete for a championship,' Drinkwitz said. 'So, for me, I think that makes a lot more sense.' No -- just, no. College football is (or was) the best sport in the world. The big differentiating factor from others is that the regular season, in and of itself, was a playoff, or a play-in. You could afford to lose one in the four-team College Football Playoff era, and even then, it depended on who you lost to. With the expansion to 12, one team (OSU) entered the playoff with two losses (one to unranked, five-loss Michigan); the other participant, Notre Dame, lost at home to Northern Illinois early in the season. During the four-team era, both would, essentially, be disqualified. However, both got in, made runs, and got into the final game. Some would argue that that means expansion was necessary. I disagree. The results in-season need to mean something. And giving teams multiple mulligans dilutes the importance of the College Football Playoff and the national championship. Note, this isn't just preserving Michigan's 2023 win -- the 2016 and 2018 teams very well could have won it all (especially the former) if the playoff had been expanded. However, in-season results meant something, and the Wolverines were on the outside looking in. And, in my opinion, rightly so. To allow more and more teams in to compete to win a national championship lessens the importance of the regular season. It also lessens the significance of making the playoff. When it was four teams, it meant something, being able to hang that College Football Playoff insignia in your building. Like bandied about in the movie, The Social Network, exclusivity means something. But to keep expanding to let teams in that couldn't make the four-team iteration dilutes the product. Yes, some teams found success in the first year of the 12-team version. Some expected (like Ohio State), others got in for the first time (Penn State, SMU, Boise State, etc.). While that was certainly a special moment for the latter teams, and their fan bases were more excited, does that make the product of college football better? I'd argue, no. Be better in the regular season, make the climb -- that's what makes a season special, not just going on a late run against what might be more favorable matchups. In the 1980s NBA, the Lakers had to overcome the superior Celtics. Once they had, the Pistons had to overcome the superior Lakers. Once they had, the Bulls had to overcome the superior Pistons. There's something to be said about the climb, and while there can still be a climb, the bar for entry even with 12 teams is too low. Michigan fans will tell you that making the four-team playoff after being on the outside looking in made the 2021-23 run particularly special. 2021 was unexpected, 2022 was expected but finished in disappointment, but 2023 -- the national championship year -- came with overcoming Alabama and then Washington. I don't think a single Wolverines fan would trade that run for getting additional chances in 2016 or 2018. So, this isn't even just an argument about 30 teams as Drinkwitz suggests -- this is an argument that even 12 teams is too much. 30? That's just insane. And considering that there's talk, already, of expanding from 12 to 16, someone needs to put a stop to this, because a 30-team playoff, honestly, isn't terribly unrealistic considering the trajectory. Yet, with programs desiring shortcuts, greed at the top of the sport, and people running things that don't seem to understand what makes the sport special, we're teetering on the brink of losing college football and its unique system that differentiates it from everything else in the world. We need fewer teams in the College Football Playoff -- not more.
