Latest news with #DavidPollack
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
David Pollack predicts college football's national champion
College football analyst and former Georgia Bulldogs defensive end David Pollack considers the Penn State Nittany Lions, Texas Longhorns and Clemson Tigers to be his top national championship contenders. Of that trio, Pollack likes for Clemson to take home the national championship. "I think Clemson's just gonna have a special year," Pollack said on the "See Ball Get Ball" podcast. "And I do think that defense turns it around immediately and I think they got some dudes at positions, man. Like at the most important positions, they've got some really, really good football players that are that are going to be a handful for a lot of people when they play. So give me the Clemson Tigers to win the national championship this football season." Clemson is coming off a 10-4 season where they won the ACC championship and lost in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Tigers return several All-Americans in quarterback Cade Klubnik, defensive tackle Peter Woods and defensive end T.J. Parker. Clemson is expected to win the ACC championship over the Miami Hurricanes and has an easier path to the playoff than most contenders. In a note for Georgia fans, Pollack thinks it is good that the Dawgs are being doubted and knows Georgia coach Kirby Smart will use that as motivation. Pollack also added that he has been impressed with some lesser-known Georgia players in practice. Follow UGAWire on Instagram or Threads for more Georgia Bulldogs coverage!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Pollack Says This Historic Program Has the Best Running Back Room in College Football
David Pollack Says This Historic Program Has the Best Running Back Room in College Football originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's no doubt that in college football, running back can be a pivotal position for teams looking to make a national championship run, and many programs have loaded up on talent. Of course, having just one great runner isn't enough. Often at least two or three are called upon to carry the workload, which means strong depth is important. In a video posted to the "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack" YouTube channel, the analyst revealed which team he believes has the best group entering the 2025 season. 'Notre Dame has the best running back room in the country, and it's not close. ... [Jeremiyah] Love's the best to me,' Pollack said. 'He's the best running back in the country because he's got the wiggle, he's got the juice, he's got moves. … And then when you got Jadarian Price, who comes in, who's totally different and so freaking physical, like so physical, like he's going to break tackles, he's going to be north-south, he's gonna get positive yards. … And then Aneyas Williams, you talk about a guy that's a receiving threat. He was a freshman a year ago, and he's back. He's a great third-down back. So that's why Notre Dame has the best backfield in America.' How Did Notre Dame's Running Backs Perform Last Season? It's not a huge surprise the Fighting Irish were chosen, because last year, those three running backs Pollack mentioned combined for 317 carries, 2,090 yards, 26 touchdowns, 50 receptions, 419 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Love certainly carried the trio with a bulk of those numbers, racking up 163 carries, 1,125 yards, 17 touchdowns, 28 receptions, 237 yards and two touchdowns, which gave him one of the most complete stat lines in the nation. Now, with another year of experience under their belts, there's no reason to believe that all three can't see a boost in their numbers as Notre Dame looks to make a second straight College Football Playoff appearance. What Other Team Comes Close to Notre Dame? Despite Pollack claiming that no one "comes close" to the Fighting Irish, he walked back that statement and gave some serious praise to the Penn State Nittany Lions and their two-headed monster of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. 'Penn State definitely has a gripe, like that's fair," Pollack said. "I just jumped the gun a little bit on that. I apologize, Penn State fans.' Those two for Penn State formed a formidable duo, combining for 392 carries, 2,207 yards, 20 touchdowns, 59 receptions, 528 yards and seven touchdowns, so their total numbers did rival that of Notre Dame's trio. By the end of the year, there's a chance that Love, Allen and Singleton will all be competing for the Doak Walker Award, which is handed out to the best running back in the story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
29-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
SEC legend excited about the Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2025
David Pollack thinks OU has the best defensive line in the SEC and an absolute stud at told the Dari Nowkhah Show he's a believer in the Sooners.'Obviously, getting your quarterback. That kid is a baller. And I know all y'all know who I'm taking about.' The Oklahoma Sooners may have questions surrounding the team heading into the 2025 season, but there's also a lot of optimism. The Sooners' defense looks ready to roll once again after a strong 2024 season. Armed with a quarterback in John Mateer, who is one of the best in the game, the Sooners have the makings of a team that could contend in 2025. David Pollack, a former two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-American for the Georgia Bulldogs, is a believer in the Sooners. Joining Dari Nowkah and Josh Helmer on the Dari Nowkah Show on KREF, Pollack said, "I love OU this year." Pollack loves what the Oklahoma Sooners have up front, calling the Sooners' defensive line "the best in the conference." The former defensive end said, "If I'm gonna play in a system, I wanna play in Oklahoma's. Like, penetrate, make (tackles for loss), get sacks. Like, I think they're going to be a problem. Venables calling the plays." Defense is certainly a strength of the Oklahoma Sooners in 2025. Brent Venables has remade the defense over the last four years and now has it primed to be his best defense yet as the head coach at Oklahoma. And with Venables returning to playcalling duties, the Sooners will benefit from one of the best defensive minds in the history of the game leading the charge. But Pollack's praise didn't stop there. He's excited about what Oklahoma has to offer on offense as well. "(Ben) Arbuckle on the offensive side," Pollack said. "Obviously, getting your quarterback (John Mateer). Like, that kid is a baller. Here's what I love about him. Obviously, he was at Washington State and he didn't have the greatest supporting cast in the world or the greatest offensive line but what I loved about him is when you watch the scramble play... he's going to make those off-script plays that you guys are used to seeing because you've had some freak athletes with Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield and the list goes on and on." Mateer's ability to make a play when things are breaking down around him might be his greatest quality. 404 of his 1,008 rushing yards came on scrambles in 2024. He does a great job of avoiding pressure and making plays on the move. In addition to Mateer, Pollack is excited about the addition of running back Jaydn Ott and believes the Sooners did a good job in the transfer portal, adding players where they needed to. Concluding that if Oklahoma's schedule wasn't so tough, they would be a playoff team in his mind. Pollack said, "If y'all schedule wasn't Murderer's Row, I'm putting you in the playoffs." The schedule may be tough in 2025, but it's an opportunity for the Sooners to make some noise this year. If they get improvement on both sides of the ball, they'll have a chance to live up to Venables' belief that, "There's no game on our schedule that we can't win." 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 John on X @john9williams.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season
Hugh Freeze Opens Up About Mounting Pressure Before Crucial Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The 2025 college football season could be crucial for many prominent coaches at major universities. If these coaches are unable to secure wins this season, they may find themselves looking for new jobs after the season ends. This is the situation for Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze. The Tigers are on a four-season losing streak, with two of those seasons occurring under Freeze's leadership. This type of losing streak hasn't happened at Auburn in over 70 years. The Tigers also haven't won more than six games since the 2019 season. Freeze appeared on the podcast "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," where he discussed the pressure he faces heading into the upcoming season. "I don't even have a seat at the table to write the story," Freeze said. "I don't even have a pen to write the story. It's not mine to write. I approach it like that. I don't have the pressure or any of that. At the same time, I'm a realist, and Auburn's a place that has to win. I believe we're going to. I think we finally have enough depth and talent." Freeze has a record of 11-14 in his two seasons at Auburn. However, he has a proven ability to win, particularly in the SEC. During his five seasons as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, he achieved a record of 39-25. Freeze understands that this is a crucial year for him to demonstrate that he deserves to remain as coach. If he is dismissed after the season, he will be entitled to 75 percent of the remaining value of his contract, with no offsets. He signed a six-year deal before the 2023 season, which began at $6.5 million and increases by $250,000 each year. This season, he is slated to earn $7 million, which would total almost $17 million by the end of the 2025 season. 247Sports reports that there is reason for optimism regarding the Tigers, who have secured the No. 8 recruiting class as well as the No. 8 transfer portal class. Among their notable additions from the transfer portal are quarterback Jackson Arnold and wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr. In his first season as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma, Arnold passed for 1,421 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns and only three interceptions across 10 games. It is important to note that he was benched midseason after a performance that included turnovers. Singleton Jr. had an impressive season at Georgia Tech, accumulating 754 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He was also ranked among the top five players in the transfer portal. Another positive aspect for Freeze is that, despite his seasons not going as well as hoped, ESPN's Paul Finebaum does not see any increasing pressure from Auburn's athletic department. He recently stated that he does not believe Freeze is in a critical situation. Finebaum noted that Freeze is well-liked by the Auburn community and has support where it really matters. However, he described Freeze's first two seasons as quite underwhelming. Auburn opens the season on Aug. 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET, facing the Baylor Bears on the story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Pollack sends warning about new Georgia QB
Although the Georgia Bulldogs enter this season as the defending SEC Champion and are predicted to finish second in the league behind the Texas Longhorns, but former Bulldog David Pollack sent out a warning to new Georgia starting QB Gunner Stockton. On his podcast See Ball Get Ball, Pollack says it might be a rough season for the new Bulldogs QB. "Gunner Stockton cannot lead this team back to where they were a year ago if it's the same team," said Pollack. "If they can't run the football, it's not going to happen. Like they've brought in a bunch of receivers. That's (2024) the worst rushing season Georgia's had in 20 years." Last year, the Bulldogs were near the bottom of the SEC in rushing, averaging just over 124 yards per game. "If Gunner Stockton is a guy that can play action pass and use that part of his game and they do what Georgia has done with Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck and all these guys, he absolutely can be successful. If you're going to drop back and throw the ball 30, 40 times a game and not have a run game, I don't think he they're going to be back where they were (SEC champions and College Football Playoff appearance)," said Pollack. Georgia teams in the past have been known to have great defenses and a solid running game. The few times Stockton played last season, especially during the College Football Playoff, he looked solid, but now he plays a whole SEC schedule this season, and it won't be easy. "I think Gunner's a really good player," he said. "I think he's got a really, really good arm.' But he added, "I'm 100% sure if you're not going to give him a running game, it's going to be a tough season for the Georgia offense."
