Latest news with #DefensiveMVP
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Stevie Tu'ikolovatu in focus
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Stevie Tu'ikolovatu in focus Stevie Tu'ikolovatu is connected to multiple generations of USC football players. This is amazing The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 96 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we will look back at Stevie Tu'ikolovatu. Position: Defensive lineman Years played at USC: 2016 Career highlights: Tu'ikolovatu's journey to USC was a wild one. He arrived at Utah as a true freshman in 2009, before spending three years away from school on a Mormon mission. Tu'ikolovatu returned to the Utes in 2013, only to miss the season with a foot injury. Tu'ikolovatu was able to work his way into the rotation at Utah over the next two years, before transferring to USC for his senior season in 2016. That year, he emerged as a key player on a much improved Trojans defense, finishing the year with 53 tackles. In his final college football game, he was named Defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl as USC defeated Penn State 52-49 in an instant classic. Just how long was Tu'ikolovatu's college career? One of his college teammates was former Utah linebacker Mike Wright—who graduated from high school in 2004, and is three months older than legendary USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett. Also his college teammate was former USC running back Vavae Malepeai, who played his final game for the Trojans in December of 2021, six days after Lincoln Riley was announced as USC's head coach. After USC: Tu'ikolovatu was selected in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, he never appeared in an NFL regular season game, as he spent his first two seasons with the team on injured reserve before being released during roster cuts in 2019.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Defensive Tackle Tiki Hola Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame has landed yet another big time football player with Bastrop (Texas) High School standout Tiki Hola announcing his commitment to the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame beat out USC and SMU to land the talented defensive tackle. Notre Dame has been recruiting Hola for about two years, with his first visit to campus coming in 2023 when he watched the Fighting Irish beat Wake Forest (45-7). In March of 2024, Hola was officially offered a scholarship by Notre Dame during its Pot of Gold push. A week later he made his second visit to campus, and since then Hola has made two more trips to campus as the Irish. Defensive line coach Al Washington established a strong rapport with Hola, selling his vision for how the Bastrop star fits in the Irish defense, and that played a major role in this decision. Advertisement The Texas defensive lineman is listed at 6-3 and between 270-285 pounds, but he checked in recently at 6-3 and 300 pounds. As a junior, Hola racked up 102 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He earned Defensive MVP honors after putting together that dominant season. Hola also earned first-team All-State honors at the 5A level. Landing Hola gives Notre Dame the kind of physical, stout, disruptive big man that could help improve the Irish run defense. Hola is ranked as a Top 150 caliber prospect on the Irish Breakdown board, but he has a 4.5-star upside grade, which is that of a Top 50-75 prospect. ESPN and Rivals both rank Hola as a four-star recruit, with ESPN ranking him as the nation's No. 150 overall player and No. 12 defensive tackle. Hola also had offers from Georgia, Texas, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Nebraska, TCU, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Boston College, Arizona and Houston. Hola is the 15th player to commit to Notre Dame. He joins Florida quarterback Noah Grubbs, Texas running back Javian Osborne, Florida wide receiver Dylan Faison, Georgia wide receiver Bubba Frazier, Pennsylvania offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, Michigan offensive linemen Ben Nichols, Gregory Patrick and Sullivan Garvin, North Carolina ends Ebenezer Ewetade and Rodney Dunham, North Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., Ohio linebacker Jakobe Clapper, Florida cornerback Ayden Pouncey and Tennessee cornerback Chaston Smith. Advertisement Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge Irish Breakdown Content 2025 Scholarship Chart 2025 Football Schedule Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense 2025 Commit Rankings - Defense 2024 Recruiting Class 2023 Recruiting Class 2022 Recruiting Class ——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community! Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178 Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ohio State leading tackler drafted in 4th round of NFL Draft
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WKBN) – Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 115th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Simon racked up 112 tackles with 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks for the National Champion Buckeyes. The OSU linebacker has 259 career tackles and 10 career sacks. The Buckeyes' star was a team captain and led the program in tackles in 2024. He was also named the Defensive MVP in the National Championship game with eight tackles and one tackle for loss. Find all former Buckeyes selected in the 2025 NFL Draft below: Round One / Pick 19 – Emeka Egbuka, WR / Tampa BayRound One / Pick 24 – Donovan Jackson, OG / MinnesotaRound One / Pick 28 – Tyleik Williams, DT / DetroitRound One / Pick 32 – Josh Simmons, OT / Kansas CityRound Two / Pick 36 – Quinshon Judkins, RB / ClevelandRound Two / Pick 38 – TreVeyon Henderson, RB / New EnglandRound Two / Pick 45 – JT Tuimoloau, DE / Indianapolis Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL Draft profile and projection for lineback Cody Simon
NFL Draft profile and projection for lineback Cody Simon Ohio State Buckeye fans already knew Cody Simon well before his impressive performances in the College Football Playoff. Simon played five years at Ohio State (one COVID-shortened season) and really seemed like the glue in the defense for much of his career. He peaked at absolutely the right time, as his senior season was certainly by far his best. He also played his best games of the season at the very end, earning Defensive MVP honors in both the Rose Bowl against Oregon and the National Championship Game against Notre Dame. Cody Simon, Linebacker Draft Projection: Round 4-7 Pro Day Results (As Reported by The Columbus Dispatch) Bench press: 21 reps Vertical jump: 33.5' 40-yard dash: 4.59 seconds 3-cone: 7.19 seconds 20-yard shuttle: 4.3 seconds The Buckeyes, as a whole, played the best football of their lives in last year's Playoff. But no individual, except perhaps Will Howard, improved their draft stock with that CFP run as much as Cody Simon did. Simon can certainly be described as a "late bloomer," but the way he bloomed in the Playoff was nothing short of astounding. He was everywhere on the field, making plays against players supposedly faster and more athletic than him. Simon followed that up with pretty impressive numbers at Ohio State's Pro Day, hopefully further alleviating any concerns NFL teams have about his top-end potential. Simon was trending towards a late-round draft pick until the CFP. And while NFL teams rarely rethink their philosophy about a player completely due to just a few games, this might be one of those exceptions. Everyone can see what Simon did against the best talents in college football. If he gets taken higher than expected, it's because of those performances. If he could do that on the biggest stage in college football, why wouldn't he be able to do it again in the NFL?
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers Projected To Draft Top Big Ten CB In 7-Round NFL Mock Draft
Dane Brugler of The Athletic is considered one of the top experts in NFL Draft analysis. He offers invaluable insights into evaluating prospects and identifying team fits. For comprehensive draft coverage, he is a must-follow on X. A week ago, Brugler released The Beast, his comprehensive 2025 NFL Draft guide for The Athletic. On Wednesday, he dropped a seven-round mock draft, offering insights into the picks for all 32 teams. Advertisement In his latest mock, Brugler has the Green Bay Packers continuing their trend of prioritizing defense with their first-round pick, selecting one of the best pure talents in the class. Michigan CB Will Johnson celebrates after intercepting USC QB Miller Moss and returning it for a touchdown in the second half at Michigan Stadium.© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images With the 23rd pick, Brugler has the Packers selecting Will Johnson, a talented cornerback from Michigan. Johnson was a 5-star recruit and a top-20 national prospect from high school. In 2022, he played in all 14 games with five starts, recording 27 tackles, 2 TFLs, three interceptions, and three pass breakups. In 2023, Johnson earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and led the team with four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. He was named Defensive MVP of the National Championship Game, finishing with four tackles and an interception. Johnson started 11 of 12 games, posting 27 tackles, 1 TFL, and four pass breakups. He missed time early in the season due to a knee injury and later dealt with a lower leg injury. In 2024, Johnson was named third-team Associated Press All-American and honorable mention All-Big Ten. He tied for the team lead with two interceptions and set a school record with three interceptions returned for touchdowns in his career. He went on to miss the second half of the season due to a foot injury. Will Johnson is a top-10 talent in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his injury history could cause him to fall. The Packers, reportedly frustrated by Jaire Alexander's ongoing injury issues, need both starters and depth in the secondary. Johnson has the talent to contribute immediately, but Green Bay may look for someone with a more reliable track record.
