Latest news with #DefensiveNewcomeroftheYear
USA Today
02-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Previewing the 2025 season for Texas A&M DB Marcus Ratcliffe with his player profile
As we gear up for the 2025 football season, Aggies Wire is breaking down every player on the Texas A&M roster. Throughout the preseason, each profile will highlight a player's background, recruiting rankings out of high school, and projected role under head coach Mike Elko. Marcus Ratcliffe was one of the key transfers who helped Coach Elko transition back into Aggieland. After starting 11 of 12 games as a true freshman and earning the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Freshman award, Ratcliffe made the jump to the SEC, where he played in all 13 games and started 12. He finished in the top 10 in the SEC with three interceptions and ranked third on the team with 48 tackles. His impact was immediate, and with another year in the system, plus added speed on defense, his presence should pay dividends. Ratcliffe was recognized again at season's end when the first-year safety received the Defensive Newcomer of the Year award at the team's annual banquet. Preseason Player Profile Recruiting Rankings (Class of 2023) The former three-star prospect was a standout defensive back, earning first-team all-league honors three times and helping lead his team to the 2021 state championship. He originally signed with San Diego State. Depth Chart Outlook The safety position is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing battles heading into 2025. Much will depend on the personnel the defensive staff chooses to roll with. Expect some combination of Dalton Brooks, Bryce Anderson, and Ratcliffe, though we shouldn't count out Myles Davis either. Given last season's inconsistency at the position, this decision will likely come down to who earns the most trust during game-week preparation. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What LSU football is getting in Houston safety transfer A.J. Haulcy
BATON ROUGE — The spring transfer window has been good to LSU football. Coming off the heels of spring football practice wrapping, Brian Kelly told reporters that he really liked where his team was and that he and his staff would only pursue transfers if it were guys that appear to be players that could contribute in 2025. Advertisement Safety was a position that the LSU coaching staff was going to make an addition if there was a good fit. The Tigers found their guy. A.J. Haulcy, a transfer from Houston, committed to LSU late Sunday night, he announced via his social media pages. Haulcy has just finished a visit to Baton Rouge to check out LSU Sunday and made his announcement known shortly thereafter. LSU SPRING TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER LSU football roster tracker: Who's in, out during 2025 spring transfer portal window LSU LANDS BERNARD GOODEN What LSU football is getting in South Florida defensive line transfer Bernard Gooden His commitment makes it two transfers LSU has added during the spring portal window alongside South Florida defensive lineman Bernard Gooden. Houston transfer A.J. Haulcy commits to LSU LSU already added North Carolina State safety transfer Tamarcus Cooley during the window transfer portal opening and he completed spring practice with the Tigers last month. Advertisement But he projects to play more closer to the line of scrimmage, which could put Haulcy playing more on the backend at one of the top two safety positions in defensive coordinator Blake Baker's scheme. There'll likely be some learning early in fall camp for Haulcy, Cooley and LSU's other safeties — including returners Jardin Gilbert, Javien Toviano, Dashawn Spears, Joel Rogers and more. Regardless of where he plays, Haulcy packs plenty of experience and production with him from Houston. The 6-foot, 215-pound senior amassed 74 tackles, five interceptions and eight passes defended which earned him All-Big 12 honors in 2024. He was the conference's Defensive Newcomer of the Year after recording 98 tackles in 2023. HAVON FINNEY Havon Finney commits to LSU football: 247 rating, more for 4-star cornerback LSU FOOTBALL IN 2025 NFL DRAFT How many LSU football players were picked in 2024 NFL Draft? See every selection Advertisement Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@ This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football lands Houston safety transfer A.J. Haulcy
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oklahoma State football brings Colorado edge rusher Taje McCoy back to his home state
STILLWATER — In his search for more defensive line talent, Mike Gundy went all the way to Colorado to find an Oklahoma kid. Taje McCoy, an Oklahoma City native from Putnam City High School, has committed to Oklahoma State out of the transfer portal, according to multiple online reports. Advertisement A 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge rusher, McCoy had 23 tackles and four sacks in his redshirt freshman year with the Buffaloes last season, earning a spot on the coaches' All-Big 12 honorable mention list as Defensive Newcomer of the Year. McCoy was The Oklahoman's All-State Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Putnam City in the fall of 2022 after finishing with 66 tackles and 17 sacks. McCoy was heavily recruited by the Cowboys before signing with Colorado. He redshirted in 2023, appearing in four games and recording one tackle against Nebraska. He became a regular rotational player last fall, and made significant contributions on special teams as well. He is the sixth transfer portal commitment for the Cowboys this month, and the second edge rusher from a Power 4 program, following Thursday's commitment from South Carolina transfer Wendell Gregory. Advertisement More: Oklahoma State football spring portal tracker: Cowboys land pair of Power 4 edge rushers Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@ or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State football lands Colorado edge rusher Taje McCoy
USA Today
19-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Colorado pass rusher Taje McCoy transferring to Oklahoma State
Colorado pass rusher Taje McCoy transferring to Oklahoma State Colorado will meet a familiar face next season with edge rusher Taje McCoy expected to transfer to Big 12 Conference foe Oklahoma State, according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports. In his first year of full-time action, McCoy racked up 23 tackles and four sacks last season. The 6-foot-3 pass rusher introduced himself to Buffaloes' fans in week five, where he recorded two sacks in Colorado's blowout win over UCF. The Oklahoma native anchored the Buffaloes special teams appearing in all 13 games and playing the ninth most snaps of any special team player. His efforts earned him a Second Team Special Teams selection from College Football News. McCoy was also an All-Big 12 Coaches Honorable Mention Defensive Newcomer of the Year. McCoy was a part of a Buffaloes' defensive line which led the Big 12 in sacks with 39. Coming out of high school, McCoy was a 3-star rated prospect by 247 Sports and will return to his home state as a Cowboy. The loss is another hit to a Buffaloes' defensive line already losing their top sack producer BJ Green to the NFL, but Colorado still has plenty of talented pieces that can fill the void left by Green, McCoy and others. Senior defensive end Arden Walker is expected to take another leap after his breakout season in 2024. Walker totaled 4.5 sacks with 33 total tackles and was Colorado's second-highest-rated edge player by Pro Football Focus. In addition to Walker, Keaton Wade and Samuel Okunlola will need to step into larger roles next season if the Buffaloes want to maintain their dominant pass rush from last season. Okunlola was in a starting role for most of last season but only totaled three sacks and eight quarterback hurries. The pass rush depth will be on full display at Colorado's spring game, which kicks off Saturday at 2:00 p.m. MT and will air live on ESPN2. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
