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USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Josh Heupel, two former Vols on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Josh Heupel, two former Vols on 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel and two former Vols are on the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Heupel, Larry Seivers and Deon Grant are on the ballot, which was released Monday. Heupel is appearing on the ballot for a sixth consecutive year. As a quarterback at Oklahoma, he was a first-team consensus All-American and won the 2000 BCS national championship. Seivers was a two-time first-team consensus All-American from 1975-76. In 1975, he became the first Tennessee wide receiver to eclipse 800 receiving yards in one season. Seivers was a two-time All-SEC standout for the Vols. Grant, a safety, played for the Vols from 1997-99 under head coach Phillip Fulmer. He was a member of Tennessee's 1998 BCS national championship team. Grant was a 1999 consensus First Team All-American and Jim Thorpe Award finalist. He helped the Vols win two SEC championships, and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press in 1999. Grant was a first-team all-conference performer as a junior after leading the SEC with nine interceptions. Following his career with the Vols, Grant was selected in the second round of the 2000 NFL draft (No. 57 overall) by Carolina. He played for the Panthers (2000-03), Jacksonville (2004-06), Seattle (2007-09) and the Giants (2010-11). Grant was a Super Bowl champion with New York. He recorded 776 career tackles, 6.5 sacks, 30 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Brother of NFL star commits to Kirby Smart and Georgia football in 2026 recruiting class
Kirby Smart helped Alabama land Minkah Fitzpatrick before he went on to become a five-time Pro Bowl safety in the NFL. Now the Georgia football coach has secured a commitment from his younger brother, Justice Fitzpatrick. Advertisement The 6-foot- 1/2 , 205-pound four-star cornerback from Fort Lauderdale picked the Bulldogs over Texas, Ohio State, Florida and Miami, according to his X account on Tuesday June 3. Smart in 2018 told the recruiting story of Minkah Fitzpatrick to Alabama. Smart and then offensive line coach Mario Cristobal were higher on him than coach Nick Saban. "[Saban] didn't like Minkah at one point," Smart told "That, to me, was just crazy because Mario Cristobal and I were fighting like hell [for Fitzpatrick]. We thought he was such a good kid." Justice Fitzpatrick, who plays for St. Thomas Aquinas, is the nation's No. 47 overall prospect and No. 3 cornerback. Advertisement Minkah Fitzpatrick played at Alabama from 2015-2017, winning the Jim Thorpe Award as nation's top defensive back in his last season. He was a Dolphins first-round pick, but traded from Miami in 2018. He has played with the Steelers since then. This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: NFL star Minkah Fitzpatrick's brother commits to Georgia football
USA Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Eric Bieniemy, Chris Hudson named to 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Eric Bieniemy, Chris Hudson named to 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot Many Colorado football fans hope Deion Sanders is ushering in a new golden age of Colorado football. Still, before the current era under Coach Prime began, there were the Colorado teams of the early 1990s. On Monday, the golden era of CU football was honored with Eric Bieniemy and Chris Hudson being named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Bieniemy, Colorado's all-time leading rusher, was the driving force behind the Buffaloes' 1990 national championship. That season, he earned a unanimous first-team All-American and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. Bieniemy still owns eight school records and was a two-time All-Big Eight selection. Chris Hudson, a cornerstone piece of Colorado's defense in the early 1990s, was a consensus first-team All-American in 1994 and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Hudson finished his college career with 141 tackles, 15 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns) and 20 pass breakups. Their nominations continue a proud tradition for Colorado, which has seen recent inductees such as Deon Figures (2025), Rashaan Salaam (2022) and Michael Westbrook (2020). The 2026 Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner in December. Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram. Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Georgia DB Malaki Starks earns praise from key Ravens' coach
Former Georgia DB Malaki Starks earns praise from key Ravens' coach Former Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks is another one of the many uber-talented defenders selected in the first-round of the 2025 NFL draft. The Baltimore Ravens selected him with the 27th pick and he's already earning some buzz. Including some praise from Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Monken, who was previously an offensive coordinator for Georgia, spoke highly about Starks after his NFL combine interview: "He's on point right off the bat. I mean, he's eyes wide awake, he's smart," Monken said. "Malaki is a stud. From the moment — like, you could tell in recruiting him at Georgia, you could tell he was wide awake. Great family. Like, stud. It's like, alright, this guy's different. Like, whatever skillset he's got, he's going to maximize it." Starks was recruited by Georgia as the No. 4 prospect in the nation and he lived up to the hype. He started his career with an amazing interception on Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and only got better from there. Overall, he ended his Georgia career with 197 career tackles along with 17 passes defended, six interceptions, and six tackles for loss. He earned a unanimous first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC selection in 2023. In 2024, he was a second-team All-American and a Jim Thorpe Award finalist once again.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
College Football Insider Points Out What Should Drive Arch Manning and Texas Longhorns
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns have been on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff national title game two seasons in a row. Arch Manning takes over at quarterback this coming season, and expectations might be the highest they've been during the head coach's tenure. On Texas Football's Jeff Howe believes the heat is a good thing for the program in Austin. Advertisement "I think the great thing Sark has done ... the last two offseasons, is he's identified something to keep the team hungry," Howe said last week. "Coming off that loss to Washington, it was, 'Hey, think about how close you were. You've gotta be obsessed. If you wanna get back there, you've gotta be obsessed with it.' I think for this team is, everybody's talking about what you don't have. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Lysaker-Imagn Images "You know, 'You've lost four starters on the offensive line. You're gonna lose a first-round wide receiver. You're gonna lose a Jim Thorpe Award winner. You're losing the Outland Trophy winner. You're losing all this.' ... I think Sark's gonna use that internally; at least he'd be smart to, to say, 'Hey, there's a lot of people that are waiting for you guys to fail.'" As Howe touched upon, the Longhorns could see at least three players go in the first round of next week's 2025 NFL Draft. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., receiver Matthew Golden, and cornerback Jahdae Barron have all been projected that early in the lead-up to the event. Quinn Ewers, now an afterthought for Texas, will hear his name called at some point, as well. Related: Steve Sarkisian Compares Arch Manning to Former First-Round Pick
