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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Susan Moore football coach Wes Patterson previews upcoming season
Cal coach praises the football character of rookie safety Craig Woodson California football head coach Justin Wilcox talks with Phil Perry on the Next Pats podcast about how Craig Woodson's versatility can benefit the Patriots. Cal coach praises the football character of rookie safety Craig Woodson originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston 1:49 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Pollack Names College Football Program That's an 'Absolute Disaster'
The 2025 college football season is still a few months away, but teams have already wrapped up their spring practices and are fully focused on the transfer portal. One team that the portal has significantly impacted is the California Golden Bears, who have lost 28 players. Of those, 15 players entered the portal during the spring cycle, including five running backs. Among these running backs was Jaydn Ott, who was arguably their best player. Advertisement In his career, Ott has rushed for 2,597 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. Although he faced injuries during last season, he managed to run for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. He announced that he would be transferring to the Oklahoma Sooners. On his podcast, "See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack," college football analyst David Pollack discussed the situation at Cal and the challenges the team is facing. Cal head coach Justin Wilcox talking with an LeClaire-Imagn Images "Cal is a disaster right now," Pollack said. "Like, an absolute disaster. I'll say this: if you've watched Justin Wilcox coach the game of football, the dude is a good coach. Like, Cal has been consistently competitive with way less talent. He's confusing on defense. Always develops no-name guys and plays good defense. Plays a good brand of physical ball." Advertisement The Golden Bears have not had a winning season since 2019, when they finished with an 8-5 record. While they have participated in bowl games in the last two years, they lost both games, ending those seasons with 6-7 records. Since 2010, Cal has recorded only four winning seasons, indicating a lack of success over the past decade. Although the program hopes to turn things around in 2025, recent player losses to the transfer portal have made this goal more challenging. The Golden Bears have brought in 22 new players, but they currently rank No. 40 in the transfer portal team rankings and No. 69 in recruiting rankings. As a result, it does not appear that conditions will improve for the upcoming season. Cal begins the year with a game against the Oregon State Beavers on August 30. Related: Historic College Football Program Emerges As Favorite For 2,500-Yard Transfer RB
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ranking the top five DB classes in the 2025 recruiting cycle
The dust has settled in the college football recruiting class of 2025 and Rivals is putting a bow on the cycle by looking at the top programs by position. We conclude today with the defensive backs. RELATED: Final cornerback rankings | Final safety rankings MORE 2025 NSD: Big 12 winners | ACC winners | Big Ten winners | SEC winners | Ranking the QB classes | Ranking the RB classes | Ranking the WR classes | Ranking the TE classes | Ranking the OL classes | Ranking the DL classes | Ranking the LB classes | Comparing 2025 five-stars to NFL stars | Texas assistant Chris Jackson wins Rivals National Recruiter of the Year | Top recruiters in each Power Four conference | How Texas won the 2025 recruiting title | Texas' 2025 class | National Signing Day Announcement Guide NSD INTERVIEWS: Cal coach Justin Wilcox | UNLV coach Dan Mullen | TC Lewis, father of Colorado QB commit Julian Lewis | Florida State coach Mike Norvell | South Carolina coach Shane Beamer | SMU coach Rhett Lashlee | Maryland coach Mike Locksley | Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith | USC coach Lincoln Riley | Iowa general manager Tyler Barnes | Indiana coach Curt Cignetti | West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez | Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire | Arch Manning's HS coach Nelson Stewart Nick Lucero/ Few cornerbacks in recent memory have played at such a high level during so many in-person evaluations as Devin Sanchez, the crown jewel of the Buckeyes' 2025 class. Only Derek Stingley Jr. comes to mind. The top-ranked cornerback in the Rivals250 was joined by four-star corner Deshawn Stewart, four-star safety Faheem Delane and four-star safety Cody Haddad. Delane and Haddad were the Nos. 5 and 20 safeties, respectively, in the Rivals250 – a 2025 haul rich with Rivals250 talent en route to the "BIA." SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT Dan Lanning and the Ducks won a national recruiting battle for five-star safety Trey McNutt, who will play an array of different positions for Oregon before long. McNutt is one of two five-stars in the class, along with athlete Na'eem Offord, a projected nickel that should also cross-train at multiple positions and on special teams. The Ducks' star-studded secondary haul also includes top-100 cornerbacks Brandon Finney and Dorian Brew. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OREGON FANS AT Kalen DeBoer is adding two of the top-three cornerbacks in the class – a dynamic 1-2 punch in five-star Dijon Lee and four-star Chuck McDonald, who ascended in the final Rivals250 after an eye-grabbing week in San Antonio during the Navy All-American Bowl. The Crimson Tide also brought in four-star safety Ivan Taylor, the son of former NFL cornerback Ike Taylor. That's plenty of blue-chip talent heading to the secondary. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT The Longhorns' secondary was a major bright spot during their run to the College Football Playoff last season. They're adding a stable of talent to replace the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner Jahdae Barron and Co. In their stead is five-star athlete Jonah Williams, who will play safety, among other roles on the back end of the Longhorns' defense. Texas also inked top-10 cornerback Kade Phillips, who after a brilliant senior season playing both sides of the ball at Missouri City (Texas) Fort Bend Hightower, was a standout performer during Navy AAB Week. Also in this 2025 haul were speedy four-star Florida cornerback Graceson Littleton, four-star safety Zelus Hicks out of Georgia and in-state cornerback Caleb Chester. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TEXAS FANS AT Florida's late-season surge on the field behind DJ Lagway led to fireworks on the recruiting trail to close out the 2025 class. Among the big flips that Billy Napier and the Gators' staff pulled off were five-star safety Hylton Stubbs from Miami and four-star safety Lagonza Hayward from Tennessee. They weren't done there. The Gators also beat out Miami for four-star cornerback Ben Hanks Jr. and flipped four-star cornerback Onis Konanbanny away from the Vols. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT 1ST AND TEN FLORIDA
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ranking the top five LB classes in the 2025 recruiting cycle
The dust has settled in the college football recruiting class of 2025 and Rivals is putting a bow on the cycle by looking at the top programs by position. We move to the linebackers today. RELATED: Final outside linebacker rankings | Final inside linebacker rankings MORE 2025 NSD: Big 12 winners | ACC winners | Big Ten winners | SEC winners | Ranking the QB classes | Ranking the RB classes | Ranking the WR classes | Ranking the TE classes | Ranking the OL classes | Ranking the DL classes | Comparing 2025 five-stars to NFL stars | Texas assistant Chris Jackson wins Rivals National Recruiter of the Year | Top recruiters in each Power Four conference | How Texas won the 2025 recruiting title | Texas' 2025 class | National Signing Day Announcement Guide NSD INTERVIEWS: Cal coach Justin Wilcox | UNLV coach Dan Mullen | TC Lewis, father of Colorado QB commit Julian Lewis | Florida State coach Mike Norvell | South Carolina coach Shane Beamer | SMU coach Rhett Lashlee | Maryland coach Mike Locksley | Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith | USC coach Lincoln Riley | Iowa general manager Tyler Barnes | Indiana coach Curt Cignetti | West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez | Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire | Arch Manning's HS coach Nelson Stewart Marshall Levenson/ LSU has the best linebacker class by a mile. The Tigers dipped into Georgia for Jaiden Braker, who has the size and speed to see the field early in Baton Rouge. He was also a target of Georgia and many other programs late but no one could flip him. Charles Ross is one of the fastest linebackers in the country and someone coach Brian Kelly said could get early playing time because of how fast he is and his tremendous instincts. The other three have superstar potential as well. Keylan Moses covers ground and hits hard, CJ Jimcoily is a converted safety so he's rangy and can cover in space and Zach Weeks' older brother, Whit, has been a superstar linebacker for the Tigers. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH LSU FANS AT Nick Lucero/ Alabama went everywhere to fill out its linebacker class and it's more than a solid group with inside guys, outside guys, potential edge rushers and more. Luke Metz is a jack-of-all-trades who can run, cover, come down in the box and hit, and play in space. Darrell Johnson can do a little bit of everything as well and he might be more motivated than ever as Georgia slow-played his recruitment but the Crimson Tide made him a top priority. Abduall Sanders is a more traditional inside linebacker and keeps that super-important Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei pipeline to Alabama going. Justin Hill turned down Ohio State and others to stick with the Crimson Tide. He's great in space and comes off the edge with a vengeance. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT Riley Pettijohn is the top linebacker in the 2025 Rivals250 and the lone five-star at the position. When he walked into the room at the Rivals Five-Star last summer as a four-star, it was clear we under-ranked him and then his performance on the field only backed up a bump in the rankings. Pettijohn could see the field early as he's not only physically ready to contribute at the highest level of the Big Ten but he's laser-focused on being special. He has all the physical attributes to go out and be great. Ohio State held off Miami on multiple attempts to flip four-star Tarvos Alford and while many other regional programs were after Akron (Ohio) Hoban's Eli Lee, I wrote it would be a 'shock' if he didn't end up in Columbus and the same day he pledged to the Buckeyes. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT In the mold of so many other Polynesian linebackers who have gone to Notre Dame, Madden Faraimo could be the next superstar. He's cerebral, focused and a physical specimen who started his high school career as a safety and then grew too big so he's now a fast, head-hunting linebacker. The Irish held off USC late to land the San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra Catholic standout. Penn State legacy Anthony Sacca chose Notre Dame in the spring before his senior season with full family support. At the recent Navy All-American Bowl he was a standout among a strong linebacker group. Ko'o Kia could be the one getting slightly undervalued. The high three-star from Honolulu (Hawaii) flies around and hits people, perfect for a prototype Notre Dame linebacker. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH NOTRE DAME FANS AT There are a lot of programs who can claim LBU and Penn State is certainly one of them as the Nittany Lions once again loaded up at the position, led by Alex Tatsch out of Latrobe (Pa.) Greater Latrobe. Tatsch has excellent film and seems like a perfect fit for what Penn State does with its linebackers. He could have been ranked even higher but the four-star was not at many – if any – national events. In terms of physically impressive, there aren't many better than Dayshaun Burnett from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Imani Christian Academy at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Whether he's more of a linebacker or an edge rusher or both, that versatility is a bonus. The third linebacker in the class is another Pennsylvania prospect in three-star Cameron Smith from Philadelphia (Pa.) St. Joseph's who had previously been committed to Duke. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH PENN STATE FANS AT
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ranking the top five quarterback classes in 2025
The dust has settled in the college football recruiting class of 2025 and Rivals is putting a bow on the cycle by looking at the top programs by position. It starts at quarterback, as usual, where the future seems to be in great hands considering the star power coming out of both the pro-style and dual-threat prospects at the position. Most programs shot for the top of the board in landing one signal caller, but others such as UCLA, Cal, Arkansas and Syracuse worked to bring in multiple quarterbacks in the class of 2025. While there is more volume headed to those meeting rooms, the top classes at the position center on the best in show following the 2024 season and all-star circuit. 2025 QB RANKINGS: Pro-style | Dual-threat NSD INTERVIEWS: Cal coach Justin Wilcox | UNLV coach Dan Mullen | TC Lewis, father of Colorado QB commit Julian Lewis | Florida State coach Mike Norvell | South Carolina coach Shane Beamer | SMU coach Rhett Lashlee | Maryland coach Mike Locksley | Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith | USC coach Lincoln Riley | Iowa general manager Tyler Barnes | Indiana coach Curt Cignetti | West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez | Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire | Arch Manning's HS coach Nelson Stewart MORE 2025 NSD: Big Ten winners | Comparing 2025 five-stars to NFL stars | Texas assistant Chris Jackson wins Rivals National Recruiter of the Year | Top recruiters in each Power Four conference | How Texas won the 2025 recruiting title | Texas' 2025 class | National Signing Day Announcement Guide Keelon Russell's rise was most impressive based on the elite names the Alabama signee vaulted to get to the very top. It's a strong quarterback cycle and Russell tops the list. His blend of smooth passing mechanics, dynamic movement skills and unmatched success relative to elite competition in leading Duncanville (Texas) High School to state title runs pushed the resume over the top of the others. Russell, who also won the Elite 11 MVP and took home top honors in the accuracy challenge at Rivals Five-Star last offseason, saved his most impressive work for his senior season and beyond. The Lone Star State's best put together an absurd 55-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio as a passer in 2024 while completing passes at a near 70-percent clip. There was also a rushing element to highlight as Russell moved for more than 300 yards and three more scores, with his total touchdown mark also standing as the best among the nation's elite arms in such a deep cycle. The run we've seen from Russell makes it tough to believe he won't immediately be the most talented passer in the building for Kalen DeBoer this spring. Last we saw the No. 1 overall recruit, he was dominating the Under Armour All-America Game with both his arm and legs despite an injury scare. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ALABAMA FANS AT Five-star Tavien St. Clair, who at one point was the No. 1 prospect in the Rivals250, was an early priority win for national champion coach Ryan Day and Ohio State as the 2025 cycle opened up. The Bellefontaine (Ohio) standout is built like the ideal elite quarterback recruit with great size, a massive arm and enough functional mobility to dot up a defense to all three levels. As a senior, St. Clair threw for 29 touchdowns against just four interceptions despite being the singular focal point of every defense he faced. His nine rushing scores may have surprised some along the way, but the big passer has a well-rounded foundation that includes a baseball background and a lot of winning to his name overall. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH OHIO STATE FANS AT Jeff McCulloch/ The most polarizing passer among the nation's best is no doubt the most likely to get handed the keys to a potential playoff team's offense right out of the gate. Bryce Underwood's famous flip from LSU to Michigan not only secured the room for Sherrone Moore and company, but it ignited a recruiting run that is still climbing through the traditional National Signing Day. Part of the reason is because of the undeniable talent the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder brings to the table as both a passer and a runner. He showcased more of the latter as a senior, only increasing the expectations surrounding Underwood in Ann Arbor as the singular reason the success and style of the offense will evolve for the better. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN FANS AT Nick Lucero/ For the early part of the 2025 cycle, it looked like four-star Antwann Hill would be among those competing to succeed Shedeur Sanders at Colorado, but since each side parted ways in late 2023, the attention shifted toward Julian Lewis. The persistence of course paid off with the polished Carrollton (Ga.) High School star, who flipped to the Buffs back in November. The reclassified five-star, who was the No. 1 recruit overall at one point, put together perhaps his best prep campaign with the most pressure on him as a senior. Lewis totaled 50 scores (48 passing) against very good competition while completing a career-high 75 percent of his attempts. A true ball distributor at the position, the Buffs won't wait terribly long to make him the face of the program's next era. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH COLORADO FANS AT Four of Auburn's five highest-rated recruits in the 2025 cycle come on the defensive side of the ball, but the most talked about signee remains big, athletic lefty passer Deuce Knight. The five-star prospect was long the top target for Hugh Freeze and company despite a longstanding commitment to Notre Dame. But well before Knight flipped in October, the conversation surrounding his game was often about just how physically talented he is at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. A huge arm and game-changing rushing instincts and athleticism will eventually self-fuel the hype once Knight is the man for good on the Plains, though transfer portal additions may allow AU to ease into that era ahead of a critical on-field campaign ahead. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH AUBURN FANS AT CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker Editor's Note: This article first appeared on the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
