Latest news with #KyleMcCord
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles backup QB Kyle McCord set to make his preseason debut for hometown team
St. Joe's Prep alum and new Eagles quarterback Kyle McCord is set to make his NFL debut with his hometown team when the Birds take on the Cincinnati Bengals in their first preseason game. NBC10's Tim Furlong has his story. Eagles backup QB Kyle McCord set to make his preseason debut for hometown team originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
10 college football teams poised to disappoint this season
One reason why college football is fun, but also tricky to evaluate, is because one program's trash is another program's treasure. Plainly speaking, that now applies to personnel with players hopping from school to school in the transfer portal. But it's always been true of the measuring sticks programs use to determine success. For instance, what may be a disappointing record for a marquee program is instead a feat for a middling power-conference program. With that in mind, Yahoo Sports broke down 10 teams that are poised to disappoint during the 2025 season. [Also: 10 college football teams poised to bounce back this season] Syracuse (2024: 10-3, 5-3 ACC) The last two times Syracuse has hit the 10-win mark, the Orange have missed out on a bowl the following season. With Fran Brown at the helm, and his ability to pull in talent from the transfer portal, that kind of drop-off feels extreme. Even so, a semi-significant regression is probably in the cards. The Orange said goodbye to Kyle McCord, who led the FBS in passing by more than 450 yards last season before hearing his name called in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. They also lost their top receiver, Jackson Meeks, to the pros and their second-leading receiver, Trebor Peña, to Penn State this offseason. Oh, and tight end Oronde Gadsen II — another 900-plus-yard receiver last year — was scooped up in the fifth round of the draft. It begs the question: Will the Syracuse offense be so pass-dominant in 2025? Former Notre Dame backup Steve Angeli and former LSU backup Rickie Collins are competing for McCord's old role. Whoever wins the job will have former five-star wideout Johntay Cook II at their disposal. He transferred in from Texas, where he caught just 16 total passes in two years. Finding more offensive balance will be key in 2025. Syracuse averaged the third-fewest yards per carry (3.16) of any ACC team last season. The Orange brought back a good dose of experience on defense, but that unit was 96th nationally in fewest points per game allowed. Last year, Syracuse threw the ball around the yard and won 7-of-9 one-score games. That's hard to keep up, especially against a stiffer group of opponents this time around. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Missouri (2024: 10-3, 5-3 SEC) Missouri has won 21 games over the last two seasons: The Tigers are 10-1 in one-score games in that span. The margin of error is slim in those do-or-die scenarios, and thrilling wins are harder to pull off with an unproven starting quarterback. Brady Cook is now in the NFL. Beau Pribula, formerly with Penn State, and former four-star prospect Sam Horn are vying for the QB1 gig. Fortunately for them, they'll have some help in the backfield. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has a track record of locating smaller-school running backs in the portal. Last year, it was Nate Noel from Appalachian State. Years before that, it was Cody Schrader, who started his college career at Division II Truman State. Now, Drinkwitz has Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy in tow. Hardy ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns as a true freshman. That said, he'll be running behind a transfer-heavy offensive line at Missouri. The Tigers also turned to the portal to replace their top-two receivers. Defensively, there's much more continuity. Seven starters are back from a group that allowed only 20.4 points per game, including defensive end Zion Young and tackle-hungry nickel Daylan Carnell. A strong defense and an average offense would lead to several more one-score games. That's where some regression to the mean could come into play. Drinkwitz will likely need to hit on a high percentage of the offensive transfers he acquired to avoid that reality and stay in the upper echelon of the SEC. Illinois (2024: 10-3, 6-3 Big Ten) Illinois is getting plenty of pub as the Big Ten dark horse this offseason. That's a recipe for disappointment — even if the Fighting Illini end up having a pretty good season! And that's where I fall on this version of Bret Bielema's team. Another 10-win season could be hard to replicate against a slate of opponents that's not as intimidating as it is selectively dangerous. The Illini's schedule includes road tests at Duke and Indiana in the first four weeks. Then Ohio State visits later on, and the week after that Illinois travels to play a Washington team we're high on. Factor in a possible Big Ten misstep, which the Illini had last year against a decent Minnesota team, and eight regular-season wins feels more realistic. Getting to nine regular-season wins, like last year, is possible. But even then, Illinois would be on the outside of the College Football Playoff looking in. Is that a disappointment? It feels like it, with the way Illinois is being talked about right now. Look, there's a lot to like up and down the roster. Gabe Jacas is listed as an EDGE, but more than anything he's a nightmare for opposing offenses. There's stability in the back end. Luke Altmyer quietly posted the third-most 'Big Time Throws' (Pro Football Focus' metric for passes 'with excellent ball location and timing) of any Big Ten quarterback last year. Without last year's top-two receivers, namely third-round pick Pat Bryant, Altmyer will need West Virginia transfer Hudson Clement and Ball State transfer Justin Bowick to step up. Still, the Illini are fourth nationally in ESPN's returning production rankings. It's no gimme, though, they'll bring back the good fortune that helped make 2024 so magical. In addition to dodging serious injury issues, Illinois won two overtime games and beat Rutgers on the final play of regulation. Kansas and South Carolina both had chances for game-winning drives late, and Illinois held. We're not predicting an Illinois collapse. We just don't see a run to the CFP, either. Tennessee (2024: 10-3, 6-2 SEC) It will be hard watching Tennessee this season without wondering what could have been had Nico Iamaleava not become what at least initially looked like the first-ever college football holdout. He says he transferred to UCLA to be closer to home, but reports that surfaced before his departure about his — or his advisers' — desire for more NIL money from Tennessee, suggested other offseason motives. Regardless, Iamaleava is at UCLA, where new Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar came from. Aguilar, who played at Appalachian State before his pit stop in Westwood, has to learn his third offense in less than a year. He has to do that in the shadow of Iamaleava, who didn't realize his five-star potential as a true freshman but did enough as a dual threat to get Tennessee to its first-ever CFP. Aguilar also has to shake an interception problem. He's tossed 24 of them over the last two seasons, completing a gunslinger stat line that also includes 56 touchdowns and 6,760 passing yards in that span. If opponents continue to limit Heupel's originally explosive Tennessee aerial attack with two-high safety coverage, the run game will be critical again. Dylan Sampson ran for 22 touchdowns and close to 1,500 yards last season, but he's in the NFL now. DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis are capable of filling at least most of that void. They'll have to, because along with potential turnover issues at quarterback, Tennessee has a wide receiver corps that inspires more questions than confidence at the moment. Chris Brazzell II, the team's fourth-leading wideout last year, is joined by underclassmen Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley, who combined for only 10 catches in 2024. Tennessee won't miss a bowl or anything. Its defense is too good. In fact, it could be even better than last year's unit that allowed 16.1 points per game. Given the uncertainty on the other side of the ball, though, a return to the CFP, or even 10 wins, feels out of reach. USC (2024: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten) USC is probably a year away from taking a national championship swing. The Trojans are on pace to finish the 2026 cycle with the No. 1-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals, and, of the 16 transfers they reeled in this offseason, less than half are seniors. Lincoln Riley, despite struggling in his first Big Ten season and falling short of double-digit wins back-to-back years for the first time in his head coaching career, appears to be keeping the eye on the prize. This year might not be what USC fans are looking for though. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was fine last season after taking over for a benched Miller Moss. That said, the former UNLV starter threw a combined five picks against Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Riley's known for his quarterback whispering, except that reputation took a bit of a hit with Moss not panning out. Maiava will have some weapons in the backfield, thanks to the arrival of New Mexico transfer Eli Sanders and JUCO talent Waymond Jordan. The wide receiver room isn't as deep as last year's iteration. Then again, the one-two punch of slot star Makai Lemon and contested-catch threat Ja'Kobi Lane is still around. D'Anton Lynn impressed in his first season as defensive coordinator, and he's got solid pieces at each level of the defense, including linebacker Eric Gentry and safety Kamari Ramsey. USC could win eight or nine regular-season games, or maybe seven. But until Riley has another game changer at quarterback, the Trojans likely have some distance from the CFP. Iowa State (2024: 11-3, 7-2 Big 12) We'll learn a bunch about last year's Big 12 runner-up before Week 1, and that's because Iowa State plays Kansas State in Dublin in Week 0. Head coach Matt Campbell led the Cyclones to their first-ever double-digit-win season and their second-ever AP top-15 finish in 2024. It's hard to go up from there, especially against a schedule that features Kansas State, Arizona State, BYU, Iowa and TCU. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht benefited from a pair of Day 2 NFL Draft selections, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, both of whom tallied at least 80 receptions and 1,180 receiving yards last year. There was a drop-off in wideout production after that, meaning that Becht's top-returning receiver is an 11-catch Carson Brown. Chase Sowell transferred from East Carolina, and he can take the top off a defense. Those two will be relied on, and so will running backs Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III. Even if the offense achieves balance, the defense will have to hold up its end of the bargain without its top three linemen from last season, plus a handful of key defensive backs from the 2024 squad. The former is concerning, particularly since Iowa State was a measly 110th in the country against the run last year. Vanderbilt (2024: 7-6, 3-5 SEC) It's a hard-knock life in the SEC. Last year, Vanderbilt won its most games in a single season since 2013 when James Franklin was still head coach, and yet the Commodores still had a losing record in conference play. That's not what people remember, for what it's worth. Memories were made from the program's first winning season in more than a decade, highlighted by its first victory over Alabama in 40 years. Diego Pavia became a household name. Then the former JUCO quarterback acquired another year of eligibility by suing the NCAA. He's back with another dose of swagger, and he's got his former New Mexico State tight end, Eli Stowers, as well as the team's top running back, Sedrick Alexander, in the fold for another season. But the Vandy offensive line lost four starters and now has a transfer makeover that may or may not look good. Pavia is fun, only his brute, dual-threat style is conducive to injury. The Commodores need Pavia to stay healthy and special. They also need to at least maintain their top-50 scoring defense. And they need to keep winning the turnover battle. Vandy went from second-to-last (-0.25) to second in the conference (0.69) in turnover margin per game from 2023 to 2024. Pulling upsets takes a lot. Vandy brought it to the table more often than not last season. Doing so for a second year in a row is a lot to ask of an SEC underdog. Colorado (2024: 9-4, 7-2 Big 12) Deion Sanders has already proved the doubters wrong at Colorado. He contended for a conference title and led the Buffaloes to their best record since 2016. He also beat bladder cancer this offseason, adding another victory to his always-impressive Pro and College Football Hall of Fame-decorated résumé. But losing a two-way star who doubled as the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, and his son, who doubled as his starting quarterback the last four years, to the NFL was always going to be hard. Aside from Coach Prime himself, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders were the constant in Boulder the last two seasons. Since their departure, the elder Sanders has brought in the next wave of transfers, another group more than 30 deep. Colorado will look different on paper and, in all likelihood, schematically. Former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter is a dual threat, unlike Shedeur. Maybe that will spark a Buffs running game that's been mostly invisible through Sanders' first two seasons at the helm. That is, if Colorado can finally crack the code up front with another offensive line that's mostly new. What the Buffs did figure out last year was their defense, thanks to now-second-year coordinator Robert Livingston. He's playing with a new deck, though, and it's … transfer-heavy. Former USF safety Tawfiq Byard will be flying around, and Conference USA imports Reginald Hughes and Martavius French should bolster the second level. Really, it's hard to know what to expect from Colorado. The schedule isn't too forgiving, either, with four straight games against BYU, TCU, Iowa State and bounce-back candidate Utah. UNLV (2024: 11-3, 6-1 Mountain West) UNLV lost to only one team not named Boise State last season, and that was Syracuse — in overtime. The Broncos taking the Rebels down not once but twice slightly muted UNLV's program-record-tying 11-win season. Barry Odom left to try to resurrect Purdue, and Dan Mullen hit pause on his media career to take over the reins in Vegas. Mullen, who previously held head coaching jobs at Mississippi State and Florida, has an intriguing roster on his hands. Like Odom, he's leaning on the portal to get things going out west. It's a mixed bag of former power-conference players, really. Former Ohio State and Tulsa quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis is tasked with coordinating the UNLV offense, which will likely ride with either Michigan transfer Alex Orji or Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea at quarterback. Orji made three starts last year with the Wolverines and threw for only 133 yards. His legs were scarier than his arm. As for Colandrea, he might trust his arm too much. He posted a 26:20 touchdown-to-interception in two seasons at Virginia. But Orji and Colandrea get second chances at UNLV, and that's kind of the theme across a roster that's littered with the names of big, but former, schools. Look no further than the front seven, where former Florida and LSU defensive lineman Jalen Lee has reunited with Mullen and where ex-Miami linebacker Elias Rudolph and ex-UCLA linebacker Isaiah Patterson compete. It'll be up to Mullen to piece the puzzle together. Odom made it look easy, even sidestepping an NIL opt-out at quarterback midseason last year. It might take Mullen a minute to get up to speed. A lot's changed since his 2021 season at Florida. Marshall (2024: 10-3, 7-1 Sun Belt) The Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt in 2024. Their reward? Completely start over. That's what happened when now-former Marshall head coach Charles Huff surprisingly left for the head job at Southern Miss, the worst team in the Thundering Herd's own conference last season. Huff took several Marshall players with him, including quarterback Braylon Braxton. When the dust settled, there weren't enough guys for the school to play in the Independence Bowl last season. Former North Carolina State and West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson is taking over for Huff and is now responsible for a Thundering Herd team that didn't bring back a player who passed or rushed for a yard on last year's team. Major turnover happened in the trenches, too. That's just the start of it, honestly. Marshall clocked in dead last in ESPN's returning production rankings. The Thundering Herd aren't devoid of talent. It's just that the talent is mostly new to Huntington, West Virginia. Gibson welcomed a whopping 55 transfers this offseason. Ten of them are wide receivers, and two — Adrian Norton from Akron and Ben Turner from West Liberty — logged more than 800 receiving yards each in 2024. But the run game could be the first mode of attack for an offense coordinated by former Jacksonville State OC-turned-interim head coach Rod Smith. That's where running backs Michael Allen, Jo'Shon Barbie and Tony Mathis Jr., transfers from UNLV, McNeese State and Houston, respectively, will come into the picture. They'll be running behind an offensive line that boasts 6-foot-9 offensive tackle Tyler McDuffie, a transfer from Hampton. It's more of the same on defense, where eye-catching, small-school production and mostly unproven, bigger-school names occupy what will end up being some kind of two-deep. This could get ugly in Year 1. But maybe Gibson's rebuild starts faster than expected.
Fox News
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Top 10 Breakout Candidates Heading Into the 2025 College Football Season
Imagine sitting around last summer, long before the college football season officially began, and throwing around the following predictions: — Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, whose career with the Buckeyes never quite panned out, would lead the nation in passing after transferring to Syracuse of all places. — Former Michigan State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who hardly touched the field for the Spartans, would lead downtrodden Arizona State to the College Football Playoff. — Two of the three players with the most receptions of anyone in college football would be tight ends, with Harold Fannin Jr. of Bowling Green leading the way at 117 catches and Tyler Warren of Penn State right behind him at 104. — A freshman safety from Minnesota, Koi Perich, would finish tied for fourth nationally and lead the Big Ten in interceptions (four) to earn second-team All-America honors. The rapid ascension of players barely old enough to vote — and, in the case of Alabama wide receiver Ryan Williams last year, those who are still a few months shy of that right — are part of what makes college football so wonderful. Fans and analysts alike never quite know who will come to dominate the sport as the seasons turn from summer to fall. The near-constant moving and shaking associated with the transfer portal only strengthens the year-to-year uncertainty. This year in college football should be no different. So with that in mind, here are 10 potential breakout candidates who might become household names in a few short months: *Recruiting rankings and historical data courtesy of Position: QuarterbackSchool: FloridaClass: SophomoreLast season: 115-of-192 passing for 1,915 yards, 12 TDs, nine INTs in 490 snaps In some respects, the fates of Lagway and Florida head coach Billy Napier have been intertwined ever since the five-star prospect committed to the Gators on Dec. 7, 2022, a few weeks before the conclusion of Napier's first season in charge. Lagway, the No. 7 overall player and No. 2 quarterback, headlined an incredible recruiting class that ultimately included five players rated among the top 90 prospects nationally. So, even as Napier's teams drastically underachieved on the field — he won just 11 of his first 25 games in 2022 and 2023 combined — decision makers at Florida were hesitant to make a coaching change that might cost them Lagway and other prized recruits. They held off long enough for Lagway to enroll ahead of the 2024 campaign and then, following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Graham Mertz in mid-October, were afforded an early chance to see if their decision was warranted. By that point, Lagway had already widened eyes across the sport when he threw for a nation-best 456 yards and three touchdowns during the first start of his career against Samford in Week 2. But in leading Florida to a 5-1 record across the back half of a brutal schedule, including wins over then-No. 22 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss, Lagway established himself as one of the most exciting young players in college football while simultaneously saving his coach's job as the Gators clawed to an 8-5 overall record and 4-4 mark in the SEC by winning their final four games. Lagway threw for 844 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions during that stretch to earn Freshman All-America honors from a handful of media outlets. He was also named MVP of the Gasparilla Bowl after completing 22 of 35 passes for 305 yards and one touchdown in a comprehensive 33-8 win over Tulane. Position: QuarterbackSchool: Ohio StateClass: SophomoreLast season: 5-of-12 passing for 84 yards, one TD, zero INTs in 27 snaps No official decision has been made in an ongoing quarterback competition for the right to lead Ohio State, the defending national champions, onto the field in a pressure-packed season-opener against Texas on Aug. 30, but it's difficult to envision anyone other than Sayin winning the job. Sayin, a true sophomore, was a five-star prospect and the highest-rated quarterback in the 2024 recruiting cycle when he originally enrolled at Alabama in January of that year. The surprising and unexpected retirement of head coach Nick Saban, who'd played a significant role in Sayin's decision to join the Crimson Tide, sent Sayin into the transfer portal within a few weeks of arriving on campus. And that's when Ohio State head coach Ryan Day made the decision to pounce despite already having signed elite signal-caller Air Noland (No. 56 overall, No. 4 QB) in that same class, laying the groundwork for Noland's eventual transfer to South Carolina. Sayin quickly impressed both Day and then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly with his lightning-fast release, tight-window accuracy and high-level processing skills that the coaches repeatedly praised throughout his first season with the Buckeyes, even as he sat behind starter Will Howard and backup Devin Brown on the depth chart. Lingering concerns about Sayin's size and physicality won't be easy to shake between now and Ohio State's first game — especially when juxtaposed with the brawny frame of Howard — but his arm talent alone should make it difficult for Lincoln Kienholz, a dual-threat player better known for his overall athleticism, to keep pace day after day in fall camp. Sayin is the most polished quarterback on the roster and best equipped to maximize the talents of wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. He could be a multi-year starter for the Buckeyes in 2025 and beyond. Position: Running BackSchool: MissouriClass: SophomoreLast season: 237 carries for 1,351 yards and 13 TDs in 432 snaps Barely 10 months have passed since Hardy enrolled at Louisiana-Monroe as a sparsely recruited, zero-star recruit in the 2024 cycle. Though Hardy had rushed for more than 2,200 yards and 27 touchdowns during his senior season at Lawrence County High School in Monticello, Mississippi, the Warhawks were the only FBS program to offer him a scholarship. He won the starting job in fall camp for a run-heavy offense that would finish 51st nationally in rushing and made an immediate impression by carrying 19 times for 103 yards and one touchdown in a season-opening victory against Jackson State. It marked the first of eight 100-yard games for Hardy amid a workhorse season in which he averaged 19.8 carries per game and 23 per game across the second half of the year. He exceeded 200 yards in narrow losses to Marshall (25 rushes, 206 yards, 1 TD) and Arkansas State (30 carries, 204 yards, 2 TDs), which showcased his big-play ability with scores of 80 yards against the former and 72 yards against the latter. When the season ended, Hardy was the only freshman to rank among the top 20 nationally in rushing. Hardy's combination of youth and high-level production made him one of the most attractive tailbacks in the portal (No. 116 transfer, No. 6 RB) despite the modest level of competition he faced in the Sun Belt, which named him its Freshman of the Year. The only running backs ahead of Hardy in the transfer rankings were Justice Haynes of Alabama (No. 42 transfer, No. 1 RB); Rahsul Faison of Utah State (No. 49 transfer, No. 2 RB); Jaydn Ott of Cal (No. 50 transfer, No. 3 RB); Wayshawn Parker of Washington State (No. 100 transfer, No. 4 RB) and Fluff Bothwell of South Alabama (No. 112 transfer, No. 5 RB). How well Hardy handles the jump in competition to the SEC could hinge on his ability to continue making defenders miss at the same rate he did with the Warhawks. Hardy ranked third nationally in missed tackles forced last season with 93, according to Pro Football Focus, behind only Ashton Jeanty of Boise State (152) and Cam Skattebo of Arizona State (103). Position: Running BackSchool: LSUClass: SophomoreLast season: 140 carries for 753 yards and 6 TDs in 335 snaps Based on team statistics alone, the fact that LSU finished the 2024 season ranked 107th nationally in rushing yards per game (116.4) would seem to suggest the Tigers lacked an explosive lead back to pair with the passing exploits of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. But the production that Durham put forth as both a runner and a receiving threat during his true freshman campaign has created plenty of excitement for a program with legitimate national championship aspirations this fall. Durham, who starred at Duncanville High School in the Dallas suburbs, was a four-star prospect and the No. 5 tailback in the country behind Taylor Tatum (Oklahoma), Nate Frazier (Georgia), Kevin Riley (Alabama) and Jordan Marshall (Michigan). He committed to the Tigers over strong recruiting interest from Oklahoma, where his mother ran track for the Sooners, and Texas A&M. Durham himself qualified for the state championships in the 100-meter dash and 4x100-meter relay during his time at Duncanville with a personal best of 10.28 seconds in the former. He made his first splash for the Tigers in Week 2 against South Carolina by carrying 11 times for 98 yards and two scores in a 36-33 victory that helped propel LSU toward a 6-0 start. Two weeks later, against South Alabama, Durham turned in arguably his finest performance of the season by rushing for 128 yards and a score while also catching three passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. In doing so, he became one of only two players at the FBS level to have a rush of 80-plus yards and a reception of 70-plus yards in the same game last season, joining UCF tailback RJ Harvey in that category. By season's end, Durham would eclipse 50 rushing yards eight times despite only averaging 11.7 carries per game. He finished as the team's leading rusher with 753 yards and also ranked first in the SEC among freshmen tailbacks. The expectation entering Year 2 is that Durham should be one of the best in the country at his position. Position: Wide ReceiverSchool: Michigan StateClass: SophomoreLast season: 41 catches for 649 yards and three TDs in 568 snaps There weren't many bright spots for a Michigan State offense that finished 110th overall (333.4 yards per game), tied for 123rd in scoring (19.3 points per game) and tied for 117th in passing touchdowns (13) during the debut season for head coach Jonathan Smith, formerly of Oregon State. But the emergence of youthful wide receiver Marsh, who set school records for most receiving yards and receptions by a freshman, was certainly atop the list. An in-state product from suburban Detroit, Marsh developed into a multi-positional star for River Rouge High School. He caught 41 passes for 718 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year while also rushing for 412 yards and six additional scores on 46 carries, all of which made him the No. 176 overall prospect and No. 30 wide receiver in the 2024 cycle. Marsh originally committed to Michigan State in the summer of 2022 before decommitting the following spring, opening the door for schools like Georgia Tech, Kansas, Penn State, Pitt and Colorado to host him for official visits. But he re-committed to the Spartans on July 7, 2023, and signed his letter of intent later that year. A quiet season-opener against Florida Atlantic gave way to the finest game of Marsh's young career when he caught eight passes for 194 yards and a touchdown in the 27-24 win over Maryland on Sept. 7. His 77-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was the longest by a Michigan State player since former wideout Jayden Reed caught an 85-yard score against Youngstown State in 2021. It marked the first of two 100-yard games for Marsh, who finished eighth in the Big Ten in yards per catch (15.8) and second among the conference's freshmen at 59 receiving yards per game. Marsh proved particularly effective between the hashes, with more than 29% of his receptions coming across the middle on throws measuring 10 yards or fewer downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. Of his 62 total targets last season, more than 40 of them were on throws that attacked the middle at various depths. His connection with second-year starting quarterback Aidan Chiles, who was turnover-prone last season, will be a key barometer for Michigan State's offense this fall. Position: Wide ReceiverSchool: WashingtonClass: Redshirt juniorLast season: 63 catches for 834 yards and nine TDs in 767 snaps During Boston's freshman year at Washington in 2022, which happened to be the debut season for aerially inclined head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Huskies led the nation in passing at 369.8 yards per game. During Boston's sophomore year in 2023, which ended with a trip to the national championship game, Washington finished second in the country in passing at 343.7 yards per game as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. became a Heisman Trophy finalist after throwing for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns. But despite the gaudy numbers his team was producing across those record-setting campaigns, Boston, a former three-star recruit, only caught seven passes for 66 yards combined. The reason? A host of NFL draft picks ahead of him on the wide receiver depth chart: Rome Odunze went No. 9 overall to the Chicago Bears, Ja'Lynn Polk went No. 37 overall to the New England Patriots and Jalen McMillan went No. 92 overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 2024. The deck finally cleared last fall under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, formerly of Arizona, and Boston responded by leading the Huskies in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns during the regular season. He was particularly effective over the first half of the year, with all nine of his touchdowns coming on or before Oct. 12 and both of his 100-yard games coming in late September against Big Ten opponents: seven catches for 121 yards and two scores against Northwestern; six catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns against Rutgers the following week. He went on to set a new career high with nine receptions for 99 yards in a 26-21 win over USC in early November. Part of what makes Boston's outlook in 2025 so exciting is the transition at quarterback from former Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers, who was benched before the end of last season, to pulsating sophomore Demond Williams Jr., a true dual-threat prospect. Williams made the first start of his career in a blowout loss to Oregon in the regular-season finale before electrifying the fan base by throwing for 374 yards and four touchdowns in a one-point loss to Louisville in the Sun Bowl. Moving forward, Williams and Boston could form one of the more exciting tandems in the Big Ten this fall. Position: Tight EndSchool: Penn StateClass: SophomoreLast season: Nine catches for 111 yards and one TD in 267 snaps More than any other offensive player on this list, Reynolds' inclusion is rooted almost exclusively in projection and anecdotal evidence rather than on-field production given his limited role last fall. The ubiquitous presence of All-American tight end Tyler Warren, who caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns to lead Penn State in all three categories, not to mention his 26 carries for 218 yards and four rushing scores as a wildcat quarterback, meant that additional opportunities for Reynolds and position mate Khalil Dinkins (14 catches, 122 yards, 2 TDs) were difficult to find last fall. Though Reynolds appeared in all 16 games as the Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoff semifinals, he only caught passes in five of them and, at one point, went more than a month between receptions from Sept. 28 against then-No. 19 Illinois to Nov. 16 against Purdue, when he hauled in his only touchdown. Most of his contributions while averaging 16.7 snaps per game came as a run blocker for an offense that led the Big Ten in rushing and ranked 17th in that category. But Reynolds arrived at Penn State with quite the pedigree after earning a five-star ranking from 247Sports and finishing as the top player at his position in the 2024 cycle. His stock began to soar the previous summer, in 2023, when Reynolds traveled to California for the Elite 11 Finals, where he had the chance to catch passes from some of the best quarterbacks in the country. He had barely cracked the top 1,000 prospects in the country when that competition began but would end the summer in the top 50 nationally — a meteoric rise given the time span. Originally a high school quarterback himself, Reynolds had decided to make a full-time transition to tight end ahead of his senior season at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. He went on to catch 48 passes for 754 yards and eight touchdowns while flashing the kind of speed and overall athleticism generally reserved for wide receivers. And now that Warren is gone to the NFL — he was picked No. 14 overall by the Indianapolis Colts — Reynolds has the chance to become a preferred target for quarterback Drew Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki in 2025. Position: Defensive LineSchool: Ohio StateClass: SophomoreLast season: Seven tackles, seven QB pressures, two passes defended in 141 snaps One of the prevailing storylines surrounding Ohio State's national championship last season was the value of experience for a team that did an exemplary job preserving its roster over the winter. By retaining key pieces from a 2021 recruiting class that ranked No. 2 in the country coming out of high school, the Buckeyes entered the year with a handful or more of NFL-caliber players who formed the backbone of head coach Ryan Day's squad. That the Buckeyes went on to have 15 players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, including seven in the first two rounds alone, offered even more proof of how skilled the team's nucleus really was. No position group housed more future pros than the defensive line, which saw all four starters drafted: Tyleik Williams at No. 28 overall, JT Tuimoloau at No. 45 overall, Jack Sawyer at No. 123 overall and Ty Hamilton at No. 148 overall. Their collective stranglehold on available snaps last season is why most college football fans probably aren't familiar with Houston. But those in and around the Ohio State program believe Houston, a former five-star prospect and the No. 26 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle, might be the program's next great defensive lineman. Houston chose the Buckeyes from a loaded crop of suitors that included Georgia, Clemson, USC and Alabama, among others, with the Crimson Tide making such a strong push last December that some industry experts predicted a last-minute flip. In the end, however, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes held firm to a player who is now the ninth-best defensive linemen to sign with the program in the recruiting rankings era behind Tuimoloau, Sawyer, Noah Spence, Nick Bosa, Chase Young, Zach Harrison, Adolphus Washington and Taron Vincent — a star-studded group of contemporaries. A significant chunk of Houston's rookie season was spent adjusting from defensive end to defensive tackle, the role he is expected to fill in 2025. His playing time increased throughout the year and peaked during the College Football Playoff when he averaged 13.8 snaps per game. Position: EdgeSchool: South CarolinaClass: SophomoreLast season: 23 tackles (including 11 for loss and 6.5 sacks), 51 QB pressures, three forced fumbles and two fumbles recovered in 538 snaps For South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, who took over the program ahead of the 2021 campaign, his first few years with the Gamecocks represented something of a contradiction between on-field results and off-field recruiting. When it came to the former, Beamer put forth a modest 20-18 overall record during his initial three seasons, none of which included a winning record in the SEC. But in terms of the latter, Beamer has orchestrated an incredible jolt that elevated South Carolina from the 80th-best class in 2021 to three consecutive classes ranked among the top 25 in the country. No recruit personifies those efforts more than Stewart, a five-star prospect and the No. 15 overall player in the 2024 cycle. Stewart was the highest-rated edge rusher in the country coming out of high school and became the sixth-best signee in program history behind Demetris Summers in 2003, Marcus Lattimore in 2010, Jadeveon Clowney in 2011, Zacch Pickens in 2019 and Jordan Burch in 2020. So it was of little surprise to anyone when Stewart, who chose South Carolina over Ohio State, exploded out of the gates for six quarterback pressures, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the opening game of his career against Old Dominion last August. Stewart went on to crack the starting lineup by mid-September and finished the season having amassed a team-best 51 pressures, including 25 amid a particularly torrid four-game stretch against Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Missouri. His final tallies of 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, which fell just shy of Clowney's program rookie record of eight, were enough for Stewart to earn unanimous Freshman All-American honors. The only FBS freshmen with more sacks were Texas' Colin Simmons (nine) and UTEP's Kyran Duhon (seven), though Stewart eclipsed both in total pressures. There's little question that he'll be among the most productive, and most feared, pass rushers in the country this fall. Position: SafetySchool: Notre DameClass: Redshirt sophomoreLast season: 59 tackles, five passes defended, three INTs (including one returned for a TD) in 768 snaps Even though Notre Dame ran into the offensive buzz saw that was Ohio State during last year's national championship game, surrendering more than 30 points for just the second time all season, there's no denying how dominant the Fighting Irish's defense was across an otherwise remarkable campaign. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Al Golden, who has since been poached by the Cincinnati Bengals for the same position, Notre Dame finished 11th in total defense (307.4 yards per game), tied for fourth in scoring defense (15.5 points per game) and fourth in passing defense (169.4 yards per game). The driving force behind such dominance was an exceptional secondary that consisted of cornerbacks Christian Gray, Leonard Moore and Jordan Clark along with safeties Xavier Watts and Shuler, a first-year starter and former four-star prospect in the 2023 cycle. With Watts and Clark now gone to the NFL — the former was a third-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons; the latter signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent — Shuler is expected to be a leading figure for new defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who previously served as the head coach at Rutgers from 2016-19 before spending the last few years in the pros. Shuler logged the third-most snaps (768) of any defender last season, behind Watts (970) and Gray (796), and he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 59. He also tied for second on the Fighting Irish with three interceptions, one of which he returned for a 36-yard touchdown in a win over Georgia Tech. His missed tackle rate of 20.9% will need improvement between now and Notre Dame's high-profile season-opener against Miami (Fla.) on Aug. 31, especially without the All-American Watts alongside him, but Shuler should be the anchor for a secondary that still expects to be among the best in the country for 2025. Position: Punt ReturnerSchool: ArkansasClass: Redshirt sophomoreLast season: 20.6 yards per punt return, two punt return touchdowns; 62 receptions for 656 yards and six TDs in 431 snaps from scrimmage Special teams additions don't often receive much publicity in a transfer portal era dominated by high-priced quarterbacks and skill players, but Shanks deserves some recognition here. Shanks led the nation in punt return average (20.6 yards per attempt) and tied for the national lead in punt return touchdowns (two) in 2024 while also starring as an undersized wide receiver at UAB. He led the Blazers with 62 receptions for 656 yards and six touchdowns to earn third-team All-AAC honors on offense in addition to his first-team All-AAC recognition as a returner. There's a good chance he'll flip the field a time or two for Arkansas this fall. Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New Eagles QB is already on thin ice (and training camp hasn't arrived yet)
New Eagles QB is already on thin ice (and training camp hasn't arrived yet) Rookie Eagles quarterback is changing the pecking order, and that's bad news for a recent acquisition. We may never again see another NFL team hand another more talented quarterback prospect than the Cleveland Browns have given to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Brownies drafted Tim Couch first overall in 1999. The Birds took Donovan McNabb one pick later. The rest, as they say, is history. Then, there was the trade in 2016. Cleveland dealt the second-overall pick to Philadelphia, and with it, the Eagles acquired Carson Wentz. Say what you will about Carson. He set the table for the Birds' first Super Bowl win. The Dorian Thompson-Robinson/Kenny Pickett trade wasn't as impactful as landing Donovan or Carson, but it still feels like Philadelphia won out. After all, they earned a fifth-round selection out of the deal. What's strange is that Kenny may make the Browns' roster, and the ceiling for Thompson-Robinson may be a practice squad job, because both are skating on thin ice thanks to a couple of late-round rookies. Kyle McCord's presence on the Eagles roster could spell doom for Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Nothing lasts forever in the NFL, but Pickett and Thompson-Robinson have to be telling themselves that one season would be nice. The former is suffering from 'Shedeur Sanders envy'. The latter seemingly lost his job to Kyle McCord before either played a snap. McCord hasn't technically won the job yet, but then again, Philadelphia invested draft capital. That says a lot, and when the rookie stepped on the field to take some reps as the third quarterback, he certainly made the most of his opportunity. It's only June. Training camp hasn't started yet, so there's a long way to go. There are, however, a couple of growing theories, and they might be accurate. Somehow, it feels like we've already seen Thompson-Robinson's ceiling, and McCord might have more natural talent. It seems unlikely that either will play this season in a game that matters, but that isn't the point. This is Philadelphia, and a battle for the third quarterback job is just as interesting as any other. Keep an eye on this one as we move through the summer, but if anyone is taking wagers, it's wise to place one on Kyle McCord.
USA Today
01-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Syracuse Orange win total predictions, futures, over/under and odds
2025 Syracuse Orange win total predictions, futures, over/under and odds Oddsmakers have set an over/under of 5.5 wins for the Syracuse Orange this season, with -102 odds to go over that total. Last year, the Orange finished 10-3 and won the Holiday Bowl. Syracuse futures: win total over/under, odds College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sunday at 3:26 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Over/Under: 5.5 5.5 Over Payout: -102 -102 Under Payout: -120 Syracuse splits - last season Syracuse took down Washington State 52-35 in the Holiday Bowl after finishing 10-3 in the regular season. The Orange posted five wins as favorites (in six games) and five wins as underdogs (in seven games). Syracuse was 7-2 in one-possession games, and won two games decided by three points or fewer (2-1). As seven-point (or fewer) favorites last season, the Orange posted a perfect 1-0 record. They were 4-1 when favored by 7.5 points or more. Syracuse total wins prediction Syracuse draft picks lost Oronde Gadsden II (165th Pick/Round 5/Chargers) (165th Pick/Round 5/Chargers) Kyle McCord (181st Pick/Round 6/Eagles) (181st Pick/Round 6/Eagles) LeQuint Allen (236th Pick/Round 7/Jaguars) (236th Pick/Round 7/Jaguars) Fadil Diggs (254th Pick/Round 7/Saints) Watch College Football on Fubo!
