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USA Today
20 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Elvis Dumervil among 6 ex-Broncos nominated for College Football Hall of Fame
Elvis Dumervil among 6 ex-Broncos nominated for College Football Hall of Fame A half-dozen former Denver Broncos players are candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class. The list is headlined by former defensive lineman Elvis Dumervil, who was named a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Nagurski Trophy after leading the nation with 20 sacks in 2005. Dumervil went on to play for the Broncos from 2006-2012, totaling 63.5 sacks (eighth-most in franchise history). Also on the list of nominees are running back Reggie Rivers (who spent his six-year pro career in Denver), tight end Vernon Davis (who won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos), cornerback Tyrone Poole (who played two seasons in Denver), pass rusher Simeon Rice (who had a brief late-career stint with the Broncos) and running back Garrison Hearst (who finished his career in Denver). Ex-Broncos nominated for College HOF DE Elvis Dumervil RB Reggie Rivers TE Vernon Davis CB Tyrone Poole DE Simeon Rice RB Garrison Hearst There are 179 players and 44 coaches nominated for next year's class. Meanwhile, former Broncos running back Montee Ball will be officially inducted into the CFHOF as a member of the 2025 class on Dec. 9 in Las Vegas. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cowboys 5x Pro Bowler, Red River hero ranked among Top 25 CFB players of 2000s
Cowboys 5x Pro Bowler, Red River hero ranked among Top 25 CFB players of 2000s From championship cornerstone at Oklahoma to first-round NFL pick, Roy Williams' blend of physical dominance and iconic moments left an impact. Before Roy Williams became a five-time Pro Bowler and hard-hitting safety for the Dallas Cowboys, he was the heart of one of college football's most ferocious defenses. The Athletic's Bruce Feldman recently unveiled his list of the top 25 CFB players of the 2000s, and Williams, a former Oklahoma Sooner and Cowboys first-round pick, earned the No. 18 spot, a nod to one of the most disruptive defenders of his era. Standing 6-foot-1 and tipping the scale at 220 pounds, Williams was a nightmare for opposing offenses. He recorded 287 tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 9 interceptions and 44 pass breakups during his college career, including a jaw-dropping 2001 campaign where he notched 107 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 22 PBUs. That year, he became the first player to win both the Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) and the Thorpe Award (best defensive back) in the same season. Williams' name is forever tied to one of the most iconic moments in Red River Rivalry history. With Texas backed up deep in its own territory and Oklahoma hanging on to a 7-3 lead in 2001, Williams leapt over a blocker, blew up quarterback Chris Simms, and forced the game-sealing turnover that sealed a Sooners victory and remains etched in college football lore. A year earlier, he helped deliver a national title, setting a BCS championship game record with 12 tackles by a defensive back as Oklahoma stunned Florida State 13-2. Selected eighth overall by Dallas in the 2002 NFL Draft, Williams brought that same relentless energy to the pros. He spent seven seasons in Dallas, earning All-Pro honors in 2003 and five straight Pro Bowl selections from 2003 to 2007. Across his nine-year NFL career, he totaled 593 tackles, 20 interceptions, 7.5 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles, and three defensive touchdowns. Williams' college dominance, paired with his decorated NFL run, makes his place on the list not just earned, but inevitable. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How many Sooners made The Athletic's list of best CFB players since 2000? Who was snubbed?
How many Sooners made The Athletic's list of best CFB players since 2000? Who was snubbed? The Oklahoma Sooners have had more success than just about every other college football program during the 21st century. With a few exceptions, very few teams have been better than OU since 1999. Of course, it was after a dismal decade from 1989 to 1998, when the Sooners sunk to unprecedented lows, that new athletic director Joe Castiglione hired Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops to right the ship in Norman. When Stoops took the reins before the 1999 season, he set Oklahoma on a path that it's still on today. The Sooners won the national championship in Year 2 for Stoops during the 2000 season, and they have captured a bevy of conference championships over the last 26 seasons. They've been one of college football's premier programs of the last quarter-century. Bruce Feldman, who covers college football for The Athletic, took on the daunting task of ranking the 25 best college football players of the last 25 years. Narrowing down all of the sport's greats to only 25 since 2000 is extremely difficult, but Feldman took on the challenge. Just two Sooners made Feldman's list, beginning with safety Roy Williams, who starred for Oklahoma in the early Stoops years. Feldman has him as the No. 18 player in college football since 2000. He totaled 287 tackles, 34 TFLs, 9 INTs and 44 PBUs overall in his career and was stellar during the 2001 season, racking up 107 tackles, 14 TFLs, 5 INTs and 22 PBUs. "A standout on the Sooners' 2000 national title team, the 6-1, 220-pound California native set a BCS national title game record for most tackles by a defensive back with 12 as Oklahoma shut down Florida State 13-2," Feldman said. "The next season, as a junior, Williams became the first player to win both the Nagurski Trophy, as the nation's top defensive player, and the Thorpe Award, honoring the country's best defensive back. Williams' signature play happened in the 2001 Red River Rivalry game with Texas pinned deep near its goal with two minutes remaining and OU clinging to a 7-3 lead. Williams crowded the line before the snap, backed up, then blitzed, racing in and leaping over Longhorns running back Brett Robin, nearly swiping the ball out of Chris Simms' hand. The ball bounced into the hands of Teddy Lehman, who grabbed the fluttering ball and scored to propel Oklahoma to a 14-3 win." The other OU player to make the list was quarterback Baker Mayfield, who led the Sooners for the final two years of the Stoops era and the first season under Lincoln Riley. Feldman has him as the No. 14 player in the sport since 2000. He totaled 14,607 passing yards, 131 passing TDs, 1,083 rushing yards and 21 rushing TDs in his career. He had an unbelievable 2017 season when he went off for 4,627 passing yards, 43 passing TDs, 311 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs. "Mayfield won the starting job as a walk-on freshman at Texas Tech in 2013 before transferring to Oklahoma, where he also initially walked on," Feldman said. "He flourished in Lincoln Riley's system, leading the Sooners to three Big 12 titles and two Playoff bids and finishing in the top four of the Heisman race three years in a row, including winning the award in 2017. Mayfield was at his best when the spotlight was brightest. In his return game to Lubbock, facing all sorts of animosity from the Red Raiders crowd, Mayfield passed for 545 yards and seven TDs (with no INTs) in a 66-59 win to outduel Patrick Mahomes. In 2017, he threw for 386 yards and three TDs, completing 77 percent of his passes in a blowout win at No. 5 Ohio State. He later shredded rival Oklahoma State for 598 passing yards and five TDs in a 62-52 win in Stillwater. He threw for seven TDs and zero picks in two games against top-10 TCU that season and had No. 2 Georgia on the ropes in a 54-48 loss in the CFP semifinal." Both Williams and Mayfield have a good argument that they could be ranked higher, as Williams was the engine of one of college football's best defenses for multiple seasons and has a national championship ring. Mayfield pulled the program out of a lull in the later Stoops years and won more conference championships than he lost conference games. Both players are questionably ranked behind guys like DeVonta Smith, Andrew Luck, Larry Fitzgerald, Terrell Suggs, and Travis Hunter. In fact, Mayfield landed at No. 2 on a very similar list from ESPN last summer. His spot on Feldman's list feels far too low, especially considering a Heisman Trophy has his name on it and he was a finalist two other times. While we're on the subject, plenty more OU players had to have been considered. Quarterbacks include Josh Heupel, Jason White, Sam Bradford, Landry Jones, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts. Running backs like Adrian Peterson and DeMarco Murray and pass catchers like Mark Clayton, Malcolm Kelly, Juaquin Iglesias, Jermaine Gresham, Ryan Broyles, Dede Westbrook, and CeeDee Lamb certainly have an argument. Defensively, it's tough to argue against the likes of Torrance Marshall, Rocky Calmus, Teddy Lehman, Derrick Strait, Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, Curtis Lofton and Gerald McCoy. Those OU defenses, especially until Brent Venables left after the 2011 season, were feared across the Big 12 and college football. Now, with Venables following Stoops and Riley as Oklahoma's third head coach over the last 26 seasons, it's time for the Sooners to put more players onto lists like these in the years to come. That starts with a pivotal 2025 season, the 27th season since Castiglione hired Stoops and thereby brought OU Football back to the top of college football. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
2025 NFL Scouting Combine: Kansas City Chiefs held 'formal meeting' with South Carolina DE
According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Kansas City Chiefs had a "formal meeting" with South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard this week at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kansas City may not have a defensive lineman high on their list of needs, but with a highly touted 2025 class, the desire to select a potential star. South Carolina/Georgia Tech DE Kyle Kennard (Riverwood High) had a formal interview with the #Chiefs Tuesday night. — D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) February 26, 2025 During his session at the combine on Thursday, Kennard was unofficially timed at 4.73 seconds in the 40-yard Dash and 1.63 seconds in the 10-yard split. Kennard, a 6-foot-5 and 254-pound player, starred in one season in South Carolina after transferring from Georgia Tech. His lone season in the SEC earned him career-high numbers in sacks with 10 and pressures with 36. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-SEC, and he won the Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defender. A thrilling pass rusher could make a home in Steve Spangnuolo's defense off the edge alongside Chris Jones—a high upside if available in the draft or a potential trade-up opportunity. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Chiefs held 'formal meeting' with South Carolina DE Kyle Kennard
USA Today
28-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NFL Scouting Combine: Kansas City Chiefs held 'formal meeting' with South Carolina DE
2025 NFL Scouting Combine: Kansas City Chiefs held 'formal meeting' with South Carolina DE South Carolina/Georgia Tech DE Kyle Kennard (Riverwood High) had a formal interview with the #Chiefs Tuesday night. — D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) February 26, 2025 According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Kansas City Chiefs had a "formal meeting" with South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard this week at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kansas City may not have a defensive lineman high on their list of needs, but with a highly touted 2025 class, the desire to select a potential star. During his session at the combine on Thursday, Kennard was unofficially timed at 4.73 seconds in the 40-yard Dash and 1.63 seconds in the 10-yard split. Kennard, a 6-foot-5 and 254-pound player, starred in one season in South Carolina after transferring from Georgia Tech. His lone season in the SEC earned him career-high numbers in sacks with 10 and pressures with 36. He was named second-team Associated Press All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and first-team All-SEC, and he won the Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defender. A thrilling pass rusher could make a home in Steve Spangnuolo's defense off the edge alongside Chris Jones—a high upside if available in the draft or a potential trade-up opportunity.
