Latest news with #NationalChampionship-winning
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL Insider: 'Blessing in disguise' Vikings missed out on Darnold, Jones
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation is a unique one that needed to be sorted out this past offseason. They came into it with both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold being free agents while J.J. McCarthy continued to rehab from the torn meniscus he suffered last August. The team had been rumored to be discussing the idea of bringing back either Darnold or Jones, but they ultimately didn't, and now they are all in on McCarthy going forward. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote as the Vikings training camp started that the veterans of the Vikings' 2024 quarterback group not returning may be a "blessing in disguise." The former top draft pick spent all offseason adding to his frame and sharpening his mind so that he would be ready to hit the ground running when his sophomore season started. Breer writes, ". . .It was a long rookie year, to the point where the Vikings offered deals to Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones to return. It may be a blessing in disguise that neither accepted. As a result, McCarthy has taken all of the first-team reps since the start of spring and has found his voice as a leader on the team." McCarthy dominated the talk on the first day of training camp with his ability to push the ball downfield. He most notably hit Jordan Addison on a 60-yard touchdown pass downfield that had social media buzzing after the team shared the play on social media. Seems the Vikings may be okay for now with the former National Championship-winning quarterback. This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Insider: 'Blessing in disguise' Vikings missed out on Darnold, Jones
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL Insider: 'Blessing in disguise' Vikings missed out on Darnold, Jones
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation is a unique one that needed to be sorted out this past offseason. They came into it with both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold being free agents while J.J. McCarthy continued to rehab from the torn meniscus he suffered last August. The team had been rumored to be discussing the idea of bringing back either Darnold or Jones, but they ultimately didn't, and now they are all in on McCarthy going forward. Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote as the Vikings training camp started that the veterans of the Vikings' 2024 quarterback group not returning may be a "blessing in disguise." The former top draft pick spent all offseason adding to his frame and sharpening his mind so that he would be ready to hit the ground running when his sophomore season started. Breer writes, ". . .It was a long rookie year, to the point where the Vikings offered deals to Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones to return. It may be a blessing in disguise that neither accepted. As a result, McCarthy has taken all of the first-team reps since the start of spring and has found his voice as a leader on the team." McCarthy dominated the talk on the first day of training camp with his ability to push the ball downfield. He most notably hit Jordan Addison on a 60-yard touchdown pass downfield that had social media buzzing after the team shared the play on social media. Seems the Vikings may be okay for now with the former National Championship-winning quarterback.
USA Today
24-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Colin Cowherd says Browns will draft Arch Manning and hire Nick Saban next year
Before any of the four quarterbacks on the Cleveland Browns' roster have even gotten the chance to win the starting job, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd thinks the team is already all-in on a replacement for whoever that ends up being – and possibly one for head coach Kevin Stefanski, too. During Wednesday's episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the show's host revealed what he described as 'the worst kept secret in the South': Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is infatuated with Texas quarterback Arch Manning, and he believes the Browns could not only select Manning in the 2026 NFL Draft, but use that selection to lure former Alabama coach Nick Saban to Cleveland. Citing Saban's connections to both Jimmy Haslam and the Manning family, Cowherd believes Saban could be enticed to return to the NFL by the right quarterback, comparing the situation to the Los Angeles Chargers' hiring Jim Harbaugh last offseason. While Cowherd certainly isn't the first person to connect Manning to the Browns, his suggestion that Saban will replace Stefanski, who is just a season removed from winning his second NFL Coach of the Year award, is a new one. Hear Cowherd's full reasoning here: Saban does have a personal history with the Browns, as he served as the defensive coordinator on Bill Belichick's staff in Cleveland from 1991 to 1994. It's unclear, however, if the seven-time National Championship-winning coach wants to return to the sidelines at all, especially in the NFL; his only previous experience as an NFL head coach, a two-year stint with the Dolphins in 2005-06, resulted in a 15-17 record and zero playoff appearances. Saban began his phenomenal run with the Crimson Tide immediately after leaving Miami. While the Browns do hold two picks in the first round of next year's draft, numerous reports this offseason have indicated that Manning is likely to remain at Texas beyond 2025. While there's plenty of hype surrounding the former five-star recruit, he has started just two games for the Longhorns and thrown 95 passes to this point. Manning has two years of eligibility left after this season. Regardless of how much Cowherd believes Cleveland may like the redshirt sophomore, the team may have to look elsewhere next spring if they're determined to get their quarterback of the future.
USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State isn't No. 1 in latest preseason Big Ten power rankings; where did they land?
The Ohio State Buckeyes are not the No. 1 team in USAToday's preseason Big Ten power rankings. Where did the Buckeyes land? USAToday came out with its newest Big Ten power rankings on Tuesday, and like many would expect, Ohio State is one of the top two teams in the conference, a cut above the rest. The Buckeyes are not No. 1, however. That honor goes to Penn State. Honestly, it's not a particularly aggressive position to take. Other preseason rankings also have the Nittany Lions ahead of the Buckeyes. The article didn't go into complete detail about why the choices are made, but all of their broad points are pretty fair. It lists that Penn State go the top spot "based on an edge in experience at key positions such as quarterback, an improved collection of skill talent, maybe the best offensive line of the James Franklin era." And, well, it's hard to argue with that. Penn State does have more experience at more positions, as the Buckeyes are losing most of their starters from last year's National Championship-winning team. Of course, especially in this era of college football, being a slightly less experienced team doesn't mean as much as it used to. And with the expanded playoffs, teams have far more leeway to learn and improve as the season goes on. Maybe it makes sense that the Buckeyes will start out behind Penn State at the beginning of the year. The far more important issue, obviously, is where these teams are at the end of it. USAToday has Oregon and Michigan as third and fourth, respectively, arguing that both are College Football Playoff contenders. Following them are Illinois (a dark horse Playoff contender) and Nebraska. Indiana, which made the College Football Playoff last year, slots in at the ninth spot.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Which Minnesota Vikings player is poised for a breakout in fantasy football?
Fantasy football is the second-best thing about the game of football; first, of course, is the actual game we all enjoy every Sunday. The game of fantasy football, though, allows fans to put on their general manager hats, and it requires them to think ahead and find diamonds for their teams. One of the ways to find those fantasy diamonds is to find players coming off disappointing rookie seasons. One of those players is a Vikings player who we saw in the preseason but not in the regular season: J.J. McCarthy. PFF's Nathan Jahnke wrote up second-year players who could have a breakout, and he couldn't leave out the former National Championship-winning quarterback. Jahnke writes, "McCarthy will be surrounded by a strong receiving group in Minnesota, withJustin Jefferson andJordan Addison at wide receiver,T.J. Hockenson at tight end andAaron Jones Sr. at running back. The Jefferson and Hockenson duo has been around for multiple seasons and is part of the reason the Vikings quarterbacks always perform better in fantasy than they do in real-life quarterback rankings. Even if McCarthy struggles like most quarterbacks do in their first year, the supporting cast and coaching staff should be enough to make McCarthy a top-24 fantasy quarterback. There is a chance McCarthy plays better than past Vikings quarterbacks, in which he could be a top-eight option." For fantasy football, it is always best to wait on a quarterback. Getting someone like J.J. McCarthy is very likely in the back end of your drafts in the coming weeks. If you want to think about league-winning picks, McCarthy going into 2025 could be the epitome of that.
