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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Longhorns' Will Stone is guest speaker at 2024-25 Austin Area High School Sports Awards
Texas Longhorns place kicker Will Stone (15) kicks off in the fourth quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 1, 2025. The 2024-25 Austin Area High School Sports Awards, Presented by Thomas J. Henry Law, are happy to announce Texas Longhorns kicker Will Stone as the guest speaker for its live show on June 6 at The Long Center: Dell Hall. Entering his senor season this fall, Stone has played in 43 games so far in his career, mostly on kickoffs. Advertisement This past season, he kicked off 98 times for 6,236 yards, with a career-high 56 touchbacks. The Austin Area High School Sports Awards, Presented by Thomas J. Henry Law, is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program. He also handled extra point duties in Texas' national semifinal game against Ohio State, going 2-for-2. Stone is a native of Austin and a graduate of Regents High School, where he was an all-state selection. The 2024-25 Austin Area High School Sports Awards, Presented by Thomas J. Henry Law, are part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be obtained here. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: Will Stone is guest speaker at Austin Area High School Sports Awards
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Top 10 all-time leading passers in Clemson football history entering the 2025 season
Top 10 all-time leading passers in Clemson football history entering the 2025 season The quarterback position at Clemson has been filled with no small shortage of excellent passers and occasionally, truly elite talent that transcends to the next level. The Tigers' army of quarterbacks through the years includes some future first-round NFL draft picks -- Deshaun Watson (2017), Trevor Lawrence (2021) and Steve Fuller (1979) -- as well as others who went on to find homes in professional football as non-franchise QBs. Given how things are materializing after his stellar junior season, another Clemson quarterback appears set to join Fuller, Watson and Lawrence as a first-round pick by 2026: Cade Klubnik. While Clemson is perhaps a bit overlooked as one of the top-flight programs at developing future NFL talent at quarterback, the Tigers' history at the position is nevertheless rich. Going from Tajh Boyd to Watson to Lawrence to now Klubnik (with a brief pause in between) is certainly impressive and another indication of how well coach Dabo Swinney recruits. Here's an updated look at the top 10 leaders in all-time passing yards in Clemson Tigers history entering the 2025 college football season. 10. Kyle Parker (2009-10) Career Passing Yards: 4,739 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 326 (Oct. 24, 2009 at Miami) Parker spent two seasons as Clemson's starter and threw for 32 touchdowns in 27 games. After a rather unceremonious departure from the football program following a disappointing 2010 season in which the Tigers went 6-7, he joined Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies full-time. The Rockies had drafted the dual-sport athlete the previous summer, eventually agreeing to a $1.4 million signing bonus. 9. Nealon Greene (1994-97) Career Passing Yards: 5,504 Greene was a starter for three seasons and led Clemson to three bowl games under coach Tommy West. He threw for 2,126 yards as a senior and guided the Tigers to a 7-4 regular season and a berth in the Peach Bowl against Auburn. 8. Woody Dantzler (1998-2001) Career Passing Yards: 5,634 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 333 (Oct. 13, 2021 at NC State) Only 5-foot-10, Dantzler was an immense talent for his size, using both his arm and legs as a three-year starter for coach Tommy Bowden. In 2000, he led Clemson to an 8-0 start and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll before suffering an ankle injury in a win over North Carolina. His 13 rushing touchdowns that season tied with Clemson running back Travis Zachery for the ACC lead. The following year, Dantzler threw for 2,360 yards and 17 touchdowns while rushing for another 1,004 yards and 10 TDs. In that regard, he was ahead of his time as the first quarterback in NCAA Division I history to throw for 2,000 yards while rushing for another 1,000. 7. D.J. Uiagalelei (2020-22) Career Passing Yards: 5,681 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 439 (Nov. 7, 2020 at Notre Dame) Those 5,681 yards are just the numbers 'DJU' posted in three seasons at Clemson, which included his promising 2022 campaign: 2,521 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 545 rushing yards and seven TDs. The Tigers won 11 games and an ACC title in his final season at Clemson. 6. Cullen Harper (2005-08) Career Passing Yards: 5,762 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 372 (Oct. 6, 2007 vs. Virginia Tech) Harper threw for 2,991 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first season as Clemson's starter in 2007. He then led the ACC in passing yards with 2,601 the following year. After throwing for 262 yards and two scores in a 27-9 win against NC State and a young quarterback named Russell Wilson, Clemson dropped to 3-3 following losses to Maryland and Wake Forest. Bowden was out as head coach, replaced by Dabo Swinney. Incidentally, your residential Clemson Wire uniform critic wonders: should the Tigers go back to pairing the purple britches with white jerseys? 5. Cade Klubnik (2022-present) Career Passing Yards: 7,180 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 378 (Sept. 7, 2024 vs. Appalachian State) Klubnik rose to fifth on the Tigers' all-time passing list after a sensational 2024 season in which he threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns while leading Clemson back to the College Football Playoff for the first time in four years. The five-star recruit out of Austin, Texas, enters the 2025 season as an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Klubnik needs 2,486 yards to move to fourth on the school's all-time list of passing leaders. 4. Charlie Whitehurst (2002-05) Career Passing Yards: 9,665 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 420 (Nov. 2, 2022 at Duke) All he did in his first game as a starter was throw for 420 yards and four touchdowns to lead Clemson past Duke in a 34-31 barnburner. Whitehurst started 37 straight games and went 4-0 against rival South Carolina, with bowl wins over Tennessee and Colorado to boot. After leaving Clemson, it took another eight years before someone passed Whitehurst as the school's all-time leading passer. 3. Trevor Lawrence (2018-20) Career Passing Yards: 10,098 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 404 (Oct. 17, 2020 at Georgia Tech) The buzz for one of the highest-rated recruits in college football history on its own was enough to make an impact upon Lawrence's arrival in 2018. He started the final 11 games of his true freshman season and led Clemson to a 15-0 record that culminated with a 44-16 national championship game romp over Alabama. Lawrence would go on to win his first 25 games and concluded his time at Clemson with a 34-2 record as a starter. He became the first player in school history to be taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. 2. Deshaun Watson (2014-16) Career Passing Yards: 10,163 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 580 (Nov. 12, 2016 vs. Pitt) One of the most skilled quarterbacks to ever play the position in college, Watson debuted as a freshman in 2014 before really taking off during his sophomore season. He threw for over 4,000 yards in consecutive years, including an ACC record 580 yards against Pitt in 2016. Watson guided Clemson to back-to-back national championship game appearances. In the last one, he threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Hunter Renfrow with 1 second left on the clock to dethrone defending national champion Alabama, 35-31. 1. Tajh Boyd (2010-13) Career Passing Yards: 11,904 Most Single-Game Passing Yards: 455 (Oct. 5, 2013 at Syracuse) The first truly elite quarterback of the Swinney era, Boyd had exploded onto the national scene by 2011. His 3,823 yards and 33 touchdown passes during his first full season as the Tigers' starter in 2011 led the ACC. Clemson won 10 games and its first ACC championship under Dabo Swinney while clinching a berth in the Orange Bowl. Two years later, Boyd ended his Clemson career by throwing for 378 yards and five touchdown passes in a 40-35 win over Ohio State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3, 2014. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How the 2024 College Football Playoff would have looked with 2025's seeding rules
How the 2024 College Football Playoff would have looked with 2025's seeding rules The 12-team College Football Playoff only made it one season before its first major change. In 2024, you needed to win your conference to be considered for a top four seed and one of the coveted byes to the national quarterfinals. In 2025, taking home the Big 12 or Mountain West crown may no longer skip you past the on-campus round of preliminary games. The CFP's 2024 format included automatic bids for four of the season's five conference champions -- the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and ACC along with the highest-ranked champion from the five other FBS conferences. These winners will still be invited to the tournament, but no longer assured an 80 percent chance at a pass through the first round. Instead, those byes will be awarded to the selection committee's top four teams regardless of whether or not they won their conference championship game. That means Boise State's bye to the Fiesta Bowl and Arizona State's spot in the Peach Bowl wouldn't have happened last winter. Instead, the 2024 College Football Playoff would have looked like this: Byes: No. 1 Oregon No. 2 Georgia No. 3 Texas No. 4 Penn State First round: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana Importantly, this new format means FBS independent Notre Dame now has a path to a first round bye. This change, enacted via unanimous vote, will begin in 2025.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Stan Verrett explains stunning ESPN split after 25 years
The journalism industry looks nothing like it did when Stan Verrett joined ESPN some 25 years ago. Seeing that evolution in the industry factored into why the longtime 'SportsCenter' host is saying goodbye to the World Wide Leader. 'Our business has changed greatly since I got in. It's time that I changed along with it,' Verrett posted on X on Tuesday night. 'Fortunately, there are some tremendous opportunities to do that, while remaining in my adopted hometown, Los Angeles, which I love. Stay tuned.' 3 Stan Verrett during the 2017 Peach Bowl. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Verrett and ESPN are splitting ways after a strong run together, with Front Office Sports reporting that the network is not renewing his contract when it expires this summer. The 59-year-old began with ESPN and has served as a late-night host for the popular 'SportsCenter' program, which has also changed over the two-plus decades he has been with the network. He's been in the 1 a.m. slot since 2009 and primarily worked with Neil Everett before he left the network in 2023. It seems one factor in the decision comes from him being located in Los Angeles while the network is planning to stop hosting a 'SportsCenter' show in Los Angeles and instead center in Bristol, Conn. 3 Verrett worked for ESPN since 200. @wavy/YouTube 'My life is in Los Angeles is now,' Verrett posted on X on Wednesday after the report emerged. 'Nothing but gratitude for 25 years of living a dream at ESPN. I'm not retiring. Really excited about the future and some incredible opportunities. Stay tuned.' 3 Verrett at the ESPYs in 2015. WireImage Verrett indicated he's received positive feedback about his pending departure. 'I am overwhelmed by all of your comments. It's really touching,' he wrote on X. 'Working in a studio doesn't allow for interaction with viewers. But I'm flattered to know so many of you tuned in and enjoyed my work. That's why I did it. Sincerely, thank you all. ESPN praised Verrett for his contributions. 'We're grateful for Stan's many contributions and all he has brought to SportsCenter over the years,' ESPN EVP and executive editor or sports news and entertainment Dave Roberts told Front Office Sports in a statement. 'We thank him and wish him continued success.'
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas Longhorns set academic record as Sarkisian stresses discipline on and off field
The Texas Longhorns' 2024 football season was defined by both on-field excellence and academic achievement, setting new standards for the storied program under head coach Steve Sarkisian. The Longhorns finished the season with a 13-3 record, advancing to the College Football Playoff semifinals as the No. 5 seed before falling to No. 8 Ohio State. Their run included a Peach Bowl victory and a narrow overtime loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, solidifying Texas' place among the nation's elite programs. Texas' talent was further showcased in the 2025 NFL Draft, where a program-record 12 Longhorns were selected - the third-most of any team this year, trailing only Ohio State (14) and Georgia (13). The draftees included first-round picks such as offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (No. 9 overall, New Orleans Saints), cornerback Jahdae Barron (No. 20, Denver Broncos), and wide receiver Matthew Golden (No. 23, Green Bay Packers), reflecting the depth and quality of Sarkisian's roster. Off the field, the Longhorns reached new heights in the classroom. The team posted a 3.31 GPA during the spring 2025 semester, setting a new program record and surpassing the previous mark of 3.27 achieved just one semester earlier. Sarkisian, who has emphasized the link between academic and athletic success since his arrival in 2021, celebrated the accomplishment, echoing his mantra: 'Who you are some of the time is who you are all of the time!' 'When I got hired in January of 2021, the team GPA was 2.33,' Sarkisian said recently. 'We were a 5-7 football team that fall and had zero NFL draft picks. Now, we're seeing the results both on the field and in the classroom." Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle Texas is preparing for a high-profile start to the 2025 season, opening on the road against Ohio State on Aug. 30.
