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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.
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former football stars Adoree' Jackson, Ronald Jones II officially graduate from USC
Former football stars Adoree' Jackson, Ronald Jones II officially graduate from USC Two great Trojans join the 2025 USC graduating class On Thursday, USC held its 2025 commencement ceremony. Included in this year's graduating class were two names that Trojans fans are likely familiar with: Adoree' Jackson and Ronald Jones II. Jackson played at USC from 2014-2016. While primarily serving as a shutdown cornerback, he also returned kickoffs and punts and occasionally took snaps on offense. In 2016, he won the Thorpe Award as the top defensive back in the country. Jones wore the Cardinal and Gold from 2015 through 2017. In three years at USC, he rushed for more than 3500 yards and 39 touchdowns. Prior to Woody Marks this past season, he was the last Trojan to run for 1000 yards in a season—which he did twice (and was 13 yards shy of doing a third time). Jackson has been in the NFL since 2017, and recently signed with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason. Jones, meanwhile, last played in the league in 2022, and has two Super Bowl rings—2020 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2022 with the Kansas City Chiefs. With the NFL offseason in full swing, both players decided to return to campus and complete their degrees. Congratulations to Jackson and Jones on joining the USC alumni community!
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Recapping everything Steve Sarkisian said about round one picks
Recapping everything Steve Sarkisian said about round one picks Sarkisian is proud of the talent he built at Texas. Three Texas Longhorns heard their names called Thursday night, as offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., defensive back Jahdae Barron and wide receiver Matthew Golden were selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was active on social media throughout the night, offering congratulations to his former players. He later shared more reflections on each player's journey and what made them special. OT Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints Sarkisian praised Banks as the ideal Longhorn, citing his work ethic, consistency and immediate impact. 'I've said this all along, I would tell any player coming into our program, if you want to be great, be like Kelvin Banks,' Sarkisian said. 'His demeanor, his drive, his attention to detail—it all shows in his play. He started at left tackle for us from the day he arrived and never flinched, even against top competition like Alabama's Will Anderson and Dallas Turner in just his second career start.' Sarkisian added that Banks' reliability, measurables and room for continued growth made him an easy first-round selection. DB Jahdae Barron, Denver Broncos Barron's development and versatility stood out to Sarkisian, who noted how Barron's role evolved during his time in Austin. 'When we first got here, he was playing nickel, then transitioned to cornerback in our base defense and played multiple roles—safety, dime linebacker,' Sarkisian said. 'He has a high football IQ, great instincts, and physicality. Jahdae can blitz, tackle, cover, and identify route combinations. He just makes plays.' Barron's Thorpe Award recognition, Sarkisian said, reflected the results of his hard work and adaptability. WR Matthew Golden, Green Bay Packers Golden, who transferred to Texas from Houston, showed impressive growth throughout the season, Sarkisian said. 'He came from more of an air raid system, so the transition wasn't as easy, but he became our most productive and reliable receiver,' Sarkisian said. 'His speed, short-area quickness, strong hands, and ability to make contested catches at all three levels set him apart.' Beyond his athleticism, Sarkisian emphasized Golden's toughness and team-first mentality. 'He's tough, no-nonsense, and does the dirty work blocking linebackers, safeties and defensive backs,' Sarkisian said. 'Green Bay is going to love him.' Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL draft: Denver Broncos receive positive grades for Jahdae Barron
NFL draft: Denver Broncos receive positive grades for Jahdae Barron After selecting Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday evening, the Denver Broncos have received positive grades for the pick. View a sampling of grades below. "The versatile coverage defender — the highest-graded cornerback in college football last season (91.1) with at least 400 coverage snaps — is a natural zone defender with incredible instincts and can slot in at any position in the secondary," PFF wrote of Barron. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report: A "The Broncos' problem is that they didn't have strong complementary cornerbacks," Sobleski wrote. "Barron immediately solves that issue, regardless of where Denver wants to play him." Danny Kelly of The Ringer: A "He's super versatile, with experience lining up outside, in the slot, and everywhere in between, and should give defensive coordinator Vance Joseph plenty of options with his coverage looks," Kelly wrote. "Barron complements Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss, and newcomer Talanoa Hufanga perfectly." "The Broncos were widely projected to take a running back and so some might question this selection, but I love it," Rang wrote of the pick. "Barron is the reigning Thorpe Award winner, showing not only the coverage skills but the ball-skills and open-field tackling reliability absolutely required if playing opposite a superstar like Patrick Surtain Jr. With the quarterbacks in the AFC West, cornerback is always a need, and the Broncos got a good one." "It's easy to see why the Broncos would gravitate toward Barron, an extremely versatile coverage piece who has a knack for finding the ball in an array of scenarios," Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote. "Barron can take over the nickel role and help reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and Co. counter the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert for years to come." "Whew, this gives the Broncos a crazy trio of cornerbacks," McDonald wrote. "Pat Surtain, Riley Moss and Jahdae Barron could be the best cornerback room in the league and will create a true 'no-fly' zone for opposing quarterbacks." The Broncos have six picks remaining, including second- and third-round picks on Friday (Day 2), and a fourth-round pick and three sixth-round picks on Saturday (Day 3). Stay tuned as Broncos Wire will be tracking all of Denver's remaining picks -- and grades -- this weekend. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
