Latest news with #collegefootball
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Deion Sanders Receives Major Update Before Third Season At Colorado
Deion Sanders Receives Major Update Before Third Season At Colorado originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the University of Colorado football program gears up for its third season under head coach Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders, the buzz around Folsom Field has reached an all-time high. Advertisement In an announcement released Friday, Colorado confirmed that season tickets for the upcoming fall football slate have officially sold out for a third consecutive year. Prior to Sanders' arrival in December 2022, the program had not achieved a sellout in more than a quarter-century, with the last sustained streak running from 1990 through 1996. This marks only the 11th time in school history that season tickets have been fully claimed before a campaign even begins. Sanders launched his collegiate coaching career at Jackson State in September 2020, quickly turning the Tigers into a national talking point. Advertisement Over three seasons, he compiled a 27-6 record, capitalized on the transfer portal to revamp the roster and signed the nation's top recruits, including 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Deion's son, Shedeur Sanders. His success earned him the head coaching position at Colorado in December 2022. In his first season in 2023, Sanders led the Buffaloes to a 4-8 record (1-8 in Pac-12 play), a significant improvement over the program's 1-11 finish in 2022. Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders with son and quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2).Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images After a remarkable turnaround that saw the Buffaloes finish the 2024 season at 9-4 overall and earn a berth in the Alamo Bowl, the excitement off the field has continued to build, setting the stage for the 2025 college football season. Advertisement On March 28, Colorado extended Sanders through the 2029 season, raising his base salary to $10 million in 2025 and making him the highest-paid coach in the Big 12. Related: Deion Sanders Makes His Feelings Clear About Shedeur Sanders' $4.6M Browns Contract Related: 'Duck Dynasty' Star & Former College Football QB Passes Away on Sunday This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Deion Sanders, Colorado Land Former JUCO All-American Linebacker in Transfer Portal
Deion Sanders, Colorado Land Former JUCO All-American Linebacker in Transfer Portal originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Deion Sanders and Colorado landed a key addition to their defense Friday, as former North Alabama linebacker Shaun Myers announced his commitment to the Buffaloes. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound graduate three-star transfer has one year of eligibility remaining. He took an official visit to Boulder two weeks ago before finalizing his decision. Myers fills a need at linebacker for Colorado, which missed out on BYU transfer Harrison Taggart earlier this month. Advertisement Though Myers only appeared in two games last season, he brings upside from his 2023 campaign, when he played in all 11 games for the Lions. That season, he totaled 58 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions, showcasing his and coverage skills. Related: Shedeur Sanders' Behavior Catches Attention in Day 2 of Browns OTAs A team captain at North Alabama, Myers offers more than just production. His leadership could be valuable on a Colorado defense looking for experienced voices. His athleticism allows him to stay active in pass coverage and contribute on special teams. Related: Five-Star Recruit Sends Clear Message to Deion Sanders After Colorado Snub Myers may not be a headline-making transfer, but his versatility makes him a strong depth piece for a Colorado team still rebuilding under Sanders. Advertisement The Buffaloes now hold the No. 20 ranked transfer portal class in the country and No. 2 in the Big 12, according to 247Sports. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
16 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Can Notre Dame take the next step? What Marcus Freeman has learned and what's next
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In almost exactly two months, Notre Dame will open preseason camp with something to defend and something to chase. Because as Marcus Freeman enters his fourth season in charge, Notre Dame's head coach will be both trying to recreate the magic of last season's run to the national championship game and figuring out how the Irish get over that final finish line. Advertisement It will take everything Freeman has learned on the job for the Irish to do either. On Thursday, Freeman met with a small group of reporters to set the stage for summer as Notre Dame balances two competing ideas. The program's 37-year wait since its last national championship is the longest since Knute Rockne won Notre Dame's first 101 years ago. And yet, it feels like the Irish may be as close to ending that barren spell as at any point since Lou Holtz left the building. 'Where am I better? The experience at every situation that has to do with being a head coach,' Freeman said. 'The experience with dealing with (media), the experience with dealing with making high-pressure situation decisions, the experience of two-minute situations, the experience of recruiting. I'm better at every area of being a head coach because of experience where there's no substitution for it, and that's what I have to continue.' Freeman did some professional development this offseason, sounding out Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on what it took to win a Super Bowl after falling short before, going all the way in his fourth season. Freeman has made NFL connections before, from Mike Tomlin to Sean Payton. But the questions are different when there's a national championship game appearance on your resume. 'If you have a camera on me or you're in my brain 24 hours a day — 'Oh, he's better here.' Why? Because he's done it. He's experienced, he's more confident in it,' Freeman said. 'He's been there, but there's just not one area where I can point out and say, 'Hey, I'm better here than every other place.' I hope I'm better in every area and every aspect of being a head coach.' Two months from now, Freeman will need to start to show that on the practice field. Three months from now, the curtain will go up at Hard Rock Stadium against Miami. Advertisement As for what that show looks like, Freeman explained how some past experiences might inform future decisions while also detailing how last year's postseason continues to impact Notre Dame moving forward. When Tyler Buchner battled Drew Pyne to be Freeman's first starting quarterback, the competition wasn't entirely a fair fight. Freeman expected Buchner to win the job before the first practice period of camp. The sophomore figured as much too. Then Buchner suffered a season-altering shoulder injury in the season's second week and gave way to Pyne. Would the competition have turned out differently if Freeman was more open-minded? Probably not. But Freeman doesn't want to go down the same path of presumption with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. 'I think what I learned from that is you don't ever go into a competition expecting somebody to win it. We will evaluate your performance, and that's what we'll do, right?' Freeman said. 'We're truly gonna evaluate both of those guys' performance. We'll make sure it's fair in terms of the reps, the situations they get.' The presumption is Carr will win the job with Steve Angeli out of the picture to Syracuse and Minchey remaining as the competition. And that presumption might become reality during the first couple of weeks of August. But Freeman wants to stress test both quarterbacks before choosing one. Maybe Carr struggles with a starter's burden. Maybe Minchey excels. The greatest unknown for Freeman is how either will react when the lights come on at Miami. Neither has started a game. Only Minchey has thrown a pass. It's all a big jump to opening night in south Florida. Working in favor of Carr and Minchey is they both have a year under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, with Minchey also logging two with quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. It's just that what's working against them is the thing coaches seem to value most: having been there and done that. Advertisement Neither Carr nor Minchey has. 'How do we find ways in fall camp to put them in as many high-pressure situations as we can?' Freeman said. 'One of them is to say, 'Hey, you know that you're going to be taken out if you don't execute.' Like, that's a stinky situation, but it's high-pressure, right? But what we've got to do is put them in as many of those situations, to get them to execute before we go and play down in Florida. So, that will be one of the ultimate challenges. 'In-game experience is a high-pressure experience. So, let's create that in practice.' Freeman may not come out and say this, but he knows Notre Dame ran into a better roster on Jan. 20. The Irish may not have taken their best shot at the Buckeyes in a game that collapsed around Freeman in the middle quarters, but it was clear Notre Dame needed to be much closer to perfect than it played. And that's because the Buckeyes had a talent edge before opening kickoff. Notre Dame doesn't have to get back to the CFP to change that reality either, with the 2026 Irish recruiting class ranked No. 2 in the 247Sports composite, one spot ahead of the Buckeyes. 'I'm always trying to get better, man. We want to be bigger, we want to be faster, we want to be stronger. I know that's a general statement, but I don't look at a team and say we need that,' Freeman said. 'You know what? Jeremiah Smith, I wouldn't turn away. He's dang good football player, but I'm pleased with what we got.' Catching Ohio State at the top of the food chain might be harder than what Freeman has already accomplished further down the roster. The Ohio State lesson in recruiting isn't just about topping off the roster with elite skill-position talent. It's about keeping the middle stout enough to endure a 16-game season. The Irish lost two starters on the offensive line during the CFP, never mind going without defensive tackle Rylie Mills and watching Jeremiyah Love come up lame. Advertisement That doesn't touch season-ending injuries to cornerback Benjamin Morrison and defensive ends Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho. Freeman said both ends, along with center Ashton Craig, would be back for Miami. 'The personnel you have that you can get through a 16-game season and have to use multiple different people with starters,' Freeman said. 'You go into the semifinals game and you're losing starters, putting backups in, but if you don't have the depth that you can put somebody and get the job done, then all of a sudden that becomes a hole and it becomes a deficiency and you lose.' A month ago Freeman counseled with a group of sports analytics experts, leaning into how to call a game with maximum efficiency. The analytics teams praised Freeman for how the Irish offense sequenced its play calling to get to fourth-and-short scenarios, the kind of down-and-distance where the math says go for it even if conventional wisdom doesn't always agree. 'I wanted to be like, 'I like your book and all those things, and thanks for the compliments, but the reason we went for it on fourth down was because of the confidence we had in getting that first down.'' Freeman recalled. 'And so, I sat with the offense and said, 'OK, Kenny Minchey isn't the running quarterback that Riley Leonard was — how do we create that confidence in the head coach that we can sequence things on third down, knowing that we're going to go for it on fourth down?' Herein lies the rub for Freeman. Going for it on fourth down with Minchey or Carr at quarterback won't make as much sense as it did with Leonard, even if the analytics are agnostic to a quarterback's ability to gain the hard yards. So how does Notre Dame get those inches when it absolutely needs them? Is there a get-out-of-jail-free card in this offense like Leonard's legs or former tight end Michael Mayer's catch radius? 'It's a great challenge for our offense and myself to come up with, 'OK, what will be our short-yardage packages,' right?' Freeman said. 'How do we find unique ways on offense to get an extra hat to the point of contact, so we feel very confident we'll get the first down? That's one of the great challenges we have.' Advertisement Working in Notre Dame's favor is an offensive line that could challenge for the Joe Moore Award, plus a running back in Love who might be the best in the sport. Working against the Irish, a green quarterback and a receiver group that still needs to prove itself. Yes, figuring out the starting quarterback will be a priority of the preseason. But once the Irish get that down, creating an offensive identity will be a close second. It's not clear exactly what that will be just yet, but if Freeman wants to call games with the same aggression as last season, he'll need to figure that out.
New York Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Confused about the College Football Playoff auto-bid debate? Look to the Champions League
The English Premier League entered the final day of its season with a unique kind of drama that might soon make its way to college football. First place had been decided a month ago, and the group of clubs being relegated to the second-tier league had already been set. Last Saturday's intrigue concerned who would qualify for the Champions League, with five teams battling for three unclaimed spots. Advertisement Stakes like this could be the future of college football if Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti gets his wish. A few years ago, I spoke with The Athletic's European soccer writers about how college football was more similar to their sport than to the NFL. It remains true today. Teams don't draft players; they recruit and sign them. Big teams take players from small teams. Teams are rooted specifically in their community and can't relocate. And rumblings about a Super League face pushback as the sport's richest and most powerful organizations solidify their place at the top without a formal breakaway from the current structure. The similarity between the two sports might soon include the championship tournament. When colleague Stewart Mandel notes that no major American sport guarantees more automatic playoff spots to certain groups than college football, he's right. But the emphasis is on American. The UEFA Champions League, which will hold its final on Saturday when Inter Milan takes on Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, gives out an uneven number of automatic bids to each country's domestic league. There will be 82 teams across 53 European countries in next year's tournament. The top five leagues are guaranteed four spots. The sixth league gets three, the seventh- through 15th-ranked leagues get two, and everyone else gets one. The ranking of those soccer leagues is determined by a formula that calculates how well teams from that league performed in the previous season's European competitions, and the bids handed out to each country are determined by domestic league standings. This is essentially what the Big Ten has proposed (and the SEC hasn't yet pushed back on) for the next round of College Football Playoff expansion, just with fewer leagues and the bid allotments locked in for conferences. The proposed '4-4-2-2' split of automatic qualifiers (AQs) among the Power 4 does roughly mirror the leagues' past decade of Playoff participation. Advertisement 'The idea that (soccer leagues) understand, they don't have a committee determining that,' Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said this week. 'They've been able to objectively, through results and their standings, allot those opportunities. I think there's something there that we can learn from, and that's what the AQ conversation ties back to.' Whether you like anything about this idea is a separate question, but the Big Ten's CFP idea is rooted partly in what happens across the pond. Driving the plan is the idea that the regular-season standings will determine who makes the field, rather than a human committee. In particular, the SEC has publicly questioned the CFP committee, even though the SEC and Big Ten have garnered far more bids from that group than other leagues. There are some obvious differences between the models. Champions League rounds are played throughout the domestic leagues' regular season, featuring clubs that qualified the previous year but may bring dramatically different rosters into the tournament. College football's tournament takes place immediately following the regular season. Even the concept of a play-in tournament, which the Big Ten and SEC have considered setting up on conference championship weekend and selling to a broadcaster for more TV money, has a parallel in Europe. In England's second-tier league, the first- and second-place teams are guaranteed promotion to the Premier League. Teams No. 3 through 6 have a playoff to determine who gets the last spot. A top-six finish in the regular season gives you a chance to reach promotion. Other countries and tiers have similar formats. Under the Big Ten's idea, an Iowa team that went 8-4 in the regular season last year with no AP Top 25 wins would have a shot at the Playoff because it finished in sixth place in the conference. Advertisement While the Champions League has the most-watched sports final in the world, it, too, isn't immune to the demands of the richest teams. It has made constant tweaks and just last year added two more at-large spots for the top two leagues, another measure to stave off a breakaway Super League. As a result, England got five auto-bids this year rather than four. (The EPL got six because Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League, which is the equivalent of European soccer's NIT and provides a Champions League automatic bid to the winner.) However, unlike college sports, fans of European soccer hold more power through protest. The Super League proposed in 2021 would've supplanted the Champions League with a tournament that guaranteed spots for 15 of the most prestigious soccer teams and some additional at-large spots. But it was the fans of those teams, particularly in England, who revolted against the idea. The supporters who would've seen more big international games and more TV money for their high-profile clubs instead took to the streets, put up banners on their stadiums and rallied against the idea. As much as money had taken over the sport, it couldn't excuse a completely naked cash grab. The allure of regionality and concern over domestic league ramifications still meant something. Players and government officials also spoke out against the idea, and the Super League collapsed as teams bowed to the pressure. That hasn't happened in America. College sports fans have been blindsided by various conference realignment moves, seeing century-old rivalries disappear or teams get left behind. Many fans are not fully happy with the resulting new order, even some of those who have landed in a more financially valuable conference. Some politicians have spoken out, but none have done anything yet. Now, fans will likely have to prepare for four different CFP formats in four years, including a move to straight seeding for 2025, before whatever the 2026 format turns out to be. Advertisement No college sport or major American sport guarantees multiple bids to a division (or conference) in its postseason. But the biggest sports tournament in the world does. The two most powerful conferences might soon try to force through a model that looks unfair to many college football diehards but sounds awfully familiar to international soccer fans. — The Athletic's Seth Emerson contributed reporting.
New York Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
College football recruiting thoughts: Clemson's surge, QB dominoes, New York's elite prospect
It may be the heart of the offseason for college football, but recruiting never stops. And starting Friday, things are about to get fun. Welcome to June official visits. Outside of December, June is the most chaotic, exciting month of the year for recruiting as prospects across the country head off to official visits and start to narrow down their lists. Commitments are coming. Dominoes are falling. And the drama is just getting started. Advertisement With that in mind, some recruiting thoughts as we head into Friday and kick off the summer. Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite. 1. It's a big year for USC coach Lincoln Riley as the Trojans look to bounce back from a 7-6 record in 2024 and prove that they can still be relevant on the national stage. Riley has been recruiting like someone who knows what's at stake. The Trojans currently have the nation's No. 1 class, with 16 four-stars among their 26 commitments. They have their quarterback in place after flipping four-star Jonas Williams from Oregon in February and have found some early success with top prospects on defense — by far their biggest need. Of USC's six top-100 commits, four play defense — corners Elbert Hill and Brandon Lockhart and defensive linemen Jaimeon Winfield and Simote Katoanga. Now it's Riley's job to hang onto them. Hill and Winfield are from Ohio and Texas, respectively. 2. The dominoes have started to fall at quarterback, with seven of the nation's top 10 QBs already committed. Five-star California native Ryder Lyons and four-star Alabama native Landon Duckworth are the highest uncommitted prospects at the position. Lyons has kept a low profile but is expected to officially visit USC, Oregon and BYU this month. Duckworth has a top five consisting of Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, South Carolina and North Carolina. 3. Speaking of North Carolina, it was fascinating to see Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick go on his inaugural tour of high schools across the state at the beginning of the year as he got acclimated to recruiting for the first time. But since then, UNC has had almost no traction with in-state prospects. Of the Tar Heels' 15 commits, only two are from North Carolina. Three are from California. One high-level in-state coach said Belichick and UNC came through his high school in the spring, but otherwise, it has been 'radio silent on their end, honestly.' Maybe it's too early to question arguably the greatest football coach of all time. And if UNC wins games, Belichick can recruit however he wants. But the Tar Heel state has a decent amount of talent this year, and UNC does not appear to be in position to take advantage of it. Advertisement 4. One team that has resonated with talent in North Carolina? Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish have landed commitments from three of the top 11 prospects in North Carolina, more than any other program. 'It definitely is a trend that I've noticed,' said four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., a Matthews, N.C., native and the son of former Carolina Panthers legend Thomas Davis. 'It really just goes to show what kind of program (Notre Dame) is and when you can just truly show a kid what you want to bring to the table and why you think they're a fit for your school and they get the opportunity to choose that on their own, Notre Dame is a special place. So a lot of these kids, I think, see that and want to be a part of it.' 5. Davis, who committed to Notre Dame in November, recently landed an offer from Georgia — where his father starred in the early 2000s. The younger Davis is heading to Athens on Friday for an official visit with the Bulldogs — the only other school he plans to visit outside of Notre Dame — and knows how much that will mean to his dad. 'I know (Georgia) has been coming after me,' he said. 'But I still feel pretty locked in with Notre Dame.' Blessed to receive a scholarship to Georgia.🐶 Thank you @CoachSchuUGA !@andycapone_whs @BigDubFootball @RivalsFriedman @Rivals @samspiegs @ChadSimmons_ @On3Recruits @247Sports @247recruiting @AnnaH247 — Thomas Davis Jr (@ThomasDavisJr14) May 8, 2025 6. Clemson is hot again, both on the field — the Tigers are viewed as a likely College Football Playoff team — and on the recruiting trail. Dabo Swinney currently has 15 commits in the Class of 2026, including 10 blue-chippers, for an average player rating of 90.65. The Tigers have five top-200 prospects and two quarterbacks already committed in four-star Tait Reynolds and three-star Brock Bradley. Don't be surprised if there are more fireworks in the coming days. Clemson's only official visit weekend of the summer begins today. Advertisement 7. Looking for an interesting prospect to follow? How about four-star wide receiver Messiah Hampton? Hampton is the nation's No. 100 recruit, No. 11 receiver and the highest-rated prospect out of New York since 2019. He is committing on June 13 and is down to seven schools: Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, Michigan, Miami, Syracuse and Georgia. Fran Brown and the in-state Orange may be fighting an uphill battle considering the rest of Hampton's contenders, but kudos to Brown for making the final cut for a rare top-100 in-state prospect. 8. What's going on with LSU and Alabama? The two SEC powers lead the nation in average player rating at 95.18 and 94.28, respectively, but LSU has just nine commits in its class and Alabama has just five. Neither has a quarterback, either. Expect Brian Kelly and Kalen DeBoer to change that, but the pressure is especially on for Kelly, who lost out on five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood at the last minute a year ago and didn't sign a quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Tigers are in good shape this year with Garrett Nussmeier, but Kelly knows he'll need to start looking ahead soon. 9. Ohio State, the reigning national champ, also doesn't yet have a quarterback in its 2026 class. The Buckeyes are in good shape for the foreseeable future with former five-stars Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair both on the roster, but most programs like to take a quarterback every year. The Buckeyes have the nation's No. 3 class with 13 commits, 11 of whom are blue-chippers. 10. It has long been presumed that Billy Napier's recruiting has helped the Florida coach keep his job, especially after he signed five-star quarterback DJ Lagway in the Class of 2024 and finished the 2025 cycle with five top-100 prospects. Coaches can always sell hope. But the Gators have been largely nonexistent in this 2026 cycle so far. Florida has more decommits (three) than it does commits (two). The class right now consists of four-star quarterback Will Griffin from Tampa, Fla., and three-star defensive lineman Jamir Perez from Cleveland. 11. Only two of the top 20 players in Florida are currently committed to an in-state program: four-star linebacker Jordan Campbell and four-star cornerback Jaelen Waters have both given Miami a verbal pledge. Florida State has three of the state's top 50 players, but only one in the top 30, four-star athlete Efrem White. 12. Arizona State appears to be receiving a nice little bump from its College Football Playoff appearance a season ago. Coach Kenny Dillingham's 2026 class has an average player rating of 87.75, which is on pace to be the program's highest since the Class of 2021. Four-star quarterback Jake Fette, the No. 107 prospect overall and No. 10 quarterback, threw for nearly 2,500 yards and 32 touchdowns against just one interception as a high school junior in El Paso, Texas. He also rushed for 589 yards and 11 touchdowns on a 7.6-yard average. 13. Typically, the earlier a recruit issues a commitment, the harder it is for a school to hang onto him. But that doesn't seem to be the case with Texas and five-star quarterback Dia Bell, who has taken on the role of helping recruit talent to Austin around him. Bell, from South Florida, is likely the heir apparent to Arch Manning and committed to the Longhorns almost a year ago. He hasn't wavered in that commitment and is expected to take just one official visit, to Austin in three weeks. Advertisement 14. Five-star offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho, at No. 6 overall, is the nation's highest-rated uncommitted prospect. Iheanacho plays high school football at Georgetown Preparatory School in Baltimore and is down to seven schools: Maryland, Oregon, Penn State, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Auburn. He has most recently teased Oregon and LSU on social media, but he isn't announcing a decision until August. Just how good is he? The 6-foot-6 1/2, 345-pounder casually squatted 600 pounds a month ago. 600lb Squat PR @EOLiddy — Immanuel Iheanacho ✭ (@immanueli24) April 30, 2025 15. For those of us who love to follow recruiting, welcome to one of the most fun months on the recruiting calendar. But good luck to all the recruiting, personnel and coaching staffers who, starting Friday, will be consumed by visit itineraries, photo shoots and campus tours. They probably won't sleep until July. As one staffer put it after the chaos of last June: 'I was a tired dude.' (Photo of Dabo Swinney: Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
