Latest news with #linebacker
CTV News
3 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Edmonton Elks sign 2nd-year linebacker Nick Anderson to 1-year extension
Ottawa Redblacks' Ryquell Armstead (25) is tackled by Edmonton Elks' Nick Anderson (48) during first half CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Sunday July 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson The Edmonton Elks signed American linebacker Nick Anderson to a one-year extension Wednesday. The deal keeps Anderson with the CFL club through next season. The five-foot-11, 242-pound Anderson was the CFL's top rookie last season after finishing tied with teammate Nyles Morgan for most defensive tackles (111). He was also tops in total tackles (116) and second in defensive plays (130). Anderson earned CFL all-star honours last season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025. The Canadian Press
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
49ers rookie LB Nick Martin brings powerful personality to weakside spot
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Nick Martin and his three older brothers used to fight so much that their mother bought them boxing gloves to cushion the blows. Which, the San Francisco 49ers rookie recalled with a laugh, led to even more fighting in the form of neighborhood boxing tournaments. 'I lost a lot in the beginning because I was fighting people that were like five years older than me,' said Martin, who figures he was 7 when the bouts began. 'But I feel like that helped me grow in my mind, how to approach battles on and off the field. And then I started winning.' Advertisement That's been the story of his life. Growing up in Texarkana, Texas, Martin was never the biggest kid on the block. But he's always been a wicked hitter. That helps explain why the 49ers took the 5-foot-11, 221-pound linebacker with the 11th pick in the third round. One of the lessons from an awful 2024 season was how badly they missed Dre Greenlaw, their ferocious weakside linebacker who sat out all but 34 snaps due to an Achilles injury. When Greenlaw went to the Denver Broncos in free agency, the 49ers were compelled to find someone who could tackle, cover and set a furious tone like he did. The search led to Martin. 'You've heard of a sideline-to-sideline guy,' said former Oklahoma State linebacker Kenyatta Wright, who's now the program's financial director. 'Well, Nick is a football-field guy. Wherever you are on a football field, he's going to be there.' The other reason the 49ers fell for Martin is the small-bodied linebacker's big-time charisma. He likes art, music, has his own fashion line and taught himself to play the guitar. On his first full day with the 49ers last month, he had the confidence to walk around in oversized shark slippers in the locker room and in his media appearance. He has about 10 pairs of animal slippers, including wolves and puppies, and he's not afraid to let the dogs out. 'I'm pretty comfortable with who I am,' he said. 'And I've always worn 'em, so why change?' Nick 'Jaws' Martin — Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) May 8, 2025 The 49ers note he was a two-time team captain at Oklahoma State. After he injured his MCL ligament in the fifth game last season, coach Mike Gundy petitioned the Big 12 to allow Martin to travel with the team. That's how important he was to the locker room, meeting room and sideline, even when he wasn't playing. The 49ers hope he has the same effect on a rookie class that, especially on defense, is expected to log plenty of snaps this season. Advertisement 'It's important when we're considering how the rookies are going to mesh together,' the 49ers' top scout, Tariq Ahmad, explained regarding Martin. 'Who's going to be the leader of that group? Who's going to push guys to watch extra tape, to be on the field extra?' Martin's mother, Tosha, describes her youngest son as 'joyful.' He was always upbeat, always curious, always joking. Older brother Chauncey goes with 'goofy.' 'He'd come hang around my friends and he'd cut jokes,' Chauncey said. 'But they were jokes I'd already heard. That's my little brother, and I'd be like, 'Stop being annoying.' But to my friends, he was hilarious. And I'd say, 'Bro, don't laugh at him. Don't egg him on.'' Nick — or Nickolas, as his mother invariably calls him — is close to all his brothers. But his relationship with Chauncey, who is nearest in age, is special. They grew up sharing a bedroom and dreams about playing in the NFL. They'd play 'Madden' and assure each other their names would one day appear on the screen. In the living room, Chauncey would get on his knees and pretend he was Ray Lewis. Nick, in the role of Reggie Bush, would try to get past him. All the Martin boys played football. Chauncey and Nick loved football. 'We just had a bond,' Chauncey said. 'Even though we had two older brothers, we were close. We shared a room our whole life. It was me and him.' Being three years older, Chauncey was the first to find football glory. He was the running back on Pleasant Grove High's first-ever state champion team, which in East Texas is akin to landing on the moon or winning Olympic gold. Nick, speedy but scrawny and not ready for the varsity squad, came to be known as 'Chauncey's little brother.' 'He didn't like that,' Tosha said. 'It motivated him.' Every time he was dismissed as too small, he hit the weight room. Whenever he was obscured by Chauncey's shadow, he'd try to outrun it by getting faster. Advertisement He loved his brother, tried to be like his brother, but also wanted — no, needed — to make a name for himself. And by his junior season, he was playing linebacker and running back while leading Pleasant Grove to another state title. The only problem was that Chauncey wasn't around to see it. He and four other 19-year-olds were arrested for their roles in a robbery that occurred in January 2019 in Texarkana. Chauncey was kicked off the East Texas A&M football team and sentenced to nearly two and a half years in prison. He saw bits and pieces of Nick's freshman season at Oklahoma State from the day room of Barry B. Telford prison in nearby South Boston, Texas. 'I'd point to the TV and say, 'There you go — he's right there!'' Chauncey recalled. 'I think he was like No. 46 back then. I'd say, 'That's him right there on kickoff (coverage). He's the first one down there on kickoffs.' It would just give me like a smile, you know, on a Saturday to see my brother on TV playing ball.' Chauncey was released just as Nick was making his ascent at Oklahoma State. By his third season there, the days of being known as Chauncey's little brother were long gone. He was no longer a special teamer. He wasn't even always Nick. Teammates instead started calling him 'Missile' for the way he took down ball carriers. His 2023 season, which truly caught the 49ers' attention, included a Big 12-best 140 tackles, 16 stops behind the line of scrimmage and six sacks. 'I've never seen a guy who was carrying a football who didn't drop as soon as Nick tackled him,' said Oklahoma State's Wright, who played six NFL seasons. 'His ability to get guys down at the point of attack was unbelievable. His speed to the ball was amazing.' Wright noted that Martin regularly would come into his office to talk linebackers and that his favorite NFL player to dissect was Fred Warner. Martin had Warner's No. 54 jersey long before the 49ers drafted him. Advertisement Warner said last week that rookies are usually reticent about asking him questions — 'the whole 'too cool' thing,' he said. But Martin hasn't been shy. At all. 'He's come in and asked me every single question known to man,' Warner said. 'It's like, 'Fred, how are you doing this? What are you doing after practice? What are you doing after lifts?' And he's wanting to be part of those (activities). … He already has the mindset of wanting to learn.' As for older brother Chauncey, at one point, he was Nick's inspiration. Now it's the other way around. Chauncey said that when he was in high school, he got an offer from Harding University, a Division II Christian school in Arkansas. He turned it down. 'I didn't want to go because of the structure, and it was a private, Christian school,' he said. 'I was like, 'Man, I want to go to school to have fun.' And I ended up getting in trouble.' When he was released from prison, the offer from Harding was still on the table. This time, he grabbed it with gratitude. He played running back for the Bison for three seasons and recently graduated with a degree in business management. Now, as Nick learns the 49ers' defense from Warner, Chauncey is trying to catch on with a UFL team. He says his little brother inspired him to re-focus on their shared passion for football. 'I'm in a way better place,' he said. 'And Nick is some of the reason for that. Seeing my little brother accomplish all this stuff we used to talk about, it just makes me want to keep going.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Predictions: Where the top five uncommitted LBs will land
The big visit month of June is coming up so before all of that happens, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at the top five uncommitted prospects at each position. We move to the linebackers: THIS SERIES: Commitment predictions for top QBs | Predictions for top RBs | Predictions for top WRs | Predictions for top TEs | Predictions for top OL | Predictions for top DL CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info The five-star linebacker is at Clemson this weekend and the Tigers have always been right toward the top of his recruitment but it would take some cajoling to get Atkinson to commit there. Advertisement Georgia remains the team to beat and Ohio State is definitely right at the top as well with Alabama, Auburn, Oregon and others heavily involved. The Buckeyes and the Tigers could have an argument here but Georgia remains the top team for the Loganville (Ga.) Grayson standout. Prediction: Georgia The former USC commit is visiting Ohio State this weekend and that could change things with Texas heavily pushing and Florida State very involved as well but Alabama is the team to beat here. The Alabama legacy shortly after his decommitment from the Trojans announced his new visits and his commitment date of June 29 which makes one wonder if he already has an idea of what he's planning to do. Alabama has surged to the top here and while his upcoming visits are crucial, the Crimson Tide will be tough to beat. Advertisement Prediction: Alabama As Ili's recruitment has come more into focus, USC and UCLA have emerged as the front-runners. Oregon and many others are not eliminated or counted out yet but even as Ili decided to play his senior season at Kahuku, Hawaii, the former Orange (Calif.) Lutheran standout has his sights set on Southern California. A recent visit to UCLA could not have been better. Ili is related to Nico and Madden Iamaleava, who both transferred to Westwood for this season, and the staff was awesome there. But USC has been a front-runner basically from the beginning and that has not changed. It could be tough to beat the Trojans. Advertisement Prediction: USC Others will host the four-star linebacker from Marietta (Ga.) Kell this month as he's at Alabama this weekend and then Michigan and Texas before returning to Tennessee to close out the month. Rouse was just in Knoxville for the 865 Live event and in a few short weeks he'll be back which could close out his commitment with the Vols leading. At this point, as visits are just getting underway, it would be a shocker if he didn't end up at Tennessee. Prediction: Tennessee Alabama, Penn State and Ohio State are the three front-runners for the four-star linebacker from Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville and while he's in Tuscaloosa this weekend, this very much feels like a two-team race. Advertisement The Buckeyes are considered the leader - and have been for a long time - but Penn State is making this one really tough especially because Johnson likes coach James Franklin, has a longstanding relationship with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles (from his time at Ohio State) and he loved his visit to Happy Valley recently. But we're still going to lean half-heartedly on history here - Ohio State doesn't let too many elite in-state players go. Prediction: Ohio State
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Four-star linebacker from Alabama announces visit to LSU
A 2026 linebacker recruit took to social media to announce a visit to LSU. JJ Bush will visit LSU on June 13, the third of four Summer visits on the slate. Bush will also make trips to Missouri, Cincinnati, and Arkansas over the summer. The three-star prospect ranks No. 16 in Alabama and No. 36 at his position, according to On3's Industry Rankings. Advertisement 247Sports is the highest on Bush, slotting the LB as a four-star and No. 14 nationally at his position. The Theodore, AL native is also considering offers from other Power Four schools. On3's Prediction Machine gives Miami the best chance to land his commitment, followed by Tulane. LSU's 2026 class ranks No. 2 in the country, but the Tigers have a need at linebacker. Bush would be the first linebacker commitment and second Alabama native alongside four-star safety Dylan Purter, who hails from Tuskegee. Bush made positive comments about his relationship with the Tigers' staff following his first trip to campus in April. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football: Tigers schedule visit with Alabama linebacker
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three Predictions: Tennessee, Georgia, Brandon Anderson
Hunter DeNote Rivals national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman has predictions on a four-star linebacker choosing Tennessee, Georgia landing a top receiver target and a clear leader for a four-star offensive lineman. Advertisement MORE: Multiple blue-chippers, flip targets head to The Swamp for official visits CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info 1. BRAYDEN ROUSE TO TENNESSEE Rouse returned to Knoxville for 865 Live and will be back on Rocky Top June 20 for his final official visit before a summer commitment. Texas has closed the gap significantly this spring, but we love where Tennessee is positioned with the top-100 linebacker. Advertisement My FutureCast is locked in on the Vols. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH TENNESSEE FANS AT 2. CRAIG DANDRIDGE WILL END UP AT GEORGIA Georgia is set to get Dandridge on campus this weekend for an official visit. The Dawgs have hosted Dandridge more than any other program, including a few more stops back this spring. They'll get Dandridge back to Athens this weekend for a May 30-June 1 official visit. We view the Dawgs as the team best-positioned with the four-star receiver and believe he will ultimately find his way into this class. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH GEORGIA FANS AT 3. BRANDON ANDERSON WILL FIND HIMSELF BACK WITH THE VOLS Anderson gave a verbal commitment to Tennessee in-season last fall but reopened his recruitment amid unofficial visits this spring. Georgia, Florida, Florida State and others got into the mix with Anderson, who will officially visit Maryland, North Carolina and Missouri and will make his second trip to Knoxville on June 20 in as many months. Despite decommitting, the Vols remain the team to beat in this one.
