(Alex Gould/The Arizona Republic) The countdown to August 31 and Nebraska’s season opener against the UTEP Miners is down to just 15 days. In the spotlight with 15 days to go is perhaps the most hyped prospect in recent Nebraska memory, former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola. The son of former Husker center Dominic Raiola, the former five-star prospect flipped his …

49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on a non-contact play Nov. 19. He underwent surgery soon after and set the season opener as the target date for his return. Hufanga received some good news Thursday toward that end: Doctors cleared him to increase football-related activities. That should lead to his return to the …

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti gets a bit incredulous when people question his lofty aspirations for the program. He felt that frustration when he walked out to midcourt at Assembly Hall in December and publicly called out his rivals in what he describes now as a spontaneous outburst aimed at anyone who doubts IU can win in the Big …

Fred Warner believes Brock Purdy soon will be NFL’s ‘best’ QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has witnessed Brock Purdy help lead the 49ers on a pair of deep playoff runs in his first two NFL seasons, but the superstar defender believes the young quarterback is going to be even better moving forward. During …

Whether or not there is an NFL-caliber receiver on the BYU football roster this year remains to be seen. There’s no Puka Nacua among this group, but there might be a Dax Milne-type who could go in the later rounds next April and stick with a pro team. As 2024 preseason training camp wraps up soon, it is clear that …

Warner offers bold prediction regarding Purdy’s NFL future originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner has witnessed Brock Purdy help lead the 49ers on a pair of deep playoff runs in his first two NFL seasons, but the superstar defender believes the young quarterback is going to be even better moving forward. During an interview on …

The news that Rutgers athletic director Pat Hobbs abruptly resigned Friday shook the department and shocked the college sports world, but at a time when the landscape is constantly evolving and changing, the immediate thought was clear. Regardless, whomever becomes the full-time AD will oversee the department at a time when revenue sharing is coming to college sports and football, …

Lynch states 49ers’ communication with Williams ‘good’ amid holdout originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Brandon Aiyuk isn’t the only notable player absent from 49ers practice, as star left tackle Trent Williams also hasn’t participated on the field during training camp. The All-Pro offensive lineman likely wants his contract to be restructured; three years remain, but he is scheduled …

AUBURN — Montgomery native Malik Blocton has made an early impact for Auburn Football during the spring and summer. After dominating the high school ranks in the River Region at Pike Road, Blocton plans on making an immediate impact with the Tigers. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze confirmed that he will play this season, highlighting him as an under-the-radar player to watch. …

49ers training camp takeaways: Brock looks un-Purdy-like on Day 17 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA — Now, things speed up for the 49ers during what has generally been a slow-paced training camp. After taking part in their 17th practice of training camp on Friday, the 49ers will have their typical day-before-game walk-through on Saturday. The 49ers …

Every season breakout stars emerge. Sometimes those names are right under our nose. In the case of the Iowa Hawkeyes, ESPN projects that to be the case in the 2024 season. The name that ESPN chose as its sleeper pick for the Hawkeyes won’t sound like much of a sleeper pick to Iowa fans. ESPN tabbed junior wide receiver Seth …

Why 49ers’ Lenoir is hyped to face Vikings’ Jefferson in Week 2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is most excited to face superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson when the 49ers and Minnesota Vikings square off in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. San Francisco’s third-year veteran is not eager due to Jefferson’s big name, …

Coming out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Maurion Horn had no shortage of collegiate options. Power programs such as Texas, Oregon and USC were after the two-way athlete’s services, and that’s before considering in-state schools Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, which were each hot on his trail. Ranked among the top 300 recruits for the 2022 class by ESPN, Horn had his …

How Purdy’s leadership evolution continues entering third NFL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SANTA CLARA – There’s a noticeable difference at the 49ers training camp this season, and it has nothing to do with the contract dispute absences of Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams. From across the practice fields where players are being shuffled in and out …

Aug. 16—Blackville-Hilda’s football team enjoyed a breakout season in 2022, winning 10 games and giving itself a chance at the Region 3-A title. Head coach Kevin Jones knows his Fighting Hawks may have snuck up some opponents last year, but that won’t be the case this time around. Just ask Ninety Six coach Matthew Bennett. He agreed to a non-region …