As he climbs to his command post, a wooden tower with a birds-eye view of two artificial turf fields, University of Cincinnati Associate AD/Football Operations John Widecan is in his 26th year of watching Bearcats practice August football away from the cranes and concrete of Corryville. Though it’s not much over a half-hour from campus, the Higher Ground Conference and …
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Report: Pitbull to purchase naming rights to Florida International’s football stadium
Florida International got creative in finding a naming rights sponsor for its football stadium. According to ESPN, the musician Pitbull will sponsor the school’s stadium for the next five seasons. The deal is worth just over $1 million per season and is set to be official on Tuesday. From ESPN: As part of the deal, according to the documents, Pitbull …
Read More »Tennessee five-star plus tackle prospect David Sanders Jr. sets commitment time
. Five-star plus 2025 offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. will announce his commitment on Aug. 17 at 12:30 p.m. EDT, per Steve Wiltfong of On3. Sanders Jr. will choose between his top four schools: Tennessee, Georgia, Nebraska and Ohio State. Sanders Jr. is a consensus five-star and ranks as the No. 2 overall national prospect. He ranks as the No. …
Read More »Vote for the top Knoxville area kicker, punter entering 2024 TSSAA football season
The 2024 TSSAA football season is officially less than a month away. In anticipation of the upcoming season, fans can decide who their best returning high school player is at each position. This week you can choose your kicker/punter in the Knoxville area heading into the year. Vote for your choice of the area’s top kicker/punter among eight players to …
Read More »Here’s where LSU football is ranked in preseason Coaches Poll
BATON ROUGE – LSU football opens up the 2024 season where it finished last season in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tigers are ranked No. 12 in the ranking that were released by USA TODAY Monday afternoon. Entering Brian Kelly’s third season in Baton Rouge and despite losing Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jayden Daniels to the NFL, expectations …
Read More »Tuesdays with Gorney: Latest intel on five-stars
With the July visit window closed and the season coming into focus, in today’s Tuesdays With Gorney, Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down what he’s hearing on numerous five-stars – committed and uncommitted – in the 2025 class. RUMOR MILL: Summer visits are over but buzz ramping up ***** CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position …
Read More »Kirby Smart leads SEC football coaches but it gets tough after that
Only one man could stop Kirby Smart the past three seasons. The GOAT, they called him. Now that Nick Saban works for ESPN, who’s going to stand in Smart’s way? Maybe no one. After Saban’s retirement, Smart became the SEC’s only active coach to have won a national championship. He’s the SEC’s unquestioned overlord, while a power struggle unfolds down …
Read More »Requiem for Rudy? College football’s future may not include walk-ons
TAMPA — The resemblance, from their names to their statures to their facial features, is striking. Five-foot-10 USF receiver Sean Atkins is a dead ringer for Sean Astin, the diminutive actor who portrayed the most famous walk-on in college football lore, Notre Dame’s Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. Like Rudy, Atkins also arrived at his school as a walk-on with minimal opportunities …
Read More »25 days until it is football time in Tennessee
DeSean Bishop. Tennessee Volunteers kick off spring football practices at Anderson Training Center on March 18, 2024. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire Tennessee will kick off its 2024 football season in 25 days. The Vols will open its upcoming campaign on Aug. 31 against Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 12:45 p.m. EDT and SEC Network will televise the contest. …
Read More »Ranking the top 10 QBs in Polk County – and six more to watch for 2024
LAKELAND — Quarterbacks, last year, were The Ledger’s Big School and Small School high school football players of the year, awarded to Lakeland’s Zander Smith and Fort Meade’s Carson MontsDeOca. Will quarterbacks win the awards again in 2024? Smith returns at Lakeland, having recovered from offseason shoulder surgery and would have to be considered a favorite. MontsDeOca is now playing …
Read More »Former Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe dies at 59
Louisville went 15-21 in Steve Kragthorpe’s three seasons with the team. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Former Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe died Monday. He was 59. The longtime college football coach was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease over a decade ago. After playing quarterback at Eastern New Mexico and West Texas, Kragthorpe got into coaching in the 1990s for a career …
Read More »Vols’ 2025 five-star tackle prospect Josh Petty announces commitment date
. 2025 offensive tackle prospect Josh Petty will announce his commitment on Aug. 12. Petty will choose between his top five schools: Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Florida State and Stanford. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound offensive tackle is from Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, Georgia. Petty ranks as the No. 14 overall player in the class of 2025. He also ranks …
Read More »What will Memphis football’s defense look like under Jordon Hankins in 2024? ‘I have no idea’
Memphis football’s defense will look different in 2024. How different, and in what ways? That remains to be seen. And it could change on a game-by-game basis, according to new defensive coordinator Jordon Hankins. “As far as exactly what type of defense we’re going to be, I have no idea,” Hankins said last week. “I know I’m going to put …
Read More »Ranking Oklahoma high school football’s best offensive linemen in 2024 season
Offensive linemen don’t always get a lot of attention, but there’s no doubt games are often won or lost in the trenches. The 2024 Oklahoma high school football season is less than a month away, and there’s a lot of talented offensive lineman to keep an eye on. Here’s The Oklahoman‘s ranking of the state’s best offensive linemen, from 10 …
Read More »Michigan State football hoping depth and ‘mix of abilities’ brings out best of linebackers
EAST LANSING – A week into preseason camp, Michigan State football put the pads on Monday morning. Jonathan Smith made sure his players got in some live tackling, too. Even it was only 24 plays, about eight reps per guy, and in a very controlled setting. “Limited amount, but some live tackling,” the first-year coach said afterward. “I thought it …
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