College Football

After listening to Nick Saban bemoan the direction of college football during a congressional hearing this week, I feel more certain Saban made the right decision to retire. A hallmark of Saban’s greatness was his ability to evolve — if sometimes begrudgingly — to changes within the sport. But adjusting to a landscape in which players enjoy more power, freedom …

Mar. 15—LAS VEGAS — Coming back to Pullman with an NCAA berth assured should be good salve for the Washington State Cougars’ disappointment Friday night. Although fresh off the 58-52 loss to Colorado in the Pacific-12 Conference Tournament semifinals, the Cougs were still stinging from having played a game below their standards when the opportunity for an unprecedented tournament title …

It’s unfortunate that Texas Tech football spring practices are mostly closed to the general public and the media. Oh, the media gets to see the first 30 minutes on some days, but most of the meaningful stuff happens afterward. The Red Raiders, coming off a bowl victory for the third consecutive season, have all sorts of personnel to sort through …

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense made positive strides in 2023, but they have work to do to turn Zac Alley’s unit into an elite squad. Brent Venables and his coaching staff have done a great job on the recruiting trail to stockpile talent over the last three recruiting cycles. In the last two years, the Sooners have added 17 four- and …

The Oklahoma Sooners are one of several teams in the SEC that will be breaking in new quarterbacks in 2024. The Sooners have the luxury of going from Dillon Gabriel to Jackson Arnold, a former five-star quarterback and Gatorade National Player of the Year. Sure, there may be some growing pains as Arnold enters his first year as a starter. …

Former Elmwood/Brimfield quarterback Nick McCormick will be named the next Canton head football coach, pending approval at Monday’s school board meeting. McCormick replaces Nick Wright, who resigned in November following four seasons at the Mid-Illini Conference school. The Little Giants went 1-8 in 2023, ending their regular season with a 14-7 victory over Limestone in Week 9. McCormick, a 2013 …

Mar. 15—STATE COLLEGE — Chop Robinson ran the 40-yard dash two weeks ago at the NFL Scouting Combine, looked for his time in every direction and couldn’t find it. Not until he saw fellow Penn State teammate Adisa Isaac and other defensive ends he knew from training did he realize he had done something special. “I was walking back and …

Utah Utes cornerback Tao Johnson (15) warms up for the Utah-UCLA college football game in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. In his first season since switching from offense to defense, Tao Johnson showcased his versatility. Johnson started 12 games at nickelback for Utah in 2023, playing in all 13 of the Utes’ contests, and spent the majority …

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dalton Knecht launched a 3-pointer from the right wing as he’s done so many times for Tennessee this season, and the tension rose inside Bridgestone Arena, which was filled with orange-clad fans ready to erupt during the Volunteers’ game vs. Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday.  Buzz had been building as the Volunteers mounted …

STATE COLLEGE − It was one of the most perplexing questions in a yearly NFL Draft routine full of unexpected evaluations: How many basketballs does it take to fill a school bus? The dozen or so Penn State football players working out during Friday’s Pro Day in Holuba Hall shared stories from their ongoing gauntlet of NFL meet-and-greet interviews. It’s …

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the UConn football program is expected to promote offensive line coach Gordon Sammis to offensive coordinator, following the reported departure of Nick Charlton. Sammis joined the Huskies with head coach Jim Mora two seasons ago and consistently received high praise from players like offensive guard Christian Haynes, who recently participated in the …

Scotts Hill has a new football coach. Harold Hooper has been appointed the Lions’ coach, Henderson County Schools announced Friday in a social media post. Hooper has 17 years of coaching experience, most recently as the offensive coordinator at South Gibson. He also as spent time at Jackson Christian. Hooper replaces Rennard Woodmore, who was let go in February after …

Lincoln Riley’s offense has grabbed the attention of Corey Simms, a talented 6’3″, 195-pound four-star wide receiver from St. Louis. Dennis Simmons, the assistant head coach and outside receivers coach, recently extended an offer to Simms and established a rapport with him before his unofficial campus visit during a local 7 on 7 event in which he represented the California …

The College Football Playoff has approved a new format starting in 2026, and it is not a good one for Clemson and the ACC. The report initially released by ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel reported that the FBS conferences and Notre Dame have agreed to a new 14-team format with guarantees for conference champions. Here are some of the …

It was probably always going to come down to in-state programs for Wellington (Fla.) Palm Beach Central star Tony Williams, so he took a drive up the Florida Turnpike on Friday to settle his recruitment. After getting back to campus for a spring practice, the four-star let Gus Malzahn and his staff know he wanted to commit to UCF. “I’ll …