Player Notes
The backup QB battle between Arch Manning and Maalik Murphy lives on ·
August 31, 2023 1:53 pmWhile many programs across the country are just happy to know who their starting quarterback is, Texas fans have gotten to a point where they want to know who the backup is.When speaking to the media on Thursday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked who would be the first guy off the bench at quarterback. A question that Sarkisian had initially put off until Thursday hoping ...
Pac-12 preview: 15 impact football newcomers—including an Arizona Wildcat—for 2023 ·
Aug 30, 2023 Updated 10 hrs agoThe Pac-12’s final season features three new coaching staffs and hundreds of new players via the traditional recruiting process and the transfer portal.We cannot begin to evaluate every arrival but have identified 15 with the potential to materially impact the course of the season for individual teams and the conference at large.Note: The following list does not include ...
What Nick Saban said about Ty Simpson at QB before Alabama football’s first game ·
By Matt Stahl |The youngest of Alabama football’s three candidates for starting quarterback in 2023 is Ty Simpson. The redshirt freshman threw just five passes for the Crimson Tide last season before entering the competition for the starting job with Jalen Milroe and Tyler Buchner this offseason.Nick Saban still hasn’t named a starting quarterback for Saturday’s season opener. When about Simpson’s ...
Can Luke Fickell flourish in his first season at Wisconsin? History suggests he will. ·
MADISON – How will Luke Fickell fare in his first season as Wisconsin’s head football coach?History isn’t always an accurate barometer but in this case Fickell has history on his side.Fickell is UW’s fourth full-time head coach since Barry Alvarez stepped down after the 2005 season.Bret Bielema followed Alvarez and coached for seven seasons. Gary Andersen followed Bielema and coached for two seasons. ...
The Last Dance: Former WSU beat writers look back at the defining moments of their Cougar tenures ·
Maybe it was the Cougars’ 24-point underdog status against unbeaten and No. 1-ranked UCLA. Or maybe it was simply budget issues.In any event, the columnist who normally traveled with me to Washington State road games was grounded. And I was assigned to fly solo to Los Angeles to cover what most of those in a Rose Bowl crowd of 59,000-plus believed would be a third straight loss for the Cougars, who ...
Caple: Picking UW Huskies opener, rest of Pac-12’s Week 1 slate ·
UW Huskies Football Insider, Seattle SportsFor the record, I’m already in the hole.Yes, I foolishly missed my prediction for USC in its Week 0 opener against San Jose State (we made our picks on Ep. 66 of Say Who, Say Pod). While the Trojans won comfortably, they allowed four touchdowns and took their foot off the gas late in a 56-28 victory.No. 10 UW Huskies face early test vs Mountain West favorite ...
How Husky QB Michael Penix Jr. has built a career bouncing back ·
Michael Penix Jr.’s imperfection is an attribute.It’s not a weakness.It’s a weapon.Ryan Grubb and Rome Odunze saw this inside the Rose Bowl, on a night both would otherwise rather forget. In a 40-32 prime-time loss to UCLA on Sept. 30, 2022, Penix cratered in a calamitous second quarter — completing 4 of 13 passes with a pair of picks. The Bruins outscored UW 17-3 in the quarter and entered the locker ...
Five things to watch when UCLA faces Coastal Carolina in season opener ·
STAFF WRITERAUG. 31, 2023 5:30 AM PTThe Three Amigos. A modern triumvirate. A three-headed monster.Call it whatever you want, but what’s been described as a friendly competition is about to take a dramatic turn. Starting Saturday night, UCLA’s top three quarterbacks no longer will battle it out exclusively in the comfort of closed practices.A Rose Bowl crowd and a national television audience will ...
What to watch? Deion Sanders’ Colorado debut vs. Sonny Dykes, TCU takes center stage ·
Coach Prime, it’s your time.Deion Sanders’ coaching debut with Colorado comes Saturday against No. 17 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, and it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say this is the most anticipated opener in the Buffaloes’ history.CU made the splashiest of the splash hires during the 2022-23 coaching cycle, bringing in the charismatic Sanders from Jackson State after he turned the Tigers into the premier ...
New-look Stanford ready to face Hawaii in first game under head coach Troy Taylor ·
UPDATED: August 31, 2023 at 3:05 p.m.STANFORD – A new coach, a new offensive identity and 16 new starters, including a QB making his first-ever start.After an offseason full of change – including the breakup of the Pac-12, which has left Stanford’s future conference affiliation in doubt – the new-look Cardinal finally take the field Friday night at Hawai’i to open its 2023 season.The changes started ...
Recent Stories
2025 Draft: Previewing edge prospects
The edge rusher is a premier position in the a modern version of pro football always seeking ways to encourage more passing.
The importance of franchise passers like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, and Jalen ...
2025 Draft: ILBs seek relevance, respect
Over the past few draft cycles, there has been a lack of a bonafide, blue-chip prospect at the interior linebacker position. In recent memory, we have heard differing opinions on who is the top linebacker and what is his value in a draft.
The position of inside ...
Bet on future DBs—they can cover
As part of our series on football’s defensive back scene, the Hall of Football consulted our ever-evolving database of ~17,000 active college and high school players to evaluate the position's future, looking at the horizon at least six years down the road—approximately ...
2025 Draft: DBs have a tough act to follow
The 2024 cornerback class was one of the deepest in recent memory, with elite talent at the top of the class and unprecedented depth that followed. While it will be tough for the 2025 class to replicate that amount of talent, there are potential stars at the ...
Heisman Trophy odds: keeping track
The Heisman Trophy picture is constantly changing, and BetOnline.ag tracks those changes to create the best odds at any given time.
It has been about half a year since they first posted odds on who may win the coveted Heisman.
Check the changes and reasons ...
Seeking nuggets in pile of rookie DBs
Whether it be too little talent or too many rule changes favoring wide-open passing attacks, NFL secondaries no longer impact the game as they once did.
Newcomers from the 2024 Draft are not likely to fix the first part of that issue. Only three DBs went in the ...
History of mystery behind decline of RBs
We began this series on running backs with a warning:
“Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be … running backs. Not anymore. Not unless something changes.”
Apparently, mama listened or already knew. My concern over the demise of this once heralded position ...
Diving into Hall of Football database
Now that we have settled into the Hall of Football (HallofFootball.substack.com), here is our first dive into the massive database that has been at the heart of NFL Draft Scout for more than 25 years.
Led by our player savant, Brian “Hitman” Hitterman, we gather ...
2025 NFL Draft: Running amok?
After coming off of a slim running back class in 2024, the 2025 draft includes more runners than usual as potential first or second-round picks. Optimistically there could be as many as seven good enough to go in the first two rounds. Realistically, there could ...
2025 Draft: Travis Hunter, a twofer?
It’s no secret Travis Hunter is the most dynamic and versatile player in college football. It’s not just that he plays both cornerback and wide receiver but that he plays both positions at a very high level.
Hunter has become a trailblazer in college football ...
2025 Draft: Does James Pearce have Edge as No. 1?
Overview
Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee is regarded as the top edge rusher in the SEC heading into the 2024 season. He is also projected as the top edge rusher for the 2025 draft, with many viewing him as the No. 1 overall pick.
Teams and scouts ...
My backstory to EA's CFB relaunch
In the mid-1980s, I sat down with Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins and his programmers to create the underlying rating system for Madden Football.
That rating system is essentially the same as the one that drives EA’s College Football 25, the latest in ...