Monday, August 22, 2022

College Football Week 0 - Who'll have the luck of the Irish?

 

College Football Week 0 – Who’ll have the luck of the Irish?

Football drives me crazy

 “And I can’t help myself”

Welcome to college football 2022 – the wild, wild west. College football may be wilder than the wild west. It has become wilder than the NFL. The NFL has salary caps. The NFL has player contracts. College football teams have no salary caps – collectively, the players on a team can make as much money as they can get.

College football teams have no employment contracts – it’s literally annual free agency. With the transfer portal, a player can transfer to another school every year, playing for four different schools in four years. And with the money some players could make, if they invest it right, they could retire in four years. Well, that might be a bit of a stretch, but not much of one.   

And what’s next? How about unions? Apparently, the players are now considered to be employees of the schools they play for. As employees, there is nothing to keep them from forming a union. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and other Nittany Lions players are already advocating for a union. With unions, labor disputes are settled through arbitration. While a dispute is in arbitration, there is always the threat of a strike. Throw in collective bargaining, lockouts, walkouts, etc., and darn if you don’t have the NFL.

“I can’t stop the way I feel

The things football does don’t seem real”

As employees, the players may be entitled to a share of the TV contract money. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit thinks the players should get a piece of the TV money. Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is advocating for players to get a share of the TV money. This would be on top of the NIL money they already make. So retiring after four years may not be a stretch after all. Stay tuned!

The purity of the Ivy League, the Patriot League, the Pioneer League is sounding better and better to me all the time. Although, those guys are entitled to the same benefits as the guys who play for the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, etc.  

And what about the players at the Air Force, Army and Navy academies? They answer to a higher authority than the NCAA. They answer to the Pentagon. The Pentagon won’t allow service academy players to participate in NIL opportunities.

There was a first last week. During a Zoom meeting among the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, the possibility of restructuring how college football is governed was discussed.  The CFP Board of Managers consists of 11 members – a college president from each of the 10 FBS conferences, plus the president of Notre Dame. They discussed the idea of college football being governed outside of the NCAA, under the auspices of the CFP. The CFP may be the most logical place for the sport to be run. The CFP currently oversees the postseason playoff and has ties to the New Year’s Six Bowls. These discussions could be considered the first steps of a complicated process to restructure the governing of college football. The group agreed they should think about this topic more down the line. This is the first discussion on governing football among the group – a group that appears to have the power to put such an action in place. The CFP is the logical group to run major college football outside of the NCAA.

“Tell me what the game has in mind

Cause we’re running out of time”

Breaking away from the NCAA for football is what Kirk Herbstreit and Paul Finebaum have been talking about. With the CFP as a governing body, you could get control of and establish rules for NIL salary caps, player contracts, transfer portal regulations, etc.  

The CFP Board of Managers is above the CFP Management Committee which consists of the 10 conference commissioners and the athletic director of Notre Dame. The door has been opened. Stay tuned! 

That’s just part of the wild, wild west of college football. Another wild part is realignment. And speaking of west, how about the Big Ten adding USC and UCLA to the conference? That’s pretty wild. The poaching of teams has become a chess match between the Big Ten and the SEC. The SEC added Oklahoma and Texas and said, “Check.” The Big Ten added USC and UCLA and responded, “Check.” Time for the SEC to make the next move.

“Will football ever set me free

This waiting around is killing me”

The Big Ten Conference was founded in 1896 with seven original members – Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. Indiana and Iowa were added to the conference in 1899. Ohio State joined the conference in 1912. The Big Ten didn’t add another member for 38 years. Original member Chicago left the conference in 1946. To make up for the loss of Chicago and to keep the membership at 10, the conference added Michigan State in 1950. For the next 40 years, nothing changed in the Big Ten.

The SEC was founded in 1932 with 13 original members – Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Tulane, University of the South (Sewanee) and Vanderbilt. The conference remained intact for eight years. In 1940, the University of the South left the SEC. The conference remained unchanged for another 24 years. Then the SEC lost Georgia Tech in 1964 and Tulane in 1966. Like the Big Ten, the SEC was at 10 members and was content for the next 25 years.

The chess match between the Big Ten and the SEC, although subtle at first, began in 1990. It began with the Big Ten when the conference added Penn State and said, “Check.” The Big Ten was at 11 members.

“Football drives me crazy

Like nothing else”

The following year, 1991, the SEC added Arkansas and South Carolina and said, “Check.” The SEC was at 12 members.

There was silence for 20 years, as the Big Ten was figuring out its next move. That move came in 2011 when the Big Ten added Nebraska and said, “Check.” The Big Ten was at 12 members.

It didn’t take the SEC long to respond. The next year, in 2012, the SEC added Missouri and Texas A&M and said, “Check.” The SEC was now at 14 members. And the chess match was no longer subtle. It had become aggressive.

“Football drives me crazy

And I can’t help myself”

Two years later, the Big Ten made its next move. The conference added Maryland and Rutgers and said, “Check.” The Big Ten was now at 14 members.

The SEC scratched its head and thought for seven years. In 2021, the SEC announced that Oklahoma and Texas would be joining the conference. “Check.” The SEC would be at 16 members.

The Big Ten was quick to respond. In 2022, the conference announced that UCLA and USC would be joining the conference. “Check.”

“I can’t get any rest

People say I’m obsessed”

And now we wait for the next move. If one of the conferences could get Notre Dame, then they would say, “Checkmate.” But we now know that if Notre Dame can get $75 million in its new TV deal with NBC, the Irish will remain Independent.

It’s the SEC’s turn to make a move. But the SEC doesn’t have many, if any, choices at this point. Most likely, the conference would like to get some ACC teams. However, the ACC teams are locked into their TV grant of rights agreement until 2036. Until a good lawyer can find a loophole in the agreement or until ESPN offers an out, the ACC teams won’t be going anywhere for a few years. And no one will want to join the ACC either.

So the SEC could pass. Or the SEC could pick up a couple of Big 12 teams.

“Everything football says are lies

But to me there is no surprise”

Regardless, the next move by the Big Ten could be to take some more Pac-12 teams. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has already hinted at taking California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington. Whether that is smoke or not is unknown. I’m sure the Big Ten would like a couple of ACC teams. But they aren’t going to wait until 2036. Who knows, the Big Ten could pull a surprise and take a Big 12 team or two.

The Pac-12, Big 12 and ACC are between a rock and a hard spot. Sitting there waiting for members to be plucked away by the Big Ten or SEC and there is nothing they can do about it. The Pac-12 could expand, but with the threat from the Big Ten, who would want to join the Pac-12. It sounds more probable that the Big 12 would expand by taking some Pac-12 teams – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. But teams may be leery of joining the Big 12.

I think the Big Ten and SEC will ultimately end up with 20 to 24 teams each. They will be the two premier conferences. The Big Ten, backed by FOX, will be the college equivalent of the NFC and the SEC, backed by ESPN, will be the AFC. The college football playoff will follow the NFL format – a 12-team playoff with six teams from each conference. The NFC (Big Ten) champion would play the AFC (SEC champion) for the national championship in college football’s version of the Super Bowl. 

“What I had for the game was true

Things go wrong, they always do”

The Big Ten announced a new seven-year media rights deal with CBS, FOX and NBC that begins July 1, 2023, and runs through the 2029-30 season. The value of the deal for the Big Ten is a record $1.2 billion annually. The deal will span five networks, including FS1 and the Big Ten Network. It provides the Big Ten with three premier windows to showcase its college football games on broadcast TV. On Saturdays FOX will air a featured game at 12 noon, with CBS following at 3:30, and NBC wrapping up each week with a prime-time Saturday night game. The BTN and FS1 will carry games throughout the day. CBS won’t be fully in on the deal until July 1, 2024, when its contract with the SEC expires.

The deal gives CBS, FOX and NBC the rights for Big Ten basketball games as well. All the CBS games will be live streamed on Paramount+ and some games will stream on NBC’s Peacock. CBS will carry 14 to 15 games a season. FOX and FS1 will carry 24 to 32 games a season. NBC will carry 14 to 15 games a season, and the BTN will carry 50 games a season. During the seven years, FOX will carry four of the Big Ten championship games, CBS will carry two of the title games, and NBC will carry one game. The Big Ten is expected to distribute $80 to $100 million to each of its 16 members. Last year, the conference distributed $54.3 million to its 14 members.

“I won’t make it on my own

No one likes to be alone”

Next, look for the SEC to sign an exclusive deal with ESPN, giving the sports network the total rights to all SEC games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and the SEC Network. That will leave the Pac-12 and Big 12 to struggle to get the best deal they can get

“Football drives me crazy

Like nothing else”

Myles Brennan, who started at quarterback for LSU early in the 2020 season, but missed most of the past two seasons with injuries, will no longer play college football. Brennan has been competing with former Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels and sophomore Garrett Nussmeier for the starting job. He left the team last week, saying he was quitting football.

Former Florida coach Dan Mullen has hooked up with ESPN to be a studio analyst for the network during the 2022 season. Mullen was fired by Florida last year near the end of his fourth season with the Gators. He received a $12 million buyout.

The departures of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten apparently will mean an estimated $13 million loss per year for each of the 10 remaining Pac-12 schools. But UCLA’s departure from the Pac-12 is being seriously challenged by some members of the University of California State board of regents. Being a private school, USC doesn’t have that problem.

After a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Urban Meyer is returning to FOX’s “Big Noon Saturday” college football pregame show. Meyer was part of the show in its first two seasons, before he left to coach the Jaguars. Last year, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops stepped into the role vacated by Meyer. “Big Noon” will start the season at Purdue on Thursday night, September 1, prior to the Boilermakers’ game against Penn State. The first Saturday “Big Noon” show will be September 10 in Austin, Texas, when Alabama visits the Longhorns.

Although college football kicks off this week, it’s not the official kickoff. That will occur next week, during Labor Day Weekend. This week is the week that has become known as Week 0 in college football. There are a handful of teams that jump the gun and play a week early. This year, Week 0 has an Irish twist with Northwestern and Nebraska meeting in Dublin. “Oh Scottie boy, the corn, the corn is calling. From plain to plain and down the Platte side. The summer’s gone and all the ears are falling…..”

Yes, all eyes will be on Scott Frost in this game. And Husker fans, hope their eyes will be smiling. “When Husker eyes are smiling, it’s like a morn in spring. Cause with Husker laughter, you can hear the angels sing. And when Husker hearts are happy, all the world seems right.”

Along with Northwestern-Nebraska, there are another 10 games being played on Saturday.  

“Yes, football drives me crazy

And I can’t help myself”

If you have followed college basketball during the years, you’ll probably remember a famous Ivy League coach. Former Princeton basketball coach Pete Carril died last week. Carril coached Princeton basketball for 29 seasons from 1967-68 to 1995-96. He coached the Tigers to 13 Ivy League titles, 11 NCAA tournament berths and one NIT championship in 1975. His record at Princeton was 514-261. In the 1989 NCAA tournament, Princeton took No. 1 seed Georgetown down to the wire, before losing 50-49. In 1996, Carril’s last season, Princeton upset defending national champion UCLA, 43-41, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Carril’s teams were known for their patient offense and their tenacious defense. Before Princeton, he was the head coach at Lehigh for one season. After Princeton he was an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA from 1996 to 2011. A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a graduate of Lafayette College, Pete Carril was 94.

Touchdown Tom

August 22, 2022

P.S. My apologies to the Fine Young Cannibals

 

Touchdown Tom’s Prediction for

This Week’s One Biggest and Most Intriguing Game

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

Nebraska vs. Northwestern – (Big Ten vs, Big Ten) – 12:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Last year, Nebraska was supposed to open against Illinois in Dublin. Three or four months before the contest, the venue was changed. The game was relocated to Champaign, Illinois. Husker fans missed out on their Guinness. Illinois upset Nebraska in Bret Bielema’s debut, coaching the Banned Indians. Scott Frost started off on the wrong foot. He ended up on the wrong foot too. But Nebraska was the best 3-9 team in the country. The Huskers lost eight of those nine games by seven points or less. They lost the ninth game by only nine points. Now, Nebraska is set to open in Dublin again. This time against Northwestern. The Wildcats quarterback is South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski. He is a junior. This time the game isn’t being relocated. This time Nebraska is favored again. Nebraska coach Scott Frost named Texas transfer Casey Thompson his starting quarterback. Thompson is a junior. Frost starts off on the right foot. Husker fans get their Guinness and some Smithwick’s too! And how about some Jameson? It’s distilled from corn – Nebraska 28, Northwestern 14.     

Two other games to keep an eye on this weekend are Connecticut at Utah State – (Ind. vs. MWC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, FS1….and Wyoming at Illinois – (MWC vs. Big Ten) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, BTN.

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

Duquesne at Florida State – (Northeast vs. ACC) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….

Florida A&M at North Carolina – (SWAC vs. ACC) – 8:15 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….
Charlotte at Florida Atlantic – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….

 

Quotes of the Week

“The Big Ten expansion perplexes me a little bit, because of the non-geographic alignment. You can’t build strong rivalries that way, but you can gain television exposure. We’ll see how it works out,” former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer.

“I know that there’s still opportunity in our league (Big 12) for expansion and potential suitors. I think that’s pretty real and that’s kinda happening right now. There’s talks that are happening right now that I can’t talk about,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda.

“We’re talented and have established that we can start stacking a huge number of the right guys in our program. We’ve still got great challenges this year. We gotta go prove it. Hey, it’s time to shut up and play – just go play. Don’t worry about what people say. Don’t worry about what happened this summer between me and Nick. We feel really good about where we are going,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher.

“I fully believe the Big Ten and the SEC are going to expand in the short term, whether it’s in two years or five years, it’s inevitable,” Paul Finebaum.

“I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m the fastest I’ve been since I’ve been alive,” Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

 

The Teams – 2022 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40)

Here we go again. It’s time for Touchdown Tom’s annual preseason consensus Top 40. Those of you who have been reading CFW know that every year I post my consensus Top 40 at preseason. 

I gather every legitimate preseason poll I can get my hands on. After combining the results of the polls, I come up with my consensus Top 40. This year I found 14 preseason polls – AP, Coaches, CBS, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Athlon, Lindy’s, etc. 

Drum roll, please. At the top of this year’s poll is (1) Alabama, followed by (2) Ohio State. It was unanimous. Alabama and Ohio State were No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in all 14 polls. The rest of the Top 5 were (3) Georgia, (4) Clemson and, would you believe a tie, (5) Notre Dame and (5) Utah. Georgia was No. 3 in all but one of the 14 polls. Clemson was No. 4 in 11 of the 14 polls. Notre Dame and Utah were all over the place between a high of No. 4 and a low of No. 10.

The remainder of the Top 10 shows (7) Texas A&M, (8) Michigan, (9) Oklahoma and (10) Oregon. That’s three teams from the SEC, two teams each from the Big Ten and Pac-12 and one team each from the ACC, Big 12 and Independents in the Top 10.

The second ten begins with (11) NC State, (12) Oklahoma State, (13) Baylor, (14) USC and (15) Michigan State. Finishing out the Top 20 are (16) Miami (Florida), (17) Wisconsin, (18) Arkansas, (19) Pitt and (20) Ole Miss.

The bottom of the Top 25 has (21) Texas, then a tie, (22) Tennessee and (22) Wake Forest, followed by (24) Penn State and (25) BYU. The remainder of the Top 30 starts with a three-way tie (26) Cincinnati, (26) Iowa and (26) Kentucky. It finishes with (29) Houston and (30) Florida.

The final 10 of the Top 40 includes (31) LSU, (32) UCLA, (33) Mississippi State, (34) Auburn, and a tie (35) Kansas State and (35) Minnesota. The Top 40 concludes with (37) UCF, another tie (38) Boise State, (38) Purdue, and last but not least (40) Fresno State. Just missing out on the Top 40 was (41) Louisville.

The preseason consensus Top 40 contains 11 teams from the SEC, 8 from the Big Ten and 5 each from the ACC and Big 12. There 4 teams from the Pac-12, three from the AAC and two each from the Mountain West and Independents. Seven of the 10 FBS conferences placed teams in the Top 40. The Sun Belt, C-USA and the MAC failed to place a team in the Top 40. The highest ranked team from the Sun Belt was (45) Appalachian State, from C-USA (58) UAB and from the MAC (70) Toledo. There are 131 FBS teams.

Last year’s (2021) consensus preseason Top 40 had (1) Alabama, (2) Oklahoma, (3) Clemson and (4) Ohio State. At the end of the regular season, the CFP Poll had (1) Alabama, (2) Georgia, (3) Michigan and (4) Cincinnati. No Oklahoma, Clemson or Ohio State. In the preseason consensus poll – (5) Georgia, (9) Cincinnati, and the outlier (33) Michigan. Following the playoff and bowl games, the final AP Poll had (1) Georgia, (2) Alabama), (3) Michigan and (4) Cincinnati. The final poll showed (6) Ohio State, (10) Oklahoma and (14) Clemson.

 

The Running Backs – 2022

Five running backs are receiving most of the accolades at preseason. Two of those five are Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn. Last season, Robinson rushed for 1,127 yards, scoring 11 touchdowns. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Vaughn averaged 6.0 yards per carry, rushing for 1,404 yards. He scored 18 touchdowns.

The other three are Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez, Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Syracuse’s Sean Tucker. Allen. Rodriguez scored nine touchdowns, rushing for 1,379 yards. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Henderson rushed for 1,248 yards, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He scored 15 touchdowns. And Tucker averaged 6.1 yards per carry, rushing for 1,496 yards. He scored 12 touchdowns.  

TT’s Top 10 Favorite Running Backs at Preseason

  1. Bijan Robinson (6-0, 221, junior) – Texas
  2. Braedon Allen (6-2, 240, sophomore) – Wisconsin
  3. Deuce Vaughn (5-6, 176, junior) – Kansas State
  4. TreVeyon Henderson (5-10, 215, sophomore) – Ohio State
  5. Chris Rodriguez (5-11, 224, senior) – Kentucky
  6. Blake Corum (5-8, 200, junior) – Michigan
  7. Tank Bigsby (6-0, 213, junior) – Auburn
  8. Zach Charbonnet (6-1, 220, junior) – UCLA
  9. Lew Nichols (5-10, 220, sophomore) – Central Michigan
  10. Sean Tucker (5-10, 209, sophomore) – Syracuse

And I also like:

Mohamed Ibrahim (5-10, 210, senior) – Minnesota; Zach Evans (6-0, 215, junior) – Ole Miss; Tavion Thomas (6-2, 238, junior) – Utah; DeWayne McBride (5-11, 215, junior) – UAB; Eric Grey (5-11, 209, senior) – Oklahoma; Travis Dye (5-10, 200, senior) – USC, and Rasheen Ali (6-1, 201, sophomore) – Marshall.

Also, Xazavian Valladay (6-0, 198, senior) – Arizona State; Brad Roberts (6-1, 200, senior) – Air Force; Patrick Garwo (5-8, 208 ,junior – Boston College; Ellis Merriweather (6-2, 225, senior) – Massachusetts; Toa Taua (5-9, 210, senior) – Nevada, and Nate Noel (5-10, 190, junior) – Appalachian State.

But keep an eye on:

In the ACC: Will Shipley (5-11, 205, sophomore) – Clemson;

In the Big 12: Tony Mathis (5-11, 208, junior) – West Virginia and Devin Neal (5-11, 214, sophomore) – Kansas.

In the Big Ten: Chase Brown (5-11, 205, junior) – Illinois;

In the SEC: Jahmyr Gibbs (junior) – Alabama; Devon Achane (5-9, 185, junior) – Texas A&M;

In the AAC: Keaton Mitchell (5-9, 188, sophomore) – East Carolina;

 

The Other Positions – 2022

Wide Receivers

This season’s best wide receivers are Jaxon Smith-Njigba (6-0, 198, junior) – Ohio State; Kayshon Boutte (6-0, 205, junior) – LSU; Quentin Johnson (6-4, 212, junior) – TCU; Xavier Worthy (6-1,183, sophomore) – Texas; Josh Downs (5-10, 171, junior) – North Carolina; Marvin Mims (5-11, 179, junior) – Oklahoma; Mario Williams (5-9, 185, sophomore) – USC, and A.T. Perry (6-5, 208, junior) – Wake Forest.

Also, Jordan Addison (6-0, 175, junior) – USC; Jermaine Burton (6-0, 200, junior) – Alabama; Cedric Tillman (6-3, 215, senior) – Tennessee; Nathaniel Dell (5-10, 155, junior) – Houston; Xavier Hutchinson (6-3, 210, senior) – Iowa State; Jayden Reed (6-0, 185, senior) – Michigan State; Jacob Cowing (5-11, 170, junior) – Arizona; Parker Washington (5-10, 212, sophomore) – Penn State, and Dontayvion Wicks (6-1, 208, junior) – Virginia.  

 

Tight Ends

The cream of the crop of tight ends are Michael Mayer (6-4, 251, junior) – Notre Dame; Brook Bowers (6-4, 230, sophomore) – Georgia; Brant Kuithe (6-2, 222, senior) – Utah; Sam LaPorta (6-4, 250, senior) – Iowa, and Cameron Latu (6-5, 244, senior) – Alabama.

 

Centers

The top centers are Jarrett Patterson (6-4, 307, senior) – Notre Dame; John Michael Schmitz (6-4, 230, senior) – Minnesota; Olusegun Oluwatimi (6-3, 310, senior) – Michigan; Jake Renfro (6-3, 310, junior)– Cincinnati; Luke Wypler (6-3, 300, sophomore) – Ohio State, and Ricky Stromberg (6-4, 318, senior) – Arkansas;

 

Offensive Linemen (Guards and Tackles)

The premier offensive guards and tackles are Peter Skoronski (6-4, 294, junior) – Northwestern; Paris Johnson (6-6, 315, junior) – Ohio State; O’Cyrus Torrence (6-5, 335, junior) – Florida; Connor Galvin (6-7, 310, senior) – Baylor; Emil Ekiyor (6-3, 307, senior) – Alabama; Clark Barrington (6-6, 302, junior) – BYU; Zion Nelson (6-5, 316, junior) – Miami (Florida), and Jaxson Kirkland (6-1, 310, senior) – Washington.

Also, Dawand Jones (6-8, 360, senior) – Ohio State; Andrew Vorhees (6-6, 325, senior) – USC; Caleb Chandler (6-4, 300, senior) – Louisville; Jordan McFadden (6-2, 310, senior) – Clemson; Nick Broeker (6-5, 315, senior) – Ole Miss; Christian Mahogany (6-3, 335, junior) – Boston College; Braeden Daniels (6-4, 299, junior) – Utah; Layden Robinson (6-4, 320, junior) – Texas A&M; Zak Zinter (6-6, 320, junior) – Michigan, and Carter Warren (6-5, 320, senior) – Pitt.

 

Defensive Linemen (Ends and Tackles)

The best defensive ends and tackles are Myles Murphy (6-5, 217, junior) – Clemson; Jalen Carter (6-3, 310, junior) – Georgia; Bryan Bresee (6-5, 300, sophomore) – Clemson; Will McDonald (6-4, 245, senior) – Iowa State; Isaiah Foskey (6-5, 260, senior) Notre Dame; Calijah Kancey (6-0, 275, junior) – Pitt; Dante Stills (6-4, 285, senior) – West Virginia, and Derick Hall (6-3, 256, senior) – Auburn.

Also, Zach Harrison (6-6, 272, senior) – Ohio State; Felix Anudike-Uzomah (6-4, 253, junior) – Kansas State; Payton Wilson (6-4, 230, junior) – NC State; Tyler Davis (6-2, 300, senior) – Clemson; Tuli Yuipulotu (6-4, 290, junior) – USC; Siaki Ika (6-4,350, junior) – Baylor; Brandon Dorius (6-3,284,jumior) – Oregon; Keeanu Benton (6-4, 316, senior) – Wisconsin, and B.J. Ojulari (6-3, 245, junior) – LSU.

 

Linebackers (Inside and Outside)

The top inside and outside linebackers are Will Anderson (6-1, 243, junior) – Alabama; Noah Sewell (6-3, 251, junior) – Oregon; Nolan Smith (6-3, 235, senior) – Georgia; Jack Campbell (6-5, 243, senior) – Iowa; Andre Carter (6-7, 240, junior) – Army; Nick Herbig (6-2, 227, junior) – Wisconsin; Trenton Simpson (6-3, 230, junior) – Clemson, and Drake Thomas (6-0, 230, junior) – NC State.

Also, Bumper Pool (6-3,232, senior) – Arkansas; Deshawn Pace – Cincinnati; Henry To’o To’o (6-2, 228, senior) – Alabama; Mikel Jones (6-1, 225, junior) – Syracuse; Tyrus Wheat (6-2, 265, senior) – Mississippi State; Carlton Martial (5-9, 210, senior) – Troy; Omar Speights (6-1, 236, junior) – Oregon State; K.D. Davis (6-0, 228, senior) – North Texas, and Owen Pappoe (6-1, 225, senior) – Auburn.

 

Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks and Safeties)

The leading cornerbacks and safeties are Kelee Ringo (6-2, 205, sophomore) – Georgia; Eli Ricks (6-2, 190, junior) – Alabama; Jordan Battle (6-1, 206, senior) – Alabama; Brandon Joseph (6-1, 192, junior) – Notre Dame; Riley Moss (6-1, 194, senior) – Iowa; Joey Porter (6-2, 196, junior) – Penn State; Jalen Catalon (5-10, 199, junior) – Arkansas; Antonio Johnson (6-3, 200, junior) – Texas A&M; Clark Phillips (5-10, 184, sophomore) – Utah, and Cam Smith (6-0, 185, junior) – South Carolina.

Also, Andrew Mukuba (6-0, 185, sophomore) – Clemson; Denzel Burke (6-1, 190, sophomore) – Ohio State; Ji’Ayir Brown (5-11, 204, senior) – Penn State; Jammie Robinson (5-11, 203, junior) – Florida State; Christopher Smith (5-11, 190, senior) – Georgia; Tre’Vius Hodges (5-9, 177, senior) – TCU; Brandon Hill (5-11, 195, junior) – Pitt; Kyu Blu Kelly (6-1, 190, senior) – Stanford; Ronnie Hickman (6-1, 205, junior) – Ohio State, and Xavier Henderson (6-1, 210, senior) – Michigan State.

 

Kickers

The best kickers are Harrison Mevis (5-11, 257, junior) – Missouri; Jake Moody (6-1, 211, senior) – Michigan; Jonah Dalmas (5-8, 185, junior) – Boise State; Noah Ruggles (6-2, 190, senior) – Ohio State; Will Reichard (6-1, 190, junior) – Alabama; Chad Ryland (6-0, 183, senior) – Maryland, and B.T. Potter (5-10, 190, senior) – Clemson.

 

Punters

The top punters are Michael Turk (6-0, 238, junior) – Oklahoma; Adam Korsak (6-2, 182, senior) – Rutgers; Tory Taylor (6-4, 231, junior) – Iowa; Nik Constantinou (6-3, 230, junior) – Texas A&M; Kyle Ostendorp (6-1, 215, junior) – Arizona; Brad Robbins (6-1, 203, senior) – Michigan, and Lou Hedley (6-4, 220, senior) – Miami (Florida).

Touchdown Tom

 

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