New Colorado OC Brennan Marion had a huge impact on UNLV’s turnaround a few years back. The former Texas & Pitt assistant told @TheAthletic CU now has the best o-line he’s ever had as a coach & 4-5 NFL WRs. He also had an interesting comp for Buff QB JuJu Lewis: www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...
“We brought in guys that are pissed off ’cause they weren’t recruited out of high school. They came in with a competitiveness and a work ethic...” A rejuvenated Deion Sanders with two new playcallers & a bunch of gritty transfers. Will it work? Free story link: www.nytimes.com/athletic/744...
Excited to dig into this. Hats off to @cravenmike.bsky.social & the DCTF crew. Nothing quite like this football magazine.
The big question is can Sorsby—if the NCAA can’t get this injunction overturned—take his game to another level in Lubbock? One Big 12 coach was skeptical that was going to happen when Sorsby first signed with Tech. On Monday, an hour after the injunction came down, he was even more skeptical.
Something we didn’t have room for in the Malachi Toney story that I thought was really interesting: Asked Miami OC Shannon Dawson if Toney, who actually had skipped his senior year of high school, could’ve handled playing in the NFL last year. His answer: www.nytimes.com/athletic/731...
The NFL Draft also provides an interesting window into college football. One of this weekend’s big takeaways was just how much Mario Cristobal has overhauled the Miami program: www.nytimes.com/athletic/723...
Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy still available on Day 3 is the most intriguing storyline of the Draft now. Ultra talented corner but the last NFL coach I spoke with for this Draft Confidential piece got into the biggest issue teams were trying to sort out: www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...
Liked what the Cowboys did in the draft last night. Not surprised UCF’s Malachi Lawrence, a 6-4 1/2, 253-pounder who clocked a 4.52 40 with a 40-inch vertical and 10-10 broad jump, went higher than most mocks were anticipating: www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...
“Does he run faster than Bijan? Yeah. Is he as big? Yeah. Is he more physical on contact? Yeah, he is. Jeremiyah Love is always trying to get that extra yard.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...
A minute after BTN mentions Kyle Whittingham raving about Savion Hiter’s contact balance, he does this. Should be one of the best freshmen in college football this year.
Really good slate of Friday night games in the Big 12 which includes the terrific Houston at Texas Tech matchup (that Cody Campbell didn’t want shifting to a Friday as we discussed earlier this week on The Audible.)
Here’s a compelling analogy from an NFL DB coach who felt strongly that teams should make Travis Hunter a corner who has a package at receiver, not the other way around: www.nytimes.com/athletic/629...
This is Joshua Weru from Kenya, another remarkable athlete from the NFL’s IPP program who wowed folks at the HBCU showcase this week. He’s 6-4, 244. He ran a 4.45 40 with a 41-inch vertical and an 11-2 broad jump: www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...
This is the biggest freak athlete in this year’s NFL draft. I’d never heard of him till two days ago. He’s from a small village in Nigeria. He is 6-4 1/2, 306 lbs and jumps 10-10. Folks at the NFL’s IPP program think he’ll get picked on Day 3 of the draft. Meet Uar: www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...
Will Lane Kiffin win a national title at LSU? Opposing college football coaches sound off. Reporting with Antonio Morales: www.nytimes.com/athletic/710...
Miami DL Rueben Bain Jr. did more to change the culture of a Canes program that had been spinning its wheels for almost two decades until he decided to stay home. But he’s gonna be one of the more polarizing prospects in this draft bc of his arm length: www.nytimes.com/athletic/708...
There are a lot of great lessons here of how Fernando Mendoza grew into such an unflappable leader: www.nytimes.com/athletic/705...
The rush to judgment when it comes to quarterbacks especially early in their careers has gotten out of control: www.nytimes.com/athletic/701...
Omar Cooper Jr., the wideout who made the spectacular leaping, contorting grab in the last second to win the Penn State game, has a particularly powerful story of why he didn’t leave Indiana. Reporting with @scottdochterman.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...
I’m think Deuce Knight is a huge get for Ole Miss. He’s a remarkable athlete and also has the intangibles that the Elite coaches raved about: www.nytimes.com/athletic/558...
This story about Demond Williams Jr. and the transfer portal is bonkers. Here’s just a few of the reasons why: www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...
Great example of why Indiana has gotten so good, via DB coach Ola Adams: The portal era has created new opportunities and new challenges, he said. But it’s never been more important in the sport to be so detailed: www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...
North Texas coach Eric Morris has been named the new Oklahoma State coach. The former Texas Tech WR, a Mike Leach protege, has proven to be one of the best QB evaluators in football: www.nytimes.com/athletic/665...
Statements from WMU head coach Lance Taylor and AD Dan Bartholomae on the tragic passing of Cowboys DL Marshawn Kneeland, a former WMU star.
The Athletic spoke with 10 people who have been part of LSU football in recent years and/or have worked for Kelly. What they described was a coach who delegated too much authority, didn’t care enough about recruiting and failed to bond with his players: www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...
Brian Kelly had won everywhere he’d coached. So why’d it go so bad at LSU? Reminded of what Charles Turner, who was LSU’s starting center in 2022 and ‘23, told me. He said he hardly any personal interactions in two seasons playing for Kelly... www.nytimes.com/athletic/594...
Texas is 116th in the country in 3rd-down efficiency (34%) and 86th in red zone touchdown percentage (59%). And now UT faces OU and the nation’s No. 1 defense. The good news? Arch is actually coming off his best game. Reporting with @ralphdrussoath.bsky.social: www.nytimes.com/athletic/670...
Could Arkansas really hire Bobby Petrino again?? www.nytimes.com/athletic/667...
Jonah Coleman’s one of the best RBs in college football. He also has a 3.93 GPA and is a semi finalist for the Campbell Trophy, the sport’s academic Heisman. The story of his bond with Jedd Fisch and his path to Washington is a fascinating one: www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...