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1. Please list your email address and/or your reddit username at which you can be contacted. paperllamasunited I think I'm Llamas#3081 on Discord 2. Before continuing, please thoroughly read the coaching course and feel free to ask questions. Confirm that you have read the coaching course by writing "Confirmed" below. Confirmed 3. What team do you want to coach? South Dakota State  4. Please select two backup teams (in descending order of preference) in case your first choice is unavailable. stay at Colorado  5. In three or more sentences, tell us a little about yourself. How old are you, what do you do, where are you from, why would you be a good fit here, etc. Alright boys, I've been here for awhile, so you know quite a bit about me already. I'm 23, I live in northern Wisco (for now ), and I'm very into self-deprecating and dark humor as ways to deal with my prolonged depression. Lil Wayne has been my favorite musical artist since I was ~12, and I've been playing semipro football since 2016. I'm a big fan of the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Lightning, have a dying interest in the Phoenix Suns, and have been a lifelong fan of the Kansas Jayhawks. Since the early 2010s, I've also followed the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. 6. This site can be as time consuming as you want it to be. Weekly duties can be completed in 30 minutes or less, however interacting with your fellow players throughout the week makes it more enjoyable for most people. Approximately, how much free time do you have during a typical week? 7. Losing games is an inevitable reality on this site, especially when accepting newer teams. Do you believe you can handle losing? Disappointment is expected, however we have had issues with people freaking out, and even leaving the site because of losing. This is where I'm going to explain a bit about why I'd like to move to South Dakota State, likely in typical lengthy (and somewhat over-dramatic) llamas fashion. I have absolutely no problem losing games on the site, I think I've lost around half of the games I've coached in CFB, and am something like 5-19 in my stint thus far as Cardinals GM, probably with a similar record in my time as Vikings Owner/GM. Losses are a big part of football - in semipro we just went on a losing streak from September 2017 - May 2019, something like 16 or 17 straight games, and in high school I think we went 9-26 over my four years there. So yeah, while obviously I'd love to win games all the time, losing is not a problem for me. However, I have been losing quite a bit in life lately, which has affected me quite negatively. I try not to show it in real life or on here, I'm really the kind of person who usually keeps things inside. I've been depressed for - really since I was about 16, but we'll say it got really heavy around 2015, and I've had major anxiety issues for about the same time, attributed to both genetics (my sister has extremely high anxiety, taking medication and seeking counseling, both of which I should probably do as well; and my dad always has had a ton of anxiety but doesn't seem to recognize it himself and hasn't sough professional help or treatment) and my upbringing (I'm not going to psychoanalyze myself here, but our parents really treated us terribly quite often, abusing us not physically but emotionally). Those closest to me know I sometimes have anxiety attacks, and they've become quite prevalent. Without going in depth on my own personal issues to try to keep this shorter, my life has seen a lot of negativity this year, and we're not even halfway through the year. My dad previously had a heart attack in 2012, and early this spring he was out cutting brush, and thought he was having one again. When I worked in security, I saw someone who had a heart related episode (not sure if it was ever confirmed as a heart attack) and they'd looked awfully similar to how my dad looked that day, and that person hadn't even survived the ambulance ride to the hospital. The ER doctor and nurse were extremely concerned about him, but when he got moved to the heart specialists, they couldn't find anything wrong. It's been a few months, and while he is now able to walk around and do his daily routines... he still isn't acting "right." My sister thinks he had an anxiety attack of his own, and I think that could possibly be an explanation, but I have no idea. A few weeks later, I finally got to go to my first semipro practice of the year. I wasn't even going to play this year - in late September 2017, I injured my ankle really bad, dislocating it and also spraining my ankle (and after talking it over with Mahrowkeen earlier this spring, and then with athletic trainers at our first scrimmages and games this year, it also seems like I at least partially tore my achilles, which would explain a lot of the issues I've had trying to rehab my leg over the past ~21 months), and it removed my ability to play really anything but OL/DL for a bit with the loss of agility/speed, so I bulked up for last season, played terribly, and was thinking about calling it quits this year and dropping the weight. I got talked into coming out this year, because a bunch of other guys who had been going to retire, and even our coaching staff, were like "one last ride." Anyway, at practice our coaches were there screwing around, I remember our D Coordinator yelling at a RB for running too fast behind me and hurrying me through agility drills, the coach in his normal good natured "you don't know if I'm tearing you a new one, or grilling you jokingly and then busting the biggest grin aftwerwards, dismissing the seriousness" mood. The following Wednesday, my owner texted me. He said that Coach Gary, our D Coordinator, had a heart attack that morning on his way to work - he'd just retired in January, they brought him back shortly after over just a few dollars an hour raise, he was riding his motorcycle to work ahead of someone else from the company, and they saw him put his bike down awkwardly. He was responsive at the hospital, but slipped out later, and after a significant time of trying to resuscitate him, he was gone. So instead of going to practice the next week, me and the owner drove down to his funeral. My owner is also one of my best friends, and teammates. He started his own semipro team in ~2013, and his grandfather who has also been his father figure since he was little, and especially so since his mom died when he was ~12, was also half owner of the team with him. He would commonly walk up and down the sideline during games. He's made competitive (ignoring our recent W-L record ) football after high school, a possibility for so many guys. Well, he stopped coming to games in 2017, because while in war at Vietnam, he came into direct contact with Agent Orange. I think this is his second or third bout with cancer, and this time, unfortunately, it really looks like his last. He's not eating much, not talking much, and for the last few weeks, has been in and out of the hospital. We're watching the harsh reality of a man who not only had a significant impact on us, allowing us to extend our football dreams longer, but also on our very good friend, come a lot closer to the end of his life. And its so hard to see your buddy going through that. So with all of that, I've been going through a lot of my own personal shit. Because of the recent hike in anxiety attacks I've been having, I've been looking at ways to reduce stress. I rely heavily on screwing around with my friends, including many of you here on CFBHC, and I look to my weekly escape of going to semipro, though I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do that, as my body is starting to physically go out. But aside from from just distraction avenues, I also know I need to do things that lead to self improvement. And one of the things I've identified, really shouldn't be a major IRL problem, but its the stress that's gone along with recruiting for CFBHC. I know that can sound hilarious in the grand scheme of things, but its legitimately one of the things that has added unnecessary stress to my life. I don't know if its not wanting to let my conference down by not landing good enough croots to be good competition for them down the line, or just the minuscule gut punch you get when you lose out on a croot, but I'm absolutely trash in this current system, and I don't think I'm going to get better at it. Last week, I noticed South Dakota State had become available. I remember Minnow and I pushing Soluna to add SDSU when he initially added FCS, and then when FCS became reduced but playable, I again went to bat for including the Jackrabbits. In my freshman year of high school, we had to do a project that basically got us thinking about colleges and what we wanted to do with our lives, and one of the things I decided I'd like to do was become a game warden - I've loved hunting and the outdoors forever. South Dakota State is one of the best programs in the country for that. I carried this career possibility with me throughout high school, and during my junior year, took a visit to Brookings to the school, and was blown away. Not only had Nate Wolters and Zach Zenner been balling on their respective athletic teams, but the campus was amazing, and my individual visits with professors from the departments I was interested in getting majors in (Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, and Journalism) were the best visits I had throughout my college decision process. They went into my Top 2 schools, with KU. I should have gone to one of them. Instead, I made what I thought was a "mature" decision at the time, risky but "mature", and stayed closer to home, went to UW-La Crosse where I'd only be 3 hours from my HS girlfriend (who was a year younger than me), and I mean, its pretty easy to see where things went wrong. Stupid. And, a quarter of my life later, I'm still reeling from it. I could go on about what went wrong, the things that were largely out of my control, how its contributed to my anxiety and depression, and probably write a whole thesis on just that alone, BUT we're talking about SDSU so I'll save you all the trouble lol. I don't think Storm is going to relinquish Kansas anytime soon (watch him do it immediately after I switch schools ), and even if he did, I think both Azul and DarthJarJar would also be interested in going to KU. I loved being at Iowa, my favorite player ever Chad Greenway went there and is the first player I remember following through college and a complete NFL career, and I feel like I made it my own, driving Mikeal Black to success. But WrigleyFan has made Iowa his own. However, South Dakota State is open NOW. I used to rock dual KU/SDSU flairs on r/CFB, and I remember watching the 2016 game against TCU while being on the site at Oscar Mayer, I think Danger was a little worried I don't know if this opportunity to coach one of my favorite IRL schools will arise again, especially at the perfect opportunity here: Colorado is still a good school, has talent, should have solid recruiting points, comes with a nicely decked out wiki page, and an excel sheet of career stats for whoever is next to guide the Buffs. They're in an exciting position, and the PAC is a nice community (except for Jambo, he is rude and steals your kicker and LS croots). South Dakota State recruiting isn't going to be easier - but I think it comes with lesser stress for me, a larger opportunity for media as I'm much more familiar IRL with the Jacks than the Buffs, and I think I already recruit at an FCS level, someone with greater capabilities or wanting a bigger stage certainly deserves to take on Colorado. I'd like to thank @bingo415 and @SolutionA, who I talked to about making this hard decision (much harder than switching schools in a football sim should be lmao), and @TheSam and @cultur3 for providing influence on me, your inputs really helped. I fully intend on this being my last school switch on the site, even in the rare event KU or Iowa open up. Going to live or die by my recruiting capabilities as the best Dakotan coach 8. How did you find out about this site? If recommended by a friend, please post his/her username. I'm pretty sure it was a post Neo had made on Reddit, I found it googling for a college football sim.

With rookie minicamps and training camps in the books the NFC (B)east is now turning their attention to the pre-season. But before we fully look ahead to next weekend's games let's take a minute and look back at the winners and losers of the camps. Winners Giants' Front Office - Much was made of the Giants' decision to trade up to #1 overall to select QB Eric McLean. But McLean dazzled in the offseason program and has already been named the week 1 starter. Fans are very excited to see McLean on the field and if he succeeds early no one will give a 2nd thought to the trade they made to get him. Maurice White - After being held out of rookie minicamp White saw his first reps with his new team in training camp and lived up to the hype that saw him selected early in the 1st round. White flashed his strength and athleticism on his way to earning recognition from the Washington coaching staff for a standout performance, something that even Solomon McLaughlin didn't accomplish with the 49ers. Eagles Rushing Attack - The Eagles have long had one of the most dangerous rushing attacks in the NFL. In 2022 they had the most rushing yards in the league and both Troy White and Marshawn Miller are very happy in their rotational roles. In training camp Sean Egloff, the 3rd string running back, earned recognition as an offensive standout and kick returner. The depth that the Eagles have at running back is the envy of the league. Graham Burnett - Burnett was on fire in training camp and earned honors as a standout. His offensive line also looked really sharp in camp and expectations are sky high for the Cowboys passing attack in 2023. Losers Allan Taylor - A nightmare scenario for every NFL coaching staff came true in training camp when incumbent starting QB Allan Taylor pulled up short on a PA rollout during team install. An MRI later confirmed that Taylor suffered a sever foot fracture and he is expected to miss at least the first 8 weeks of the regular season. The Eagles had a great offseason and were poised to make another run this season but now their fate will rest in the hands of backup QB Alex Bridgewater and the aforementioned rushing attack. Taylor is no spring chicken and there are no guarantees that he will ever play at his pre-injury level again. Jonah Parker - Jonah Parker had a rough training camp. "Parker has stated that he feels he was publicly shamed for one mistake but deep inside he knows he made many mistakes and thus feels more worthless than he should." That is probably the saddest line that I have ever read on this site. Welcome to my experiance in high school sports Jonah. If I made it you can too. Angelo Denny - After a tumultuous rookie campaign that saw 2nd round pick Denny struggle and ultimately regress, the Redskins went out and signed veteran OG Virgil Madison to start in 2023 and drafted OG Bryce Wallace to compete with Denny for the backup role. In minicamps Wallace showed out notching a B+ player grade and he continued to impress in training camp with Virgil Madison telling the coaching staff that he believes Wallace should get a look at a starting job. Meanwhile Denny picked up where he left off in 2022, rating as a problem during training camp. The future doesn't look good for Angelo Denny. Raekwon Thomas - The Giants need an heir apparent at RB as O.J. Carano is on his last legs. Thomas was selected to be that player. And maybe he will be, but he has struggled in the offseason program. His minicamp report showed that he needs extensive development time and then he was arrested for speeding during training camp and has been on a tirade against the New York Police Department ever since. He has become a distraction in the locker room and is negatively impacting the other rookies. Hopefully he can turn it around as the Giants gear up for preseason. Rodney Montgomery - Rodney, Rodney, Rodney. What are you doing man? Tea-bagging a 5th round rookie to celebrate a TD? Shouldn't one of the best WRs in the league pretty consistently beat a 5th string CB seeing his first NFL action? Not a good look for a vet in training camp. I Dunnos Marlin Downs - Downs injured his wrist in rookie minicamp and will miss most of the preseason which is valuable development time for rookies. He won't miss extended time, however, and is slated to be available week 1 of the regular season. With the retirement of Tommy Brooks, Downs is now the DT3 for the Eagles and only 1 snap away from being needed. But in training camp Downs was moody and negative and his mood began to spill over to the rest of his position group. An injury is always frustrating, especially as a rookie when you are already behind, but Downs mental game needs some work if he is going to last in this league. Emmanuel Slade - Slade bulked up this offseason and it goes farther than just his looks. He has been laying some heavy hits in training camp and has asked the coaching staff to allow him to be more aggressive in 2023. But when you take out a rookie TE in training camp you might need to reign it in a little bit. Frank Moffett - Yes NFL overtime rules are different than NCAA rules. But that seems like a difference someone who plays football for a living now should know. At least Moffett learned during his rookie training camp instead of pulling a Donovan McNabb on live T.V. Khairi Bryant - Riding a horse into your media session is a boss move. Declaring you are here to win a Super Bowl 1 season after having a top 5 pick is an even bigger move. But that is what 2nd year player Khairi Bryant did, thus painting a target on his back for the 2023 season. Fans loved the gesture now, but if Bryant or the Giants get off to a rough start he may draw the ire of some fans.

The daylight hours grow longer and longer, the scent of fresh-cut grass permeates the air, and antihistamines are flying off of drugstore shelves nationwide. That can only mean one thing: it's spring, and therefore it's time for spring football. Practice has been underway for a while, and they'll finish up with spring games over the next couple of weeks. The Big XII Network is here to take an in-depth look across the nation's most exciting conference: the incoming stars, the competition for starting spots, and what position groups or players each team is most dreading and anticipating seeing out on the field this season. Without any further ado, let's talk about the spring games. Baylor Bears Spring Game: Baylor has not announced a date for their spring game, but they have released depth charts. The Gold team will be the first-team defense and the second-team offense, while the Green team will be the first-team offense and the second-team defense. First Look: Be on the lookout for freshman center Andrew Wheatley to be an immediate starter--and potentially one of the best offensive linemen in the conference from day 1. The Woodsboro native has shown an affinity for opening up holes for the run game, drawing rave reviews during his redshirt year blocking for runningback Carlos Bowden--who himself can't be overlooked and may find himself in a rotational role behind Miles Street as the season goes on. Position Battle: Wide Receiver. This may be cheating a bit since all three guys in this battle are going to see the field in some way or another, but Baylor's got a pretty clear pecking order at most other positions on the field. At wide receiver, the battle for the #1 spot is likely going to come down to Maleek Abioye-Afua against Curtis Sheppard. Sheppard was the more productive of the two by far last year, hauling in 52 catches for 801 yards and 5 touchdowns; however, sophomore Abioye-Afua is a 6-foot-5, 233-pound bruiser who fits in naturally at split end and showed some flashes last year with 448 receiving yards. Sheppard's going to take a lot of snaps in the slot, so it's more of a matter of how often he'll be moved around the field to make room for Abioye-Afua. Also in the mix is the 6-foot-4 Elki Denson, who had 172 receiving yards as a true freshman before redshirting in 2022. Question Mark: Backfield. Caleb Olmsted and Miles Street return as starters for the third straight season, giving Baylor a level of backfield continuity matched only by Iowa State. That continuity is only a bonus, though, if the two improve over a disappointing sophomore campaign. Street improved from 4.2 to 4.5 yards per carry, but he only scored 8 touchdowns all season on the ground after scoring 12 as a freshman. Olmsted's completion percentage dropped from 60.4% to 58.3%, he went from 23 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions to 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and his passer rating fell from 134.5 to 126.6. With an improved offensive line and an improved wide receiver corps--which isn't solely due to addition by subtraction--a junior jump in the backfield could turn the offense into a well-oiled machine. MVP: OLB Zachary McHale. Baylor's vaunted linebacker corps didn't produce to expectations last season, but that's only despite McHale's best efforts. The junior edge rusher has been a statsheet stuffer in each of his first two seasons, with 63 tackles (8 for loss), 3.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 passes defended, and a fumble forced and recovered in his career. Baylor's defensive front remains talented with Elias Ladd at weak inside linebacker, Alexander Talbert at defensive end, and Garrett Powers returning to his more natural mike linebacker position after failing to make a statsheet in 2022--but McHale is the one who ties it all together and provides the terrifying burst off the edge to wallop opposing backfields. Iowa State Cyclones Spring Game: Iowa State's spring game is scheduled for June 15th. They will have mixed rosters: Vaughn Sheppard, Demetrius Clay, and Paul Bryant highlight the Cardinal team, while Kofi McCullough, D'Neal Norris, Dillon Dooley, Ian Johnson, and Laurent Daniel headline the Gold team. First Look: Dillon Dooley will be playing with the rest of the first-team offensive line as a true freshman and early enrollee. The Cyclones needed more help up front for star runningback Kofi McCullough, and Dooley will be an incredible complement to tackle D'Neal Norris. He's already the best guard they have on the roster, and his upside is virtually limitless. It would be shocking if he weren't a day-1 starter. As a fun fact, his 6-foot-6 frame makes him only the fifth-tallest guard on the team--and taller than most of the guards on the basketball team. Position Battle: Wide Receiver. As it was with Baylor, most spots on Iowa State's depth chart are pretty much set in stone. Demetrius Clay's status as a two-way player is perhaps the most interesting question, but wide receiver is the position group where the Cyclones have the widest variety of options. They return four wide receivers who had at least 100 receiving yards last year, none of whom reached 500. (In fact, Iowa State hasn't had a 500-yard receiver since Tom Oldham and Elliott Efi in 2019). Ezekiel Renteria and Nat Donaldson-Douglas are the returning bedrocks as the team's returning leaders in yards and yards per catch, though Renteria's showing in spring practice has been far less than ideal. Troy Spears and Luka Snell are expected to be emergent options as well. Leonardo Gilbert could even play a role as a low-usage home-run threat. They won't have any issues with depth, but finding one guy to emerge as a true #1 would do wonders. Question Mark: Defensive Line. Iowa State's leader in tackles for loss last year was recruited as a tight end, which speaks to both the impressive versatility of Demetrius "Two-Way" Clay and the sheer lack of options the Cyclones have along the line. Those options grew narrower with the graduation of Savion Pryor. If Clay returns to defensive end, he'll be playing opposite redshirt senior Antoine Garvin, who has not recorded a stat in his career. Taua Aloese provides strength up the middle and the Cyclones will hope he can improve on his 16 tackles (4 for loss) and 1 sack from the defensive tackle spot. If either Marco Redding or Ibrahim Eason can emerge (both are on the Gold spring team), the defensive line becomes a solid unit. If not, it becomes a problem. MVP: Kofi McCullough. The active Big XII leader in rushing yards (2955) and rushing touchdowns (29), McCullough has been the heart and soul of the Iowa State offense for the past two years. His production declined slightly into his sophomore year solely due to workload; he maintained the same level of efficiency, and Iowa State will need him to do so once again. He's the surest thing on that offense. What's more, they need Vaughn Sheppard to take a step forward as he seemed to do toward the end of last season. If the attention is focused on McCullough, who has proven capable of handling it, then that gives more room for Sheppard's game to open up until defenses are forced to reckon with it too. Kansas Jayhawks Spring Game: Kansas's spring game will be on June 15th. The Blue team will mainly be the first-team offense and second-team defense (with some exceptions), while the White team will be the first-team defense and second-team offense. First Look: JuCo product Cameron Bowers will hope to add the high-end wide receiver talent Kansas has lacked since the graduation of Malcolm Davis, and his placement at #1 wide receiver with the first-team offense ought to give a hint as to just how confident the staff is in the rising junior. Bowers has tight end size at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, and he'll bring a level of physicality to the position that will challenge the cornerbacks of the Big XII. He's one of three Blue team receivers listed at 220 pounds or heavier--fellow junior Sebastian Christy and true freshman Zack Stephens both check in at 227. Position Battle: Outside Linebacker is the only battle of any real significance for a Jayhawk team that has very little depth to speak of. With a return to a 3-4 defense anticipated, there are essentially five players competing for two full-time spot as edge rushers and one part-time spot as a bandit linebacker. Carlos Guillen and Pat Rhoades are the incumbents in the edge rusher category, with neither having made an outsized impact heading into their respective redshirt junior seasons. Guillen had 5 tackles (1 for loss) last year, Rhoades had 21 tackles, a sack, a pass broken up, and a forced fumble the year before. Advantage: Rhoades. Jude Broussard is the only linebacker whose coverage is his calling card; that's amounted to 24 tackles and a single pass breakup, none of which was recorded in 2022. The challengers are a pair of homegrown true freshmen, Naiquon "Nuke" Crosby and Deon Evans. They are the highest-ranked outside linebackers ever to commit to Kansas and will both be playing with the first-team defense. Whoever loses the battle may not be playing at Kansas in the fall, with the possibility of a transfer from the former three or a redshirt for the latter two. Question Mark: Runningback. To say Andre Black fared poorly in his first year as a starter would be an understatement. He finished the season with 477 yards in 13 games, the first Big XII runningback ever to start the whole season and finish with that paltry a rushing yardage total. He averaged just 3.2 yards per carry, also the fewest by any Big XII runningback ever to start the whole season. What's concerning is that there was no viable option to replace him. While he's playing with the second-team offense, we are informed that the staff still views Black as the #1 option at the position over Bryce Dubose. If opposing defenses don't have to even pretend to consider the run game, that'll make life so much more difficult for Christian Graham and company. MVP: Christian Graham started the 2022 season on a horrid note, finished it on a torrid one, and Kansas's win-loss record behaved accordingly. There's no reason to expect next year that the Jayhawks' fortunes won't ride with those of their quarterback. There's no run game to act as a safety valve. There's some good, youthful talent on defense, but their impact pales in comparison to that of the quarterback who will likely hold the Big XII career records for passing yards and passing touchdowns at season's end. He still demonstrated that he had room to grow: his completion percentage dipped sharply from 67.6% as a sophomore to 62.1% as a junior even as he went from 24 touchdowns to 31. It's the price of going from efficiency passer to volume passer, but Kansas will win a lot of games if Graham can be both at once. Kansas State Wildcats Spring Game: No date has been confirmed for Kansas State's spring game yet, though they have released depth charts. The Purple team is mostly made up of first-team offense and second-team defense while the White team is mostly the reverse, though there appear to be some exceptions. First Look: Redshirt freshman quarterback Shane Kruse has as much hype around him in Manhattan as any player to matriculate in recent years, with only Rahim Murrell and Brendan Scherer truly able to match it. The Houston product made a push for the starting job last year, though it was ultimately retained by fifth-year senior Julius Minnow. Kruse will bring a different look to the Wildcats' offense: he's entirely unafraid to use his 6-4, 234-pound frame to take off and run, bruising anyone who tries to tackle him in the process. (Bruise Kruse as a nickname, anyone?) If nothing else, that should mean Kansas State settles for fewer field goal attempts (49 in the past two years compared to 52 extra point attempts). But Kansas State fans hope to see Kruse show off the elite passing skills that have long eluded Wildcat quarterbacks. Position Battle: Runningback. Even with incumbent two-year starter Jaiden Givens returning for his redshirt senior season, it's not a given that he'll get a third year as the #1 guy. He finished with just 647 rushing yards last season (9th among Big XII starting runningbacks), under 4.1 yards per carry (also 9th), and only 4 rushing touchdowns all season (10th). The positives, though: his efficiency improved year-over-year, and he was the only starting Big XII runningback not to fumble even once in the 2022 season. He's a solid baseline, but not a game-changer. Gabriel Vinson, a redshirt freshman, hopes to be that game-changer. Like Kruse, he has more of a powerful running style--and he'll be sharing the Purple team backfield with Kruse, giving him ample opportunity to prove himself. Vinson will likely see carries in some capacity, but if Brendan Scherer and Mario Hamilton can't wrangle him then he may be getting the lion's share sooner rather than later. Question Mark: Defensive End. Kansas State's roster is about as well-balanced as it's ever been at this point. There are still a lot of positions that don't have top-end talent, but there's a solid baseline everywhere now. That baseline's lowest at defensive end, however. They return starters Prince Vann and Hunter Myrick, who combined for 4.0 sacks and 2 tackles for loss last year. It's likely that Vann will start, though whether Jacquies Greene and Preston Evans (the other Preston Evans) will push for the starting job. Greene is starting opposite Vann on the White team, so he presumably has a leg up on the job. MVP: Middle linebacker Brendan Scherer was a headhunter last season, and he's going to be back and better than ever in 2023. His 57 tackles were the fourth-highest single-season total of any Kansas State player. He had 9 tackles for loss, which is the most by any Big XII linebacker in a single season in the short time that the stat has been tracked. Richard Farrell is the only other linebacker with at least 6. If he matches his 2022 production this year, he will break David Doherty's school record for career tackles with a year of eligibility remaining. The rest of the Kansas State defense revolves around him, and he's the best centerpiece you could ask for. Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game: Oklahoma's spring game is scheduled for June 22nd. There are first-teamers and second-teamers on both sides of the ball strewn across both teams. First Look/Position Battle: There were reports after a rather lackluster sophomore season that Eric Pope was in danger of losing the starting quarterback job to then-redshirt freshman Nick Brohm. Pope ultimately retained the job and proceeded to have a breakout junior campaign. He threw for 3,298 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 153.8 passer rating and ran for 414 yards and 3 scores on 5.3 yards per carry. The Sooners had the #2 scoring offense in the nation, averaging 34.9 points per game. They lose Maurice White, Jason Dotson, and Rangi Salanoa, but the receiver trio of Lucas Dykes, Aiden Caldwell, and Chase Reardon with runningback Jaiden Douglas should still make for a formidable skill corps. Is the promise of productivity and continuity enough to make Pope the first Oklahoma quarterback to start as a senior since Robert Price? Apparently not, because Brohm has continued to gain ground during spring practice. While he's not quite as good on his feet as Pope, Brohm is capable of moving within the pocket and picking up a few yards out of it--and his upside is that he's got the more accurate arm of the two. With the first-team and second-team talent split across both teams, the two quarterbacks ought to be on somewhat even footing for this competition. Question Mark: Safety. This is a very talented Oklahoma team across the board, with virtually every starter and quite a few reserves expected to at least get a look at the next level. The Sooners have to replace Julian Foster and Omar Anaya at free safety, and the three options are junior Jaden Foster (no relation to Julian), junior Steven Bush, and redshirt freshman Ian Willis. It's almost certainly going to be Willis's job eventually, and he's probably the favorite to land it this year. But he's young and raw, and compounding the issue is the fact that both Oklahoma strong safeties are also freshmen with the graduation of Andrew Reaves and both of his backups. Sebastian Graham is almost certainly going to be the starting strong safety as a redshirt freshman, and Isaac Brinson might have to play a backup role as a true freshman. You can bet that any team will try to test Oklahoma deep early and often, given how difficult it will be to do anything else against this defense. MVP: Perhaps the biggest reason that it will be difficult is the presence of one Elijah Williams, the reigning Big XII Defensive Player of the Year. He's coming off of a season where he had 6 interceptions, a Big XII record-tying 3 pick-sixes, and 8 pass breakups. He's too big to be out-toughed, and he's too quick to be outmaneuvered. His 2022 production was a step up from what he did in 2021, which in turn was a step up from what he did in 2020. Does he have even more room to grow in 2023? Even if he maintains his current level of play, he makes his entire section of the field non-viable to throw into. If he takes that last step forward, he has the potential to be one of the best defensive players in the entire country. Oklahoma State Cowboys Spring Game: Oklahoma State's spring game is scheduled for June 15th. They will go with a unique format, with most of their veterans on the Orange team and most of their younger players (plus Amral Brown) on the Black team. First Look: Cutler Barker, David Wagner, and Jurrell Jordan. I know I'm only really supposed to pick one here, but all three are about to play incredibly important roles for the Cowboys in short order. Jordan is a probable starter at right outside linebacker this year as a redshirt freshman. Coming out of Roscoe, Texas, he brings the burst off the edge that incumbent ROLB Aiden Cheatham never quite had. Cheatham was solid in coverage, of course, but that's what Brian Suarez is for. Jordan makes up for a lack of depth at defensive end outside of Cael Bruce. Meanwhile, fellow Black team members Cutler Barker and David Wagner are the quarterback-receiver tandem of the future in Stillwater. Barker hails from Tulsa's Booker T. Washington High School, which is obviously not named for the former Oklahoma State runningback but I felt like sharing it anyway. He and Wagner are true freshmen and it's unlikely that either will see the field in 2023, but that connection is going to form the backbone of the Oklahoma State offense for years to come. Position Battle: 3rd Down Runningback, kind of. This is more than a bit of a stretch, but it's the only thing resembling a position battle that Oklahoma State really has. Junior power back Jamal Boyd and senior speed back Barack Holmes are going to split Orange team carries. Boyd has not taken a carry in a Cowboy uniform to date, whereas Holmes was the starter in 2021 and rushed for 1,393 yards and 16 touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry. That battle may be a moot point, though, because there's no reason to believe Amral Brown will be anything other than a bellcow after putting up 1,754 yards and 25 touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry last season. So essentially, Boyd or Holmes need to perform well enough to prove that there's any reason to split carries at all. Question Mark: Offensive Line. Losing Edward Meyer to graduation and Benjamin Driver to the draft lopped off all the top-end talent on the Cowboys' offensive line. They certainly have enough depth, so it's not like they're in any kind of crisis there. However, it does mean pressing Elijah Jean into starting duty. It means choosing between senior and career backup Andre Zuniga or true freshman Bart Elder for one of the guard spots opposite Pat McCartney. And I doubt we'll see true freshman Max Galvin challenge Isamaeli Salanoa for the starting center spot, but neither option's inspiring at this point. MVP: Amral Brown. There are quite a few players who could be the most valuable player for Oklahoma State, such as safety Prince Pruitt (6 INT, 4 PD, 1 FF last year), wide receiver Samuel Barfield (70 catches for 1011 yards, 9 TD), or fellow wide receiver Jeremy Bridges (61 catches for 896 yards, 11 TD). You could even make a case for defensive tackle Amir Pryor (7.0 sacks, 5 TFL, 1 FF last year). But Brown is a game-changer on offense. His stats bear repeating: 1,754 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 6.3 yards per carry last year. The list of Big XII players with at least 1,700 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 6.0 yards per carry in a season consists of Greg Hadnot in 2015, Solomon McLaughlin in 2022, and Amral Brown in 2022. He was the most efficient runningback in the Big XII, he finished second only to McLaughlin in rushing yards and touchdowns per game, and maintaining that level of efficiency behind a weaker offensive line would give Oklahoma State's offense the chance to be one of the most effective in the nation again. TCU Horned Frogs Spring Game: TCU joins the cavalcade of spring games scheduled for June 15th. They have not published a spring depth chart, though they are expected to pursue a relatively even split rather than first-team or second-team designations. First Look: This is as much a position battle as a first look, but Taylor Cook is going to be the man to watch in this spring game. The Horned Frogs have never hesitated to pick upside over experience, and Cook is the most high-upside quarterback they've perhaps ever had (depending on how you compare him to Sam Milner). Much like the other quarterback battles, this one will show a contrast of styles. Felix Luck's feet are wedded to the pocket outside of the occasional sneak. Cook is a lot more willing to move around and make plays with his legs, and unlike the other hybrid quarterbacks he's a lot lighter on his feet. But he'll have to show a lot to take the starting spot of Luck, who ranks first and second on the TCU single-season leaderboard for passing yards and passing touchdowns in two seasons as a starter. Position Battle: Wide Receiver. Quarterback is the far more interesting battle, but wide receiver is the five-way battle that could go in just about any direction. What's certain is that redshirt senior Finn Nielsen (968 yards, 10 TD in 2022) is going to have a major role after having caught double-digit touchdown passes each of the last two seasons. He's the favorite for #1 receiver--but again, upside has a high value in Fort Worth. Will F.T. Grady (460 yards, 6 TD) move from the slot to flanker (or even #1) after drawing rave reviews in spring practice? Will sophomore Rodrigo Marroquin (111 yards, 1 TD) take the starting spot in the slot? Will redshirt freshman Julio Robledo leapfrog him? Or will that role belong to gadget player Griffin McHanna (635 yards, 6 TD), who dropped 7 passes last season and struggled at times at flanker? Will McHanna even play wide receiver or will he split carries with Matteo Cates at runningback? There is any number of plausible receiver arrangements for a deep, deep TCU corps. The spring game should give some insight as to who's the frontrunner to fill each role. Question Mark: Defensive Front. Gone are Aidan McAlister, Aidan Morrell, Jasiah Pickens, Elliot McElmore, and Chance Herring: TCU returns just one starting defensive lineman and one starting linebacker. For most teams, that level of attrition would be a pretty big problem; for TCU, it just means one area of the defense where their starters will be drafted in three to four seasons whereas the others feature players will be drafted in one to two seasons. Kwon Shaw had the best 2022 season of any of the returners, with 28 tackles (7 for loss) and 6.0 sacks from the defensive tackle spot. He's rather light for a player often projected as a nose tackle, as is Hooker Jackson--which is perhaps why neither actually play on the nose in TCU's 4-3. Joining them on the line will be redshirt freshmen Jefferson Cruz and Clinton Staton, with Cruz being an edge-setter and Staton being a pass-rusher. The other experienced players are Richard Farrell, whose production dropped off in 2022 to 20 tackles (1 for loss) and 2.5 sacks, and junior college transfer Blake Burns, who should be a natural at sliding back into coverage. The outside linebackers should cover for the defensive ends' inexperience. On the flipside, the more experienced defensive tackles will slow down anything coming up the middle toward redshirt sophomore Lardarius Pendleton or redshirt freshman Guillermo Luna. With Pendleton's aggressiveness and tackling skills and Luna's coverage, TCU's front has in flexibility what it lacks in experience. Which will win out in the end? MVP: Patrick Ross. As a true freshman playing nickel corner, Ross turned in an impressive five interceptions and a pass breakup. It bears repeating: that was as a true freshman playing nickel corner. Sure, it helped that he was playing with Roman Blackmon and William Cooper, two elite corners who essentially forced opposing quarterbacks to pick on him. But now he's got the extra year of experience under his belt, he's got the inside track to be the #1 corner, he's the most productive returning defensive player on the team, and Felix Luck is not guaranteed to be the starter at quarterback (otherwise he'd have this section in a runaway). Ross is a stud, and he'll be a cornerstone of a defense that's been one of the best in the country. Texas Longhorns Spring Game: Texas's spring game is scheduled for June 29th, the last possible day for Big XII teams. Their first-team offense and second-team defense will be on the Burnt Orange team, and the first-team defense and second-team offense will be on the White team. First Look: True freshman quarterback Benjamin Lockwood will have his chance to headline the White team offense. I promise this is the last time we're using the contrast-of-quarterback-styles narrative, but it once again fits here. Kyler Tackett occasionally ran. Lucas Beckwith (probably) likes to run. Sam Milner likes to run. Benjamin Lockwood will not run unless he really, really has to. Instead, his arm will have Texas fans reminiscent of the days of national champion Brad Davis. What's more interesting is the fact that Lockwood's getting the ball over Beckwith, a redshirt senior who made just two appearances last year before Kyler Tackett was re-inserted into the starting lineup; given that he threw for a total of 308 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions (plus 42 rushing yards and a touchdown), it's not surprising that ex-TCU and ex-Juco quarterback Sam Milner has the inside track to the starting job. But Lockwood starting the spring game means that Beckwith does not have a path to even challenge for the starting job. It's Milner's team now. Position Battle: Center. I could have gone with runningback, but it's a battle between a true freshman who will probably have issues in the short-term (but can develop into a good option in the long-term) and a redshirt senior who was recruited as a career backup. Instead, I'm going with center, which is a battle between a redshirt freshman who will probably have issues in the short-term (but can develop into a great option in the long-term) and a redshirt senior who is the incumbent starter. Abe Hay was a great option to have in an offense that revolved around Simeon Wells, who's now moved on from Austin to Houston. But Frederick Orlando is the type of center you want in a pass-first offense that Texas may transition into under Lockwood beginning next year--and that may begin to poke its head out this year due to the runningback situation. Question Mark: Several, but particularly EDGE. The good news is they return Thomas Sanders, who surprised with 6.0 sacks and 25 tackles (4 for loss) at defensive end. He's the closest thing the Longhorns have to an edge defender, and he's really more of a 3-4 defensive end than a true edge. The other good news is that they have a ton of interior talent: Zion Gaines (17 tackles, 6 for loss, 5.0 sacks in 2022) and Jamal Robinson (no stats in 2022 but 35 tackles, 5 TFL, and 4.0 sacks in his career) at defensive tackle, with Nehemiah Staples (23 tackles, 4 for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 FF in 2022) and Ted Stanford (no career stats) manning the middle. Why are Robinson and Stanford bolded in the edge section? Because that's where they're listed on the White team depth chart, which shows just how dire the talent level is among the true defensive ends and outside linebackers on the defense. Playing a will linebacker like Stanford at 3-4 outside linebacker will be an awkward fit, as would playing a defensive tackle like Robinson at 4-3 defensive end. Is it the worst option available? Probably not. Will other teams poke at that from day 1? Certainly. MVP: Bobby Drake. Read into an offensive tackle being the choice here however you want, but the Austin native is a bedrock of the offense. He's agile enough to drop into pass protection, but he doesn't let his 6-foot-7, 311-pound frame go to waste when called upon to be a road-paver against the run. He'll be sorely needed in an offense that's going to see a ton of turnover, and with a defense that has its own documented issues. Every second he can buy for Sam Milner will be worth its weight in points, and he'll be an early favorite for the Big XII Preseason All-Conference team. Texas Tech Red Raiders Spring Game: Texas Tech has neither scheduled a spring game nor posted a depth chart. At press time, they are not expected to hold a spring game at all. First Look Secret Weapon: There have been 31 players in Big XII history to record at least 1000 receiving yards in a season, 30 to catch at least 10 touchdown passes in a season, and 15 to do both in the same season. Dominique Dixon intends to be the first Texas Tech player to hit either or both of those marks (Eugene Sanders came up 4 yards and 1 touchdown short in 2018), and it would be hard to bet against him doing just that sooner rather than later. If Texas Tech had a spring game, he would likely have been afforded the opportunity to show exactly why; instead, Red Raider fans will likely have to subsist on insiders' reports and the occasional practice highlight tape. The receiver corps is deep enough with Graham Beck and Atoshi Kanisawa to avert any need to burn Dixon's redshirt--any decision to do so would strictly be out of want rather than need. Position Battle: Inside Linebacker or Defensive Tackle. We know that Curtis Jones and Zac Huntley are starting at defensive end. We know that Austin Callahan is starting at outside linebacker and Josh Poe Jr. is starting at inside linebacker. There's maybe some intrigue over whether Shawntez Currie or Nasir Gordon is going to take the other outside linebacker spot. But the more important question hinges on whether Texas Tech opts to stick with the 3-4 that's been their calling card lately or chooses instead to switch to a 4-3. The former would allow Jones and Poe to play to their strengths, though it would mean either a low-ceiling veteran at mike like Preston Richmond or Lamont Maxwell, or it would mean an inexperienced redshirt freshman like Anh Nguyen at the position. It would also mean a choice between Sebastian Bolton (a more natural 4-3 fit with a lower ceiling) or Hunter Beckham (a less experienced, higher-upside, true 3-4 player) at defensive tackle. Alternatively, a 4-3 would keep Poe in the mike role he played (and played well) last year, but let Callahan, Currie or Gordon, and Huntley all be at their most effective positions. It would mean starting Bolton and likely one of Beckham or Levi Conte (who is more of a Bolton than a Beckham). Question Mark: Quarterback. The Red Raiders haven't really had much need for the position lately; Donald Garrett is coming off of a season where he passed for 971 yards and 7 touchdowns in 13 games and Texas Tech still won 9 games. Zoom out, and the Red Raiders have had 3,410 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air over the past three years combined--and they've won an average of 8 games a year. That's the Solomon McLaughlin effect--but McLaughlin is now in San Francisco, and Texas Tech will find an entirely new offensive identity without him. Hayden Dyer returns, and he's been effective in limited opportunities so the run game will still be a solid base to work from. The aforementioned Kanisawa and Beck are as good of a receiving duo as Texas Tech's had in a while. All that's left is for someone to actually put the ball in their hands. Donald Garrett is the incumbent, but the favorite for the job is redshirt freshman Grayson Gillette. Like Garrett, he has a prototypical quarterback's body at 6-foot-6 and a prototypical pocket passer's arm. He'll be given far more freedom in the offense than Garrett or Chase Shapiro, but it may take time for the whole offense to get in sync after having spent so much time in a unique system. MVP: How could it be anyone other than Curtis Jones? Because it could also be Charlie Becker. I'm sorry, I have to cheat on this one because I can't decide between the two. Jones's impact is obvious, and opposing offenses felt it regardless of whether or not Samir Sample was on the other side of the line from him. He had 54 tackles (7 for loss) and 12.0 sacks his sophomore year, and followed it up with "only" 32 tackles (6 for loss) and 11.0 sacks as a junior. He's tied with Anthony Ortiz and Hudson Adam for the Big XII career sack record, which he'll almost certainly break--even if Jamari Callahan breaks it first, bet on Jones to chase him down like he chases down opposing quarterbacks. What Jones is to the defense, Becker is to the offense. The rising junior has made a massive impact from day 1, and you'd often see him stunning opposing defensive tackles in their tracks to clear gaping holes for Solomon McLaughlin. Obviously his workload will change drastically as the offense balances out, but he's certainly versatile enough to handle it. West Virginia Mountaineers Spring Game: West Virginia's spring game is scheduled for June 15th. The first-team offense and second-team defense will be on the Blue team, and the second-team offense and first-team defense will comprise the Gold team. First Look: Dominic Acuna. West Virginia's had a lot of talent on the defensive line in recent years, with Hudson Adam sharing the Big XII career sack record with 23 sacks and Aaron Pagan having just graduated with 19 of his own. That's not due to change thanks to the combination of Elvis Cornejo, Riley Reardon, Mordechai Chappell (or maybe Jack Yazzie), and redshirt freshman Dominic Acuna. His burst off the edge is nothing short of frightful, and as a member of the scout team he flushed Martin Lake out of the pocket so often that Lake credits him with helping him improve at operating in scramble mode. There aren't a lot of West Virginia defenders who have had a huge impact as freshmen in the front seven--even Hudson Adam only had 2.5 sacks as a frosh. Acuna's got the potential to make a big impact early on, and the spring game ought to demonstrate that up front. Position Battle: Runningback. Incumbent starter Bryce Madison had an up-and-down season as a redshirt freshman, rushing for 900 yards and 7 touchdowns on under 4.4 yards per carry. Those numbers are good enough to to instantly pull the plug, but certainly not enough to box out any competition. Challenging him will be Mike Freeman, a big and bulky true freshman from just outside of Richmond. The 5-foot-6 Madison's the type of runner who can use his low center of gravity to take contact and elude the tackle; the 5-foot-10 Freeman just uses raw strength and a bit of subtle shiftiness to break free instead. There's a strong chance that both will see carries this season, but the lion's share will be at stake in the spring game. It appears that Freeman is the clubhouse leader for now, as he's set to share the field with Martin Lake, Corey Easley, and the rest of the first-teamers. Running behind guard Mario Lawton in particular should allow him to shine--but a strong showing from Madison could wrest the job right back. Question Mark: Secondary. Losing Lamont Carson to early declaration threw a wrench into the works here, as he's the difference between a solid secondary and one with extensive question marks. There's not very much returning production from the cornerback corps. Harry Conner should be able to slide into the #1 role, which will be perfectly fine as long as he can improve on his one career interception. The bigger concern is moving redshirt freshman Moussa Lacy to #2 corner instead of working him in as a nickel. You could conceivably see Aidan Nobles or Adrian Clemons get some rotational time there if Lacy's not ready for it, but it's Lacy who's been working with the first-teamers. At free safety the Mountaineers should feel confident: Preston Evans returns for the second act after interception 6 passes, breakup up another, and recovering a fumble as a redshirt freshman. That's not a position to worry about. Strong safety is, however: the choices are Bronson Stinson (6 tackles, 1 FF in his career) or redshirt freshman Bucky Richardson, who like Lacy has been playing with the first-teamers. It's going to be a young secondary learning on the job, so the defensive front will need to do their part to keep it from being burned. MVP: Corey Easley. The list of Big XII wide receivers to record at least 1,000 receiving yards as a freshman begins and ends with Lamont Wilder and Corey Easley. Martin Lake was a massive improvement over Darren Lemons and Bobby Davies, but he had his inconsistencies in year 1 of a new system. Easley smoothed those inconsistencies over consistently. 34.9% of Lake's yards and 36.4% of his touchdowns went to Easley, even though just 26.6% of his completions went to him--the freshman just kept finding ways to get open whether he was lined up at split end, in the slot, or anywhere on the field. His biggest issue was his 5 drops, but his explosiveness is more than enough to make up for it. He's the home-run threat that will open up everything else on the offense, and every indication is that he's improved by leaps and bounds over the spring. He's going to be as hard as anyone in the country for opposing secondaries to try to find a way to slow down.

The 2023 season is abuzz with new life after the 2022 edition of the Atlanta Falcons finally got over that hump that has been plaguing local fans for the better part of 5 years now: Playoffs. The Falcons secured the #2 seed in the NFC and had home field advantage for one of the most memorable games in recent playoff memory falling just short in a barnburner. But fans were excited, the team looked more alive than they had in a long time. Now it is time to build on that level of excitement and welcome in the 2023 season with the start of Training Camp. Prepping for the new season, crafting gameplans and welcoming in the rookies from the 2023 draft class. One of the new faces is not-quite-so new for Falcons fans this year. He is most known for his electrifying run to the 2021 CFBHC playoffs virtually single handedly carrying an entire team on his back he won a conference championship and revived his career. He is a guy that most Falcons fans have incredibly high hopes for as a leader and figurehead of the offense. We are pleased to be able to sit down and chat with Donald Culver himself! Donald Culver pumped after a game winning drive towards the end of the season. Culver: Thank you so much for having me! Glad to be here! AJC: How has training camp been going so far? Culver: Well, spirits are high here in Atlanta. As players we love to see the fans come out and support us virtually anywhere and training camp is no different for that. I have been trying to put in as much work as I can with Andy and the boys to get as ready as possible for the start of the season as we can be in the new offense. Been trying to spend as much time with my teammates as I can to get that chemistry that is oh so vital to a successful team. I’m incredibly blessed to have Darren Werner in the QB room as well. He was a guy that I loved in Denver when I was growing up in Utah and to be able to pick his brain and have that level of experience right there I think can help me be the best Donald Culver I can be. AJC: You mentioned Utah, how much different is Atlanta compared to home? Culver: Oh it was a bit of an adjustment at first! Each step in my career has been just that, a giant step. Growing up in Manti, which is probably around 3500 people or so, then going to the University of Utah in SLC was already an adjustment. Then adding in going out of my home state to Atlanta! It was a bit overwhelming. I’m so fortunate to have had some of my teammates here ready to assist in my adjustment to the Metro Atlanta area. After my first year living here though I absolutely love it. Ponce is wonderful on a lazy Sunday with my wife, Piedmont Park is another one of my favorites and so is trying out a bunch of the local food in the area on some of the off days with the guys. Even though it’s only been a year, Atlanta already feels like home. AJC: It’s only been a year since you were taken 13th overall in the NFLHC draft. Can you descri… Culver: I know right?! I still can’t really wrap my head around it. It was such a blessing to get that call from Falcons GM Rocketcan that I was the pick. I couldn’t believe it. I honestly was feeling just about every emotion possible at that moment. It truly was a blessing and I couldn’t have been happier to be in that position. Things were just in a whirlwind for me that year. Utes went to the playoffs, then scouts start to see some of my potential and next thing you know its draft day in the green room and I get the call that someone traded up for me. It is the best feeling in the world to have someone that excited at the prospect of adding your skills to the table. I am truly blessed to be in this position and I can’t wait to get started with my 2nd year in the league. AJC: Are you nervous about virtually having the starting job? Culver: If I’m being honest here, I have butterflies about it. But it’s a good kind of nervous you know? It’s that of nervous right before you know you’re going to go on a trip you’ve been looking forward to for months and you can’t sleep the night before you leave. I’ve made it a priority to really get to know everyone on the team on a more personal level and in the offseason made sure to host as many teammates as I could for get togethers at my place. Hopefully this extra chemistry can help us wow to begin the season. I know that the fans are incredibly excited about how everything is going to look this year. Coach Reid and the rest of the staff have been making sure that we’re prepared and I am incredibly excited to show Atlanta and the league what I can do! AJC: You mention the fans. *Culver chuckles* Oh no. AJC: You know they have really taken a liking to you particularly with the nicknames. In particular we have some things that some of the fans have made in anticipation of you starting: Culver's fans are no stranger to hyping him up *Culver chuckles a bit louder* Culver: Yeah, *sigh* I had it at Utah as well. Being the big man on campus, I kinda got a nickname thrown on me pretty early on. So, I’m kinda used to the whole nickname thing. I wasn’t quite sure if it would follow to my new team in the league, but I guess I kinda underestimated the fans a bit haha. I didn’t have any social media accounts when I was in college, but during the draft process I found out pretty quickly that I probably should start one. So as a nod to the fans, I felt that it was only fitting to give them a bit of a shoutout. You know, embrace it. And @Lasercannon was born. I got teased about it one of the first days of rookie camp last year, but overall they all warmed up to it! AJC: Well, it certainly has been a pleasure chatting with you today Don Culver: And you as well! Hopefully we can build on this momentum and keep things going strong! Go Falcons! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ We were also able to secure an interview with one of the standouts of this most recent rookie class, Devin Frazier Devin Frazier addressing the media after his first week of rookie minicamp AJC: Welcome to Atlanta, Devin! Frazier: Glad to be here! Thank you for having me! AJC: So how have you been taking this whole process so far? The workouts, the pro days, the draft, and now the camps with the team? Frazier: Oh, it has been a roller coaster. It just felt like last week that I was suiting up for Akron to start my second season. But it has been a blast. I have really been loving to get to know all these vets that I watched not but 2-3 years ago and really being able to take everything in to help improve my game. I have already been taking a lot in from Tommy and his leadership has been phenomenal at helping me come into my own this early. AJC: You did not originally commit to Akron out of high school and the recruiting process, how did that affect your path to the NFL? Frazier: I originally had a few minor offers coming out of high school, but they were all to walk on here or there. It wasn’t anything that was for a guaranteed spot on the team. So I went to a local Junior College in my hometown in Kirtland, Ohio. I wanted to prove myself and try and improve to the next level. I always knew that I had it in me to play at a higher level. So when I started turning heads at the FBS level, I wanted to transfer to a school closeby. I fell in love with Akron and the coaching staff there. I felt at home and my family was just a short drive away. I could be myself without a huge amount of pressure on me from a huge stage. I wanted to take it kinda slow at first. But I came right into my own at Akron and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to kickstart an audition for the NFL. AJC: I believe in the video that we posted last week regarding Jason Erwin’s barbecue charity event, *Frazier tries to contain his laughter* AJC: you can spot a few players in team issue Falcons gear. *Frazier tries to act serious and analyze the video* AJC: Can you tell us more about this? Frazier: Well as you can see here, I heard that Erwin was going to be doing a charity barbecue eating contest hosted at Twin Smokers. It was a good cause and I thought it’d be a good outing with the guys after a hard day of practice. So I rounded up a few guys, I think it was Tommy, Rob, Darius, Kaz and Oli, and we headed over there to surprise our guy. He was stoked to see us and we all made sure to donate to the cause. You can see here, the squad is playing hype man for Erwin, but I think he got a bit too into the hype and competition (he’s a fiery guy) and got out of his form. He ended up almost passing out and needing the medical staff to pump his stomach. But we made sure he was alright and then helped him cheer on the crowd after getting back up. He was lowkey pissed about his record being disqualified. That Monday, I made sure to text the guys and get to the facility extra early. I went in and talked to Quasar and Coach Reid and we staged a whole event. All the guys from the event along with Early, Don, Riddick, and Coach Reid all sat in the locker room in a circle waiting for him to walk in. We had the lights turned down and a bottle of barbecue sauce on a table in the center. When Erwin walked in, he turned on the lights and was a bit confused as to why we were all sitting there. Coach got up and put his hand on his shoulder and said “Jason, I just want you to know that we’re all here because we care about you. These guys are concerned about your pork addiction and are here to help.” He immediately had a huge grin on his face and got real red as we all laughed and joked around with him before practice. All in good fun though for our boy! AJC: It has been a pleasure getting a chance to sit down with you Devin! Thank you for the interview! Frazier: Oh no thank you! I had a blast! Go Falcons! ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ These two young players look to be some of the franchise faces for the near future. The excitement of last season is still high in the air and you can feel that from just talking to these guys. Future looks bright with these Fledgling Falcons!

Yeah gg man, always love battling against you, better luck next time

With training camp looming, it's time to look at the offseason for the Los Angeles Chargers. The giant question mark that loomed over the franchise entering the offseason was what the team would do with the quarterback position. The team was able to bring Matty Swift back on a 3-year "prove it" deal, allowing the team to stay settled at the position and allow him to show if the improvements he made last year were a flash in the pan, or more characteristic of the player he is becoming. It was thought that the team would part ways with Swift and bring in a rookie signal-caller, but the team decided that stability under center and shoring up other holes with their resources was the right plan of action. Swift, coming off of a career year, showed great signs of progress, but still, under immense pressure seemingly every time he dropped back, he was not without some costly errors. Key Additions: OT Mario Hill, ILB Bradley Rainey, DE Tyrone Rivers, RB Arturo Pacheco Key Losses: TE Scott Howard, OT Kenyon Hendricks The biggest acquisition for the Chargers this season was making a big move to shore up the offensive line. In adding veteran left tackle, Mario Hill, the team addressed their biggest need, replacing the oft-beaten Hendricks with Hill, a stalwart from the Broncos' much-respected offensive line. In doing so, the team gave up a 4th round pick this offseason and a 3rd rounder next year, but the team will recoup a 2023 5th round compensation pick for the loss of Hendricks. The team will pair Hill alongside Noah Barney, in what should finally give the team a solid tandem up front. Sitting at the #2 spot in the draft, the Chargers could have added star runner, Solomon McLaughlin, to the squad. Instead, they chose to move back twice before grabbing inside linebacker, Bradley Rainey out of Penn State. Rainey becomes the 4th Nittany Lion defender on the team's roster, something that has not gone unnoticed among league insiders. The feeling that the familiarity and camaraderie among the players will help the unit to gel. The Chargers, who have had the league's 32nd-ranked defense for several years, are banking not only on that, but on Rainey's impeccable coverage skills as a linebacker, and feel that pairing him next to veteran Tunch Richardson will help his development, and take the pressure off of him to anchor the middle of the defense. The Chargers used some of the capital they received in trading down twice to have the flexibility to jump up and grab defensive end, Tyrone Rivers. Rivers, a brash, athletic, talent out of LSU, is seen as the last piece to the Chargers' rebuilding of their front seven. His pass rush skills are adequate, but the team's hope is that he can set the edge, helping in the run game, and do just enough to eat up blocks, allowing Shane Easley an open path to the backfield. Rivers' 6'4" 258-pound frame is perfect for that role, and the team is excited to have him. It may seem odd to some that a waiver claim could be seen as a key addition, but the Chargers' addition of running back, Arturo Pacheco, formerly of Houston, does deserve mention, as he could potentially wind up as the team's starter, or perhaps, 3rd down back. Pacheco did not seem to get a fair shake in Houston, and while the Texans' front office obviously was not high on him, there were a number of teams that attempted to claim the 4th-year back out of Iowa State. There were even those that inquired with the Chargers about trading for him after the claim was executed. Pacheco will be given an opportunity to compete for carries in training camp with Brannon Austin and Frederick Chacon. The Chargers had a few other additions this offseason, but none that are expected to contribute as starters. The team did pick up a blocking tight end in Nate Linsley, that should help their run game. They also added a 50-catch receiver in free agency in the form of Darryl McGlockton, who could see some action for the team in multiple receiver sets. The Chargers were applauded in drafting quarterback, Elijah McManus, out of Kentucky in the 5th round. He's seen as a developmental prospect that fits the team's scheme. The team is also happy with their addition of Mendy Morrow. Morrow, a center that has some starting experience in the league in his time with Buffalo, gives the team a quality backup, but also some insurance in case incumbent, Martin Terry, decides to walk after the 2023 season. It is hard to talk about the Chargers offseason without getting a little teary-eyed, for those that have followed the team for years. The Bolts parted ways with tight end Scott Howard. Over the past several years, Howard, at times, had been the only Charger offensive player that opposing teams respected. Not just respected, but in many cases, feared. Howard had been a one-man wrecking crew, piling up eye-catching numbers in receptions and yards, despite frequent double-coverage. The future Hall of Famer was dealt to Seattle in a move that freed cap space, brought back some valuable picks, and allows the team to hand the baton to Damian Mason. Mason, the 6'7" freak of nature, who has been billed by Chargers' management as the "Next (very) Big Thing", spent two years learning from Howard, and brings his size, leaping ability, and excellent hands to the position. The net result of their draft day maneuvers, combined with the Howard and Hill trades, leaves the Chargers with three valuable second round picks in next year's draft, despite missing their third rounder. The team also has several additional late-round picks, including the compensation pick (Hendricks). The Chargers are not a team of tremendous depth, but the feeling is that the offensive line was the biggest thing holding back the offense, and that the addition of Hill, along with the continued development of younger players up front like Barney, Anthony Krause, Justin Way, and Robert Grant, the team's line should be markedly improved. Defensively, the team believes that it filled their two biggest needs with the addition of Rainey and Rivers, and has a bevy of young players on the defense that are all developing together, which should lead to a much better showing.

Earlier today, Cougars head coach TuscanSota decided to bring in former Baylor Bear quarterback Marcus Swartz as a Graduate Assistant for the 2023 season. The head coach spent a large amount of time re-working the Cougars offense to find the best fit for his players - spending his time observing the quarterbacks and wide receivers on the roster. While the team has made improvements through the summer, coach Tuscan felt like more could be done. "I can do all that I can as a coach to make sure the players know the playbook, remain capable to put in the reps and complete the daily drills. For our quarterbacks, I figured that perhaps someone familiar with the position would be able to mentor and coach our current students - that's when I called up Marcus to see what he was up to." - TuscanSota When it came to finding the right assistant for the job, Tuscan thought of no one else but Marcus Swartz. The duo reunited in Waco, where Marcus was working as a barista at Common Grounds and part-time uber driver. Before then, the quarterback tried his hand as an undrafted free agent in the NFLHC. He was not signed onto any team. Common Grounds, a local coffeeshop just off campus at Baylor "Coach just happened to be in town and wanted to catch up. Everything from practice, weekly games, and our playoff run in 2019. Fun times. Coach knew I loved football, and that it was a big part of my life. To be given the opportunity to join the team again, as a coach, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me." - Marcus Swartz Marcus Swartz officially joins the program next week, working closely with quarterbacks coach Will Harsin to help the cougars QBs. He will be working to shape up QB Bradley Hassan, who just finished the 2022 season with over 3,632 yards, 34 TDs, 12 INT, and a 139.3 QBR, for the upcoming season. Swartz will also be coaching backup QB Matthew McMullin, who expects to challenge Hassan for the starting position. Marcus Swartz, 2019 Swartz previously played quarterback at Baylor University, setting records both in school and in the Big 12. The quarterback graduated with over 10,479 total yards, 71TDs, and 26 interceptions. His final year, where the Bears went 5-7, Swartz threw for 2,984 yards, 23TD, 10 INT, and had a passer rating of 151.69. He will look to help a Cougars team which went 6-7 last season, which is now aiming for a conference championship.

Right now the Jets are in big trouble. They've stagnated as a franchise and have been in slow decline ever since their back to back super bowl losses. Things don't look to be getting better anytime soon, either, given their uninspiring draft. Sure, offensive line and cornerback were “needs”, but needs are overrated. The guys they got are uninspiring, so uninspiring I can't even remember their names. They would have been a hundred times better off taking someone like Gavin Faulk, a playmaker who would bring excitement to this roster, but they stayed drab and boring. What's wrong? I blame Erik Wegert. In my zero years experience in organized football, one thing I learned was that the quarterback IS the team. If the team is doing poorly, that's entirely on the quarterback, and if they're doing well, again, it's entirely on the quarterback. So what's Wegert's problem? Why is he causing the Jets to spiral downward single handedly? Because he just doesn't want it enough. Right now, according to reports, Erik Wegert is happy with the Jets organization. He's content with failure. He's okay with his legacy being those two lost super bowls. He just doesn't care. He doesn't want it enough, and honestly, that's the ultimate reason why the Jets are struggling. They have no leaders, nobody who inspires the team or even who cares. Wegert used to be that guy. My sources say he used to wake up every day and punch himself in the face screaming “You're not good enough!”. That's the sign of a leader right there. I remember mediocre analysts claiming the Jets would “wegret” their draft choice, and I know that lit a spark inside Erik. It made him want it, and wanting it is everything. Look at the Warriors. Why do think they're good? Because they have good players? A good coach? No. They want it more. Look at their culture, Kevin Durant just went out and played on a torn achilles because he wanted it so badly. That's inspiring. That's what every sports team should aspire to be, at every level. In the Super Bowl, though, Wegert got too caught up in it. Just by making it he thought he'd proven everyone wrong, and he relaxed. He got complacent. When push came to shove, he didn't want it enough. I watch Wegert very closely in those super bowl games. I watched his eyes. Many times, he saw a guy double covered downfield, and instead of throwing it deep he threw a dump off pass. Wow. This is a guy who is content with a first down. He didn't do anything to take risks or inspire his team. He didn't emit any kind of swagger. He just dumped it off. No wonder they lost. I was hoping, after the second superbowl, he would be reinvigorated. I saw analysts everywhere talk about the Jets' back to back losses and I really believed it would make Wegert great. But instead he didn't listen. He didn't listen to analysts like me who clearly know what makes a football team great. Instead, he quietly went back to work. His play is even more boring now. Hardly any risky throws. How can a team win if their quarterback isn't trying to carry them. Look at Brian Brown. Brian Brown exudes confidence. When Brown wants a win, he goes out there and takes it, he doesn't ask for permission or consent. He does what he wants because he is Brian Brown and he is the greatest. Wegert is small. He stands 6'4, but with his posture he looks 6'1. How can that be a leader? How can that win games? Who would you rather follow into battle, Wegert, or a 6'6 athletic beast like Marcus Black. I know who I would choose. Wegert should take notes from Marcus, whose confidence and desperation to win inspire even me. But he won't. The sad truth is that Eric Wegert is a lost cause. Some people are born with that innate ability to win, it's something you just can't teach, and Wegert doesn't have it. If the Jets were winners, they'd move on. They'd draft a hot young prospect with plenty to prove like Kyle Jefferson, and throw him right in there. But they won't, because the Jets are losers too. “Jambo”. “Hello”, in Swahili. What an uninspiring name. Imagine calling yourself “Hello”, but that's exactly what the Jets owner/GM does. And why Swahili? When has a Swahili ever won a super bowl? And “Gravy”. Wow. Who would be inspired by someone calling themselves Gravy? These just aren't the names of winners. Everything the Jets do shows me, more and more, that they can never be winners. That they will never put it all together. They should have dropped Wegert and moved James Dale into the starting quarterback role. But they didn't and that opportunity is gone now, and with it, their chances to win the superbowl. I bet the Jets go a middling 7-9 this year, and next year they'll probably make the same mistakes, drafting offensive linemen, not making trades for extremely expensive players, they will never risk it all so they will never win it all. Sorry Jets fans, but this is your reality.

East Carolina's Spring Game Questions Answered and Questions to Ask (So) QB Kyler Wilson 25 of 36 attempts, 341 yards, 4 Touchdowns ECU's spring practices came to a close Sunday afternoon after their annual Purple and Gold game. The weekend has turned into a sort of pep rally for the the Pirate faithful. Fans are invited to open practices, concerts, BBQ, various fund raising events for the football and other sports programs for the university. The final event is the Game in which everyone can get an early look at how their Pirates should look the following fall. Almost twenty thousand fans came out to watch the Pirates on the warm Sunday afternoon. Those almost twenty thousands got to witness several stars being born. They may have also witness a few stars going out. It should be no surprise, but the Starting QB for the Gold Team, Kyler Wilson, looked poise and in midseason form. He has clearly been working on his game as his ball placement was very precise, and decision making had little to no rust. The second year quarterback threw for over 300 yards, and four touchdowns. He did this against the first string defense. A defense who stayed after the game and had a huddle with new defensive coordinator, Miles Jackerson. More on that later. Wilson did a good job of spreading the ball around, and just dumping it off to an open receiver. This lead to more production out of the Tight End position, something we saw precious little of last season. All in all, he looked great and we should expect an even better season out of him with some serious weapons around him. If only he could get a little help from his run game.. Sr RB Amir Turner Jr. 12 Attempts for 30 yards One of the biggest problems fans might have noticed during the game, was that Amir Turner Jr, the second year transfer from the JuCo level, continued his struggles. This may not have been as noticeable had the other running backs also struggled. However when you compare their numbers, and their averages, they had a much better outing than Turner. Sam Baldwin was only given 3 carries, but his 3 carries gave him 15 yards and a touchdown. When you compare that to turner's 30 yards on 12 carries, it may say something about their confidence in turner when fall camp rolls around. Further more, Miles Giordano, the starting running back for the Purple Team, had the best outing of every back. 13 attempts for 61 yards. The redshirt Sophmore has thrown his name into consideration for who should start for the pirates this season. However there is a fourth name to consider that was unable to play Sunday due to a minor injury sustained during one of the practices. He is also the only one on the team to have any sort of success rushing. Xavier Stanley, now a senior, was the starting running back during the 2021 season. He rushed for 726 yards, and 9 touchdowns in ten games as a sophomore. His numbers were far better than Turner, who was one of the worst, if not the worst rusher last season in the entire country. FCS included. Giordano has some game experience, but has never started and didn't fair much better with his yard average. Baldwinn was given a redshirt last season and has no active game experience before today. With all this to consider, some big decisions are going to have to be made before they open up against the Wolfpack. "We want to run a balance offense. Last season the coaching staff and I were very upset by the lack of production on the ground. Wilson is an amazing player, but he can't always have to carry the offense. ECU has always been a dominant team on the ground. We need to find our way back to that. If defenses don't know how we are going to attack them, then it makes it harder to gameplan for us. I expect us to look at the film closely, not only from today, but from last season, and the season before. We have a tough choice to make, but we are going to work hard to make sure it is the right one for this team." This was a comment from Coach Weeze following the game on the rushing troubles. Sr WR Jacob Benson 8 Receptions for 105 yards, 1 Touchdown There was a lot of excitement coming into this weekend to get a good look at the Pirates newest weapon, Jacob Benson. Benson, a Senior JuCo Transfer, comes into this season looking to be the number 1 receiver. The first true number one this team may have ever had. He was given a 5* rating and has already generated some buzz as a real threat and weapon for his Quarterback to use. However, as good as he looked today, as tough and as strong as he looked, as fast and as agile, he was not the Star of the first string offense. Redshirt Freshman Will Sorensen came away with 120 yards on two receptions. These hundred yards receiving would have already given him more yards than any other TE last season. Sorensen also showed why The Pirates fought so hard to recruit him two years ago. "We are incredibly proud of his hard work. Will is the ultimate player. He is smart, he is a team player, and he works hard. Last season when he was given the redshirt, he didn't complain. He took that opportunity to build his body. To study the playbook and build team chemistry with Wilson. Today I think we are seeing some of the payoff from that. I expect bigger and better things from this young man. He very well could be the Best receiving Tight End to ever grace this fine universirty. William Bouchard is in New York right now thinking how this kid is gonna break his records. I have that much confidence in him." Another Person we were eager to get a look at was Transfer Jimmy Cardona. He transferred from Oklahoma before the start of the 2022 season. We expected him to start outside, opposite of Leon Burris. However when Benson joined the team, all bets were off and how the receiving corp was going to look was up in the air. For the first time since his freshman season, Leon Burris was not a leading receiver. He had only 3 receptions for 40 yards. The fewest he has had since 2020. With the weapons around Wilson, we are expecting an offensive explosion from the Pirates. The best of Coach Weeze Tenure, which has already seen some very good offenses. The only question left, other than runningback, is how will the final Offensive line look like. A freshman left tackle, a back Center in Jackson Girard playing Left Guard, a Freshman Right Guard, and a senior Right Tackle who played Left Tackle last season. The only starting lineman for the Gold team who was the same as last year is Center Levi Hickey. Easily the best lineman on the whole team. While it looked better than it did last season, it still wasn't up to par of seasons past. (So) DE Theo Guinn 3 Tackles, 1 TFL, 1.0 Sacks. The Starting Defensive unit was on the Purple Team. This is a unit that has a lot of questions coming into this season. But it has a lot of really young talent. The front seven in particular are all possible NFL players in a few seasons. They are just all very very young and haven't had a chance to grow. 4 of the 8 are freshman, with a couple being true freshman, 6 of the 8 are Sophomores or younger..That is a lot of inexperience on that front seven. "We believe in their raw talent. We know they are young, probably one of the youngest in the conference. But they have the raw skill and talent. They just need to learn to trust their instincts, and listen to what we are telling them and we can easily return to defensive dominance in this conference. Statistically, the defense did not put up great numbers. However they also did not have a great offense to help them either. Theo Guinn however did end the day with a sack on Wilson, and Da'Quan Eason manage to chase down an open receiver and break up a beautifully placed pass, preventing a fifth touchdown for Wilson.Joshua Hollis made his presence known, getting involved a lot, coming away with 7 tackles, Mario Redd, a Freshman Inside Linebacker fighting for that starting role ended the day with 4 tackles. Again, you kind of have to take the lack of production, and the amount of yards they allowed with a grain of salt. Their offense were made up of backups, and third string players who won't see a lot of play time, if any this season. The Purple offense only converted three 3rd downs out of 12 attempts. That put the starting defense on the field a lot. Something Coach Weeze said he wasn't mad about. "Honestly it is a good thing. We have so many young players, it gives them a chance to get that playing experience. We play everything as if it was a real game. It gives our QB and receivers a chance to really work on their chemistry, but it also gives our defense a chance to work on their communication, and their own chemistry. We had a few changes to the starting line up because we wanted to see how they worked together. How did they communicate and try to fix errors in the lineup. They did very well with that and we were pleased. Obviously i would have liked them to have create turn overs, and get after the QB..but at the same time im proud my starting offense didn't allow them to do that. We worked hard this off season to try and cut down sacks allowed and it was nice to see that pay off here today. Hopefully we can keep that going forward." All in all it was a great day for the starting offense. They showed off various weapons, and gave their fans an idea of some things to look for, and some changes that will probably take place. The players, fans and coaches are all ready for the season opener against Nc State in a few weeks. Untill then.. Go Pirates!

It's good to be the king. Hello Auburn Family, The Athletic Department is excited to announce that season ticket packages will go on sale immediately after the spring game finishes. We have a lineup of important home games this year and we'll need the strongest home field advantage we can muster. Buying a season ticket package will provide you with tickets to: LSU, Week 3 Come out to support your beloved Tigers against a strong rival, the Tigers of LSU. We kickoff our conference slate early and with style and your attendance is crucial. LSU has only managed 7 points in two games against Auburn during Coach Rome's second tenure, so they will be hungry to prove themselves when they make the trip to the plains. Come to the game and help us remind our Louisiana friends who the real top cats are. Oklahoma, Week 5 - Orange Throwback Night After a quick trip to Nebraska, Auburn will return home Week 5 to host the reigning Big 12 Champions. The final game of Coach Rome's "Colorado Revenge Tour", the Sooners will still have a bad taste in their mouth after losing in the national semi-finals last season. While this "what could of been" game won't feature some of the stars from last season, it will be a slobberknocker of a game regardless. We are also excited to announce that the Oklahoma game will see the Tigers wearing orange jerseys. While the orange jerseys may have a bad history for older fans, Coach Rome was adamant on their inclusion going forward. "My favorite color is orange and the players like them," Coach Rome stated during a local radio appearance. We ask Auburn fans attending the Oklahoma game to wear orange to match the players. Texas A&M, Week 7 Heisman contender Nathan Singletary will lead his team into Auburn, seeking their first win over the Tigers since 2015. The Aggies gave the Tigers their only test in the playoffs last season and return a lot of starters on the offense. This game looks to be a shootout that you won't want to miss. Western Michigan, Week 8 - Homecoming The Mustangs will ride in Auburn mid-season with a lot to prove. Lead by the heavily sought after JuCo transfer Keith Jackson and Heisman hopeful DeSean Madison, these G5 giants will have a national audience to catapult themselves into the national title picture. The WMU game will also be homecoming weekend and a popular recruit visit night, so make sure to come and show your support for our program! Kentucky, Week 10 For the first time in CFBHC history, the Auburn Tigers will play the Kentucky Wildcats. Coach Rome has had some history with Kentucky during his tenure at Cincinnati. Come see history when these two teams finally clash. Arkansas, Week 13 - Senior Night Auburn's last home game, and senior night, will be against Arkansas during Week 13. Come say goodbye to a class that helped make Auburn history. With your purchase of a season ticket package, you will also be entered into a raffle for Auburn tickets to: Oregon in Denver, Colorado during Week 0 or Week 1; Auburn at Nebraska, Week 4; Auburn at Mississippi State, Week 9; Auburn at Georgia, Week 14; Auburn at Alabama, Week 16; as well as any potential SEC title game, bowl game, or playoff tickets. And make sure to come see the Tigers spring game where Auburn will debut a new offense under recently promoted OC Lenny Cartwright.

Definitely throwing on the Cards.

Gg Slinky

Are you sure they didn't score 156 points? 26 TDs on 23 attempts is a pretty solid average.

WINTER IS OVER - Football is Back Welcome to Pounding the Rockies! Here, we talk about all of the latest news involving the Mountain Best! We are excited for the exciting "amateur" game of collegiate football to return. We have had 6 teams announce dates for the spring game, 5 with depth charts, and one team release depth charts but no date ! Today, we will be taking a dive into those teams that decided to both schedule a game, and release a depth chart. So, without further ado, let's dive in! Sun. June 16th New Mexico Logos The Advertisements, led by coach @DarthJarJar lack some depth this year. Turns out, they forgot to thaw out their reserves, and will be slightly shorthanded with only 8 QB's. That said, the show must go on, so instead of fielding two full teams, they will field one offensive and one defensive team. This should make for one of the more interesting Spring games across CFBHC. We know the Silver Defensive team will be looking to pop the Offenses Cherry, specifically new QB Dillon Tucker. Last season, Riley Head let the Lobos primarily acting as a game manager for a run heavy offense. So the weird talking coach brought in a JuCo player out of Arizona to compete for the starting job. Boy has he impressed in early practices. He will start taking snaps in the Spring Game, but I don't believe that this entire competition is closed yet. If he struggles, watch it JarJar replaces him with an efficient checkdown passer in Head. (Plus, who doesn't love head?) We were all surprised to see Colbert trot out to start at RB, given the job is already his following an impressive 2022 season. I expected the backups Michaels and Bearden to compete for the 3rd down back role, or Thayer to get some practice before an obvious redshirt. The most interesting battle for the Cherry team will be the one in the trenches. JarJar is clearly interested in bringing started back from last year on the Oline, but may waste Hinojosa's last year of eligibility as a backup center. Don't be surprised if he gives Nicolas a shot a RG on a few possessions to see how it works. If the sith lord is impressed by Mesa, he could slide out to RT to beef up the weakest link in their front 5. Flipping on over to the Silver team, we expect to see quite a few battles on display. Without much depth at DT, we could see a 3-4 scheme take place, taking advantage of a weak offensive line by asking only 3 men to get pressure. This could backfire against a run-heavy offense if they can get a blocker or two to the second level agaisnt Dean Fagan, the clear heart of the defense. We expect the DB's to be high quality once again this year with Beasley and McLeod locking down recievers. The most interesting battle in the back end will be for playing time at SS.Freeman held the job last year, and often performed well. However, Zack Condon Jr. wore a redshirt last year, and will be itching to get on the field after learning a lot from the now senior. Expect them both to get plenty of reps in the Spring game as Coach Binks attempts to name a starter. If both perform well, Jaiden Triplett could well be out of a starting job. Their special teams is not special. Chair Force Falcons Last season we saw the Falcons get off to a quick start. Then, as in Cards Against Humanity, somebody put a box on their head. They faltered down the stretch. Still, coming into week 16 they had a chance at the CCG game, only to be underwhelming on both sides of the ball. So, Coach @stinsy has decided to trot out his firsts against his firsts. This sets up a position battle at the most important position. QB Ted Blake is in the cockpit of the Silver team offense. Most expected last year's starter, Shane Woodall to start with the first stringers. When asked about this, Stinsy drunkenly replied, "CAN'T SHAKE BLAKE!!! I'mma give Woodall the shaft!". So, there you have it, barring an extremely poor performance from Blake, Woodall will be riding the pines after a completely average season. There isn't much controversy for most of the offense as there is a clear top level of players, however true freshman Tran Nguyen will be filling the WR2 slot, so you better believe eyes are on him to outperform both Schuler and Humphrey on the second team. Otherwise, he may have to redshirt and sit next to a dejected Woodall. On the defensive side of the ball, there is more potential drama. Based on depth charts, it appears that they will utilize a 3-4 scheme, so Noah Prince and Frederick Stone will be competing for the lone starting spot at DT. Stone is a redshirt freshmen who coaches love for his potential. However, he's had a habit of making mental errors in practices so far. Their DC has told me that Prince has a lower ceiling, but a higher floor. So if they are just looking to stop bleeding in the center, Prince may be their guy. Given the requirements of a 3-4 defense on OLB's, both Jabari Heckle and Joel Decker should see some playing time. But as of now, they are fighting for the starting spot. While Heckle started last year, Decker has grown a lot. By starting him now, he could be a clear captain and soul of the defense when he's a senior in two years. Overall, the Chair Force has pretty clear first and second stringers, so expect their to be a large push from stingy to win this year. Their special teams is not special. Colorado State Hardheads Their depth charts appear to be a mix of starters and backups, one that's ripe for position battles. Or, @Ahven D'Gale just wants to see how close to their mascot the thickskulls can actually get! Speaking of thickskulls, Coach D'Gale was heard in his last presser saying that he thought the offense worked last year and would improve despite losing Brady. David Barrow, the shoe-in QB for this year will be leading the Gold team while the true freshman David Kearns will get the start for the Green team. When asked how excited he was, he counted on his fingers to realize that unless Barrow was going to start for both, coach didn't have an option. Coach D'Gale did not look pleased that I had informed Kearns of this. That said, Dickens will be challenging a three way clog of Tanner, Dickerson, and Lott for the starting RB spot. There has been no indication as to who the front runner is, but we do expect to see some form of a committee backfield this year. Who know, maybe all four will get one carry a game! One important thing to note is that Thomas Knight, traditionally a guard, will start at center for the Green and guard for the Gold. When asked if he was excited to play for both, he simply screamed and rammed into a cement pillar. CTE is an amazing thing people. On the defensive side, we can see a talented, yet shallow LB core. Coach has been carefully practicing for both a 4-3 and a 3-4 defense saying that an injury could derail a gameplan. If they do use a 4-3, then it will be interestin to see if Milo Jewell or Amir Calhoun takes the lone MLB spot. Both will get to man the center of the Green and Gold defenses, respectively. The theme of defensive depth chart building appears to be scheme. The CB's are split up between those known for their Man and Zone coverage abilities. I would expect the coach to ask both defenses to play both, but lean heavily toward their preferred style. This will allow them to test how the help will come from the safeties over top. Their special teams is not special. Hawaii PRIDE Warriors @GigemAgs Announced their First Summer game to take place in the middle of his team's month. The Rainbow Warriors can see their colors flying all across the nation, symbolizing the widespread belief that they were snubbed from the playoffs, held exclusively by the uninformed public. It appears that the depth charts were drafted to dull the first stringers against other first stringers. With any luck, all of them will recieve a -.5 progression following the game. That said, the WR1 will actually be Mataio Tupu, apparently Giggity decided that he was the serious leader that this core needed. When I asked about who would be number 2, he just laughed, so that's anyone's guess. However, Mag did inform me that their number 2 would be an absolute burner. There are three true freshmen bound for redshirts starting on the second string offensive line, so watching how they mesh could be indicative of years to come. One player to keep an eye on in the trenches will be Jackson Worley. If he dominates the second string DL early, then he might switch to center to shore up their one weak link on O-line this year. If he can't move Riley McCauley, it could be an entire season on the bench. Moving on to defense, not defensive tackles were listed, merely a nose tackle. So, we can expect to see a 3-4 this coming weekend. Because of that, Odell Wilson and Jack Vega will be competing for the starting slot. The staff has informed me that Wilson will get the start, as he has shown a few more flashes of brilliance in practice. For those looking at the future, the backup defense is the one to watch, with true freshmen starting at almost every position. It truly is a look at the future here. But almost all of them will be seeing red this coming fall! One key battle to look for will be for the second and third CB spots. Brian Bonds, who dominated QB's last year is slotted in as the number one. But there will be fighting and jostling among the Sr Omari Driver-Hannah, the SO Rakeem Murphey, and the true Fr Terrence Walker. When i approached Walker after last practice and asked about the battle, all he had was this to say, "Ha! I've got at least CB3 locked up. I'mma make Rak my bitch. Then, cause I'mma gentleman, I'll Walker home!" it's always good to see your players with confidence. Overall, this is a talented team with a bright future. Either some of the MWC is going to have to learn how to 'croot a little better, or these Warriors will treat the rest of the conference the way Terrence treats Rakeem. Their special teams is not special. Fri. June 21st Boise State Mules Since @Azul came in to coach a little late last season, he said that he figured he'd continue to do that and make it his signature. So, he scheduled Boise's Spring game for the 21st, and it's the one that we in the Mountain Best are most excited for. Because, what's better in a Spring game than a good quarterback battle? Last year, we saw an offense led by the Cannon's. Ian throwing and Devon running. This year, it's going to be a battle of the Ian's for QB. Ian Hanson of the Blue team believes that he can spur massive improvement on the offensive side of the ball. Ian Cannon says it's still his job. Ian Rowland somehow snuck into the interview room, and insisted he also be mentioned as a potential starter. We don't believe he is, but like a pestering little brother, he insisted we suggest it. No matter what Cannon says, Hansen has been given the better weapons and the start for what appears to be the team of first stringers. There could be a battle shaping up at center between Sr's Jonathan Wyatt and Aiden Urlacher. Both want to start in what ought to be a redemption season for the Horses! We also see two potential starters playing right tackle in Cole Casey and August Spence. Don't be surprised if Azul slides them in between teams and tackle positions to try and find the best offensive line for his talented stable of a backfield. Flipping sides of the ball, we see Julian Marion and Jon Snell fighting for that starting DE spot. Expect them both to get playing time throughout the season based on the situation and opposing team's strength. Dropping to LB's we see a distinct lack of depth. Most of the spring game with them will be to find who to plug and play in case of an injury! We do expect Sewell and/or Bullard to pull a redshirt. Finally, expect to see FS's McNeill and Lindsey to play a bit of CB in this game. There is not much depth or talent there, so if Cabana can pull those guys down without too many mistakes, we fully expect him to. Their special teams is not special. Fresno State Chiuauas These fearsome(?) dogs have absolutely refused to release a Depth Chart. In following Jim Harbaugh at Xichigan, they don't want to give their opponents any hints before the game. @Hchou17 has not provided any indication that he knows his team will be competeing against itself. Of course, if Fresca decides to release depth charts or any other teams announce Late Winter Games, we will be there to let you know what to watch for! If you, dear readers, have any hot, cold, or lukewarm takes to add, feel free to comment below*. We're not gonna pay you, but if you feel so inclined as to offer your time for free, it WILL go underappreciated!! As always, we wish you the *This requires the view of a bored audience. We do not appreciate or accept any takes with any background in reality or statistics.

@llamas, on behalf of all of us at the FCbeSt, welcome to the BEST conference in the world. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I appreciate your heartfelt application (and your PMs) and want to let you know that we are all here for you regardless. If you ever need any help (and if anyone else here does), we have your back(s). You know the drill for requesting access, etc. Now get planning, coach. You're going to have a helluva time taking the Dakota Marker from me.

Can I get 7 others who are interested sign up for this tournament? I will post the rules, give you a starting roster of 8 players and will tell you what you need to do. Anyone playing in this will get the same school that they have in CFBHC.

Today I am drunkenly announcing my firing as head coach of the team. After a disastrous training camp in which I injured almost the whole team after forcing them to lift weights for hours on end, I have decided to bring a new head coach on board. I am pleased to announce @Kremit as the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He has been immensely successful in college ( I have a very nice 0-2 record against him) and I am excited to see how he leads the Chirpy Birds on the field. I look forward to having more time to enjoy life as an owner, which may or may not include filling a swimming pool with PBR and hanging out with Greg Bierra. I will open the floor to any questions that you may have for @Kremit or myself.

First of all I would like to thank @cultur3 for firing @cultur3 and allowing @cultur3 to hire me. I look forward to taking what I've learned during my college career where I shaped young minds and applying it to the NFL where everyone is richer than God and for some reason gets injured a whole lot more frequently. If you have any questions about my previous career as famous Muppit Kremit the Forg or about my plans for this team please do not hesitate to fax them over to me.

Bears starting OT Brian Chavez had an extremely successful training camp and the following changes apply to his player line: OT Brian Chavez 6-1 299 1 Baylor [Pass Blocking] [0] 86 Please use this line going forward.

Quarterback VS QB Martin Hudson 6-3 201 Jr South Grand Prarie (TX) 4.0 of 4.0 [Pocket] QB Benjamin Yates 6-4 229 (So) Shelton (Dallas TX) 3.0 of 4.5 [Pocket] Big shoes to fill for the next Rice quarterback. Now in a post-McLean world, the Owls are looking between JR Martin Hudson and (SO) Benjamin Yates. Hudson has been more impressive so far in practice and looks to be more ready to start right now but there's belief that Yates has the bigger arm and the bigger potential. Hudson is currently the favorite but Yates can become the starter if he outperforms Hudson. Hudson will have Deontray Clay joining him on the Blue Team, though. Running Back VS VS RB Alex Terry 5-10 210 (Fr) Floydada (Floydada TX) 3.0 of 5.0 [Power] RB Darrelle Armstrong 5-7 200 (So) Robert E. Lee (Baytown TX) 3.0 of 4.5 [Power] RB Jasiah Braxton 5-10 233 (Sr) Empire (Duncan, OK) 4.0 of 4.0 [Power] One of the top RB recruits in the 2021 class, Alex Terry is the strong favorite to become the starting running back after redshirting his first season on campus. He has almost guaranteed his spot after a great offseason. However, the position battle here is determing how much of the load will Alex Terry carry. Darrelle Armstrong and Jasiah Braxton are looking to carve out their piece of the pie. Jasiah Braxton was the starting RB last season but failed to impress. Braxton had 807 yards, 9 TD, 4.25 YPC. Much higher efficiency was expected from Braxton in an offense focused around Eric McLean. With his 233 pound frame, Braxton is pushing to become the short yardage RB for the Owls. Darrelle Armstrong was Braxton's backup last season and saw limited action. Armstrong needs to impress in the spring game to potentially become the 3rd down RB. In the Owls offense, this pie might not be big enough to be cut three ways. Defensive End VS DE Mario Staton 6-0 262 (Sr) Bridge City (City, TX) 3.5 of 3.5 [Contain] DE DaJuan Banks 6-3 258 Fr New Deal (New Deal TX) 3.0 of 4.5 [Blitz] Mario Staton is the Rice career sack leader with 15.0 sacks and is a three year starter. His job is now on the line against a true freshman in DaJuan Banks. The right DE position belongs to Brandon Dawkins, coming off a 13 TFL and 13.0 sack season. Staton and Banks will be battling for the left DE position. Banks' athleticism and ability to rush the QB makes him an intriguing player to line up across from Dawkins but Staton's consistency and ability to stop the run may provide a more balanced defense. Currently, Staton is the favorite to keep the job, allowing Banks to redshirt. Any hint of Banks in the spring game could change that.

The first and only thing to come to my mind is the infamous homoerotic interview, from the sites most infamous homophobe. Touchdown.

You never know how a team will react after a devastating loss, especially one to end a season. How will the leaders on the team react going forward? How will the young players step up and fill roles held by seniors who had become household names? Who will lead the narrative in the next season? The TCU Horned Frogs, after their loss to Auburn in the national championship, entered spring practice with all of these questions and more. Who would replace Tyson Chadwick? Elliot McElmore? Roman Blackmon? Ok, maybe his replacement is a little easier to guess, but the point is clear - TCU lost 8 players to the draft, most of whom played on the defensive side of the ball. Once spring started, the players, seemingly across the board, took a very serious, no nonsense approach to work. There was a majorly prevailing attitude that this next year will be different. No repeat of the loss to Purdue, no loss to Oklahoma, no loss to Auburn. Nobody is getting in the way. Being on the sideline for a few of these practices, I can tell you they felt tangibly different. It felt more like a practice at the end of fall camp than one at the beginning of spring. The mantra “Get Ahead or Get Out” was adopted by the team and the results were obvious - the young players bought in to this idea in incredible fashion. Players emerged at unexpected positions, young stars seem on the edge of glory, and there may be a few battles that weren’t really considered going into the spring. Let’s get into some of the notes from practice: It looks like Felix Luck may be in yet another battle for his job. Just two years after ultimately winning the job from Sam Milner, Luck is facing a lot of pressure from young star Taylor Cook. Cook has shown an incredible amount of improvement over the offseason and has a legitimate chance to take over. Today, he showed great accuracy and chemistry with WR Julio Robledo, who we’ll cover later, hitting him for a 60 yard touchdown over freshman Terrell Mosely. One position where we’ll definitely see a new face is at RB. To replace Martin Gifford, who decided to declare for the NFL, coach DangerZoneh moved Griffin McHanna, the versatile WR and return man, into the backfield. At this moment, he and sophomore Matteo Cates seem to be splitting carries. The spring game will be a great way to feature them. McHanna has particularly been shown to be a receiving threat out of the backfield, so we may see some two back sets. Both of the players bring a lot to the table and are more exciting than anyone at the position since Bradley Cooley WR is… well, WR is an absolute mess. It’s an incredible mess to have, though. This group of players is so strong and so deep it’s hard to separate any of them. Finn Nielsen has continued his role as #1 WR and leader on the field and that should continue. Both FT Grady and Rodrigo Marroquin have shown incredible flashes and the escalating trash talking between the two of them has definitely upped the intensity. The biggest name you need to know at this position, though, is Julio Robledo. He came in as one of the top ranked WRs in the country and the best at that position that TCU has had since Jamel Beckham. It sounds crazy to say, but the coaches who have been here for a while have been saying that at this point in Robledo’s career, he’s as good as or better than Jamel was. And from seeing him practice - I can’t disagree. It’s unlikely that he’ll take the #1 role from Nielsen this year, but watch out for him to make a major impact on the field in the season. At TE, Miguel Aguilera is a god. He’s the strongest offensive weapon on the field and has only gotten better. Brett Stanton will be a solid blocker but there’s not a ton to say there. Miguel is so damn good, there’s not another player on the field who can keep up with him. Rounding out the offense, the OL is certainly the team’s biggest concern. It appears that Hayden Breaux will be moving from right tackle to left tackle to fill in the void left by Tyson Chadwick. Frank Billings is taking over at right tackle and the coaches are saying that he’s been playing better than expected at the position, but still has a little ways to go before being a plus. Ryan Small is impressive for a freshman, but the coaches want to keep his red shirt on him to help him develop, so he likely won’t see much playing time until next year. Both Antonio Logan and Connor Bishop had incredible offseasons at the guard position. Josh Carlisle will likely remain the starter on the left side while Logan starts on the right, but don’t be surprised to see a few situations where Bishop enters the game. Finally at center, it’ll still be the junior James Kaplan as it has been for the past couple years. He’s been a consistent player but has been taking over the role of a leader over the past few practices, given how obvious the lack of Chadwick was early on. Carlisle got in the face of Kwon Shaw after a few plays and the coaches responded to this by calling the same ISO run up the middle, right behind Carlisle and through Shaw. It was an interesting set of plays that basically turned into a one on one battle between the two of them. Granted, a battle that Shaw clearly won, but one that Carlisle walked away from with his head held high. DE was the big question on everyone’s mind, wasn’t it? Aidan and Aidan gone and the replacements are two redshirt freshmen. It’s reminiscent of the first time Aidan and Aidan started together, as redshirt freshmen, all the way back in 2019. The bad news is that Jefferson Cruz and Clinton Stanton are still young and inexperienced and will likely be the biggest weakness on the defense. The good news? Biggest weakness on this defense can still be a high bar and Cruz and Stanton have shown some excellent improvement, even more than the coaches were anticipating for them. There’s still a lot they need to do before they’ll have an impact, but their development is on the right track. Plus, if there’s any saving grace for them, it’s… ...the fact that they’re playing alongside arguably two of the best DTs in the country. Kwon Shaw is a bonafide star, but we’ve known that for a while. Hooker Jackson, who signed alongside Shaw a couple years ago, seems to be just the same. He’s progressed incredibly strongly, and after a year of sitting behind Jasiah Pickens, it’s his time to shine. These two are really going to draw a lot of offensive attention inside and allow the DEs and OLBs to have some good opportunities. This is one of the strongest parts of the TCU defense and they’re going to make a lot of fans happy. Speaking of the OLBs, we’re still waiting to see how Blake Burns fits into this team. He’s run into some issues with his transfer, so he likely won’t be eligible to practice until the end of the week. There’s a good chance we see him in the spring game, so that will be an exciting feature for both coaches and fans alike. Richard Farrell seems to have taken a step forward to fill the role left by Chance Herring, but there’s still a lot to see there. Moving inside with the linebackers, you find one of the more disappointing players from this spring - Lardarius Pendelton. Right now, he’s still poised to take the starting role at ILB, but he has not progressed in the way the coaches have expected. It’s a tough job to follow up such a long term leader like McElmore, but Pendelton doesn’t seem to have taken the mentality up enough yet. Guillermo Luna has been improving as well, but we likely won’t see him on the field for a couple years, given he tends to play more of a Will ILB than a Mike. When William Cooper first came to TCU, he was one of the best recruits the school had ever gotten, especially given his playing level at the time. A knee injury sidelined his freshman year, so on top of that he got a full redshirt year. That’s why it’s astounding that he’ll likely spend four years playing CB2. He’ll likely leave as the all time INT leader for the school, only to be topped a year or so later. Note that this not a slight onto him at all - he just ran into two of the best at the position to ever play for TCU. If it wasn’t obvious, Patrick Ross has definitely jumped Cooper on the depth chart and is firmly in place as the leader of the secondary. His confidence and cockiness is incredible to watch. He led the team in interceptions last year as a true freshman nickel CB and has shown no signs of slowing down from that hot start. He commands the respect of players both younger and older and has carried the edge of this offseason more than any other player. If there’s any reason to come to see the spring game, it’s to see him square off against Robledo. As for the young bucks, Devon Green, Lucius Broughton, and Terrell Mosely have all been fun to watch against the young WRs in Jamaar Wallace and Landon Gladstone. Remember those names, because two years from now, they’ll be running all over the field. Safety is going to be a stronger position now than it was last year. Dwayne Harvey is good, not great, but will be able to fill the role for the foreseeable future. Ian Worely may have struggled a bit in his debut season but has been making a lot of plays in the spring. It looks like he’s finally settled into his role after a trial by fire season like no other. Harvey will likely experience something similar this year. Finally, what we’re all waiting for - special teams. Ian Todd is finally starting at kicker after fans have been clamouring for it for years. Evan Coon is still the punter. Griffin McHanna is still the returner. All three of those facts are very good things for the Frogs. Look out for the next post! It’ll be all about the spring game. Coach DangerZoneh looks to bring a little spice and excitement to the game, especially after such a serious spring. It’ll be just what the players need and more details will be coming in the next couple of days!

(This is the very first gameplan I ran with ND for 2013) Week 1 Offensive Gameplan Play-calling: Conservative vs Risky - Conservative play-calling is the steady way to move the football, you will have less explosive plays but also less turnovers while risky play-calling will give you more of both. Scheme: One-back, two-back, balanced. overload - Overload focuses on having more receivers towards one side of the field and works well with target men, balanced uses the whole field, two-back is the traditional I-formation, one-back focuses on the quarterback to make plays. Play proportion: Mostly pass vs Balanced vs Mostly Run Passing: Short vs Long - Focus on either dump passes or long bombs. Rushing: Inside vs Outside - Match your RB skill with your play-calling. Power backs will do better rushing inside while speed backs will do better following blockers towards the outside. Redzone: Go for TD vs Go for Points - Going for TD entails that on a 4th and 1 on the opponents 1 you will attempt to go for the 6 points while going for points simply means you will go for the FG. FG Range: 30, 40, 50, 60 - What is the longest FG that should be attempted. Defensive Gameplan Coverage: Man vs Zone - Relatively self-explanatory Scheme: 4-3 vs 3-4 - This should all be based off of where your skill players are and how many of them you have. Set: Play the pass vs balanced vs play the run - Each set will give it's benefits depending on which offense it faces. Aggresiveness: Aggressive vs Conservative - Aggressive defensive play will result in a higher chance of turnovers but also in a higher chance of penalties while conservative defensive play reduces both.

Thursday, June 13, 2019 72° Spring Game Primer Coming off a school record 11 wins, along with a record #11 ranking in the final poll, The Rainbow Warriors have established a winning culture out west in Honolulu. This will be crucial as a few new faces within the program are expected to step and contribute in immediately. In this article, we'll breakdown several important battles that'll be key to the 2023 Warriors run. This 2023 squad has a chance to improve upon the foundation laid in 2023. Only 5 contributors graduate from last years team (FB, LT, WR3, RDE, K) and 2 of them are replaced with better players than their predecessor at WR, DE and K. Let's take a look at the offensive and defensive units, breaking down some important battles along the way. Rainbow Warrior Offense There are no question marks as to who will lead the Warriors offense in 2023, (SR) QB JT Youngblood. The biggest question on this side of the ball is how the weapons around him will shake out. Coming off 2 consecutive 1,000 yard /15+ TD years, 4.5/4.5 (JR) [Power] Chris Fraser has a new lightning to his thunder ready to help. Speedy 5-8 196 (FR) 3/4 Miles Logan enters the picture who will likely take over as the 3rd down back to give JT another option. Logan, a Honolulu native, redshirted last season which allowed him to progress 1.5 skill points. The spring game will be critical for Logan to prove he is ready to contribute. The RB room should be improved with another horse in the stable. At WR is where things start getting fun for Youngblood this season. 4.5/4.5 [Speed] (JR) Lahahana Mulinu'u and 4/4 [Speed] (SR) Micah Kaufman both return after combining for 1,545/15 in 2022. Losing 3/3 SR Bryce Spencer will hurt but JUCO (SR) 4/4 [Target] Mataio Tupu and (FR) 2.5/4.5 [Speed] Wesley Davis are ready to fill Spencer's shoes. Overall, the WR group is going to allow Youngblood to do his thing and spread the ball around if Tupu and Davis can emerge a quality targets. OL should again be a strength for the Warriors. SR 4/4 LT Constantine Yeager has graduated but last years RT and now 4/4 Mason Lamb will slide over to the other side to provide a bookend. Moving into his spot will be (FR) 2/4 Levi Nolan. The RG position will go to (SO) 4.5/4.5 Jerraud Weathers with (SO) 3.5/4.5 Kieran Edmondson battling (JR) 4/4 Jackson Worley for duties on the left side of the line. C position will likely go to (FR) 2.5/4.5 Riley McCauley and overtake SR 3/3 Francesco Combs. Losing Yeager's leadership will be tough but McCauley should be a better center and Nolan a chance to shine as a (FR). Rainbow Warrior Defense The DL will lose SR 3/3 DE Marcus McCoy-Steward graduating but now has a JUCO replacement incoming with SR DE 4/4 Kiliona Lopamaua who will be crucial in setting the edge if this Rainbow Warriors team wants to take the next level. Next to him will be NT 6-7 320 3/4 SO Odell Wilson. The other DE position is currently a position battle between SR 3.5/3.5 Charles Reid and 2/4 FR Carlos Martinez. It's likely that Reid takes the job with his experience and allows Martinez to get a RS year in. 1/4.5 NT Hikialani Wai will RS to get a year to polish up. No battles of note in the LB squad, the lineup returns all 4 starters and will be a strength on the team. The incoming FR 1/5 [Mike] Solomon Hamrick and 1/4 [Mike] Luther Edwards will get to RS behind the older guys. The unit will look like the following: 3/3.5 [Blitz] OLB Mohammed Gregory - 4.5/4.5 [Will] ILB Ivan Bentley - 3/4 [Mike] ILB Shawn Mason - 4/4 [Blitz] OLB Leon Hickman The secondary as doesn't have a ton of new faces to report. (JR) 5/5 CB Brian Bonds will continue to be the staple with (SR) 4/4 Omari Driver-Hannah behind him. One of the coaching staff's favorite recruit of this past cycle FR CB 3/4.5 Terrence Walker will step in as the nickelback with eyes as the CB1 of the future. FR FS 1/5 Abdul McNeil will get a RS year while SR 4/4 Kahoku Alapa plays his final season in Honolulu. SS (JR) 4/4.5 Tristan Cox returns to solidify the Rainbow Warriors backend.

v1.1 6/9/2019 The NCAA Transfer Portal: Overview Second Post: Additions Third Post: Weekly Transfer and Promise Values Fourth Post: TBD The transfer process has been revamped to provide more interaction. All teams will have a set amount of weekly Transfer Points (XP) to use over the course of the transfer period (currently planned for 3 weeks total), all in order to convince transferring players to stay or convince players to transfer to them. Who is eligible to enter the portal? Any player with a potential of 3.0 or higher and who is not a true freshman is eligible. What factors go into a player deciding to enter the portal? As of right now, playing time is the only consideration for entering the portal. Other factors may come into play at a later date. The Transfer Process There will be two phases to the transfer process. The first phase begins after all CFBHC depth charts are done; players may choose to enter the transfer portal at that time. -Phase 1: Coaches will be given ONE chance to convince players to withdraw their names from consideration. Coaches will be given a probability level to convince a player; they can increase their chances by spending XP and making promises to the player. XP spent during this phase will be deducted from Phase 2's Week 1 allotment of points. If a coach is successful in convincing a player to stay, they will withdraw their name from the portal. If points are not spent to convince a player to stay, that player WILL leave regardless of their probability level. Can other coaches see how much XP I used, who I tried to convince, or what promises I made? No. -Phase 2: This is a two-week process similar to JuCo. Any players still in the portal may be bid on except for redshirt seniors, who can only go to FCS schools. However, players may have considerations listed that affect the decision process. The higher the consideration, the more it can influence a school's recruitment of them - both good and bad. (e.g. a 1.0 prestige school probably shouldn't try recruiting a player that values Team Prestige highly). Just like Phase 1, coaches spend points and can make promises to further influence the player. After Week 1, any team leading on a player by more than 10 points signs that player. After Week 2, the required lead to sign a player is more than 5 points if he has more than one bid. If a player has bids and is still undecided after this week, his destination is determined via weighted coin flip. Any player with only one team bidding on them will sign with that team. Are there any restrictions on who I can bid on? You may not bid on your own players in Phase 2. Can other coaches see how much XP I used or what promises I made? No. I have more than three transfer signings! What happens? Among the group of signees that caused you to exceed your limit, the signee with the lowest number of points you spent on him is dropped from your class as though you never bid on him. This repeats until you reach your limit of three signees. Players with the same number of points are chosen randomly to be dropped. Can I drop a transfer signee to sign a better player? No. What happens if a player enters the portal and is not recruited at all? They will do one of the following; return to their original school, attend JuCo (unlikely unless the player has pro potential), or move on to an AI-controlled school. This last option is to prevent long-time AI schools from being completely devoid of talent. Promises Coaches can promise players that certain goals will be met for the upcoming season. Each Promise costs 2 XP to make and provides a bonus to the team's ability to convince a player. Promises are grouped and may have Low/Medium/High components to them. For each player, only one component may be chosen from each group. Example: A team could promise a specific player that they will win 6 (Low), 8 (Medium), or 10 (High) games next season. They cannot promise the player that they will win 6 AND 8 games next season. While a team can make as many promises as they want, they must make all their promises to a player at one time - they cannot make promises to the same player in both weeks of Phase 2. Promises are also modified by the averaged coach and team prestige scores; higher prestige teams making lower-level Promises will not gain as many points as a lower prestige team; it's a bigger deal for Liberty to make six wins than Auburn. Important: Promises are tracked; failure to keep your promises can result in penalties such as players wanting to transfer away from the school, losing future XP, and/or hits to Coaching Prestige among others. Miscellany Transfers do not affect recruiting class size. This may change in the future. There are currently no limits on the number of players that could enter the portal from a single school. There is a limit of three transfer players that can sign with a school. Other Hardship Waivers: In VERY rare circumstances a Hardship Waiver may be granted to bypass the one-year waiting period for transferring players. These waivers would ONLY be used for a player who is leaving a program because of broken promises or other circumstances deemed dire by the NCAA. -Intent: To discourage someone from signing players with certain expectations (for example, to start) and hold them "hostage" using their declining lack of eligibility.

Coach Ape conferring with his assistants preparing for the Spring Game Benjamin Lockwood at the US Army All- American Game Howdy Y’all The sights and sounds of spring are cropping up around us and that includes Longhorns football. The athletic department here in Austin is happy to announce that season ticket packages are available to purchase and include a ticket to our Spring Game where top prospect Benjamin Lockwood will be starting for the White squad. Our boys really need your support this year as we make a push for another bowl game. Season ticket packages include the following: Spring Game- Burnt Orange v White Squads Come see all the new recruits at the Spring Game. Headlined by Sam Milner and Benjamin Lockwood this is a great opportunity to bring the whole family. Each season ticket holder can get up to 4 additional tickets for the spring game for just $5 each. Each season ticket holder also will receive a voucher for a hot dog and soda at the spring game TCU, Week 3 (Home Opener) The first regular season match up this season features in-state rivals TCU coming to Austin. Sam Milner will be on the lookout to prove his former coach wrong by leading the Longhorns to victory on the field. Pre-game festivities include a concert by up and coming star and Texan, Parker McCollum. Kansas, Week 7 (White Out) The Jayhawks will be coming to town in week 7 for our White Out game. Fans are encouraged to come in their white Longhorns gear to help create an atmosphere that no one else can replicate. Bring the kids out for this one as we will have a skills camp and fun fair set up pre-game for all kids under 13. Liberty, Week 8 (Homecoming) Culminating the homecoming week festivities this year is our game against the Liberty Flames. This is sure to be an interesting one as the Flames are one of the most infamous teams in all of CFBHC. Come and join us for that special time of year. Special alumni and homecoming gear will be available only to season ticket holders. Texas Tech, Week 11 (Orange Out) The Red Raiders roll into town week 11. This is going to be a hotly contested match up with both teams experiencing a lot of backfield change over this year. We’ve declared this game an Orange Out! And special for our season ticket holders will be an orange out towel delivered with each season ticket. Oklahoma State, Week 14 (Black Out) Armal and the Cowboys will visit in Week 14 as our boys will keep their push towards bowl season. We’re going to show that Longhorn unity and make this a black out game. Come in your favorite black spirit wear and let’s support our boys. Texas A&M, Week 16 (Senior Night) Our final home contest is in Week 16, rivalry week, against the Texas A&M Aggies. This will also be Senior Night as our Senior class takes to the field one last time in Austin. Say farewell to fan favorites and cheer them on one last time as we face off with the Aggies. Season Ticket holders get access to all these games and even more. As mentioned above Season ticket holders will receive an Orange Out Towel, Exclusive homecoming and Alumni gear homecoming weekend and discounted additional tickets for the spring game. In addition to this season ticket holders will get priority access to any bowl game, championship games or playoff tickets. There will be exclusive auctions each week for season ticket holders for such benefits as basketball tickets, meet and greet with Coach Ape, spirit wear and tailgating bundles and more. Don’t delay the first 5000 to order season tickets will get a special season ticket holder bumper sticker.

Nothing But Thieves - Honey Whiskey

Transfer and Promise Point Values Transfer Points (XP): All teams get 35 weekly XP. There is no carryover of XP; you cannot save XP in Phase 2's week 1 to spend during week 2. Promise Values: Each Promise costs 2 XP to make. Depending on the promise level you get a set amount of base points plus a random value in the range in parenthesis: High prestige: >3.70 coach & team avg. prestige Low-level promise: 2 + (0.250-1.250) Medium-level promise: 4 + (0.750-2.000) High-level promise: 6 + (1.500-4.500) Average prestige: 2.30-3.70 coach & team avg. prestige Low-level promise: 2 + (0.500-1.500) Medium-level promise: 4 + (1.000-2.500) High-level promise: 6 + (2.000-4.500) Low prestige: <2.30 coach & team avg. prestige Low-level promise: 2 + (0.750-1.500) Medium-level promise: 4 + (1.000-3.000) High-level promise: 6 + (2.500-5.000)

Now that the PM system is fixed I think it's time this comes back! For all the new people we've gotten since the last time we've run one this is our quick version of Eurovision. As many people as want to participate submit a song and then all people who submitted will assigned 12-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 to their top ten songs. Most points at the end wins! I was thinking about restricting it in some way but I'll just leave it open as before. Submissions will stay open until 6/15/19 at 11:59 PM unless we don't have enough people by then. List of previous winners is pinned in this sub:

that's a lovely red dress you're wearing

As always, the community in Fort Collins gathered around the Rams to get a preview of what next year would look like. Boy, did it look beautiful. That said, it was a poor omen for the upcoming Rams season. Last night, the locals gathered around the stadium to watch their beloved Rams battle for starting spots. Instead they were treated to a gorgeous thunderstorm while the sun set in the background. That said, Coach D'Gale made sure everyone understood that the game would be held later with all purchased tickets still good to get the fans in. While he hasn't been a fan favorite after a disappointing first season, this was a welcome change greeted by applause. In the past, the administration has been known to nickel and dime the Ram faithful. That said, the AD Bill McGee could be seen with a disgusted look at the announcement. We will be giving the game another go come Friday, June 28th! We hope to see you out there. And, as always, we wish you the

By Scott Gray It has been a busy and eventful time for the Houston Cougars in their first week of June. With the 2023 season just months away, lets take a look at the Cougars schedule. 2023 Houston Cougars Schedule *Conference Games in Red Week 1: vs Baylor Week 2: Bye Week 3: at California Week 4: at App State Week 5: vs Central Florida Week 6: Bye Week 7: at Navy Week 8: at Southern Methodist Week 9: vs Rice Week 10: Bye Week 11: vs Tulane Week 12: at Memphis Week 13: vs Tulsa Week 14: Bye Week 15: vs Connecticut Week 16: at Cincinnati All in all it could be another tough year for Houston as they face somewhat of a tough schedule, according to their pre-season ranking at #108. Their first two opponents of the year (Baylor and Cal) are ranked as middle of the pack teams at #53 and #62 respectively. Both teams also had sub-par records last season as Baylor was (5-7) and Cal finished at (4-8). However, both teams still have great programs by way of successful recruiting year to year so if Houston can beat one of these teams to start the year, it should be seen as a success. The first win looks like it will come by way of #128 App State in Week 4. App state has struggled to find a stable coach and is still without a permanent Head Coach, this late into the off season. The four games that follow App State will most likely be the toughest test to Houston throughout the whole year. In Week 5, they play #44 UCF (2022 7-5) to start conference play and then go on to play arguably, the two best teams in the whole conference, #22 Navy and #9 SMU in Weeks 7 and 8. The train doesn't stop there however, as the Cougars will take on #15 Rice in Week 9 and end what might be the toughest three week streak in football. These five weeks are what's going to make or break this team and hopefully, we will still be wanting to play in Week 11. In Week 11, Houston finally plays what looks like to be a beatable opponent in #117 Tulane. Weeks 12 and 13, are consisted of two more middle of the road teams, #61 Memphis and #66 Tulsa and depending on what Houston team shows up in Weeks 12 and 13, we shall see what the outcome is. The final two weeks are much easier as we play #119 Connecticut and #97 Cincinnati. My prediction is that we will be better than our #108 ranking and surprise some people but, maybe that's just me juneing to hard. I say we pick up a surprising win against Baylor in Week 1, beat App State in Week 4, proceed to get our butt handed to us Week 5-9, win against Tulane in Week 11, pick up a win against either Memphis or Tulsa in Weeks 12 and 13 and then go on to beat both Connecticut and Cincinnati to finish the season. Hey! that's 6-6 baby we will take it! We are going bowling! or Juneing! P.S. Position Battles will be posted tomorrow.

Can't believe the FCS has so many talented people coaching here VOLUNTARILY. I legit may have to gameplan against more than 3 teams this year, this is wild. Hope you can find happiness in life sooner rather than later @llamas

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Renai Circulation Kana Hanazawa (Sorry idk how to embed it) (Nvm got it)

Golden Nation: 2023 Spring Game What to Watch Offensive Summary Cal's spring game is going to be played on Sunday, June 16th. This is the first spring camp the Golden Bears are led by Head Coach noodlz2 who is also preparing this team for its first full season under his command. He has told us here at Golden Nation that it will be the 1st team offense against 1st team defense, and 2nd team offense against 2nd team defense because iron sharpens iron. This was an inexperienced team with potential last season that is now a little bit more experienced, and talent has developed particularly on the offensive side of the ball. This year's offensive backfield and receivers/tight ends are ranked first in the Pac-12 North. If you've been following Cal since last season at least, you would know that this offense struggled immensely. On the offensive side of the ball there's no doubt that the Golden Bears have some serious firepower at the skill positions, but their offensive line could be the link that causes the chain to break this year. Offensive Position Battles to Watch Running Backs: Naiquon Barner 5-11 211 (Fr) Desert (Edwards CA) 2.5 of 5.0 [Power] vs. RB Raekwon Elam 5-8 201 Sr College of the Canyons (Santa Clarita CA) 4.5 of 4.5 [Power] After redshirt senior Zachary McFadden's performance last season, it seems as if Coach noodlz2 is set on him being the go to back this season. Which is understandable after he accounted for over 1,000 yards of total offense last year. In an offensive backfield filled with talent, this is easily the most hyped offensive position battle for the Golden Bears. Redshirt Freshman Naiquon Barner is fresh off of a redshirt season and has the potential to be one of the nation's top running backs in a couple season. On the other hand senior Raekwon Elam's performance may find him earning a redshirt for next season which would leave the Golden Bears with a nice stable of power backs between Elam, Barner, and freshman Cayden Crawley who will be redshirted this season most definitely. Right Offensive Tackle: OT Ari Todd 6-2 276 So West Valley (Hemet CA) 2.0 of 3.5 [Pass Blocking] vs. OT Jude Schmitt 6-1 310 (Fr) Galileo Academy (San Francisco CA) 2.0 of 3.5 [Run Blocking] The most vital part of a productive offense, is an offensive line that can buy their skill players time to be productive. This year, the right tackle position will be a very inexperienced position. Whoever wins the spot will be baptized by fire each week in an unforgiving Pac-12 North. In an offense predicated on using the run game to open up the pass game, the heavier Jude Schmitt is the favored pick to win the spot over a much lighter Ari Todd. Jude Schmitt's ability to block in the run game has caught the eyes of this Cal coaching staff, and they have high expectations for his performance on Sunday. At the left tackle spot Junior starter Philip Engel will have to play a big brother role, and lead by example to whoever wins the the right tackle spot. Defensive Summary Last season if you were to pick which side of the ball was keeping the Golden Bears competitive, it would probably be the defensive side of the ball. This far into spring ball the Cal coaching staff has hinted that things have changed bit since last fall, especially with depth at the defensive end position which is definitely the biggest concern this season. The strongest position group in this defense is definitely the linebackers ranked 3rd in the division led by senior Mamadou Halloway, followed by a defensive front ranked 4th, and an inexperienced secondary that is going to miss the presence of Blaine Lewis-Thompson that is ranked 5th in the division. Just by looking at this defense on paper, we can tell that this California team is going be in for some shootouts! Defensive Position Battles to Watch Cornerback #2 and #3: CB Zachary Riggins 5-11 202 (Fr) Argonaut (Jackson CA) 2.0 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] vs. CB Nicholas Ragland 5-10 188 (Jr) Glendale (Glendale CA) 3.0 of 3.0 [Man Coverage] vs. CB Jamie King 6-0 172 Fr Justin-Siena (Napa CA) 1.5 of 3.5 [Zone Coverage] There is no doubt that senior Shaq Kimbrough will be the number one guy at the corner position this season after starting at free safety for most of the 2022 season, but there's huge question marks for who will be on the other side of the field from him and the next guy up when the Golden Bears defense is in a nickel set. Nicholas Ragland at 5-10 188 pounds has been having a notable camp at the nickel position, his strength of being abie to play man will be beneficial at nickel when playing faster slot receivers. Being the most experienced out of the three, and having a heavier frame than true freshman Jamie King he's more suited to come up in the run if need be. The battle between Zachary Riggins and Jamie King is going to be interesting as both of them are better in zone coverage allowing them to compliment Kimbrough when in a 2 corner set. In a perfect world it would be most ideal for the starting 3 to be Kimbrough, Riggins, and King all being primarily zone coverage defensive backs. Defensive Player to Watch: SS Coleridge Beverly 5-10 195 Fr Chula Vista (Chula Vista CA) 1.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage] Coleridge Beverly has to be the most exciting recruit signed in the 2022 recruiting class, and the coaching staff here at Cal has nothing but high hopes for the talented freshman. Despite being a zone focused secondary, Beverly is the the first piece that will allow this defense to transition into the fast and aggressive man defense head coach noodlz2 plans on installing. The true freshman is extremely explosive and not afraid to strike the stable of backs this California offense is proud of in its backfield. Beverly will be the starting strong safety for the Gold team this Sunday, and despite being expected to redshirt the coaching staff here at Cal has taken some notes on Stanford's secondary last season which lacked experience and put trust in its younger studs. Special Teams Summary The punter and kicker positions are an interesting group to look at on this years depth chart. The punter position has three potential candidates with sophomore Chris Darnell looking to lock a starting position at both punter and kicker. Redshirt senior Jeremiah Norris and redshirt junior Aaron Baggett-Burch will also be gunning for a starting spot at punter this fall as well. As if Darnell didn't have enough competition already, he will be also be competing with redshirt sophomore Patrick Kane for a chance at the starting kicker position. Going into Sunday's spring game Chris Darnell controls his destiny, as he aims to be the leg for the Golden Bears both at the kicker and punter spot. Also look out for redshirt junior wide receiver Oscar Burr as he is listed as the Gold team's #1 kick returner and punt returner. Towards the end of last season Zachary McFadden took over the roll as the number one kick returner and performed well, there's no doubt this year with the backfield that Cal has that they would not like to take a few snaps away from McFadden if they can giving Burr the opportunity to prove himself this season.

@Dean @Dacder @Kirby@DarthJarJar @sleuthofbears @rabidsnowman @D Stack @SageBow @Osukid2811 @stinsy @TuscanSota @TazerMan @Ahven D'Gale @Isaac @Minnowsotan @llamas @grv413 @TheSam Voting is now open, so do it. Just to make clear since someone asked, you PM Soluna your top 10.

It can't be

I think it's time we had a vote to determine our favorite NFLHC players. This isn't like the man of the year, or the MVP, or anything else. This is entirely free, you vote for whoever you want to vote for. You can vote for someone because they're good, because they're a meme, vote against them out of spite, etc. Think of it like that Eurovision girls contest we did before, except with NFLHC players. If there's interest in this then let's have each NFLHC team send in two players that they wish to represent them in this contest. You can PM me the names. If a team doesn't PM me the names but there's interest I'll choose their players myself, semi-arbitrarily. If we get enough responses to do this I'll make voting threads and everyone will be free to participate.

Sure glad Inspiral is coherent to see this

2023 Navy Midshipmen Spring Primer Damn the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead! Folk's, the second most exciting time in college football is finally here. The utterly meaningless taste of gridiron is back, the spring practice game. There is a lot to look forward to this time around, though. Navy features perhaps its most talented team to date. It also is breaking in new schemes on both sides of the ball as they adjust to the bevy of talent that Coach TheTodd has recently brought in. Along with the talent he has brought in, Coach TheTodd is also quite handsome. Here are five things to look out for in the upcoming spring skirmish. 1) Good against good in a test of scheme The 1st team offensive will be facing off against the 1st team defense to gauge scheme fit. Although Navy featured one of its best offenses in school history last year, Coach Todd has emphasized that the scheme will always be tailored to the strengths of the players. With the addition of true-freshmen, expected starters Keandre Mack and Ethan Hart, Navy will look for the best way to get everyone involved and really spread the ball around. As such, the offense will be practicing new ways to adapt their scheme to fit these speedy WRs, surrounded by a capable line and great TE. Navy also brought in three talented DTs the last recruiting cycle to replace the productive outgoing senior, Zion Salcedo. Navy is looking to get talented DTs Charone Barfield and Kembrall Hall involved in the game to assess the best defensive formation to get the most skill on the field as possible. Navy will likely remain in it's base 3-4 defense, but will be exploring ways to get both DTs involved in the game. The #2 defense on the Navy Blue team will be lining up in 4-3. Coach Todd also added, "due to circumstances beyond comprehension of mere Sim mortals, it is destiny that we shall run this spring game at full speed, full tackle, and with pads, injuries be damned!" 2) Watch out for these true freshmen phenoms slated to start in 2023 WR Ethan Hart 5-11 185 Fr John Carroll (Bel Air MD) 2.0 of 4.0 [Speed] WR Keandre Mack 6-2 162 Fr St. John's (Washington DC) 2.0 of 4.0 [Speed] For the sake of parity and position battle, Hart and Mack have been placed on separate teams. Both true freshmen are expected to start at #2 and #3 respectively for the Midshipmen. With the addition of these two, AAC QB of the Year Zach Lombardi will finally have some talent to work with, so the spring game should set the tone for the rest of the season. Current #4 WR Jaden Spillman has a chance to challenge for a starting role, pending how he does in the game. DT Charone Barfield 6-6 317 Fr St. Frances Academy (Baltimore MD) 2.0 of 4.5 [2-Gap] DT Kembrell Hall 6-7 321 Fr St. John's (Washington DC) 2.0 of 4.5 [2-Gap] With talented will and mike linebackers, Navy will almost certainly remain in it's 3-4 formation. As such, only one of these talented DTs will likely be able to start. The spring game will not only decide the position battle, but also settle whether one of the DTs will be redshirted or possibly used in a rotational role. P Blaine Dwyer 6-2 184 Fr Suitland (District Heights MD) 2.5 of 4.5 [Accuracy] Dwyer was a last minute add for the Midshipmen, after coach Grvy realized he couldn't raid Maryland. It is entirely possible he starts, but he will be locked in competition with Ari Timmons. 3) How do I reach these kids It is not just true freshmen that will be making an impact for Navy. The entire WR corp will feature sophomores and below. Other position groups to feature starting underclassmen include, FB, C, DT, LDE, ROLB, LOLB, CB #2 & #3, P, KR, and LS. Navy's youth bodes well for the future. It could mean growing pains, but Coach Todd has been happy with what he has seen in practice. Further, many of these starters have at least one year in the system. Navy will rely on experienced upperclassmen at QB, RB, TE, OT/OG, RDE, ILB, CB, Safety, and K. 4) A sneak preview of the future and returns to glory Although the Gold Team will feature the less-talented offense, it will still be a lot of fun, and harken back to the good ol' 2021 days. The indispensable Isaiah Best will be leading a slightly depleted Gold Team offense on the field of battle, featuring 5* freshman RB Deon Bowman. Bowman was the crown jewel of the 2022 recruiting class, but Coach Todd has decided to redshirt him to let him grown and learn under seasoned vet Raymond McDowell. Still, it will be a lot of fun to see what the future holds under Bowman. He will be teaming up with Best to run that lovely spread option offense from days of yore. Suffice it to say, it will be a ton of fun to see the speedsters Bowman and Best testing the second-string defense of the Navy Blue team. We will also see previews of other freshmen likely to be redshirted including: WR Isaiah Thompson 6-4 198 Fr DePaul Catholic (Wayne NJ) 1.0 of 4.0 [Speed] OG Damian Meade 6-5 315 Fr Friends (Wilmington DE) 1.0 of 4.5 [Run Blocking] DE Nick Waller 6-7 256 Fr North Harford (Pylesville MD) 1.0 of 4.0 [Contain] DT Marc Webb 6-5 284 Fr Good Counsel (Wheaton MD) 1.0 of 4.0 [1-Gap] CB Xavier Cronin 5-9 196 Fr Williamsport (Williamsport MD) 1.0 of 4.0 [Man Coverage] FS Andrew Spence 5-11 191 Fr Harrison (Harrison NJ) 1.0 of 4.5 [Zone Coverage] 5) A farewell to portal dwellers This thing was supposed to cover position battles. But every position battle was already covered in point 2. So here, I will instead speculate on who all could be leaving the midshipmen, and therefore likely be playing there last game in Annapolis this weekend. Those likely to transfer include 4* QB Isaiah Best and a handful of meaningless 3* players that are just filling depth. To these players, Coach Todd has wished them the best of luck in future endeavors, also adding, "you will be court marshaled for abandoning your duties to God and Country. Also, we need you for the pending war with Iran."

Cursed are those not always on the site. This is how I miss out on my favorite sport, college basketball.

A while back I made a Spotify playlist of past winners if anyone's interested.

I hope they don’t either. It would definitely be a tough decision. In a a hypothetical situation who would you go with? Not a big deal at all since I’m not personally invested, but I’m just curious. Anyone else who has an opinion feel free to jump in on this super low key question that I, again, REALLY don’t care about.

In a spring game, you can never be too sure.

Blue Team RUSHING ATT YDS TD LNG F/L Nick Rowland 19 84 20 0 0/0 Kai Foster 4 9 6 1 0/0 I think the TDs and LNG are flipped on these.