It’s possible that Blake Hickey may inherit Matt Kleinsorge’s No. 65, if not his club hand. Then again, if current rumors are true, he may not ever wear a number at K-State. – Brett Deering/Getty Images

Blake Hickey True Freshman 6-4 | 285 Godley, Texas Bio

Position: Offensive Line Previous College: None Projection: Off Team Status: On Scholarship

Blake Ryan Hickey (b. May 20, 1998) was the lone high school signee on the offensive line in the class of 2016.

He’s also apparently already left the team, allegedly due to homesickness involving a girlfriend back in Texas. (Keep in mind this is all social media and message board speculation/innuendo, but there seems to be some smoke…)

That said, we’ve had kids “leave” the team before and still end up on the fall roster that year or the next, so on the off chance that he hasn’t left the fold permanently, here’s a quickie profile of Hickey’s high school accomplishments.

A four-year letter-winner for Godley High School, including the final two years under head coach Duke Dalton, Hickey was rated the 43rd-best offensive guard in the class of 2016 by Scout.com — including a No. 8 ranking in the state of Texas — while ESPN ranked him No. 69.

A three-time first-team all-district performer who was named the District 4-4A Offensive Lineman of the Year as both a junior and senior, Hickey also was named a two-time Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 4A all-state honoree, including earning first-team accolades as a senior, while he also was a two-time all-area pick.

Hickey helped the Wildcats to earn a 3-2 record in district play as a senior, earning them a trip to the state playoffs.

He also participated in track and field, and played baseball and basketball. He was an all-district pick in basketball as a freshman and named the sixth man of the year as a sophomore. See his high school football highlights below:

Canes legacy P Zach Feagles is the latest player to commit to Miami – 247Sports

A quiet Tuesday afternoon got loud real quick when Punter Zach Feagles committed to the University of Miami

BOOM! #sqUad17 just knocked another one outta the park! Def changing FIELD POSITION and MOMENTUM with this dude! pic.twitter.com/kSD8sfQQJ7

— Todd Hartley (@coach_thartley) June 28, 2016

THE BLOCK IS HOT
☀️ ☀️
WE JUST GOT BETTER,   #Canes#WELCOME2THE[]_[]#SQ[]_[]AD17 pic.twitter.com/RhF5a073xG

— Jorge Baez (@Coach_Baez) June 28, 2016

Miami adds 2017 punter Zach Feagles to its class. The son of #Canes great Jeff Feagles just committed #Canes

— Peter Ariz (@PeterAriz) June 28, 2016

If you’re thinking “punter” and “Feagles” sounds familiar, it should. Zach’s dad is Canes alum and 22-year NFL veteran punter Jeff Feagles. The elder Feagles was the punter on the Miami Hurricanes 1987 National Championship team. And, I mean, a 22 year NFL career is pretty decent.

Back to Zach, he’s a very good prospect with a big leg. Ranked as the #7 punter in this class by Kohl’s Kicking, Zach is a punting specialist. He is one of the rare kicker prospects who does not pull double duty and exclusively punts. When he attended the Mark Richt Football Camp earlier this summer, Zach Feagles averaged 42 yards per punt. For comparison, that is the same yardage his father averaged in his NFL career, and would have put him in the top 50 in CFB punters last season.

Feagles’ commitment is big for Miami. With punter Justin Vogel graduating after the 2016 season, it’s great to get the next punter locked up early. A native of New Jersey, Zach picked Miami over Rutgers. You can see some of his punting highlights below:

Welcome to the U, Zach!

WSU Athletic Communication

Erik Powell was a somewhat unexpected and very pleasant surprise for the WSU kicking game last year, converting on 20 of 26 field goals and knocking every PAT attempt through the uprights. The redshirt junior is the presumptive starter for this season which means, much like the quarterback position where only one person can generally have the job, transfers aren’t unexpected. On his Facebook page this morning, redshirt freshman kicker Matt Abramo announced he’d be transferring to Cal.

For Abramo, the move south to Berkeley makes a good deal of sense. While WSU is fairly crowded at the position with under and upperclassmen alike, Cal only has two kickers on their roster, including their returning junior kicker Matt Anderson who hit 18 of 21 attempts last year. Abramo will have to sit a year anyway due to NCAA transfer rules, so he’ll get a couple of years to be the elder statesman of kickers for the Golden Bears. The transfer to Cal is also a move much closer to home for Abramo, who is from Petaluma, less than an hour’s drive from campus.

So where does this leave WSU? Still in pretty good shape with Powell having two years of eligibility remaining and plenty of depth at the position. It’s not unheard of for kickers to come in as true freshman and win jobs either so the staff could very well bring in an all-world kicker that beats out everyone still on the roster. Regardless, if Powell can keep up the improvement or even just stay about the same, the Cougs will be just fine.

We wish Matt nothing but the best in his future endeavors at Cal.

A few weeks ago I was at my grandfather’s house in Kokomo to pick up some tools he no longer needed. He happened to have some old tinker toys for my son, likely ones that I had played with as a kid. In fact, I can likely say that because inside them was this:

Found at my grandfather’s house over father’s day weekend pic.twitter.com/pbkOP36Rz5

— Hammer & Rails (@HammerAndRails) June 28, 2016

Yes, that is a Purdue Exponent football magazine from the 1982 season. Not knowing much about that particular year I wanted to do some research. I thought it would be a decent season, as Purdue had gone a combined 28-7-1 from 1978-80 under Jim Young, so success had previously happened.

Then I got to the first article:

“Boilers Hope to Stop Streak”

As it turns out, this magazine was dated from October 16, 1982. It comes just after a 38-34 loss at Illinois that had Purdue starting 0-5 against the likes of Stanford (with some guy named John Elway) Minnesota, Notre dame, Wisconsin, and the Illini. Purdue had an upcoming game against Northwestern, who had actually won two games after breaking their record 36-game losing streak earlier in 1982. Among the highlights:

“Purdue head coach Leon Burtnett is still looking for his first victory in the collegiate ranks. Purdue now owns the Big Ten’s longest overall losing streak at nine.”

“The Wildcats will come to Ross-Ade Stadium today hoping to win their first road game in eight years. The last time the Wildcats won in West Lafayette was a 19-14 victory in 1950.”

Fortunately, their lengthy streak was not stopped that day. Purdue would win 34-21 and Northwestern would have to go until 1992 before winning in West Lafayette. It should also be noted that this was Purdue’s homecoming, and it was not a sell out for the first time since 1978.

There are some other interesting parts to this magazine:

• There is a feature on Jim Everett waiting to get his first chance to start behind Scott Campbell.
• In what would become a feature of many losing seasons, the center spread is focused on the band.
• The Bob Harmon forecast on Page 12 picks scores from all over the country, including Brown-Cornell, Western Carolina-Marshall, Wichita-New Mexico State, and more.
• The previous week’s scores on Page 14 is a deep dive into the hinterlands of college football. Want to know the Yankton-Dakota Wesleyan score? It is there!
• There is a beautiful full page on the back for Garcia’s Pizza, may it rest in memory. There is actually one Garcia’s Pizza on the planet still open in Champaign. It is worth going to the Purdue-Illinois game alone.
• Other ads include a homecoming concert for Henry Mancini and his 40 piece orchestra that night at Elliot Hall of Music and a concert featuring Charley Pride with Texas Vocal Company on November 6.
• Ads for the following, now defunct, businesses in West Lafayette (aside from Garcia’s): For Goodness Sakes!, Arth Family Drugs, Rapp’s Downtown, Chico N’ Eddies, Let’s Munch Out, Four Boys Manner, Levee Liquors (where you could get a six pack of Miller for $1.99 and a case of PBR for $6.49!).

So that is the deep dive. Since this was just after I turned 3 I don’t have a lot of memories of Purdue then, but it is always good to look back. Purdue would finish that season 3-8 with wins over Northwestern, Michigan State, and Iowa.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier today Jason Kirk, SB Nation’s College Football Editor, released his bowl projections for all the postseason games. To nobody’s surprise Jason had teams like the LSU Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Michigan Wolverines and the TCU Horned Frogs in his CFB playoff projections.

However, there were some projections that may be a little surprising to some. One of these was Jason putting the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Music City Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. This would have the Gamecocks finishing anywhere from 3rd to 8th in the SEC; however, I think the Gamecocks, if they were to go to the Music City Bowl, would finish anywhere from 6-8 wins in the regular season and 5th-7th in the conference standings. So where might the Gamecocks find 6 wins on their 2016 schedule? Let’s take a look at the games that I think the Gamecocks could, and should, win.

Week 1: Vanderbilt

I know the Vanderbilt Commodores are supposed to be improved this year. But this is still Vanderbilt and, while they have surprised us in the past and are certainly capable of beating us, I do think this is as about a forgiving conference/season opener that the Will Muschamp led Gamecocks could ask for. Expect a low scoring game, but Carolina will win this one.

Week 3: ECU

The East Carolina Pirates are another football team that has always been a bit of a thorn in our side. They gave us a bit of a scare in 2014, but still didn’t have enough firepower to beat the Gamecocks despite South Carolina having a really bad defense that year. With both programs being under new leadership I think the Gamecocks pull this one out at home.

Week 4: Kentucky

This might be a more emotional pick because we’ve found a way to lose to the Kentucky Wildcats two years running. I think it’s high time that we beat these guys. I also think a Will Muschamp led defense will be competent enough to stop the same Wildcat play 3 or 4 times in a row.

Week 8: UMass Minutemen

This should be the one of the easier wins during Will Muschamp’s first season. UMass has not had the smoothest of transitions to the FBS ranks and, in front of 80,000 Gamecock fans, I think the Gamecocks will pull away in the 2nd half and win this one fairly easily.

Week 10: Missouri Tigers

With the retirement of Gary Pinkel and the hiring of Barry Odom, the Missouri are yet another team in the SEC East under new leadership. In fact the Tigers may be in a worse position than us, talent wise. Mark this one down as a fairly close game with the Gamecocks scoring late to put the game away.

Week 12: Western Carolina Catamounts

I know, I know. We lost to The Citadel last year. But there are a couple reasons history won’t repeat itself in 2016. WCU doesn’t run one of those finicky triple-option attacks. Their spread attack is more conventional and our defense should be able to handle it fairly easily. Also, if our offense can’t get something going against WCU then it’s likely going to be a long season. But, with this win the Gamecocks will be at the 6 win mark and clinch a trip to a bowl game.

Toss Up Game: Mississippi State Bulldogs

With Dak Prescott gone to the NFL, I think we are perfectly capable of beating the Bulldogs. Dak was their entire offensive identity the last couple of seasons. However Starkville is a hard place to play for a young offense. And with the likelihood of Brandon McIlwain seeing extended playing time early, don’t be surprised if our offense struggles.

So there you have it. I think you should feel (sort of) confident for marking us down for 6 wins, maybe 7. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments!

Ohio State added one of the crown jewels of their super loaded 2017 recruiting class, five-star corner Shaun Wade, this past January.

Wade knows the ‘17 class could be one for the ages, but he’s not worried about the expectations, the aggregate star rankings, or anything like that:

That “really means nothing,” Wade said. “”We’re just all going to go into class and compete against each other and just win championships. I hope all of us get to make it to the league,” he said. “That’d be a big thing for Ohio State.”

Though Wade reiterated his commitment to OSU is solid, he’s performing his due diligence and at the behest of his parents, taking a few precursory visits, just in case something unexpected happens and he and the Buckeyes cool on their current arrangement.

Wade mentioned Alabama and Notre Dame as “plan Bs”, despite his insistence that he expects to be a Buckeye when everything’s said and done on National Signing Day 2017. He’s expected to take visits to check out USC and UCLA, though OSU faithful shouldn’t start to feel nervous yet.

Be sure to visit and like Land-Grant Holy Land on Facebook for more updates like these throughout the summer camp circuit.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Rutgers landed their second recruit today, and their fifth in four days with the announcement by Olajunle Fatukasi, a 3-star outside linebacker from Grand Street (Brooklyn) HS.

#RFootball #AshEra #10strong #TheHunt #ChopNation @TodderickHunt @BrianDohnScout @RichieSRivals @SWiltfong247 pic.twitter.com/djjMWsXRnA

— Olakunle Fatukasi (@fatukasi_ola) June 28, 2016

His announcement is the second one today, and the second from New York City, coming on the heels of the announcement by from Shameen Jones from Cardinal Hayes (Bronx) HS just hours earlier.

As Sam Hellman from Scout tweeted:

Rutgers is hotter than Hansel right now. https://t.co/oTb1VxENwN

— Sam Hellman (@SamHellmanScout) June 28, 2016

Fatukasi was offered by the Scarlet Knights back in February, his first of 11 offers.

The outside linebacker is a sure tackler, and plays a very physical style of defense that could make him a star on Chris Ash and Jay Niemann’s team. Even when he’s not near the play, he hustles and plays until the whistle. If a ball carrier makes a man miss, there’s a good chance Fatukasi will be there to take him down with a full head of steam.

Fatukasi picked Rutgers over offers from Maryland, Indiana, Temple, Boston College, and others.

He is the 18th member of the 2017 class, and the whopping fifth recruit to commit to the Scarlet Knights in the last four days. Fatukasi is the third linebacker of the class, joining C.J. Onyechi and Maryland’s Tyshon Fogg, who committed on Sunday. He will become the third Grand Street Campus alum on Rutgers’ roster, reuniting with redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kamaal Seymour and incoming freshman wide receiver Ahmed Bah.

The Scarlet Knights continue to build a solid recruiting base in the Empire State, as three of the top eleven prospects in New York are Rutgers commits.

Rutgers is now listed as a remarkable No. 16 in the nation on 247Sports’ class rankings. Katukasi’s commitment leapfrogs the Scarlet Knights over Iowa to No. 3 in the Big Ten, sitting behind just Ohio State and Michigan.

It’s hard to be much hotter than Rutgers is right now. With seven scholarships still available for the 2017 class, it’s anyone’s guess as to what happens next. Let the good times roll.

Take a look at Fatukasi’s film right here:

Welcome to the banks, Olakunle!

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Alan Knott

RS Junior

Center

6’4″ / 270 lbs

Tyrone, GA (Sandy Creek High School)

Recruitment

Consensus three-star prospect. 27th best offensive guard in the country according to 247sports, and the 43rd best player in the state of Georgia for the class of 2013 by Scout. Received offers from Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Kentucky among others.

College Career

After missing most of the 2014 preseason, Knott stepped up to play in all 13 games, starting in eight contests, including the first six. Despite being limited by a high-ankle sprain sustained in the game versus Georgia, he returned to the starting lineup at Texas A&M and remained there for the rest of the season, making nine starts in all. Named to the Rimington Award watch list.

2016 Outlook

While injury has been a recurring theme in Alan Knott’s collegiate playing career, recovering from those injuries to perform on the field for the South Carolina Gamecocks had dominated the conversation. Adversity thrust him into the starting role two years ago, and he embraced that opportunity to perform. He’s been improving ever since, and just recently was named as both the Most Improved Offensive Lineman and the Joe Morrison Offensive Player for the spring season. With so many question marks lingering over the Gamecocks’ team coming into the season, the one thing it seems like they can count on is Alan Knott.

Potpurri

Knott is from Tyrone, Georgia. Tyrone is named for County Tyrone in Ireland. That’s neat! Tyrone, Georgia is also the hometown of Andrew Gardner, Kedric Golston, and Calvin Johnson…who are all quite good at football.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

What is Alabama’s biggest game for 2016 and why?

Ole’ Whistlebritches:

Well, if I was following the prescription of Our Dark Lord, I’d have to say that the biggest game of the 2016 season is the next game…in this case, the first game against USC. If you lose that one, the road gets exponentially more difficult to navigate.

However, a loss to USC is probably not in the cards. The Trojans are definitely in rebuilding stage, and given Saban’s record in season openers, the odds for Troy are pretty steep.

In the grand scheme of things, the biggest game for Alabama this season is the game in Oxford against Ole Miss. It’s not that the Rebel Black Bear Akbars are the best team on the Tide’s schedule…not at all. Sure, they return the (Chad) Kelly kid, but they won’t have Laquon Treadwell bailing his ass out on a regular basis. Yeah, Evan Engram is back at tight end, and he’s a’ight. The rest of Kelly’s target are rather unproven. Not that they had much of a run game last year, but this season the Rebs are fielding a relative unknown in Akeem “Naomi” Judd at tailback, which doesn’t necessarily strike fear into the hearts of opponents. On their rebuilt offensive line, the Fightin’ Faulknerians will also likely be depending on senior right tackle Robert Conyers, three sophomores and a true freshman at left tackle…so there’s that.

Defensively, the Akbars are fairly gutted. Nkemdiches are gone. Half the secondary is outie following the end of last season. Husky head-knocker Tony Conner is back at safety, but he can’t hold it down all on his lonesome. Questionable depth at linebacker, in the secondary and across the defensive front.

“Then why, OWB, why would this game against the perennial also-rans be of the utmost importance to the mighty Crimson Tide?” I will tell you why. Because Bama lost to those khaki-wearin’, mimosa-sippin’, literarians in each of the past two seasons, even though they shouldn’t have. Granted, the Rebels needed acts of Gawd in order to defeat Bama in both seasons, and in neither year were they truly the “better team.” But those L’s were L’s nonetheless, and losses to that bunch are some of the most unsavory.

Traditionally, Ole Miss has served as an early season speedbump for the Tide, with an upset once a decade due to the emergence of some Manning or other under center. The recent pair of losses has been not only a statistical anomaly, but it’s been an extremely difficult one to swallow. Alabama is a team that thrives off of intimidation and being the toughest team on the field, and Nick Saban simply doesn’t lose to the same team twice in a row in most circumstances. This kind of thing simply can’t be tolerated any longer.

While the defense will be stellar for the Tide, there is once again an unsettling situation in the backfield, particularly at quarterback. Unless things change dramatically in August, there will once again be a quarterback competition heading into the season. Remember back to last season, as the Tide still didn’t have a defined starter at QB heading into the Ole Miss game. That lack of leadership under center definitely contributed to the loss, and it could do so again this season if the quarterback race stretches into the third week. Factor in an unproven tandem of first-time starters at tailback, and an offensive line that could be missing its best player in Cam Robinson (depending on the results of his criminal case), and there could be a recipe for the type of turnover-prone offensive performance that doomed the Tide in the last two years.

The game is about more than just bragging rights and reckoning for the Tide: the Tide’s performance in this game could serve as a governor for what they can accomplish in 2016. Alabama can’t take an early loss to Ole Miss again, with a tough gamut of SEC road games through October and November. A third win by the Rebels in as many years could shatter the aura of invincibility the Tide has worked so hard to rebuild after the 2013-2014 seasons. If Alabama can get the Ole Miss monkey, err, Black Bear, off of its back in the third game, then things could fall quite fortuitously for the Tide in regard to a return to the College Football Playoffs. Despite their previously-perennial whipping boy status, beating the Rebel Black Bear Akbars is of the utmost importance for the Tide this year (and I think I just threw up in my mouth a little for saying that.)

Josh Chatham

It has to be Ole Miss, just because of the losses in the past two seasons. This team is too proud and too talented to accept a three game losing streak to any team, but particularly a traditional doormat such as the Rebs. It won’t be easy on the road, but I look for the team to come out ready to get that taste out of the mouth.

CB969

If you asked Nick Saban this question, then of course his answer would be “the next one.” While that is the Process talking, one game stands out above the others IMHO. Alabama’s toughest 2016 games all occur away from the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Southern Cal game is a big one but I think the Crimson Tide can handle the troubled Trojans. The Ole Miss game is dangerous but there is no way an eroded Rebs team beats Alabama three times in a row. Saban is a perfect 9-0 against Tennessee in his tenure in Tuscaloosa. The Vols are an improved team and as much as it would hurt to lose to them, the Tide can recover from a loss in the form of winning out and getting a rematch with UT in Atlanta in December. That leaves my choice of LSU. This game has turned into an annual “Game of the Century”. This year should be no different and the winner of that game likely represents the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game.