Gwinnett’s Aaron McLaughlin has already visited UGA.
A quarterback who is more than a year removed from his first day of high school has picked up an SEC offer.
The 6-4, 190-pound Aaron McLaughlin will eventually play for North Gwinnett. He wasn’t offered by the Georgia Bulldogs, he is based in the state and could definitely make a lot of noise in the coming years. You can watch a highlights package of the player up top.
The aforementioned SEC offer came courtesy of the Missouri Tigers, and it may be their first-ever offer for a middle schooler. It’s not his first offer overall (that honor goes to Georgia State), but according to Scout McLaughlin has visited the ‘Dawgs, along with Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.
This is a player that you might hear a lot about circa 2021 or 2022.
Each of those hands has a stack of Ben Franklins in it. – John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Occasionally, we here at Dawg Sports report news which we would not blame you as readers for not believing. OK, sometimes the stuff we report as news really is not news and is in fact total hokum. Hooey, even.Satire of a high and aggravated nature.
But I digress. I do not really know very much about Hubbard. Frankly, he is only tangential to our story. What I do know is that when casting about for a new moral paragon for whom the former Mike Hubbard Boulevard should be named some high-minded citizens of Opelika decided that the name for the job, the name to erase the stain of scandal, to clarify for incoming visitors what Auburn stands for, was that of… Cam Newton.
There is so much absurdity to be found here that the story can only emerge from one place. You know where that place is. You can find it on a map, even if it’s own residents have never learned how to do so. Welcome to Auburn, baby. Where they’re all in on selective memory.
*So the guy is funnier when he’s naked and beating people with a tire iron. I can relate to that.
The Arizona Wildcats have been pursuing multiple 2017 wide receiver prospects, addressing the lack of height and depth coming in the near future. The offense will take a big hit losing Trey Griffey, Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant after the 2016 season to graduation.
Arizona already has three verbal commitments from wide receivers and figure to be in great shape to land a couple more pass catchers in this recruiting class. I really like the athleticism of Drew Dixon, as well as his 6-foot-4, 200 pound frame. Give Brian Casteel some time and he will be an extremely productive receiver in this offense. Then Bryce Gilbert added his name to the mix on Monday.
Now onto the remaining uncommitted prospects:
Joseph Lewis
The big name is 5-star Joseph Lewis out of Augustus Hawkins, the second-ranked receiver in the nation and 11th prospect overall. Arizona is actually in decent shape to land him. Nebraska, Notre Dame and USC are all potential players as well, but it helps having Greg Johnson committed already. While I still think the Wildcats are on the outside looking in, this is still something to keep your eye on.
Bruce Judson
The more I think about this one the more I like Arizona’s chances. He’s definitely taken a tumble in the rankings and the incoming offers have slowed down. By the time National Signing Day rolls around, I don’t think Judson will be a 4-star anymore. Still, I think his talents would fit well in the offense and his recruiting ability could bring a few more talented Florida prospects to Tucson. Pitt might be the leader for his services now, but with Nick Smith and Robert Porcher IV, two of his best friends, taking kind to Arizona, this could be nice a package deal.
Bryan Thompson
Another big receiver, Thompson stands in at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds. He has a handful of Pac-12 offers, including Arizona State, Washington State and Washington. Arizona is doing well with him, constantly staying in communication. Ranked 367th in the nation, Thompson is on the verge of being ranked as a 4-star prospect.
Maurice Bell
This is a receiver that could be making his decision any day now. He had Arizona in his original top five without even visiting campus. He then rescinded his top five with the intent of keeping his options open and allowing other schools to offer. He had previously given Colorado a soft verbal commitment but was really blown away by his Iowa visit.
This is another Inland Empire guy that Arizona is doing well with. They were able to get him on campus and now he will visit Michigan the weekend of June 18th. His college decision should be coming soon thereafter or sometime in July.
Jeremy Singleton
I haven’t spoken to Singleton in a while so I’m not sure where his interest is but he could be someone to remember. He’s picked up offers to Missouri and South Carolina, adding to his list which includes Arkansas and Vanderbilt. He said location will not be a decision factor, which means getting him out of SEC country might not be impossible. He also said that the Pac-12 is the best conference and being a part of the offense adds to his intrigue.
Jordan Pouncey
He seemed to be very intrigued by his Arizona offer and will take an official visit to Arizona. But since I last spoke to him he picked up offers to Notre Dame and Florida. Being related to Maurkice and Mike Pouncey, I think he’s Florida bound. But if he still intends to take an official visit to Arizona, I won’t rule them completely out.
Warren Jackson
I’m going to have Arizona as my Crystal Ball prediction for Jackson. Checking in at 6-foot-5, this is a guy that the Wildcats could desperately use. When he visited back in March he said he fell in love with campus and plans to visit again this summer. While he said he wanted to wait until the end of his season, I get a feeling that he could commit during his visit. His offer list isn’t superb and there are a few bigger schools that have begun communication, but I think Arizona is the landing spot for Jackson.
Chris Brooks
Honestly not too sure what has been keeping Brooks from committing, but I expect him to commit to Arizona. Washington State seems to have captured his attention a bit, but Brooks has been sold on Arizona for quite some time now. Although he is listed as a running back, the Wildcats want to use him in the slot.
The former Michigan commit and current Buckeye running back says the rivalry stops of the field.
“We don’t talk about it at all. We know each other way before it and will know each other way after. The rivalry is big, of course, and we don’t block it. But when it comes to being around each other, it’s playing video games, laughing, talking about other things.”
Ohio State running back Mike Weber has some high expectations this season, with Ezekiel Elliott heading to the NFL and only Bri’onte Dunn fighting him for carries on a team that will likely run the ball more than its fair share under coach Urban Meyer. Weber, a former Michigan commit, recently spoke about the rivalry and being one of the few players in the two teams’ history to decommit and switch to its arch-rival school. Weber insists that the rivalry will be kept on the football field alone, as Weber has friends of his own playing for the Wolverines. Recruited out of Cass Tech in Michigan, Weber still has plenty of ties to Michigan and will likely be a storyline throughout his career playing for Ohio State.
After a season that including sitting behind a Heisman Trophy contender and a torn meniscus, Weber is looking to have a breakout year of his own. Though it hasn’t been officially decided who will start at running back quite yet, Weber has made a strong case in spring to get the bulk of the carries. Either way, expect to see plenty of the sophomore running back and if he wants to make his mark, there’s no better time to do it than during the next edition of The Game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
“Ohio State might return an FBS-low six starters, including three on offense and three on defense. However, one of those returners is quarterback J.T. Barrett.”
ESPN went through the top 25 teams in college football this season and chose each team’s best “number” to brag about. For Ohio State, it was quarterback J.T. Barrett’s statistics as a starter. As the numbers show, Barrett is more effective as a starter (splitting time with Cardale Jones last season) with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3.4 and 12 percent of his pass attempts gaining 20-plus yards. When you throw in the fact that Barrett has a 15-2 record as a starter (Virginia Tech and Michigan State were his only losses as a starter), it has to be comforting for the coaching staff to have a leader of Barrett’s caliber under center.
Last season, Barrett threw for just under 1,000 yards (and was only 200 yards or so from 3,000 yards in 2014) with 11 touchdowns. Barrett also added 682 rushing yards and another 11 touchdowns on the ground. His freshman season was tremendous as he helped lead the Buckeyes to the Big Ten championship game before suffering an injury against Michigan and Jones took over to lead Ohio State to a national championship. Now Barrett is set as the lone starter, fully healthy, and has young talent at his disposal at wide receiver.
“Big Ten Ultimate Road Trip Week 7 – Unanimous pick: Ohio State at Wisconsin”
The Big Ten ESPN crew continues their series of the Big Ten Ultimate Road Trip, in which they pick the most intriguing matchup, the best atmosphere, or notable players for a game during the Big Ten season. For week seven, the crew chose Ohio State at Wisconsin on Oct. 15. The Buckeyes will be making the road trip to Madison and Camp Randall to take on the Badgers. The last time these two teams met, Ohio State steamrolled Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game 59-0. But it seems like most of the time the two teams clash, it ends up becoming a tightly contested game. There are plenty of classic examples, including a Hail Mary touchdown throw from Braxton Miller in 2011, the Badgers notching an upset win over a No. 1 ranked Ohio State team, and the list goes on.
This is a good choice by the crew over at ESPN for several reasons. The atmosphere surrounding the game should no doubt be excellent, as Wisconsin fans know all about how to jump around their stadium. It’s certainly one of my favorite college football traditions and is a blast for fans and players alike. Of course, it helps that the game will likely come later in the evening, which always adds to the intensity.
Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver from Bowie HS (Arlington, TX) also holds offers from Iowa, Minnesota and Tulsa, among others per 247Sports.
Another under-the-radar prospect, Oklahoma State must have seen something they liked. Johnson’s 40-yard dash time is listed as 4.40 per Hudl and he’s a track star as well.
There’s not much tape to watch on Johnson. In fact, the best look at him comes from spring ball highlights through Hudl. But if he’s got that type of speed, we know Gundy has a knack for uncovering diamonds in the rough.
Check out the top players flocking to the Jimbo Fisher football camp at Florida State.
Florida State’s annual Jimbo Fisher camp begins Wednesday and runs through Friday. There is also a 7-on-7 tournament and a big-man camp on Saturday. About half of Florida State’s starters participated in Jimbo’s camp at some point. Each year, quite a few new names emerge and the event helps the coaches form their board, and it also helps us media in that regard.
The camp runs through Friday, with a big-man camp on Saturday. Camp is a major part of Florida State’s recruiting engine because the staff gets to take accurate height and weight measurements and work out prospects in person. Is the kid as fast as his tape looks? How big are his hips and shoulders? Can he add the weight the school needs him to add?
As we saw with the last camp, FSU is likely to be very selective and stingy with some offers to rising seniors. Having a “road” game at Miami in front of many South Florida recruits and the uncertainty swirling in Gainesville may yield opportunities for FSU to be in a position to grab some players it otherwise would not have landed. It needs to have spots open later in the year and not be in a position which forces it to tell commits to look elsewhere. Offers to underclassmen are different and usually plentiful.
Here are some of the top names we are expecting. We will update this as we hear more.
Quarterback
FSU QB commitment Bailey Hockman told me he’d be getting to at least one FSU camp, but so far I have not confirmed him for this camp.
I’m also told to look out for QB Riley Smith, of Jacksonville (Fla.) Bartram Trail, a promising 2018 with only one FBS offer to date (Charlotte). Smith has good size at 6’4 and has visited FSU before.
Max Johnson, the son of former FSU QB Brad Johnson is a class of 2020 member I am excited to watch. I saw him work out in Atlanta this spring and he is a very special looking QB. Miami’s Mark Richt has offered him and an FSU offer would not surprise me. He is more talented than many older kids already.
Running back
Superstar RB Cam Akers (Mississippi) told me he’d be camping at Florida State. Most believe FSU is on the outside looking in for the five-star. But Tim Brewster is an ace recruiter and has Mississippi ties. Getting the 5’11, 212-pound superstar on campus is an important first step. We believe FSU is taking two RBs this cycle.
FSU 2018 commit James Cook, the little brother of Dalvin will also be there. Alabama commitment Trey Sanders, of nearby Port St. Joe will also attend.
FSU commit ZaQuandre White tells me he will not make it due to a death in the family.
Receiver
Four-star slot receiver commitment D.J. Matthews, one of the quickest players in the country out of Jacksonville Trinity Christian will be in attendance embarrassing defensive backs and trying to recruit others to FSU.
Five-star receiver Trevon Grimes of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas is coming. Most believe FSU trails Ohio State for the Indiana native. FSU is also welcoming in Jerry Jeudy, a four-star from Deerfield Beach (Fla.) who might be the most well-rounded receiver in the country.
Four-star 2018 Justin Watkins of North Marion (Fla.) told me back in spring he’d be camping at FSU this summer, but I don’t know if he’ll be at the June or July session. Watkins is a former LSU commit. He is high on Florida State.
Tight end
Florida State tight end commitment Alexander Marshall (New Hampshire) told me is is not making it down for this camp and isn’t sure of when his next trip down will be. He visited a few weeks back. IMG tight end Tre’ McKitty mentioned FSU in his summer visit plans a few weeks back but I do not know what session he’ll be attending if he does. I’d be surprised if FSU signed two tight ends in this class.
Offensive line
FSU is taking a small offensive line class this season, so don’t despair about the shortness of this list. Four-star Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal offensive tackle Walker Little is visiting along with his teammate, five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson (see below). I spoke with Little this spring during a trip to Texas and he was high on Texas, Stanford and Ole Miss, where I’m told he has a legacy connection of some sort.
Miami commitment Navaughn Donaldson, of Miami Central will also be attending. He’s a teammate of James Cook and FSU has done well with Miami Central players under Jimbo Fisher, including Devonta Freeman and Dalvin Cook. Donaldson is a massive player and profiles as a right tackle.
Huntington (WV) Spring Valley four-star offensive tackle Riley Locklear is also expected again. Some scouting services rate him as a guard. I have not seen him play in person yet.
I’d bet that FSU finds some underclassmen and throws out some offers for 2018 and 2019 players this week.
Defensive line
This is a loaded group for Florida State on the interior. Four-star cousins/FSU commits Ja’Len Parks and Corey Durden of Newberry High School (Gainesville). They’ll be trying to get five-star Marvin Wilson to commit to the Noles to form an incredible trio of defensive tackles. FSU is legitimately in it with Wilson.
The picture going in isn’t quite as strong at defensive end.
Jordan Wright, of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard will attend and compete for an offer. Wright has a lot of athleticism and room to grow. He was a standout name at the Kentucky satellite camp at FAU Tuesday. He also plays tight end. His teammate, three-star Miami commitment Jonathan Ford will also be there. Ford is perhaps more of a defensive tackle build than an end, but could perhaps be a strong-side player.
Other than those two, I don’t know of any other ends attending, which means I have probably missed a few and will see them out there.
Of particular note is Jarez Parks, the four-star end of Sebastian River. Many recruiting experts believe Parks is heading to UF, but FSU is recruiting him hard and one source says FSU is in better shape with him than many believe. It also wouldn’t shock me if Robert Beal made it down from Georgia, but I have not confirmed Parks of Beal yet.
As of right now, the only name of note I have confirmed is Owen Pappoe, the freak outside linebacker from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson. He’s class of 2019 and is a star. He was very good at the Atlanta Nike camp.
St. Thomas Aquinas linebacker Rocky Shelton registered but tells he he does not think he’ll be able to make it.
Defensive back
The headliner name here is Stanford Samuels III, the FSU legacy who is a bona fide stud at cornerback. Samuels III is an FSU legacy, but at 6’2 is much taller than his dad. He’s one of the three or four best cornerback recruits in the country and a commitment from him would not surprise.
The other name to know at DB is Daniel Wright, who is now at St. Thomas Aquinas. Wright is a four-star and the little brother of Florida great Major Wright. FSU has been on him forever.
One of the elite 2018 prospects in the state is Isaiah Bolden, of Bartram Trail.
Athlete
2019 star Jashawn Sheffield, of St. Simonds Island Frederica Academy is very high on the Seminoles.
Sam Ehlinger (left) and Mannie Netherly back in May – via @yovng_netherly
And it could be good news for the Longhorns.
With Lewsiville wide receiver Tyrell Shavers now off the board to the Alabama Crimson Tide, former Texas A&M Aggies commit Mannie Netherly is now a more important target for the Texas Longhorns at the position. And quarterback commit Sam Ehlinger believes he knows the latest on the Crosby standout.
Not long after Shavers announced his pledge to the Crimson Tide, Netherly cryptically teased something on his Twitter account:
Of course, Ehlinger isn’t sharing whatever it is that he knows about Netherly, but there’s certainly a chance that it could be good new for the ‘Horns — why else would Ehlinger feel the need to tease it?
The two have struck up a friendship over the last month, dating back to Nertherly’s visit to Austin for the state track meet, after which the two spent some time together.
And that could certainly prove to be an important relationship for Texas, as the loss of consensus five-star quarterback Tate Martell had an impact on Netherly’s decommitment from Texas A&M even beyond the fallout that position coach Aaron Moorehead caused by losing his mind on Twitter.
Netherly included Texas among his top six schools on Sunday and recently told 247Sports that the ‘Horns are “on top” for him.
Macon, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound prospect out of Millington, TN is currently with the Arizona Western College Matadors.
Currently, Macon has no star ranking per Rivals or 247Sports, but in high school he received All-District Honors and was a member of the TWSA All-State team per an article in the Millington Star.
The article also states that Macon led his team with over 80 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
It appears that academic issues may have played a role in Macon taking the juco route, but those seem to have been taken care of.
Here’s Macon on what he can bring to a program.
“I see myself as giving it my all and leaving it all out there on the field,” he concluded. “If people remember that way, I will take it the way they remember me and just stay humble.”
But, to use our favorite off-season phrase for the n-th time, for the first time in 10+ years, the Vols should be masters of their own fate far longer than September.
Almost everyone is picking Tennessee to win the SEC East. That includes every national publication on shelves at the moment. But more than this, when the other hand is offered the conversation is less about what Georgia or Florida could do, and more about a perception of what Tennessee might not be able to do.
“I won’t believe Tennessee can beat Florida until I see it.”
“I don’t believe Tennessee can win in Athens the very next week.”
The arguments for other contenders are really intangible arguments about the favorite.
I’ve been trying to talk myself and others into the idea that Tennessee is simply better than Florida for the last few years. Now it suddenly represents the majority opinion. I can’t find anyone outside of Gainesville who will suggest the Gators are a better or more talented team than Tennessee right now. The gap was negligible last season and things still went spectacularly wrong for the Vols in the end, but the distance between us and them was far greater for most of Florida’s 11 consecutive victories.
Meanwhile the Vols and Dawgs have played five consecutive one possession games, with Tennessee finally breaking through to victory last fall. Georgia returns much of its talent from last season and should not be taken lightly, especially at home. But Tennessee returns most of its talent and the quarterback who shredded the Dawgs last year, the biggest difference between UT and UGA right now.
Maybe Georgia has a great quarterback on its roster too. Maybe Kirby Smart will make the difference. But the maybes are far more numerous in Athens than Knoxville, and right now no one is suggesting Georgia is the outright better option.
Alabama is. But the Vols could navigate a loss to the Crimson Tide and still control their own destiny to Atlanta, where they could play their way into the College Football Playoff. This is the season’s biggest realistic goal: win the East and get to Atlanta with a chance to make the playoff.
Tennessee will need luck to pull it off, but this time only in the same way every champion needs a little luck. It’s not the flagrant kind of luck needed to pull off a number of upsets we’ve been trying to talk ourselves into for the last few years. The Vols simply need to take care of their own business.
This is especially fascinating to me as it relates to the ways Butch Jones and Mike DeBord call plays. After the loss to Arkansas last season, we tried to pinpoint Tennessee’s offensive identity:
But the longer we watch this team, the more I believe Team 119’s identity is less about running the football and more about minimizing risk. This is, in part, how the Vols gave away leads against Oklahoma and Florida. It’s not an outright terrible strategy; it’s been good enough to give Tennessee a chance to win every game, and could continue to do so. But it is a limited strategy, perhaps by design, and puts a definite ceiling on this offense.
But maybe this was the plan. Not the receivers part, but the taking no chances downfield and relying on the ground game part. Maybe they looked at what they had on the offensive line, had uncertainties about what Dobbs could do downfield, and then looked at Dobbs’ feet, Hurd, Kamara, and a once-healthy defense, and said, “We can win this year playing this way.” Don’t take many chances in the passing game. Use tempo and grind away. Win field position, turnovers, and special teams.
And the Vols are doing all of those things. And they have almost been enough to be undefeated. Almost.
Tennessee’s intermediate passing game would improve against Georgia and Alabama, and the Vols caught fire down the stretch. But the Vols also had no problem trotting out the risk management policy when they knew they had a definite advantage (most specifically at Missouri) and winning ugly.
2016’s ugly should be better looking than 2015’s. But when you feel like you’re the best team on the field 11 out of 12 Saturdays, and that best comes via a powerful running game and a veteran defense? I would imagine Butch and DeBord are asking themselves exactly how many risks they’ll have to take this fall.
If you haven’t read our MLB Draft preview, to recap, We a few current hogs and current commits would get drafted and not come back to the program. Six current Razorbacks got drafted, Zach Jackson and Clark Eagan are the high profile names who are likely gone. Dominic Taccolini was drafted by the Blue Jays and could return. Carson Shaddy and Luke Bonfield were both eligible and went undrafted so they will certainly be back. Commits Ben Rortvedt and Cole Stobbe were both drafted early and will likely go pro, but those are the only two that are likely to not make it to Fayetteville. So overall the draft was kind to Dave Van Horn.
This past week was huge weekend for Razorback Track. Jarrion Lawson had a record setting day and the women’s team took home their first outdoor title. We’ve covered those here and here, and there are still some great individual stories from the meet. After his record breaking performance, Lawson is now the favorite for the Bowerman Award, which is Track’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. The award will be announced late in the year but voting will close next month so the #JLawForBowerman campaign is in full force.
The other story is South African’s Dominique Scott. Read more about her successful career with the Hogs here. She ended it in a huge way, with the final race of her collegiate career she clinched the team title for the Razorbacks with a win in the 5,000 meters. Next up for Scott is training for the Olympic Games in Rio. She will join plenty of current and former Razorback track athletes from multiple countries there this summer.
What is the most critical game for Arkansas Football this year? Clearly every SEC game is going to be huge, but according to ESPN, that must win game is going to be the Texas A&M game. They are doing the series with every SEC team so check that out if you are interested. From the Hogs point of view it makes the most sense to win this game. The past two seasons Arkansas has been agonizingly close to beating the Aggies but haven’t gotten over the hump. Doing that this season would be the set up for a big year for them,
Each of those hands has a stack of Ben Franklins in it. – John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson holding plaque. – @GLOing_817
Sam Ehlinger (left) and Mannie Netherly back in May – via @yovng_netherly
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports