College Football Today: The Longhorns’ New Adventure
Clemson hopes to add OL prospect Mal Waldrep (Hudl)
This week, former coach Mike Riley was named to the College Football Playoff selection committee; Oregon’s defense should be better thanks to a commitment from highly touted outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt; and despite failing to threepeat, Georgia Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart has signed a new deal that makes him the first $13 million coach in college football.
Texas Will Face Pass D Challenges in SEC
Despite losing the Sugar Bowl, the Texas Longhorns’ final season in the Big 12 was a successful one as the club improved for the second straight year, posting a 12-2 record to finish in first place in the conference.
Now, a new adventure awaits as Texas goes from a conference that boasted (including the Longhorns) four top 20 teams, to the SEC — which had six such squads already. Needless to say, this move offers a much bigger challenge for Texas, and the program may have a tough time reaching even 11 wins.
The Longhorns offense should again be potent, but an already weak pass defense suffered a big loss when cornerback Terrance Brooks entered the transfer portal (see video below). Apparently, over 25 schools are clamouring to add him, including Michigan State. Small wonder; Brooks is a speedy former five-star recruit and has potential upside to become an NFL draft pick, but that’s something that’s likely still two years away.
Clemson Looks Poised to Top the ACC
In 2023, the Clemson Tigers may have failed to reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2010, but they find themselves co-favourites (with FSU) to win the ACC next season (currently +290 at FanDuel)
It will sure help the team if they land three-star OL Mal Waldrep. He says he’s narrowed his list down to four schools and will reveal his choice on his birthday (July 10), but it definitely sounds like he may have already made up his mind: “I honestly just fell in love with Clemson since I first went up there,” he told The Clemson Insider.
The Tigers’ offense will almost assuredly be better this season. Having Cade Klubnick back for his second year as the starting QB is huge; we expect him to have fewer off games this season and get more help from what should be a much-improved receiver in sophomore Tyler Brown. Running back Phil Mafah, who surprised many when he worked his way to the top of the depth chart last season, returns for his senior season as the clear lead back.
Unfortunately, the Tigers suffered some major losses on D — in fact, of the six players that were taken from Clemson in the NFL draft, five were from the defense. We’re not necessarily expecting the Tiger defense to crash, but it’s clear that some lesser known players will need to step up.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
British prog rockers Jethro Tull got their start in 1967, remaining active until 2011. They reformed in 2017 and are still at it today. In 1978, they released their first live album, Bursting Out, which included “Songs From the Wood,” the title track from their 1977 effort.
