Connect with us

Published

on

Former Alabama quarterback Julian Sayin, ESPN’s top quarterback recruit in the 2024 class, is transferring to Ohio State, he told ESPN on Sunday.

Sayin entered the NCAA transfer portal Friday in the wake of Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama. He is ESPN’s No. 3 overall prospect in the Class of 2024 and the top offensive prospect in his recruiting class.

He plans to enroll at Ohio State soon and will participate in the Buckeyes’ spring practice. Sayin left Alabama after enrolling there in early January. Saban retired soon after Sayin’s arrival.

“Incredibly excited to join the team here at Ohio State,” Sayin told ESPN on Sunday. “I held this program in high regard throughout my entire recruiting process and am looking forward to learning from some of the most talented players and coaches in college football and contributing to our team’s success.”

Sayin has experience with the Ohio State staff and a relationship with new Buckeyes coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien from his high school recruiting process. O’Brien had been part of Sayin’s early recruitment to Alabama. (O’Brien left for the Patriots for the 2023 season before getting hired at Ohio State last week.)

Sayin thanked his family for its support, as his hectic January will now feature him moving to a second city more than 1,000 miles from Southern California. He played high school football in Carlsbad, near San Diego.

“My family has been so supportive and sacrificed so much throughout my football journey,” he said. “I’m so proud and grateful to share this moment with them.”

Sayin will join a strong quarterback room at Ohio State that includes former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, who brings 27 starts with his transfer as he enters his final college season. Devin Brown will be entering his third season in 2024, Lincoln Kienholz will be entering his second season, and Air Noland enters his first season. Last year’s starter, Kyle McCord, transferred to Syracuse.

The addition of Sayin continues an offseason of significant change for the Buckeyes, who finished the 2023 regular season with a loss to Michigan — their third straight vs. the Wolverines — followed by a loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

Ohio State has added three of the top players in the transfer portal: Sayin, freshman All-America safety Caleb Downs and two-time All-SEC tailback Quinshon Judkins. They also upgraded the offensive line with Alabama center Seth McLaughlin.

The Buckeyes also returned multiple players who projected as NFL draft prospects at the start of the 2023 season, including wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, tailback TreVeyon Henderson and guard Donovan Jackson.

Ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer and tackle Tyleik Williams return along the defensive line, while star cornerback Denzel Burke‘s surprise return bodes well for the secondary.

Ohio State finished last season 11-2 after starting 11-0 for the second consecutive year. Ohio State lost to Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2022.

The addition of Sayin puts Ohio State in the rare position of having two high-end freshman quarterbacks in the same class.

Noland is ESPN’s No. 31 overall recruit in 2024 and the No. 2 pocket passer, while Sayin is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback.

Sayin, who is 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, threw for 2,369 yards, 24 touchdowns and just one interception as a high school senior in Carlsbad. He was the MVP of the Elite 11 finals in 2023, prior to his senior year of high school.

He finished his high school career with 7,824 passing yards, 85 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Continue Reading

Sports

5-star wide receiver Moore decommits from LSU

Published

on

By

5-star wide receiver Moore decommits from LSU

Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore decommitted from LSU on Wednesday.

Moore is the No. 3 prospect overall in the 2025 class, and a 5-foot-11, 185-pound recruit from Duncanville, Texas. He had been committed to the Tigers since August, but announced on Wednesday that he is reopening his recruitment.

In his announcement on X (formerly twitter), Moore said that he will not be considering new offers from schools.

Prior to committing to LSU, he had Ohio State, Oregon and Texas in his top group, and those three schools have continued to recruit him despite his commitment to LSU.

He was the second-highest ranked commitment in the class for LSU, behind No. 2 ranked Bryce Underwood, a five-star quarterback out of Belleville, Michigan.

Despite Moore’s decommitment, LSU still has six ESPN 300 commitments, including Underwood, the No. 1 ranked running back Harlem Berry, cornerback Jaboree Antoine, offensive linemen Devin Harper and Tyler Miller, as well as linebacker Charles Ross.

Continue Reading

Sports

Hunter, Ewers, Edwards share video game cover

Published

on

By

Hunter, Ewers, Edwards share video game cover

DALLAS — After dazzling at cornerback and wide receiver for Colorado in 2023, Travis Hunter often hears people describe him as a video game player. Now he is on the cover of the long-anticipated return of the college football video game from EA Sports.

Hunter, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and Michigan running back Donovan Edwards share the cover of EA Sports College Football 25, set to be released July 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The popular game, which has been on hiatus since 2014, will include all 134 FBS teams and the names, images and likenesses of a large majority of current players.

Eight days after EA Sports set up NIL deals for current college players, more than 10,000 had opted in to the game. Each player who opted in will receive $600 and a copy of the game, valued at around $70. Hunter and Ewers were among the first high-profile players to opt in.

The main cover shows Hunter in the middle with Ewers to his right and Edwards to his left. The cover for the deluxe edition displays the backs of Hunter, Ewers and Edwards in the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, where an extensive photo and video shoot took place in early March.

“It’s just a blessing to be able to be on the cover,” Hunter told ESPN. “We grew up watching this and looking at the covers, and now we’re on it. When I was young, I waited till 12 o’clock to get every NCAA. It was my favorite game by far. I still play the old NCAA 14 to this day.”

Hunter has created himself in the previous games, saying, “I’m a 90-something [rating] overall, so I’m pretty good, but my speed is kind of slow.”

Former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson was on the cover for NCAA Football 14. The last shared cover, for NCAA Football 13, featured Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, and 1988 Heisman winner Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State.

Like Hunter, Ewers has played the older versions of the game after EA Sports stopped producing it in the wake of a lawsuit filed by former players over the use of their names, images and likenesses.

“Obviously, I grew up in an era of playing this game, as it was big for my age group,” Ewers told ESPN. “It’s been, what, 10 years now since this NCAA game has come out, and to be on the cover with these two guys, I can’t really put it into words. It’s just an honor.”

EA Sports announced the planned return of the game in early 2021 and in December 2022 said the game would be released summer 2024. Every FBS school will be represented, along with the College Football Playoff and bowl games. Dynasty and Road to Glory modes — two features in the previous NCAA games that were immensely popular — will return to the game, which will also feature facets of the transfer portal and NIL.

Ewers and Hunter knew each other previously and connected with Edwards before the cover shoot. They posed for pictures together around the Cotton Bowl and did videos, including Ewers throwing a downfield pass to Hunter, who had 57 receptions for 721 yards and five touchdowns last season to go along with three interceptions and five pass breakups on defense.

“Donovan, Quinn and Travis are extraordinary talents who impressed and entertained millions of college football fans on the field last season and are poised to do so again this year,” Daryl Holt, senior vice president and group general manager of EA Sports, said in a statement. “We’re proud to be able to incorporate thousands of current athletes in College Football 25, and featuring this trio of playmakers and their iconic college programs on the cover is a perfect fit as we usher in a new era for EA SPORTS and college football.”

The photo shoot also included actors dressed in uniforms for Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Ohio State, Florida and Oregon. Other than Hunter, Ewers and Edwards, the cover includes jerseys showing the names of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck and Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins.

Edwards grew up playing NCAA Football and Call of Duty and described NCAA Football as “the best game that I ever played.”

“Just the fact that it hasn’t come out for a decade, you miss it more,” said Edwards, who had 497 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2023. “The graphics were top tier, the play style was top tier, there was no lag, no glitches in there. I’m just very blessed to be able to be on the cover and to be able to represent the University of Michigan.”

ESPN’s Michael Rothstein contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Michigan to sell alcohol at football games in ’24

Published

on

By

Michigan to sell alcohol at football games in '24

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Alcohol sales will begin this football season at Michigan Stadium, following the lead of in-state rival Michigan State and a trend of booze being made available at college sports venues across the nation.

The Michigan athletic department made the announcement Thursday following successful rollouts of alcohol sales at its hockey and basketball arenas. The university’s board of regents voted to implement a liquor license at the “Big House” starting with the Aug. 31 opener against Fresno State.

According to a survey by The Associated Press of Power Five conference schools and Notre Dame, 55 of 69 sold alcohol in the public areas of their stadiums last season. Michigan State, Kentucky and Stanford began alcohol sales at their football stadiums in 2023.

Michigan started alcohol sales at Yost Ice Arena and Crisler Center in February as a trial run for sales at the football stadium. The athletic department said there were no reported issues related to drunken behavior or medical responses.

Fans will be required to show identification while making a purchase, and each sale will be limited to two alcoholic beverages per legal drinking age person.

The athletic department said alcohol revenue will be used for operational expenses, and a portion will be directed to the university to help fund campus research projects.

Continue Reading

Trending