Can the Rangers break the Presidents’ Trophy curse? Key storylines for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs
More Videos
Published
9 months agoon
By
admin-
Greg Wyshynski, ESPNApr 19, 2024, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
As a service to fans who have a general interest in the National Hockey League but have no idea what’s happened since the Vegas Golden Knights raised the Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers in June 2023, we’re happy to provide this FAQ as a guide to the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
And for you die-hard puckheads: Here is your official refresher before the games begin Saturday. Enjoy!
How intense was the end of the regular season in the Eastern Conference?
It was “four teams, one open playoff spot” intense, filled with desperation and unfortunate amounts of math.
In the end, the Washington Capitals claimed the final wild-card spot in the East in their season finale by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers, who pulled their goalie in a tie game in the third period because only a regulation win would have kept them alive.
The Caps’ win eliminated the Flyers, the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins, marking the first time Sidney Crosby has missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons in his legendary career.
For the effort, the Capitals earn a first-round playoff date with the New York Rangers, owners of the NHL’s best record this season.
On the 30th anniversary of their 1994 Stanley Cup win, is this finally the year for the Rangers?
After getting eliminated in the first round last postseason in Game 7 against the New Jersey Devils, changes had to be made for the Rangers. They changed their coach, hiring the well-traveled Peter Laviolette to replace Gerard Gallant, who has proved to be an upgrade.
Star forward Artemi Panarin changed his hair, shaving his angelic locks as a symbolic vibe change that resulted in him setting career highs in goals (49) and points (120). What didn’t change: terrific special teams and dominant goaltending, the bedrock for the Rangers’ 114-point season.
There have been little memorable moments along the way that point to this year being a special one for the Rangers, from their Stadium Series rally against the Islanders to the legend of Matt Rempe.
Rempe, for the uninitiated, is the 6-foot-7 rookie whose chaotic fights made him an instant cult hero for Rangers fans, the likes we haven’t seen since the heyday of Sean Avery. The hard-hitting Rempe, who was suspended four games for elbowing in March, has 71 penalty minutes and 95 minutes played. Only Laviolette knows how much we’ll see of Rempe in the playoffs. If we do, he could be a conversation changer.
So yes, this could be the year for the Rangers … if they overcome the Presidents’ Trophy curse.
What’s the Presidents’ Trophy curse?
There have been 37 previous Presidents’ Trophy winners for having the league’s best record. Only 11 of them advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, and only eight of those teams hoisted the Cup.
Only three teams in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) have won the Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
It’s only gotten tougher in recent years. Since the NHL changed to a wild-card format in 2013-14, there hasn’t been a single Presidents’ Trophy winner that has advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Boston Bruins won the Trophy last season — and set records for regular-season success — but were shocked in the first round by the Panthers.
The curse of the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy
Check out the numbers behind recent Presidents’ Trophy winners and how they’ve fared en route to the Stanley Cup.
Are the Bruins still a Stanley Cup contender?
That stunning loss to the Panthers was devastating on and off the ice. The Bruins said goodbye to centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, who both retired, as well as a handful of other impact players in the offseason.
But Boston refused to let its window to contend slam shut. Using a foundation of coach Jim Montgomery’s defensive system, strong goaltending and star winger David Pastrnak‘s 47-goal, 110-point season, the B’s amassed 109 points to finish second in the Atlantic and earn a first-round series against their old friends, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Uh-oh, the Leafs drew the Bruins again? Should Toronto stop planning the parade?
The Leafs have had their typical roller-coaster season. The highs were extremely high. Star center Auston Matthews just missed out on the first 70-goal season in the NHL since 1992-93, topping out at 69 goals in 81 games, the most in a single season in Leafs history. William Nylander set a career high with 97 points. But inconsistency, especially in their goaltending, made for some inglorious lows.
And now they draw the Bruins again, a team that has eliminated the Leafs in a first-round Game 7 three times in the last 11 postseasons, in series that all offered their unique flavors of heartbreak for Toronto fans.
This is going to go one of two ways: Toronto sees the Spoked-B, gets in their own heads and loses another heartbreaker; or, the Leafs finally overcome their tormentors in a cathartic series win that launches them into a championship run. Either way, the Leafs have only themselves to blame: Their loss to the Panthers allowed the Cats to leapfrog the Bruins in their final game of the season, setting up more Boston vs. Toronto drama.
Of course, the Panthers earned some drama of their own by setting up the next Battle of Florida.
What can we expect from the Battle of Florida?
This series features two of the best individual performers of the regular season. Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy as the leading points earner in the NHL, and he became only the seventh player in NHL history to have a point on at least 50% of his team’s goals. Not bad for a guy who was booed for dogging it at the All-Star Game. The Panthers, meanwhile, got a career-high 57 goals from forward Sam Reinhart, who is a free agent this summer. Good timing, sir.
This is the third Battle of Florida in Stanley Cup playoffs history, with the Lightning winning in six games in 2021 and a sweep in 2022. But these teams are in different places now.
-
The Panthers are ascendant after having lost in the Final last season, as playoff hero Matthew Tkachuk and one of the best defensive teams in the league seek the first championship in franchise history.
-
The Lightning are the East’s first wild-card team. Their veteran core — Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy — is trying to win a third Cup in five seasons.
For added drama: Stamkos is a free agent this summer, and there’s a non-zero chance this could be the captain’s final postseason with the Lightning.
Are the Panthers the favorite to come out of the East?
Actually, the current favorite to win the conference and the Stanley Cup on ESPN BET is the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Canes are a balanced offensive and defensive team that has been inching toward a championship for the past few seasons under coach Rod Brind’Amour. They bolstered their chances with a pair of significant trade deadline acquisitions: Penguins winger Jake Guentzel and Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov. Both of them are accomplished scorers in the playoffs, and could be the ones to push the Hurricanes over the hump. The hump in this case being all of those one-goal games Carolina loses, including four in the conference final last season.
Carolina faces the New York Islanders in the first round, having beaten the Isles in six games last season. But there’s one huge difference between those Islanders and these Islanders: Patrick Roy, the fiery Hall of Fame goalie who took over as coach and led the Islanders to No. 3 in the Metro Division. Yes, their 16 losses after regulation were the most for a playoff team in the shootout era. But in the past three weeks, no team had a better points percentage than the Isles (.864). They’re peaking at the right time.
Besides Guentzel, who are the other old faces in new places that could impact the playoffs?
In the East, the Panthers added winger Vladimir Tarasenko. But the Western Conference was the real arms race at the NHL trade deadline.
Are the Knights engaging in salary cap gymnastics?
Those accusations were unavoidable after the Knights said captain Mark Stone had been cleared for practice just over a week before the playoffs were set to open. Stone suffered a lacerated spleen on Feb. 20, which allowed them to place his $9.5 million salary cap hit on long-term injured reserve ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
Last season, Stone had back surgery on Jan. 1 and went on long-term injured reserve, allowing the Knights the cap flexibility to add forward Ivan Barbashev (among others) at the trade deadline. Stone didn’t play in Game 82, when his return would have risked Vegas’s cap compliance, but played in Game 1 of their first-round series against Winnipeg. Stone had 24 points in 22 games to help Vegas win its first Stanley Cup.
General manager Kelly McCrimmon pushed back on any notion that the Golden Knights were working the system, telling Sportsnet that LTIR was “collectively bargained,” and called out those who “insinuate” the injuries aren’t significant.
“Google ‘lacerated spleen’ and see if you can tell when a player is going to be back,” he said. “It’s ridiculous to suggest that these aren’t significant injuries. And furthermore, the NHL polices all of this.”
From the Knights’ success on the ice to their bludgeoning play to their aggressive player acquisitions and the “how do they keep getting away with it?” accusations that accompany them, no team in the NHL is as delightfully divisive as the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Who is the favorite in the West?
The Dallas Stars are favored to win the conference, just slightly ahead of the Edmonton Oilers, and for good reason. If you closed your eyes and were asked to draw a championship roster, it would probably look something like the Stars.
They have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL, with a balance of savvy veterans (Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin) combined with in-their-prime standouts (Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz) and impactful young players (Wyatt Johnston). They have an elite defenseman in Miro Heiskanen. While he wasn’t up to standards during much of the season, they have a star goalie in Jake Oettinger who is playing his best hockey at the right time.
The Stars were the runners-up in the West last season to Vegas. GM Jim Nill has constructed a roster that’s as Cup-ready as you’ll find. Now it’s up to coach Pete DeBoer and the players to lift it.
To do so, they’ll have to overcome the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the playoffs, the team that eliminated them in the conference final last season after a particularly brutal series.
Yes, and it would be a fitting capper for a wild season in Edmonton.
The Oilers fired coach Jay Woodcroft after winning just three times in their first 13 games in favor of Rangers minor league coach Kris Knoblauch, who (probably not) coincidentally coached McDavid back in juniors. Knoblauch went a stellar 46-17-5, thanks in no small part to McDavid recapturing the magic after his own slow start and finishing with 132 points in 76 games. Draisaitl had 106 points, but the bigger offensive star was 31-year-old winger Zach Hyman, who tallied a career-best 54 goals.
As usual, the Oilers’ success isn’t what Connor and Leon (and Zach) do, but what their supporting cast does. They’re third in 5-on-5 average scoring and eighth in 5-on-5 average defense. Replicate those results and the Oilers could go on a run … if goaltender Stuart Skinner can hold up his end of bargain, which seems to be a running theme during the McDavid years.
The Oilers draw the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, marking the third straight season these two teams will face off in the first round. The Oilers won their first meeting in seven games and last postseason’s meeting in six games. The Kings fired head coach Todd McLellan in favor of Jim Hiller at the All-Star break. Hiller’s gone 20-12-1 since then, seeking to lead L.A. vets like Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty on the Cup run they’ve been salivating to have for several seasons.
The Oilers didn’t even win their division, finishing behind the Vancouver Canucks. How legit are the ‘Nucks as a contender?
If they can reclaim their offensive consistency, they can be dangerous. Coach Rick Tocchet is in the coach of the year conversation because he helped turned the Canucks’ defensive metrics around this season. Through their past 20 games, they’re second in 5-on-5 defense, maintaining the effectiveness they had all season. But their 5-on-5 offense ranked 22nd during that span.
The Canucks have been as top-heavy as a Tootsie Pop this season. After leading scorers J.T. Miller (103 points), Quinn Hughes (91), Elias Pettersson (89) and Brock Boeser (73), there’s a 25-point drop to the next-leading scorer, Filip Hronek.
That depth challenge might hurt them more against other opponents than against the Predators, but Nashville is no pushover. They’re talented and play with pace under coach Andrew Brunette. Plus, they’re one of the NHL’s greatest psychological experiments this season: Can depriving a team from seeing a U2 concert at The Sphere in Las Vegas not only lead to regular-season success but also postseason results?
What does U2 have to do with Nashville?
Besides Bono’s cowboy hat phase, not a lot — except for what happened this season.
The Predators were flailing and called out by their coach for a lack of focus. To get their attention again, Brunette cancelled a planned trip to see U2 at The Sphere while Nashville was on a road trip.
The team responded by going 18 games without a regulation loss, a streak that elevated them to a playoff seed they’d never relinquish. (And if they win the Cup, they have to get U2 to play the victory parade down Broadway, right?)
Speaking of elevation: What’s up with Colorado?
The Avalanche are seeking their second Stanley Cup in three seasons, and redemption after losing in the first round of last year’s playoffs to the Seattle Kraken. But they’ve earned a tough draw in the opening round in the Winnipeg Jets. To put this in hyperbolic wrestling announcer terms, it’s the irresistible force vs. the immovable object.
The Avalanche finished near the top of the NHL in goals per game. The Jets finished near the top of the NHL in preventing goals. Colorado has Nathan MacKinnon, the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP after establishing new career highs in goals (51) and points (138) this season. Winnipeg has Connor Hellebuyck, the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and someone who might get his share of MVP support, as well.
It’s fire vs. water. It’s green light vs. red light. It could be the best opening-round series of the playoffs.
You’ve mentioned more than a few players hitting career highs statistically. What’s up with that?
Frankly, it’s a great time to be a star offensive player in the NHL. The goals per team per game dropped slightly this season from last season, but those averages remain the highest we’ve had since the mid-1990s. There are a lot of factors behind this, from the dilution of talent due to expansion, to rule changes that necessitated teams rethinking their roster constructions, to power plays being more efficient than they’ve been since the late 1980s.
But in the end, it’s the players. The NHL has never have a greater assemblage of world-class talent than right now.
There’s Auston Matthews flirting with 70 goals. There were 17 players scoring 40 or more goals; just 10 seasons ago, we had three. There’s both McDavid and Nikita Kucherov tallying 100 assists in a single season, joining Hockey Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr as the only players in NHL history to do so.
Hockey fans used to dream about a time when the name on the back could be as much a draw as the logo on the front, and we’re now living that dream.
2024 NHL playoffs: The chase for the Stanley Cup is on
Emily Kaplan sets up the chase for the Stanley Cup as the NHL’s second season gets underway.
So who wins the Cup?
Um … uh … sorry, we’re too busy sketching out potential logos for the new NHL team in Utah now that this incarnation of the Arizona Coyotes just relocated. What about Blizzard? Instant rivalry with the Avalanche. The kids can call them “The Blizzy” for short.
While we can’t tell you who wins the Cup, we can say there are a handful of teams seeking their first one ever: the Panthers, Canucks, Jets and Predators. Seeing one of those droughts end would be fun. Of course, there’s another drought in Toronto dating back to 1967 that would be fun to see end, too.
Well, fun for Toronto. Maybe not so much the rest of Canada, we imagine.
Enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs, everyone — the best postseason in sports.
You may like
Sports
JR Motorsports enters Allgaier into Daytona 500
Published
13 hours agoon
January 15, 2025By
admin-
Associated Press
Jan 15, 2025, 03:18 PM ET
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NASCAR team owned by Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will attempt to make its Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 with a champion driver and a partnership with a Grammy Award-winning artist.
JR Motorsports has entered reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier into next month’s season-opening “Great American Race” in a Chevrolet sponsored by the whiskey label created by 10-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton. Traveller Whiskey is a collaborative blend created by Buffalo Trace Distillery with Stapleton.
Allgaier will have to qualify for the Daytona 500 — a race his boss has won twice — on either speed in time trials or via one of the qualifying races. It marks the first time in JRM history the team has entered a race in the Cup Series, and Earnhardt said the team will be focused on qualifying via speed powered by a Hendrick Motorsports engine.
The deal came together when Stapleton, who has a friendship with Rick Hendrick, approached Hendrick about a NASCAR collaboration with Traveller Whiskey. Hendrick put Stapleton in touch with Earnhardt as he also has an ownership stake with JRM.
“We had this whiskey, and I always have “pie in the sky” dreams of things to do and we knocked on the door a little bit,” Stapleton told The Associated Press. “If I’m being 100% honest, I just thought it would be cool to see whiskey on a car. And he brought up Dale Jr. and I was like ‘Why wouldn’t we do that if we can?’ This is a lot of my audience, for both whiskey and country music, and what [Earnhardt] does in auto racing.”
The third-party introduction is helping Earnhardt and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, attempt to make a dream come true for their race team.
“I shared with Rick that for a very long time that I had a dream, at one time in my life, of entering the Daytona 500 as a car owner,” Earnhardt told AP. “Rick presented the opportunity to connect with Chris and his team, they were interested in marketing in our sport, and Rick knew that I was wanting to fulfill this opportunity. It was like two people that wanted the same thing.”
The Earnhardts have led JRM to 88 Xfinity Series victories with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Allgaier last November. JRM is starting its 24th year of overall competition with four cars in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.
JRM has never attempted to enter a Cup race. The Earnhardts have expressed interest in moving up to Cup competition, but have balked at purchasing the eight-figure charter needed to compete.
Earnhardt said there have been no discussions on future Cup ventures for JRM beyond trying to make the Daytona 500. It will be a high-pressure situation for the Greg Ives-led team as Earnhardt has warned them he and his sister will be hovering from the moment the car is unloaded at Daytona Beach International Speedway through every mile it turns on the track.
Stapleton also plans to attend what will be his first Daytona 500. He and Earnhardt said the musician was intricately involved in the car design, which Stapleton saw in person for the first time Wednesday.
“I’m a bit of a retro guy, I like things that are kind of a throwback,” Stapleton said. “So I was looking for a little bit of that flavor in the car, but also something that really blended JR Motorsports and Traveller Whiskey. It had to look like both of those things and I think we achieved it.”
Aside from promoting his whiskey, Stapleton is hoping the Daytona 500 turns into a core memory of his accomplished career.
“I wanted to build a thing — I wanted to see the car and I want to see it run. And that, for me, would be the victory,” Stapleton said. “And I want the moment of it. It’s just like going to the Super Bowl and getting to stay on the sidelines. That’s what I want. I want the moment, the moment of the synergy that is happening.
“Whatever comes of it, we still did it.”
Allgaier is the defending Xfinity Series champion and former Cup Series driver who ran the Daytona 500 in 2014 and 2015. His most recent time in a Cup car was last May as the substitute driver for Kyle Larson as Larson attempted to compete in both the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500 on the same day.
Allgaier started the Coke 600 for Larson and was credited with a 13th-place finish when the race was called for rain.
“This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series,” said Allgaier. “Entering into the Daytona 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time, and I know that we are going to have everything we need to go out and contend for the win. This is going to be special for sure.”
Sports
Ohtani, Dodgers to star in 4 early SNB broadcasts
Published
19 hours agoon
January 15, 2025By
admin-
Associated Press
Jan 15, 2025, 09:34 AM ET
BRISTOL, Conn. — Shohei Ohtani and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers will be featured on four of ESPN’s first 10 “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts along with a March 27 appearance on the sport’s main Opening Day.
ESPN said Wednesday it will broadcast the Dodgers’ Sunday night games against the Chicago Cubs (April 13), Atlanta Braves (May 4), New York Mets (May 25) and New York Yankees (June 1).
The Dodgers appeared in the maximum five Sunday night games last year, as did the Yankees, Braves and Boston Red Sox.
Los Angeles opens the season on March 18 and 19 against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, and most other teams start play March 27. ESPN’s doubleheader that day features exclusive coverage of the Yankees hosting Milwaukee and the Dodgers at home against Detroit. The March 27 appearances don’t count against each team’s five-game ESPN limit.
ESPN’s Sunday night games started in 1990.
Sports
ESPN’s 2024 All-America team: The top players at every position
Published
19 hours agoon
January 15, 2025By
admin-
Chris Low, ESPN Senior WriterJan 15, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- College football reporter
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of the University of Tennessee
With schools playing as many as 16 games this season in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff format, we waited a little longer than usual to unveil our 2024 ESPN All-America team.
Postseason performances should matter, especially when you’re talking about up to four games.
Headlining the team is Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who turned in All-America performances at three spots. (We limited him to one position on our list.) The receiver/cornerback was the cornerstone of a Colorado team that won nine games in 2024 after suffering through seven straight losing seasons.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts are the only repeat selections from last season. Ohio State and Texas each have three first-team selections to lead the way, and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is the only true freshman on the team.
OFFENSE
Ward made the most of his one season at Miami after transferring from Washington State. A Heisman Trophy finalist, he tied for the FBS lead by accounting for 44 touchdowns (39 passing, 4 rushing and 1 receiving) on the ACC’s No. 1 offense and threw just seven interceptions in 454 pass attempts. Ward, who started his career in the FCS ranks at Incarnate Word, had 10 games with at least 300 passing yards and set a Miami record with 4,313 passing yards.
Second team: Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
The mere fact that Jeanty made a run at Barry Sanders’ hallowed NCAA rushing record of 2,628 yards tells you everything you need to know about Jeanty’s 2024 season. He led the country with 2,601 rushing yards and scored 30 touchdowns. Jeanty was the Heisman Trophy runner-up to Hunter, and defenses aligned to stop him all season. Even so, he entered the Fiesta Bowl with 1,882 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus, which was more than any other FBS player had in total rushing yards.
Second team: Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
Everybody in and around Arizona State’s program already knew Skattebo was an elite running back, but he showed the rest of the country in his two postseason outings. Skattebo finished second to Jeanty with 1,711 rushing yards and had 21 touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes, and in the Big 12 championship game win over Iowa State and playoff loss to Texas, he rolled up 450 all-purpose yards and accounted for six touchdowns, one a 42-yard pass in the Sun Devils’ double-overtime loss to Texas.
Second team: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who has been a head coach at the NFL and collegiate levels, said he has never had a receiver like Smith, with his blend of size, speed and ability to track the ball in tight coverage. A true freshman, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Smith was uncoverable in the Buckeyes’ first two playoff games, with four touchdown catches and 290 receiving yards. He’s tied for third nationally with 14 touchdown receptions and averages 17.3 yards per catch.
Second team: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Nash is the first San José State player to be named a consensus All-American. The 6-3, 195-pound redshirt senior became the fourth player in FBS history to earn the receiving triple crown in the regular season with 104 catches, 1,382 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches. Nash had 39 catches of 15 yards or longer, according to Pro Football Focus, and 71 catches resulting in a first down, leading the nation in both categories. He also threw two touchdown passes this season.
Second team: Xavier Restrepo, Miami
Warren came to Penn State as a quarterback, and that athleticism was on full display in his sensational redshirt senior season. He caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards and 13 combined touchdowns (8receiving, 4 rushing and 1 passing). The 6-6, 261-pound Warren became the first tight end in Big Ten history to catch 100 passes in a season and won the John Mackey Award as the top tight end in college football.
Second team: Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Despite a left ankle injury that sidelined him for the SEC championship game, Banks was the centerpiece of a Texas offensive line that paved the way for one of the most balanced offenses in the country. The Longhorns were one of six FBS teams to average more than 275 passing yards and 160 rushing yards per game. The 6-4, 320-pound junior won the Lombardi Award this season as the nation’s best collegiate lineman and has been a starter at left tackle since his true freshman season.
Second team: Wyatt Milum, West Virginia
Jackson’s versatility has been a huge part of Ohio State’s run to the national championship game. He returned for his senior season after earning All-Big Ten honors at left guard each of the previous two seasons. He continued his stellar play at guard through the first half of this season but moved to left tackle after Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Second team: Willie Lampkin, North Carolina
Florida’s offensive line improved steadily in the latter part of the 2024 season, when the Gators won their last four games, and Slaughter’s play was a big reason. A redshirt junior who has announced he will return for the 2025 season, Slaughter allowed just one sack and one quarterback hit in 728 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Cooper Mays, Tennessee
Booker was a powerful blocker in the run game during all three of his seasons at Alabama and was a two-year starter at left guard. He also started one game this season at left tackle. Booker recorded a team-high 87 knockdown blocks and didn’t allow a sack in 715 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He declared for the NFL draft following the Crimson Tide’s bowl game.
Second team: Bill Katsigiannis, Army
From the time he stepped foot on campus, Campbell was a fixture on LSU’s offensive line at left tackle, and this season, he played every offensive snap (866) in 11 of LSU’s 12 games. Campbell shared the Jacobs Trophy as the SEC’s top blocker with Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. Campbell is headed to the NFL after three seasons in Baton Rouge and is rated as the No. 2 tackle in the draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper.
Second team: Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon
It might be a while before college football sees another iron man like Hunter, who played a staggering 1,440 snaps this season. In addition to playing more than 650 snaps on both offense and defense, he even played some on special teams — talk about an all-purpose player! Hunter tied for fourth nationally with 96 catches and ranked second with 15 touchdown receptions in winning the Biletnikoff Award as the country’s top receiver and led Colorado on defense with four interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Second team: Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh
DEFENSE
Carter played through a painful shoulder injury in Penn State’s playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame and still managed a sack. He led all FBS players with 23.5 tackles for loss, including 12 sacks. The 6-3, 252-pound junior moved from linebacker to edge rusher this season and established himself as one of the most dynamic defenders in the country. He had four games with multiple sacks and is projected to be one of the top defenders taken in the 2025 NFL draft.
Second team: Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
The defensive front was Michigan’s strength, and it was dominant in the upset win over Ohio State in the regular-season finale. Graham was the rock of that unit and a disrupter in the interior against both the run and pass. He had 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 26 pressures and is headed to the NFL, where he’s projected by ESPN’s Mel Kiper to be the top defensive tackle taken in the 2025 draft.
Second team: Rylie Mills, Notre Dame
After transferring from Texas A&M, Nolen had his best season at Ole Miss. He’s big (6-3, 305 pounds) and has great burst. Nolen led all SEC defenders with 12 tackles for loss in league games and is the kind of interior pass rusher all defenses covet. And as a run stopper, he was ranked second among all interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Derrick Harmon, Oregon
Ezeiruaku blossomed as a senior and leaves BC as one of the top defensive players in school history. At 6-2 and 247 pounds, Ezeiruaka was a pass-rushing dynamo with 16.5 sacks to rank second among FBS players. He was third nationally with 20.5 tackles for loss en route to winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and the Ted Hendricks Award as college football’s top defensive end.
Second team: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
The Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker, Walker is the third Georgia player to win the award since 2017. He’s a fierce tackler wherever he lines up and led the Bulldogs with 10.5 tackles for loss. Walker played more snaps at inside linebacker than he did rushing the passer, but he still finished with 34 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Second team: Jihaad Campbell, Alabama
One of the best stories in college football, Dolac started his career at Buffalo as a walk-on, then missed most of last season because of a shoulder injury before transferring to Utah State for a semester and going through spring practice. But he knew he belonged closer to home and returned to Buffalo to have a huge senior season. He led the nation with 168 total tackles and led all linebackers with 18.5 tackles for loss to go along with five interceptions.
Second team: Jay Higgins, Iowa
The epitome of a do-it-all linebacker, Hill went from being one of the best true freshmen in 2023 to one of the best defenders in the country this season. And, yes, he has another season remaining at Texas. The 6-3, 235-pound sophomore led the Longhorns with 113 total tackles and tied for fourth among FBS linebackers with 16.5 tackles for loss. He also had four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
Second team: Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma
Barron was already widely viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in college football but only raised his stock in helping limit Ohio State star receiver Jeremiah Smith to one catch for 3 yards in the Longhorns’ playoff semifinal loss at the Cotton Bowl. Barron, a 5-11, 200-pound redshirt senior, was the Thorpe Award winner as the best defensive back in college football and tied for the team lead in a talented secondary with five interceptions.
Second team: Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
In his second season at Cal after transferring from UNLV, Williams led all FBS players with seven interceptions and tied for third with 16 passes defended. He finished his college career with 14 interceptions and scored touchdowns this season on an 80-yard kickoff return in the opener against UC Davis and a 40-yard interception return against Cam Ward and Miami in a 39-38 loss to the Hurricanes.
Second team: D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana
Watts has been everything you could ask for in the back end of the Notre Dame defense. He erases mistakes, makes big plays in big moments and raises the game of everybody around him. The 6-foot, 203-pound redshirt senior leads all FBS safeties with six interceptions and is second on his team with 74 total tackles. He has 13 interceptions over his past two seasons and will go down as one of the best safeties in Notre Dame history.
Second team: Malaki Starks, Georgia
There’s no shortage of talent on the Ohio State defense, and adding Downs in the transfer portal helped spur the Buckeyes to the national championship game. He has uncanny instincts and is a force against both the run and pass. The 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore was a Thorpe Award finalist after earning Shaun Alexander Award honors as the national freshman of the year in his first season at Alabama. Downs ranks third on his team with 76 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, and has two interceptions.
Second team: Michael Taaffe, Texas
SPECIAL TEAMS
Zvada came to Ann Arbor by way of Arkansas State and kicked his way into Michigan history in just one season. His winning 21-yard field goal in the final minute gave the Wolverines their fourth straight victory over rival Ohio State, and he was money all season for the Maize and Blue. Zvada was 21-of-22 on field goal attempts and made all seven of his tries from 50 yards or longer.
Second team: Kenneth Almendares, Louisiana
The Trojans led the country in net punting, and Czaplicki’s ability to keep opposing offenses backed up against their own goal line was a big part of USC’s improvement on defense. Czaplicki, the Ray Guy award winner as the nation’s best punter, averaged 47.8 yards per punt, and opponents returned only 13 of his kicks. He had just one touchback all season, and 25 of his 43 punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.
Second team: Alex Mastromanno, Florida State
Shanks did a little bit of everything for UAB. The redshirt freshman led the nation in punt return yards (329) and punt return average (20.6), and he returned two punts for touchdowns, including a 58-yarder against Tulsa; he accounted for 311 all-purpose yards and four TDs in the game. Shanks also tied for the team lead with 62 catches and racked up 656 receiving yards to go with six touchdown receptions.
Second team: Rayshawn Pleasant, Tulane
Trending
-
Sports2 years ago
‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months ago
Story injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year ago
Game 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years ago
MLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years ago
Japan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years ago
Game-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years ago
Bank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway