Latest news with #Mr.Football
Associated Press
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Discover the Incredible True Story Of How One Of South Carolina's Most Prominent Names in Athletics Found His True Self and Transformed His Life
Charleston, SC, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the night of his biggest honor, Marcus Lattimore's true self was revealed. Thanks to Marcus's insatiable drive for his passions, he became a highly-revered up-and-coming athlete in South Carolina at a young age. Even before starting college, Marcus had illustrious awards under his belt, like the ESPN RISE National High School Junior Football Player of the Year, South Carolina's Mr. Football, and a player in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. In college, his reputation and playing spoke for themselves, and he signed with the San Francisco 49ers over playing his senior year. But athletics and fame weren't all they seemed—and soon built a cage around Marcus's future. Marcus excitedly announces the release of Scream my Name, a confiding personal account in which readers get a never-before-seen look at the transformation that occurred within Marcus that took him from a glittering athlete to a fully realized person who found meaning and fulfillment in his life outside of fame. This can't-miss read is for football fans, poetry fanatics, and anyone who wants to understand the power of admitting you're lost so you can begin to find your way. 'Scream my Name: A Performance Piece' is available for purchase online at and Barnes and For more information about the author, please visit any of his social media platforms Instagram : Marcuslattimore_ X : Marcus Lattimore About the Author Marcus Lattimore is an accomplished athlete, spoken word artist, and creative writing teacher currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He was crowned the 2024 Grand Slam Poetry Champion and represented Oregon in the National Competition. He enjoys exploring the Wilderness of the Great Northwest with his wife Miranda when he is not performing or teaching. Attachment Leah Joseph Palmetto Publishing [email protected]
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Florida Gators Land Blue-Chip WR
Florida Gators Land Blue-Chip WR originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Billy Napier earned the commitment of Buchholz (Fla.)'s Justin Williams on Sunday, bolstering the Florida Gators' future receiving room. Advertisement "BREAKING: Four-Star WR Justin Williams has Committed to Florida, he tells me for @on3recruits," Hayes Fawcett wrote Sunday on X. "The 6'0 190 WR from Gainesville, FL chose the Gators over Florida State, Kentucky, Missouri, & Indiana. 'From the Backyard to The Swamp #GoGators." Williams is listed as the No. 15 overall athlete in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2026 class. "New-age offensive weapon that was a full-time wide receiver, but has since made the transition to running back and will likely get a bulk of his snaps there moving forward as he's a rhythmic mover with excellent contact balance that can string cuts together and extend runs," 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins wrote in a scouting report. Florida Gators coach Billy Napier© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "Should be viewed as a do-it-all utility man that can make an impact in a variety of different ways at the Power Four level. "Likely to find most success in a single-back spread attack that wants to target him out of the backfield." Advertisement Williams was a finalist for Florida's Class 6A Mr. Football award. He was chosen as The Gainesville Sun's All-Area Big School Offensive Player of the Year after catching 85 passes for 1,473 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also carried the ball 108 more times for 1,023 yards and 16 touchdowns. Williams had also visited the Indiana Hoosiers recently. If he sticks to his pledge, he'll follow a class of wideouts that includes Vernell Brown III, Dallas Wilson, and Naeshaun Montgomery. Related: New Star Emerges as Weapon for DJ Lagway This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
02-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama to reportedly receive visit from uncommitted 2026 quarterback prospect
Alabama to reportedly receive visit from uncommitted 2026 quarterback prospect According to reports, one of the nation's top uncommitted 2026 quarterback prospects will be visiting the Alabama Crimson Tide in the near future. That quarterback is Matt Ponatoski, a four-star prospect who recently received an offer from the Crimson Tide back in mid-May. The visit to Alabama is reportedly set for June 6-8. According to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings, Ponatoski is currently considered the nation's No. 278 overall player in the 2026 class, as well as the No. 21 quarterback out of Archbishop Moeller High School in Ohio. There, the four-star signal caller is also ranked the No. 12 overall player in the state where he won Mr. Football in 2024 as a junior. A two-sport athlete, Ponatoski is also a top baseball recruit in the 2026 class, and was also named to compete in the upcoming Elite 11 finals for football. At the moment, Alabama does not have a quarterback committed in its' 2026 class. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
Indianapolis Star
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Mark Zackery IV lived for big moments at Ben Davis. But he appreciates the quiet ones too.
Mark Zackery IV's senior season of basketball did not go according to plan. Surgery on his left thumb, stemming from an injury suffered during football season, mostly relegated the two-sport star to a bench role for Ben Davis. Not ideal. It was unlike any previous athletic experience in Zackery's life. 'I learned that certain things are out of my control,' Zackery said. 'And what do you do to better yourself when you are not doing the things you love? From a leader's standpoint, it was having a voice instead of being able to show by action.' Zackery, fresh off winning 2025 IndyStar Indiana Mr. Football, was able to return to the basketball court and play in the sectional for the Giants. Though it was not the finish he envisioned, Zackery believes the experience made him tougher and more appreciative of his hundreds of athletic experiences. He loves the idea of starting at the bottom again as he prepares to get started on his college life – and football career – at Notre Dame. 'I'm feeling pretty good and pretty confident,' Zackery said of the transition from high school to college. 'I have the mindset going there that I'm the worst player in the team. That's my mindset. I've always been a humble guy and it's important that in my head, I want to hit the refresh button and build back that confidence at the next level. I'm appreciative of all the recognition I've gotten in high school, but I know you have to hit the reset button and start over when you are competing with players who are your same ability.' Zackery has at least one more accomplishment to add to his achievements before he departs for South Bend: 2024-25 Marion County Male Athlete of the Year. Zackery was the ultimate winner in high school, helping his basketball team to a Class 4A state championship as a sophomore and his football team several months later, as a junior, to a Class 6A state title. Zackery was the choice for County Male Athlete of the Year from a vote of the county's athletic directors, who had narrowed the finalists to Zackery, Lawrence North football/track standout Davion Chandler and Lutheran three-sport star L.J. Ward. 'I'll remember the people at Ben Davis the most,' Zackery said of his high school experience. 'Just seeing different people every day. With a big school like Ben Davis, you see your friends and people you know but also learn about new people and new walks of life. Everybody is human and personally, I just hopefully was able to treat everybody with respect because you don't always know what somebody is going through in their lives.' His individual accomplishments were numerous, culminating in football with the Mr. Football award after his senior season. As a senior, he caught 58 passes for 1,036 yards and 12 touchdowns to finish his four-year career with 119 receptions for 1,924 yards and 21 TDs on offense and 140 tackles, 14 interceptions (eight as a senior), four recovered fumbles and four defensive TDs. On the basketball court, he earned Indiana All-Star honors after helping Ben Davis to two state finals appearances (winning as a sophomore). In his best season, as a junior, Zackery averaged 11.0 points, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals, shooting 39.4% from the 3-point line. But for all of special moments in sports, one of Zackery's favorite people at Ben Davis was completely outside the athletic realm. She wanted it that way, in fact. 'Miss Jessica Breedlove,' Zackery said of his sophomore year geometry honors teacher. 'She never attached me to my sport. I feel like that's the thing I really liked was that she didn't really look at me as an athlete. She looked at me as a regular person and helped me succeed in school.' Breedlove said she always leaned more into basketball due to her roots in hoops-centric Kokomo. She assumed Zackery was a basketball player. But even though Alijah Price, the Giants' star running back, and Zackery were in her class that fall, she did not even realize they played football until deep into the fall semester. Over the next 2 ½ years, Breedlove served as sounding board for Zackery at school. The topics of discussion rarely involved his athletic achievements. 'My approach with Mark is that we don't talk about sports,' Breedlove said. 'I think he's looking forward to being the little fish in the big pond again. It's weird being 18 and people knowing who you are. I think they get a lot of ideas about how they are supposed to act from social media and seeing how other people behave. One of the blessings of being a classroom teacher is you get to see them be their authentic selves. I don't have to also be his coach.' Breedlove would give Zackery knuckles on his way out the door with only three rules as it related to football and basketball: have fun; don't get hurt; and win. In that order. 'I always appreciated that in the offseason I could find him in my room because he would always have to wait around to go pick up his sister from middle school,' Breedlove said. 'So, he'd come and clean the calculators off my desk and kill time and chat for a few minutes. Just a kid.' Breedlove figured those moments outside of playing sports, talking about sports or practicing sports allowed Zackery a needed opportunity to take a deep breath now and then. When Zackery's family asked her to write a letter of recommendation for the Watkins Award, which is presented by the National Alliance of African American Athletes (Zackery was one of six high school athletes to win), she called it 'the easiest recommendation letter I've ever been asked to write.' 'I joked with his mom (Keisha) and him that I would never to get share my two cents,' Breedlove said. Breedlove brought her 9-year-old son to some of Zackery's basketball games. She joked that she gained some cool points in her son's eyes when she introduced them after a game. But the teacher in her just wants to see Zackery be able to enjoy being a kid as long as he can. 'Most of the time, I want to him to feel not like a celebrity,' she said. 'We just kind of do our little nods to let him know I'm there.' It is fun to think about where Zackery could be 5, 10 or 15 years from now. Though he will be 'starting from the bottom' at Notre Dame as a freshman, the coaching staff obviously has high hopes for a four-star prospect who is projected as a cornerback in college. His roommate will be Tampa, Fla., native Dallas Golden, another four-star cornerback prospect. But beyond his hopefully lengthy playing career, Breedlove said she could see Zackery as a coach. 'I've watched him coach his teammates I've had in class through my math course that he will still swear up and down is the hardest class he's had to take,' Breedlove said. 'I'd love for him to be able to experience playing, but I just want him to be safe and healthy and have any bit of normalcy that he wants. But he's so good at speaking and motivating his teammates, older and younger than him, that I could see him coaching. I think he'll figure it out. Either way, I think he'll be mentoring other people. He'd be fantastic at that.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No. 1 QB Jared Curtis' Massive Commitment Shakes Up Recruiting Rankings
Five-star and the nation's No. 1 quarterback Jared Curtis made his highly-anticipated commitment on Monday, resulting in a shake up in the class of 2026 recruiting rankings It came down to Georgia and Oregon for Curtis, who took home Mr. Football and MaxPreps Tennessee Player of the Year honors after leading Nashville Christian School to a Division II-A state championship as a junior in 2024. Advertisement The 6-foot-4, 225-pound dual-threat passer completed 70.2% of his passes for 2,830 yards with 40 touchdowns to three interceptions. He also racked up 637 rushing yards yards (7.2 yards per carry) with 18 scores on the ground in 13 games. Curtis ultimately chose head coach Kirby Smart's Bulldogs, which previously held a pledge from Curtis before he backed off that commitment in October. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Oregon head coach Dan LanningJoshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK That leaves ex-UGA assistant and current Oregon head coach Dan Lanning with some ground to make up after losing Curtis. The Ducks previously lost four-star quarterback Jonas Williams, who flipped to USC. Georgia's major win on the recruiting trail propelled the program to No. 7 in On3's rankings in the 2026 cycle. On the other hand, it was Oregon who dropped one spot behind the Bulldogs. Advertisement Updated top-10 recruiting rankings via On3: USC Trojans LSU Tigers Ohio State Buckeyes Notre Dame Fighting Irish Texas A&M Aggies Alabama Crimson Tide Georgia Bulldogs Oregon Ducks Clemson Tigers Penn State Nittany Lions Smart and Co. hauled in their ninth consecutive top-five class (No. 2) last cycle while Lanning's Ducks finished at fourth nationally. Georgia and Oregon are the only programs in the 2026 top 10 to have fewer than 10 commitments to date, leaving plenty of room for additions as the cycle heats up. The Bulldogs and Ducks are also in the hunt for five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell, who will decide among Georgia, Oregon, Ohio State and Miami on May 13. Related: Projected $1.5 Million Star Reveals College Football Program Recruiting Him 'Hardest' Related: Nation's No. 2 QB Drops Intriguing Recruiting Hint After Four Major Offers
