Latest news with #NFL-caliber
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Drew Allar's growth at the center of Penn State's 2025 hopes
If Penn State's going to make a serious run in 2025, it starts with Drew Allar. And James Franklin made it clear at Big Ten Media Days—he's proud of the quarterback Allar has become. 'Drew has made tremendous growth every single year,' Franklin said. 'All the way back to recruiting.' It's easy to forget now, but Allar wasn't always a blue-chip name. 'When we first started recruiting, he was a three-star recruit. Kind of a throwback recruit,' Franklin said. 'He kept getting better, kept moving up the charts.' Eventually, he was ranked as the top quarterback in the country. Since stepping on campus, Allar's rise hasn't slowed. He sat behind an NFL-caliber QB as a freshman, learned the ropes, and then took control of the offense. And now, going into his third year as the starter, he's the face of a program with championship-level expectations. 'He's now 6'5', 235 pounds, can make every throw on the field, has shown that he can hurt people with his feet,' Franklin said. 'And he's made tremendous strides as a leader.' That leadership piece is what separates Allar. Franklin praised the way he's raised the standard—not just for himself, but for the team. 'He's willing to have tough conversations with his teammates,' he said. And Allar didn't just flirt with the idea of the NFL after last season. Most people had him pegged as a first-round draft pick. He came back anyway. 'Unfinished business,' Franklin called it. Both for Allar personally and for the team. That choice speaks volumes. Not every player projected in the first round decides to return. But Allar is betting on himself, his teammates, and the bigger picture in Happy Valley. 'I'm a big Drew fan,' Franklin said. 'You guys get a chance to get around him, you'll feel the same way.' Franklin emphasized that Allar represents everything Penn State football stands for. 'It's team, team, team. It's community. It's Penn State,' he said. 'He does things the right way.' The numbers back it up. Allar is one of only two FBS quarterbacks since 1956 with over 800 completions, 50 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions. That's elite efficiency—and it's why he's back to chase a title. With Drew Allar at the helm, Penn State has a steady leader who's matured on and off the field. His poise, arm talent, and presence in the locker room make him one of the most valuable players in college football heading into the fall. Franklin isn't just hoping for greatness—he's expecting it. And if Allar takes another leap in 2025, he just might carry the Nittany Lions all the way to the top. This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: James Franklin praises Drew Allar's leadership ahead of 2025 season
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Drew Allar's growth at the center of Penn State's 2025 hopes
If Penn State's going to make a serious run in 2025, it starts with Drew Allar. And James Franklin made it clear at Big Ten Media Days—he's proud of the quarterback Allar has become. 'Drew has made tremendous growth every single year,' Franklin said. 'All the way back to recruiting.' It's easy to forget now, but Allar wasn't always a blue-chip name. 'When we first started recruiting, he was a three-star recruit. Kind of a throwback recruit,' Franklin said. 'He kept getting better, kept moving up the charts.' Eventually, he was ranked as the top quarterback in the country. Since stepping on campus, Allar's rise hasn't slowed. He sat behind an NFL-caliber QB as a freshman, learned the ropes, and then took control of the offense. And now, going into his third year as the starter, he's the face of a program with championship-level expectations. 'He's now 6'5', 235 pounds, can make every throw on the field, has shown that he can hurt people with his feet,' Franklin said. 'And he's made tremendous strides as a leader.' That leadership piece is what separates Allar. Franklin praised the way he's raised the standard—not just for himself, but for the team. 'He's willing to have tough conversations with his teammates,' he said. And Allar didn't just flirt with the idea of the NFL after last season. Most people had him pegged as a first-round draft pick. He came back anyway. 'Unfinished business,' Franklin called it. Both for Allar personally and for the team. That choice speaks volumes. Not every player projected in the first round decides to return. But Allar is betting on himself, his teammates, and the bigger picture in Happy Valley. 'I'm a big Drew fan,' Franklin said. 'You guys get a chance to get around him, you'll feel the same way.' Franklin emphasized that Allar represents everything Penn State football stands for. 'It's team, team, team. It's community. It's Penn State,' he said. 'He does things the right way.' The numbers back it up. Allar is one of only two FBS quarterbacks since 1956 with over 800 completions, 50 touchdowns, and fewer than 10 interceptions. That's elite efficiency—and it's why he's back to chase a title. With Drew Allar at the helm, Penn State has a steady leader who's matured on and off the field. His poise, arm talent, and presence in the locker room make him one of the most valuable players in college football heading into the fall. Franklin isn't just hoping for greatness—he's expecting it. And if Allar takes another leap in 2025, he just might carry the Nittany Lions all the way to the top.
Fox Sports
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson eager to prove he can do it all, blocking included
Associated Press LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Kaleb Johnson isn't worried about what happens when the football is in his hands. That's always been the easy part. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back has been doing this long enough to trust his talent and the instincts that made him an All-American at Iowa last fall. Yet the third-round pick understands that if he wants to get on the field regularly, he'll have to show coach Mike Tomlin and everyone else what he can do when the ball is elsewhere. Namely, standing in the backfield and doing what he can to use his sturdy 6-foot-1, 224-pound frame to create a little extra time for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Pass protection wasn't a priority at Iowa, where passing is seemingly never a priority. Johnson piled up 1,537 yards rushing and 23 total touchdowns anyway as a junior in 2024, even though opponents almost always knew what was coming. Yet when Johnson met with Tomlin during Iowa's 'Pro Day,' Johnson didn't waste time trying to describe his method or his running style. Instead, he told the league's longest-tenured coach that if the Steelers drafted him, he was looking forward to the singularly violent 'backs on backers' drill that is the annual highlight of the first day in pads during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Why? Johnson had done his homework. He scanned social media and found a video of Steelers third-year back Jaylen Warren — all of 5-foot-8 — lighting up a blitzing defender. '(The video) was hype,' Johnson said. Johnson's message to Tomlin that day: draft me and I'll prove to you I can do the same thing. 'I really want to show people what I can do,' he said. The Steelers were convinced — both by Johnson's passion and the healthy amount of what Tomlin called 'Sunday runs" (a Tomlin-ism for NFL-caliber) Johnson made against Big Ten defenses stacked to stop him — to take him with the 83rd overall pick in the draft. And while Johnson has broken off a handful of long runs during the opening days of camp this week, they've all come during what Tomlin not-so-lovingly describes as 'football in shorts.' The first real test of how ready Johnson is to compete for a starting job right away will come on Tuesday when Johnson has pads under his No. 20 jersey for the first time. That's when Tomlin will line one of Pittsburgh's star linebackers, maybe even T.J. Watt, currently the NFL's highest-paid defender, across from Johnson. On the whistle, the linebacker will attempt to go over, around, or through Johnson in an attempt to get to the quarterback. The one-on-one matchups give rookies on both sides of the ball a chance to make a memorable first impression. Asked if he expects Tomlin to send one of his 'hitmen' at him to gauge his readiness, Johnson replied simply, 'I know he is, and I'm ready for it.' Hardly surprising, considering Johnson looked ready for pretty much anything during his three years at Iowa, where he displayed the kind of big-play ability — Johnson had more than 30 runs of 20 yards or more with the Hawkeyes — that Pittsburgh's rushing attack largely lacked during Najee Harris' steady (four straight 1,000-yard seasons) but rarely spectacular tenure. Johnson will be given every opportunity to play right away, as Harris was four years ago. Yet there is no rivalry building between Johnson and Warren, a former undrafted rookie free agent who has become an unlikely success story. Warren said Johnson's skill set 'has got it all.' Johnson, meanwhile, has praised Warren for showing him the 'ins and outs' of picking up the blitz, something Warren has become so adept at that center Zach Frazier likened it to having another lineman on the field. While Tomlin frequently called Harris a 'bell cow," the reality is that the Steelers split playing time pretty evenly between Harris and Warren a year ago. Harris was on the field for 50% of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps. Warren was out there 40% of the time. Expect something similar in 2025, with veteran Kenneth Gainwell in the mix too after coming over from Philadelphia. Johnson is happy to simply be part of the group for now, though he wants to make it a point to prove to Tomlin that he's capable in any situation. 'I feel like I'm an all-around back,' he said. Starting Tuesday — with one of Tomlin's 'hitmen' standing across from him — Johnson will get a chance to prove it. NOTES: Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, center Maurkice Pouncey, and linebacker Joey Porter Jr. were selected to the club's Hall of Honor on Saturday by team president Art Rooney II. The trio will be officially inducted at Acrisure Stadium on Dec. 15 when the Steelers host Miami. ___ AP NFL: recommended Item 1 of 3
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Despite back-to-back 4-13 seasons, the Patriots are somehow the feel-good team of New England, and other thoughts
True fact. The Bruins are a mess and Spoked-B fans are calling for the heads of The Celtics won a championship a little more than a year ago, but Jayson Tatum is out for the year, two starters have been traded, another pair of regulars left via free agency, and the team is expected to sink to the middle of the Eastern Conference. The NBA's dreaded 'second apron' collective bargaining penalties have done more damage to the Green franchise than anything since John Y. Brown. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The interesting-but-annoying Red Sox gave us a nice summer lift with a Tomato-Can-infused Advertisement Which leaves us with the Patriots and a big bowl of optimism. Advertisement They have a real head coach again; Mike Vrabel, a non-nonsense, Patriot linebacker champion, and former NFL Coach of the Year. Josh McDaniels, the best offensive coordinator of this generation, a man who won rings here with Bill and Tom, is calling the plays again. Young, talented, athletic, and mature, Drake Maye is the Patriots' quarterback. He looked pretty good without much help in his rookie season. Can you imagine what he'll do with a real coordinator, a real offensive line, and NFL-caliber wide receivers? Desperate local fans (remember all those parades?) are bullish on this new team. Listen to talk radio and read dispatches from Fort Foxborough. Everything is awesome. Liberated from the Hoodie and Jordon, and Joe Judge and Matt Patricia … impacted no more by the naivete and boobery of Jerod Mayo and staff … the Patriots are operating in a controversy-free zone. It's as if Foxborough is a college town and Pete Carroll is back in charge. Boola-boola. Fans are pumped and jacked, geeked up for the preseason opener against a Washington Football Club The Patriots certainly felt the love when they opened up workouts to the public this past Wednesday. There were oohs and ahhs when Maye connected on his first pass to Stefon Diggs (who seemed to have his sea legs under him). First-round pick Will Campbell looked good with a rebuilt offensive line and charmed the media with his manners. I think his arms have grown a couple of inches since the draft. Advertisement Maye is so popular, he and his wife got credit for donating all of their wedding gifts to charity. The story turned out to be AI fabricated (which is not Maye's fault), but Patriots fans loved him for it anyway. In Wednesday's first open-to-the-public practice, the Patriots Foundation trotted out a parade of puppies, promoting dog adoptions from local animal rescue organizations. Who doesn't love puppies? Vegas has the Patriots at 8.5 wins, and nobody around here thinks that's too high. New England's schedule is fairly easy, the Patriots aren't facing a lot of top quarterbacks, the Krafts Vrabel is experienced. He's a wiseguy like Bill Parcells. He won three Super Bowls under Belichick, then beat Belichick twice (also losing twice) in head-to-head coaching competition. He's taken a team to an AFC Championship game. 'I want to galvanize our football team,' Vrabel said Tuesday. 'I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans. There's going to be a brand of football that everybody associated with our team or our fans is going to be proud of.' Bob Kraft told the media he's hoping to 'start a new chapter.' 'I feel good about the foundation of what we have now,' said the 84-year-old owner. 'Now we have to go execute and make that happen.' Good vibes? Kraft is allowing Parcells to take a rightful place in the Patriots Hall of Fame in September. The overdue honor signifies a thaw in a 30-year feud between the owner and the coach that made the Patriots legit before Kraft bought the team. Advertisement It feels full-throttle. Maybe even Full Rochie. ⋅ Quiz: 1: Name the last five MLB players elected to the Hall of Fame in their final year of eligibility; 2: Name six Hall of Famers who hit 49 home runs in a season, but never 50; 3: Name seven Hall of Famers who were on the rosters for the 1995 World Series between Atlanta and Cleveland. ⋅ The Red Sox struck out 44 times in three games against the Phillies. While the Sox were having trouble scoring runs in Philly, Rafael Devers (good riddance to him, right?) went 7 for 14 with two home runs and five RBIs, and scored seven runs in three games against the Braves. Have fun with the narrative that dumping Devers's contract (a great move for ownership, but zero big league help for this year's team) turned the Sox' season around. The moribund Nationals and Rockies turned the Sox' season around. And the 2025 Red Sox go into this weekend with the same record (55-49) as last year's 81-81 team. ⋅ The Red Sox' Advertisement Catcher Carlton Fisk and the Red Sox had a beef with home plate umpire Larry Barnett in the 1975 World Series. ⋅ New pet peeve: Baseball players who get caught stealing or fail to tag a runner out, then instantly turn to the dugout and ask for an official review of the play. Too often, they turn out to be merely embarrassed … and wrong. And the team loses a challenge. ⋅ Standing in the batter's box, eyes wide open, intense expression, Trevor Story from the neck up looks a lot like Dustin Pedroia. ⋅ Three days of Pete Crow-Armstrong was enough to establish that he's fast, powerful, talented, and a hot dog on par with Kiké Hernández. Love the fact that Crow-Armstrong's mother, actress Ashley Diane Crow, played Jenny Heywood, Billy Heywood's mom, in the 1994 film 'Little Big League.' In the film, 12-year-old Billy became owner of the Twins. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs is powerful, talented, and a bit of a hot dog. David Berding/Getty ⋅ The Dodgers used 16 starting pitchers before the All-Star break. The stat made me think of the 2004 Red Sox, when Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Derek Lowe, and Bronson Arroyo combined to start 157 of 162 regular-season games. This is unlikely to ever happen again. Advertisement ⋅ The Yankees' Mount Rushmore (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Mickey Mantle) is appropriately etched in stone. Ian O'Connor of The Athletic posits that Aaron Judge someday will replace one of the Bronx Bomber gods and join the Pinstripe Pantheon. The author notes that Judge has a better career slugging percentage and OPS than DiMaggio and Mantle. Judge plans to play into his 40s, already has crossed the 350-home run mark, and is on course to surpass Gehrig (493) and Mantle (536). At this hour, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera are in the Yankees' second tier of immortality, but Judge has a chance to supplant one of the Big Four. Remember 'Seinfeld's' 'Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Costanza'? We now live in a world where Judge goes into that punchline. ⋅ Love the fact that Jon Lester compiled the same winning percentage (.636) and ERA (3.66) with both the Red Sox and Cubs. Lester went 110-63 in 242 games with Boston and 77-44 in 171 games with Chicago. He also won championships with both teams. When we get around to the Sox not competing for the long-term services of their homegrown stars (Mookie Betts, anyone?), it should be remembered that this all started when they wouldn't pay Lester and traded him to Oakland in the summer of 2014. Lefthander Jon Lester had 110 wins as a member of the Red Sox. Jim Davis/Globe Staff ⋅ Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and now Scottie Scheffler are the only golfers who've won the British Open, Masters, and PGA Championship before turning 30. Like Woods, Dallas native Scheffler went 1,197 days between his first and fourth major victories. ⋅ Forty-five-year-old Venus Williams beat 23-year-old Peyton Stearns at the Citi Open in Washington this past week. Venus won her first professional tennis match at the age of 14 in 1994. Venus Williams celebrated her win over Peyton Stearns at the Citi Open on Tuesday. Nick Wass/Associated Press ⋅ The Wall Street Journal reports that former tennis star Maria Sharapova and her husband are listing their Manhattan Beach, Calif., property for $24.995 million. The place features an ocean view and two bowling lanes, but no tennis court. ⋅ Anagram of the week: Giants acquire Devers — Grievances tire squad. ⋅ Best wishes to Eddie Doyle, 35-year boss/bartender at the Bull & Finch Pub (Cheers), and champion of children's charities, who's been battling health issues on Cape Cod. Eddie started the Falmouth Walk — held the day before the Falmouth Road Race, which was invented by the late Tommy Leonard. ⋅ RIP Garrett Haydon of Sudbury, gone too soon at the age of 29. Garrett was a local sportswriter, kind friend, and host of 'Not Your Average Boston Sports Podcast' despite his struggles with muscular dystrophy. He inspired all those who knew him. ⋅ Quiz answers: 1. Billy Wagner (2025), Larry Walker (2020), Edgar Martinez (2019), Tim Raines (2017), Jim Rice (2009); 2. Andre Dawson, Lou Gehrig, Todd Helton, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Larry Walker; 3. Braves: Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz; Indians: Eddie Murray, Jim Thome. (Dave Winfield was on the team but did not make Cleveland's roster.) Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
USA Today
23-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Chiefs scouting report: Iowa Hawkeyes DE Max Llewellyn
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the best collections of power rushers in the NFL. It's time for the team to diversify some of the body types in its defensive end room. Several 2026 NFL draft prospects, including Texas Tech's David Bailey, Iowa's Max Llewellyn and Oklahoma's R Mason Thomas, offer the explosiveness to electrify Kansas City's pass rush. Llewellyn is a quick pass rusher with the immediate burst to stress offensive tackles vertically. Many offensive linemen break out of their usual pass set form and chase or overextend to match Llewellyn's speed. This leaves the linemen off balance and vulnerable to counters or line games. Llewellyn sets offensive tackles up with his speed rush early in games before attacking the B-gap later on. He's a fluid athlete who counters inside without sacrificing any momentum. While he sometimes attacks the B-gap with a speed rush off the line, he also works across the offensive tackle's face mid-play when he feels his outside rush won't get home. Llewellyn's pass rush plan includes chops, club-swims, long-arms, rips, swipe-rips, two-handed swipes and one of the best spin moves in the class. Llewellyn has mastered every element of the spin. He sets up offensive linemen for his best move with long strides that force them to overset, creating room in the B-gap for an inside spin. He also uses head fakes and some hip movement to manipulate the offensive tackle's leverage. It might sound like Llewellyn's pass rush plan is complete, but it's still a developmental part of his game. He relies too much on his spin move. He posts several wins per game with the spin, but offensive linemen eventually adjust and counter its effectiveness. Once this happens, Llewellyn doesn't have other polished, NFL-caliber moves that he feels comfortable deploying. Llewellyn currently projects as a late top 100 selection but could elevate into the second round if he refines his pass rush plan and unlocks his bend more often. He shows flashes of playing low to flatten his rush angle and beat the offensive tackle around their outside shoulder. However, his high pad level makes it difficult for him to bend around the corner consistently. Llewellyn's value in run defense is questionable, at best. He shows good effort but lacks the mass to anchor at the point of attack. Iowa doesn't play him in goal line situations because he lacks the play strength to consistently stack blocks and pinch run lanes. These concerns make Llewellyn a candidate to serve as a designated pass rusher early in his career.
