Latest news with #SEC-caliber
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida football loses three-star defensive line commit to Ohio State
The Florida Gators lost a defensive line commitment this week as Jamir Perez, a three-star recruit out of Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, announced he's decommitting from Florida and flipping to Ohio State, according to a report from Hayes Fawcett of Rivals. Perez, listed at 6-foot-4-inches and 330 pounds, initially pledged to Billy Napier's program on May 18, capping his official visit to Gainesville by telling Florida football coaches he was ready to make Florida home. "For me, see, I'm from Ohio," Perez previously told Gators Online's Blake Alderman. "I had Ohio State and being an Ohio kid, that's usually the dream, but I always dreamed of playing in the SEC. I feel like I'm an SEC type of body, I'm an SEC type of player. Florida just made it home." His connection with defensive line coach Gerald Chatman was key to Florida landing his early commitment. But just two weeks later, Perez locked in an official visit with Ohio State–a trip that ultimately shifted the momentum back to Columbus. That visit, which took place June 13-15, was reportedly when confidence spiked that the Buckeyes would flip him. The impact for Florida is minimal. The Gators recently secured a commitment from Kendall Guervil, a four-star defensive lineman out of Fort Myers. While losing an Ohio native to the in-state Buckeyes isn't necessarily a shock, it's another reminder that the recruiting battle in the trenches never stops–especially for a Florida staff trying to stack SEC-caliber depth. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
CBS Sports grades Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan's 2025 roster
CBS Sports grades Texas A&M HC Bucky McMillan's 2025 roster Texas A&M's best coaching move in several years came this spring, as Athletic Director Trev Alberts took a gamble that has already paid off after hiring former Samford head coach Bucky McMillan to take over the basketball program after Buzz Williams departed for Maryland after six years at the helm. So far, McMillan has completely rebuilt his first 2025 roster, adding 12 players from the transfer portal, while his latest addition, Spanish guard Rubèn Domíguez, could be one of the most impactful players due to his vast international experience and elite 3-point shooting skillset. However, signing former Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako, shooting guard Rylan Griffen and Creighton transfer guard Pop Issacs deserved the headlines as potential stars who should lead the Aggies in several categories next season. With all this movement that has made a once-fringe NCAA Tournament team a potential contender during McMillan's inaugural season, CBS Sports's David Cobb provided his roster grades for every first-year head coach, and to no surprise, Texas A&M received an A- based on the talent and experience on the 2025 roster. Here's what Dodd had to say regarding his grade: "How would McMillan fare recruiting at a big-boy job after arriving from Samford with exactly zero high-major experience of any sort on his resume? The answer, as it turns out, is just fine. The Aggies have assembled a competitive roster highlighted by three top-80 transfers and plenty of outside shooting. Pop Isaacs (Creighton/Texas Tech) and Jacari Lane (North Alabama) are serious bucket-getters in the backcourt, while Rylan Griffen (Kansas/Alabama) and Mackenzie Mgbako (Indiana) can pop it from the wing." "The question will be whether the roster is deep enough for McMillan to employ the breakneck pace and deep rotation that defines "Buckyball." But his first wave is certainly not hurting for SEC-caliber talent, and the early June addition of 22-year old Spanish shooter Ruben Dominguez helps alleviate that concern." Ahead of his first season with Maryland, Buzz Williams' 2025 roster received a B+, while new Texas coach Arch Miller received the same grade. Dodd is 100% correct in questioning if A&M's roster is deep enough to master McMillan's intense system, but the shooting is there, and he still has two roster spots available to reach the 15-player roster maximum. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Hugh Freeze believes Auburn's QB room rivals the best in the nation
Hugh Freeze believes Auburn's QB room rivals the best in the nation Freeze is confident that his quarterbacks can lead Auburn to new heights, but they must execute on the field. Auburn's offense will be loaded in 2025, with a talented group of quarterbacks leading the way. Hugh Freeze replaced outgoing senior Payton Thorne, as well as Hank Brown and Walker White, with Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold, Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels, and talented freshman Deuce Knight. When pieced together with an experienced offensive line and a talented wide receiver group, Auburn's quarterback room can compete with the best units in the SEC. The revamped unit brings confidence to Hugh Freeze. In a recent episode of the Paul Finebaum Show, Freeze said that his room has the skills to be considered one of the best in the conference, just as long as they can prove it on the field. 'I like our quarterback room a lot. I would argue that between Jackson (Arnold) and Deuce (Knight) and Ashton (Daniels), our quarterback room rivals the top rooms in this league. Now we've got to go prove it," Freeze said. "Jackson didn't prove it last year at Oklahoma. There are a lot of factors that could have gone into that. We could talk about, all the injuries, that they had three different coordinators, his loss of confidence. But I do think I saw a growing confidence through him all the way through spring." Freeze indicated that Arnold will be Auburn's starter when the Tigers open the season at Baylor in August, thanks to his "high IQ" and "no excuses" attitude. Freeze shared with Finebaum the tools that makes Arnold an SEC-caliber player. 'His arm strength — he can make every single throw as a true freshman, and I haven't seen that a lot,' Freeze said. 'He's got this demeanor about him that everybody wants to be around him and is drawn to him. And he has this humility to where, literally, there was not one time in spring ball where something didn't go his way and it was always him taking the blame.' Auburn posted the SEC's No. 6 passing offense last season with 263.9 yards per game and ranked No. 4 in the SEC in passing touchdowns with 12. However, the area that could use the most improvement is scoring. The Tigers scored 27.8 points per game last season, which ranked No. 12 among SEC teams. If Arnold plays to the level that Freeze expects, Auburn will see an increase across all categories. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
