NFL NEWS
PATRIOTS’ ‘PARTNERSHIP’ WITH BILL BELICHICK COMES TO AN END AFTER 24 SEASONS, 6 SUPER BOWL TITLES
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Bill Belichick had a vision of building the kind of sustained championship football team that had rarely been seen before in the NFL when he was hired by the New England Patriots.
He walks away feeling like it was a job well done.
The six-time NFL champion agreed to part ways as the coach of the Patriots, ending his 24-year tenure as the architect of the most decorated dynasty of the league’s Super Bowl era.
“It’s with so many fond memories and thoughts that I think about the Patriots,” Belichick said on Thursday in a media availability with owner Robert Kraft. “I’ll always be a Patriot. I look forward to coming back here. But at this time, we’re going to move on. And I look forward, excited for the future.”
Neither Belichick nor Kraft took questions, though Kraft scheduled an availability for later in the day.
Speaking to reporters from the podium where he had given so many terse, non-responsive postgame recaps, Belichick appeared in a jacket and tie and spoke first, followed by Kraft. The coach even smiled a couple of times — including when he conceded respect for the media “even though we don’t always see eye to eye.”
He also thanked the fans for “the sendoffs, the parades, the Sundays.” But most of his time was spent thanking the people throughout the organization, especially the more than 1,000 Patriots players he coached in his time here.
“Players win games in the NFL,” Belichick said. “I’ve been very, very fortunate to coach some of the greatest players to ever play the game.”
Kraft called the relationship a marriage that had required work and had come to an end.
“I’m very proud that our partnership lasted for 24 years,” Kraft said. “Bill has taught me a lot over those years, and we had high expectations for what we could achieve together. I think we were the only ones who had those expectations, and I think it’s safe to say we exceeded them.”
“We did,” Belichick agreed.
“Thanks to you,” Kraft said.
Belichick, 71, became just the third coach in NFL history to reach 300 career regular-season victories earlier this season, joining Hall of Famers Don Shula and George Halas. With 333 wins including the playoffs, Belichick trails only Shula (347) for the record for victories by a coach.
But the Patriots ended this season 4-13, Belichick’s worst record in 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. It supplanted the 5-11 mark he managed in his last year in Cleveland in 1995 and again in his first year in New England in 2000. Including the playoffs, he ends his Patriots tenure with a 333-178 overall record.
Belichick is expected to resume his pursuit of Shula’s record elsewhere.
With his cutoff hoodies and ever-present scowl, Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, nine AFC titles and 17 division championships in 19 years. During a less successful — but also tumultuous — stint with the original Cleveland Browns, Belichick earned 37 of his career victories.
Reaction to Thursday’s announcement poured in across social media. It included one from Brady, who responded with three heart emojis to a post on ESPN’s Instagram page which had photos of Belichick and Kraft embracing during Thursday’s news conference.
It’s not immediately clear who Kraft will tap to replace the future Hall of Famer.
Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo won a Super Bowl ring playing under Belichick and has interviewed for multiple head coaching vacancies since becoming a New England assistant in 2019. Mayo turned down a few interviews last offseason before signing a contract extension to remain with the Patriots.
Mike Vrabel, who was fired earlier this week by the Tennessee Titans and won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, is also expected to be a candidate for the head coaching job.
Belichick had been grooming offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to replace him before McDaniels left following the 2021 season to become the coach of the Raiders. He has since been fired by Las Vegas. Belichick’s two sons, Steve and Brian, are also on the coaching staff.
Belichick’s exit from the Patriots comes just a day after another coaching great and longtime friend Nick Saban announced he’d retire after winning seven college national championships. Saban worked for Belichick’s father, Steve, in the 1980s as a coach at Navy, and Bill Belichick hired Saban as his defensive coordinator when he became Cleveland’s head coach in 1991.
The six Super Bowl wins tie Belichick with pre-merger mentors Halas and Curly Lambeau for the most NFL championships. Belichick also won two rings as Bill Parcells’ defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
But the Patriots have stumbled to a 29-38 record since Brady departed following the 2019 season and missed the playoffs in three of those four seasons. Beginning in 2001 when Brady became the starting quarterback, the Patriots missed the playoffs only once — when Brady was injured in 2008. This marked New England’s fifth consecutive season without a playoff victory.
Belichick’s subsequent solutions at quarterback haven’t panned out.
Brady’s initial replacement, Cam Newton, didn’t resemble the player who won the 2015 MVP award and was cut after a 7-9 finish in 2020. Meanwhile, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that same season.
Potential long-term replacement Mac Jones, a 2021 first-round draft choice, was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie and led New England to the playoffs. But he regressed in Year 2 when Belichick put longtime defensive assistant Matt Patricia in charge of the offense. Jones didn’t fare much better this season when Bill O’Brien returned as offensive coordinator. He was benched four times before being replaced as starter by backup Bailey Zappe for the final six games.
That left the Patriots looking at a lengthy rebuild, with no candidate on the roster to bring stability to the sport’s most important position.
Belichick, who also served as the de facto general manager with final say on personnel decisions, was celebrated for his ingenuity managing the salary cap during the run of Super Bowl success. It included getting stars like Brady and others to accept cap-friendly contracts or adjust their deals to accommodate the signing of other players.
But that acclaim has waned in the years since Brady left, as a run of draft picks and high-priced free agents didn’t live up to expectations. In addition, Belichick has seen several members of his personnel and scouting departments leave for other jobs. The list includes his former player personnel director, Nick Caserio, who was hired as Houston’s general manager in 2021.
Now it won’t be Belichick making the decisions for the Patriots on or off the field.
Belichick, the only child of a World War II veteran who spent three decades as a Navy assistant coach, is a football historian with an encyclopedic knowledge of strategy from the sport’s early days to current NFL trends. His players said his attention to detail never left them unprepared.
Belichick has been a master of the NFL rule book, unearthing loopholes in clock operations and offensive line formations that — though entirely legal — cemented his reputation as a mad genius.
But his legacy in New England also includes two major cheating investigations — and other minor ones — that cost him and the team draft picks and more than $1 million in fines. Opponents accused the Patriots of everything from hacking their headsets to cutting corners on injury reports.
His friendship with former President Donald Trump, which Belichick insisted was not political, landed the coach on the list to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom in the waning days of the administration. After the outcry against the U.S. Capitol siege, Belichick announced “the decision has been made not to move forward.”
THE PATRIOTS DON’T JUST NEED A NEW COACH. THEY NEED A QUARTERBACK AND TALENT TO PUT AROUND HIM
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft will cringe when he turns on the TV — or perhaps even looks at the other Gillette Stadium sideline — and sees Bill Belichick wearing a ratty sweatshirt with another team’s colors.
But he has bigger things to worry about now.
The Patriots need a coach for the first time in almost a quarter century, and they need so much more, too: Belichick’s failure to develop a quarterback to replace Tom Brady — and surround him with talent — is the biggest reason for the struggles that led to a 4-13 record this season and the end of the Belichick era in New England.
“This is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time,” Kraft said in a media availability on Thursday. “I thank coach Bill for his hard work and dedication. It’ll be difficult to see him in a cutoff hoodie on the (opposing) sideline, but I will always continue to wish him continued success — except when he’s playing our beloved Patriots.”
Belichick is the most successful coach in the Super Bowl era, with six NFL championships, nine conference titles and 17 AFC East wins in a 19-year span. His 332 victories is second all-time only to Don Shula.
But the team has also been handicapped by the hubris that convinced Belichick he was the one who turned Brady, the No. 199 pick in the draft, into a future Hall of Famer. Unable to repeat the feat when Brady left, the Patriots posted three losing records in the last four years, and zero playoff wins.
Cam Newton, the 2015 NFL MVP, wasn’t the answer. Neither were Jarrett Stidham, Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe — three young quarterbacks that Belichick thought he could mold into a champion as easily as he did with Brady.
Jones, a 2021 first-round draft pick, flamed out spectacularly this season, and Zappe was little better. As for talent at the skill positions, New England was the first team since 1977 to go a full season without either a runner or receiver totaling 100 yards in a game. (There were 186 100-yard receivers and 82 100-yard rushers in the NFL this season.)
That’s someone else’s problem now.
Among the possible coaching replacements are fired Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a New England linebacker and led Tennessee to three playoff appearances in six seasons, including a trip to the AFC championship game in 2019-20. A member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Vrabel is familiar to and familiar with Kraft.
Also to be considered is current linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, who was being groomed to replace Belichick — but, according to the plan, somewhere farther down the line. Mayo is also a former Patriots player, but he has never been a coordinator.
Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is another Patriots product who can boast of head coaching experience. Flores spent more than a dozen years in New England before coaching the Miami Dolphins from 2019-21.
Josh McDaniels had once been the heir apparent to Belichick before flopping as a head coach in Denver and Las Vegas. McDaniels spent 13 years as the Patriots offensive coordinator and was a member of the coaching staff for all six Super Bowl wins.
With his total control of the roster, Belichick was also the team’s de facto general manager. It’s unlikely Kraft will give so much power one person again, so it’s possible that hire will come first.
No decision has been announced for the rest of the coaching staff, which includes two of Belichick’s sons: Steve, who has been working the linebackers coach for the last four seasons, and Brian, who has worked with the safeties for the past four years.
LIONS READY TO ROAR IN REUNION WITH MATTHEW STAFFORD, RAMS
Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit in a Los Angeles Rams uniform. Jared Goff faces the team that gave up on him. The Lions are hosting a playoff game for the first time in 30 years.
The preamble to Sunday night’s first-round playoff matchup has all the fixings of a script, but neither team wants to discuss much more than the primetime wild-card meeting and the spot in the conference semifinals at stake.
The Rams are two seasons removed from winning a Super Bowl with Stafford after the Lions traded him for Goff and several high draft picks.
Lions fans were generally thrilled to see Stafford reach the mountaintop. Now, they’ll be rooting hard for his season to end.
“I understand what the people of Detroit, what the city of Detroit, meant to me in my time and my career. What they meant to my family. I hope they feel that back,” Stafford said. “But at the same time I’m not a stranger to the situation and understanding I’m the bad guy coming to town.”
The “bad guys” have been rolling along since their bye week.
The Rams (10-7) have won seven of their last eight games, with the lone loss coming in overtime to AFC top seed Baltimore.
With a playoff berth secured, coach Sean McVay rested Stafford and numerous regulars in the regular season finale. Stafford still finished with 3,965 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.
Rookie Puca Nucua (105 receptions, 1,486 yards and six touchdowns) and Cooper Kupp (59 receptions, 737 yards, 5 TDs in 12 games) provide formidable targets for Stafford.
“He’s put our team in a position to go play a meaningful game,” McVay said.
Running back Kyren Williams gives the offense balance. He racked up 1,350 combined rushing and receiving yards and scored 15 touchdowns despite missing five games.
Goff piled up 4,575 passing yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Lions (12-5) to the NFC North title. He’s got a star wideout in Amon-Ra St. Brown (119 receptions, 1,515 yards, 10 TDs) supported by the running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Goff admits he had his differences with McVay in his final season with the Rams but is focused on taking the Lions franchise to new heights. That includes earning a playoff win that Stafford never recorded with the Lions.
“I so badly want to win a playoff game for this city, that hasn’t had one in so long,” Goff said. “That’s so much more important than anything personally for me.”
The Lions have played well in primetime games this season, so coach Dan Campbell isn’t concerned about the team feeling the pressure.
“I’m not worried about that — the stage, all of those things, because we’ve dealt with that for a while now. I feel like we’re prepared for that,” he said.
Campbell also expects Goff to remain calm and poised.
“He’s wired the right way,” he said. “He’s been through this. He’s been to the Big One. He’s dealt with this a number of times.”
Campbell is concerned that his players might try to do too much, instead of focusing on their assignments.
“You want to make a play so bad, you jump out of your gap,” he said. “All of a sudden, they hit you on a run.”
The big injury concern is Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who suffered a hyperextended knee in the regular season finale against Minnesota.
Campbell said LaPorta, who set an NFL rookie tight end record with 86 receptions, was “improving” but isn’t sure whether he’ll suit up. Wide receiver and kick returner Kalif Raymond is also dealing with a knee injury.
STREAKING BILLS LOOK TO SUBDUE MASON RUDOLPH, STEELERS
The Buffalo Bills were one of the NFL’s hottest teams during the stretch drive of the season and went from playoff outsiders to the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
After winning five straight games to win the AFC East and earn home-field advantage, the Bills will look to continue their scorching run when they host the seventh-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at Orchard Park, N.Y.
The Bills (11-6) had a .500 record after 12 games before suddenly clicking. They won the AFC East on Sunday night with a 21-14 road win over the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo star defensive tackle Ed Oliver said the late-season urgency has his team fully prepared for the postseason.
“We’ve been in the playoffs for five weeks now,” Oliver said. “Every game is a must-win. Every play, every snap, every second of every day counts toward one goal, and that’s winning.”
The Steelers (10-7) are on their own roll with three straight wins since turning to Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Pittsburgh is looking for its first playoff victory since the 2016 season and has to overcome more than Buffalo’s ferocious home-field environment.
The Steelers have lost star linebacker T.J. Watt to a knee injury he suffered during a 17-10 road victory Saturday over the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale.
Pittsburgh is just 1-10 without Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“Obviously, playing without T.J. is significant, but to be quite honest with you, we’ve played without a lot of people this year,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s just another opportunity for us to strike a blow for team and to display what team really means, a collective of individuals that work together in an effort to produce an outcome. It’s not going to be a one-man job in terms of replacing T.J.”
Watt had 19 sacks in the regular season to lead the NFL in that category for the third time in the past four seasons.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen might be salivating as he carved up the Pittsburgh defense last season when Watt was sidelined due to a different knee injury. Allen passed for 424 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-3 home victory.
The conditions at the home stadium will be highly familiar to Allen. The Sunday forecast is for high temperatures in the mid-20s with winds between 20 and 35 mph and possible snow showers.
“The wind may move the ball a little bit,” Allen said after Wednesday’s walk-through. “Typically, it’s going to be, with weather like this, a game that both teams are going to run the ball, and it’s going to be very possession-limited, so we got to make these possessions count.”
Allen has passed for 4,306 yards, 29 touchdowns and a career-worst 18 interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 524 yards and a career-best 15 scores.
Rudolph was a savior down the stretch for the Steelers, who dealt with inconsistent quarterback play from Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky most of the season.
Rudolph came in for mop-up duty on Dec. 16 against the Indianapolis Colts and then completed 53 of 71 passes (74.6 percent) while guiding Pittsburgh to a three-game winning streak that gained it the AFC’s final playoff berth.
Rudolph will look to help snap the Steelers’ three-game postseason losing streak. Veteran defensive tackle Cam Heyward, who is in his 13th season with the franchise, is craving an end to the drought.
“A lot of guys don’t have to speak for it because they haven’t been here,” Heyward said. “But the guys who have been here, we own that. It’s a new season, and we’re just ready for this opportunity. We understand it’s not given to us. We’ve earned it. This is an opportunity for us to go out there and play some good ball.”
Steelers running back Najee Harris, who rushed for 312 yards and four touchdowns during the three-game winning streak, missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. Guard Isaac Seumalo (shoulder) also sat out. Star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) was a full-practice participant after missing the previous three games, and safety Damontae Kazee is back after serving a three-game suspension for a hit on Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr.
For the Bills, safety Taylor Rapp (calf), cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and receiver Gabe Davis (knee) sat out Wednesday’s session. Allen remains bothered by a neck injury but was a full-go Wednesday.
Buffalo has won three of the past four meetings with Pittsburgh.
PERFECT AT HOME, COWBOYS CITE COMFORT OF PLAYOFF SPOT AGAINST PACKERS
Quarterback Dak Prescott and the NFL’s highest-scoring offense enter the playoffs with a confidence that can only be found at home.
The Cowboys host the Green Bay Packers in a wild-card matchup Sunday afternoon at AT&T Stadium, where Dallas had a perfect 8-0 record during the regular season.
Dallas averaged a league-high 29.9 points per game, posted a 12-5 record and won the NFC East for the second time in three years.
Prescott threw 36 touchdown passes, which led the NFL. CeeDee Lamb caught a league-high 135 passes for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
The statistics are impressive, but the Cowboys want something bigger: playoff success.
“Obviously, there’s going to be a sense of urgency because there’s no tomorrow, because it’s win-or-go-home every single week,” Cowboys wideout Brandin Cooks said. “At the end of the day, we’re looking at a great team (in the Packers) that has been playing at a high level to finish this season.
“As far as pressure (goes), no, because we know what’s in front of us. It’s playoff ball. That’s the best of everyone’s ball. We’ve just got to show up and continue to be who we are without putting more on ourselves than we need to. … We’ve just got to take care of business.”
Green Bay travels to Texas in an underdog role, but not without an air of confidence. The Packers, who have one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, won their last three games and six of their final eight with multiple strong showings from quarterback Jordan Love as running back Aaron Jones finally looked healthy.
Love threw 32 touchdown passes, which trailed only Prescott. He took control in his final eight starts as he threw for 18 touchdowns with only one interception.
“Everybody looks to him as a leader,” said guard Jon Runyan of Love’s development. “He’s got complete control of this offense, and what he does. We trust him, and you’re able to see it on the field.
Rookie wideout Jayden Reed led the team with 912 yards from scrimmage (793 receiving, 119 rushing) and 10 touchdowns (eight receiving, two rushing). Jones added 889 yards from scrimmage (656 rushing, 233 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving).
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said his team is playing as if it has nothing to lose.
“I think for us it’s just the opportunity to be in the dance and have a great week of preparation and put our best foot forward,” LaFleur said. “I think we’ve been going through this the last few weeks. We knew what was at stake. I mean, the last three weeks basically have been playoff games for us. So, really, it’s the next opportunity.”
On the opposite sideline, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy will have a chance to make history against his former team. McCarthy won a Super Bowl as the Packers coach during the 2010 season, and he can become the first person to win a playoff game against a team with which he won the Super Bowl as head coach.
McCarthy deflected questions about his tenure in Green Bay and what the game meant to him.
“This game’s about our commitment,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing.”
Both teams had one injured player sit out the first practice of the week. Packers running back A.J. Dillon was sidelined by thumb and neck injuries, and Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore sat out because of a shoulder injury. Gilmore said he’s confident he’ll be on the field Sunday.
The teams’ most recent matchup was Nov. 13, 2022, when Green Bay held on for a 31-28 win. This is their first playoff meeting since Jan. 15, 2017, when Green Bay won 34-31 in Dallas.
BROWNS CB DENZEL WARD INJURES KNEE IN PRACTICE. PRO BOWLER QUESTIONABLE FOR PLAYOFF AGAINST TEXANS
BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward injured his knee in practice on Thursday and is questionable for Cleveland’s wild-card game on Saturday against the Houston Texans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The extent of Ward’s injury is not immediately known, but if he’s less than 100% it will further stress a Browns secondary already missing its starting safeties.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t offer many details about Ward’s injury, which occurred after the period open to reporters was over. Stefanski said Ward was limited, but didn’t specify how he got hurt.
Ward was selected to his third Pro Bowl this season, his sixth with Cleveland, and has had a major role for the Browns’ top-rated defense, which is No. 1 against the pass.
His injury is just the latest for the Browns (11-6), who have spent the season dealing with major injuries and have had to lean on their backups since the opener. Ward missed three recent games with a shoulder injury.
The timing of Ward’s injury couldn’t be worse for the team as the Browns get ready to face the impressive Stroud. The No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft missed Cleveland’s 36-22 win over Houston on Dec. 24 with a concussion.
Stroud passed for 4,108 yards during the regular season with 23 touchdown passes and just five interceptions despite throwing 499 passes.
Stefanski said safety Grant Delpit, who returned to practice this week after being sidelined four games with a groin injury, will not play against the Texans. Safety Juan Thornhill (calf) is also questionable.
BEARS, VIKINGS, JAGUARS, PANTHERS NAMED FOR 2024 GAMES IN EUROPE
The Jacksonville Jaguars will play their 12th game in franchise history in their home away from home during the 2024 regular season.
The Jaguars are among the four teams designated by the NFL on Thursday to take part in the International Games.
The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings join the Jaguars as home teams in London next season, with the Carolina Panthers set to play in Munich, Germany.
Opponents and game dates will be announced this spring when the league schedule is finalized.
The Jaguars are set to play at Wembley Stadium, with the Vikings and Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Panthers game will be played at Allianz Arena, the home of FC Bayern Munich.
The NFL announced last month that 2024 also will see the first-ever game played in South America, with Brazil as the host country. The teams have yet to be revealed.
“Taking our game to more fans around the world is a major priority for the league and its 32 teams, and we are delighted to be returning to London and Munich in 2024,” said Peter O’Reilly, executive vice president, club business, league events and international at the NFL. “Whether tackle or flag football, international passion for the game and the NFL continues to grow, and having our teams and their world-class athletes play games and engage with fans around the world is an important part of becoming a truly global sport.”
NFL clubs agreed to increase the number of international games to as many as eight beginning with the 2025 season.
The NFL committed to scheduling games in Mexico City when renovation projects are finalized at Estadio Azteca.
REPORT: TENSION BETWEEN VRABEL, TITANS OWNER HELPED LEAD TO COACH’S FIRING
Friction between Mike Vrabel and Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk played a part in the ex-Tennessee coach’s surprise firing Tuesday, sources told Dianna Russini and Joe Rexrode of The Athletic.
Two of the most notable disagreements between the two came during the Titans’ general manager hiring process last offseason. First, Vrabel told Strunk he’d earned the right to have full personnel control over the roster, Russini and Rexrode report. Strunk disagreed, apparently pointing to the end of Jeff Fisher’s Tennessee tenure as just one example for why she didn’t want to grant Vrabel’s wish.
Then, as the Titans were close to hiring Ran Carthon as the club’s new general manager, Vrabel reportedly proposed making the former San Francisco 49ers executive the assistant GM because he believed Carthon wasn’t ready for the No. 1 job. Strunk wasn’t pleased with the suggestion, and her relationship with Vrabel took a hit as a result, Russini and Rexrode note.
Things reportedly worsened between the two after Vrabel’s speech for his induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame during the Titans’ bye week, where he said, “This is a special place with great leadership, great fans, great direction, and great coaching. Enjoy it. It’s not like this everywhere.”
Strunk was apparently upset with the entire event but never talked about it with Vrabel and allowed it to fester.
However, the Titans still planned to keep Vrabel as of November because Strunk strongly believed in the coach at the time, per Russini and Rexrode. Her belief that this faith wasn’t being reciprocated by Vrabel, as well as worsening communication between the two, reportedly led Strunk to change her mind.
These incidents occurred after the Titans reportedly considered a fresh start after last season by moving on from Vrabel. However, Strunk believed he was worth keeping due to his coaching abilities, Russini and Rexrode add.
Vrabel spent six seasons as Tennessee’s head coach. He finished his tenure with a 54-45 record, including an AFC Championship berth in 2019.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS
LANNING TO REMAIN AT OREGON AMID ALABAMA SPECULATION
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning confirmed his commitment to the program amid speculation he could be in line to replace Nick Saban at Alabama.
The 37-year-old shared a video Thursday in which he reaffirmed his desire to remain with the Ducks.
“I want to be here in Eugene for as long as Eugene will have me,” Lanning said.
Lanning was among the names immediately linked to the Crimson Tide opening based on his coaching history. The Missouri native served under Saban as a graduate assistant in 2015. He then worked under former Saban assistant, Kirby Smart, at Georgia in 2018 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019.
“Getting your name put in the conversation (for other jobs) speaks to what we’re doing right here, right now,” Lanning said on “The Pat McAfee Show” Thursday. “This decision has been made for me since I took this job. I love what we have here.”
There were reports that Lanning was in Tuscaloosa shortly after Saban informed his team that he was resigning after 17 years at Alabama. However, Lanning clarified that he was at home watching a movie Wednesday evening with his son when he started receiving messages about being linked to the job opening.
Oregon has posted a 22-5 record since Lanning was named head coach in December 2021. He signed a massive six-year, $45-milllion contract extension that runs through the 2028 season and increases his buyout to $20 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.
This is the second SEC opening that Lanning has been linked to in less than a year. He quickly removed his name from consideration after Texas A&M dismissed Jimbo Fisher.
Oregon finished its 2023 campaign with a 12-2 record that included a 45-6 win over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl. Lanning will lead Oregon into its first season as a member of the Big Ten in 2024.
OHIO STATE’S HARRISON DECLARES FOR NFL DRAFT
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. declared for the NFL draft on Thursday.
Harrison is expected to be a top pick after a standout career with the Buckeyes. He finishes his three years in Columbus with 155 receptions, 2,613 yards, and 31 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-3, 202-pounder totaled 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns on 67 receptions this season while the Buckeyes went 11-2. He posted three games with at least 160 receiving yards, scored a touchdown in all but two appearances, and earned an 89.9 overall grade from PFF.
Harrison is one of Ohio State’s few draft-eligible players who are going pro this year. Cornerback Denzel Burke, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, and several others recently announced they’d be returning to school.
The 21-year-old is the son of longtime Indianapolis Colts wide receiver and Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr.
MICHIGAN LB JUNIOR COLSON ENTERING 2024 NFL DRAFT
Linebacker Junior Colson, the leading tackler for national champion Michigan, is entering the 2024 NFL Draft.
Colson announced his decision on Thursday, three days after the Wolverines captured their first title since 1997.
The 6-foot-3, 247-pound junior said farewell to his coaches, teammates and fans in Ann Arbor.
“I am at a loss for words to describe what this brotherhood has meant to me and the profound impact it has had on me as a man,” Colson posted on social media. “The relationships forged along this journey will last a lifetime — I am proud to call my teammates my brothers for life.”
Colson registered a team-high 95 tackles this season — 30 more than runner-up Michael Barrett. He had 10 tackles in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama at the Rose Bowl and made six stops in Monday’s 34-13 victory over Washington in the national championship game.
He collected 256 tackles in 43 games over three seasons with the Wolverines, who finished 15-0 this season and went 40-3 with Colson on the field.
EWERS RETURNING TO TEXAS FOR 2024 SEASON
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers announced he’s returning for the 2024 season.
Ewers was considered one of the top draft-eligible passers ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The 20-year-old helped lead the Longhorns to a 12-2 record and first Big 12 championship since 2009.
Ewers is set to lead Texas into a groundbreaking season as it becomes a full-time SEC member.
As a redshirt sophomore, Ewers passed for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions, with a 69% completion rate in 2023. His numbers are even more impressive considering he missed a pair of games.
Ewers’ decision to remain at Texas wasn’t a complete surprise, as there was speculation he wanted to play another year under head coach Steve Sarkisian.
“One more year with my teammates and one more year of development with Coach Sark made the most sense,” Ewers told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The Southlake, Texas, native began his collegiate career at Ohio State after reclassifying in high school. He enrolled at Texas prior to the 2022 season.