The Long-Snapping Way
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When you think about impacts on a football team, specialists aren’t usually at the top of the list.
One position that gets even less love and really goes un-noticed until something goes wrong is the long snapper.
However, the Southeast Bulloch long snapper is absolutely drawing attention not only from the Brooklet community, but from college recruiters in a positive light.
Talon Stokes is a couple of games into his senior year for SEB, but the path has been far different than what he envisioned when he began the journey as a Jacket.
Stokes began his high school career as a tight end and a pole vaulter for the track team, but the path to starting quicky changed. After being buried on the depth chart as a tight end it sparked a conversation with Southeast Bulloch Special Teams Coordinator Randy Lee.
“In ninth grade, Talon, a wiry 5’6”, 140-pound kid, walked into my office dreaming of making an impact on the football team. The varsity field seemed a distant goal for him, but I saw his fire,” said Lee. “Our long snapper was graduating, and I told Talon that role could be his if he worked for it. Never having snapped a ball before, the odds were steep, but Talon didn’t flinch.”
Stokes dove in headfirst. He began working with a snapping coach, going to camps and doing everything possible to learn the niche craft. Which paid off.
“By June, he wasn’t just filling a role; he was dominating it,” explained Coach Lee. “In my 17 years of coaching, Talon’s become the best long snapper I’ve ever seen.”
From what started as an idea to get on the field, it turned into a passion for Talon. Putting in countless hours and hundreds of snaps outside of SEB practice each week and working with one of the premier snapping instructors in the country in Rubio Long Snapping, Talon has turned SEB special teams into a coach’s dream of not having to worry about the snap.
“Unnoticed by the stands but invaluable to our staff, he grinds daily, perfecting his times and lace placement on PATs and field goals,” said Lee.
That dedication over the past four years has not only garnered attention from the coaching staff for SEB, but also college coaches across the country. This past summer, Talon and his mom, Shelley, went on a 10-day journey to specialist’s camps all over the country.
It began in Morgantown, WV to impress the Mountaineer coaches. Then they made the drive to Starkville, Mississippi where Talon ended up winning the Mississippi State camp for both punt snapping and Field Goal snapping in SEC country.
The excursion ended up in Jonesboro, Arkansas in the shadows of the water feature in the endzone at Arkansas State. Couple that success with visits also to Coastal Carolina, Wofford, and countless other schools, Talon is a known commodity in the college world.
Talon is the epitome of a “team guy.” Always upbeat and a smile on his face at practice but took a need of a team and turned it into a mission.
As a freshman going to Coach Lee and asking how he can get on the field, then dedicating himself to be the best long snapper he could be for SEB (which was a foreign concept at the time), now as a 4-star Rubio long snapper is an impressive journey over a relatively short period of time. It’s something that’s not lost in the Brooklet community.
“They say if you work hard, all things are possible—Talon’s living proof,” said Coach Lee. There aren’t many in the country who can touch him or out snap him. I’m glad he is a SEB Jacket, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
That future undoubtedly will be snapping at a high level in college football and it’s just a matter of where.
Early Grounding
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Falcons’ season opener didn’t end the way we wanted as fans of this team, but it sure wasn’t a disaster either.
Atlanta fell 23-20 to Tampa Bay, and yeah, that stings, especially when the game came down to a very makeable field goal. Younghoe Koo pushed a 44-yarder wide, and just like that, the Falcons started the season 0-1.
It’s tough because that moment overshadows some good things the Falcons did.
But make no mistake, the kicking situation is officially something to watch. Koo missed nine kicks last year, and when your head coach admits he changes his decisions based on whether or not he trusts the kicker, that’s a problem.
By Monday, Atlanta had already brought in Parker Romo to compete with Koo and rookie Lenny Krieg. Having three kickers in the building tells you all you need to know about the nerves inside Flowery Branch.
But here’s where I lean a little more positive: Atlanta still had a shot to win.
In a sloppy, uneven game, against a team like the Bucs that knows how to ugly things up, the Falcons had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie. That’s not nothing.
Let’s talk about Michael Penix Jr. He’s not a rookie anymore, and while he wasn’t throwing bombs all over the place, he looked steady. He completed 23 of 30 short throws and even ran one in late to keep Atlanta alive.
The deep ball? Yeah, that part was ugly. He went 0-for-7 on throws beyond 15 yards. But before everyone panics, remember this: he didn’t have Darnell Mooney.
Without Mooney’s speed to stretch the defense, Tampa could just load up on Drake London. London still caught 10 balls, but he averaged less than seven yards per grab. That’s not a Drake problem; that’s a spacing problem.
The good news? Raheem Morris said Mooney’s shoulder is close to being ready. When he’s back, it’s going to open things up for London, Pitts, and Bijan, and you’ll see Penix hitting some of those deep shots.
And honestly, I loved what I saw from the defense, at least in flashes. They pressured Baker Mayfield on almost half of his dropbacks. That’s huge compared to last year.
James Pearce Jr. looked like the real deal, and nine different defenders recorded at least one pressure. The issue was finishing. Mayfield escaped a few times, scrambled for chunks, and that’s where the game got away.
But if you’re giving me a choice between a defense that can’t touch the QB at all and one that’s flying around but not quite closing yet, I’ll take the latter every day.
Those plays are going to start breaking the Falcons’ way soon.
So yeah, there’s frustration. You’ve got to make a 44-yarder at home. You’ve got to take advantage of opportunities. But it’s Week 1, not Week 15.
The Falcons didn’t get blown out. They didn’t look lost. They were a couple of missed plays away from forcing overtime.
Now, the road gets tough: Minnesota, Washington, Buffalo, and San Francisco are on deck.
If the Falcons want to avoid an early-season hole, the kicking issue needs to get sorted out fast, and Mooney’s return has to inject some juice into the passing game.
But here’s the bottom line: this team looks different, and I mean that in a good way.
They have a young quarterback who’s calm under pressure, a defense that’s hunting the ball, and plenty of talent at the skill spots.
If they clean up the little things, and someone steps up in the kicking game, I believe Atlanta’s still in good shape.
It wasn’t the start fans wanted, but it’s not time to hit the panic button either.
Time To Go?
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
You may have heard that the #13 Florida Gators lost to USF over the weekend, 18-16. The game was at home at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka The Swamp.
South Florida deserves credit. They started the season by beating #25 Boise State 34-7. With that being said, Florida views their program as superior to South Florida. This is a loss that cannot happen for a coach on the hot seat like Billy Napier.
“It’s not good enough,” Coach Billy Napier said. “We’ve got work to do. You guys know it. I know it. Anybody that watched it knows it. We got to take ownership of it, and we got to go back to work. That’s it.”
Napier’s record at Florida is 20-20, with a 14-7 home record. He’s been 1-1 after the first 2 games each season he’s been in Gainesville.
The offense finished with 355 yards but they had to settle for three field goals. Florida’s lack of discipline was on display. The Gators held a one-point lead in the final three minutes of the game.
They had two costly penalties on South Florida’s final drive. Defensive back Dijon Johnson was called for pass interference. On the next play, defensive lineman Brendan Bett was flagged and ejected on the final drive for spitting at an opponent.
The surprising thing is this was two days after Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott.
“I haven’t had that conversation with him yet,” Napier said of Bett. “We’ll take a good look at it, but it’s unacceptable. I think we’ve got a lot of players in that room as well that have the same belief that it’s unacceptable.”
“When a guy does something like that, he’s compromising the team. He’s putting himself before the team. Everything the game is about, you’re compromising, so there will be lessons to be learned there. Yeah, it’s that simple.”
That helped set up the 20-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica as time expired. This was the first road win against a ranked opponent for USF since they beat #16 Notre Dame on September 3, 2011.
“We created it. We deserve it,” Napier said. “If you play football like that, you’re going to be criticized. It comes with the territory, right? Only thing you can do is go get it fixed, and that’s what we’ll start working on (Sunday).”
This was Florida’s first defeat at home against a school from Florida, other than Florida State or Miami, since a 16-14 loss to Stetson in 1938.
Clearly UF fans are angry and talks about firing Napier have resurfaced.
The next game is on the road at #3 LSU. The last time the Gators won in Baton Rouge was 2016. The following games are at #5 Miami, home against #7 Texas and at #16 Texas A&M. The odds seem to be stacked against Napier.
They needed to beat South Florida to have a chance to get to six wins. I think UF will finish with a losing record. The question is, how will the fan base react if they lose their next four games? I wonder when they will run out of patience. I don’t think he will make it to the end of the season.
His buyout is 85% of his current remaining contract, which would be $19.38 million after this season, with 50% of the buyout ($9.7 million) being due within 30 days of Napier being fired and the rest being paid out in equal installments every July through 2028.
There is no offset for the buyout if Napier gets another job.
Pretenders?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’d have a hard time saying anything positive about Alabama.
In fact, that debacle against Florida State reminded me a lot of that FSU-Georgia Tech game last year, when a team didn’t just lose but also got dominated along the lines.
This was not a result you could blame on a first-time starting quarterback. Ty Simpson was fine when he wasn’t running for his life. The Noles looked like a better team in every aspect of the game.
Could it be that FSU will go on to win the national title, and Alabama’s loss makes more sense in context? Perhaps. Could the Tide look much better three weeks from now against Georgia, especially if they get back top running back Jam Miller and proven defensive tackle Tim Keenan III? Of course.
But there’s not much recent precedent for a ranked team getting humiliated in its opener, then turning around and having an amazing season.
A few recent examples, in reverse chronological order.
2023: No. 8 Florida State 45, No. 5 LSU 24. Though Jayden Daniels went on to win the Heisman, LSU went 9-3 in the regular season and would have missed a 12-team College Football Playoff.
2023: Duke 28, No. 9 Clemson 7. Dabo’s team finished 4-4 in the ACC.
2021: No. 1 Alabama 44, No. 14 Miami 13. The Canes went 7-5, and Manny Diaz got fired.
2018: No. 25 LSU 33, No. 8 Miami 17. The Canes went 7-6, and Mark Richt retired.
Alabama fans looking for a ray of optimism might recall 2016, when the top-ranked Tide destroyed No. 20 USC 52-6. The Trojans went on to win the Rose Bowl.
But there was a clear spark to that run: At 1-2, Clay Helton benched QB Max Browne for redshirt freshman Sam Darnold, who went 9-1 from there. Again, QB was not the problem for the Tide in Tallahassee last weekend.
I do believe Nick Saban got out at just the right time. The ability to sustain that level of year-in, year-out dominance, particularly in the SEC, seems next to impossible in an age when everyone can leave at any time.
Ohio State could become an exception, simply because it’s long recruited at a higher level than anyone else in the Big Ten. (Michigan included, thought that’s starting to change.) The razor is much thinner between Alabama/Georgia/LSU/Texas.
After week one FSU is playoff contender, and Alabama is definitely a pretender.
That’d be poetic, but no, only the first part seems feasible at the moment.
The Reset
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jacksonville Jaguars have spent all offseason telling us they’re different.
New head coach. New coordinators. A new general manager calling the shots. A bunch of new faces on the roster. It’s a complete reset.
But here’s the reality: in the NFL, it doesn’t matter how shiny things look in May or how sharp you look in a preseason practice clip. It only matters if you win when the real games begin.
And for the Jaguars, that moment comes this Sunday in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.
This game is more than just a season opener. It’s the first chance for Jacksonville to prove they’ve actually turned the corner after a miserable 4-13 season that cost Doug Pederson his job.
Fans are hungry for a team they can believe in again. And frankly, the players are too. You can sense that energy every time Liam Coen talks about setting the tone
Coen, who takes over as head coach after building one of the league’s most exciting offenses in Tampa, hasn’t shied away from the obvious. The Jaguars must start fast.
That’s something Pederson’s teams simply could not do. In 2022 Jacksonville dug itself a 2-6 hole before going on a miracle run to the playoffs. In 2023 the Jags stumbled to a 1-2 start and never quite found their stride again.
Even when the wins came later, the early-season stumbles kept the team from hitting its full potential.
Coen wants to flip that script immediately, and a lot of that pressure falls on Trevor Lawrence. Believe it or not, Lawrence has only one Week 1 win in his career. One.
That’s not the record you expect from a quarterback who was hyped as a once-in-a-generation talent coming out of Clemson.
He doesn’t need to throw for 400 yards to make a statement, but a clean, efficient performance that shows he’s in command of Coen’s offense would go a long way.
Now, the offense isn’t the only side of the ball with something to prove. The defense flat-out cratered last season, finishing bottom five in most major categories.
That’s why Anthony Campanile was brought in as defensive coordinator, and his challenge is steep.
The Jaguars don’t need to turn into the ’85 Bears overnight, but they have to be better at pressuring the quarterback and holding their ground against the run.
One player who could make a big difference is veteran defensive lineman Arik Armstead. Last year, he was misused badly and his production tanked.
This season, he’s back where he belongs, working inside at the 3-technique spot, and Coen has been glowing about what that does for the defense.
Armstead’s length, quickness, and experience can be a nightmare for interior linemen. If he’s healthy and disruptive, it changes everything about how opponents attack Jacksonville.
Of course, the matchup with Carolina also has some fun storylines.
The Panthers, like the Jaguars, are being led by a young offensive-minded head coach in Dave Canales. He and Coen have crossed paths before, and there’s mutual respect between them.
Both franchises are trying to prove their former No. 1 overall pick quarterbacks are worth building around. Both are filled with rookies and newcomers who want to prove themselves. In a lot of ways, these two teams are mirror images, which makes Sunday an even better measuring stick.
This game has to be about showing signs of progress.
Fans have been told for months that this is a new era in Jacksonville. That the franchise has finally found the right leadership. That the roster upgrades will pay off. Week 1 is the first real chance to back up all that talk.
If the Jaguars come out, play with energy, execute Coen’s system, and beat the Panthers, it’ll be the kind of early confidence boost this team desperately needs.
It won’t mean they’re suddenly Super Bowl contenders, but it will prove the rebuild is moving in the right direction.
If they stumble out of the gate again? If Lawrence looks shaky and the defense springs leaks like last season? Then it’s déjà vu, and the ghosts of 2024 will creep back in fast.
Week 1 won’t define the entire season, but for a franchise desperate to turn the page, this opener matters more than most.
It’s the Jaguars’ first real chance to show that, finally, things really are different in Jacksonville.
Gridiron Devil
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When the lights get flicked on at Womack Field in Statesboro each week, they shine on a Statesboro Blue Devils team that has been building over the past few years under third year Head Coach Matt Dobson.
A big piece of the growth being seen in Statesboro is the young quarterback Beckham Jarrard.
Jarrard has become a regular name with anyone around the Blue Devils program, and possibly even more-so around programs that have played Statesboro in the last year plus.
The now sophomore field general started right out of the gate. As a freshman, Jarrard was named the starter from the word go opening up the 2024 season with cross county rivals Southeast Bulloch and raised eyebrows.
The then 5’10” 145-pound freshman connected on 17 of 25 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown. Southeast Bulloch would end up with the win but coming away from the game both sides realized that this was the beginning of something special for the signal caller.
Jarrard would finish his freshman season with the most passing yards in the state for a freshman racking up over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns in Statesboro’s 10 games while rushing for 200 more and a couple of scores. The growth of Jarrard was unmistakable throughout the season and that’s just the beginning.
He has dove into the deep end to become the best quarterback he can be…literally. It was while he was on vacation to the beach that a random connection turned into the next step in the progression for Jarrard.
While on the annual family vacation in the summer of 2024, he started throwing the football with a family friend that was with them at the beach. A few minutes went by before someone asked if he could join. After throwing and exchanging stories and getting to know them better, turns out the random encounter would be Jarrard meet Gino English (former quarterback at Florida State and East Tennessee St).
Gino was impressed by the then rising freshman and invited him to come train with him at his childhood home nearby. There he would meet Gino’s QB coach, Pat O’Hara.
Pat O’Hara is a well-known quarterback coach in football to say the very least. After a playing career with the Buccaneers, Chargers, and Redskins, O’Hara ended up in the Arena Football League.
For a few years, Pat would be getting into the coaching side of the game while also still on the roster before a couple stints as a head coach in the AFL.
Then O’Hara would break into the pinnacle of the sport with the NFL.
In February 2015, O’Hara was hired as an assistant coach by the Houston Texans. After 3 seasons in Houston, O’Hara would be named quarterbacks coach (and later pass game coordinator) for the Tennessee Titans.
O’Hara has also worked in broadcasting for UCF radio and CBS Sports Network along with working in the movie scene as a football guru teaching actors how to play in films like The Longest Yard, Invincible, We are Marshall and most recently serving as the football administrator for the TV Series Chad Powers.
So, from the football mind that helped mold Paul Crewe, Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tennehill, Brock Osweiler, Deshaun Watson, O’Hara’s insight is now going into Beckham Jarrard. While it’s not feasible to make the trip to Florida much during the season, O’Hara works weekly with Jarrard via zoom on breaking down game film, helping teach how to break down defenses along with the mental side of being a quarterback.
While other rising sophomores in the summers are playing video games, going to the pool, Jarrard is heading to Florida to work with Pat O’Hara.
The commitment to the game is as impressive as the skills he has already (again, reminder, he’s a sophomore).
Now as a sophomore at 6’0 and 165 pounds (gained 20 pounds from the start of Freshman year), Jarrard has developed relationships with so many high-profile quarterbacks’ coaches and soaking up as much as he can.
Charley Loeb of QB Country (former Syracuse QB) is the main mechanical coach to help mold the young quarterback to someone that is now a big problem for defenses.
Having seen him live a handful of times, in addition to on film and through the eyes of others, there’s no doubt in my mind that on June 15th (the date that college coaches can legally begin full contact with recruits), the phone of Beckham Jarrard will be lighting up almost constantly with coaches from all of the southeast.
Let’s Play Nine
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Four years after the nine-game debate heated up, and over two years after SEC commissioner Greg Sankey compared the decision to landing a plane, they finally did. They finally landed the plane.
The SEC recently announced that it is officially going to a nine-game schedule, ending a long saga with a vote of school presidents. Now comes the saga within the saga: Who are each team’s annual rivals? They get three now.
The nine-game format has two main components:
Three games against annual opponents.
Six games against non-annual opponents, rotated such that everybody plays each other twice in four years, home and away. (Other than neutral-site games: Georgia-Florida and Oklahoma-Texas.)
This format will begin in 2026 and will be on a four-year cycle.
Sources reiterated that the three annual rivals could be revisited and revised. That gives the conference flexibility to change those annual opponents — either because rivalries evolve, competition standards evolve, or financial needs evolve.
The SEC did not announce the three annual rivals for each team. Sankey pointed to an announcement in December, since those announcements have worked well the past few years.
He added that the schools themselves will be notified earlier, which indicates that the proposed list from years ago has already changed.
That list was done in 2023, and it prioritized historical rivalries and competition. The conference worked with an analytics company to develop a metric that took into account every team’s 10-year record in an effort to balance schedules.
The result was keeping each team’s top one or two rivalries, but sometimes not their third.
Georgia, for instance, would play Florida and Auburn, but then Kentucky, rather than Tennessee or South Carolina. There was also the odd matchup between Florida and Oklahoma.
These odd matchups may still end up being these team’s three annual rivalries.
But sources indicate that the SEC will not follow the earlier proposed 2023 matchup list.
Sankey, appearing on the SEC Network on Thursday, emphasized tradition: “We’ll look at historical rivalries. That’s a really important component,” Sankey said. “We have a lot of those. In fact, in many ways, we’re uniquely positioned to honor those historic rivalries. So those become annual opponents on a schedule. Not everyone has three, but that’s the basis, is three annual opponents.”
The last point is key: Not every school has three teams they would consider historic or geographic rivals. Some have over four. It’s going to be hard to create everyone’s ideal list.
On the other hand, it’s better than the alternative: The eight-game schedule had one annual rival, which meant games like Texas-Texas A&M, Alabama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia might not have been played every year.
Yes, Sankey said this year they had a way of continuing to play those games in an eight-game schedule, but it would have created a headache for schedule makers.
That also may have been Sankey’s way of signaling that they were going to end up protecting those rivalries through a nine-game schedule.
So how will it look?
Here is a potential list, prioritizing tradition and geography, not competition. The seemingly most important rivals are listed first:
Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU
Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, Kentucky
Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Florida
Florida: Georgia, Auburn, South Carolina
Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina
Kentucky: Tennessee, Mississippi State, Arkansas
LSU: Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Carolina
Missouri: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Vanderbilt
Oklahoma: Texas, Missouri, Texas A&M
Ole Miss: Mississippi State, LSU, Vanderbilt
South Carolina: Georgia, Florida, Mississippi State
Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky
Texas: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas
Texas A&M: Texas, Oklahoma, LSU
Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri
This isn’t perfect. It leaves out some natural geographic rivals like Alabama and Mississippi State, which are only about 90 miles apart.
It also leaves out historic rivals like Florida and LSU, who developed a good cross-division rivalry during the SEC East-West days. But it does restore Auburn and Florida, who were annual opponents until 2002.
There are also “fill-in” games, such as South Carolina-Mississippi State. It would be great to have Mississippi State play Alabama, but who would Alabama ditch among Auburn, Tennessee and LSU?
Television matters. ESPN is set to pay each school an estimated $5 million extra for adding the ninth game, per multiple sources.
A driving force of this decision was to enhance the viewership of the regular season, sources confirm.
This makes the most sense as the conference enters the College Football Playoff expansion, which would seem to erode the impact of the regular season.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Arch Manning has not even played his first full season as the Texas starter and the talk has already shifted to his future.
Will he be a one-year starter who takes off for the NFL in 2026, or will he do what Peyton and Eli did and stick around for four full years before making the leap?
It is not an easy question, but it is one that shows just how unique Arch’s situation is.
The NFL is obviously interested. Everywhere you look you see him ranked as the number one or number two overall prospect for 2026 and the top quarterback on the board.
People who study the game see the arm strength, the mobility, and the calm presence that stood out when he stepped in last year.
His limited stats still popped off the page. Eight touchdowns, only two picks, and more than 800 yards on just 72 passes.
In today’s game, where guys like Caleb Williams and Bryce Young left school after two years of starting, Arch could very easily go early too.
But there is a catch. Arch has barely played. He has fewer than 250 career snaps, which is the same as about three and a half games. Even if he starts every game this season, that still leaves him with only 18 career starts.
When you look at the current NFL, almost every starting quarterback had 25 or more starts in college. That experience matters when you are running the most important position on the field.
This is where family history comes in. Peyton went back to Tennessee for his senior year even though he was already projected as the first pick. Eli stayed at Ole Miss when he could have gone out early.
Both of them believed in being patient, in developing more before cashing in. Arch has shown the same kind of mindset. He stayed at Texas behind Quinn Ewers instead of transferring. That tells me he is not in a rush.
Money also does not change the equation like it used to. In the past, leaving early meant you secured your first big contract sooner. Today, staying in school can be just as profitable thanks to NIL.
Arch is already tied in with brands like Red Bull, Panini, Uber, and EA Sports. His family is more than secure financially and being the quarterback at Texas brings seven figures in NIL deals anyway.
There is also the idea of legacy. Texas is ranked number one to start the season and they believe they can win a national championship.
If they fall short, does Arch decide he wants one more crack at it in 2026? It is possible. He has talked about how much he loves Austin, his teammates, and the program. That could make it easier to stay.
NFL scouts are excited but also cautious. They know he looks the part, but they want to see how he handles the road trips against teams like Ohio State, Florida, and Georgia this year.
They want to know if he can stay calm when the spotlight is brightest. Until then, he is still more potential than proven.
The Mannings have always played the long game. Eli held out on draft day because the Chargers were not the right fit. Peyton turned down the NFL as a junior even though he was a lock to go first overall.
Arch may make his decision based more on where he might land in 2026 than when he could be drafted. If the right team has the top pick, maybe he goes. If not, sticking at Texas makes sense.
If you ask me, Arch should wait. Give it another year, get more starts, build up confidence, and maybe bring Texas a national title.
He does not need the money and he does not need to race his uncles to the NFL. What he needs is to be fully ready when he gets there.
And if history tells us anything, patience has worked out pretty well for the Manning family.
Panthers on The Prowl
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia State hired Dell McGee as their head coach in February of 2024. He got a late start on recruiting and the Panthers went 3-9 last season.
McGee coached at University of Georgia from 2016-23 as the running backs coach and assistant head coach.
The Panthers added many new faces in 2025. They signed 34 high school signees and walk-ons and 43 transfers via the portal.
“We feel like those 77 new additions have supplemented our program,” McGee said at the Sun Belt’s Preseason Media Days event in New Orleans. “But ultimately, the direction of our program is going to be spearheaded by the 45 guys who return.”
This is his first real recruiting class he has signed. “I really can’t compare (to where we were last year), but I can say the 77 additions, we’ve created competition in every single room, and we feel like the competition will push the needle from a standpoint of accountability and competitiveness,” McGee said.
Some of the top incoming transfer players are CB Tyler Scott (Auburn), RB Jordon Simmons (Ole Miss), RB Rashad Amos (Memphis), RB Branson Robinson (Georgia), S Jordan Huff (East Carolina), IOL Deandre Duffus (Maryland), CB Isiah Dunson (Baylor), CB Bernard Causey III (LSU), OT Obadiah Obasuyi (NC State), QB Cameran Brown (Texas Tech), WR Javon Robinson (Georgia), WR Leo Blackburn (Georgia Tech) and LB Zavier Carter (UCF).
As you can see, they have added several players from Power 4 programs. The problem with building a team with transfers is maintaining the program’s culture. You also have to worry about not having a cohesive team if things get rough. A great example of this would be last year’s Florida State team that went 2-10.
Four of GSU’s losses in 2024 were by a touchdown or less, so they were competitive. They have been picked to finish last in the East Division in the preseason poll conducted by the coaches.
The Panthers have two players selected to the Sun Belt’s preseason all-conference team; wide receiver Ted Hurst (first team) and defensive lineman Henry Bryant (second team). Hurst is a senior from Savannah and he transferred in from Valdosta State. He led the team with 56 receptions for 961 yards and a school-record nine touchdowns.
Bryant is a redshirt senior from Delray Beach, Florida. He transferred in from Louisville in 2023. Last year he played in all 12 games and had 30 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 FF and 1 FR.
“Holding our team accountable is really one of the tiers that our players must uphold,” McGee said. “With the leadership of our 45 returning guys, they understand how we practice. They understand what it takes in the off-season, in the weight room and in summer conditioning. They’ve done a great job pushing that agenda forward.”
Georgia State will start the season August 30th at #21 Ole Miss. They play Memphis and Murray State after that. Memphis was 11-2 last season and Murray State is an FCS team that only won one game last year.
Week 4 is a trip to Vanderbilt. GSU beat Vandy 36-32 last season so I expect them to be looking for revenge.
They start conference play October 4th against James Madison. They were picked to finish first in the East Division and Georgia Southern was picked second
The games after that are Appalachian State, @ Georgia Southern, South Alabama, @ Coastal Carolina, Marshall, @ Troy and @ Old Dominion.
I don’t expect the Panthers to win six games but they should improve on the three wins from last season.
Ramming Into New Era
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The offseason has been eventful all across the country, but nowhere as much as in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Back in December, the Tar Heels made the announcement that shocked the college football world in hiring one of the best coaches in not just football but all of sports in Bill Belichick.
After 24 years and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, Belichick fires up a new challenge as he enters year one as any kind of college coach.
Carolina finished the 2024 season falling under .500 with a loss to UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl game to bring the season mark to 6-7.
Belichick has been upfront with the way he plans on hitting college football head on. He plans to bring the NFL mindset and preparation into the college game.
One of the first pieces of that model was announced almost synonymously (if not before) Belichick was officially announced.
The first move for the former Pat’s coach was bringing in NFL front office veteran Michael Lombardi as the General Manager for the Tar Heels. Lombardi brings over 30 years of NFL experience between scouting, personnel, and serving as the Browns GM in 2013.
With Belichick and Lombardi in place, the next thing that the former “pro-model masters” was to tackle the college version of free agency.
The Tar Heels brought in the second most players in the transfer portal with 41 newcomers coming in from the portal only behind West Virginia and Purdue who brought in 54 via transfers.
The first position that had to be addressed right off the bat was at quarterback. After Drake Maye was drafted by the Patriots (coincidentally), it was a struggle for the Heels in 2024 with the signal caller.
UNC started three different quarterbacks last season and never had anyone take the bulls by the horns. This year Carolina looks to be set with Gio Lopez transferring in late from South Alabama after an impressive couple of years for the Jags in the Sun Belt Conference.
The Tar Heels have bolstered the offensive line and linebacking core in the offseason to be two of the best position groups in the ACC, but some questions really remain around some unproven talent in the skill positions.
One of the biggest losses in all of college football was what UNC lost with Omarion Hampton who was both the leading rusher and third leading receiver a year ago before now competing for the LA Chargers.
North Carolina also lost their top two pass catchers from a year ago in J.J. Jones and John Copenhaver who are no longer in the locker room.
All of the skill position replacements (at least on the offensive side) seem to be coming from within the program or Aziah Johnson who transferred in from Michigan State (albeit only hauling in 276 yards a year ago).
This North Carolina program has been one of the most talked about programs in the country, there’s no question.
To me the unprecedented transition for an NFL Head Coach to move into the college world for the first time that Bill Belichick is taking is one of the most fascinating stories in recent history of the sport.
Among those that are even remotely close to the program, I think the consensus is that Belichick will build something impressive in Chapel Hill, the question just becomes “How long will it take?”.
I don’t know if it’s realistic to think they will compete for the ACC crown and the College Football Playoff in year one, but a winning season and massive step toward that ultimate goal of the CFP is well within grasp of the Tar Heels in 2025.
