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Earlier this week, former Tennessee Vols defensive back Tamarion McDonald flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to Louisville.
McDonald was one of several former Vols in the transfer portal who committed to Ole Miss last month, along with Tyler Baron and Keyshawn Lawrence (Lawrence started his career at UT before transferring to Oklahoma).
With McDonald off to Louisville, Ole Miss is now reportedly targeting former Vols defensive back Brandon Turnage, who entered the transfer portal in December.
Adding more SEC flavor to the visitors list, Tennessee safety Brandon Turnage will also be in Oxford this weekend. The former four-star is originally from Lafayette County and began his career at Alabamahttps://t.co/AA4ZwQ9JlF pic.twitter.com/yieWBZE3CT
— Zach Berry (@Zach_Berry) January 10, 2024
Turnage, who is from Oxford, spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee ahead of the 2021 season.
The former Vol totaled nine tackles in 2023. His best season came in 2021 when he totaled 22 tackles and earned SEC player of the week honors after a 14 tackle performance in a win against South Carolina.
Tennessee lost several defensive backs to the transfer portal this offseason. But it's not a concern for the program as they have some nice young talent on the roster that's ready to step up. The Vols have also added several key players from the portal, including safety Jakobe Thomas and cornerbacks Jalen McMurray and Jermod McCoy.
More must-reads:
- Week 1 mid-major games to watch: Boise State, Tulane look to build CFP foundation
- NFL Draft intel: Top QBs set to clash in ranked showdown in Death Valley
- The 'Season TD pass leaders by NFL team' quiz
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Texas HC shares crucial advice with Arch Manning before matchup vs. No. 3 Ohio State
New DJ Lagway update may have big impact on Florida's 2025 season
Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway has all "the goods" to be a superstar. That's not a question. What has been a question this offseason has been Lagway's health. Lagway has been limited with a shoulder injury (this past spring) and a calf injury (suffered in fall camp) and has been a question mark heading into Florida's Week 1 game against Long Island. If Lagway wasn't 100 percent, or close to it, this may have been a good game to sit him out to give him more time to heal, but the latest update coming out of Gainesville suggests the Gators have a ton of reason to be optimistic. On Monday, head coach Billy Napier revealed that Lagway will start on Saturday. The sophomore quarterback has been a full participant in recent practices, and that's huge for Florida. Per Napier, the Willis, Texas, product has also learned a lot from the challenges of being injured. "A lot of times things happen to you that you can't control, so there's opportunities to get better as a result of what he's going through," Napier said on Monday, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN. "He's learned a lot about himself. This won't be the first time he's gone through something like this. You play the game, you're going to get injured, so how you manage that not only physically but mentally ... for him that's been a bit of a challenge, but I think it's been healthy for him." Again, this game may have been a good opportunity for Florida to keep Lagway back if he wasn't fully ready to play, so the fact that he's getting the start in this one is a huge indication that his injury issues in 2025 may be behind him now. Now, instead of another week to rest, this game against Long Island becomes an opportunity for Lagway to tune up. This should be an easy win for Florida, but challenges are on the horizon. After a game against South Florida in Week 2, the Gators have a brutal stretch that sees them play No. 9 LSU, No. 10 Miami, No. 1 Texas and No. 19 Texas A M, all before mid-October. The Gators need a healthy Lagway to win those games, and for the sake of Napier's job, the Gators need to win those games.
Browns abandon four-QB approach by trading Kenny Pickett
The Cleveland Browns will not be keeping four quarterbacks on their roster heading into the 2025 regular season, after all. The Browns agreed to a deal on Monday to trade Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders, according to multiple reports. Cleveland will receive a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in return. Pickett spent just five months in Cleveland, as the Browns acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles back in March. They gave up Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-round draft pick in that deal. There had been reports throughout the summer that Pickett was not exactly lighting it up in Browns camp. Joe Flacco has been named Cleveland's Week 1 starter, so rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders will now back the 40-year-old up. The Raiders needed a veteran quarterback after Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the team's preseason finale over the weekend. O'Connell is expected to be sidelined for around two months. Pickett began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted him 20th overall in 2022. The former University of Pittsburgh QB started 12 games as a rookie and did not play well, finishing with 2,404 yards, seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions. Pickett started another 12 games for the Steelers in 2023 before being benched and later traded to Philadelphia. In total, Pickett has completed 62.4 percent of his career passes for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Zachary Yager, Veteran NASCAR Pit Crew Member, Dies Aged 35
Zachary Yager, who had served as an over-the-wall pit crew member in the NASCAR National Series ranks since the 2014 season, has died at the age of 35. TobyChristie.com had the initial report of Yager's death. Yager, a New York native, had pit crew stints with Richard Childress Racing, Team Penske, RFK Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing (now known as HYAK Motorsports), where he won the 2023 Daytona 500, from 2014 to 2024. Ahead of the 2025 season, Yager moved to Elite Race Services, a Mooresville, NC-based company that specializes in assembling teams of pit crews for NASCAR National Series race teams. This season, Yager had been serving as the Jack Man for the No. 39 RSS Racing team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as the No. 88 ThorSport Racing team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The loss of Yager was absolutely unexpected for Elite Race Services, which is grieving the loss of one of its own, while issuing its deepest sympathy to Yager's family. “Obviously, nobody saw this coming and we’re in total disbelief,” Cory DeMarco, owner of Elite Race Services said in a statement given to TobyChristie.com. “All of the guys send our thoughts and prayers out to his dad and family, right now.” ThorSport Racing, likewise, expressed grief over the sudden and unexpected loss of Yager. “We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our friend and teammate, Zachary Yager,” said ThorSport Racing in a statement. “He was an important part of our family, and our hearts are with his loved ones and community as we grieve this loss together.” While he was serving as a Jack Man this season, Yager was well-known as a well-rounded pit crew member, who could perform at nearly every position on an over-the-wall pit crew. Yager previously served as a Tire Carrier and Fueler in addition to the Jack Man role. No details surrounding Yager's death have been released, but the veteran pit crew member had been missing since Monday, August 18, according to various social media posts from members of Yager's family.
Recent roster moves cement 2022 QB class as one of worst ever
Finding a starting quarterback in the NFL is hard work, and most players who get picked at the position will not pan out as hoped. Teams that took quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft have found that out first hand, and some recent roster moves around the league have helped to cement that class as one of the worst ever for quarterbacks. Of the nine quarterbacks taken in that class, only one of them — Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers — is a starter in the NFL, and he is the only one out of that group who is still with the team that selected them. Here is a quick run down of where the first eight quarterbacks in that class are right now, including some recent roster moves featuring the top-two quarterbacks — Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder — taken in that class. Kenny Pickett (No. 20 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers) Pickett was just traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Las Vegas Raiders and is now already on his fourth team in the NFL, having been traded three times. He has a Super Bowl ring and should have a nice career as a backup, but as the first quarterback taken in a class, this is a disappointing career path so far. Desmond Ridder (No. 74 overall, Atlanta Falcons) Like Pickett, Ridder has also already played for four teams in the NFL and will have to join a fifth to continue his career after being released by the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday. He was originally picked by the Atlanta Falcons and has played for the Arizona Cardinals, Raiders and Bengals. Malik Willis (No. 86 overall, Tennessee Titans) After failing to secure the starting job with the Titans, Willis is now a backup with the Green Bay Packers. Matt Corral (No. 94 overall, Carolina Panthers) Corral never threw a pass in the NFL and is no longer in the league, having most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL. Bailey Zappe (No. 137 overall, New England Patriots) Zappe had a brief run as a starter with the Patriots, but he never solidified the job and has spent time as a backup with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs. Sam Howell (No. 144 overall, Washington Commanders) Howell showed some potential as a starter for Washington during the 2023 season, throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns. The downside: He also threw a league-leading 21 interceptions. After being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this preseason, he is now on his third team. Chris Oladokun (No. 241 overall, Pittsburgh Steelers) Oladokun was the second of the Steelers' two quarterback picks in this class and never even made the roster. He was cut after the initial training camp and ended up as a depth piece in Kansas City. Skylar Thompson (No. 247 overall, Miami Dolphins) Thompson was forced into a starting role for a playoff game for the Dolphins but never really established himself as a long-term option. He was in training camp with the Steelers this season and played well, but is likely to lose out on a numbers game and be seeking a third team. Of these eight quarterbacks, four have already played for at least three teams before the end of their rookie contracts. Purdy, who was oddly enough the last quarterback taken in this class, is the only one who has found success. But even he is not good enough to salvage what has been a complete dud of a quarterback class.
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