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The Texas Tech Red Raiders ended their season with a disappointing loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl. While it wasn't the finish coach Joey McGuire and his program wanted, the 2024 season was a successful one.
One of the brightest spots of the season was the year of running back Tahj Brooks.
Brooks became the all-time career-leading rusher for the program, surpassing legends like James Gray and Byron Hanspard along the way.
Brooks ends his collegiate career with 4,560 yards on 879 carries and 45 rushing touchdowns, cementing his place in history.
His next act will be playing on Sundays as he's officially declared for April's 2025 NFL Draft, and the latest national mock has him heading to an NFC contender.
In College Football Network's latest piece, Brooks goes in the fourth round and No. 121 overall to the four-time defending NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That would make Brooks the seventh running back taken in the draft behind Penn State's Nicholas Singleton (91), Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins (69), Texas A&M's Le'Veon Moss (66), Iowa's Kaleb Johnson (34), North Carolina's Omarion Hampton (26) and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (23).
Jeanty and Hampton would be the only two running backs taken in the first round.
The curious part of his is the success the Bucs had in 2024 with rookie running back Bucky Irving, who Tampa Bay selected at No. 125 overall in last year's draft in the fourth round.
Irving carries for 1,122 yards on 207 carries with eight touchdowns during his rookie season, most of that coming as the No. 2 back behind Rachaad White.
It's possible the Bucs would be interested in replacing White with Brooks to get younger, but White just turned 26 on Sunday. Whoever gets Brooks in 2025 will have a fun new tool to utilize on the offense, and a dual-threat back to build around.
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Texas Longhorns Silent Commit Re-Opens Recruitment: USC Trojans Target?
Corona Centennial (Calif.) three-star tight end Keawe Browne has decided to re-open his recruitment after backing out of his silent pledge with the Texas Longhorns over the weekend. That decision was never made public because the Longhorns were sorting out its roster numbers for the 2026 class and navigating NIL structures. “I appreciate the staff at Texas for offering me and bringing my family on an official visit this summer,” Browne posted on social media. “However, with recent changes in my recruitment and further interest from other universities, my family and those close to me believe it is in my best interest to re-open my recruiting. I will be moving on from the University of Texas.” Browne saw his recruitment take off the in the spring, which included an offer from the USC Trojans on May 12 during an unofficial visit. Browne was a high school teammate of five-star freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet. The local prospect was originally scheduled to take an official visit with USC on June 13, but that trip never happened after the Trojans landed a commitment from Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star Mark Bowman, the No. 1 rated tight end in the 2026 cycle in late May. Bowman had been linked to Texas, among other SEC programs but ultimately decided to stay close to home. USC still has an interest in Browne and could plan on taking two tight ends in this upcoming class. Browne does not appear to be in a hurry to make another decision and will take official visits in the fall. Other schools that are in the picture include Auburn, Miami, Washington and Florida State, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Browne is a high upside player in the 2026 cycle after he primarily played defensive end last season. He only caught one pass as a tight end. Browne flashed his athleticism and abilities as a pass-catcher during spring showcases, which led to him being all over P4 radars. USC coach Lincoln Riley and tight ends coach Chad Savage are intrigued by the raw skillset Browne possesses. Browne is someone that could continue to be a fast riser in the recruiting rankings this fall with a full season playing the tight end position. USC has made it priority surround Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) four-star quarterback Jonas Williams with an abundance of talent in the 2026 class. Bowman has been the headliner, but the Trojans also hold commitments from an impressive list of receivers in four-stars Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, Trent Mosley, Luc Weaver, Roderick Tezeno and three-star Ja’Myron “Tron” Baker. The Trojans hold a total of 31 commitments, including 19 that have California ties. USC is aiming to sign 35 commitments in their first season under general manager Chad Bowden.
Mikey Keene holds off Bryce Underwood longer than expected, and a new defensive star highlight Michigan Hot Takes heading into 2025 season
Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Green Bay Packers: 2x Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins Reveals True Feelings on Position Change, Contract Rumors
One of the biggest stories surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been the position change, and following absences, of two-time Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins. Early in the spring, it was quite clear that Green Bay had no intention of bringing back 2021 second round pick Josh Myers, who had been the Packers’ starting center since he was drafted. He ended up signing a one-year prove-it deal with the New York Jets. With Myers no longer in the fold, many wondered who the Packers would have play center. Zach Tom has long mentioned as a potential option there, as has second-year lineman Jacob Monk. But, to the shock of many, Green Bay opted to move Jenkins, who (as mentioned) is a two-time Pro Bowl left guard, to the position. They also signed Aaron Banks to a four-year $77 million contract to fill the hole left at left guard with Jenkins moving to center. It Was Reported that Green Bay Packers Star Elgton Jenkins Was Holding Out for a Revised Contract After the Packers announced that Jenkins was going to be moving to center while Banks would be entrenched at left guard, there were a series of reports that came out the two-time Pro Bowler was not happy. It was not that he minded the position switch. After all, he played center in college and filled in at the position in 2021 when Myers was out with an injury. Instead, these reports stated that Jenkins was concerned that the position switch would affect his earning capabilities in the NFL after his contract in Green Bay comes to an end. Centers do not make as much money as guards, and it was believed that Jenkins wanted some extra guarantees from the Packers in exchange for making the switch. And when Jenkins did not report to Green Bay for OTA’s and mandatory mini camp, fans began to worry that they had a real contract holdout on their hands. This was assumed to be the case, too, when Jenkins started training camp on the non-football injury list. Green Bay Packers Center Elgton Jenkins Shoots Down Contract Rumors As it turns out, though, none of these reports and rumors were true. Jenkins returned to practice on Tuesday, participating in individual drills only as he ramps up his activity. He had injured his back lifting weights during the offseason, which is why he started camp on the NFI. As for OTA’s, well, he had some family matters to attend to: As Ryan Wood notes, Jenkins spoke the Packers twice this offseason. The first time when they asked him about switching positions, and the second when he told them he would. What is more, per Wood, Jenkins has been planning a move to center for some time now: This is great news for Green Bay, who will be relying on Jenkins as their longest-tenured lineman, again, to lead the group tasked with protecting Jordan Love and opening holes for the run game.
Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield breaks news about contract situation
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht recently suggested the club and Baker Mayfield will sign a contract extension "when the time is right" because Tampa Bay wants Mayfield "to be our quarterback for a long time." During a Monday appearance on CBS Sports HQ, Mayfield broke some news regarding the three-year, $100M deal he signed to stay with the Buccaneers back in March 2024. "You know, right now, I’m under contract through 2026," Mayfield told CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "So it was really just about getting guaranteed money for 2026, and they did that. And that’s all I can ask for. I signed the contract and knew what it was." JoeBucsFan noted that Mayfield's $40M salary for 2026 was not previously guaranteed. That's no longer an issue for the 30-year-old after he guided the Buccaneers to back-to-back division titles. While Mayfield is working with his third offensive coordinator (Josh Grizzard) in three seasons with Tampa Bay, he's also coming off the best campaign of his pro career. According to Pro Football Reference, Mayfield ended the 2024 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL among qualified players with a 106.8 passer rating, third with 4,500 passing yards and tied for second with 41 touchdowns through the air. In Tampa Bay, Mayfield found a franchise that has let him be his true self after he spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams from January 2022 through January 2023. He's now the emotional leader of a Buccaneers offense that needed more than just solid play at the sport's most important position after living legend Tom Brady retired in February 2023. "Right now it’s winning," Mayfield said on Monday about his mindset for the upcoming season. "I know good things will happen after that. But I trust this place. I love being here. Obviously, [I’m] used to bouncing around. I’ve done that before, but I don’t want to leave." As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers tied for seventh among the betting favorites at +1300 odds to win the NFC Championship Game held in January 2025. Even if Mayfield fails to lead Tampa Bay to Super Bowl LX, it sounds like he will remain with the Buccaneers through at least the start of the 2026 season.
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