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Georgia Tech has been active in the transfer portal this offseason as they gear up for what could be a special 2025 season. The Yellow Jackets have added important players at every position except quarterback and while some players might be guys to watch down the line, most of the players taken this cycle have a chance to be instant impact players.
This past week, Georgia Tech added UNLV punter Marshall Nichols and Clemson defensive end A.J. Hoffler. Nichols has been a very consistent punter over the past three seasons and with David Shanahan out of eligibility, Nichols fills an important role for next season. Hoffler is the fourth addition to the defensive line this offseason, an important position of need for Georgia Tech with so many guys departing. With those two additions, Georgia Tech is still ranked No. 5 in the ACC according to 247Sports and No. 32 overall. They are behind Florida State (1st ACC, 5th overall), Miami (2nd ACC, 14th overall), Louisville (3rd ACC, 15th overall), and North Carolina (4th ACC, 31st overall).
ACC Transfer Portal Rankings (1/6, Rankings courtesy of 247Sports)
1. Florida State
2. Miami
3. Louisville
4. North Carolina
5. Georgia Tech
6. Virginia Tech
7. Virginia
8. Cal
9. Duke
10. SMU
11. Boston College
12. Wake Forest
13. Pitt
14. Stanford
15. Syracuse
16. NC State
17. Clemson
Georgia Tech Transfer Portal Commitments (17)
- OL Jakolby Jones (JUCO)
- TE Harry Lodge (Wake Forest)
- LB Cayman Spaulding (Tennessee Tech)
- DT Matthew Alexander (UCF)
- LB Melvin Jordan (Oregon State)
Hoffler played for the Tigers for two seasons and totaled 15 tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, Hoffler played 256 snaps for Clemson this past season and finished with a 56.5 grade and in 2023, he played 74 total snaps and finished with a 55.9 grade. The 6'4 240 LBS defensive end was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class and played his high school football at Woodward Academy in Atlanta and according to 247Sports, he was the No. 222 prospect in the country, the No. 25 edge, and the No. 22 player in the state of Georgia. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Hoffler joins UCF DT Matthew Alexander, UTSA edge rusher Ronald Triplette, and Mercer edge rusher Brayden Manley as the new defensive line transfer additions for the Yellow Jackets.
Alexander (6'3 295 LBS) played in 39 games over the last three seasons for the Knights and in 2024, he totaled 34 tackles. Pro Football Focus gave Alexander a 67.9 grade (409 snaps) in the 2024 season, including a 74.8 grade as a run defender. In 2022, Alexander got an elite 87.8 grade in run defense from PFF. He fills a big position of need for the Yellow Jackets and will see playing time immediately. The Yellow Jackets are losing a lot of defensive linemen after this season. Romello Height transferred to Texas Tech while Horace Lockett (UCF) and Uche Iloh (Georgia Southern) also transferred. Makius Scott, Kevin Harris, Sylvain Yondjouen, Josh Robinson, Thomas Gore, and Zeek Biggers are all out of eligibility. This is going to be a big question mark for Georgia Tech and they are looking to add more guys at this position to pair with Alexander as well as hoping some young guys like Amontrae Bradford and Jordan Boyd take a step up next season. Along the defensive line, Georgia Tech has also added UTSA transfer Ronald Triplette and Mercer transfer Brayden Manley.
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College football AP preseason poll reactions: Too high, too low and just right
The AP released its first college football poll for the 2025 season, and for the first time, the Texas Longhorns have opened the season No. 1. The two-time College Football Playoff semifinalists have Arch Manning at quarterback, weapons everywhere and what should be a nasty defense. Penn State is No. 2, followed by Ohio State, Clemson and Georgia. Notre Dame is sixth. Oregon checked in at seventh with Alabama (No. 8), LSU (No. 9) and Miami right behind them. Preseason polls don't mean much in the end; however, they do help shape the narrative of the season. Looking at the first AP poll of the season, here are the teams that are ranked too high, too low and just right. Too high: Oklahoma and Penn State The Sooners were 6-7 last season. They beat Alabama. Oklahoma also added two of the best players at the transfer portal in QB John Mateer and running back Jayden Ott. The offensive line should be improved, but 18th is still a big leap, especially since the Sooners aren't ranked in the coaches poll. Penn State is another team that's ranked higher in the AP poll than it was by the coaches. The Nittany Lions are ranked second, ahead of Ohio State, which seems crazy. Penn State might have the better team. Drew Allar is an elite and experienced quarterback. The Nittany Lions have all the pieces, including defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who left Ohio State for Happy Valley. But does anyone believe Penn State can beat the Buckeyes in Columbus? Or anywhere, for that matter? It feels like something you need to see to believe after eight consecutive wins by the Buckeyes in the series. Just right: Michigan No. 14 is the perfect spot for Michigan. The Wolverines have an elite defense, plus a running game that should be resurgent. In 2024, without a quarterback, defenses loaded the box. Michigan didn't have an answer, and the offensive line wasn't good enough to overcome it. Bryce Underwood will cure a lot of that. Michigan beat the national champs last season, on the road, with only 65 passing yards and two interceptions. So even if the passing game is average or above-average, this team could be dangerous, although there are still questions about the freshman quarterback, which is why this ranking makes sense. Too low: Tennessee, Alabama The Vols barely cracked the top 25, coming in at 24th after a College Football Playoff berth. Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. The offensive line also has to replace multiple starters, but Joey Aguilar should be better than expected as his replacement. Josh Heupel is one of the best offensive minds in college football. That's a big reason why the Vols will exceed expectations, even with a difficult schedule. The coaches' poll has Tennessee 18th. ESPN's SP+ also has the Vols 13th. Those are closer to the right ranking than the AP poll. Alabama was a win away from the playoff last season. They lost Jalen Milroe, but former five-star Ty Simpson is expected to be the starter. Kalen DeBoer should have the offense rolling, especially with wideout Ryan Williams, who might be the most dynamic player in college football outside of Jeremiah Smith. The defense should be better, too. ESPN SP+ ranks Alabama second and this team is closer to the top five than the top 10.
Ohio State quarterback battle update comes with one player starting to look the part of a starter for the Buckeyes
Celtics' ownership move should concern Lakers governor Jeanie Buss
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is supposed to remain in charge of the team for years even after the sale. Given what just happened with the Boston Celtics, it might only be months. When the Grousbeck family sold the Celtics for $6.1B in March, ESPN reported that Wyc Grousbeck would stay on as the Celtics CEO and governor through the 2027-28 season. Now, new owner Bill Chisholm will take over once the sale is final. That should concern current Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss, whose family sold a majority interest in the Los Angeles Lakers to investor Mark Walter. Buss is supposed to stay on as team governor for "at least a number of years," according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, but new NBA owners haven't been keen on waiting to take control of teams recently. Mark Cuban thought he would continue running the Dallas Mavericks when he sold a controlling interest to the Adelson family in November 2023. Before the end of that season, when Dallas advanced to the NBA Finals, new team governor Patrick Dumont, the son-in-law of Miriam Adelson, was firmly in charge. General manager Nico Harrison reported directly to Dumont, which is how Luka Doncic ended up traded to the Lakers despite Cuban's objections. It might be different with the Lakers. Walter has owned a minority share in the Lakers since 2021, so he's had a working relationship with Buss. Her role as team governor may be a condition of the sale itself. With the team preparing for a long-term future with Doncic, Walter and his fellow owners might opt for continuity in the team governor role. But in general, people do not spend billions of dollars on a professional sports team so that someone else can be in charge. Buss is in charge of the Lakers now. Recent history says she won't be for long.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Makes Direct Statement About Mason Rudolph's Spot On QB Depth Chart
Former crew chief frustrated by the 'ridiculous' racing at Watkins Glen
It is no secret that NASCAR's current road-course package has not been very good. Aside from the mile-and-a-half tracks that were once the least competitive and exciting in the series, those races are the rare bright spot for the Next Gen Car since its inception in 2022. Shane van Gisbergen drove away to an 11.1-second win over Christopher Bell in Sunday's race at Watkins Glen and set multiple records in the process. While the racing was not particularly exciting, that was not what left former crew chief and current analyst Steve Letarte frustrated the most following the weekend. A recurring issue in each race over the weekend was drivers utilizing the runoff areas around the track and not staying on the traditional racing surface, which ultimately led to some crashes in Saturday's Xfinity race. "So, I hate track limits that have to be officiated," Letarte said on "Inside the Race." "Because I like tracks that you should just stay on the track. I didn't think it mattered. Now, I am team get-them-back-on-the-race-track-at-Watkins-Glen. I don't love the Watkins Glen that I see. ... I think Turn 1 is not as great of a corner with no exit respect or responsibility. You just blow the exit. I think the carousel is a much easier corner, being able to just go driver's left. "I also think Turn 6 is going — let me add, that I think the (Connor) Zilisch, SVG wreck between the last two corners (in the Xfinity Series race) happened because they left the track, and the Austin Hill wreck with Michael McDowell happened off the race track. Now, both could have been avoided, we can talk about who's at fault. What I'm saying is, I've never driven a lap at Watkins Glen. I can analyze what happens between the white lines." This comes one year after rumble strips were placed in Turn 1 to keep drivers from using the runoff area, and that clearly has not worked. As the field has got closer together, using up all the track has become a common way for drivers to establish momentum, especially as they prepare for the right-hander going into The Esses at Watkins Glen. The bottom line is NASCAR's road-racing product needs to get better and Letarte wants to see race cars "stay on the race track because I think it will be a better race." Van Gisbergen's historic dominance certainly does not help, but the overall road course product is not great. Whether NASCAR makes some changes to the runoff areas and enforces track limits remains to be seen, but that still may not be the biggest issue if the racing does not improve.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Thinks It Is Clear Preseason Hero Will Be Playing Elsewhere In 2025
The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first preseason game of 2025 on Saturday, and the organization was able to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 31-25. The offense looked surprisingly good in the game, although it was mostly backups playing in the contest outside of the offensive line. The passing game was efficient, and both Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson looked good in the game. Logan Woodside came in at the end, but he didn't attempt a pass. The offensive player of the night was certainly Thompson, who was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart before Will Howard got hurt. Thompson is certainly on the outside looking in when it comes to the final roster, but his impressive performance during the first week of the preseason likely caught the eyes of some other teams around the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the game on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, and he shared that he thinks the quarterback could end up elsewhere. "I don't think the Steelers are going to keep four quarterbacks," Roethlisberger said. "Let's be honest. I think he is playing himself into like a really legit chance for a backup job somewhere on a team. Which is what you want." Thompson is going to need to continue to stack good performances in the preseason, and if he does, the Steelers may have the chance to trade him before cutting down to the final roster at the end of August. It is known that the top two quarterbacks on the roster are Aaron Rodgers and Rudolph, with Howard being right behind them. Thompson will likely end up elsewhere, it just depends on how that comes about. Other teams across the league probably know that the Steelers do not have the intention to keep Thompson around for the regular season, and that could make navigating a potential trade difficult. However, if there are multiple teams that are going to be interested in Thompson's services, one might be willing to trade a Day 3 draft pick in order to get him. The Steelers would not get much in any deal surrounding Thompson, but an additional sixth or seventh round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft would not hurt. No organization would trade for Thompson based off just one good preseason performance, especially with how the rest of the quarterback's career has gone when he was with the Miami Dolphins. He has struggled when he has been asked to start in games, but maybe he has turned over a new leaf that might make him valuable as the top backup for another organization. Another strong performance or two should definitely put him on the radar of quarterback-needy teams. Steelers' Skylar Thompson Could Have A Few Potential Destinations When looking around the league and trying to figure out what teams might be interested in bringing in Thompson, it is hard to ignore a team like the New Orleans Saints. The entire quarterback room in New Orleans has limited experience with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener barely ever seeing the field. Rookie Tyler Shough is an interesting prospect, but there is no telling how he will play. The Saints may want to consider Thompson, at the very least to bring in someone who has legitimate playing experience. Another team to consider would be Thompson's former team, the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa has struggled with injuries, and neither Zach Wilson or Quinn Ewers looked great in the team's first preseason game. A reunion could be in play as Thompson has a handle on the offensive system and has a decent amount of game experience playing in Miami. Another option is the New York Jets, as Tyrod Taylor is going through an injury and the rest of the room has a lot of question marks.
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