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Virginia Tech suffers huge recruiting loss to fledgling 2026 class
Things are looking tough for Virginia Tech on the 2026 recruiting trail.
Head coach Brent Pry's 2025 class is ranked No. 48 in the nation, which is nothing to write home about. Now, his 2026 class just lost its top recruit.
Carnell Warren is a four-star wide receiver from Bluffton, South Carolina, who had been committed to VT since the second day of January.
That's a commitment that no longer stands, as Warren announced Thursday on social media that he's opening his recruitment back up.
"After long thoughts and consideration, I'm opening my recruitment back up. I wanna thank everyone in Blacksburg for everything, it means a lot," he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
4* WR Carnell Warren decommits from Virginia Tech. Major loss for the #Hokies https://t.co/gJ2ZmSBufS
— Tim Thomas (@TimThomasTLP) June 12, 2025
To say that this is a tough loss for Pry and the Hokies' staff is an understatement. Warren is ranked as the No. 50 wideout in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Having a top-50 player at a position is no small deal for a program like Virginia Tech that is trying to get back up off the mat. The Hokies went 6-7 last season with a loss in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, and one would imagine another tough campaign could spell disaster for Pry.
He's gone 16-21 in three seasons in Blacksburg.
Warren, of course, would not have impacted the 2025 season, but he did represent a bit of hope for an otherwise underwhelming class. With the loss of his commitment, VT only has two players aboard for 2026, and both are three-star recruits. One is a kicker.
The Hokies, of course, still have time to build a class up, but these results on the recruiting trail are extremely underwhelming for a program that absolutely needs a boost.
More must-reads:
- Praise for Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is high, but the expectations are higher
- Auburn loses commitment from four-star LB JaMichael Garrett
- The 'NFL sack leaders of the last decade' quiz
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Five takeaways from the first college football Coaches Poll
The 2025 college football season is less than three weeks away. On Monday, the first edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll was released. Soon, the AP Poll will come out, which is just another sign that the season is approaching. Preseason polls and their relevance have become more of a hot topic in recent years, but they are a fun discussion point either way. Texas opens the season at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia and Notre Dame in the top five. Nine SEC teams cracked the top 25. Six from the Big Ten were ranked, along with five from the Big 12 and three from the ACC. Here are five takeaways from the Preseason edition of the Coaches Poll. Pressure is on Texas, Penn State The Longhorns have felt like the preseason favorite throughout the offseason. Texas is the only team in college football to have reached the national semifinals two years in a row. Arch Manning is taking over as the starting quarterback and enters the season as the Heisman favorite, like his uncle once was. Peyton's team never won the national title, and he didn't win the Heisman. We'll see what Arch can do in what could be his only season as the starter, although a return for the 2026 season is certainly possible. In 2025, though, anything less than a national title will be considered a failure for Texas. The same can be said about Penn State. The Nittany Lions got 14 first-place votes and might have the best combination of talent and an experienced quarterback in Drew Allar. It's truly national championship or bust. A huge opening weekend for college football The first full Saturday of the college football season is Aug. 30, and that weekend will be loaded with incredible matchups, highlighted by No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Ohio State. No. 6 Clemson will also host No. 9 LSU in a battle of top-10 teams, while No. 5 Notre Dame will play No. 10 Miami on Aug. 31 in another top-10 matchup. These games will shape the season and give us an early clue about the College Football Playoff race. SEC superiority still exists among coaches Despite the Big Ten winning the last two national championships, it's clear that coaches still view the SEC as the better conference. Texas is ranked ahead of Ohio State. Nine SEC teams are ranked in the top 21, along with four of the top nine and six of the top 15. The Big Ten isn't far behind, especially if a program like Nebraska can get back into the top 25 consistently. That league has five of the top 14 teams, according to the Coaches Poll, so the gap has narrowed. However, the SEC, top to bottom, still gets more respect. Big 12 has quantity, not quality The Big 12 likes to think of itself as the deepest conference in college football. It's not. The Big Ten and SEC are, but after that, the league might have an argument with five teams ranked in the top 25. What it doesn't have is a national title contender. Arizona State is ranked 11th. After that, Kansas State is next at No. 20. The Big 12 season should be exciting. Multiple teams could make the College Football Playoff, but there isn't a national title contender in the conference unless something crazy happens. Murky at the top Five different teams received No. 1 votes in the Coaches Poll (Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia and Clemson). Texas got 41 percent of the votes, but there isn't a clear national title favorite heading into the season. The first Coaches' Poll reflected that.
There's a freshman on the Texas Longhorns defense who is not only turning heads in fall camp, but pushing for immediate playing time
Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love Just Put the 'Aaron Rodgers Is a Bad Teammate' Narrative to Bed Once and For All
The story is very familiar to Green Bay Packers fans: when the team decided to select Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, their incumbent quarterback, Brett Favre, was not happy. And he let everyone know about it, including his successor. For his part, Rodgers kept his head down and picked up whatever he could from watching the eventual Hall of Famer play the quarterback position. Fast forward 15 years to 2020, and Rodgers found himself in the same position as Favre: feeling like he was on top of his game, but seeing Green Bay take his eventual successor in the NFL Draft. That, of course, was Jordan Love, the current Packers starting quarterback. Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love, Once Again, Describe How Well Aaron Rodgers Treated Him Over the past several years, there has been a narrative pushed by many members of the national media that Rodgers is a bad teammate. Some of these claims started to pop up during his final years with the Packers, but they gained steam and notoriety while he was with the New York Jets. The only problem with these claims is that they hardly ever came from players that actually were teammates with Rodgers. And, for his part, Love has always praised his predecessor for how welcoming he was despite the narrative surrounding them immediately following the 2020 NFL Draft. In his recent post on the Players Tribune, Love once again praised Rodgers for what he did for him as a mentor and teammate: “I don’t think it really set in for me until I started doing interviews, and every question was basically, ‘What about Aaron?’ “In my mind, I was like, ‘What do you mean? He’s one of the best to ever do it. I’m about to learn everything I can from this dude.’ “But before me and Aaron could even talk, the narrative was rolling. And it’s so crazy to me, because from the jump, Aaron was great with me. He laid out how he was in my same situation, and that he wanted to make sure there was no hostility. I told him I just wanted to learn and soak it all in. “I mean, I’d been a QB2 for a lot of my life. For me, it was nothing new. It was perfect, actually. Think about it: you’re coming into this league at 21 years old. It’s a different world. I’m not even talking about just football. You have to be able to command a room and know how to talk to different guys, how to motivate them — what to say, what not to say. I got to watch Aaron and how he handled those situations, and that was invaluable.” Love went on to describe how he learned from watching his legendary predecessor, how he picked up on when defenses were making substitutions too late, how he built chemistry with Davante, how he “manipulated” defenses instead of just “playing” against them. He also said that the biggest thing he learned from Rodgers was that the most important thing in the NFL, in games, in practices, in everything, is to be consistent. And when it came time for Love to take over as the Packers starting quarterback, he knew what was expected. So did his mother, he told him, “Big shoes to fill. You going to be alright? You gotta play good, or they’ll get another quarterback.” Fortunately, for Love and the Packers, he has been as good as they could have hoped and continues to get better. And Rodgers’ mentoring and welcoming demeanor played a big role in that.
Michael Hage’s Dominance Clear at World Juniors Showcase
The World Junior Showcase showed the dominance of multiple Montreal Canadiens prospects this past week. After discussing Koivu’s play in the mini tournament earlier today, it is now time for a discussion on the 21st overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Michael Hage. Much like his Finnish counterpart, the Canadian forward Hage stood out from his teammates throughout the showcase. Hage, who is arguably a top 3 prospect within the Montreal Canadiens pipeline, put on a show that should help him secure a role within Canada’s 2026 World Juniors team. The fact that he proved to be one of the best players for Canada this past week shows that not even getting an invite to the team’s final selection camp, despite a very strong freshman season at the University of Michigan, seemed silly, as even last year, he likely should have had a shot at making the team. Now that he managed to score a goal in all 4 games that he played for Canada at the World Juniors Showcase, there is almost no way that Canada can leave him off the roster. One of the most memorable moments throughout the whole tournament for Hage was definitely when he was in a scrum, mixing it up with his former Canadiens Development camp roommate, Aatos Koivu, as previously mentioned in my article from earlier today. Another amazing moment in that game was Hage’s goal, where he completely deked around the Finland goalie to put the puck in the net. It will be interesting to see where in the Canada lineup Hage will land, as a lot of notable names such as Michael Misa, Beckett Sennecke, and Tij Iginla did not play at the showcase. The good news is that the first two names may end up playing in the NHL, allowing a spot higher in the lineup for Hage. Another thing that will work well in Hage’s favour is that he is very versatile and can play on the wing or at centre for Canada. His coach even praised his “hard skills” for Canada during those four games he played. After watching Hage’s play over the last year, one thing is clear: he could be a play driver on whatever line he plays on for Canada. His game also seems like it will translate well at the pro level. Many may say that Hage must play a top 6 role for Canada, but the fact that he can play an aggressive style and has a strong defensive game could mean that he is also able to play in a bottom-six role if need be. The truth is it would be unlikely he would have to be on the bottom 6, but if the guys mentioned above aren’t in the NHL and are instead on the team, there is a chance that it could happen. This upcoming season with the Michigan Wolverines should be a big one where Hage could find his way in the Hobey Baker conversation if he improves on his 13 goals and 34 points in 33 games. The first half of the season will be telling for his place with Hockey Canada, whereas the 2nd half could also help him earn some time at the pro level. The way Hage has played since being drafted, it feels more like it’s more about when he’ll play for the Canadiens in a regular-season game, rather than if he will. Will Hage prove that he’s ready to play at the pro level this year at Michigan?
Boston Bruins Bleak 2025-26 Outlook Raises Concerns
As the Boston Bruins prepare for the upcoming NHL season, there are a lot of questions around the roster. Boston missed the playoffs last year, taking a massive step back from where the team normally has been. But even entering this coming year, there isn't a lot of optimism around the Bruins. Boston has a few solid pieces on the roster, but the team hasn't improved much. This has led some to believe that Boston will again miss the playoffs next season. One of those people is NHL writer Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report, who predicted them to be on the outside looking in. "They lack a top-line center, don't have scoring depth after David Pastrnak, the defense wasn't always great even before the injuries to Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm and they desperately need Jeremy Swayman to bounce back and play like the $8 million per year goalie they are paying him to be," wrote Gretz. Boston is going to have a tough time competing in the Eastern Conference this season, and it could see them miss the postseason again. The Bruins haven't done all that much this summer to improve the team, and it could end up costing them. The direction of the Bruins remains one of the bigger mysteries around the NHL, and the front office has been kind of stagnant. If this team wants to contend this season, the best bet is to bank on the team staying healthier than they did last year. But betting on health throughout a season is typically a risky play. Boston's front office still has work to do, and the clock is ticking on them to add to this team.
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