Texas won’t be able to always get their way like they have in other leagues, says Brett Norsworthy of Sports56.
Catalon, Morgan on watch list for Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Defensive back Jalen Catalon and linebacker Grant Morgan checked in on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy.
The Arkansas stars are two of 90 standouts from 61 FBS schools in the running for the award given to the best defensive player in college football.
Catalon, who has already earned preseason All-SEC, Bednarik Award watch list and Jim Thorpe Award watch list recognition, logged 99 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman last year.
His 9.9 tackles per game tied for the FBS freshmen lead and was fourth among all SEC defenders.
Catalon grabbed FWAA Freshman All-American and All-SEC First Team (AP) honors last season, becoming the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 to post at least 86 tackles and three interceptions.
Against Tennessee, he recorded 12 tackles and tallied an interception and pass breakup, claiming SEC Defensive Player and Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week recognition.
Morgan, meanwhile, is a candidate for the Bednarik Award and Butkus Award as well as a Preseason All-SEC selection headed into the 2021 campaign.
The linebacker was one of the best players in all of college football last year, producing one of the greatest seasons in Arkansas history.
The Greenwood, Ark., product, who was named a Walter Camp and AFCA Second Team All-American at the year’s end, posted an SEC-leading 111 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks. The linebacker finished tied for the nation’s lead in tackles per game (12.3) while intercepting one pass, breaking up five and registering one quarterback hurry.
Originally a walk-on, Morgan joined Martrell Spaight (2014) as the only two Razorback defenders to garner both AP and Coaches All-SEC recognition in the last 10 seasons.
The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy before the winner is chosen and honored at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet presented by LendingTree on Dec. 6 at the Charlotte Convention Center.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included is included in this story.
Maisel thinks addition of ‘Horns, Sooners, changes things for everybody
Ivan Maisel of On3.com said on The Morning Rush that things will be different for Texas, OU, in SEC.
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Travis Brown of MyAggieNation said on Ruscin & Zach the Longhorns and Sooners won’t get more money, sweeter deal.
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Morgan, Pool named to watch list for Butkus Award for this season
Both of Arkansas’ returning starters at linebacker, redshirt senior Grant Morgan and senior Bumper Pool, have been named to the Butkus Award Watch List.
Morgan, a candidate for the 2021 Bednarik Award and Preseason All-SEC selection, was one of the best players in all of college football last year, producing one of the greatest seasons in Arkansas history.
He was named a Walter Camp and AFCA Second Team All-American at the year’s end, posted an SEC-leading 111 total tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks.
The linebacker finished tied for the nation’s lead in tackles per game (12.3) while intercepting one pass, breaking up five and registering one quarterback hurry.
Originally a walk-on, Morgan joined Martrell Spaight (2014) as the only two Razorback defenders to garner both AP and Coaches All-SEC recognition in the last 10 seasons.
Pool grabbed All-SEC Second Team recognition last year from the coaches and was a Lott IMPACT Trophy Semifinalist.
The Lucas, Texas native played in nine games a year ago and finished second on the team recording 101 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and five passes broken up. Averaging 11.2 tackles per game, Pool placed second in the SEC and ninth in FBS.
In the win at Mississippi State, he registered a career-high 20 tackles, the most by any Razorback since Jerry Franklin (20) in 2010. Pool earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week and Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for the performance.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
UT, OU take first step in Big 12 divorce; Murphy doesn’t like it
Information from ESPN included in this story.
Oklahoma and Texas didn’t mention the SEC when they notifed the Big 12 on Monday they are leaving, according to a story at ESPN.
Now it’s up to SEC commissioner Greg Sankey for the next move after he consults with the likely several committees he’s using on all of this.
And sportswriters like Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette aren’t particularly enamored with it.
“I didn’t think adding A&M and Missouri was good for Arkansas and the results have born that out, in football at least,” he said on The Morning Rush with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft on Monday morning.
“It makes recruiting in Texas and Oklahoma much more competitive.”
Well, it has been like that for the last 60 years. The Hogs traditionally haven’t gotten very many players over the years in thos two states A&M, Texas and Oklahoma wanted … regardless of the SEC.
Sam Pittman is taking more of a national approach in recruiting and not focused on Texas. With 300 Division I players coming out every year, Arkansas will get about what they’ve been getting there.
“Providing notice to the Big 12 at this point is important in advance of the expiration of the conference’s current media rights agreement,” the statement said. “The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements. However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future.”
There is a mile of wiggle room in there for everybody. It’s a game of high stakes wheeling and dealing in the background with television networks and, reportedly, other schools reaching out to the SEC wanting to get in.
Big 12 sources told ESPN on Monday that the statement doesn’t fully guarantee that UT and OU would remain in the league through 2025. The possibility remains that they pay the $75-80 million penalty for leaving early, while also giving the required 18 months’ notice, per Big 12 bylaws.
Some have speculated that this is the first legal maneuver, and the possibility also exists that if the Big 12 dissolves before 2025, OU and Texas would no longer be bound to stay through the duration of the contract.
SEC athletic directors are scheduled for their weekly call at 12:30 p.m. ET on Monday — a call that had been rescheduled because of the league media days.
The Big 12 executive committee met with the presidents of Texas and Oklahoma on Sunday, and sources have told ESPN they are still trying to understand exactly what Oklahoma and Texas are looking for. The question is whether the SEC would extend an invitation knowing the legal strategy of Texas and Oklahoma is to stay through the duration of the TV contract — which is what the statement indicated the teams plan to honor.
An SEC official told ESPN this week that the league’s current scheduling format would have to be revamped with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas. Some sort of “pod” system would likely replace the current East and West divisions, and the league would likely play more than eight conference games each season in the future.
Get ready because the news is going to be coming fast and furious … and not slowing down.
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Catalon named to watch list for Jim Thorpe Award
Arkansas redshirt sophomore defensive back Jalen Catalon picked up another preseason honor, as he has been named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list.
Catalon, who already earned Preseason All-SEC and Bednarik Award Watch List recognition this year, logged 99 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, three interceptions, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles as a redshirt freshman last year.
His 9.9 tackles per game tied for the FBS freshmen lead and was fourth among all SEC defenders. Catalon became the first SEC freshman since Tennessee’s Eric Berry in 2007 to post at least 86 tackles and three interceptions.
Against Tennessee, he recorded 12 tackles and tallied an interception and pass broken up, claiming SEC Defensive Player and Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week recognition.
He grabbed FWAA Freshman All-American and AP All-SEC First Team honors last season.
