🏈 🔵 Big Ten's National Perception Rising, Offseason Stock Report, & Marcus Freeman's Lasting Message
“The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football,” Paul Finebaum said Tuesday morning. “And, there’s no way you can say it doesn’t."
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My College Football Stock Report
Trending Upwards 📈
Big Ten's National Perception
For the first time since 1941 and 1942, the Big Ten has captured two-straight national championships on the gridiron.
On Monday, Ohio State captured its ninth title in school history, helping the Buckeyes rise into a tie with USC for the fourth-most national championships all-time among non-Ivy League programs.
Pairing this Ohio State squad’s dominance with Michigan’s recent success has many SEC pundits changing their tune about the conference’s overall firepower.
“The Big Ten, at the moment, owns college football,” Paul Finebaum, an SEC Network analyst, said on Tuesday morning. “And, there’s no way you can say it doesn’t. When you go back-to-back, that’s generational.”
ESPN’s “Way-Too-Early” Top 25 contains four Big Ten programs ranked inside of the top 10, including Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and Michigan.
Alabama
While the Crimson Tide faithful are usually used to lifting titles under Nick Saban’s reign this time of year, Alabama’s best former prospects are still producing in droves at the NFL level.
In the thick of the NFL Playoffs, it’s important to note that Alabama has the most active players on the rosters of postseason squads.
The Crimson Tide hold claim to 33 former players who’ve suited up for the NFL Playoffs. Alabama leads Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, and Oklahoma, which round out the top five programs with esteemed pro talent.
Following Kalen DeBoer’s first campaign at the helm, Alabama finished the campaign ranked No. 17 in the final AP Top 25 — its lowest end-of-season finish since 2007.
However, DeBoer and company have poached nine high-end transfers this cycle, including Miami wide receiver Isaiah Horton and Colorado linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green.
Cal’s Transfer Portal Haul
Despite falling to UNLV in the LA Bowl in mid-December, Justin Wilcox’s program is on the incline this offseason.
Cal currently holds claim to a top 30 transfer portal class, putting the Golden Bears’ haul above blue bloods among the likes of USC, Michigan, Georgia, and Ohio State.
Although Wilcox’s offense is prepped to lose the services of proven quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Golden Bears’ staff quickly identified their next gunslinger in Oregon’s Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele.
The Hawaii native will come to Berkeley as the 21st-best prospect out of the portal, per 247Sports, and the class’s fifth-ranked signal caller.
Sagapolutele will be aided by pass catchers Dazmin James and Jacob De Jesus, who hail from Arkansas and UNLV, respectively.
Look out, ACC foes. Cal won’t be an easy out across the 2025 slate.
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Trending Downwards 📉
Notre Dame’s Staff Retention
Following the Fighting Irish’s national championship defeat on Monday evening, Marcus Freeman’s defensive staff took a monumental hit.
Third-year defensive coordinator Al Golden accepted the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator vacancy, returning him to the NFL level after previous stints with the Lions and Bengals.
Golden oversaw the Bengals’ linebacker corps from 2020 to 2021 before heading to South Bend the following year.
This season, Golden’s unit led the nation in forced turnovers with 33, generated the lowest-allowed completion percentage at 52.1%, and ranked fourth in scoring — giving up just 15.5 points per game.
Cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens has been pegged as Golden’s probable heir apparent, as Freeman will likely look internally to fill the opening.
USC’s Outbound Talent
Although USC staved off bidders to hold onto defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn for at least another season, the Trojans have had a tough time retaining quality talent.
Following a disappointing 7-6 campaign, 21 players have hit the portal to seek greener pastures — including star receivers Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson, running back Quinten Joyner, and quarterback Miller Moss.
USC has attempted to piece together several roster holes by aquiring 10 portal commodities, including Georgia defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett.
However, Lincoln Riley and Co. will have to work the spring portal window to account for their remaining needs.
Between The Numbers 📊
205
Amidst scouts drooling over Ohio State true freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith’s next-level potential, Buckeyes’ veteran wideout Emeka Egbuka etched his name into the scarlet and gray history books on Monday night.
With six catches in the contest, Egbuka overtook KJ Hill as Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions with 205 catches over his four-year career.
Aside from eclipsing Hill’s mark alone, Egbuka ranks above David Boston, Chris Olave, Cris Carter, and Michael Jenkins in that category. He now resides as the only Ohio State receiver to record two 1,000-yard seasons.
According to Pro Football Network, Egbuka will likely land as a top 20 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
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Marcus Freeman | Head Coach, Notre Dame
“The outlook of Notre Dame football is extremely high. As long as the people in that locker room that come back understand what it takes, the work these guys have put in, there’s a lot of success in our future.”
While Monday marked Notre Dame’s first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship appearance and first national championship game berth since the 2012 season, the Fighting Irish will be back, according to Marcus Freeman.
Notre Dame ranks ninth in 247Sports’ team talent composite, with a 70% blue-chip ratio, and that clip is expected to only rise this offseason.
Freeman’s bunch will likely return 14 starters to a veteran-laden crew that lost just two matchups this go-around.
With Freeman at the helm, the modern future of Notre Dame is as bright as ever.
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