On the Hardwood
For all of you who fancy yourselves legal eagles, today is your day. Sam C. Ehrlich writes about college sports law and litigation and the Colorado judge that issued a preliminary injunction that stated that all high school class of 2022 athletes would be eligible for a 5th year of eligibility issued a clarification on Sunday evening. Ehrlich screenshots and links the actual order and walks through what the judge clarifies. I don’t know that I am in a spot to really figure things out. I do understand that this only applies to 2022 athletes who entered the transfer portal and this also says that eligible players can only return to the original college team. Taking all of that into consideration, I have no idea if Darrion Williams or Jamichael Stillwell would be able to transfer to Texas Tech, but it would seem that Donovan Atwell cannot as he was not in the portal (I think). This obviously (unfairly) punishes student-athletes who didn’t enter the portal for that 5th year and of course they had no idea that they would be eligible for that 5th year because Judge Sweeny didn’t permit it on a class level until Friday. On Saturday morning I wrote about this as well and based on the thoughts from Darren Heitner, if I were a student athlete I would absolutely continue to go through with my own injunction even with all of this happening.
Head coach Grant McCasland was on with Thetford and Ashby on Double-T 97.3. It’s only 15 minutes and McCasland discussed the 5th year for the 2022 class and not certainty, but trending in that direction (I wrote the following sentence on Sunday morning BEFORE the clarification mentioned above was issued). McCasland also says that JT Toppin is progressing in the right direction.
On the Gridiron
CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer with the best defensive lines in college football and has Texas Tech as the 7th best line, behind Oklahoma, Miami, Oregon, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, and Texas:
The Red Raiders have invested wisely in rebuilding the defensive front through the transfer portal. While I expect a slight step back from last season, this remains one of the better groups in the country, led by edge transfers Trey White and Adam Trick. White wins more with power, while Trick relies on effort and speed to pressure quarterbacks. Jamond Mathis provides experienced depth and has been productive throughout his career.
Texas Tech also boasts three quality defensive tackles, led by AJ Holmes, who contributes in both phases and has the versatility to align along the edge when needed. I believe Mateen Ibirogba has the chance to make the biggest impact inside after showing intriguing twitch and power at Wake Forest. Bryce Butler rounds out the group, bringing size and disruption after a productive season at Washington.
The linebacker duo is among the nation’s best, anchored by Ben Roberts, a tackling machine with excellent instincts and a nose for the football. Austin Romaine is another proven playmaker who brings experience and strong instincts to the second level. Cory Platt provides valuable depth and should see meaningful snaps throughout the season.
CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford with Big 12 freshmen to watch.