-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“How the h-ll do people not like you as the No. 1 quarterback in the draft?” Often, fans find themselves at a crossroads of 2 different narratives. One path leads to “This QB is average and will only amount to a good backup,” and the other leads to “This is franchise QB right here.” The case for Will Howard, though, is a bit different. At the core of it, Buckeyes fans ride hard for Howard—and rightfully so. The guy helped Ryan Day steamroll some legit squads.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
In just 24 hours, Nico Iamaleava managed to flip his CFB journey into what might be the wildest punchline of the offseason. The moment On3 dropped the update about Nico ditching Vols spring practice and entering ‘active contract negotiations’ with Rocky Top, we knew the storm was coming—and yep, it hit harder than a blindside sack.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“The most intriguing coaching figure in Boulder might not even hold an official title beyond Graduate Assistant.” Often, we find ourselves thinking about what Warren Sapp has achieved at CU. A man who didn’t want anything to do with coaching eventually changed his mind and became the 2nd biggest father figure at Boulder. Let’s be real—plenty of men hold the ‘dad’ title, but only a few truly earn it. Warren Sapp?
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“When that ball is snapped, you never know what you’re gonna get.” After watching every snap of Notre Dame’s 2024 run, one thing’s crystal clear—Marcus Freeman didn’t just build a defense, he unleashed a nightmare. If we were lined up across from that Fighting Irish wall… yeah, we’d be shaking in our cleats. The way this Notre Dame’s D-line climbed the ranks and locked the No.3 Scoring Defense and No.4 Defense for yards PPG is praiseworthy.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“One of the best things about the offense that Coach Nixon has built is it’s malleable. It’s easy to adjust certain things that fit the skills of the guys.” No head coach out there will openly admit that their QB depth is “weak”. Admitting that is like telling your parents you failed in your first grade English. So, we weren’t exactly surprised when Fran Brown and Orange nation decided to stay relatively calm after Kyle McCord declared for the draft.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“Drafting Travis Hunter is like ordering from the McDonald’s menu. There’s something for everyone on the menu… But not all menu items are created equal.” It almost feels like we circle back to the same dilemma every month: where do you play, Travis Hunter? In so many years of covering college football, never have we found such a case revolving around any player. Either they are a good offense or defense – no in-between. Yet here we are.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“This is absolutely one thousand percent a playoffs or bust year… If you cannot make the playoffs this year with this roster that you have assembled, then I will never again expect you to.” When you hand over the kingdom with a $95 million contract, you’d expect some results, right? 3 years with no playoff dream just doesn’t cut the deal, and it is time that Brian Kelly understands it. Every time we talk about LSU, it just breaks our hearts.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
“Nakos from On3 Sports called and asked me directly, I told him I had no idea on what he’s talking about.” It is kind of funny how the entire SEC crowd went from hating on Milroe and calling him “washed up” to running with pitchforks behind Nico Iamaleava. See, Rocky Top didn’t waste millions on Nico without proper cause. In the last 25 years, this has to be one of the highest-rated quarterback signings the Vols have seen. Plus, add the dual-threat ability, and you get a 2-in-1 McDonald’s combo.
-
1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder
If we ask the fans, we are sure they will agree that Kalen DeBoer‘s hiring as the Alabama head coach was the most polarizing event in Alabama football history. You are taking over the reins from none other than Nick Saban—the man who not only replicated Bear Bryant‘s legendary era but somehow made it better.
-
2 weeks ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Rahaan Mazumder |Chintan Devgania
Nobody had Joey Logano winning his 3rd Cup Series title on our bingo cards, but hey, it still happened, and it sent the media into a frenzy. Some called it controversial, others called it a historic feat accomplished amidst the new elimination format. Whatever the case might be, Roger Penske and his talented team of people sure did manage to write their name in stone, and well, how does America honor this achievement?
