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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Do you know what the mood is of Kirby Smart’s boys moving into the 2025 season? The junior tight end Lawson Luckie rightly pointed out, “This year everyone’s hungry, everyone’s got something to prove.” Now, isn’t it obvious? In the 2024 season, with the Sugar Bowl loss, Smart’s boys lost the Natty race. But the head coach is still following his promise to the T that he made after the big loss to Alabama in 2018, when Nick Saban was the head coach.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Moving into the 2025 season, Mike Norvell and FSU seems to have found their weapon. That’s none other than their starting quarterback, Thomas Castellanos. Anyway, the Seminoles are lucky enough to have found their new offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn. The Castellanos-Malzahn combination is likely to ward away all of Norvell’s worries.
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5 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Well, what is one of the most important criteria for becoming a successful program? Definitely a strong roster. But at the same time, having a confident head coach uplifts you to that desired height. When it comes to the LSU Tigers head coach, Brian Kelly, no doubt about that confidence. He recently released a statement, “LSU has a long and proud tradition of being one of the elite programs in college football.
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6 days ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Keelon Russell’s Alabama chapter wasn’t supposed to start like this. Even critic Paul Finebaum sang his praises, calling Russell “a generational player”—more recruited than even Mac Jones or Ty Simpson. So, that’s the kind of hype Russell entered with. As he steps into 2025 with the Crimson Tide, he’ll already have the huge job of filling Jalen Milroe’s shoes, all while in a quarterback battle with Ty Simpson and Austin Mack.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
The 2025 season is yet to pull up the curtains, but the 2026 class is already making the headlines. Class of 2026 five-star cornerback Brandon Arrington is headed to the SEC after announcing his highly anticipated commitment on Thursday, June 19. The Mount Miguel High School, Spring Valley product ranks as the No.1 cornerback in the country. Arrington is now headed to Texas A&M as he confirmed his commitment to Mike Elko’s squad.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Kirby Smart had hit a turbo boost mode when it came to the recruiting trail. In June, within a week, they landed four hot targets. So, this might have made up for the loss of the mass exodus that Smart witnessed by losing 18 players. However, he is yet to get over the trauma that came with NIL. The Georgia Bulldogs have lost a $5 million NIL fortune. That’s when Smart addressed the chaos that comes with NIL. He apparently has no issues with the term ‘pay for play’, unlike Saban.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Well, turns out that Oklahoma Sooners quarterback John Mateer has become a true heartthrob. On3’s J.D. PicKell shared, “Say what you want about Jackson Arnold. Say what you want about Michael Hawkins Jr., John Mateer is an upgrade.” Turns out that he is already at an edge over the hyped quarterback, Arch Manning. The reason behind it? While the latest member of the Manning legacy is yet to prove himself, Mateer did his part.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
Do you remember the tag Paul Finebaum gave the Florida Gators head coach, Billy Napier? An “abject disaster.” Well, the analyst had his reasons to call him so. Back at that time, Napier’s boys fell prey to back-to-back two-home losses. Plus, the head coach’s Gators’ tenure has been marked by mostly losses. Under Napier, Florida missed a bowl game in 2023, which was the first time the program missed a bowl since 2017. However, Napier is now busy whitewashing his image.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster might be having too many things on his plate. His quarterback room has been a mess. They had taken one of the most controversial names of the first quarter, Nico Iamaleava. Feeling threatened by Iamaleava’s entry, their other quarterback, Joey Aguilar, dished him the biggest blow by switching to Tennessee. That did not stop Foster from concentrating on his role.
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1 week ago | 
essentiallysports.com | Soheli Tarafdar
When LaNorris Sellers took the field for his first college start, there were doubts. But the former low-profile recruit surprisingly became a fan favorite at South Carolina last season. Shane Beamer’s squad pulled off a surprising 9-4 finish, and Sellers, despite his ups and downs, proved he belonged. Now, the conversation has flipped. Sellers is being talked about as a potential first-rounder in the 2026 NFL Draft, and some early mocks even have him going in the top 5.
