Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Falcons Sign 10 Free Agents Including Illinois QB
The Atlanta Falcons wrapped up their 2024 NFL Draft class on Saturday evening and quickly got to work signing 10 undrafted free agents (UDFA).
Atlanta didn’t address the secondary in the draft, but three of the 10 players they signed were cornerbacks. They also added a pair of offensive linemen, quarterback, two offensive linemen, two wide receivers, tight end, and a punter.
Here’s a list of the Falcons 2024 UDFA class including their college bios.
Ryan Coll, OL, 6-5, 324, Richmond
• Started all 13 games
• Named a Third Team AP and Phil Steele All-American
• Earned DIvision I FCS All-ECAC honors
• Helped the Spiders rank second in the CAA in completion percentage
• Helped the Spiders average 345 yards and 28.2 points per game
• Helped move Richmond to fourth in the CAA and 19th nationally in first downs
• Named First Team All-CAA
• Named Top Offensive Lineman in Virginia by Touchdown Club of Richmond
• Named a Preseason All-American by Phil Steele
• Named First Team Preseason All-CAA by Phil Steele
• Named Preseason All-America by Stats Perform
• Of 720 names to make the list, was one of 45 FCS players to be added to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
JaQuae Jackson, WR, 6-2, 190, Rutgers
2023 (Senior): Played in all 13 games with 12 starts at wide receiver … signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons … placed second on the team with 361 receiving yards … totaled 22 receptions with one for a touchdown … had at least one catch in 10 games … rated as the ninth-best wide receiver in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus … saw action in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami (12/28) … added a 16-yard catch at No. 12 Penn State (11/18) … collected three catches for 41 yards and a score versus No. 1/3 Ohio State (11/4) … picked up 46 yards at Wisconsin (10/7) … recorded four catches for 71 yards against Wagner (9/30) … added three receptions for 37 yards at No. 2 Michigan (9/23) … totaled a season-high 95 receiving yards on four catches with a long of 61 versus Temple (9/9) … contributed a reception in Rutgers debut versus Northwestern (9/3).
John Paddock, QB, 6-0, 190, Illinois
• All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches)
• Played in seven games with three starts at quarterback
• Made first Illinois start in 48-45 win vs. Indiana (11/11/23), throwing for 507 yards while tossing four TD passes, including the OT game-winner to Isaiah Williams, to earn B1G Offensive Player of the Week honors
• Paddock’s 507 passing yards vs. Indiana marked a Memorial Stadium record, the second-most in Illinois history, and the most ever by a winning Illini quarterback
• Led Illinois to a win at Minnesota (11/4/23) after entering the game for the first time with 1:25 remaining and facing a 4th-and-11 from the Minnesota 15-yard line with Illinois trailing by five. Paddock needed just 35 seconds to drive the Illini 85 yards on three straight completions, including a 46-yard game-winning touchdown throw to Isaiah Williams. Paddock finished the game 3-for-3 passing for 85 yards, one touchdown, and a 448.0 passer rating in one of the all-time great performances by an Illini back-up quarterback.
Nolan Potter, OL, 6-6, 301, Northern Illinois
• Earned All-MAC honors from league coaches for the third time, including back-to-back first team honors in 2022 and 2023.
• An honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele.
• Also made the Phil Steele and PFF All-MAC first team.
• Named to the Outland Trophy watch list.
• Qualified for the Academic All-MAC Team for the third time.
• Served as one of the Huskies’ permanent team captain.
• Led the way for a rushing offense ranked 36th in the country as NIU averaged 179.6 yards per game on the ground.
• THe Huskies ranked 19th nationally in fewest sacks allowed, surrendering just 16 sacks in 13 games.
• Cleared holes for All-MAC running back Antario Brown who rushed for 1,296 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
• NIU backs posted six 100-yard rushing games, including a 280-yard performance by Brown at Akron.
• Helped pave the way for the Huskies’ 380 rushing yards in win at Akron (10-7).
• NIU had 506 yards of total offense at Central Michigan (10-31), second-highest total of the season.
• Offensive line dominated as NIU ran for 287 yards on 50 carries in win over Western Michigan (11-14)
Jayden Price, CB, 6-0,184, North Dakota State
2023 SEASON (SENIOR): Returned to North Dakota State for an extra year of eligibility due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 season…Started all 15 games at cornerback…Honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Football Conference return specialist…Averaged 14.2 yards per punt return on 16 attempts…Scored on a 66-yard punt return against Murray State and broke the NDSU career record for punt return touchdowns with an 82-yard score at South Dakota in the quarterfinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs…Finished his career third on the NDSU all-time list for career punt returns (63), punt return yards (910) and yards per return (14.44)…Made a career-high eight tackles at South Dakota State…Had 2.0 tackles for loss including a sack against Drake in the first round of the NCAA FCS playoffs…Intercepted passes against Drake and Missouri State…Finished sixth on the team with 47 total tackles and was second with four pass breakups…One of six team captains.
Ryan Sanborn, P, 6-3, 211, Texas
SENIOR (2023): Honorable mention All-Big 12 … appeared in all 14 games … punted 40 times for 1,828 yards … averaged 45.7 yards per punt, the seventh-best single-season average in program history … had 15 punts of 50-plus yards with a long of 64 … recorded 15 punts inside the 20 with nine fair catches and two touchbacks … punted twice for 89 yards with one inside the 20 in the season-opener against Rice … booted three punts for 150 yards including a 56-yarder the landed inside the 20 at No. 3 Alabama … named to the Ray’s 8 list for his performance against the Crimson Tide … punted four times against Wyoming for a season-high 193 yards against Wyoming with one inside the 20 and one fair catch … flipped the field three times of more than 50 yards against the Cowboys including a long of 56 yards … punted four times for 179 yards at Baylor … had a long of 50 yards against the Bears with one wait catch and one inside the 20 … had a punt of 38 yards against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry that was fair caught at the OU 13-yard line … booted three punts for 159 yards at Houston with two over 50 yards, including a 59-yarder … had one punt inside the 20 against the Cougars … totaled three punts for 162 yards (54 ypp) against BYU … had two punts of 50-plus yards against the Cougars including a season-long 64-yarder … tallied four punts for 172 yards with two for 50 yards against Kansas State with two inside the 20 … totaled four punts for 157 yards at TCU … registered four punts for 171 yards at Iowa State with one landing inside the 20 and two punts for over 50 yards … punted twice for 72 yards against Texas Tech with both ending inside the 20 … had a 51-yard punt against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game victory … named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award … chosen first-team Preseason All-Big 12 by Pro Football Focus and third-team Preseason All-Big 12 by Athlon Sports.
Anthony Sao, CB, 6-1, 200, MidAmerica Nazarene
Listed as a defensive back by MNU, Sao had 24 tackles and a sack for the Kansas University in 2023. Originally from Compton, Calif., there’s not a lot of bio information on him. The Falcons really did their homework on this one.
Austin Stogner, TE, 6-6, 258, Oklahoma
Played first three seasons at Oklahoma before transferring to South Carolina for the 2022 campaign and then back to OU for his final season … started 33 of his 59 career games (23 of 47 contests as a Sooner) and caught 84 passes for 1,060 yards and 10 touchdowns (nine TDs at OU). 2023: Started all 13 games … caught 17 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown … averaged 11.5 yards per catch … tallied at least one reception in 11 games … recipient of Alamo Bowl Sportsmanship Award … caught two passes for 26 yards vs. TCU (11/24) … recorded a 10-yard reception at BYU (11/18) … served as a game captain and registered a season-high 69 yards and a TD on four catches (including a season-long 35-yarder) vs. West Virginia (11/11) … caught three passes for 24 yards vs. Texas (10/7) … had one reception for 19 yards vs. Iowa State (9/30).
Trey Vaval, CB, 6-0, 170, Minnesota State-Mankato
Had a kick return for a touchdown as a senior in 2023 and also posted 31 tackles with two interceptions. 2022: Played and started in all of Minnesota State’s 13 games… Tied for sixth ranked on the team with 38 total tackles… Also had 29 solo tackles and six assists… Saw a season-high of eight tackles vs. U-Mary… Was named to the D2CCA All-Super Region First Team, All NSIC First Team… All-NSIC Second team and was named NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week…Named to the D2CCA All-American Second Team…Received a Don Hansen All-American Honorable Mention.
Isaiah Wooden, WR, 5-9, 170, Southern Utah
• Appeared in all 11 games for the Thunderbirds
• Caught 61 passes for a total of 904 yards and a long of 66
• Scored 14 touchdowns on the season
Atlanta, GA
Fetishist ‘No Kings’ protester in mask drags ‘Trump’ and ‘JD Vance’ behind her wheelchair
The “No Kings” protest in Atlanta took a turn for the weird as a masked artist dragged unhinged cosplayers dressed as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance behind her wheelchair.
Video of the street protest sideshow circulating online shows activist Jessica Blinkhorn clad in a black sheer skirt, a leather tube top and a full facemask reminiscent of “Mad Max: Fury Road” villain Immortan Joe seated in a motorized wheelchair as her fellow dress-up players awkwardly gyrate to techno music.
The Georgia State University teacher and self-described “DOGEWALKER” holds a metal leash in one hand, which is connected to a collar worn by a person wearing a Trump mask and dressed in his signature blue suit, red tie and MAGA hat, and a woman who appears to be mimicking Erika Kirk.
Dancing to her left is someone wearing a Vice President JD Vance mask wearing a sandwich sign inexplicably reading, “Have u said thank-u yet?”
Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dress-alikes are also represented in the merry little band of dancing demonstrators, along with an unidentified man dressed in strappy bondage gear.
“This is performance as protest. This is art in action,” Blinkhorn wrote in an Instagram post accompanying the unhinged video.
“DOGEWALKER exists to remind this nation: these are elected officials. They are meant to serve the people. And when they don’t do their f–king job– they get reined back in,” she ranted.
Similar protests kicked off in cities around the country as the Iran war entered its second month, though few managed to capture the unhinged and perplexing spirit of the scene on display in Atlanta.
Blinkhorn has been awarded in the art world for her performance pieces about sex and disability. He received a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2024 — a prestigious award that comes with tens of thousands of dollars in grant money — for her project SPANKBOX.
The art “depicts individuals with physical disabilities in hypersexualized poses and situations,” according to the fellowship.
The Atlanta Hawks pulled this win off because they have the two best players in the game and the Kings don’t have anything close.
While that may sound fairly obvious, it was noticeable because there’s an argument to be made that the Hawks let their foot off the pedal for long stretches of the game and played down to their competition. The Kings made it a game despite the injuries by leaning into the drive-and-kick game, making their open threes and doing their best to keep up with the Hawks in transition. However, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were too good.
With the game tied at 97-97, Atlanta went on a 20-6 run to take definitive control of the game behind superstar performances from their two best players. Johnson had 26 points, 10 assists and five rebounds while burying several momentum threes when the Hawks needed him most. However, NAW was more consistent from start to finish. He scored 27 points on just 14 shots, hitting 4/9 from deep and going a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe.
Sacramento gave it their all despite the injuries and got a vintage performance from DeMar DeRozan with 22 points on 9-18 shooting and even two threes. Daeqwon Plowden, Killian Hayes and Maxime Raynaud all had good games as well in order to give the Kings some life. Ultimately, though, the NBA is defined by star power and the Hawks had more of it tonight.
Sluggish To Start
The Hawks were missing a few names tonight, but there’s no real excuse for the way that they played tonight to start. They let the Kings control the first quarter and then had to claw their way back with four minutes left in the second quarter. Precious Achiuwa started the game out strong, scoring 12 points in the first half, and Maxime Raynaud had some nice moments on offense. However, it was a pretty poor effort on defense for the Hawks and they needed to turn things around in order to get back into the game.
Even so, ending the first half by shooting 33% from deep and only holding a 30-28 advantage in point paints was uninspiring from Atlanta. Onyeka Okongwu’s absence definitely lingered, but it wasn’t a terrible start from Jock Landale. Landale chipped in 12 points and six rebounds, posting a team-high +23 alongside Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He finished the game with a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds, coming alive in the fourth quarter and burying a huge momentum three-pointer. However, the Christian Koloko minutes went terribly for Atlanta. He was a -11 in just six minutes. With Okongwu gone, their struggles on the defensive glass have been evident and it’s going to be a flaw they have to work around for the rest of the season.
Zacch Attack Back
Zaccharie Risacher is still one of the best shooters on the Hawks when he’s feeling it and tonight was a great example of that. He scored 10 points in 11 first-half minutes while nailing two threes. It provided a nice counterpoint to Johnson and NAW. His off-ball movement also played a role in the Hawks getting 20 assists in the first half. Atlanta’s done a great job of not letting the ball get stuck in most of their games this season, but that wasn’t necessarily true against the Celtics. They rectified those mistakes early.
He was a lot more quiet in the second half, but the Hawks really needed him in the first half to keep them in the game and he stepped up despite the lack of heavy minutes.
No Daniels, Hawks Scramble
Although it’s very possible to argue that Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also a contender for this title, Dyson Daniels has quietly been the second-most important player for the Hawks this season. There is no one on the team who brings his combination of passing, rebounding and defense. Even though the Hawks got 10 steals to the Kings’ five and passed the ball well tonight on the whole, their defensive communication was off for a lot of the night. The Kings got great minutes out of Killian Hayes and the overall operation looked very sloppy tonight because they didn’t have Daniels helping to organize things. His presence also makes a big difference for Jalen Johnson. Johnson quietly had to fight for a lot of his points tonight and got visibly frustrated at multiple points in the game.
Leaving Daequon Plowden wide open to tie the game with eight minutes in the fourth quarter is an excellent example of the little things that Daniels adds to the Hawks. His game runs completely contrary to the idea that a player must be a passable shooter from deep in order to add value on the court.
Mastering the Margins
The Hawks got the performances they needed from their stars, but they also did a good job of taking care of the details by the end of the game. It wasn’t a complete effort all the way, but it was encouraging to see the Hawks win the possession battle. They only had 12 turnovers to Sacramento’s 15 and ended up tying the Kings with 27 defensive rebounds apiece after a shaky start on the glass.
On defense, they stole the ball ten times and ran the floor well in transition. The lack of a paint advantage was noticeable – the Kings out-scored them in the paint by a 56-44 margin. However, it ended up not making much of a difference because they took care of everything else.
It’s a good win for the Hawks, but a much stiffer test comes up on Monday in the re-match against the Celtics. This is an important game for the Hawks due to the 76ers beating Charlotte and keeping possession of the seventh seed. They’ll have plenty of competition for the No. 6 seed down the stretch and the Eastern Conference matchups are going to loom large in April.
Key points:
- Skol Brewing is expanding with a sprawling gaming lounge in downtown Atlanta.
- Valhalla Gaming Lounge should open in May at 200 Peachtree, adjacent Skol Brewing.
- The gaming venue will feature food, drinks, and more than 40 game options, including simulators, bocce courts, and an old-school arcade.
Skol Brewing Company is about to get a lot bigger. The Nordic-themed brewpub in downtown Atlanta’s 200 Peachtree building is expanding into an adjacent 30,000-square-foot space dedicated to playing games.
Valhalla Gaming Lounge should open in May, ahead of the FIFA World Cup matches in Atlanta this summer at nearby Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Longtime Atlantans will remember that the 200 Peachtree building, located next door to the Westin Peachtree Plaza, is the former home of Davison’s and Macy’s department stores.
All 2026 FIFA World Cup Atlanta coverage
What to expect
Valhalla Gaming Lounge will feature more than 40 gaming options, including simulators, soccer experiences, bocce courts, billiard tables, darts, and old-school arcade games. There’s also a possibility a live-music stage and climbing wall could become part of the gaming lounge in the future. Skol already operates an axe-throwing venue at the downtown Atlanta brewpub through a partnership with American Axes.
Expect the Skol food and drinks menu served at Valhalla Gaming Lounge.
Related stories:
• 200 Peachtree announces Skol Brewing Co., Valhalla Social
• Red Phone Booth team opening three new Downtown Atlanta restaurants
• Where to eat like a local in downtown Atlanta
Skol Brewing in Atlanta
Skol Brewing Company opened at 200 Peachtree last year with a Nordic-inspired theme and menu. The menu, developed by Chef Rich Rosendale, leans into Midwest comfort food like Ellsworth Creamery cheese curds, smoked brisket poutine, and a take on a “Jucy Lucy” burger (cheese-stuffed patty popular in Minnesota).
The brewery produces nearly 20 beers, including Northern Lights Lager, Space Wrangler Hazy IPA, and Skol Nation Cold IPA, the last of which was brewed with Minnesota Vikings fans in mind. (The bar produces indoor snow whenever the Vikings score a touchdown.)
Valhalla Gaming Lounge joins several other restaurants in the works within the heart of downtown Atlanta and South Downtown near the state capitol. Many of these restaurants will open ahead of the World Cup.
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