Dallas, TX
10 Dallas-area players to watch in the College Football Playoff: Ashton Jeanty and more
An expanded College Football Playoff field means we’ll get a chance to see more Dallas-area standouts represent their teams.
By now, most college football fans know the origin stories of names like Ashton Jeanty and Quinn Ewers. They won’t be the only North Texas products hunting for a national title over the next few weeks.
Here’s a look at a few players with Dallas-area ties to watch in this year’s CFP:
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
High school: Frisco Lone Star
The Heisman finalist has been key in Boise State’s run to the College Football Playoff. Jeanty has maintained a consistently high level of play throughout the 2024 season, rushing for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.
Jeanty finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy, earning 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points. Before landing at Boise State, Jeanty worked his way up at Frisco Lone Star. His first season at the school came in 2019 after his family relocated to North Texas from Italy.
The running back had an explosive senior year, rushing for 1,835 yards and 31 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns. Although he didn’t win the Heisman, Jeanty did receive national recognition this year by winning the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.
2. Quinn Ewers, Texas QB
High school: Southlake Carroll
Once the kid with the mullet who reclassified his graduating class so he could get to Ohio State early, Ewers now leads the Longhorns’ attempt to go where they haven’t gone since 2010. He’s spent three seasons as the Longhorns starter and is making his second appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Ewers, who took Southlake Carroll to a state championship appearance in 2020, will perhaps get to slay an old demon in the Longhorns’ first-round matchup: Texas will face off against Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led the Austin Westlake team that beat Carroll in the 2020 state title game.
3. Kevin Jennings, SMU QB
High school: South Oak Cliff
The Mustangs’ quarterback is quite the story.
He came out of SOC as a 3-star recruit with SMU being the only major program to extend an official offer. He was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 95 quarterback in the class.
Fast forward to 2024, when Jennings took the Mustangs’ starting QB job from Preston Stone and hasn’t looked back.
Jennings has passed for over 3,000 yards in 2024 with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And he’s done it all while playing injured.
Jennings earned All-ACC third-team honors in his first season as SMU’s starter, and will lead the Mustangs into Happy Valley in the first round vs. Penn State.
4. Anthony Hill, Texas LB
High school: Denton Ryan
Unlike the previous entrant, Hill was anything but an under-the-radar recruit.
Named as The Dallas Morning News No. 1 area player in 2022, Hill was a unanimous 5-star prospect who was sought after by virtually every blue-chip program in the country.
And he’s lived up to the hype for the Horns.
It’s early, but the sophomore linebacker looks the part of a 2026 NFL first-round pick. He’s compiled 90 tackles and 7.5 sacks for Texas, the third-ranked defense in the country by yards allowed per game. He’s forced four fumbles, recovered one, and picked off a pass for good measure.
5. Colin Simmons, Texas LB
High school: Duncanville
Hill, and Simmons, too. An embarrassment of riches for the Longhorns’ young defense.
Simmons was DMN’s Defensive Player of the Year his junior season after an incredible stat line of 22.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and 45 QB hurries. He helped lead Duncanville to back-to-back state championships.
Now a freshman for Texas, Simmons picked up where he left off. He’s totaled eight sacks and three forced fumbles for the Longhorns’ formidable defense, which has a pass rush anchored on both sides by future stars Simmons and Hill.
5. Roderick Daniels, SMU WR
High school: Duncanville
Another former Duncanville star who was committed to Baylor at one point, Daniels has been a Swiss army knife for Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs. He’s played a role as both wide receiver and running back as well as on special teams.
He’s caught 38 passes for 599 yards this season, both of which lead the team, and he’s added another 163 yards on the ground. He’s totaled six touchdowns.
“He’s just a winner, man, and that’s what he’s been these last three years here for us,” Lashlee said of his versatile receiver.
7. Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU safety
High school: Skyline
Once one of the highest-rated recruits ever landed by SMU, the Skyline grad led the Mustangs in interceptions his freshman season and has helped anchor the SMU defensive backfield since.
His merits don’t stop inside the lines, though. Nwokobia is said to be one of the team’s leaders who helps “hold guys to a standard.” That’s why he’s been honored with jersey No. 23 each of the past two seasons. It’s the number given each year to the SMU player that best exemplifies the leadership and courage displayed by Jerry LeVias, the first Black football player at SMU.
8. Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson WR
High school: Midlothian
SMU fans may already know all about Mr. Wesco.
The true freshman has already starred for the Tigers in his debut season, including in Clemson’s ACC Championship win over the Mustangs. Wesco caught eight passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, all career-highs.
The 6-2, 180-pound receiver was a star at Midlothian as well, the top WR recruit among 5A teams who picked Clemson over offers from Oklahoma, TCU and Texas Tech.
9. Andrej Karic, Tennessee OL
High school: Southlake Carroll
Karic, a native of Southlake, spent the first three seasons of his college career with Texas before transferring to Tennessee. After struggling to get on the field for the Horns (he was mostly used as a blocking tight end in his final season in Austin) he appears to have made a good decision by swapping to the Vols.
The senior has started all 12 games for Tennessee in 2024, and he’s allowed just two sacks in 699 offensive snaps, according to ProFootballFocus. Scouts project the 6-6, 314-pound Karic as a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.
10. Nicolas Radicic, Indiana K
High school: Coppell
Originally born in Croatia before moving to the U.S. in 2016, Radicic landed at Coppell where he’d become one of the best high school kicking recruits in the country. He signed with Indiana as the No. 5 kicking recruit in his class.
The true freshman has been more than solid for the Hoosiers during their historic run to the Playoff, Radicic missing only one kick all season. He’s 9-of-10 from field goal range in 2024 and has hit 69 of 69 extra points attempted.
More DFW players to keep an eye on in the CFP…
Quintrevion Wisner, Texas RB — DeSoto
Malik Muhammad, Texas DB — South Oak Cliff
Bert Auburn, Texas K — Flower Mound
Jordan Hudson, SMU WR — Garland
Savion Byrd, SMU OL — Duncanville
Keith Abney, Arizona State CB — Waxahachie
Myles Price, Indiana WR — The Colony
R.J. Mickens, Clemson safety — Southlake Carroll
Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon DB — DeSoto
Jordan Crook, Arizona State LB — Duncanville
Prince Dorbah, Arizona State DL — Highland Park
Payton Pierce, Ohio State LB — Lovejoy
Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Ohio State CB — Waxahachie
Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. Find more Texas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Dallas, TX
Game Day Guide: Stars vs Red Wings | Dallas Stars
First Shift 🏒
The Stars have leaned on their AHL affiliate a lot this year.
A franchise that has been relatively healthy the previous two seasons has three key forwards out of the lineup in Seguin (hip surgery), Mason Marchment (facial surgery) and Roope Hintz (upper body). As a result, recalls have been made for Matěj Blümel, Arttu Hyry and Justin Hryckowian, and those players have had to take on key minutes at an important time of the year.
“Every organization, you get to this point of the season and your depth gets tested,” said Stars coach Pete DeBoer. “So those guys have to come up and contribute. We have a good American League team and the guys we have called up have done a good job. The list is long and we’ve gotten a lot of contributions from that group of guys.”
Blümel is the most recent call-up and maybe one of the most interesting. A fourth-round draft pick by Edmonton in 2019, he is in his third year in the Stars organization. He played six NHL games in the 2022-23 season and has logged five games this year. The 24-year-old forward said he feels more confident every time he gets called up.
“It feels different because I feel I’m a better player overall,” Blümel said. “I got better at playing a 200-foot game. I’m happy to get this opportunity to show how hard I’ve been working in the AHL.”
Blümel this season has 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 32 games with the Texas Stars. Hyry has 26 points (14 goals, 12 assists) and Hryckowian has 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists). The fact they are older and have “been around,” so to speak, makes it easier for DeBoer to use them.
“The nice thing is it’s the second or third time around for a lot of them,” DeBoer said. “Once you get through that first recall, the nerves disappear. I’m comfortable that we’re past that with these guys now.”
That said, the challenge to play a different style is real. At the AHL level, these forwards play top minutes in all situations. They are expected to score goals and they probably take more risks. In the NHL, the key is to play smart and not make mistakes.
“It’s harder here, for sure,” Blümel said. “Down there, you have extra time for everything. But with every shift I’m feeling more comfortable.”
DeBoer said his only real hope is to get players who can help the team win.
“I don’t think it’s tricky, but it’s a different responsibility than what he does in the American League,” DeBoer said. “He has to be sure that we can trust him out there. I’m not even talking produce. I’m talking, let me play you for 10, 12, 14 minutes and let me feel good about it. That’s where we have to start with those guys.”
But he does need that trust.
“It’s not training camp,” DeBoer said. “We’re in the middle of the season and there are critical points on the line every night. That’s the challenge.”
Mix in the fact that these teammates are battling each other to satisfy their NHL dream, all the while knowing that Seguin, Marchment and Hintz are coming back and that the Stars might trade for more forwards, and the competition can get tough. But Blümel said they actually rely upon one another for support.
“It’s great because we have a really good group of guys down there and we’re all friends, so it’s fun to see those guys get called up,” Blümel said.
Dallas, TX
Lehkonen has 2 goals and 2 assists, Makar also scores 2 as Avalanche beat Stars
Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and two assists, Cale Makar also scored twice and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Saturday.
Jonathan Drouin and Casey Mittelstadt each had a goal and two assists, and Josh Manson also had two assists for the Avalanche. Scott Wedgewood stopped 26 shots.
Jason Robertson had two goals and an assist, Matt Duchene also scored, and Wyatt Johnson had three assists for the Stars. Casey DeSmith finished with 30 saves.
Duchene opened the scoring at 3:24 of the first period on Dallas’ first shot on goal. It was his 18th of the season.
Mittelstadt tied it with 6:53 remaining in the opening period, and Makar put the Avalanche ahead midway through the second with his 100th career goal. Makar became the fifth-fastest defenseman in the NHL’s modern history to reach the mark, doing it in his 362nd game.
Lehkonen got his first of the night less than 90 seconds later and Drouin made it 4-1 with his 100th goal with 1:30 left in the second.
Lehkonen gave the Avalanche a four-goal lead at 8:13 of the third, and Robertson scored twice 39 seconds apart to pull the Stars to 5-3 with 8:13 remaining.
Takeaways
Avalanche: Colorado improved to 10-3-1 in its past 14 games and moved into a tie with the Stars for third place in the Central Division.
Stars: Dallas lost for the third time in four games after winning seven straight.
Key moment
Dallas appeared to pull to 3-2 late in the second period on a goal from Matěj Blümel, but after a challenge from Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, it was overturned when officials determined Blümel was offside. Drouin scored about two minutes later to extend Colorado’s lead to 4-1.
Key stat
The Avalanche and Stars combined to score on three of their seven power-play opportunities. Dallas and Colorado entered the day No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the penalty kill since Dec. 7.
Up Next
Avalanche host Minnesota on Monday, and Stars host Detroit on Sunday.
Dallas, TX
3 biggest problem areas Cowboys next head coach needs to fix
Like every offseason, changes are certain for the Dallas Cowboys. New faces will take place of old ones via free agency and the NFL draft, but this year the biggest change will be who steps in as the new head coach replacing Mike McCarthy.
As of right now there is no clear favorite to become McCarthy’s replacement. But, the one thing we know for sure is whoever takes over as the new HC will try to implement what he deems best for the organization moving forward. Coming off an injury-plagued 7-10 losing season, whoever is in charge has their work cut out for them.
Today, we identify and discuss three of the Cowboys biggest problem areas during McCarthy’s tenure in Dallas that the new head coach needs to fix. If the new HC can fix these problem areas, he may be able to accomplish what McCarthy couldn’t by ending the Cowboys playoff curse in the not-too-distant future.
Cut down the penalties
The Cowboys were the most penalized team in the entire league in 2024. This of course isn’t a new problem for them. In Mike McCarthy’s five season as the HC in Dallas they’ve averaged a league-high 6.8 penalties per game, but where whistled for the eighth fewest penalties per game in the three seasons prior to his arrival. It’s already hard to win games in the NFL, even harder when continuously shooting yourself in the foot.
Penalties of course are going to happen, but it was obvious they happened more often for the Cowboys in McCarthy’s era as HC over the last half decade. Whoever takes over as the new HC in Dallas will have to figure out eliminating the amount of yellow laundry. It is a top priority for the next HC.
Fix red zone woes
It’s no secret the Cowboys struggled mightily this year in the red zone both offensively and defensively. Offensively, they ended up ranked 31st overall in red zone scoring efficiency at 46%. The fact that they also led the league in red zone turnover’s didn’t help either. The lack of innovative, creative play-calling and poor execution often times resulted in a Brandon Aubrey field goal instead of a touchdown.
Defensively they weren’t any better. They finished 32nd in the league in the red zone, allowing an opponents red zone scoring efficiency of 75%. Injuries of course played a big part in all of this, but it’s also been a problem area for them in the past as well. Hopefully whoever takes over for McCarthy finds some way to improve this problem area on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball moving forward.
Cultural change
There’s little to nothing a new HC can do about the chaotic, zoo-like atmosphere Jerry Jones has created for his team, but there is something he can do behind closed doors in the locker room to change the culture for his players. Look no further than what Dan Campbell did to the Detroit Lions when he took over as their HC. He demanded toughness and accountability from his players and it turned them from the laughingstock of the NFL to one of the better teams in just a few years time.
“Toughness” and “accountability” just so happens to be two things this organization seems to have been lacking under both Mike McCarthy’s and Jason Garrett’s tenure as HC. This is a team that has been called “soft” on numerous occasions in the past and hopefully that changes with whoever replaces McCarthy. While personnel changes via free agency and the draft will help, it mostly has to do with an attitude adjustment. After all, “attitude reflects leadership”, at least according to the movie Remember the Titans.
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