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.
At least four people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people in Dallas on Thursday evening.
Dallas police responded to an “Assist Officer call with an Ambulance” at approximately 7 p.m. in the 300 block of West Davis Street.
Authorities learned that a vehicle drove into a crowd, injuring multiple people. At least four have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said no one was in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, police said. Authorities are still working to determine if this driver could have been drunk or if this could have been a medical episode.
According to police, there is no indication that the crash was terrorism related.
The investigation is ongoing.
This story will be updated as we learn more.
Dallas, TX
FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?
Scottish World Cup fans reportedly drink Boston dry
Dana Perino announces that Scottish World Cup fans have caused an unprecedented beer shortage in Boston, emptying bars and liquor stores. Jesse Watters playfully observes that Europeans visiting America seem to “love it,” despite negative media portrayals, while Greg Gutfeld adds a satirical comment about “liberal mayors” and local resource management, contrasting Boston’s beer woes with LA’s water and Chicago’s Bears.
FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.
The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.
With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.
Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.
COWBOYS LEGEND DIGS DEEP INTO THE TEAM’S MISSING ‘FIBER’ THAT’S RESULTED IN SUPER BOWL DROUGHT
I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?
Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).
Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.
FROM 4 STRAIGHT SUPER BOWL LOSSES TO JOSH ALLEN’S PATRICK MAHOMES PROBLEM, BILLS MIGHT BE CURSED
NFL – Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.
Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.
If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.
3 HISTORIC NFL FRANCHISES FIND THEMSELVES IN SAME BOAT SINCE TURN OF THE CENTURY
They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.
Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.
Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.
The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.
Speaking of which…
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs
Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.
While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.
As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.
For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.
England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.
Insanity? No, just sports fandom.
NBA – New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.
WHY THE KNICKS, DISRESPECTED BUT CLAWING BACK, TOUCHED A RAW NERVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND ULTIMATELY THE COUNTRY
Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).
Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.
Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.
THE ATHLETIC BEWILDERINGLY CELEBRATES ‘ZOHRAN MAMDANI SPORTS SUMMER’ AFTER NEW YORK KNICKS WIN NBA FINALS
A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.
MLB – New York Mets
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
Hello again, New York.
The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.
Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.
The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE
England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.
Guerrocastillo was taken into custody without incident and charged with Prohibited Weapon, a third-degree felony; Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, a class A misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana under two ounces, a class B misdemeanor; and Public Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.
“Foot patrols are a foundational part of policing, and our Deep Ellum Task Force officers are making great arrests and providing increased security by walking a beat,” said Deputy Chief Devon Palk, who is commander of the Central Patrol Group. “Having our officers on foot, on horseback, and in our new Polaris utility vehicle puts officers exactly where we need them during peak hours in the area.”
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