Virginia
Multitasking Freeman, Notre Dame lure Virginia transfer WR Malachi Fields
A day after nudging his Notre Dame football team another step in the College Football Playoff chase for the school’s first national title since 1988, third-year Irish coach Marcus Freeman spent Saturday multi-tasking.
With an eye toward 2025.
On Monday afternoon, his finishing touches on the recruitment of Virginia grad transfer wide receiver Malachi Fields and Freeman’s clandestine groundwork before that paid off. The third-team All-ACC selection has committed to joining the Irish for his final season of eligibility.
“There’s time you’ve got to wear different hats,” said Freeman on Monday, after his seventh-seeded Irish (12-1) advanced to a CFP quarterfinal matchup with 2 seed Georgia (11-2), Jan. 1 in New Orleans with a 27-17 dismissal of 10 seed Indiana on Friday night.
“Up until Friday was preparation for Indiana. Saturday, you kind of put on a different hat and said, ‘OK, hey, let’s look at a couple different portal situations.’ Now, we’re back to preparing for Georgia.
“We try to eliminate as many distractions as we can for our current players and our program and what we’re trying to do. But we also know the transfer portal is a part of college football right now.”
And now Fields will be part of a Notre Dame receiving corps that loses minimally leading receiver Beaux Collins (36 receptions, 445 yards, 2 TDs) as well as fellow 2024 grad transfers Kris Mitchell (19/201/2) and Jayden Harrison (17/211/1) from the wide receiver corps. All three of them have expiring eligibility.
The 6-4, 220-pound Fields would plug right into Collins’ boundary receiver spot, with big numbers at Virginia — 55 catches for 805 yards and 5 TDs. Four of those receptions for 81 yards came against the Irish in a 35-14 ND Senior Day home win back on Nov. 16. He had similar numbers as a junior in 2023 — 58/811/5.
The Cavaliers lost six of their last seven games to finish 5-7.
The former two-star prospect from Monticello High in Charlottesville, Va., is the second incoming transfer to commit to Notre Dame in this cycle, joining Alabama defensive back Devonta Smith, who’s expected to replace Jordan Clark at nickel.
Fields had considered entering the 2025 NFL Draft, to be held this spring, and already had an invite to play in the East-West Shrine Game, a showcase for pro scouts.
Instead, he’ll showcase his 2025 season in a Notre Dame uniform.
He was a quarterback and cornerback in high school, who converted to wide receiver at Virginia. He was also a track standout, qualifying as a state finalist in the 2021 VHSL Class 3 state meet in the 200-meter dash, 4×100 relay, shot put, discus, long jump, high jump and triple jump. His best finish at that meet was third in the high jump.
Fields gained a fifth collegiate season by missing most of his sophomore season (2022) with a broken foot and taking a medical redshirt year.
The transfer portal opened for all FBS players on Dec. 9 and closes on Saturday. The eight teams still playing in the CFP and those with bowl games after Saturday, will have an additional five-day transfer window after their respective teams conclude play in the postseason.
So far, just three players have entered the transfer portal from Notre Dame, two of whom had medically retired last summer — defensive linemen Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira — and one who left the Irish roster after four games to preserve a redshirt year — junior cornerback Jaden Mickey.
Ford and Mickey have since committed to Cal, with Mickey making his decision the day of the ND-IU game on Friday. Gobaira is still looking.
The Irish will likely have more incoming transfers this offseason and definitely more outgoing transfers at some point — and there’s another 10-day transfer portal window in the spring — but so far they have stated those intentions publicly.
“Our current guys have been great,” Freeman said. “They’re ready to prepare the right way, and I haven’t heard anything about a guy trying to go to the portal right now.”
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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