5.17.24 Football Articles

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Auburn earns the commitment of Northwestern State transfer safety Antwon Fegans Jr.

Published: May. 15, 2024, 6:08 p.m.

2–3 minutes

While the bulk of Auburn’s work in the spring transfer portal window has been done, Hugh Freeze has maintained that he and his staff would be open to the idea of adding a defensive back.

And the Tigers seemingly found a guy who fit the bill as former Arkansas State and Northwestern State safety Antwon Fegans Jr. announced his commitment to Auburn in a post to social media Wednesday evening.

Rated a 3-star prospect out of Oxford, Alabama, Fegans Jr. earned offers from the likes of UAB, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State and others, but ultimately started his career at Arkansas State, where he appeared in just four games across two seasons before entering the transfer portal and landing at Northwestern State.

Throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons at Northwestern State, Fegans Jr. appeared in six games — five of which came last fall.

When Fegans Jr. arrives to Auburn, he’ll do so with three years of eligibility remaining.

While adding depth to the Tigers’ room of defensive backs, the addition of Fegans Jr. also creates a connection between Auburn and his younger brother, Anquon Fegans, who is ranked a 4-star safety in the class of 2025 and a big target for the Tigers.

Anquon Fegans, who is the 10th-ranked prospect in the state of Alabama by 247Sports, currently holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Michigan, Oklahoma and Tennessee, among others.

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Former Auburn guard preparing for seventh NFL season at tackle

Updated: May. 17, 2024, 5:40 a.m.|Published: May. 17, 2024, 5:30 a.m.

5–6 minutes

Sports

Former Auburn All-American guard preparing for his seventh season at tackle with Colts

Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Braden Smith (72) blocks against New England Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. during an NFL game on Nov. 12, 2023, at Deutsche Bank Park Stadium in Frankfurt, Germany.(AP Photo/Steve Luciano)

By

Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com

Braden Smith joined the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft after earning first-team All-American recognition from The Associated Press and winning the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy as Auburn’s right guard in 2017.

After a knee injury sidetracked his 2023 campaign, Smith is working to be ready for his seventh season as the Colts’ right offensive tackle.

“It’s just kind of crazy how fast it’s really gone,” Smith said on Tuesday. “I’m very thankful I even made it this far. Going in as a rookie, I was like, ‘I don’t know how long I’m going to last.’ Obviously, the coaches and my teammates have helped bring me along, and, God willing, God’s let me play this long. He’s given me the talent. Been very blessed.

“I got a lot of praise for the people around me because without them I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to play ever.”

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The Colts went all in on guards during the 2018 offseason. Indianapolis used the sixth selection in the NFL Draft on Notre Dame’s Quenton Nelson, used the 37th choice on Smith and signed 10-year NFL veteran Matt Slauson.

In the first four games of the 2018 regular season, Indianapolis used three right tackles, with two landing on injured reserve. In Game 5, a Thursday night contest against the New England Patriots, the Colts turned to Smith at right tackle. He took every offensive snap for the Colts at right tackle for the remainder of the season, earned a spot on the Pro Football Writers of America’s NFL All-Rookie team and has been Indianapolis’ starter at the spot when healthy ever since.

“I definitely know getting drafted I thought I was a guard all the way,” Smith said. “Obviously, that wasn’t the case. You get an opportunity, you just got to make the most of it. Strange things happen. You just got to go with it, have trust, have faith and just go with it.”

Last season, Smith missed seven games because of a knee injury – the sixth through ninth games and the 14th through 16th games. After making it back for the final two games of the regular season, he had surgery on his left knee in January for an injury that Smith preferred to leave “undisclosed.”

“It was kind of a lingering issue basically all the way into the spring,” Smith said of last year’s problem. “It just kind of progressively got worse. It was just kind of one of those things. I was trying to get back too fast. Wasn’t taking care of myself probably as good as I should have. Obviously, patience plays a lot into that. Been playing from behind the entire year last year, it just never got better.

“But I’m already in a better spot than I was last year, so feel confident about that.”

Smith didn’t put a timetable on when he would be back on the field.

“I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot,” Smith said. “Strength’s coming back. Just making sure I can get to the season healthy. We’re just being smart with things. …

“I feel like I’m making leaps every week, and that’s all you can really ask for.”

All nine linemen who took offensive snaps with the Colts in 2023 remain on the Indianapolis roster.

“Continuity’s important,” Smith said. “They have a lot of faith in us, and we have a lot of faith in each other, so that kind of just speaks to where we’re at as a time.”

Smith said continuity has a magnified importance on the offensive line.

“Little, minor details that often get overlooked, it’s big when you have continuity and got the same guys,” Smith said. “You have the relationship with everyone, and it’s very important.”

Indianapolis also used two of its draft picks last month on offensive linemen, taking tackle Matt Goncalves of Pittsburgh in the third round and center Tanor Bortolini of Wisconsin in the fourth round.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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EA Sports College Football 25 has a release date, price

Updated: May. 16, 2024, 11:34 a.m.|Published: May. 16, 2024, 10:27 a.m.

2–3 minutes

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This combo of images provided by EA Sports, shows the video game covers for the new standard edition College Football 25, left, and Deluxe Edition College Football 25, featuring Texas' Quinn Ewers, Colorado's Travis Hunter, and Michigan's Donovan Edwards. (EA Sports via AP)AP

By

• Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

The much anticipated EA Sports College Football 25 video game has a release date, and a price.

The first edition of the game in 11 years is now available for pre-order for both Xbox and PlayStation at the EA Sports website. The game officially drops July 19, a Friday.

There are currently two versions available for pre-order — the “Deluxe” for $99.99 and the “MVP” (which also includes the Madden NFL 25 game) for $149.99. Those who order the MVP edition will receive the game three days early, on July 16.

A “standard” game at a lower price point will also be made available. EA Sports has not announced a price for the standard game, though Walmart and Amazon are both advertising pre-order prices of $69.99.

EA Sports College Football (formerly NCAA Football, among other names) was a top-seller on various video game platforms for two decades after the first edition was released in 1993. However, lawsuits over using players’ Name, Image and Likeness without proper compensation caused production to be halted after the 2013-14 edition.

Settlement of court proceedings and NIL legislation passed by the NCAA cleared the way for the game’s return this year. Players could “opt-in” to have their name and likeness in the game, receiving $600 and a copy of the game in return.

A full reveal of EA Sports College Football 25, including screen shots and features, will be released on Friday.

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