Linebacker ally

Defenders - Miami Hurricanes defensive tackle Leonard TaylorSt. Louis Battlehawks - Virginia Tech Hokies defensive tackle Pheldarius PayneMichigan Panthers - Ole Miss Rebels defensive end Isaac UkwuSan Antonio Brahmas - USF Bulls offensive tackle Donovan JenningsBirmingham Stallions - TCU Horned Frogs running back Emani BaileyROUND 4Memphis Showboats - Holy Cross Crusaders wide receiver Jalen CokerHouston Roughnecks - Florida International Panthers linebacker Donovan ManuelArlington Renegades - Oregon Ducks defensive tackle Popo AumavaeD.C. Defenders - San Diego State Aztecs offensive tackle Garret GreenfieldSt. Louis Battlehawks - Vanderbilt Commodores offensive lineman Bradley AshmoreMichigan Panthers - Eastern Michigan Eagles offensive tackle Brian DooleySan Antonio Brahmas - Utah Utes cornerback Miles BattleBirmingham Stallions - Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Isaiah WilliamsROUND 5Memphis Showboats - UConn Huskies defensive end Eric WattsHouston Roughnecks - Kansas State Wildcats offensive lineman Hayden GillumArlington Renegades - North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker Amari GainerD.C. Defenders - Michigan Wolverines defensive end Braiden McGregorSt. Louis Battlehawks - UCLA Bruins linebacker Carl Jones Jr.Michigan Panthers - Northern Illinois Huskies quarterback Rocky LombardiSan Antonio Brahmas - James Madison Dukes defensive end Jamree KromahBirmingham Stallions - Colorado State Rams tight end Dallin HolkerROUND 6Memphis Showboats - Oklahoma Sooners center Andrew RaymHouston Roughnecks - Pittsburgh Panthers tight end Malcolm EppsArlington Renegades - Air Force Falcons running back Bo RichterD.C. Defenders - Arizona Wildcats running back Michael WileySt. Louis Battlehawks - Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Isaiah CoeMichigan Panthers - Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Dayton WadeSan Antonio Brahmas - Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Lideatrick GriffinBirmingham Stallions - Arkansas Razorbacks defensive end Trajan JeffcoatROUND 7Memphis Showboats - Temple Owls linebacker Yvandy RigbyHouston Roughnecks - Oklahoma State Cowboys linebacker Xavier BensonArlington Renegades - Oregon Ducks defensive tackle Taki TaimaniD.C. Defenders - Toledo Rockets linebacker Dallas GantSt. Louis Battlehawks - Limestone Saints wide receiver Jelani BakerMichigan Panthers - Florida State Seminoles safety Akeem DentSan Antonio Brahmas - Maryland Terrapins safety Beau BradeBirmingham Stallions - TCU Horned Frogs offensive tackle Andrew CokerROUND 8Memphis Showboats - Maryland Terrapins cornerback Ja’Quan SheppardHouston Roughnecks - Texas Tech Red Raiders cornerback Rayshad WilliamsArlington Renegades - North Carolina Tar Heels offensive tackle Spencer RollandD.C. Defenders - Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Curtis JacobsSt. Louis Battlehawks - South Dakota State Jackrabbits wide receiver Jadon JankeMichigan Panthers - UTEP Miners center Andrew MeyerSan Antonio Brahmas - Tulane Green Wave center Sincere HaynesworthBirmingham Stallions - South Carolina Gamecocks wide receiver Ahmarean BrownROUND 9Memphis Showboats - Tennessee Volunteers tight end McCallan CastlesHouston Roughnecks - Texas Tech Red Raiders cornerback Malik DunlapArlington Renegades - Southern Miss Golden Eagles center Briason MaysD.C. Defenders - Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Tanner MordecaiSt. Louis Battlehawks - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets cornerback Myles SimsMichigan Panthers - Michigan State Spartans offensive lineman J.D. DuplainSan Antonio Brahmas - Kent State

NEW YORK - Carl Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the “Rocky” movies, facing off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Predator” and teaching golf in “Happy Gilmore,” has died. He was 76. Matt Luber, his manager, said Weathers died Thursday. His family issued a statement saying he died “peacefully in his sleep.” Comfortable flexing his muscles on the big screen in “Action Jackson” as he was joking around on the small screen in such shows as “Arrested Development,” Weathers was perhaps most closely associated with Creed, who made his first appearance as the cocky, undisputed heavyweight world champion in 1976’s “Rocky,” starring Sylvester Stallone. “It puts you on the map and makes your career, so to speak. But that’s a one-off, so you’ve got to follow it up with something. Fortunately those movies kept coming, and Apollo Creed became more and more in people’s consciousness and welcome in their lives, and it was just the right guy at the right time,” he told The Daily Beast in 2017. Most recently, Weathers has starred in the Disney+ hit “The Mandalorian,” appearing in all three seasons. Creed, who appeared in the first four “Rocky” movies, memorably died in the ring of 1984’s “Rocky IV,” going toe-to-toe with the hulking, steroided-using Soviet Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren. Before he entered the ring, James Brown sang “Living in America” with showgirls and Creed popped up on a balcony in a Star-Spangled Banner shorts and waistcoat combo and an Uncle Sam hat, dancing and taunting Drago. A bloodied Creed collapses in the ring after taking a vicious beating, twitches and is cradled by Rocky as he dies, inevitably setting up a fight between Drago and Rocky. But while Creed is gone, his character’s son, Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed, would lead his own boxing trilogy starting in 2015. Weathers went on to 1987’s “Predator,” where he flexed his pecs alongside Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura and a host of others, and 1988’s nouveau blaxploitation flick “Action Jackson,” where he trains his flamethrower on a

TV shows, including “Good Times,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “Starsky & Hutch,” as well as fighting Nazis alongside Harrison Ford in “Force 10 From Navarone,” Weathers landed his knockout role - Creed. He told The Hollywood Reporter that his start in the iconic franchise was not auspicious. He was asked to read with the writer, Stallone, then unknown. Weathers read the scene but felt it didn’t land and so he blurted out: “I could do a lot better if you got me a real actor to work with,” he recalled. “So I just insulted the star of the movie without really knowing it and not intending to.” He also lied that he had any boxing experience. Later in life, Weathers developed a passion for directing, helming episodes of “Silk Stalking” and and the Lorenzo Lamas vehicle “Renegade.” He directed a season three episode of “The Mandalorian.” Weathers introduced himself to another generation when he portrayed himself as an opportunistic and extremely thrifty actor who becomes involved with the dysfunctional clan at the heart of “Arrested Development.” The Weathers character likes to save money by making broth from discarded food - ‘There’s still plenty of meat on that bone” and “Baby, you got a stew going!” - and, for the right price, agrees to become an acting coach for delusional and talent-free thespian Tobias Funke, played by David Cross. Weathers is survived by two sons. ––– Mark Kennedy is at FILE - Carl Weathers arrives at a special screening for the season three premiere of “The Mandalorian” on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at The Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Weathers, a former NFL linebacker who became a Hollywood action movie and comedy star, playing nemesis-turned-ally Apollo Creed in the â??Rockyâ? movies, facing-off against Arnold Schwarzenegger in â??Predatorâ? and teaching golf in â??Happy Gilmore,â? died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. He was 76. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) FILE - Carl Weathers poses at the Disney + launch event promoting “The Mandalorian” at the London West Hollywood hotel in West Hollywood, Calif., on Oct. 19.

Think that’s a really important spot in your defense, because it’s like an anchor, it’s like a sideboard,” Smart said at his Tuesday press conference. “It’s like once I put this rock here (you aren’t going to move it). Mo (Smith) was just kind of steady; he didn’t play much anywhere else because he just played there.”It seems counterintuitive to take a player with a hybrid skill set and lock him into one role, but that should speak to the abundance of roles that the position must occupy.In Smart’s defense at Georgia, like the one he helped build at Alabama, the STAR position is used as a sub for the SAM linebacker. The reason is that a SAM linebacker is likely a liability in pass coverage against a slot receiver.Instead of playing a true nickel defense, however, and replacing that linebacker with a fifth defensive back, who might be a weak link against the run, the STAR position is utilized. The STAR should have the quickness to cover the slot, sound tackling ability and can rush the passer when needed.Some coordinators look for different skill sets when filling this role. Grantham preferred hybrid linebacker/safety types like Alec Ogletree and Josh Harvey-Clemons, whereas Smart is more apt to take a player with truer defensive back qualities.Smith (pictured below) was an ideal player for Smart to use in his first season, and he was a veteran who could help teach the intricacies of the pass defense while fully understanding one of the most important roles on Georgia’s defense.Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY SportsNow that Smith is gone, Smart has a few players in mind for the STAR position.“The way we’re practicing, Tyrique (McGhee) is really our STAR,” Smart said on Tuesday. “But he’s on a split field when we split them up, so

Of offensive linemen KJ Hallums and Jordan Kernaghan. Both could potentially see the field early. I am concerned about the lack of depth in this class. I’m not sure they addressed some weaknesses on the defensive line and they need to hope that their junior college additions in the secondary are ready to play.Air ForceDon’t take it personally, Falcon fans. Placements are based on average ranking, not potential. According to 247 sports, the Falcons have 66 commits and that number is likely much higher. The truth is, most of these recruits will never see the field. The headliner of the class is linebacker Seth McFarland. You look at this kid and you think Air Force linebacker. McFarland is the prototypical Falcon linebacker; he isn’t very tall, but he is fast and physical. They also made a notable addition at the EDGE position in Kyle Kaya. It is always interesting to see who ends up making it into the academy and who is left looking for a new home. New MexicoWhen the majority of your recruits were originally committed to your FCS program, you can’t expect much when it comes to rankings. The hope for this class needs to be that Jason Eck is an expert in finding under-the-radar talent and developing them into great players. Athlete CJ Mcbean is the headliner of this class with an 86 ranking. Offensive tackle Marko Luera could end up being the top player in this class. If he can put on 15 pounds, he