Former Michigan Quarterback Ryan Mallett Dies In Drowning Accident
Former NFL, Arkansas and Michigan quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in a drowning accident off a Florida Panhandle beach, a county sheriff’s office said via CNN.
It’s being reported that Mallett was swimming when he started to struggle to make it to shore due to rip currents. When he was finally pulled out of the water he was not breathing and he was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was just 35 years old.
Mallett was one of the first major, five-star recruiting gets for Michigan as recruiting services really started to become mainstream and an everyday part of college football. The 6-7 quarterback possessed a massive arm and was very coveted when he committed to Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines. When Rich Rodriguez took over and planned to implement a much smaller, much more athletic type of quarterback, Mallett transferred to Arkansas. While with the Razorbacks, Mallett compiled 7,493 yards and 62 touchdowns against just 19 interceptions. He was ultimately drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. All told, Mallett played in 21 NFL games, went 3-5 as a starter and compiled 1,835 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He also played for the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. Tom Brady took to Instagram to share his thoughts and feelings about his former teammate.
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“We lost a great man. Thank you for everything Ryan,” Brady wrote. “Praying for the Mallett family and all their loved ones tonight.”
With his playing days behind him, Mallett had settled in as a coach and educator. He was the head football coach for the White Hall High School Bulldogs in White Hall, Arkansas, where he also taught physical education and health.
Michigan grad sues over reassigned ‘G0BLUE’ license plate
BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. — A passionate University of Michigan graduate is booing the state — and suing — over the loss of his revered “G0BLUE” car license plate.
Joseph Hardig III said the plate has been on family vehicles for years. But he was told it was assigned to another car owner when he recently tried to renew it at a secretary of state office.
“My dad’s passed away. I got it from him. It’s meaningful to me. We’re just huge fans and love the university,” Hardig told The Detroit News.
Hardig, a suburban Detroit lawyer, is asking a judge to block the state from giving the plate to an Ann Arbor man who is also a University of Michigan graduate and lives just minutes from the football stadium.
The secretary of state won’t comment on the lawsuit.
Hardig, 65, said he visited a branch office Nov. 4, a month before the plate renewal deadline, and was told “G0BLUE” was no longer available for his Ford Edge.
Blue is a University of Michigan color, and “Go Blue!” is a battle cry and common salutation among Wolverines fans.
The personalized plate now has been assigned to Jonathan Fine and his 2007 BMW, although he said he hadn’t received it in the mail as of Thursday.
Fine, 52, said he punched in plate options on a state website and found “G0BLUE” was available.
“I thought it was a mistake at first. … I’m not actually that excited about the plate,” Fine told the newspaper. “I just had to take it. It’s more just because it was available.”
He said he might be willing to give it up if he can find another option.
“I understand why he is upset,” Fine said of Hardig. “If I had a cool plate like that, I’d be upset to lose it.”
College football conference championships: CFP live updates
Conference championship weekend is here, and it’s loaded with stakes. Seven of the top eight teams in the College Football Playoff rankings will play for titles this weekend. With four undefeated teams and four highly ranked one-loss teams, every game will impact who reaches the semifinals.
The No. 3 Washington Huskies and No. 5 Oregon Ducks kick off the festivities. Friday’s Pac-12 title game is almost certainly a winner-gets-in situation. It’s also a rematch of one of the best games of the 2023 season — the Huskies’ 36-33 win in Seattle on Oct. 14. This will be a matchup of elite offenses guided by Heisman-contender quarterbacks in Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix.
ESPN’s reporters and CFP experts will provide takeaways and analysis for each Power 5 conference title game. Here are the best moments from the Pac-12 championship:
Pac-12 title game pregame notes
Oregon is making its sixth appearance in the Pac-12 title game, winning four of the previous five (lost to Utah in 2021). Its four wins in the Pac-12 title game are the most of any team. Washington is in the Pac-12 title game for the third time, winning each of its previous two appearances (2016 and 2018).
Oregon is a 9.5-point favorite after losing to Washington just over six weeks ago. If that number holds, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the Ducks would be the 10th team to be that large of a favorite in a same-season rematch they previously lost. Eight of the previous nine won the game.
- ESPN Analytics gives Oregon a 76% chance to win
Expect a lot of offense
Bo Nix (3,906 yards) and Michael Penix Jr. (3,899 yards) are the top two passers in the country. Each has thrown for more than 30 touchdowns this season. In Oregon’s Troy Franklin and Washington’s Rome Odunze, each team has a receiver who has more than 1,300 receiving yards. Franklin is second in the country with 14 receiving touchdowns. Odunze has 13.
Oregon is outscoring its opponents by an FBS-best 29.3 points per game this season. It’s on pace to be the best mark by a Pac-12 team since 1991, when Washington posted a 31.7 PPG difference. That Huskies team went on to split the national championship that season.
Washington, however, is great at winning close games. The Huskies have seven wins by single digits this season, most of any FBS team.
Picks
Heather Dinich: Oregon 42, Washington 31 | Adam Rittenberg: Oregon 36, Washington 28
SP+ projection: Oregon by 8.4 | FPI projection: Oregon by 9.7
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Florida State could be without another quarterback as it gets set to take on Louisville on Saturday with an ACC championship and a possible berth in the College Football Playoff on the line.
Quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who started the team’s final regular-season game — a 24-15 win over Florida — will be a game-day decision because of a head injury, according to the school.
Rodemaker left the Florida game in the fourth quarter after taking a late hit to the head following a scramble. He returned to action two plays later to help cap a touchdown drive.
He has not been a full participant in practice this week, but a Florida State spokesperson told ESPN that the team continues to “go through the process” with Rodemaker and will “see what that means for Saturday.”
Coach Mike Norvell said Friday that Rodemaker passed initial testing on the field Saturday but began feeling symptoms Sunday. Rodemaker has participated in a number of drills in practice, but freshman Brock Glenn has taken most of the practice reps this week.
“There’s a process we have to go through and certain benchmarks that we’ll go through as we lead up to the game,” Norvell said. “Then we’ll see where he’s at. But all those guys are ready and they’re prepared.”
Rodemaker took over the starting job after starter Jordan Travis injured his left leg against North Alabama on Nov. 18. Travis, who has started since the 2021 season, won ACC Player of the Year honors after helping the Seminoles lock up a spot in the conference championship game.
If Rodemaker is unable to play, Florida State would go with Glenn, who has taken only a handful of snaps this season. Glenn played late against North Alabama to get game reps, going 2-for-3 for 35 yards and adding a rushing touchdown. Glenn also came in for Rodemaker after he got hit against Florida last week, throwing incomplete on his lone pass.
Norvell said the game plan would not change much if Glenn is called into action.
Florida State is trying to win its first ACC championship, and make its first College Football Playoff appearance, since 2014. The Seminoles have become a hot topic of playoff discussion with Travis out for the season, but they were No. 4 in the latest CFP rankings.
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