Questions abound with the arrival of Week 1 of faculty soccer season.
How will the retooled SEC and Huge Ten shake out? Who will take the early lead within the Heisman Trophy race? Will Florida State rebound from a shocking upset loss?
Every week, Yardbarker will dissect the ten most necessary folks main into the week. Listed below are the ten who will affect the primary full week of video games.
1. Mike Norvell | Florida State head coach
In Week 0 in Dublin, Eire, Norvell and Florida State have been shocked by Georgia Tech, 24-21, placing the Seminoles in a tough place already. In a recreation they need to win simply, the Seminoles face Boston Faculty at residence on Monday. With Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame and Florida nonetheless on the schedule, Norvell’s staff cannot afford one other slip-up in opposition to an inferior staff.
2. Wes Goodwin | Clemson defensive coordinator
Goodwin obtained a $550,000 elevate in February, bringing his annual wage to $1.4 million. His first activity because the elevate is stopping No. 1 Georgia and Heisman Trophy contender Carson Beck, the Bulldogs’ returning starter at QB. Georgia ranked fifth in complete offense final season, whereas Clemson ranked eighth in complete protection. Goodwin’s unit should be in midseason type to win.
3. Garrett Nussmeier | LSU quarterback
It is not straightforward changing the Heisman Trophy winner, however that is what Nussmeier is doing at LSU when the Tigers face USC on Sunday. Jayden Daniels was drafted second total by the Washington Commanders after an electrical Heisman marketing campaign in 2023. Within the switch period, Nussmeier has waited an abnormally very long time to get his shot. He lastly made his first profession begin final season as a redshirt sophomore within the Reliaquest Bowl, ending 31-of-45 for 395 yards with three touchdowns in a 35-31 win over Wisconsin.
4. Dylan Raiola | Nebraska quarterback
After ending 5-7 in his first season in Lincoln, what does Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule have in retailer in 2024? A lot of his rebuilding plans relaxation on the shoulders of Raiola, a real freshman. He gained the beginning job and can grow to be simply the second true freshman to start out a recreation in Nebraska soccer historical past on Saturday in opposition to UTEP.
5. Billy Napier | Florida head coach
Napier is 11-14 in two seasons at Florida. Though followers could take into account Napier on the new seat, Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin advised the Orlando Sentinel in January that he does not take into account Napier’s job to be on the road. He can quiet the critics with a gap win in opposition to in-state rival Miami.
6. Riley Leonard | Notre Dame quarterback
Leonard transferred to Notre Dame from Duke and has assumed the beginning QB duties. He leads the Irish into Kyle Discipline in opposition to No. 20 Texas A&M. It is already a tough activity, however to complicate issues even additional, he’ll be dealing with his former head coach, Mike Elko, who’s making his debut at A&M.
7. Ross Bjork | Ohio State athletic director
Former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith served for 19 years earlier than retiring this summer season. Bjork now has arguably the most effective job in faculty sports activities. He arrived at Ohio State from Texas A&M, the place he employed Jimbo Fisher after which tried to rent Mark Stoops as his successor earlier than the supply was seemingly pulled from the desk as a consequence of blowback from the fan base. The Buckeyes have assembled a championship-or-bust roster, so it is going to be attention-grabbing to see what Bjork does if they arrive up quick.
8. Jordan Seaton | Colorado offensive lineman
Seaton, the No. 1 offensive line recruit within the nation, is joined by 9 transfers on the Colorado offensive line. Head coach Deion Sanders made the unit considered one of his prime priorities within the offseason after quarterback Shedeur Sanders was pressured on 36.8% of his dropbacks with a pressure-to-sack fee of 25.3%, in keeping with PFF. Seaton and the new-look offensive line should be higher than the 2023 staff. They will have their first alternative Thursday in opposition to North Dakota State.
9. Kalen DeBoer | Alabama head coach
Changing a legend is rarely straightforward. DeBoer is tasked with following in Nick Saban’s footsteps and he’ll make his debut at Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday in opposition to Western Kentucky. Will the Tide take a step again? The early recruiting and switch portal rankings say no. Alabama’s recruiting class was ranked No. 2 total by 247 Sports activities.
10. Tony Petitti/Greg Sankey | Huge Ten and SEC commissioners
No convention is extra highly effective than the Huge Ten and SEC, so we function these two as one entry. We’ll get our first look Saturday at these conferences that realigned the panorama of faculty sports activities over the previous 12 months. Oklahoma and Texas are actually within the SEC, whereas Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are within the Huge Ten. Each conferences even have new properties for his or her greatest video games, with the Huge Ten on CBS and the SEC on ESPN.
