Author: Victor Haltom

The salary cap looms as the Los Angeles Rams are shaping their roster in preparation for the 2024 season. The NFL salary cap for each team in 2024 is $255.4 million. The salary cap limits the “amount of money that a team can spend on players’ salaries.” Entering his twelfth season as general manager for the Rams, Les Snead has a hold on the team’s purse strings. He “partners with Head Coach Sean McVay to direct all personnel decisions for the club.” For the Rams, the vast majority of their salary cap space is consumed by payments slated to be…

Zachariah Branch turned heads right out of the gate during his Trojan debut in 2023. As a true freshman, the 5-star recruit outshone reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in USC’s season opener. As reported by CBS Sports: “Branch scored two touchdowns — one as a kickoff returner and one as receiver — while also proving elusive as a rusher and punt returner. By night’s end, he’d stolen the spotlight — at least temporarily — from USC quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams… [He amassed] 232 all-purpose yards….” https://twitter.com/uscfb/status/1695627916191650194 Now, as the Trojans prepare for the 2024 season…

Chris Shula, the LA Rams new defensive coordinator, was confronted with a major development just weeks after being tapped to steward the team’s defense: Aaron Donald retired. Donald is one of the greatest defensive players of all time. Shula worked for years with Donald as a positional coach. Now, he faces the daunting challenge of adapting to keep the defense as strong as possible after the loss of Donald. The Promotion of Chris Shula to Defensive Coordinator On February 2, 2024, the Rams named Shula the team’s defensive coordinator. Shula succeeds Raheem Morris in that role. Morris is now the…

Could Aaron Donald become a member of the USC Trojans coaching staff? Eric Henderson is floating that possibility. And, Eric Henderson might know. Not only is Henderson a former coach and friend of Donald’s, but also Henderson has been named USC’s co-defensive coordinator/run game coordinator/defensive line coach. Undoubtedly, the presence of Donald on the sidelines would give a shot in the arm to the Trojan defense. Furthermore, his involvement with the team would boost recruiting. Eric Henderson’s Coaching History with the Los Angeles Rams In 2019, the Rams hired Henderson to be their defensive line coach. In January 2024, after…

Southern Cal’s offensive line is taking shape as the Trojans prepare for their inaugural season of Big Ten play. USC has produce Hall of Fame offensive linemen Anthony Munoz, Bruce Matthews, and Tony Boselli. Thus, much is expected of Southern Cal’s men in the trenches. While not set in stone, the likely starting offensive line in 2024 is as follows: Elijah Paige — Left Tackle Emmanuel Pregnon — Left Guard Jonah Monheim — Center Gino Quinones — Right Guard Mason Murphy — Right Tackle The Members of Southern Cal’s 2024 Offensive Line Below is detailed background information concerning the likely…

JT Daniels, who was the USC Trojans starting QB in 2018 as a freshman, has become a coach. He accepted an assistant coaching position with the University of West Georgia. (The West Georgia Wolves football team is making a transition from NCAA Division II to Division I effective July 2024.) Daniels’ journey to this point has been extraordinary. The Top Recruit in the County JT Daniels, who is now 24 years old, was rated the No. 1 recruit in the country coming out of high school powerhouse, Mater Dei, in Santa Ana, CA. He received offers from Michigan, Alabama, Stanford,…

Just a few days after losing legendary Aaron Donald, the Rams have suffered another loss on the defensive line. DE Jonah Williams, who was a restricted free agent, has signed with the Minnesota Vikings. News of transaction was released on X, formerly known as Twitter: https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1769878810051113115 Shortly thereafter, the Vikings made it official: https://twitter.com/Vikings/status/1769885837758513206 Jonah Williams’ Background 28-year-old Jonah Williams was signed by Los Angeles as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2020. From 2016 through 2019, Williams played for Weber State University. He was a four-year starter there, and, in his final year, he “earned All-America honors while being…

College football’s preseason top 25 rankings — based on ESPN’s SP+ model — are decidedly not inclusive.  The only teams included in the ESPN’s preseason 25 are Power 4 teams (formerly Power 5 teams), with the exception of Notre Dame — sort of. (Notre Dame is closely affiliated with the ACC. Five of the Irish’s games in 2024 are against ACC teams, pursuant to a contract between the university and the conference. And, Notre Dame’s sports programs, other than the football program and the hockey program, are official members of the ACC.) Before focusing on the specific teams included on…

The SMU Mustangs football program is set for its debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (“ACC”). Heading into the season, the Mustangs have assembled a solid roster, featuring four-star recruits (RB/WR Derrick McFall and S Ka’Davion Dotson-Walker) and incoming transfers from Oklahoma State (OL Savion Byrd), Arkansas  (DT Anthony Booker, Jr.), Georgia (DT Jonathan Jefferson), and Oregon (WR Ashton Cozart). Gridiron Heroics has previously published detailed reporting concerning SMU’s roster moves in advance of the 2024 season. The expanded ACC now consists of 17 teams. And college football analysts are assessing SMU’s prospects in the newly re-structured, 17-team conference. The…

The draft stock of USC Trojan WR Tahj Washington is rising. While he was once considered likely to be an undrafted free agent, he is now moving up the draft boards of NFL teams. Analysts view him as underrated. Bio and Stats —  USC Trojan WR Tahj Washington 22-year-old Tahj Washington is 5’10” and weighs 174 lbs. He was a high school track star who has run the 40-yard dash in 4.32 seconds. Washington was a three-star prospect coming out of high school in Texas. He began his collegiate career at Memphis, where, in 2020, he had 743 receiving yards,…