Courtesy of UConn Athletics UConn defensive tackle Jelani Stafford is a great story of perseverance and commitment. The former Youngstown State defensive tackle has dealt with his fair share of adversity and through it all, he has stayed focused on his goal of playing college football and earning a college degree. Stafford has been an integral part of the Huskies front seven the past two season but he has also…
Patriots Draft Preview: Wide Receivers
By Paul Vozzella NEFJ Correspondent The wide receiver position is obviously still in need of an upgrade for the Patriots heading into the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday night. Here’s a deeper look into several intriguing options New England could end up with, including the name everyone’s talking about: Travis Hunter, 6’0 188, Colorado The Good: Raw prospect with uber-athleticism. Tracking skills and ability to high-point catches stands…
5 observations from our visit with the Brown Bears
It was a gorgeous 75 degree morning when we visited with the Brown Bears on Saturday. The Bears are coming off of a difficult 3-7 season in 2024. A season that led to changes. The Bears have a new defensive coordinator in former Anna Maria coach Dan Mulrooney. Mulrooney was recently the head coach at Lock Haven. He is bringing with him an aggressive, physical defense built on playing fast….
Meet your local NFL Draft prospects: Josiah Silver, Edge, New Hampshire
Silver took home the CAA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, as well as First Team All-CAA and All-New England Team honors. He was also a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS national defensive player of the year. He was also a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which honors the top defensive end among all levels of college football. Plain and simple, Silver…
Recapping the UMass spring game
By Ryan Barry NEFJ Staff AMHERST – A warm afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium was the setting for the unofficial start of a new era as the 2025 UMass football spring game took place in Amherst between Team Maroon and Team White. Using a mostly traditional format of four quarters and a running clock, Team Maroon outlasted Team White 18-17 in what was a very entertaining event. While every program…
Meet your local NFL Draft prospects: Ozzy Trapilo, OT, Boston College
The Trapilo name has been well-known in these parts for a long time after a stellar career at BC High, but it’s about to be even more nationally-known. Trapilo is almost a lock to be taken anywhere from late in the first round to early-to-mid second round of the NFL Draft this coming weekend and he’ll be a steal for whoever snags him. At 6’8,” 316lbs., Trapilo has the ability…
Recapping the URI spring game
By Charlie Adams NEFJ Correspondent KINGSTON – Following last year’s historic campaign that saw Rhode Island reach the postseason for the first time in 39 years with a CAA title, many fans got their first taste of the 2025 season in URI’s Blue-White spring game on Saturday. The final matchup to close out the month-and-a-half long practice session gave the offense four quarters of running clock to try to make…
Pirates Four Down Preview: Massachusetts Pirates (1-2) at Jacksonville Sharks (3-0)
Kickoff: The Pirates will take on the undefeated Jacksonville Sharks tonight. This will be the Pirates’ first road game of the season. Massachusetts is coming off of their first win of the season last week, beating Fishers Freight 50-47. Here are four keys to the game for the Pirates: 1st Down: O must carry the momentum over: The offense finally came to life last week in a much needed win….
Spring Practice Preview: Big Green looking to maintain success
Dartmouth Athletics Spring is a beautiful time of year in Hanover, New Hampshire and for Sammy McCorkle’s squad, it is a time of renewal as several new faces are expected to set up and make an impact. Gone are established contributors like Nick Howard, Q. Jones and Paxton Scott on offense and Derrell Porter, Micah Green and Danny Cronin on defense. Several new faces are going to be expected to…
Meet your local NFL Draft prospects: Jermaine Corbett, RB, Merrimack
Since his first year at Stonehill in 2022, Jermaine Corbett has been a problem for FCS defenses. Corbett – a Long branch, NJ native – ran for 774 yards and nine touchdowns on 123 carries for the Skyhawks in 2022. In 2023, he followed that up with an 885-yard season and nine touchdowns once again on 190 carries. After transferring to Merrimack, Corbett broke the 1,000-yard mark, rushing for 1,058…