Jumbo Package: Mark Ingram and DeMeco Ryans on the 2025 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame

Two of the three SEC Heisman Trophy winners who are eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame but not enshrined are among the candidates for the Class of 2026.

Mark Ingram, Alabama’s 2009 Heisman Trophy winner, is making his second appearance on the ballot.

Cam Newton, Auburn’s 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.

Congrats to Mark Ingram for making the the Hall of Fame ballot. Along with him, DeMeco Ryans is on the ballot for the first time as well. Here’s to hoping both of these men wind up making the Hall of Fame, as they are both more than deserving.

Next, here’s a fun film review on Jalen Milroe from a Seahawks podcast that I highly recommend.

They go into Milroe’s play in the South Carolina game – not one of his bad games like against Tennessee or Oklahoma, but not one of his best, either. It was a decent showcase against one of the hottest defenses in the country, and worth a watch.

Speaking of Bama guys in the NFL, Will Anderson sure has gotten almost no national hype despite winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and then increasing his sack total by 6 in year 2.

“I think with Will, like a lot of these guys we’re talking about, the effort and the energy and the intensity are never going to be an issue,” Houston defensive coordinator Matt Burke said on Friday. “And so I think the challenge we put to Will is to fine-tune the details, and ‘What does it take to go from good to great to elite to the best?’ And as he’s climbing that ladder, it gets harder and harder to make those steps up those rungs. We know he’s a good player, a great player. Now how do we keep climbing and fine-tuning to become even better?

“And he’s on a mission. He actually dropped a move today in the pass-rush setting that was a new move for him that he executed really well. It was really cool to see. So he’s just really trying to work on a lot of details to really climb that ladder to be the best.”

Anderson said he had gotten the same message from Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.

“DeMeco pulled me to the side and was like, ‘You know, now it’s just fine-tuning those little things in your game,’” Anderson said. “Like, how precise can you be? How good can you be at taking the next step? And for me, it’s just like when I’m on a block, using my hands better, getting off blocks, my escape when I’m rushing the passer. Like, am I reaching with precision on the quarterback? Can I get some strip sacks? Stuff like that. So, like, those are the things I want to work on this offseason, this time during OTAs and really just getting precise at those things and taking my game to the next level.”

Anderson is quietly becoming one of the better edge rushers in the NFL, and he only looks to be ascending further. If he can keep building on his progress from last season, he could very well take the step into All-Pro territory.

And hey, having DeMeco Ryans as your head coach is nothing but a positive.

This past weekend, Iowa State commit Jett Thomalla took an official visit to Alabama. He still has a visit lined up with the Cyclones later this month, but he has an offer from the Crimson Tide, and they have given him a lot to think about.

Now, DeBoer and company have lined up another visit with a QB. 4-star Matt Ponatoski, the No. 9 overall QB in the 2026 class according to On3, will take an official visit to Alabama this coming weekend.

Ponatoski is coming off a ridiculous junior season at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati, where he threw for over 3400 yards with 57 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He was named the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year and the state’s Mr. Football.

Alabama is still on the hunt for their QB for the class of 2026. Jett Thomalla has been the one that’s been talked about the most recently, but Matt Ponatoski is visiting this weekend. On3 is much higher on Ponatoski than 247Sports is, so that will be interesting to watch as the rankings develop over the summer.

That is when destiny brought Kalen DeBoer and Nicole DeBoer together. Kalen DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at the University of Sioux Falls in the summer of 2001. They met, and there was an instant connection.

Describing their initial encounter, Kalen DeBoer earlier stated, “It was love at first sight.” It was a flash romance that led to their wedding on Dec. 29, 2001, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, with Reverend Don Lehmann officiating.

Hey, it’s offseason, and we all have to write about something. While there’s not a whole lot to it, here’s a quick piece giving a little background on how Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer met his wife, Nicole, back in 2001. Always good to get to know our guys a little better, I guess.

Roll Tide!