Every week here at Blogging the Boys, we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. GAME OF THE WEEK The number one ranked team, […] Every week here at Blogging the Boys, we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. GAME OF THE WEEK The number one ranked team, the Texas Longhorns, takes on the number three ranked team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in an absolute stormer for Week 1 in the college football calendar. This feels more like a playoff game after both teams met in the CFP last season, and Texas will be seeking redemption from Ohio State after losing in the semifinal. The Longhorns usher in a new era with Arch Manning, arguably the highest-profile quarterback prospect in college football history, making his first start of the season against the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, Ohio State is working with a new quarterback in Julian Sayin, as well as revamped offensive and defensive coordinators. What makes this game so huge is Texas wants to flip last year’s playoff script, and a win would validate Arch Manning and their direction to kickstart their playoff campaign. For Ohio State, a win here would prove they are ahead of curve in the college football arms race, with massive NIL expenditure that was put into place and help the team get recognition as playoff favorites. Game Overview Matchup: Texas Longhorns (1) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (3) August 30, 2025, at Ohio Stadium, Columbus Kickoff Time: 12:00 p.m. (EST) Ohio State favored by 2.5 points Arch Manning’s first start for Texas Player Watch Texas: Arch Manning, QB Let’s get the obvious one out the way here. Does Manning play the 2025 season and declare for the draft? It’s unlikely. But this game will be an interesting start on his journey to 2026, and a great test to see what the quarterback prodigy actually looks like after a year of quietly waiting and watching. Can he handle the pressure or is it all too much? The Buckeyes will certainly be out for blood on this one. Anthony Hill Jr, LB Hill delivered an outstanding 2024 season with 113 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He possesses elite football instincts, reacting quickly and avoiding being deceived by misdirection. He’s adept sideline-to-sideline, disrupting screens and perimeter plays, and flashes strong blitzing ability. While engaged, Hill finishes strongly and his strength is clear, but refining his contact technique when facing good offensive linemen could elevate his game further. Getting better in coverage, especially covering tight ends is a huge area he needs to work on this year. Malik Muhammad, CB Muhammad is a naturally gifted and versatile cornerback who blends fluid athleticism with technical polish. He moves with excellent hip flexibility, smooth backpedal, and explodes out of breaks with elite closing speed—traits that make him effective in both press-man and zone schemes. Muhammad isn’t without areas to refine. He occasionally opens his hips too early against vertical routes and gives savvy receivers too much cushion in off coverage. His tackle technique, although aggressive, sometimes lacks proper form, leading with the shoulder rather than finishing with a wrap-up. Michael Taaffe, S Taaffe is a high-IQ, instinctive playmaker who has grown from walk-on to All-American and team captain. He showcases elite pattern-matching skills in coverage and shines in special teams as a proven ball hawk. Taaffe’s ceiling in man-to-man matchups or complex safety rotations remains somewhat untested, especially if moved into hybrid roles like the Texas “Star” role. He also faced a minor setback with offseason hand surgery, though reports confirm he’s fully back in live tackling, blocking, and coverage. DeAndre Moore Jr, WR DeAndre Moore Jr. is a promising wide receiver and set to take on more in 2025. He has a great blend of size, skill, and versatility, and as he continues to refine his route running and expand his playmaking abilities, he has the potential to become a standout receiver in the SEC this year. With his work ethic and determination, Moore is poised to be a key contributor to Texas’s offensive success. Ohio State: Caleb Downs, S Downs is a dynamic safety known for his exceptional football IQ and versatility. Standing 6’0” and weighing 205 lbs, he possesses the physical attributes to excel in various defensive roles. His instincts and anticipation are elite, allowing him to diagnose plays quickly and make decisive breaks on the ball. Additionally, Downs contributed on special teams with a notable 79-yard punt return touchdown against Indiana. He can be overaggressive at times, leading to occasional missed tackles or being out of position. His ability to disengage from blockers in run support is another area for improvement. Carnell Tate, WR Tate is a physically gifted receiver whose combination of size, agility, and catch radius makes him a challenging matchup for defenders. He demonstrates the ability to stretch the field vertically while also contributing reliably on intermediate routes, showing versatility in multiple offensive concepts. If he continues to refine his separation techniques and capitalize on YAC opportunities, Tate has the potential to become a go-to weapon for Ohio State and a legitimate NFL prospect. Max Klare, TE Klare transferred this year from Purdue and his transition to Ohio State presents an opportunity to refine his blocking and further develop his receiving skills in a competitive environment. With his size, hands, and route-running ability, he has the potential to become a key contributor in Ohio State’s offense and a strong candidate for the NFL Draft. Sonny Styles, LB Styles is a dynamic linebacker with the potential to be a game-changer for Ohio State. His blend of size, speed,

Micah Parsons is no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he has already had a press conference as a member of the Green Bay Packers. It is over. While we are all intent on moving forward the reality of the situation is that there are going to be details about the fallout […] Micah Parsons is no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he has already had a press conference as a member of the Green Bay Packers. It is over. While we are all intent on moving forward the reality of the situation is that there are going to be details about the fallout between Parsons and Dallas, the one that led to him being traded away for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark, for some time. We might be hearing about them even years after this dust settles. It did not take that long for quarterback Dak Prescott to get roped into it all. On Friday there was a report from Albert Breer in Sports Illustrated that detailed what happened between Parsons and the Cowboys, obviously there was a lot of that going around. One line stood out from Breer’s report. In noting that Parsons’ podcast, the one he regularly does where he discusses matters across the NFL and otherwise, Breer mentioned that it was an issue within the locker room. He specifically made mention that it was an issue to some degree for Prescott. As we said, the pacing of this negotiation wasn’t wholly dissimilar from what we all witnessed with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last year, or even Zack Martin the year before that. Once the team arrived in California for camp in 2023 and ’24, their negotiations were put on the back burner, the same way Parsons’s were this summer. Basically sending the message that if a deal isn’t done that works for the team early, the player has to wait. That said, there is a difference between this negotiation and the previous three. Martin, Lamb and Prescott are/were very popular in the locker room. That’s not the case with Parsons, who has rankled teammates in different ways, seen by some as egotistical and self-centered. His podcast has created issues, too, that go all the way up to quarterback Dak Prescott. The reason this feels significant is because Dak Prescott is rarely connected to stories like this. Dak generates some passionate emotions in terms of thoughts around his play, but it feels fair to say that we hardly ever see him in this kind of regard or anywhere near it. If this reporting is true then the “what are you doing” nature of trading Parsons may make more sense to some people. In a world where everyone was rubbed the wrong way, maybe alleviating the team of Parsons’ presence improves group morale. That is all based around this report being true, though. If it isn’t true then it is hard to draw that same kind of line. We should note that the article has no on-the-record quotes, or even vague off-the-record background references to where this information came from. What do you believe? 38 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Micah Parsons is no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he has already had a press conference as a member of the Green Bay Packers. It is over. While we are all intent on moving forward the reality of the situation is that there are going to be details about the fallout […] Micah Parsons is no longer a member of the Dallas Cowboys. In fact, he has already had a press conference as a member of the Green Bay Packers. It is over. While we are all intent on moving forward the reality of the situation is that there are going to be details about the fallout between Parsons and Dallas, the one that led to him being traded away for two first-round picks and Kenny Clark, for some time. We might be hearing about them even years after this dust settles. It did not take that long for quarterback Dak Prescott to get roped into it all. On Friday there was a report from Albert Breer in Sports Illustrated that detailed what happened between Parsons and the Cowboys, obviously there was a lot of that going around. One line stood out from Breer’s report. In noting that Parsons’ podcast, the one he regularly does where he discusses matters across the NFL and otherwise, Breer mentioned that it was an issue within the locker room. He specifically made mention that it was an issue to some degree for Prescott. As we said, the pacing of this negotiation wasn’t wholly dissimilar from what we all witnessed with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last year, or even Zack Martin the year before that. Once the team arrived in California for camp in 2023 and ’24, their negotiations were put on the back burner, the same way Parsons’s were this summer. Basically sending the message that if a deal isn’t done that works for the team early, the player has to wait. That said, there is a difference between this negotiation and the previous three. Martin, Lamb and Prescott are/were very popular in the locker room. That’s not the case with Parsons, who has rankled teammates in different ways, seen by some as egotistical and self-centered. His podcast has created issues, too, that go all the way up to quarterback Dak Prescott. The reason this feels significant is because Dak Prescott is rarely connected to stories like this. Dak generates some passionate emotions in terms of thoughts around his play, but it feels fair to say that we hardly ever see him in this kind of regard or anywhere near it. If this reporting is true then the “what are you doing” nature of trading Parsons may make more sense to some people. In a world where everyone was rubbed the wrong way, maybe alleviating the team of Parsons’ presence improves group morale. That is all based around this report being true, though. If it isn’t true then it is hard to draw that same kind of line. We should note that the article has no on-the-record quotes, or even vague off-the-record background references to where this information came from. What do you believe? 38 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

As you know by now, Micah Parsons is out and Kenny Clark is in. If you watched the Jerry Jones press conference on Thursday, you heard how excited the Dallas Cowboys front office was about improving their putrid run defense with the addition of Kenny Clark. During the press conference, Jerry mentioned many times how […] As you know by now, Micah Parsons is out and Kenny Clark is in. If you watched the Jerry Jones press conference on Thursday, you heard how excited the Dallas Cowboys front office was about improving their putrid run defense with the addition of Kenny Clark. During the press conference, Jerry mentioned many times how adding Kenny Clark was just as important to them as the two first-round draft picks they acquired from the Green Bay Packers. Someone should probably tell Jones’ they had an entire offseason to help improve the Dallas run defense, and could have done so without trading their best player. Nonetheless, the deal is done, and Clark is expected to play a big role in Dallas under Matt Eberflus. Clark, who will turn 30 this season, is coming off the worst season of his career statistically, but a toe injury was more to blame for Clark’s struggle rather than an overall dip in his play. Clark has been a top defensive lineman in the NFL for a majority of his career. Now healthy, Clark will team up with Osa Odighizuwa to give the Cowboys their best defensive tackle tandem in over a decade. While the Cowboys are banking on improving their run defense with the recent trade, everyone should temper their expectations of extreme changes in the Cowboys ability to stop the run. Bringing in Clark is a step in the right direction, but run defense is far from a one-man job. Diving into things a little deeper, the Packers defense was strong against the run in 2024, but Clark himself did not impress on tape or from an advanced metric standpoint in being an elite run defender. In fact, he was more impressive as a pass rusher and backfield penetrator in the few games I watched from 2024. In order to have a strong run defense, it takes contributions from all 11 players on the defensive side of the ball. Clark ranks out positively in the run defense category for most of his career, but the Cowboys are not built to stop the run. With Odighizuwa, Dante Fowler, and one of the young ends expected to be the starters along side Clark on the defensive line, the Cowboys have went from one of the worst run defending defensive lines in the NFL, to still bottom half of the league. Ultimately, the Jones’ traded away one of the biggest strengths of the team (pass rush) to slightly improve their ability to stop the run. At the end of the day, the Cowboys will likely not be the 31st ranked defense when it comes to rush EPA, but can they be good enough to balance their lack of pass rush that could be a much bigger weakness now heading into the 2025 regular season? 55 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

With Micah Parsons now in Green Bay, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new starting defensive end for the first time in four years. Over that time, the Cowboys were set up nicely with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence as the starting defensive ends heading into the season. Now, with Parsons in Green […] With Micah Parsons now in Green Bay, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new starting defensive end for the first time in four years. Over that time, the Cowboys were set up nicely with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence as the starting defensive ends heading into the season. Now, with Parsons in Green Bay and DeMarcus Lawrence in Seattle, the Cowboys will be starting a new defensive end duo for the first time since 2021. In the Cowboys most recent release of their depth chart, the team has Dante Fowler and Sam Williams listed as the starters for the defensive end position group. These depth charts are not the end-all, be-all, but they do give some insight to how the coaching staff views things early in the season. Fowler was expected to start opposite of Parsons before the trade, but once the trade was announced it was unsure who else would get the start in week one. Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, and 2025 second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku are all on level playing fields heading into the season, but given Kneeland’s ability to defend the run the best out of the three, there was some sentiment he would get the nod. As of now, it sounds like Williams will get the first crack at things, with a heavy rotation likely depending on down and distance opposite of Fowler. Williams, now 26, is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and has a great opportunity ahead of him to earn himself a nice payday if he plays well this season. Williams was expected to have a big 2024 season, before tearing his ACL early in camp last year. Now healthy, Williams, Fowler, Kneeland, and Ezeiruaku will have some big shoes to fill with Parson no longer demanding most of the attention from opposing offenses and offensive coordinators. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

It’s finally over. The Micah Parsons saga ended in epic fashion as the team’s star pass rusher was shipped to the Green Bay Packers. No longer will we have to worry about a contract extension. No longer will we have to worry if he’ll play in the season opener. No longer is he a Dallas […] It’s finally over. The Micah Parsons saga ended in epic fashion as the team’s star pass rusher was shipped to the Green Bay Packers. No longer will we have to worry about a contract extension. No longer will we have to worry if he’ll play in the season opener. No longer is he a Dallas Cowboy. A blockbuster trade where a team loses one of the elite talents in the league is never going to be a fun time. Cowboys Nation is setting the streets on fire right now. Jerry Jones may need to go into the witness protection program, as this one is not going to die down anytime soon. The tumultuous atmosphere that surrounds this team 7/24/365 just got dosed with jet fuel. Buckle up, Cowboys fans, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. While it’s going to take a while for this gut-wrenching feeling to subside, eventually, it will. It’s better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all. Of course, whoever made up that nonsense never had to part ways with one of the league’s best pass rushers. Parsons has started his career with four straight seasons with at least 12 sacks, becoming only the second player in NFL history to do that. The other being, Reggie White. Coincidentally, White was also drafted by an NFC East team (Philadelphia) before moving on to play for the Packers. In return, the Cowboys received three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Thanks to a leaked draft board, we know that Clark was ranked 20th on the Cowboys’ draft board in 2016. Instantly, the Cowboys’ worst position, nose tackle, got a big upgrade. Clark has been a staple of reliability over his nine-year career, never missing more than three games in a season. Only twice has he missed more than one game in a season. He has put in at least four sacks and 40+ tackles in six of his last eight seasons. Clark is under contract through the 2027 season. The Cowboys also will get the Packers’ next two first-round picks, in 2026 and 2027. For a team with a strong track record of drafting on Day 1, this is quite a bit of ammo. With Green Bay being a good football team, these draft picks will likely be outside the top 20. What ultimately becomes of those picks will go a long way in determining if the Cowboys made a good deal. Of course, what becomes of Parsons means a lot also. Will he continue along this trajectory of being one of the game’s most disruptive defensive players? Will his 245-pound size hold up to the continuous pounding of attacking the quarterback? And is there any truth to reported character concerns within the clubhouse that had people doubting if the team was truly all-in with him? These are questions that will be answered as well. For Dallas, they must turn the page and focus on the players who are on their football team. The addition of Clark gives the Cowboys an interior line group of Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, Solomon Thomas, and Perrion Winfrey. That’s not too shabby. And despite not having Parsons, the team’s edge-rushing group isn’t bad either, thanks to some proactive drafting that landed them two second-round players in back-to-back drafts. Marshawn Kneeland and Donovan Ezeiruaku, paired with Dante Fowler and preseason standout James Houston, make them an interesting group. Finally, the Cowboys now have what was likely to be $200 million in extra cap space over the next five seasons that can go towards other players. This could mean a player like George Pickens, who may have been too pricy to retain, has now become affordable. Other looming contracts of young All-Pros like Tyler Smith and DaRon Bland stand a much better chance of sticking around. It’s going to take some time to fully understand everything that went down for this to happen, and it may be even longer before we can tie a bow on whether this was a good trade or not, but there are elements of this that are positive for the Cowboys. A re-balancing of talent, extra draft capital, and additional cap space all matter and how the Cowboys use it will go a long way in determining the true value of this monster trade. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Micah Parsons trade: Biggest winners/losers from blockbuster Cowboys-Packers deal – Kevin Patra, NFL.com The fans are among the collateral damage from the trade. LOSERS Cowboys fans: It’s been 30 years since their last Lombardi Trophy run. That streak feels likely to hit 31. Thursday’s news is a turd-in-the-punchbowl moment for Cowboys fans who have been sipping […] Micah Parsons trade: Biggest winners/losers from blockbuster Cowboys-Packers deal – Kevin Patra, NFL.com The fans are among the collateral damage from the trade. LOSERS Cowboys fans: It’s been 30 years since their last Lombardi Trophy run. That streak feels likely to hit 31. Thursday’s news is a turd-in-the-punchbowl moment for Cowboys fans who have been sipping sour Kool-Aid for years. Dallas fanatics have endured a glut of annoying contract standoffs that could have been avoided but ultimately bore fruit. The Parsons negotiations seemed to be playing out similarly until the gut-punch trade. Even the most optimistic Cowboys fans will have a hard time convincing themselves that they can compete in 2025 sans their defensive superstar. Clark addresses a longtime need at defensive tackle, but draft picks can’t help right now. Then those fanatical supporters have to hope the organization hits on those picks, which are likely to be near the end of the round. Can’t have another Taco Charlton misstep. Jerry Jones the GM: The entire unraveling of the contract situation doesn’t leave the general manager in a good light. The issues Parsons relayed about his agent being iced out of talks isn’t a good look for the man in charge of personnel. Then there is the issue that the GM’s club is undoubtedly worse heading into a season. The Cowboys’ entire defense revolved around Parsons’ ability to pester the quarterback. Now they’re left with a massive hole. Donovan Ezeiruaku flashed at camp, but does anyone really believe the second-round pick can fill those shoes? GMs constantly tell us that their job is to give the coaches the best 53 they can each year. It’s hard to say the Cowboys have done that after trading Parsons. Matt Eberflus Cowboys DC: It’s a bummer for Eberflus. After bottoming out in Chicago, he landed on his feet in Dallas, hoping for a swift turnaround. Instead of scheming up ways to get Parsons loose on opposing quarterbacks, he’ll be going after it with … Dante Fowler Jr.? The defensive front was far from sturdy last year, and there were already questions in the secondary, thanks in part to injuries. While the addition of Clark helps, Parsons’ absence will only magnify those issues. He wasn’t up to snuff as a head man, but Eberflus can coach up a defense. Having to do so without a game-changer like Parsons, however, will make life significantly harder. Jerry Jones during press conference says Cowboys might be better after Parsons trade – Chris Bumbaca, USA Today The ‘stop the run’ justification for trading Micah Parsons feels dubious. To start the news conference, Jones spent plenty of time talking about run defense. ”Without being too broad, we did think it was in the best interest for our organization, not only in the future but right now, for this season,” Jones said. “We gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in, on the inside of our defense. “The facts are, specifically, we need to stop the run. We haven’t been able to stop the run in key times for several years.” The pass-rushing depth, per Jones, was why comfortable moving on and that adding Clark would overall improve the defense – even with the loss of Parsons. “It was a prerequisite, and we only picked teams … that could pay Micah and had top (defensive) tackles,” Jones admitted. “In addition to the depth, you could scheme pressure as well,” Stephen Jones, the team’s chief operating officer, said. “…But what is tough to scheme, is stopping the run.” […] “This gives us a better chance to be a better team than we have been the last several years while Micah has been here,” Jones told reporters. “Nothing negative on Micah. “We can win more games than we would have, had we gone the other route and signed Micah.” Some of the grades for the trade. It’s ugly. Joe Hoyt Micah Parsons is one of the most valuable players in the NFL. Losing him is a blow the Cowboys will deal with for years to come. But, hey, 29-year-old Kenny Clark should fill a need in the short term. Grade: D Kevin Sherrington The Cowboys traded a generational player to a team that will now move up in class because of it, meaning those two first-round picks are closer to second-rounders. Kenny Clark better be really good. Grade: F Calvin Watkins You just don’t trade talented players away. It’s nice that you got two first-round picks and a defensive tackle with three years left on his deal, but you weaken the defense with Parsons gone. And that doesn’t make sense. Grade: D IMPACT: Micah trade from Cowboys to Packers generates shockwaves – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com There is a player coming back the other way from Green Bay. First things first, and that’s the fact there is a player included in the package of two first-round picks, one for 2026 and another in 2027, as defensive tackle Kenny Clark heads to Dallas, he does so for a team in dire need of solving the equation at nose tackle. What’s unfortunate for Clark is the simple fact anything short of a Hall of Fame stint with the Cowboys will be viewed outside of the building as insufficient simply because he is tied to the Parsons trade. That notwithstanding, Clark does upgrade the 1-tech position. As a quick but related aside, the two first-round picks may or may not work in the Cowboys’ favor, because the Packers, who were already contenders and walked all over Dallas at AT&T Stadium in a postseason humiliation, are now objectively better on paper and that means

The Dallas Cowboys traded away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. All they received in return was Kenny Clark and two-first round draft picks. It is not an exaggeration to say they look like the losers of the trade. That the compensation is so low is part of what makes this a […] The Dallas Cowboys traded away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. All they received in return was Kenny Clark and two-first round draft picks. It is not an exaggeration to say they look like the losers of the trade. That the compensation is so low is part of what makes this a tough situation for the Cowboys. We can debate about what may have gone into that – the negotiation ability of the Cowboys and Packers, etc. etc. – but there is no doubt about the following reality. The Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons in the most inefficient manner possible. So many people spoke about leverage for Dallas with Parsons in that they could have placed the franchise tag on him in back-to-back seasons. That may have been objectively true, but the Cowboys burned up all benefit in terms of negotiating power against a trade candidate, not Parsons. By waiting until the literal final week before the regular season begins the Cowboys put all would-be trade candidates in a bind. The Packers wound up being the team to do the deal, but it is hard for the Packers to objectively trust a player that hasn’t been in their building since March. What’s more (and the main point here) is that the Packers had to give Parsons the massive deal that he was seeking. If the Cowboys wanted to trade Micah Parsons then they should have made the determination that such a move was necessary long ago. The Cowboys could have dealt him at the beginning of this offseason and if they had then they would have had a larger leg to stand on from a negotiation standpoint. What’s more is the Cowboys could have actually utilized the draft compensation they would have received immediately instead of having to wait. And on top of that they would have gotten compensation that Parsons couldn’t have impacted by making Green Bay a better team and worsening their draft position. Feel what you want to feel about the Parsons trade. Be for or against it. But the fact that the Cowboys did it the way that they did is representative of their biggest issue – delaying all important things. This same principle is/was true with Dak Prescott last year, by the way. By giving Dak the deal that they did on quite literally the day that the season began they also handled that in the most inefficient manner possible. Nothing was gained from Dallas by waiting this trade out. All they did was compromise their position against the Packers and paid the price by not getting more compensation as a result of it all. 296 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster