Vinson named to TSWA 4A All-State Team

New England Patriots rookies - head coach Jerod Mayo and quarterback Drake Maye - spent a good deal of time together the past two days at the team's rookie camp, with Mayo taking a level approach in his initial reviews. "Early impressions of Drake?" Mayo said Saturday. "He has a lot to work on. But I have no doubt he'll put the work in." Maye, the Patriots' first-round pick (No. 3 overall) from North Carolina, has not yet been named the starter but that's widely expected to come this summer. Until then, Mayo will watch closely and continue to challenge the 21-year-old quarterback. "He has a lot to work on. A lot to work on ...," Mayo continued. "He was here all night trying to get on the same page as everyone else." While "all night" might be a stretch, Mayo underscored the importance of spending quality time with his rookies. "We'll be here ‘til 7, 8, 9 o'clock," he said. "Go in for a lift, then we have some meetings. "The best thing about mini-camp is being around the guys for the first time. We're at the hotel together. We're right across the hallway from each other, so we'll watch the film and look at the scripts for the next day together. We've got nothing else to do up here. Why not focus on football?" Among Maye's future targets, wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk spoke highly when asked for his evaluation of Maye. "Guy can sling it," said Polk, New England's second-round selection. "Very confident and vocal. He's a leader. "He's setting the tone in practice, trying to get guys moving around and operating at a high level. This is new to all of us. We're still learning and trying to get to know each other so everybody can get on the same page." Much of Maye's early work centered on fundamentals. "I'm trying out two new stances that I'm getting used to," he said. "Just getting more reps at it. Footwork is huge. It's something that's not easy." Along with Mayo, Maye will lean on Mayo as well as New England offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive assistant coach Ben McAdoo and quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney. "T.C. is talking to us during the meetings," Maye said, "Coach Van Pelt will chime in when he needs to. (McAdoo) is awesome. All three of them know a lot of football." -Field Level Media

Alabama shored up two positions of need Saturday, as two transfer players announced commitments to the Crimson Tide. Safety King Mack, a former top-100 safety prospect who began his career at Penn State put out a tweet saying he was "1000% committed #RollTide." Mack played in 13 games in 2023, totaling three tackles. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide also secured the services of former Michigan State offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark, who started six games at guard for the Spartans in 2023. He posted "Roll Tide Roll" and "Committed" on Instagram. Seven Alabama defensive backs entered the transfer portal since the conclusion of the 2023 season and subsequent retirement of Nick Saban. That list included safeties Caleb Downs, Jake Pope and Kristian Story. In addition, Jaylen Key left for the NFL and was selected in the seventh round by the New York Jets. Interior linemen Seth McLaughlin, TJ Ferguson and James Brockermeyer also transferred out, each landing with power 5 programs (Ohio State, Florida State and TCU, respectively). The Crimson Tide have been active in the spring portal after suffering those defections and several others following Saban's retirement. In addition to VanDeMark and Mack, Alabama has added former Iowa lineman Kadyn Proctor, former Charlotte defensive back Kameron Howard and former Wake Forest DB DaShawn Jones. Alabama is coached by former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer. --Field Level Media

The New England Patriots named Eliot Wolf their executive vice president of player personnel on Saturday. Wolf, 42, has 20 seasons of NFL experience, including the last four as director of scouting for the Patriots. His duties will include overseeing the personnel department, managing the salary cap and control of the 53-man roster. The Patriots also have a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo. "As I have stated multiple times during the offseason, the plan was to observe the working relationship and involvement between Eliot and Jerod and see how they managed our offseason personnel decisions," Patriots CEO Robert Kraft said in a news release. "Then, following the draft we would formally undertake a process for setting up the permanent structure of our personnel department. "I have been impressed with Eliot's management style and experience and I'm excited that he has agreed to take on this new position." Wolf previously spent time with the Green Bay Packers (2004-17) and Cleveland Browns (2018-19). He was assistant general manager with the Browns. "It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots," Wolf said. "I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years." Wolf is the son of former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. --Field Level Media

Bill Belichick isn't coaching an NFL franchise this season, but he'll still be on television screens often during the 2024 NFL season. Peyton Manning, who with his brother, Eli, hosts the "ManningCast" on ESPN -- officially called "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli" -- said the coach will appear on every episode during the upcoming season. "ManningCast" airs as an alternative viewing format for the majority of, but not all, "Monday Night Football" games. Peyton Manning told "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN on Friday that Belichick will be on the show every week, likely early in the game, to share his expertise. "That's the idea, that Bill is going to be a permanent guest on every 'ManningCast' show early in the game, probably the first quarter," Manning explained, "to kind of take people behind the ropes as to what this defense has to do or what the quarterback's challenges are." The Manning brothers have a long history with Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowl games with the New England Patriots. He and the team, which he started coaching in 2000, mutually split after a 4-13 season in 2023. Peyton and Tom Brady were the preeminent quarterbacks of their era, engaging in a head-to-head rivalry that saw Brady's Patriots beat Peyton's Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos 11 times in 17 attempts. Eli's New York Giants beat the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl, to conclude the 2007 and 2011 seasons. Belichick has been coveted for television jobs, and he agreed to join Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions. "It was an easy pitch to Bill. I said, 'Bill, we want you to come on. Look, we'd love to go behind the ropes on the defensive side as to kind of what the Eagles are going to have to do to stop Patrick Mahomes, right?'And if you ever run out of things to say, just make fun of Eli, right? That's always sort of a time-filler,'" Peyton said. "And Bill doesn't like Eli. We all know that -- two Super Bowls -- so it's just a match made in heaven." --Field Level Media

Broncos first-round QB Bo Nix signs rookie contract

Denver Broncos first-round draft pick Bo Nix signed his four-year rookie contract. The team announced the signing but not the terms for the quarterback, who was selected with the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. Multiple reports said the fully guaranteed deal is worth $18.6 million with a signing bonus of $10.36 million and includes the standard team option for a fifth season. "I don't want to just be a draft pick," Nix said. "I want to be able to show my improvements and show that I can do what (they) picked me to do, and that's to go out there and help win games (and) do whatever I can to put his team in a better situation." Nix, 24, completed 77.4 percent of his passes and threw for 4,508 yards and 45 touchdowns while getting picked off just three times for Oregon last season. He was named the 2023 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. Nix will compete with Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham for the starting role in Denver. --Field Level Media