Joshua Onujiogu (No. 91), who played defensive end at Framingham State, was recently signed by the Seattle Seahawks. (PHOTO COURTESY: Frank Poulin Photography)
The Framingham State University defensive end that racked up a career-best 44 solo stops last fall, including 13.5 sacks and 25 tackles for a loss, was signed yesterday by the Seattle Seahawks.
According to D3Football.com, Onujiogu is the only NCAA Division III student-athlete to ink his name on a contract with an NFL team.
The Wareham, Massachusetts native gained attention from the Houston Texans and New England Patriots following an impressive pro day workout earlier this year at Holy Cross. He also visited with the Patriots ahead of this year’s draft.
Onujiogu has been a staple of coach Tom Kelley’s defense since his initial season with the Rams in 2016. He registered 228 total tackles in 47 contests to go with 36 sacks, 67 tackles for a loss, and three forced fumbles.
Prior to his team’s initial NCAA postseason contest against Muhlenberg College, Onujiogu was named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the New England Football Writers’ (NEFW) Division II/III All-New England team while securing a spot on the D3Football.com All-Region 1 squad.
We’re excited to start a weekly football notebook that will feature a slew of news (and links) from the gridiron.
And don’t forget, you can listen to our weekly Football Friday Podcast with Andrew Pezzelli and Zach Weiss on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Alright, let’s share some football stories (and links) – have a great weekend, everyone!
Professional Football
Rob Gronkowski admitted his experience in Tampa, Florida has been a lot different – shall we say enjoyable? – than when he played tight end for Bill Belichick in New England.
Despite recent reports of Deshaun Watson wanting to be traded, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said the organization is “committed” to their quarterback.
There were a LOT of big-time players that sustained season-ending injuries this past fall – in fact, the league saw a 14 percent increase “over the average rate from the previous decade,” which is not good news.
Two days ago, Central Connecticut State University announced that they would not participate in the 2021 Northeastern Conference (NEC) spring football season.
CCSU interim Director of Athletics Tom Pincine said Wednesday’s decision is in “the best interest of our University and football program,” while Ryan McCarthy, who is the coach of the Blue Devils, echoed the statement but also added that the team can “focus solely on returning to spring practice and preparing for the Fall 2021 season.”
The Blue Devils have not competed since 2019 when they posted a school-record 11 victories and secured a spot in the opening round of the NCAA FCS postseason.
While Notre Dame did compete under the ACC umbrella last fall, the Fighting Irish will return to being an independent for the 2021 college football season.
The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) held its ‘digital media day‘ today ahead of the league’s spring football season, which is scheduled to commence – or should we say kickoff? – Saturday, February 20, 2021.
It’s going to look a bit different, but there will be a high school football season in Massachusetts, beginning next month. The state’s Fall II season will run from February 22 to April 25, but there will be no Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) postseason.
Jaxon Dart of Corner Canyon‘s (Draper, Utah) football team was named the National High School Football Player of the Year for 2020. Dart joins an impressive group of National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famers that have earned this honor, including Joe Montana and Emmitt Smith.
Everett (Mass.) will have a new football coach for Fall II, according to Danny Ventura of the Boston Herald. Congrats to Rob Diloreto for being named the new leader of the Crimson Tide!
The Detroit Lions have named Rob Zimmerman of DeWitt High School as their High School Football Coach of the Year. Zimmerman’s Panthers captured the Michigan High School Football Division III state championship with a 40-30 win over River Rogue.
And for those hanging out out on Reddit and discussing Game Stop, thanks for taking a break from day trading to read our Daily Noontime – we appreciate the support (as always!).
As usual, we hope everyone is doing well, staying safe, and holding the line – we’re almost there, so please remain calm! And in the meantime … let’s dish out today’s Daily Noontime for Thursday, January 29.
Have a great day, everyone, and enjoy the flurries (like we did earlier this morning) in Boston.
This was a crazy story to follow – perhaps we see more twists and turns later today?
The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) gained some eyeballs yesterday (and earlier this week) for firing back at Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini, who apparently “called out her critics” in a Twitter video that many have watched over the past few days.
The NWHL began a two-week sprint to its Isobel Cup last Saturday in upstate New York – the league is currently in its sixth season since they initially dropped the puck in 2015.
Make sure to listen to our latest podcast episode – today, we welcomed Kolby Castillo, who is the founder and podcast host of Sports As A Job. Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Anchor.
After a much-needed bye week – we apologize for the radio silence! – we’re back to producing a weekly National Football League (NFL) Power Rankings. And we’re excited to generate this list every week.
So, let’s unveil this week’s Top 20 teams through three weeks!
As usual, make sure to stop by every day for brand new football content while following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube!
Noontime’s Week Four Power Rankings (Sept. 29, 2020)
1. Kansas City Chiefs (3-0, Previously: No. 1): Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs looked pretty well last night against the Baltimore Ravens. In fact, we think they looked really good!
2. Seattle Seahawks (3-0, Previously: No. 3): If you let Russell Wilson cook, then he will make a delicious meal. And so far, Wilson is cooking up some magic after three impressive outings.
3. Baltimore Ravens (2-1, Previously: No. 2): Yes, the Ravens lost to the Chiefs last night, but they are still the second-best team in the AFC.
4. Green Bay Packers (3-0, Previously: No. 9): Initially, we thought the Packers would take a step back this year, but apparently our preseason thought has been incorrect, especially with three weeks of the 2020 season in the books.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0, Previously: No. 10): Ben Roethlisberger has looked pretty good thus far, but the same could be said for the Pittsburgh defense. Maybe they will be able to challenge the Ravens for the top spot in the AFC North?
6. Buffalo Bills (3-0, Previously: No. 7): Josh Allen is having a great season thus far. And their win against the Los Angeles Rams was an important one, especially after they squandered a 28-3 advantage.
7. Tennessee Titans (3-0, Previously: No. 8): Yes, we know the Titans and Minnesota Vikings will be sidelined until this weekend due to eight members of the Tennessee organization testing positive for the coronavirus. But whether they play or not this upcoming week, these Titans should not be overlooked – they’re a good football team. And they certainly remain the favorites in the AFC South.
8. New England Patriots (2-1, Previously: No. 5): The Patriots are proving they can win games with everyone in their locker room – we saw that on Sunday when they leaned heavily on Rex Burkhead, who rushed for three touchdowns. This week, the Pats face their toughest test of the season: Kansas City.
9. Los Angeles Rams (2-1, Previously: No. 13): The Rams came close to beating the Bills this past weekend but struggled to stop Josh Allen and the offense down the stretch. But as Sean McVay said after the game, the team will learn from this setback and bounce back. And we certainly expect that to happen this week against the New York Giants.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1, Previously: No. 11): Tom Brady and the Buccaneers have won back-to-back contests. And they should be able to string together another win this week against the Los Angeles Chargers (fingers crossed!).
11. San Francisco 49ers (2-1, Previously: No. 6): The 49ers have scored back-to-back wins against perhaps the two worst teams in the NFL – that would be the New York Giants and New York Jets. They should tack on another win this week against the winless Philadelphia Eagles.
12. New Orleans Saints (1-2, Previously: No. 4): Sure, the Saints have stumbled since beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, but this team needs to win this week to regain its week one mojo.
13. Chicago Bears (3-0, Previously: On The Rise): Somehow, Matt Nagy and the Bears have won three-straight games. Can they continue this momentum this week against the Indianapolis Colts?
14. Indianapolis Colts (2-1, Previously: No. Not Ranked): Philip Rivers and the Colts have won back-to-back contests, but face a good test this week against the undefeated Bears.
15. Dallas Cowboys (1-2, Previously: No. 14): The Cowboys have the talent, but are also banged up. Give the Boys credit for putting up a fight against the Seahawks, but they should be able to learn from this game, as well as their week one loss heading into a must-win contest on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
16. Cleveland Browns (2-1, Previously: Not Ranked): Nick Chubb highlighted his team’s second-straight win of the 2020 season. He will certainly be a player to watch this week against the Cowboys.
17. Arizona Cardinals (2-1, Previously: No. 12): The Cardinals should have beaten the Detroit Lions, but instead faltered down the stretch. Can they rebound this week against the 1-2 Carolina Panthers? We’ll have to wait and see!
18. Las Vegas Raiders (2-1, Previously: No. 19): The Silver and Black sustained their first setback of the season to the Patriots on Sunday, but have looked somewhat decent against both the Panthers and Saints.
19. Miami Dolphins (1-2, Previously: Not Ranked): The Dolphins finally cracked the win column last week thanks to their tenured quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick.
20. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2, Previously: No. 18): The Chargers looked good against the Chiefs one week ago, but did not look good against the Panthers, especially down the stretch.
On the Rise: Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans
It’s time to kick off the second week of the National Football League (NFL) this evening, which means it is time to unveil our ‘Team Noontime Week Two Picks!’
Liz H. Noonan predicted eight of 16 contests correctly while Matt Noonan enters a new week boasting a 7-9 record.
As always, thanks for stopping by and seeing our predictions, and enjoy the second week of the NFL!
Team Noontime’s NFL Week Two Picks
Matt Noonan’s Picks
Liz H. Noonan’s Picks
Cincinnati Bengals over Cleveland Browns
Cincinnati Bengals over Cleveland Browns
Tennessee Titans over Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans over Jacksonville Jaguars
Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers over Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers over Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles over Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Rams over Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers over New York Jets
San Francisco 49ers over New York Jets
Buffalo Bills over Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills over Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings over Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings over Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers over Detroit Lions
Dallas Cowboys over Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys over Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears over New York Giants
Chicago Bears over New York Giants
Arizona Cardinals over Washington Football Team
Arizona Cardinals over Washington Football Team
Kansas City Chiefs over Los Angles Chargers
Kansas City Chiefs over Los Angles Chargers
Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans
Baltimore Ravens over Houston Texans
New England Patriots over Seattle Seahawks
New England Patriots over Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints over Las Vegas Raiders
New Orleans Saints over Las Vegas Raiders
Matt Noonan’s record: 7-9
Liz H. Noonan’s record: 8-8
We’ll be posting our Team Noontime NFL Picks every Thursday and will be keeping track of who was correct with their predictions, too!
