Off That | NFL Draft ‘24 | College Hoops 25 | YouTube Rabbithole
Happy New Year @YouTheReader,
Today’s tune for the start of ‘24 is Off That by Jay-Z featuring Drake. This song was on Jay-Z’s Blueprint III album, released in ‘10. I honestly forgot about this song, but bringing it back.
Fits perfectly for New Year’s. Twenty-Twenty-Four, holy hell, that’s so futuristic, pretty cool!
Jay-Z is thinking so far ahead of the future in his head that his watch is still says today. These are slights about how he was ahead of his competition. By the time of Blueprint III, Jay-Z was already an icon in rap and still making consistent hits.
Here he’s going on about his updated wardrobe. I’m still in my last year's jeans that of course, I wash every time after wearing them.
This is true, it generally takes someone 10 to 15 years to become a professional or expert. Everybody, please let Jay-Z know I say thank you for allowing me to borrow his tune for some inspiration as a year 2 writer.
Drake was just on the chorus for this tune and the hook is catchy. I miss when these two would make hits together, some of my favorite hip-hop are their features together. Drake on the rise and Jay-Z giving us the Blueprint to success, what a time.
Drake was off the Cristal champagne. He should get on the Guinness!
#GetDrakeOnGuinness just “invented” a new #Hashtag.
Always a fan of when locations in NYC get a mention. I just found out his best white mate is likely Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay. Martin convinced Jay-Z to perform at the Glastonbury Festival in ‘08 across the pond, which was a pretty big deal. Jay-Z has also complimented Martin by calling him the “Modern Day Shakespeare,” I had no idea they were friends, that’s cool.
I like how Jay-Z uses fidduck, that might work here…
Here is some solid rhyme scheme, everybody who knows ball of course knows Two-A-Days is an American football reference to practicing twice in a day (morning and afternoon) usually around training camp in the pre-season.
More clever world play, the only time he talks about the past is when he is past being tense, while also saying that he is over rims and tints in his cars. Overall the tune is about thinking in the future, so I figured it’s a nice start to ‘24. By the way, this reminds me that I have to unveil my new calendar for ‘24…
*When your mom hits a home run on her Christmas gift calendars on back-to-back years.*
Sidenote: Do you think Travis has a calendar? Psshhh, yeah right.
Double Sidenote: @FellowSwifties I’m sorry putting that sorta energy in the ‘24 air this soon, that’s on me dog.
I can tell the fellas are going to love this, I couldn’t wait to share it!
Let’s talk ball…
These numerical rankings are subject to change. After today, we’ve profiled 170 College Football players, which would nearly cover the 5 Rounds of the NFL Draft. I got all 170 players' profiles saved on a draft that I promise I won’t send you (it’s a 190-minute read and still growing), but just for context the Mel Kiper’s of the world cover anywhere from 250 to 300 prospects, so I still got a ways to go. Eventually, the plan is to start making Mock Drafts with NFL teams once the draft order is more finite and I know where the NYJ and NYG are picking.
Connor Colby is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so you know he grew up rooting for Hawkeye football. In his freshman season of ‘21, Colby was named the Coaches Appreciation Award and FWAA named him a part of the Freshman All-American team as he made 11 starts at RG. He was the first true freshman to start on the Iowa line since ‘17. In his sophomore season, Colby played 13 games starting 6 games at RT and 7 at LG. That season he was also named Academic All-Big Ten. This past season, Colby maintained good grades while being recognized on the 3rd Team All-Big Ten and made 12 starts at RG. Colby has succeeded at 3 different positions in college, which I’m sure will please draft scouts looking for versatility. At 6’6” and 311 lbs., Colby should be able to play both guard spots and RT in the NFL.
McKinnley Jackson is from Lucedale, Mississippi, a town of about 3,000 or so people in south Mississippi. In ‘20 as a freshman, Jackson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team as he contributed 1.5 sacks and 13 tackles in limited playing time. As a sophomore, Jackson earned more playing time and 4 starts as he earned the Defensive Toughness Award at the annual team banquet. In his junior year, the 6’2” & 325 lbs. defensive lineman was named a team captain as he finished 2nd on the team in tackles for loss with 7. This past season Jackson was once again named captain, made 8 starts at DT, and recorded 3 sacks with 5.5 TFLs. McKinnley Jackson will be a disruptive force as an interior pass rusher.
Shyheim Battle is from Rocky Mount, North Carolina, about an hour from NC State. After redshirting his first year in ‘19, Battle made 12 starts in ‘20 and ranked 7th in the ACC in passes defended with 11 (1 INT & 10 pass breakups). In ‘21, Battle was an All-ACC honorable mention as he allowed less than 50% completions and seven yards/attempt in back-to-back years. The defensive back in ‘22 made 11 more starts with 2 INTs. This past season Battle once again made another 13 starts with 2 more INTs. Battle is a very experienced corner with great size at 6’2” and he’s not afraid to use it, he will light WRs up while also being able to defend the run.
Josaiah Stewart is originally from the Bronx but played his high school ball in Massachusetts where he was a 3-star prospect. His senior season in the fall of ‘20 was canceled because of COVID so he only had a year and a half experience of high school football so he attended a prep school where he played both tight end and defensive end. In ‘21, he made his collegiate debut with Coastal Carolina and immediately made an impact with 15.5 tackles for loss to go with 12.5 sacks. This earned him All-Sun Belt first team. While he wasn’t able to replicate the sack numbers in year 2, Stewart in ‘22 was All-Sun Belt second team with 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. This past year Stewart transferred to Michigan and has been a solid contributor for the best defense in College Football. As a Michigan Man, Stewart has picked up 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. He’ll be coming off the edge tonight against Alabama, so let’s see if he can add to that.
Jasheen Davis (no relation, if you’re wondering) is from Snellville, Georgia, and was a 4-star prospect out of high school. As a freshman in ‘21, Davis was a 2nd Team All-American as he had 34 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 8.5 tackles for loss. In his sophomore campaign, he was named an All-ACC honorable mention while leading the Deacons in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7). This past season, Davis had career-highs in tackles (49), tackles for loss (17), and sacks (7.5). Davis is a menace on the edge with good burst and bend.
We at Week to Week Notes are prudently pleading with the Associated Press to start releasing their Top 25 of Men’s College Basketball on Sundays. For now, these rankings are still updated on Mondays after these Notes are posted.
Braden Smith is from Westfield, Indiana, and was the 13th recipient of Indiana's Mr. Basketball to play for the Boilermakers. Last year in his freshman season at Purdue, Smith was named to Big Ten's All-Freshman Team and was an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten. Smith was 3rd on the team in scoring last year, as he averaged 9.7 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 44% from 3. The 6’ sophomore point guard this season is now averaging 12.8 points (2nd on the team behind Zach Edey) and 6.8 assists per game while shooting an incredible 48% from beyond the arc. I get a bit of Greg Paulus vibes, who people forget not only had a very successful career at Duke in basketball but then played QB at Syracuse and he still holds the Orange record of 67.7% completion percentage to this day. I wonder if Braden Smith can throw a spiral?
Tyler Kolek is from Cumberland, Rhode Island, which is about 50 minutes west of Plymouth. He won the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year in ‘19. His first year at college was spent at George Mason where he won the A-10 Rookie of the Year by averaging 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. George Mason that season had a middle-of-the-pack year and didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Kolek transferred to Marquette in ‘21-’22 and initially struggled in his first year at Marquette as he averaged 6.7 points per game while shooting 28% from 3. Last year, the lefty point guard nearly doubled his points to 12.9 while throwing 7.5 dimes per game. He shot 40% from 3 as well, so must’ve put in a ton of work on the jump shot. This Tyler Kolek is leading Marquette in points (15.3), assists (6.3), steals (1.7), and is shooting a team-best 42% from beyond the arc.
Javain McCollum is from Fort Myers, Florida, where he was twice named The News-Press Basketball Player of the Year. Out of high school, he chose to play for Siena in upstate New York. As a freshman, he averaged 6.7 points while shooting 43% from 3. As a sophomore at Siena, he became a starter while improving his averages to 15.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game. This season Javian McCollum transferred to Oklahoma and is 2nd on the team in both scoring (15 ppg) and assists (3.5 apg). McCollum is shooting an excellent 95% from the free-throw line this year while also averaging 39% from 3.
David Jones was born in Santo Domingo, Domincan Republic. After playing high school ball in West Virginia, Jones went to DePaul where he spent 2 seasons with the program. In his sophomore year, he earned consistent playing time and averaged 14.5 points per game. Last season, he transferred to St. John’s because he wanted to be around the Latino Community in New York as well as play alongside his DR teammate, Joel Soriano. For St. John’s, he was 2nd on the team in scoring with 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. This season, David Jones transferred to Memphis and the lefty forward is scoring a career-high 21.2 points per game while shooting 40% from 3.
Bryce Hopkins is from Oak Park, Illinois, which is about 15 minutes outside of Chicago. In high school, he averaged 24.4 points with 12.5 rebounds per game and MaxPreps named him the Illinois Player of the Year in ‘21. Right out of high school, Hopkins chose to play for the Kentucky Wildcats where he didn’t get much playing on the bench. He transferred to Providence the following season and immediately was inserted into the starting lineup as a sophomore. Last year he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. This got him on the AP 1st Team All-BIG East. This season, Hopkins has bumped his scoring (16.3) and rebounds (8.7) average up a bit. To me, he’s got a bit of young Richard Jefferson in his game.
YouTube Rabbithole
This was me opening up my Taylor Swift Era’s ‘24 Calander on Christmas.