Author: Brandon King

PE Corner: The “Phoenix Mercury” Kobe VIII Protro

Brandon King

This duo of Kobe VIII player exclusives was made with the Phoenix Mercury in mind. One pair features an orange engineered mesh upper with a purple Swoosh on the lateral side, with similarly presented, but smaller branding on the medial ankle. Purple also shows up on the Kobe logo on the tongue as well as the Kobe signature on the external heel counter.  An orange midsole and white rubber outsole rounds out the aesthetic.  The second pair sports a white mesh upper adorned on the sides with orange Swooshes of…

Read More

Three TSU takeaways from the 25th John A. Merritt Classic

Brandon King

The Tennessee State Tigers opened the season for the first time in the Eddie George era with a victory, defeating Mississippi Valley in the 25th John A. Merritt Classic 41-21. Saturday night. As the Tigers prepare for a major step up in competition, facing the Bison of North Dakota State this Saturday, here are a few takeaways from Saturday evening. TSU appears to have their QB1 Last season Coach Eddie George and the Tigers implemented a two-quarterback system. The oscillating between signal callers Daveon Bryant and Draylen Ellis swayed back and…

Read More

North Carolina Central’s J’Mari Taylor named BOXTOROW HBCU National Player of the Week

Brandon King

North Carolina Central running back J’Mari Taylor was named HBCU National Player of the Week by BOXTOROW.  In the Orange Blossom Classic, the redshirt junior ball carrier ran for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries, while adding 18 yards on a pair of receptions in Central’s 31-24 victory over Alabama State.  Taylor and his feats will be spotlighted on BOXTOROW with Donal Ware, the nationally syndicated radio show airing on stations that include the Triangle, on Buzz Sports Radio.  BOXTOROW also airs on Satellite Radio on SiriusXM College Sports, Fridays 6p ET/5p CT/3p PT, and on SiriusXM Channel 142, H.B.C.U., on Saturday 9a ET/8a CT/6a PT. A full list of affiliate stations…

Read More

Tennessee State’s Draylen Ellis and James Lowery earn BigSout-OVC Weekly honors

Brandon King

The Big South-OVC announced their weekly football honors and two Tennessee State players garnered the weekly accolades. Quarterback Draylen Ellis was named Offensive Player of the Week and kicker James Lowery was named Special Teams Player of the Week.  Draylen Ellis | Quarterback | Tennessee State | Grad In the Tigers’ 41-21 season-opening win over Mississippi Valley in the John Merritt Classis, Ellis completed 21-of-31 passes for a career-high 356 yards and three touchdowns. In helping the Tigers surge to a 31-0 halftime lead over the Delta Devils, Ellis was…

Read More

FAMU rallies late to down South Carolina State 22-17

Brandon King

Title image via Florida A&M football Despite being down double digits in the fourth quarter, Florida A&M rallied for two scores in the period to pull out a 22-17 home win.  South Carolina State drew first blood near the end of the first quarter, scoring on a Kyle Gallegos 35-yard field, that put the Bulldogs up 3-0. Florida A&M responded with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended when Daniel Richardson connected with Koby Goss on a 29-yard pass that pulled the Rattlers in front 7-3.  A missed Cameron Gillis field…

Read More

Tennessee State defeats Mississippi Valley 41-21 in John Merritt Classic

Brandon King

title image via Tennessee State Football Tennessee State and Mississippi Valley State renewed football pleasantries in the 25th John Merritt Classic. The two schools last met in the 2019 Classic, with Tennessee State claiming a 26-20 victory. In a largely dominant, but uneven performance, as they gave up 21 points in the fourth quarter, Tennessee State was able to bring home the 25th edition of the John Merritt Classic, 41-21 over the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State. Big plays were the order of the day for Tennessee State with…

Read More

“French Blue 2.0” Air Jordan 12 coming in 2025

Brandon King

title image via zsneakerheadz As could be gleaned from its moniker, his upcoming Air Jordan is a follow-up to the very well-received “French Blue” Air Jordan 12. Although at this early juncture, there are no images of this upcoming colorway, what is known is they will make use of a white, french blue, metallic silver, and varsity red color palette. Predictive speculation assigns an aesthetic that is consistent with the “French Blues” ( white leather ribbed upper, french blue mudguards, metallic silver top eyelets, french blue and white midsole, and…

Read More

A big second half pushes Rutgers past Howard 44-7

Brandon King

title image via David Sierra Howard played Rutgers reasonably close in the first half, only finding themselves down 17-7 after the first three minutes of play. Unfortunately for the Bison, any thoughts of an upset were shut down in the second half as they were outscored 27-0 by the Scarlet Knights, allowing them to cruise to a comfortable 44-7 season-opening win. The engine for the vehicle of Howard’s destruction was the Scarlet Knights’ running game. Rutgers racked up 329 yards on 46 attempts, averaging a robust 7.2 yards per carry.…

Read More

“Black/Grey/Red” Air Jordan 11 on the way in 2025

Brandon King

title image via zsneakerheadz With all of the notable releases in 2025, it is possible this Air Jordan 11 may fly under the radar.  At this juncture, there are no available images, but initial predictive speculation assigns an aesthetic of a black mesh upper overlaid with a black patent leather rand that features the correct higher cut. Red could show up on the “23” on the rear heel and on the “JUMPMAN JORDAN sash that traverses the tongue.  A metallic Jumpman may occupy the lateral ankle, which completes an upper…

Read More

Arkansas Pine-Bluff boatraced by Arkansas 70-0 in season opener

Brandon King

0 UAP 70 Winner ARK Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F UAP 0 0 0 0 0 ARK 28 21 7 14 70 When a team gets starched 70-0, there is no too much in depth analysis needed. Arkansas Pine Bluff took on Arkansas Thursday night and it was even more lopsided than 50.5 points by which the Razorbacks were favored. Arkansas stormed to a 21-0 lead just ten minutes into the game. The Razorbacks took a 28-0 lead into the second quarter and a 7-touchdown lead at 49-0 after the…

Read More