It makes sense why Detroit Lions fans may be feeling frustrated or discouraged about the direction of the franchise.

After the best regular season in Lions history and its first time capturing the NFC's No. 1 seed in 2024, Detroit slumped to 9-8 and missed the playoffs altogether. Looking at the Lions' 2026 salary cap situation as the new league year and free agency approaches might unnerve the Detroit faithful, too.

But, thanks primarily to its restructure potential and some cut candidates, there's more financial wiggle room for the franchise than meets the eye.

Even after a frustrating finish in 2025, the Lions bring back a talented group of stars that includes quarterback Jared Goff, wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery and defensive stars Aidan Hutchinson and Jack Campbell.

ESPN feels like the Lions are a prime candidate for a 2026 bounce back. In its look at NFL overhaul tiers for 2025's 18 non-playoff teams, the Lions join the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in the "no need to panic" category.

Detroit still has one of the league's most talented rosters and should jump right back into contention. The hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing isn't splashy but will prove vital. - Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

Fowler and ESPN listed edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad as Detroit's top free agent. One of the lone concerns from Fowler was the reality that the Lions have committed nearly $1 billion to star players on extensions and there are still extensions to navigate to other young stars such as Gibbs, Campbell and tight end Sam LaPorta.

But, while the sour taste of a 9-8 finish in 2025 is fresh on fans' minds, ESPN views the Lions alongside the Ravens and Chiefs as obvious candidates for postseason returns in 2026.

The rest of ESPN's tiers for non-playoff teams broke down like this:

A few moves away

• Cincinnati Bengals
• Dallas Cowboys
• Indianapolis Colts
• Minnesota Vikings
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sneaky good trajectory

• Atlanta Falcons
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Giants

Somewhere between contention and reset

• Washington Commanders

In the middle of a rebuild

• Cleveland Browns
• Tennessee Titans

Full-blown overhaul

• Arizona Cardinals
• Las Vedgas Raiders
• Miami Dolphins
• New York Jets

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: ESPN says 'no need to panic' on Detroit Lions 2026 playoff return

No. 1 and No. 89 have finally connected once again.

After keeping distant for about a decade, Carolina Panthers legends Cam Newton and Steve Smith Sr. recently sat down for a deep conversation with one another. The chat, which was posted to Newton's and Smith's YouTube channels on Thursday, navigated through their past and misunderstandings as well as the struggles of maintaining mental health.

Here is the talk in its entirety:

Newton and Smith shared three years together in Carolina, from 2011 to 2013. Smith would be released ahead of the 2014 campaign, and played out the final three seasons of his NFL career as a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

The franchise's all-time leading passer and all-time leading receiver, even in their post-football careers as popular media personalities, had not crossed paths following their Panthers days. There was, however, a bit of tension between the two—most recently when Newton, last February, described their 2011 team as a "locker room of losers."

Smith, who was a part of that squad, did not take too kindly to the characterization. Newton proceeded to clear up his comments, stating he was not specifically referring to Smith.

But now, that's all water under the bridge in what's turned out to be a cathartic past few weeks for the Panthers organization.

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers greats Cam Newton, Steve Smith Sr. reunite for deep conversation

The 5A boys wrestling state tournament is shaping up to be a very tight race.

Two-time defending state championship Spanish Fork, Box Elder and Wasatch are all within six points of each other after the opening day of competition at UVU on Thursday.

Spanish Fork leads with 88 points, followed by Box Elder with 84.5 points and Wasatch with 82 points. Of the three, Spanish Fork advanced the most wrestlers into the semifinals with six, followed by Wasatch with six and Box Elder with five.

Competition resumes with the last two rounds and consolation rounds on Friday at UVU.

One of the feature wrestlers to watch is Wasatch senior Ben Kohler, who improved to 53-6 with a pair of wins on Thursday. He’s two wins away from his third straight individual state championship.

Six other wrestlers are still in the hunt for a state title repeat after advancing to their respective semifinals: Spanish Fork junior Easton Shelley, Wasatch sophomore William Shallenberger, Spanish Fork senior Ryker Olson, Wasatch junior Wyatt Hansen, Spanish Fork senior Hyrum King and Hillcrest senior Moroni Mahe.

Class 5A boys state tournament

Day 1 Team scores

1. Spanish Fork, 88
2. Box Elder, 84.5
3. Wasatch, 82
4. Payson, 71
5. Viewmont, 55
6. Roy, 45.5
7. Salem Hills, 43.5
8. Springville, 43

106 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Dane King, Alta def. Julian Gamino, Box Elder, TF-1.5 2:15 (17-0)
• Tyson Lee, Viewmont def. Tyler Robertson, Maple Mountain, Fall 3:19
• Andre Tavtigian, West def. Caden Lacy, Springville, Dec 8-3
• Max Hartvigsen, Maple Mountain def. Kope Rinker, Skyline, TF-1.5 2:51 (18-1)
• Ryder Thomas, Salem Hills def. Adrian Mascerenas, Roy, Fall 2:33
• Tucker Willet, Wasatch def. Stetson Teeples, Payson, TF-1.5 3:39 (15-0)
• Conner Finch, Payson def. Isaiah Zimmerman, Hillcrest, TF-1.5 3:06 (17-0)
• Chase Weight, Salem Hills def. Dallin Anderson, Fremont, Fall 2:59

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Dane King, Alta def. Tyson Lee, Viewmont, Fall 2:24
• Andre Tavtigian, West def. Max Hartvigsen, Maple Mountain, Dec 9-3
• Ryder Thomas, Salem Hills def. Tucker Willet, Wasatch, Fall 0:29
• Conner Finch, Payson def. Chase Weight, Salem Hills, Dec 8-5

Friday’s semifinals

• Dane King, Alta vs. Andre Tavtigian, West
• Ryder Thomas, Salem Hills vs. Conner Finch, Payson

113 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork def. Cooper Blair, West, TF-1.5 1:48 (15-0)
• Levi Tueller, Payson def. Kirk Nielsen, Box Elder, Dec 10-5
• Jake Zesiger, Viewmont def. Brock Revell, Pleasant Grove, MD 10-2
• Aaron Beckett, Northridge def. Ryan Hua, Kearns, TF-1.5 1:58 (15-0)
• Ryker Winward, Box Elder def. Brit Miner, Maple Mountain, Fall 0:24
• Brody Ellis, Alta def. Conner Lewis, Salem Hills, MD 16-2
• Jesse Judkins, Maple Mountain def. Charles Sessions, Viewmont, Fall 0:53
• Tate Allred, Olympus def. Rico Quintana, Roy, TF-1.5 2:50 (15-0)

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork def. Levi Tueller, Payson, TF-1.5 2:36 (15-0)
• Jake Zesiger, Viewmont def. Aaron Beckett, Northridge, Fall 3:06
• Ryker Winward, Box Elder def. Brody Ellis, Alta, Fall 1:53
• Tate Allred, Olympus def. Jesse Judkins, Maple Mountain, Dec 8-3

Friday’s semifinals

• Easton Shelley, Spanish Fork vs. Jake Zesiger, Viewmont
• Ryker Winward, Box Elder vs. Tate Allred, Olympus

120 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Lucas Herbert, Maple Mountain def. Caleb Manheimer, Kearns, Dec 8-4
• Stetler Lloyd, Spanish Fork def. Zach Fowlke, Salem Hills, Fall 4:50
• Conley Evans, Box Elder def. Jaidon Huynh, Hunter, Fall 0:27
• Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork def. Luke Crookston, Viewmont, TF-1.5 3:13 (16-0)
• Bennett Weight, Salem Hills def. Cole Ashworth, Viewmont, Fall 2:26
• McKay Clements, Springville def. Jacob Gardner, Woods Cross, Fall 0:47
• Ken Starr, Roy def. Xavier Dew, Skyline, MD 9-0
• Gage Anderson, Wasatch def. Mathew Harris, Payson, Fall 0:41

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Lucas Herbert, Maple Mountain def. Stetler Lloyd, Spanish Fork, Dec 3-1
• Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork def. Conley Evans, Box Elder, Dec 7-1
• Bennett Weight, Salem Hills def. McKay Clements, Springville, TF-1.5 2:19 (15-0)
• Gage Anderson, Wasatch def. Ken Starr, Roy, TF-1.5 4:29 (20-5)

Friday’s semifinals

• Lucas Herbert, Maple Mountain vs. Taegan Leavitt, Spanish Fork
• Bennett Weight, Salem Hills vs. Gage Anderson, Wasatch

126 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Kaleb Blackner, Roy def. Joseph Jordan, Cyprus, Fall 1:08
• Tyler Carlos, Salem Hills def. Wendell Maw, Fremont, Fall 2:30
• Gunner Knudsen, Westfield def. Camden Caufield, Roy, Fall 0:30
• Daxton Jolley, Payson def. Kade Burr, Wasatch, Fall 1:43
• Seth Hall, Skyline def. Ryder Paea, Hunter, Fall 1:23
• Hunter Young, Maple Mountain def. David Brems, Skyline, TF-1.5 3:17 (24-6)
• Kyler Spencer, Spanish Fork def. Amin Rahimi, West, Fall 4:22
• Adrian Gamino, Box Elder def. Dawson Thompson, Northridge, Fall 4:41

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Kaleb Blackner, Roy def. Tyler Carlos, Salem Hills, Fall 2:33
• Gunner Knudsen, Westfield def. Daxton Jolley, Payson, Fall 4:11
• Seth Hall, Skyline def. Hunter Young, Maple Mountain, Fall 1:37
• Adrian Gamino, Box Elder def. Kyler Spencer, Spanish Fork, Dec 4-2

Friday’s semifinals

• Kaleb Blackner, Roy vs. Gunner Knudsen, Westfield
• Seth Hall, Skyline vs. Adrian Gamino, Box Elder

132 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Walter Beacham, Alta def. Colt Hanssen, Wasatch, Fall 1:08
• Braken Hester, Box Elder def. Hunter Mcmurdie, Payson, Dec 7-0
• Diesel Knudsen, Westfield def. Cooper Lambert, Pleasant Grove, Fall 1:14
• Warren Christensen, Maple Mountain def. Chad Rees, Viewmont, Dec 8-2
• William Shallenberger, Wasatch def. Beckam Bastian, Northridge, Fall 5:18
• Maxwell Ferguson, Olympus def. Rope Baum, Spanish Fork, Fall 3:26
• Kaden Herrera, Roy def. Denver Ellis, Box Elder, Fall 1:33
• Brody Rydalch, Bountiful def. Cael Sandquist, Hunter, TF-1.5 4:06 (21-4)

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Walter Beacham, Alta def. Braken Hester, Box Elder, Dec 6-5
• Diesel Knudsen, Westfield def. Warren Christensen, Maple Mountain, TF-1.5 4:38 (21-3)
• William Shallenberger, Wasatch def. Maxwell Ferguson, Olympus, Fall 3:04
• Brody Rydalch, Bountiful def. Kaden Herrera, Roy, MD 14-0

Friday’s semifinals

• Walter Beacham, Alta vs. Diesel Knudsen, Westfield
• William Shallenberger, Wasatch vs. Brody Rydalch, Bountiful

138 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Connor Simons, Spanish Fork def. Jarom Gappmayer, Brighton, Fall 3:07
• Bennett Ashcroft, Olympus def. Carson Duong, Hunter, Dec 7-5
• Rylan Winward, Box Elder def. Vinson Moe, Alta, Fall 1:10
• Colby Tennant, Westfield def. Caleb Lewis, Spanish Fork, Fall 2:32
• Benjamin Kohler, Wasatch def. Evan Moss, Alta, Fall 0:33
• Clayton Morrill, Payson def. Sam Allen, Box Elder, TF-1.5 3:27 (16-0)
• Maximo Quintana, Roy def. Joshua Makitrin, Viewmont, Fall 4:43
• Markus McCoy, Wasatch def. Kade Nordmann, Fremont, Dec 11-9

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Connor Simons, Spanish Fork def. Bennett Ashcroft, Olympus, Fall 3:35
• Colby Tennant, Westfield def. Rylan Winward, Box Elder, Dec 9-4
• Benjamin Kohler, Wasatch def. Clayton Morrill, Payson, Fall 1:38
• Maximo Quintana, Roy def. Markus McCoy, Wasatch, TF-1.5 2:33 (16-0)

Friday’s semifinals

• Connor Simons, Spanish Fork vs. Colby Tennant, Westfield
• Benjamin Kohler, Wasatch vs. Maximo Quintana, Roy

144 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Jonas Lotz, Payson def. Elijah Castillo, Kearns, TF-1.5 2:19 (18-1)
• Braxton Trimble, Westfield def. Hunter Privett, Hunter, TF-1.5 5:42 (20-3)
• Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder def. Taima Anderson, Spanish Fork, Fall 3:10
• Adam Terry, Timpview def. Tucker Price, West, MD 14-0
• Daxton Bonner, Wasatch def. Alex Turner, Northridge, Fall 0:38
• Luke Mason, Spanish Fork def. Gabriel Phippen, Box Elder, Fall 5:19
• Kale Zorn, Fremont def. William Holdcroft, West, Fall 2:10
• Pace Williams, Olympus def. Enoc Oteo, Timpview, MD 15-1

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Jonas Lotz, Payson def. Braxton Trimble, Westfield, Fall 5:06
• Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder def. Adam Terry, Timpview, TF-1.5 5:37 (16-1)
• Daxton Bonner, Wasatch def. Luke Mason, Spanish Fork, TF-1.5 3:29 (21-6)
• Kale Zorn, Fremont def. Pace Williams, Olympus, Dec 15-8

Friday’s semifinals

• Jonas Lotz, Payson vs. Kolvin Thompson, Box Elder
• Daxton Bonner, Wasatch vs. Kale Zorn, Fremont

150 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Kael Theobald, Payson def. Parker Yorgason, Westfield, Fall 0:51
• Seth Steele, Salem Hills def. Deacon Neilson, Maple Mountain, Fall 3:08
• Rider Eggett, Viewmont def. Taylor Nageli, Cyprus, Fall 2:25
• Ben Redd, Viewmont def. Rilen Brindley, Spanish Fork, Fall 3:30
• Kamon Thompson, Box Elder def. Damon Innes, Maple Mountain, Fall 0:34
• Max Richins, Wasatch def. Jeff Heywood, Spanish Fork, TF-1.5 3:45 (18-3)
• Derek Harrison, Pleasant Grove def. Masen Hancey, Box Elder, Dec 16-15
• Landon Hill, Brighton def. Brody Walker, Hunter, TF-1.5 6:00 (20-4)

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Kael Theobald, Payson def. Seth Steele, Salem Hills, TF-1.5 3:02 (18-1)
• Rider Eggett, Viewmont def. Ben Redd, Viewmont, Dec 5-2
• Kamon Thompson, Box Elder def. Max Richins, Wasatch, MD 15-1
• Derek Harrison, Pleasant Grove def. Landon Hill, Brighton, MD 21-11

Friday’s semifinals

• Kael Theobald, Payson vs. Rider Eggett, Viewmont
• Kamon Thompson, Box Elder vs. Derek Harrison, Pleasant Grove

157 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork def. Landon Nielsen, Bountiful, Fall 0:58
• Colter Beck, Payson def. Dean Christensen, Box Elder, Dec 3-0
• Owen Seeley, Viewmont def. Nicholas Lowe, Cyprus, Dec 5-2
• Joseph Naylor, West Jordan def. Andrew Card, Olympus, TF-1.5 3:04 (20-1)
• Cash Vigos, Alta def. Logan McNally, Wasatch, Fall 1:38
• Ryker Cluff, Spanish Fork def. Connor Mardanlou, Bountiful, Fall 4:56
• Porter Kemp, Pleasant Grove def. Jameson English, Olympus, Fall 2:15
• Kilun Engelbrecht, Box Elder def. Gatlyn Collier, Northridge, Dec 8-7

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork def. Colter Beck, Payson, MD 13-2
• Joseph Naylor, West Jordan def. Owen Seeley, Viewmont, Dec 5-2
• Ryker Cluff, Spanish Fork def. Cash Vigos, Alta, Fall 1:52
• Porter Kemp, Pleasant Grove def. Kilun Engelbrecht, Box Elder, TF-1.5 5:31 (16-0)

Friday’s semifinals

• Ryker Olson, Spanish Fork vs. Joseph Naylor, West Jordan
• Ryker Cluff, Spanish Fork vs. Porter Kemp, Pleasant Grove

165 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• William Childs, Maple Mountain def. Jack Witt, Wasatch, TF-1.5 3:20 (19-2)
• Xane Shurtleff, Payson def. Keiran Barton, Olympus, Fall 3:21
• Isaac Katoa, West def. Brennan Pierce, Spanish Fork, Dec 6-5
• Zayden Darger, Salem Hills def. Micah Olsen, Northridge, TF-1.5 5:12 (16-1)
• Jonah Ware, Wasatch def. Taylor Graham, Fremont, Fall 1:14
• Noah Vaterlaus, Viewmont def. Nash Judy, West Jordan, Dec 12-9
• Jesse Button, Salem Hills def. Ethan Castillo, Pleasant Grove, Fall 2:27
• Christia Miller, Box Elder def. Ethan Hawks, Springville, Fall 1:00

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• William Childs, Maple Mountain def. Xane Shurtleff, Payson, Dec 4-2
• Isaac Katoa, West def. Zayden Darger, Salem Hills, Fall 0:52
• Jonah Ware, Wasatch def. Noah Vaterlaus, Viewmont, Fall 1:36
• Christia Miller, Box Elder def. Jesse Button, Salem Hills, Fall 4:56

Friday’s semifinals

• William Childs, Maple Mountain vs. Isaac Katoa, West
• Jonah Ware, Wasatch vs. Christia Miller, Box Elder

175 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Alexande Navarro, West Jordan def. Jack Lahn, Bountiful, Fall 1:04
• Alexande Swain, West Jordan def. Marcus Reyes, Bountiful, Fall 4:32
• Dominic Jones, West def. Sean Wilkerson, Maple Mountain, Dec 11-8
• Preston Graver, Spanish Fork def. Colt Hawkins, Viewmont, Fall 2:12
• Tayson Wylie, Box Elder def. Chase Mathiesen, Alta, Fall 1:20
• Trent Harris, Springville def. Dillan Thacker, Wasatch, Fall 3:16
• Bruce Walker, Hunter def. Oliver Mangum, Viewmont, Fall 1:14
• Bo Goodman, Pleasant Grove def. Atticus Feldon, Olympus, Fall 3:54

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Alexande Navarro, West Jordan def. Alexande Swain, West Jordan, Dec 12-9
• Preston Graver, Spanish Fork def. Dominic Jones, West, Dec 9-3
• Trent Harris, Springville def. Tayson Wylie, Box Elder, Fall 0:35
• Bo Goodman, Pleasant Grove def. Bruce Walker, Hunter, TF-1.5 3:35 (15-0)

Friday’s semifinals

• Alexande Navarro, West Jordan vs. Preston Graver, Spanish Fork
• Trent Harris, Springville vs. Bo Goodman, Pleasant Grove

190 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Lisiate Valeti, Springville def. Keenan Simmons, Box Elder, Fall 1:42
• Fernando Cortez, Brighton def. Nathen Berkuta, West Jordan, Dec 10-5
• Judson Yorgason, Westfield def. Cael Cottle, Payson, Fall 0:50
• Karter Casperson, Pleasant Grove def. Jacob Galatro, Viewmont, Fall 2:45
• Kingston O’Bannon, Salem Hills def. Christia Herrick, West Jordan, Fall 3:12
• Zion Talia, Northridge def. Jesse Schiffman, Westfield, Dec 8-3
• Hyrum King, Spanish Fork def. Archer Gale, Woods Cross, Fall 1:30
• Parker Whetton, Box Elder def. Peter Liscomb, Cyprus, Fall 0:25

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Lisiate Valeti, Springville def. Fernando Cortez, Brighton, Fall 2:46
• Karter Casperson, Pleasant Grove def. Judson Yorgason, Westfield, MD 21-8
• Zion Talia, Northridge def. Kingston O’Bannon, Salem Hills, Fall 5:08
• Hyrum King, Spanish Fork def. Parker Whetton, Box Elder, Fall 3:02

Friday’s semifinals

• Lisiate Valeti, Springville vs. Karter Casperson, Pleasant Grove
• Zion Talia, Northridge vs. Hyrum King, Spanish Fork

215 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Porter Jones, West Jordan def. Avirey Miller, Box Elder, Fall 1:59
• Noah Ramboz, Clearfield def. Jaxon Grant, Salem Hills, Fall 3:31
• Mack Youngberg, Viewmont def. Owen Ellsworth, Northridge, Fall 1:34
• Ethan Ure, Payson def. Radly Martin, Granger, TF-1.5 2:52 (15-0)
• Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch def. Logan Packer, West Jordan, Fall 0:32
• Cyrus Armenta, Cyprus def. Hogan Mumford, Box Elder, TF-1.5 4:58 (17-1)
• Tuiono Valeti, Springville def. Emmanuel Ramos, Granger, Fall 0:50
• Viliami Tapa, Woods Cross def. James Nielsen, Alta, Fall 2:51

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Porter Jones, West Jordan def. Noah Ramboz, Clearfield, TF-1.5 3:43 (19-3)
• Mack Youngberg, Viewmont def. Ethan Ure, Payson, MD 8-0
• Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch def. Cyrus Armenta, Cyprus, Fall 0:28
• Tuiono Valeti, Springville def. Viliami Tapa, Woods Cross, Fall 3:38

Friday’s semifinals

• Porter Jones, West Jordan vs. Mack Youngberg, Viewmont
• Wyatt Hanssen, Wasatch vs. Tuiono Valeti, Springville

285 pounds

Thursday’s first round

• Carter Rudolph, Roy def. Brodrick Lee, Woods Cross, Fall 2:57
• Brandon Swain, Viewmont def. Richard Jordan, Fremont, Dec 7-3
• Logan Tull, Wasatch def. Desert D Ale, Pleasant Grove, MD 15-3
• Kyler Olson, Spanish Fork def. Alex Vanisi, Kearns, Fall 3:04
• Moroni Mahe, Hillcrest def. Lincoln Frost, Fremont, Fall 1:27
• Faaifoao Pili Jr, Granger def. Garrett Pickett, Clearfield, Fall 0:51
• Malakai Filimoe atu, Payson def. Ryan Rowley, Westfield, Fall 2:55
• Caleb Cefalo, Box Elder def. Rylen Rude, Northridge, Dec 9-3

Thursday’s quarterfinals

• Carter Rudolph, Roy def. Brandon Swain, Viewmont, Fall 4:44
• Kyler Olson, Spanish Fork def. Logan Tull, Wasatch, Fall 5:15
• Moroni Mahe, Hillcrest def. Faaifoao Pili Jr, Granger, Fall 1:54
• Malakai Filimoe atu, Payson def. Caleb Cefalo, Box Elder, Fall 3:59

Friday’s semifinals

• Carter Rudolph, Roy vs. Kyler Olson, Spanish Fork
• Moroni Mahe, Hillcrest vs. Malakai Filimoe atu, Payson

The San Francisco 49ers had one of the deepest draft classes in the NFL last offseason, taking 11 players in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they looked to get younger and add depth at key positions.

Defense was the name of the game early, as the 49ers took defensive players with their first five picks before selecting wide receiver Jordan Watkins at the end of the fourth round. Several players were forced into big roles early, and a number of rookies flashed in Year 1.

With the season over, let’s look back and evaluate every rookie’s season and what to expect in 2026. Earlier this month, I looked at all the rookies on defense and evaluated their seasons. Now, it’s time to look at the five offensive rookies and their production.

WR Jordan Watkins (Round 4, Pick 138)

As for a couple of players on the list, injuries were the name of the game for Watkins this season. He played in only four games for the 49ers, catching two passes for 26 yards. When considering his draft stock, that can be seen as disappointing, but maybe not out of the ordinary for a fourth-round pick on a talented team.

But Watkins had a really good offseason, consistently flashing as a speedy receiver, which the 49ers badly needed this season without Brandon Aiyuk.

However, injuries limited him for the first two months of the season, and he only made his NFL debut in Week 8, catching one pass while playing five offensive snaps. He caught another pass against the New York Giants the week after while playing six snaps, but only saw two in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.

He played in only one more game this season while dealing with other injuries. The 49ers need more speed, so Watkins should compete in 2026, but he was behind a number of veterans who were inconsistent late in the season.

RB Jordan James (Round 5, Pick 147)

James was drafted to be a backup for the 49ers, who were returning Isaac Guerendo and Christian McCaffrey. But, seeking an upgrade at the spot, San Francisco traded for Brian Robinson before the season to back up McCaffrey.

That put James even lower on the depth chart for carries, so he didn’t make much of an offensive impact this year. A finger injury also limited him to only three games this season, and he had no touches on offense, although he did see some special teams snaps when playing.

This is another what-if. Guerendo doesn’t seem like the backup of the future, so an opening is there. But will the 49ers trust James to fill that role?

QB Kurtis Rourke (Round 7, Pick 227)

You can’t really evaluate this pick because the 49ers specifically drafted Rourke with 2026 and beyond in mind. The former Indiana quarterback was coming off a torn ACL and was expected to miss much of the 2025 season. With Mac Jones in place and Adrian Martinez as the No. 3 quarterback, there was no need to have much of an impact from Rourke in 2025.

Now, expect him to be the No. 3 quarterback behind Jones (assuming the 49ers keep him) in 2026, with the possibility of a bigger role in the future.

OL Connor Colby (Round 7, Pick 249)

Colby was one of San Francisco’s more important rookies this season in a variety of ways. He impressed during the offseason and was immediately thrust into a bigger role when Ben Bartch went down with a multi-week injury, stepping in at left guard to start the year.

That came with its ups and downs. Colby had his flashes in the run game, but definitely saw his fair share of struggles with pass protection and communication, and it was clear he wasn’t fully ready for the opportunity.

Offensive line is a position that takes time to develop, and getting one in the seventh round is primarily for depth purposes. That’s what Colby will be for the next few years, with the possibility to develop into a low-end starter late in his rookie contract.

WR Junior Bergen (Round 7, Pick 252)

This was a pick that I questioned at the time, and it feels like a big question mark one year in. Yes, the 49ers spent a late seventh-round pick here, so the expectations won’t be that high.

But Bergen was drafted primarily for his special teams help as a returner. He didn’t offer much as a receiver, which the 49ers prefer from their returners, and didn’t play in a single game this season. There just didn’t feel like much floor or upside here.

It feels like he’ll have an uphill battle to make the roster in 2026.

The Chargers will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline twice this season when they play the Raiders as Las Vegas is reportedly set to hire former Bolts head coach Mike McCoy as their assistant head coach. McCoy spent four seasons at the head of the Chargers and will now serve as a veteran voice in the ear of first-time head coach Klint Kubiak.

McCoy finished the 2025 season as the interim head coach of the Titans who fired Brian Callahan less than two years after his hire. Before being promoted in the interim, McCoy was a senior offensive assistant. Prior to joining the Titans staff, McCoy coached quarterbacks for the Jaguars from 2022-2024.

The former San Diego Chargers head coach took the team to the postseason in his first year with a 9-7 record. The Bolts finished 9-7 the next season, missing the playoffs, before finishing with records of 4-12 and 5-11 in his final two seasons.

NEED TO KNOW

• Silver medalists Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin tell PEOPLE how they balance their curling dreams with their respective careers as a lab technician and realtor
• Thiesse says she's "really lucky" to work at her mother's mercury testing company because it's "convenient for all the time off that I need"
• Dropkin, a realtor licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin, says he's grateful to his "great colleagues" and "understanding clients" for helping him bring home the silver medal

When they're not winning medals as Olympic curlers, Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin of Team USA work regular jobs.

But balancing their day jobs with training to be an Olympian isn't easy. "As curlers, we are not full-time athletes," Thiesse, 31, tells PEOPLE from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. "We play the sport becaue we love it, it's not because we're out there making a ton of money off of it."

Thiesse, who became the first American woman to medal in curling with Dropkin, 30, on Feb. 10, says that's why "it's really important for us to find jobs that support us and understand what our goals are and our dreams are."

Thiesse, nicknamed "girl Cory" by her and Dropkin's coach and who calls her teammate "boy Korey" to differentiate the athletes, works as a lab technician at a mercury testing company her mother owns in Duluth, Minnesota, which she calls "convenient for all the time off that I need."

"Otherwise, I don't know what I would do because we spend so much time on the road competing and leaving work to go train, so we're really lucky to have such a village surrounding us to be able to do what we do."

Dropkin, 30, echoes Thiesse's sentiment that they compete for the love of the sport, and says he's also found "passion in real estate" when he isn't curling.

"I got my license representing Minnesota and Wisconsin. I've got a lot of great colleagues that have supported my dreams and helped me out with showings and help my clients out," he says, adding, "Thankfully, a lot of understanding clients, they know that I'm wanting to pursue these dreams.

"I'm just so grateful for all of them and being able to bring this home and show my people my sphere, what I've worked so hard for, and it does take a village to really make this all happen," adds Dropkin, whose fiancée Gabby was in the stands to support him and Thiesse.

"We're just very appreciative to have people in our lives that support us and are flexible with what we're trying to do and what we're trying to achieve."

And as Thiesse takes the ice with the women's curling team on Feb. 12, Dropkin says he plans to be "in the stands being the loudest cheerleader out there,"

"I've already lost my voice being a cheerleader for us, and for her, I'm going to do the same," he tells PEOPLE.

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Read the original article on People

Another day of competition is in the books at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Athletes from more than 90 countries are battling in 116 events over 16 days, and USA TODAY is keeping a tally of every nation finishing on the podium. Here's a look at the latest medal standings after all the action wrapped up on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Find the upcoming medal event schedule below.

USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get our Chasing Gold newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

Broadcast coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortino Winter Olympics is airing exclusively airing across NBC's suite of networks with many competitions airing live on its streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for here .

What is the medal count at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics?

All data accurate as of Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at 4:54 p.m.

Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games

• 1. Italy: 17 Total (6 Gold, 3 Silver, 8 Bronze)
• 2. Norway: 14 Total (7 Gold, 2 Silver, 5 Bronze)
• 3. United States: 14 Total (4 Gold, 7 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 4. Austria: 12 Total (3 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Bronze)
• 5. Japan: 10 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 6 Bronze)
• 6. Germany: 9 Total (4 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 7. Sweden: 8 Total (4 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 8. France: 8 Total (3 Gold, 4 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 9. Switzerland: 7 Total (4 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 10. Canada: 7 Total (0 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze)
• 11. Netherlands: 6 Total (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 12. South Korea: 4 Total (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 13. China: 4 Total (0 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 14. Czech Republic: 2 Total (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 15. Slovenia: 2 Total (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 16. New Zealand: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 17. Bulgaria: 2 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
• 18. Australia: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 19. Latvia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 20. Poland: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
• 21. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)
• 22. Finland: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)

2026 Winter Olympics medal events schedule

Feb. 13

• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men's 10km Interval Start Free
• BIATHLON: Men's 10km Sprint
• SNOWBOARDING: Women's Cross Final
• SPEED SKATING: Men's 10000m
• FIGURE SKATING: Men's Free Skate
• SNOWBOARDING: Men's Halfpipe Final
• SKELETON: Men's Heat 4

Feb. 14

• FREESTYLE SKIING: Women's Dual Moguls Final
• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women's 4x7.5km Relay
• ALPINE SKIING: Men's Giant Slalom Final
• BIATHLON: Women's 7.5km Sprint
• SPEED SKATING: Men's 500m
• SKELETON: Women's Final
• SKI JUMPING: Men's Large Hill
• SHORT TRACK: Men's 1500m

Feb. 15

• BIATHLON: Men's 12.5km Pursuit
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Men's Dual Moguls Final
• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men's 4x7.5km Relay
• ALPINE SKIING: Women's Giant Slalom
• SNOWBOARDING: Mixed Team Cross Final
• BIATHLON: Women's 10km Pursuit
• SPEED SKATING: Women's 500m
• SKELETON: Mixed Team
• SKI JUMPING: Women's Large Hill

Feb. 16

• SHORT TRACK: Women's 1000m
• ALPINE SKIING: Men's Slalom
• FIGURE SKATING: Pair Skating Free Skate
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Women's Big Air Final
• SKI JUMPING: Men's Super Team Final Round
• BOBSLED: Women's Singles

Feb. 17

• NORDIC COMBINED: Large Hill/10km: 10km
• SNOWBOARDING: Women's Slopestyle Final
• BIATHLON: Men's 4x7.5km Relay
• SPEED SKATING: Men's, Women's Team Pursuit Finals
• BOBSLED: Men's Doubles

Feb. 18

• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women's, Men's Team Sprint Free Final
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Women's Aerials Final
• SNOWBOARDING: Men's Slopestyle Final
• ALPINE SKIING: Women's Slalom
• BIATHLON: Women's 4x6km Relay
• SHORT TRACK: Women's 3000m Relay
• SHORT TRACK: Men's 500m

Feb. 19

• FREESTYLE SKIING: Men's Aerials Final
• SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Women's, Men's Sprint
• NORDIC COMBINED: Team Sprint/Large Hill 2x7.5km
• ICE HOCKEY: Women's Final
• SPEED SKATING: Men's 1500m
• FIGURE SKATING: Women's Free Skate

Feb. 20

• FREESTYLE SKIING: Women's Cross Final
• BIATHLON: Men's 15km Mass Start
• SPEED SKATING: Women's 1500m
• CURLING: Men's Bronze Medal Game
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Men's Halfpipe Final
• SHORT TRACK: Men's 5000m Relay Final
• SHORT TRACK: Women's 1500m Final

Feb. 21

• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men's 50km Mass Start Classic
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Mixed Team Aerials Final
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Men's Cross Final
• SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Mixed Relay
• CURLING: Men's Gold Medal Game, Women's Bronze Medal Game
• BIATHLON: Women's 12.5km Mass Start
• SPEED SKATING: Men's, Women's Mass Start
• FREESTYLE SKIING: Women's Halfpipe Final
• ICE HOCKEY: Men's Bronze Medal Game
• BOBSLED: Women's Doubles: Heat 4

Feb. 22

• CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women's 50km Mass Start Classic
• CURLING: Women's Gold Medal Game
• BOBSLED: Men's Quads Final
• ICE HOCKEY: Men's Gold Medal Game

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olympic medals today: What's the 2026 medal count after Feb. 12 events?

Barcelona were comprehensively beaten by Atletico Madrid on Thursday in their first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie, with goals from Eric Garcia (OG), Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez.

Joan Garcia – 5

Gifted the opening goal to Atleti after failing to control Eric’s back-pass. It was an off-night for the Barcelona goalkeeper, who could not stop any of the other three goals.

Jules Kounde – 6

Ademola Lookman got the better of him, but the deficit was only four thanks to him. He made two excellent goal-saving blocks, one in each half.

Image via Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Pau Cubarsi – 5

He’s been off-colour this season, and this was another poor showing. However, he was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out by a marginal offside.

Eric Garcia – 5.5

A rare blip in an otherwise stellar season. He conceded an own goal and was sent off late on, although neither incident can be blamed on him.

Alejandro Balde – 5

Struggled up against Giuliano Simeone and Nahuel Molina.

Frenkie de Jong – 5

Failed to establish any sort of control in midfield, aside from a period early in the second half.

Marc Casado – 4.5

He struggled again, and on 36 minutes, he was sacrificed with the score already at 3-0 to allow Robert Lewandowski to be brought on.

Lamine Yamal – 5.5

Atleti will very well to keep him quiet.

Fermin Lopez – 5

Failed to continue his good form. Like so many of his teammates in attack, he could not make any sort of decisive impact.

Dani Olmo – 5

Moved on to the left for this match, but he has no impact whatsoever.

Ferran Torres – 5

Did little in attack, and his poor pass led to Eric being sent off late.

Substitutes

Robert Lewandowski – 5.5

Made no impact after being brought on during the first half.

Ronald Araujo – 6

Could not save the sinking ship.

Joao Cancelo – 6

Could not make a difference in defence or attack.

Gerard Martin – N/A

Brought on as cover after Eric’s red card.

Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford this evening, surrendering two valuable points in the Premier League title race. With Manchester City having secured victory against Fulham, the pressure was firmly on the Gunners to respond with a win of their own.

Mikel Arteta’s side travelled to a notoriously difficult ground knowing that any slip could prove costly. Brentford, enjoying a strong campaign, demonstrated from the outset why they have troubled several top sides this season. Organised and determined, the hosts frustrated Arsenal during the opening stages and prevented them from establishing early control.

Frustration in West London

Arsenal were the focus of much attention and expectation, but Brentford showed no intention of simply accommodating the league leaders. Playing with confidence at home, the Bees matched their opponents’ intensity and ensured the first half ended goalless. The Gunners struggled to create clear openings, prompting Arteta to introduce Martin Odegaard at the interval in search of greater creativity.

The change brought renewed impetus, and Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock on the hour mark when Noni Madueke found the net. At that stage, it appeared the Gunners had seized control and were poised to secure the three points they desperately required.

Brentford’s Resilient Response

Brentford, however, refused to concede defeat. They responded with purpose and were rewarded when Keane Lewis Potter scored the equaliser, restoring parity and shifting the momentum once more. Arsenal pushed forward in pursuit of a decisive second goal, but Brentford defended resolutely, with Caoimhín Kelleher producing an assured performance in goal.

The hosts also threatened on the counter attack, ensuring the contest remained finely balanced until the final whistle. Ultimately, both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils. While Brentford will take encouragement from their display, it is Arsenal who are likely to feel the greater disappointment as the title race tightens further.

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Arsenal scrape a draw at impressive Brentford

12 February 2026, 22:14

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12 February 2026, 18:45

Keith Andrews insists the table does not lie as they face Arsenal

12 February 2026, 18:00

Germany have quite an exciting year ahead. With a couple interesting friendlies in March, it only gets more interesting as Germany will look to redeem themselves at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after two extremely disappointing World Cups for Die Mannschaft. Soon after that tournament, the Germans will look to put together another strong campaign in the UEFA Nations League.

Today, Germany had their opponents for the 2026/27 Nations League campaign confirmed. As a Pot 1 team, Germany was set up for a fairly favorable draw, but the sixteen teams in Nations League A, are almost all strong sides.

From Pot 2, Germany could have drawn either Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, or Croatia. Germany drew Netherlands, who the Germans exceeded in the last Nations League campaign with a draw and a win over both matches. To most fans, this was probably the most difficult opponent that they could have had in this pot.

From Pot 3, Germany could have drawn either Serbia, Belgium, England, or Norway. Drawn alongside Germany and Netherlands, was Serbia. This outcome was extremely favorable, and possibly the most important draw that Germany could have had in the entire draw as they avoided England and Norway as a Pot 3 team.

From Pot 4, Germany could have drawn either Wales, Czechia, Greece, or Türkiye. Once again, Germany probably had the most favorable outcome in this pot matching up with Greece.

This was arguably a best-case scenario for Germany, as this group is very winnable, or at the least, achievable to finish in the top two, and advance to the quarter-finals. This is very comparable to last Nations League, where Germany played the Netherlands, Hungary, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

As great as it is to succeed in this tournament, it also feels like a lost opportunity for Germany to test themselves against the top competition. Germany missed the chance to play a team like England over two legs, but should Die Mannschaft advance further in the tournament, there will be good teams waiting.

The exact kickoff times and venues will be announced in the near future. Here is the full draw:

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Atlético Madrid crushed FC Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final (4-0).

Driven by their star signing, Lookman, the rojiblanco club scored four rapid-fire goals in the first half.

Barça tried to respond after the break, but never managed to close the gap. Worth noting is the goal disallowed for Pau Cubarsi before the hour mark, after nearly eight minutes of VAR review.

Atlético is now in a very favorable position for a place in the final, but beware of a Catalan comeback at Camp Nou.

The return leg is scheduled for February 3rd at 9 p.m.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

The Iowa Lakes Community College baseball player killed in a bus crash that occurred in Northwest Iowa on Wednesday, Feb. 11, has been identified.

Carter Johnson, 19, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was identified as the one person killed in the crash during a news conference held Thursday, Feb. 12 by Iowa State Patrol Lt. Aaron Schmidt, according to the Des Moines Register ― part of the USA TODAY Network.

REQUIRED READING: 1 dead in bus crash carrying Iowa community college baseball team

The single-vehicle crash happened on an Iowa highway around 11 a.m. local time en route to a baseball game in Arkansas, with 33 passengers on board. All the passengers in the bus were taken to hospitals across Iowa.

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for our community college community,” Iowa Lakes Community College president Scott Stokes said during a news conference Thursday. “Our students, faculty, staff and family have been deeply affected."

Johnson, affectionately known as "Tater," was a freshman outfielder for the Iowa Lakes Lakers, according to the team roster. He attended Rapid City Stevens High School in Rapid City, South Dakota, before he arrived at Iowa Lakes Community College.

“Our baseball team is more than a roster. They’re a family,” Iowa Lakes athletics director Troy Larson said. “Carter was a great teammate, a friend and a valued member of our athletic community.”

Johnson was dead upon the arrival of local law enforcement to the accident scene, according to a news release from the Iowa State Patrol. Schmidt added that some of Johnson's teammates ― including some who traveled in a separate van ― were attempting CPR on Johnson when officials arrived on the scene.

Schmidt did not know the exact conditions of the crash victims during the press conference, but stated they were all recovering.

According to a report from KCCI, Iowa Lakes has canceled classes through the rest of the week, while Calhoun County Emergency Management has declared the crash a mass casualty incident due to the number of injuries, per a news release posted on Facebook. 

"Iowa Lakes is a strong community, and we will walk through this together," Larson said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Carter Johnson identified as player killed in Iowa Lakes bus crash

NEW YORK — The Knicks are rounding out a roster they hope can compete for a championship with one big addition entering the mid-February NBA All-Star break.

The Knicks are signing 2022 No. 9 overall pick Jeremy Sochan to a minimum contract for the rest of the season, league sources told the New York Daily News. ESPN was first to report Sochan’s intention to sign with the Knicks following his buyout with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Sochan made the 2023 NBA All-Rookie Second Team with averages of 11.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He is a 28.7% career 3-point shooter who makes his impact on the defensive end and as a slashing playmaker on offense.

Sochan, according to ESPN, chose the Knicks from a field of 10 teams interested in the versatile defender’s services.

And the Knicks, according to league sources, targeted Sochan at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline but ultimately traded Guerschon Yabusele to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team deal that landed Jose Alvarado, who scored 26 points and made eight 3s in Wednesday’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks view both Sochan and Alvarado as trade deadline acquisitions.

Sochan, 22, has career averages of 10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and roughly a steal and half of a block per game. He appeared in just 28 games in San Antonio this season before the Spurs waived him on Wednesday.

The Knicks, according to league sources, view Sochan was a young player with high upside as a versatile defender who can also handle the ball and make plays for his teammates on offense. The 6-foot-8 forward joins a thin Knicks frontcourt featuring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson as the only experienced centers, plus OG Anunoby and rookie Mohamed Diawara as the only size-appropriate options at the four spot. He provides much-needed depth and size on the wings — albeit at the steep cost of perimeter spacing–to support Anunoby, Diawara, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Landry Shamet.

Sochan joins an improved second unit set to support a stacked starting five of Towns, Anunoby, Bridges, Hart and Jalen Brunson. The Knicks now believe they can trust 15 players in their rotation, as Sochan joins Robinson, Alvarado, Diawara, Shamet, second-year players Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti and Kevin McCullar Jr., plus the injured Miles McBride (pelvic surgery).

Sochan fell out of the Spurs’ rotation in early December, coinciding with the emergence of San Antonio’s 2025 No. 14 pick Carter Bryant. He has battled a quad strain and a wrist injury this season.

Sochan scored a season-high 16 points on 6-of-7shooting from the field in his first game of the season, a two-point Nov. 5 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He is shooting 25.7% from 3-point range this season and does not have a season shooting 31% or better from deep in his NBA career.

Sochan had 31 points and 14 rebounds in a Jan. 26, 2024 matchup where the Spurs used him at point guard alongside a rookie Victor Wembanyama for stretches.

The Knicks owned the Eastern Conference’s No. 3 seed with a 35-20 record entering the All-Star break. The Detroit Pistons (40-13) and Boston Celtics (35-19) hold the conference’s top-two seeds, respectively.

At the deadline, the Pistons traded scoring guard Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls as part of a three-team deal for sharpshooter Kevin Huerter. The Celtics traded scoring guard Anfernee Simons to the Bulls for two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic. And the Cleveland Cavaliers sent De’Andre Hunter and All-Star guard Darius Garland out in deals for perennial All-Star and ex-Brooklyn Net James Harden plus backup guards Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. The Milwaukee Bucks also signed recently-waived Brooklyn Net Cam Thomas on the buyout market, and Thomas erupted for 34 points in a win over the Orlando Magic with Giannis Antetokounmpo watching in approval from the bench.

The Knicks join the pack of Eastern Conference title contenders shuffling their roster entering the All-Star break. Anunoby missed the Knicks’ final four games entering the break with a toe injury.

Falcons free agency rumor should interest Broncos, Chiefs, Cowboys, Vikings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Atlanta Falcons have a decision to make on running back Tyler Allgeier's future as he is set to enter free agency.

Allgeier has been a solid contributor out of the backfield for Atlanta since joining the team in 2022 as a fifth-round pick. However, with the emergence of Bijan Robinson as one of the top playmakers in the sport, Allgeier's role has diminished.

Though the Falcons could still look to retain Allgeier, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer expects the young running back to find a new home in 2026.

"As for Tyler Allgeier, I’m presuming he’s gone and will get a nice payday somewhere. And it’s not that the Falcons don’t like Allgeier, but there’s a megacontract on the horizon for Bijan Robinson. I think it’s difficult to forecast a landing spot for him, though, because I’d put him behind Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker III in the free-agent running back pecking order," Breer wrote.

Allgeier rushed for 514 yards and eight touchdowns as Robinson's backup in 2025. He tallied two straight seasons with over 600 rushing yards in 2023 and 2024, and had a 1,000-yard campaign in 2022 during his rookie year as the starter.

Running back-needy teams, such as the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Minnesota Vikings, should all be interested in Allgeier.

The Broncos saw RJ Harvey have a promising rookie season, but pairing him with Allgeier would bolster Denver's running game.

Kansas City could also use an upgrade at running back over Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Allegeier is not a Pro Bowl-level player, but he could help the Chiefs and add some explosiveness to Kansas City's offense.

Dallas could lose Javonte Williams in free agency this offseason, but Allgeier would be a solid replacement for Brian Schottenheimer's squad.

Lastly, Minnesota may look to reset at running back, as Aaron Jones is declining. However, Jordan Mason did have an efficient season in 2025, so signing Allgeier to pair with the Georgia Tech standout would be a savvy move from the Vikings.

Allgeier isn't a high-level running back, but with increased carries, the BYU product can be a plus starter. He will also be fairly cheap to sign, so Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, and Minnesota should all have interest.

With Chargers defensive tackle Da'Shawn Hand set to hit free agency this offseason, what could his next contract look like?

Spotrac lists Hand's market value at around $3.9 million.

After signing a one-year, $2.35 million deal with the Chargers last offseason, Hand delivered as a reliable interior presence, particularly against the run. Despite missing time due to a groin injury and playing 13 games, he recorded 29 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 17 pressures, and his first career interception.

Hand will be one of the more dependable veteran defensive tackles available in free agency. Set to be 31 years old this season, he should attract interest from teams needing interior depth, especially those prioritizing run defense.

With the Chargers' cap flexibility and his price tag not expected to be that high, re-signing Hand is very possible. The veteran has proven his worth, is a good fit for the Bolts' scheme, and can disrupt both the run and pass.

If Hand leaves to sign with another team, Los Angeles will need to further address the defensive line in free agency or the draft, with the positional room consisting only of Teair Tart, Jamaree Caldwell, and Justin Eboigbe.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Da'Shawn Hand contract projection: Will Chargers re-sign free agent?

Arsenal missed the chance to extend their Premier League lead to six points as Brentford rattled the Gunners in a 1-1 draw on Thursday to give Manchester City hope in the title race.

Noni Madueke headed the leaders in front on the hour mark, but the Bees were well worthy of at least a point and levelled through Keane Lewis-Potter.

Arsenal's lead at the top of the table now stands at four points as they aim for a first league title in 22 years.

But Mikel Arteta's men still have to travel to second-placed City in the remaining 12 games of the season.

A point boosted Brentford's bid to qualify for European football for the first time as they remain in seventh.

Keith Andrews' side have only been beaten twice at home all season and Arsenal can count themselves fortunate not to have suffered just a fourth league defeat of the campaign.

David Raya foiled his former club with a stunning save to claw away Igor Thiago's powerful header with the best chance of the first half.

Arsenal were missing William Saliba and Kai Havertz through illness and injury respectively, but were boosted by the return of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka on the bench.

Arteta sent for Odegaard at half-time to turn the tide and the visitors started the second period with far more intent.

Arsenal's pressure had its reward when Madueke rose highest at the back post to head Piero Hincapie's cross back across Caoimhin Kelleher.

However, the visitors were guilty of trying to hold onto their advantage rather than continuing to take the game to Brentford.

Thiago stung the palms of Raya once more as the home side grew in confidence.

Lewis Potter should have levelled earlier when he headed wide from a corner when completely unmarked.

Arsenal's strength from set-pieces has played a huge role in putting them into pole position for the title.

But they struggled to cope with Brentford's own prowess from dead balls.

The equaliser arrived from one of Michael Kayode's long-throws propellled into the box, Sepp van den Berg won the flick-on, and Lewis Potter stole in ahead of Odegaard to head in.

Brentford were the far more likely winners in the final 20 minutes.

Cristhian Mosquera made a vital last-ditch tackle to deny Thiago.

The Brazilian's best chance for an 18th Premier League goal of the season came in stoppage time but he smashed inches over.

But Arsenal also had a chance to snatch victory at the death when Kelleher raced off his line to save from Gabriel Martinelli.

kca/iwd

Dricus Du Plessis showed respect to Israel Adesanya for accepting a risk matchup with Joe Pyfer in the UFC Fight Night 271 main event.

Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defeated Adesanya (24-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) by fourth-round submission in a highly anticipated middleweight title fight at UFC 305 in August 2024. The pair had plenty of heat going in, but ultimately settled their differences in the aftermath of the contest.

Their careers have since splintered, with Du Plessis keen to get the 185-pound belt back after losing it to Khamzat Chimaev, while Adesanya looks to snap a three-fight losing skid against Pyfer (15-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in the March 28 headliner at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (Paramount+).

At 36, Adesanya recently admitted he "can see the finish line" to the end of his career. He is No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, and still determined to make some more magic before he's done. Part of that, however, is fighting well down against the unranked Pyfer, who will be eager to change his own career outlook with a win.

“Just kudos to Adesanya for giving a guy like Pyfer a chance," Du Plessis told Fight Forecast. "He’s not close in the rankings, but it’s an exciting fight for the fans, and that just shows the quality of warrior he is. He’s putting his reputation on the line to fight an up-and-coming guy he doesn’t need to fight. He goes out there and says, ‘I want exciting fights,’ and this is exactly that."

Du Plessis, 32, said he's looking to an April return to the octagon, but has not signed a bout agreement for any opponent. He is determined to get a victory and secure a rematch with Chimaev, who is expected to make his first title defense against Nassourdine Imavov this year.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dricus Du Plessis praises Israel Adesanya for taking Joe Pyfer fight

The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects who the Green Bay Packers could select in the 2026 NFL draft.

Since taking over as general manager of the Green Bay Packers in 2018, Brian Gutekunst has drafted 17 offensive linemen. 

That number figures to increase and could even reach 20 by the end of the 2026 NFL Draft. A potential target could be Gennings Dunker. The Iowa offensive lineman checks in at No. 73 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.

A three-star recruit out of Illinois, Dunker earned his first start at right guard during his redshirt freshman season. He then went on to start 38 games at right tackle for the Hawkeyes. 

“Dunker was a mainstay for the Hawkeyes offensive line,” Riley Donald, a contributor for Hawkeyes Wire, said. With three full years under his belt, he knew the system inside and out, while providing continuity to a unit that was built on experience.”

At 6-4, 320 pounds with 34-inch arms, Dunker certainly looks the part of an NFL offensive lineman. The Iowa product is a mauling run blocker and has a strong upper body to overwhelm defenders at contact. He plays with a mean streak and keeps his legs driving at contact to create movement and open up running lanes. Dunker seems to take pleasure in bullying defenders. 

“Gennings Dunker lives to bury other humans,” Donald said. “He is athletic enough to pull, strong enough to drive, and smart enough to understand leverage.”

In pass protection, he has the length to stay at tackle, and if he times up his punch, he can keep defenders at bay. However, he’s likely better in a phone booth, rather than playing on an island. He is a bit rigid, and he will struggle to stay in front of speed. He has the anchor to absorb power and has thunder in his hands. This past season, Dunker gave up two sacks and 10 pressures.

“Dunker can handle his own here just fine,” Donald said. “He has the height and length to keep defenders at bay and the technique to handle moves from defensive linemen.”

Fit with the Packers

The Packers are set to have Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan hit free agency, while Elgton Jenkins could potentially be a cap casualty. 

With those potential departures, the Packers will need to invest heavily in the offensive line as they look for a new starting center, a swing tackle and interior depth.

Adding a player like Dunker would give the Packers a player capable of challenging Belton for the starting right guard spot, while also providing depth at right tackle and guard.

"It's an Iowa offensive lineman," Donald said. "Don't overthink this. It really can be that simple sometimes. Draft the guy with a ton of experience who can move around and has already shown he can compete against the best. Sometimes the easiest answer is the right one. Gennings Dunker is both."

Dunker is a physical tone-setter. The Packers need an offensive lineman who plays with an edge. He'll blast open running lanes for Josh Jacobs.

With his versatility and run-blocking chops, Dunker could be a target for the Packers in the fourth round as they look for help in the trenches.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Unpacking Future Packers: No. 73, Iowa OL Gennings Dunker

Manchester United have reportedly made a fresh transfer decision on goalkeeper Altay Bayindir even as Besiktas prepare to make a move for him in the summer.

Out of favour

Marginalised by the rise of Senne Lammens, Bayindir seems unlikely to remain at United unless he accepts being a peripheral figure.

Bayindir initially started the season as United’s main goalkeeper, with now-sacked head coach Ruben Amorim preferring him ahead of Andre Onana.

However, much like Onana, Bayindir failed to convince, making several mistakes in the opening six games of the campaign. Far from a reassuring presence, he was frequently overpowered during set-pieces and unable to consistently keep out efforts on goal.

United were forced to dip into the market and they signed Lammens from Royal Antwerp on deadline day. Lammens made his United debut in October, during a 2-0 victory over Sunderland and has started every game since.

A report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Besiktas were keen on signing Bayindir just before the close of the winter window. United turned down their approach, insisting they were not interested in letting the 27-year-old depart and potentially leaving themselves short in the goalkeeping department.

Now, Turkish Football claim that the Red Devils’ stance has softened as Besiktas prepare to launch a second attempt to land Bayindir.

Bayindir transfer update

The news outlet writes, “Beşiktaş are preparing a significant move for Turkish international goalkeeper Altay Bayındır, with plans to lure the shot-stopper away from Manchester United during the upcoming summer transfer window, sources have told Turkish-Football.”

“The Black Eagles had explored a deal for Bayındır in the final days of the January window; however, Manchester United blocked the move due to a lack of immediate depth in their goalkeeping department.”

“Reports suggest the English giants are now more open to a sale in June, provided they can secure a replacement during the off-season.”

Besiktas are not concerned with Bayindir’s struggles in England. They still rate him highly and believe a return to the Super Lig will give him a good shot at restaking his claim in the national team.

It remains to be seen how Bayindir feels about moving to Besiktas, but there is every chance he will fancy going there and becoming the main man rather than staying on the bench at United, where he has little chance of dislodging Lammens.

Featured image Jan Kruger via Getty Images

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Atletico Madrid 4-0 Barcelona

Atletico Madrid put in their most impressive performance of the season as they swept aside Barcelona at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.

The home side opened the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes, and they did so in bizarre circumstances. Minutes after making a brilliant save to deny Giuliano Simeone, Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia gifted a goal to Atleti. He failed to control a back-pass from Eric Garcia, and the ball rolled over the line before he could palm it away – it would not have mattered anyway, as the loose ball was turned home by Ademola Lookman.

8 minutes later, it got even better for Atleti, who went 2-0 up. Nahuel Molina cut the ball back to Antoine Griezmann, who took the ball away from two Barcelona players before finding the far corner, which sent the home supporters inside the Riyadh Air Metropolitano into raptures.

Atleti made it 3-0 on 33 minutes. Another mistake in the Barcelona defence ended with Julian Alvarez slipping in Ademola Lookman, who made it goals in back-to-back Copa del Rey matches. Los Colchoneros would then complete the scoring in first half stoppage time when Alvarez ended his goal drought with a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Image via Angel Martinez/Getty Images

Barcelona need a response in the second half to give themselves any chance of getting back into the tie, and they thought they had scored the next goal on 52 minutes. Pau Cubarsi finished well after the back broke his way inside the penalty area, which made the scoreline 4-1. However, after a VAR check that lasted eight minutes, it was ruled that he was offside.

A miserable evening for the visitors was compounded late on when Eric was sent off after a foul on Alex Baena. A yellow card was initially shown, but it was upgraded to red after referee Juan Martinez consulted with VAR.

Barcelona need another special Remontada to reach final

Atleti will be firm favourites to reach the final, as they go in search for the Copa del Rey title. However, they will need to face a big response from Barcelona, who will go with everything during the second leg at the Spotify Camp Nou.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Young New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler is dealing with back inflammation and a lat issue, causing him to skip some bullpen sessions.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed the injury Thursday and made it seem minor, as did the right-hander, who turned 25 last week. Schlittler said his concern was “zero.”

“I’ve been dealing with it for a little bit so I just want to make sure I’m on top of it and get ready for opening day,” Schlittler said.

He made his major league debut on July 9 and went 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts. With a fastball that averaged 98 mph, Schlittler struck out 84 and walked 31 in 73 innings. He pitched eight shutout innings against Boston in the Wild Card Series, then allowed four runs — two earned — over 6 1/3 innings in the Division Series vs. Toronto.

“Obviously we’re very excited about him and expect him to be a key part of our rotation and still expect,” Boone said.

Schlittler underwent a test that Boone said “kind of came back good news.”

“Probably keep him off the mound for the next few days at least,” Boone said. “He’s continuing with his throwing program.”

New York already projects to start the season on March 25 without ace Gerrit Cole, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery last March 11, and Carlos Rodón, regaining arm strength following an operation on Oct. 15 to remove loose bodies in his left elbow and shave a bone spur.

Rodón is not likely to return to the Yankees before May and Cole is expected back sometime during the first half of the season. In addition, Clarke Schmidt will miss much of the season following UCL repair surgery on July 11.

Schlittler said he first felt the issue a few weeks ago and described it as minor inflammation and “maybe more lat, as well.” He hopes to pitch off a mound next week.

Asked whether he had dealt with the issue in the past, Schlittler said “last year, some on-and-off stuff.”

“For now, it’s just good to take care of it and make sure it doesn’t really turn into something that you start to worry about,” he said.

New York's projected rotation for the season's start includes Max Fried, Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers. Gil, the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year, injured a lat during spring training last year and didn't make his season debut until Aug. 3.

Schlittler pitched 164 innings last year, including the postseason, well above his previous professional high of 120 2/3 in 2024. He took four weeks off after the playoffs, then started his offseason throwing program.

“There’s no really off time,” he said. "When it comes to baseball, you’re always working on all that."

Schlittler attended big league spring training last year, started the season at Double-A Somerset, then was promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on June 3. He was called up after just five starts with the RailRiders.

“I came in here last spring training kind of as a no one, a prospect, whatever it was, but I was really trying to learn things, coming here and get my work in. It was more an experience last year,” he said. “I feel like being over here now it’s like, 'Hey, I've earned that role. I'm going to go out there. I know exactly what I need to do.'”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

As a child in Catholic school I was taught the difference between want and need. Needs: food, shelter, water, clean air to breathe. Wants were everything else, always tinged with a suspicion of selfishness. The implication was clear: wants were excessive, amoral, ungodly. So as a kid I never asked at a birthday party for the piece of cake I wanted, the one thick with frosted flowers; if the person cutting the cake handed me that slice, a tacit reward for being so altruistic, so agreeable, such a good girl, so be it, but I wouldn’t make my mouth say the words. I learned over time how to push down want and shape it into something acceptable, something that took just enough to satisfy a need but didn’t dare ask for more.

But yesterday, standing in a rain of blue and green confetti, watching the Seahawks victory parade, that want surged up suddenly, an aching feeling in my chest that was so acute I literally had to breathe around it.

Because I want this for the Mariners. So badly. I want the streets to be full of Mariners jerseys. For confetti in Northwest Green. For MVP chants to follow Cal Raleigh down the street, carrying an award earned in a ballroom and not in the court of public opinion. I want that compass rose S, something that has signified so much pain over the years as we’ve watched it sink lower in the standings, flying from every flag on every building.

I want the Mariners players to get to wave from their own custom-wrapped double decker buses. For J.P. Crawford, who has seen this organization and fanbase through so much, has had the captaincy passed down to him, has grown into a husband and father here, to get to wave to his adopted city. For Julio Rodríguez, who has not always been treated kindly by the city he threw both arms around to adopt, to have a moment of pure, untarnished joy. For the core of young pitchers who put their bodies on the line every night and push past pain and exhaustion, who push each other to be better, to have a moment to relax and take it all in. I want Josh Naylor to feel like he made a good choice, signing himself in partnership with this city for the next half-decade.

And I want the Mariners front office and staff members and clubhouse attendants and nutritionists and mental skills coaches and all the hundreds of people who touch the on-field product without ever being seen to get their due praise other than the tepid applause of a hurriedly-read list of names on Opening Day. Justin Novak the bullpen catcher who has a t-shirt for each member of the roster, even if he has to special-order some of them from Etsy. Ally the nutritionist who curates game-day snack boxes and smoothie flavors of the day written in a sunny penmanship that tempt grumpy professional athletes into taking care of themselves. Kaz the manual therapist who trained with Cirque de Soleil, taking care of bent and battered bodies. Pete the beloved clubhouse attendant who brings in a bucket of his own personal Halloween candy the last series of the season. All these people deserve their flowers, and not just on Opening Day.

I want this for Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander, proof their plan has worked, that the gambles and risks they’ve taken—or not taken—have been correct. For ownership to be rewarded for making a financial investment in the team, to realize that winning baseball is profitable and fun. I want this for Dan Wilson and the fierce protective love he feels over his players, all that he pours into them with no expectation of getting anything back. For all the nights after losses we walked by his office and saw him sitting in his chair staring into the middle distance, processing but in pain.

I want this for Rick Rizzs. Before he retires, while he is still the primary play-by-play voice of the Seattle Mariners, and our remaining direct link to Dave Niehaus, who never got the privilege of calling a World Series game. I want it, too, for all the broadcasters who have to make a good broadcast out of a bad game. (And maybe, selfishly, for the media members who have to do the same.)

But really I want it for the fans. For the people who haven’t quit on this franchise despite years of ineptitude, frustrating losses, head-scratching decisions, embarrassing meltdowns by members of the organization. All the shame we’ve carried over the years with this team, on the field and off. I want this for the people who know baseball isn’t boring, who drag friends to games and make them care about our sport, and grow the fanbase one soul at a time. For Mariners fans to get to feel the connection Seahawks fans felt yesterday, united in joy, the crowd shouting as one, bouncing chants up and down the street on a cold winter’s day. Right now that kind of connection feels so precious, a way of being in the world that isn’t complicated or fraught but just joyful, being in community with each other.

Last year I was not sad about the outcome of the ALCS. No, that’s not right—I wouldn’t let myself be sad. Because sadness meant wanting more than I felt like I had the right to ask for. It was a historic run by one of the best Mariners teams we’ve ever seen. It was logistically impossible, considering where they started the season, and yet came so close to being possible. It was enough that they made it this far. It was enough.

Now I know. It was not enough.

That became clear during the post-season media meeting, where eyes were still wet and the pain was still palpable. It sharpened over Fan Fest, the collective low-grade fury over the way the season ended and the steely determination to do better. It honed into a clear point with the trade for Brendan Donovan, slotting in the missing piece in a game the Mariners are determined not to lose again.

It’s scary, wanting things. Wanting opens you up to being vulnerable, exposed, hurt and disappointed. It feels bone-deep selfish: who am I to want this more than anyone else? I have always believed in parity, in fairness. No one gets everything. Be happy with what you’re given by grace and don’t ask for a second serving.

But I want. Want is a noun and a verb that answers itself: the lack of the thing (want, noun) creates the need for the thing (want, verb). And it’s time to make peace with that, to reframe it not as greed, and not as something owed, but purely as an object of desire. At Fan Fest, George Kirby spoke about how he and his fiancee practice manifestation, speaking things into existence (George, I have a feeling, never had trouble asking for what piece of cake he wanted). Because that is how it starts: Naming a thing, and being honest about it, is the first step to bringing it to you, of making it yours.

I saw a parade.

I want a parade.

Let’s go get a parade.

There’s been some movement in Green Bay this offseason, as far as the coaching staff and the front office go, but they also are maybe not the moves some fans want to see made. Today, I want to ask you what you think about the Packers’ additions and losses, but first, let’s look at what has and hasn’t changed.

Packers Coaches (Apparently) Returning

As far as communication to fans goes, Green Bay doesn’t really put in much of an effort. The New York Jets have rebuilt their entire offensive staff and have officially announced it already. The Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their full staffs today after making top-to-bottom changes.

There have been times when I’ve gone to the combine, and the Packers haven’t announced who will be on their coaching staff. One year, they waited until April to make the announcement. They’ll get around to it when they feel like it.

This is all to say: We don’t 100 percent know who the team even has under contract at this point. With that being said, we haven’t heard of any interviews for positions that haven’t already been filled, either. So it’s my working assumption that the following on-field coaches will be back in 2026. The only confirmation we have, so far, is that Matt LaFleur was signed to a multi-year extension this offseason.

• Head Coach: Matt LaFleur
• Offensive Coordinator: Adam Stenavich
• Passing Game Coordinator: Jason Vrable
• Running Backs: Ben Sirmans
• Tight Ends: John Dunn
• Offensive Line: Luke Butkus
• Defensive Line/Run Game Coordinator: DeMarcus Covington
• Special Teams Coordinator: Rich Bisaccia

Packers Coaches Who Left

All of these coaches left for new jobs in 2026. Outside of Jeff Hafley (head coach), Sean Mannion (offensive coordinator) and Sean Duggan (defensive coordinator), the Packers could have blocked these moves for on-field coaches, if they were under contract. Essentially, in the eyes of the NFL, there are three tiers of coaches: 1) head coaches, 2) offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators and 3) everyone else. Teams can’t prevent a coach from climbing a tier with another club, but they can stop a receivers coach from becoming a run game coordinator, for example.

• Quarterbacks: Sean Mannion (offensive coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles)
• Receivers: Ryan Mahaffey (run game coordinator/tight ends, Philadelphia Eagles)
• Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Hafley (head coach, Miami Dolphins)
• Linebackers: Sean Duggan (defensive coordinator, Miami Dolphins)
• Passing Game Coordinator: Derrick Ansley (passing game coordinator/defensive backs, Dallas Cowboys)
• Defensive Backs: Ryan Downard (secondary, Miami Dolphins)
• Defensive Analyst: Nathaniel Hackett (offensive coordinator, Arizona Cardinals)
• Assistant special teams: Byron Storer (special teams coordinator, Cleveland Browns)

Beyond just coaches, the Dolphins hired Jon-Eric Sullivan to be the team’s general manager. He took pro scout Venzell Boulware with him.

Coaches the Packers Hired

• Quarterbacks: Luke Getsy
• Receivers: Noah Pauley
• Defensive Coordinator: Jonathan Gannon
• Linebackers: Sam Siefkes
• Pass Game Coordinator: Bobby Babich
• Undefined (DBs): Daniel Bullocks
• Undefined (DL): Will Smart

Pauley (Iowa State/Penn State), Siefkes (Virginia Tech) and Smart (Vanderbilt) all come from the college level. Siefkes does have some pro experience in his background, though, as he previously coached linebackers under Gannon at Arizona. Pauley was also in for an offseason fellowship with the Packers, while he held his job at the college level.

Getsy was internally promoted from being a senior assistant to a full-time on-field coach after Mannion left. He previously served as the Packers’ quarterbacks coach from 2019 to 2021 before becoming the Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator.

Babich and Bullocks are the only outside pro football hires at the assistant level. Babich, a member of QB Collective, was previously interviewed for Green Bay’s defensive coordinator opening in 2024. For those who aren’t aware, QB Collective is an offseason training program, which they call a “quarterback incubator,” that includes virtually everyone from the LaFleur-McVay-Shanahan tree. Previous coaches for QB Collective include Matt LaFleur, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Mike McDaniel, Kevin O’Connell, Kevin Stefanski, Mike Shanahan, Mike LaFleur, Chris Foerster (the Rams’ offensive line coach), Nathaniel Hackett and more.

LaFleur and Babich have probably known each other for a good while now. Instead of going to Green Bay in 2024, Babich was promoted from linebackers coach (previously served as safeties coach) to defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. It’s difficult to parse out when head coach Sean McDermott, since fired, did or didn’t take over play-calling in Buffalo, since everything has gotten so political there and all sides are blaming others for the team’s lack of postseason success.

Bullocks has been an on-field coach with the San Francisco 49ers since 2019. He served as the safeties coach from 2019 to 2022, was promoted to defensive backs coach in 2023 and then received the passing game coordinator title on top of that for the last two seasons. The 49ers didn’t have a good defense last year, as they lost a lot of talent due to injury, but that didn’t stop the Tennessee Titans from hiring San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh to be their head coach.

If you want my thoughts on Gannon, you can find them here. In short, I think that Gannon is flexible with his front and who he sends as rushers, but he ultimately wants to root his system in quarters coverage, which he has run more than any team in the NFL over the last five years.

The Packers also hired former Auburn general manager Will Redmond to an undefined front office role. Based on the reporting, it seems like he will be helping the team in college scouting.

–

So, what do you think of the offseason shakeups? Sound off in the comment section below.

Former Notre Dame and NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph is speaking out in defense of the Fighting Irish's football independence.

He also had positive words to say in support of current head coach Marcus Freeman.

Critics often wonder why Notre Dame gets to be independent in football -- though it does play five games a season against ACC teams, as part of a deal with that conference. All other Notre Dame sports teams play in the ACC.

During an interview, Rudolph said that the contract with NBC that allows the network to broadcast all Notre Dame home games, which runs through 2029, is what allows the Irish to stay independent.

He also said that Freeman's likability has helped the Irish gain some new fans and convert some former haters.

Rudolph played three seasons with the Irish before going to the NFL, where he had a long career with the Minnesota Vikings and brief stops with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kyle Rudolph kept it real — Notre Dame’s rise has a name attached to it: Marcus Freeman.

"I think Marcus makes you want to root for a program that maybe you never would have rooted for in the past."

But why does ND get to be Independent and be relevant?

Kyle:
"You can say… pic.twitter.com/MCaGS7qhHP

— CathVSConf☘️ (@CathVSConf) February 11, 2026

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Tim on X: @tehealey

This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Former Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph praises Marcus Freeman

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is releasing this Thursday (12th) the detailed schedule for the first three rounds of the Série A of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship.

The competition will kick off next Friday, February 20th, with four matches. On Saturday (21st), six more matches will close out the 1st round of the competition.

Check out the attached document:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Robert Kugler is leaving the New England Patriots and joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers announced new head coach Mike McCarthy’s complete staff on Thursday, including Kugler, who served as the Patriots assistant offensive line coach the last two seasons.

The 33-year-old former NFL center will be Pittsburgh’s tight ends coach.

Kugler spent two years as the Carolina Panthers assistant offensive line coach in 2022 and 2023 before joining New England. He held the same role with the Houston Texans in 2021.

Kugler joins fellow former Patriots coach Patrick Graham on McCarthy’s staff.

Graham was a coaching assistant with New England in 2009, before serving as a defensive assistant in 2010. He was the team’s linebackers coach in 2011, 2014 and 2015 and their defensive line coach in 2012 and 2013.

Graham will be the Steelers defensive coordinator.

Betfred Super League

York (6) 19

Tries: Wood 2, Galeano Goals: Harris 3 Drop-Goal: Hingano

Hull KR (6) 18

Tries: Whitbread 2, Sue Goals: Martin 3

Reigning champions Hull KR suffered a shock defeat by York Knights in the opening game of the 2026 Super League season.

Sam Wood's early try gave York a surprise lead before Jai Whitbread barged over to level and make it 6-6 at the break.

Whitbread reached over for his second score to put the visitors in front and Sauaso Sue went in under the posts to seemingly put Hull KR in charge.

However, the game was turned on its head after the away side were reduced to 12 players after Mikey Lewis was sin-binned for a petulant trip on Liam Harris.

Wood got the Knights back in the game while Harris was off and Scott Galeano crossed to level the scores once more before Ata Hingano landed a drop-goal to give York a fairytale victory.

The ramifications of this defeat could be felt beyond this week for last season's treble-winners.

Half-back Lewis' foolish kick out on York skipper Harris could mean he misses next week's World Club Challenge against National Rugby League premiers Brisbane Broncos through suspension.

York: Mataafa, Jones-Bishop, Wood, Williams, Galeano, Hingano, Harris, Va'a, McShane, Vaughan, Field, Dee, Thompson.

Interchanges: Balmforth, Martin, Sangare, Griffin.

Hull KR: Mourgue, Davies, Hiku, Gildart, Burgess, Lewis, May, Sue, Litten, Brown, Martin, Batchelor, Minchella.

Interchanges: Broadbent, Luckley, Whitbread, Lawton.

Referee: Liam Rush.

Does 5th place in Premier League qualify for Champions League? How UEFA decides extra spot for 2026/27 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The expansion of European competitions has afforded some of the biggest leagues in the world even more entries into the continent's top club tournament.

Two associations each year earn an extra qualifier into the UEFA Champions League, and the Premier League has recently been a main beneficiary of this bonus.

Teams from the English top flight are enjoying a level of dominance across all three European competitions in the 2025/26 season, and that has set the league up well to remain the most represented next term.

The Sporting News explains how leagues earn the coveted fifth Champions League place, whether the Premier League is in contention, and how things look around the rest of the leagues.

MORE:Champions League top goal scorer 2025/26 season | All-time UCL goal scoring leaders

Does 5th place in Premier League qualify for Champions League?

The Premier League is overwhelmingly likely to earn a fifth Champions League place for a second consecutive season in 2026/27.

As of early February, not only does the Premier League lead the coefficient average rankings so far, they are doing so with the most participating clubs of any league in Europe, and they are doing so while still seeing all nine clubs alive across the three competitions.

Thanks to both a huge total of points already collected plus by far the highest maximum possible points remaining available to them, the Premier League will almost surely finish atop the coefficient standings.

This season-long storm is being led by the five Champions League participants, four of whom finished in the top eight of the league phase to earn a bye to the Round of 16, while Newcastle United round out the five after finishing 12th.

MORE:List of teams through to Champions League knockout phase

How is the fifth Champions League place determined?

UEFA uses its club coefficient ranking to determine who to award the additional Champions League places to each season. The system is based off each country's performance in Europe the previous season, averaged by the number of clubs participating.

From the group stage on, a win is worth two coefficient points, while a draw earns one. If a match goes to extra-time, the result at the end of the 120 minutes is logged, regardless of the penalty shootout winner.

There are also bonus points for reaching particular rounds of competition. In addition, as of the 2024/25 season, bonus points are awarded for those clubs playing in the Champions League as opposed to the other two. There is a more detailed breakdown of this below.

Points gained by all clubs in a given association are added together, and then divided by the number of clubs participating in Europe that season to give an average.

Once the qualifying positions are awarded, the clubs to take the positions are the highest in the league table not to have qualified via other means.

UEFA club coefficients rankings 2025/26

As it stands, England would earn one extra Champions League place while Portugal would earn the other. However, that's not likely to stand for long.

Clubs with many qualifying clubs in European play suffer what looks like a penalty, as their average score is divided amongst more participants. However, as the season plays out, those countries also have more opportunities to gain points, so the cream usually rises to the top in the end.

Projected table for UEFA Champions League extra qualifier

The table below ranks all European leagues based on UEFA coefficient score in 2025/26 competitions. The table is ranked by max possible score, showing the teams most likely to finish at the top of the rankings by the end of the season.

The current average column shows where the clubs would stand if the season ended today, but as explained above, this is not always the best identifier of the eventual finish.

Figures updated as of February 10, 2026, via UEFA. Max score via BBC.

How does the UEFA coefficient points system work?

UEFA coefficient rankings are worked out based on the performances of each association (league) in European club competitions in a particular season.

Each league is awarded points based on how well their teams do in Europe, which are all added into a final total.

Points are awarded as follows:

* Every club is guaranteed to earn the minimum bonus points even if their results earn fewer. Champions League participants do not earn a minimum, as their bonus points below guarantee such award.

In addition, the following bonus points were added to the mix in the 2024/25 season based on a club's final position in each competition's league phase:

Which Premier League teams will qualify for Champions League?

The top two teams chasing the Premier League title, Arsenal and Manchester City, are considered almost virtual locks at this point to qualify for the Champions League next season. Aston Villa are also given an almost nine-in-10 chance to reach Europe's top competition.

From there, the final two positions are wide open, with no team given over a 50 percent chance to secure a place.

Table updated as of all matches on February 12. Percent chance to reach Champions League via Opta.

I have been involved with basketball and coaching for most of my life. I was on a team through most of my college years. I began coaching as a senior in college and continued until there was a break of a few years until my kids were old enough to play, and I have coached their youth teams for the last 10+ years…until this winter. This being the first year that I have not had many of my weeknights consumed with basketball, I have been free to attend games around the metro as a fan. And it has been a blast.

I have been to an MIAC game to watch my alma mater, I attended North Dakota at St. Thomas a couple of weeks to check out their new facilities and a buddy was interested in watching Eli King for the Fighting Hawks. But I have also made it a point to check out some of the elite high school teams and players in the area.

It should come as no surprise that Minnesota has a bevy of elite high school talent. We are mostly familiar with the names at the top of the list who are either going to high-major programs or are already playing for high-major programs. I took the time to compile a list of the entire Big Ten players, where they are from and their stats. When I looked at players who have played in at least 10 games this season and are averaging at least 12 minutes per game, it turns out that the state of Minnesota has the third most players represented in the Big Ten.

1. Illinois – 12 players
2. Indiana – 11
3. Minnesota 7
4. New York/New Jersey/Massachusetts/Georgia – 6

NOTE: International players collectively account for 23 players.

Those seven players from Minnesota (again, who are playing at least 12 min per game and have played in 10 games or more…to get down to just players who are contributing).

• Isaac Asuma – Minnesota
• Grasyon Grove – Minnesota
• Will Tschetter – Michigan
• Pharrel Payne – Maryland
• Nolan Winter – Wisconsin
• Jack Janicki – Wisconsin
• Braeden Carrington – Wisconsin

The point is that Minnesota routinely produces a number of high-end basketball talent. And it has been my mission this season to watch more of these high school kids. Having been to a handful of games so far, here are my thoughts on some of the higher-end local prospects.

Nolan Anderson – Wayzata

I’ll start with the Gophers’ highest-rated incoming recruit. Anderson, Christian Wiggins and the rest of the Trojans were visiting Maple Grove, another top-ranked team in 4A with multiple D1 athletes, so I made it a point to get to this one.

Anderson was fairly quiet in this game, especially early. I don’t know that he scored in the first five minutes of the game. But then he came around a baseline screen to the wing, took the pass, elevated and drained the three. It may have just been a three from the wing, but it absolutely showed his athleticism and how he was at a different level than most of the players on the floor.

He had a very strong game. I do not recall his points, but he was in the 16-22 range. Never really dominating and Wayzata fell to Maple Grove in a close one.

Overall, I feel like Anderson’s game has a lot of similarities to Cade Tyson. He’s not nearly as strong, but he is obviously younger, and he is probably a better shooter. But I would imagine that he will eventually be playing the same role that we are seeing Tyson play this season.

Christian Wiggins – Wayzata

Wiggins is headed to play for Iowa State next year and he is an athletic and strong kid. He was mostly matched up with Baboucarr Ann, which was the highlight of the evening.

I came away from this singular game rather unimpressed with Wiggins. He plays great defense and he also got his 16-20 points, but I really don’t love his jumpshot for the next level. With that said, he did explode and have a monster night when Wayzata took down Hopkins. I was not at that game, but was told that he was elite that night. So it is fair that from game-to-game, these kids can look very different.

As mentioned, I don’t love his jump shot. But he should fit in at Iowa State where T.J. Otzelberger is going to love his defense and ability to slash into the lane.

Baboucarr Ann – Maple Grove

As mentioned, Ann was mostly matched up with Wiggins this particular night. And I’ve actually seen Maple Grove play twice (the Wayzata game and their loss to Hopkins at home). Ann is a junior, one of the top players in the country and I have been thoroughly impressed. He was great on both ends of the floor in their Wayzata win, he hit 30 in their loss to Hopkins where he was the best player on the floor, and he set the Maple Grove single-game scoring record with 47 in a win over Eden Prairie.

He’s an elite defender, he is a very good shooter, he is impressive with his vision and passing. I cannot say enough how impressive I have found Ann to be. I did not have access to a box score in the Hopkins game, but I would not at all be surprised if he had a 30/10 game.

Ann is a 6’5” wing, currently ranked as the 64th best high school junior in the country. Minnesota has offered and is actively recruiting him. He took an official visit to Wisconsin recently, where Maple Grove alumn, Brad Davison is on staff. I would be absolutely thrilled if Niko Medved is able to land Ann in his 2027 class. Currently, Wisconsin and Iowa State appear to be the stiffest competition to Minnesota, but a strong summer and the blue-bloods will be in the mix.

Jayden Moore – Hopkins

It looks like Moore, a 5’10” point guard, is more likely to be playing wide receiver next year. He has football offers from the likes of Baylor, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, etc. I am not familiar with why he has not committed anywhere at this point, but today we are looking at Moore the point guard.

Another kid that I found to be impressive on the hardwood. Moore can shoot, he can score, he is an elite defender but what was most impressive was his leadership and demeanor on the floor.

Nothing phased Moore. His expression and demeanor when things went poorly was exactly the same as when they made great plays. He sees the floor, directs the offense and was always in charge out there.

He is just 5’10”, which likely has held him back in recruiting for both sports. If Moore were 6’, I’d be begging Medved to convince Moore to be the next Gopher point guard. His game reminds me very much of Al Nolen.

Ahmed Nur – Hopkins

Currently ranked as the top junior in the state of Minnesota, Nur is a 6’8” power forward who can shoot and block shots. Very athletic and I was probably most impressed with this three-point shooting ability. Feels very much like Nur is more of a perimeter big than he would be a guy who can bang in the paint in the Big Ten.

He has offers from West Virginia and Arizona State. With his size and perimeter ability, he will likely garner many more.

Max Iverson – Maple Grove

Iverson is a senior committed to North Dakota State. In the Crimson win over Wayzata, he was unstoppable and completely took over that game. When I saw him against Hopkins, he was largely ineffective. Again…not uncommon for high school kids, especially against other top-notch talent. Very good shooter, he is slimy getting by guys and to the basket, and he seems to be a tough kid.

It will be interesting to see how he assimilates at NDSU and if Iverson eventually transfers to a bigger school later in his career.

Tre Moore – Hopkins

The 6’3” sophomore brother to Jayden, the younger Moore is going to be an elite basketball player in a couple of years. Also, like his brother, he is also a dynamic football player and he may be good enough at both to have his pick.

What stood out most for Tre was his defensive ability. Very strong, especially for a sophomore, and he used that strength to play physical defense. I was surprised he wasn’t called for more fouls as his physicality devolved into a lot of grabbing, but the ability and toughness were evident. A good shooter, elite defender and if he has the same maturity and demeanor as his brother, he is going to be an outstanding basketball player at the next level.

Jack Thelen – Maple Grove

I’ll end with Thelen, the 7’ junior center for the Crimson. I’ve seen him play twice and in each game you see times when Maple Grove is actively trying to get him involved and take advantage of his ability near the rim. And then at times he is completely invisible. In both games, the Crimson ran a designed play for Thelen on their first possession of the game.

He has excellent body control in posting up, he is a very good rebounder and shows some toughness on the court. Currently, he has an offer from Murray State, but I expect that as he improves through the summer, his offer list will grow.

GAMES TO CHECK OUT

I was bummed that I wasn’t able to make it this week to watch Wayzata at East Ridge to get a glimpse of Cedric Tomes. But there are more elite games in the last couple of weeks before the playoffs begin.

• Maple Grove at Buffalo (2/12) – The Crimson are one of the top teams in the state and have at least three D1 athletes. Buffalo is one of the surprise teams of Class 4A and are being led by a couple of sophomore guards, each averaging around 20 points per game.
• Cretin Derham Hall at East Ridge (2/13) – A chance to see Tomes and another top-10 team in 4A
• Totino Grace at Champlin Park (2/17) – The Rebels are not a strong team this year but they do have Gavin Walter, a junior with a Northern Iowa offer, and Moussa Dukuly, a dynamic sophomore. Totino has an elite team led by Tian Chatman and Malachi Hill.
• Wayzata at Hopkins (2/17) – This game would be awesome and another with multiple scholarship athletes on the floor.
• Eden Prairie at Maple Grove (2/20) – Hamze Yusef of Eden Prairie up against the Crimson juggernaut in this battle of top 10 teams.
• Alexandria at Tartan (2/21) – The Cardinals making the trip to the Twin Cities to face currently undefeated Tartan (#1 in class 3A). This should be a good one. Mason Witt of Alexandria is a dynamic scorer and Tartan sports two sophomore guards that can light it up.

Once the playoffs begin, keep a close eye on Sections 4 and 6 in Class 4A. Section 4 will have #1 Tartan, #7 Cretin-Derham Hall and #9 East Ridge. Section 6 will produce a state tournament team from among #2 Wayzata, #5 Buffalo or #8 Hopkins. I will be at that Section 6 championship game, if at all possible.

Enjoy the rest of your winter with some elite high school hoops before March Madness begins. Hopefully some of the names mentioned above end up in maroon & gold and lead the Gophers back into the NCAA Tournament.

49ers urged to leave no stone unturned in edge rusher search this offseason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2025 season for the San Francisco 49ers was a very frustrating one. While they overcame so many injuries to go 12-5 and beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, they were left with a depleted roster that couldn't rush the passer.

On the season, the 49ers finished with just 20 sacks, three fewer than the Cleveland Browns' pass rusher Myles Garrett had on his own this season. That's unacceptable. The 49ers need to improve the edge rusher room this offseason.

With such a clear need, Matt Barrows of The Athletic called this group the biggest need for the 49ers this offseason. But, beyond simply being the top need, Barrows is urging the 49ers not leave any stone unturned in their search for help this offseason.

49ers can't leave a stone unturned during edge rusher search this offseason

"The 49ers can't leave any stone unturned when it comes to bolstering their edge rush," Barrows writes. "If Maxx Crosby wants to exit Las Vegas, they should put out a welcome mat."

There are some interesting edge rusher options likely to be available this upcoming offseason. While the NFL Draft is always a place to explore possible options, picking at the end of the first round, there might not be a clear top choice there.

That leaves Days 2 and 3 of the draft, and while adding options in those rounds wouldn't be a bad idea, the 49ers need help, and now.

Someone like Maxx Crosby, who could be on the move this offseason for a king's ransom, would be a great addition for the 49ers. But, beyond Crosby in the trade market, there aren't any players who could be had who'd be the game-changer the 49ers need.

Free agency is a different story. There are a lot of interesting names worth keeping an eye on for the 49ers this offseason in the free agent market.

More: 49ers predicted to add 77-sack former $135 million Pro Bowl pass rusher to pair with Nick Bosa

Trey Hendrickson, the All-Pro who had back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, would be a great option. Khalil Mack might be at the tail-end of what could be a Hall of Fame career, but he would surely make a nice duo with Nick Bosa.

Joey Bosa would be an obvious fun addition, pairing him with his brother. Some other names worth considering for the 49ers this offseason are Haason Reddick, Arden Key, Joseph Ossai, Malcolm Koone, Denico Autry, Dre'Mont Jones, and Odafe Oweh.

There are plenty of other edge rushers who could be had this offseason in free agency. Barrows wants the 49ers to check in on every edge rusher option, whether it's in the draft, free agency, or the trade market.

The 49ers cannot be picky this offseason when it comes to edge rusher options. There are plenty of players to choose from, but the 49ers need at least one quality starter to pair with Bosa, Mykel Williams, and Bryce Huff for the 2026 season.

More 49ers news:

• 49ers' list of 2026 NFL draft picks, free agents and cap space going into offseason
• San Francisco 49ers get massive trade update on Raiders DE Maxx Crosby
• 49ers adding another WR is a 'must' with Brandon Aiyuk all but cut this offseason
• 49ers predicted to draft Trent Williams replacement in Round 1 of ESPN mock draft
• The San Francisco 49ers have made a hire for defensive coordinator
• Broncos, Bucs, 49ers listed as top landing spots for $66 million former Pro Bowl tight end
• Former Seahawks and 49ers legend believes Niners should trade for top-tier receiver

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Tottenham have parted ways with Thomas Frank, and the big question is: was he really the problem? The boys dig into what’s actually happening at Spurs, whether the issues run deeper than the head coach, and which managers could realistically step in to fix things. Is this about tactics, recruitment, ownership — or something bigger?

Then Austin FC striker Brandon Vazquez joins the show for an honest and revealing conversation. He opens up about recovering from his ACL injury, doing “quick maths” in his head about the World Cup timeline the moment he got hurt, and what it will take to fight his way back into the U.S. Men’s National Team picture. Vazquez also shares what it was really like playing in Liga MX — from nonstop media attention to the intensity of fan culture — and how it compares to MLS. Plus, we get the full origin story of his “Superman” goal celebration (yes, including the capes).

To close it out, the boys react to the 2026 MLS kit reveal and give their unfiltered best and worst picks. Which clubs nailed it? Which designs should’ve stayed in the concept phase? We’re handing out praise, roasting questionable choices, and ranking the fits you’ll be seeing all season long.

Timestamps:

(11:00) – Thomas Frank sacked! What is the issue at Tottenham?

(20:00) - Discussing possible replacement for Tottenham

(27:15) – Brandon Vazquez joins The Cooligans

(51:30) – Revealing the best 2026 MLS kits

(59:45) - Revealing the worst 2026 MLS kits

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

The U.S. figure skating team defended its Olympic crown, winning a gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games this week. American Chloe Kim topped the leaderboard in women’s halfpipe qualifying, but settled for silver after taking gold in the previous two Olympics.

Figure skating with its quadruple jumps and Salchows and snowboarding with its triple cork 1440s and method grabs draw the most fan interest among Winter Olympic sports, according to surveys conducted before the Games started.

Reviews.org, which does market research on internet providers and mobile services, asked 1,000 Americans which Winter Olympic sports they were most likely to watch. Snowboarding topped the list at 62%.

Once an Olympic novelty, snowboarding has come of age in the Winter Games since its halfpipe and giant slalom debuts in 1998. This year it features 11 events — men’s and women’s halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, snowboardcross, big air and slopestyle along with mixed team snowboardcross.

Ski jumping (58%), figure skating (56%), hockey (54%) and speed skating (53%) were the next four sports Americans were most likely to watch, per the survey.

Ilia Malinin, who is known as the “Quad God” has positioned himself for a second gold medal in men’s figure skating. He already helped the U.S. secure gold in the team event.

Most popular Winter Olympic sport in each state

Reviews.org also identified the most popular sport by state. Snowboarding dominated the West, ranking first in California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.

Perhaps curiously, snowboarding, or skiing for that matter, wasn’t at the top of the list in Utah. The Beehive State went for bobsledding. Maybe having the Utah Olympic Park bobsled, luge and skeleton track in Park City has something to do with that.

Here’s the breakdown nationwide:

• Curling: 13 states (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia)
• Figure skating: 10 states (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia)
• Snowboarding: 7 states (California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont, Wyoming)
• Luge: 6 states (Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Rhode Island, South Carolina)
• Short-track speedskating: 2 states (Illinois, New Hampshire)
• Ice hockey: 1 state (Minnesota)
• Biathlon: 1 state (Montana)
• Bobsled: 2 states (Oregon, Utah)
• Speedskating: 1 state (Wisconsin)

A Seton Hall Sports poll of 1,596 U.S. adults conducted at the end of January differentiated between participants among the general population, Olympic fans and casual fans. Its results were similar to but not the same as the Reviews.org survey.

Figure skating with 59% of Olympic fans and 53% of female fans was the sport they were most excited to watch, per ESPN. Snowboarding followed with 33% of casual fans, 42% of Olympic fans, 26% of male fans and 27% of female fans.

How Americans are watching the Olympics

Reviews.org found that 72% of Americans plan to watch the Milan Cortina Games. However, the way they plan to tune in is shifting.

The Olympics have been a longtime broadcast staple, but 2026 may mark a tipping point in how people tune in.

“While cable TV is still the main way people plan to watch on the big screen, social media has overtaken it as the most popular method for keeping up with the action; 64% of respondents plan to catch clips on platforms like TikTok and Instagram,” according to the group.

• 64% plan to watch the Olympics via social media clips
• 59% plan to watch coverage on traditional TV or cable
• 57% plan to watch coverage on a streaming service or app
• 35% plan to watch free, over-the-air coverage via their local NBC station

NBC reported Thursday said that viewership of Milan Cortina Olympics is up substantially over the first five days compared to the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

U.S. coverage is averaging 26.5 million viewers across the broadcast network, the Peacock streaming service, other NBCUniversal digital platforms, and Versant’s CNBC and USA Networks, per Front Office Sports. That marks a 93% increase from the comparable period in 2022 and represents the most-watched Winter Games at this point since the 2014 Olmpics in Sochi, Russia.

Aston Villa will entertain Newcastle United at Villa Park this Saturday as they look to secure a victory at home in the FA Cup. The Villans managed to earn a narrow 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion recently, which should give them some confidence going into this contest.

Unai Emery will opt for the 4-2-3-1 formation once again and is expected to make a few tweaks to his first team for this game. Tammy Abraham will spearhead Aston Villa‘s attack up top.

4-2-3-1 Aston Villa Predicted Lineup To Face Newcastle United

Defence

Marco Bizot will function in between the sticks for the Villans as he looks to keep a clean sheet at Villa Park this weekend. Pau Torres will operate alongside Ezri Konsa at the centre of the Aston Villa backline as they look to keep the opposition at bay throughout the 90 minutes.

Lamare Bogarde will hope to prove his value as the right-back, while Lucas Digne looks to put in a good performance on the other side as the left-back. Both of them will have to pick and choose their moments to join in on the attack.

Tyrone Mings will provide cover for the centre-back positions on the bench.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: Tyrone Mings of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammate Ezri Konsa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion at Villa Park on February 11, 2026 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Midfield

Douglas Luiz will anchor the midfield along with Amadou Onana as they focus on winning the 50-50 duels at the centre of the park.

The talented trio of Emi Buendia, Morgan Rogers and Leon Bailey will play just ahead of them as part of Emery’s attack. All three of them need to be at the top of their game if the Villans are to secure a victory in the FA Cup this weekend.

Ross Barkley will make up the numbers on the bench as he waits for his chance to influence the game in the second 45 minutes if required.

Attack

Tammy Abraham will lead the charge for the West Midlands club up top. He would be eager to get his name on the scoresheet versus the Magpies this Saturday.

Ollie Watkins will probably get a rest on the bench and might come on to make an impact in the final quarter of the game if the Villans are in need of a goal by then.

Barcelona suffered their most humiliating defeat of the Hansi Flick era on Thursday, one that should well be labelled their worst performance in over a year.

Taking to the field at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, the Catalans lacked any form of threat and took a pounding in defence from Atletico Madrid.

An early own goal created an amicable situation for the hosts, but they deservedly took a 4-0 lead by half-time to leave Barcelona red-faced.

Nothing changed after half-time beyond VAR joining the proceedings as a protagonist to deny Barcelona a goal, and the Blaugrana now have a massive task in the reverse fixture.

Barça Universal brings you the player ratings from Atletico Madrid 4-0 Barcelona.

Joan Garcia: 3

The goalkeeper had his first howler in a Barcelona shirt as he suffered with his decision-making and came under pressure from the Atletico Madrid press.

Opened the floodgates with an unacceptable own goal and had nothing to show for the remaining goals.

Alejandro Balde: 2.5

The left-back was left exposed and embarrassed on the night as all of Atletico Madrid’s attacks seemingly stemmed from his flank with the defender nowhere in the equation.

Was no match for Giuliani Simeone’s pace and the hosts’ counter, handing them a free highway to march into Barcelona’s box and create a threat.

Pau Cubarsi: 3

The youngster began to crack after the hosts scored their opener on the night and his performance went from bad to worse as he had no idea of how to intercept Atletico’s clear game plan.

Could not deploy the offside trap to any good use and lacked the pace to track back and keep up with the speedy wingers. Scored the team’s first goal of the night early in the second half which was ruled out for a comical offside.

Eric Garcia: 2.5

Eric will not be available for the second leg. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Garcia, who has been one of Barcelona’s most consistent performers this season, also had a howler of a game where he simply could not organise the team’s defence.

Scored the own goal on paper and took the blame from Garcia, but had no clue how to prevent Atletico Madrid’s buildups and crosses across the field.

Was sent off at the tail end for an unnecessary foul.

Jules Kounde: 4

Kounde’s individual performance was as bad as he has been all season, but unlike usual he was not the only player performing disastrously at the back on the night.

Took the ball between his legs for Atletico Madrid’s second goal and was no match for Ademola Lookman for their third. Should have done better to deny Julian Alvarez at the end of the first half as well but simply could not offer any resistance.

Marc Casado: 2.5

Casado was hooked off midway through the first half, completing a horrific night for him, but the truth of the matter is that any of the XI players could have been taken off at the time and there would be no reason to complain.

Took a vital yellow card to deny Atletico Madrid another sure shot, but was below par with his distribution and decision making.

Frenkie de Jong: 5

The captain returned to the XI hoping to offer control to Barcelona’s midfield, but what he managed to do was anything but that. His distribution was better than the others who struggled with the uneven field, but nothing special.

Dani Olmo: 4.5

Olmo struggled in the tight spaces and with the field conditions and could not create much threat in pockets of space. He did, however, conjure up some chances with vital through balls, none of which resulted in big opportunities.

Defensively, he was below par like the rest of the team and did not offer enough work rate off the ball.

Fermin Lopez: 5.5

Lopez perhaps had the two best opportunities of the field half, one with a volley that struck the crossbar and a second with a through ball that he could not get on the end of.

Apart from those moments, however, he had a very silent night in both offence and defence with nothing to show as contributions.

Lamine Yamal: 4.5

Not even Yamal could save Barcelona’s blushes. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The teenager was perhaps the player who struggled the most with the field, slipping seemingly every time he got on the ball.

He was not his usual creative self in the first half, struggled to complete dribbles and was double-marked for the better part of the game.

Ferran Torres: 3.5

The Spaniard had nothing to show in the first half, neither with his defensive effort nor his attacking movements.

He was invisible for most of the game, covered heavily by Atletico Madrid’s compact defence and finding no spaces to break free.

Robert Lewandowski: 3.5

Lewandowski was brought on as a substitute early in the first-half after the team conceded three goals and looked to add attacking firepower, but his presence did not add much to a team that was struggling to create chances anyhow.

Atlético Madrid claimed a 4-0 win against Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, with the visitors suffering a nightmare start and seeing a second-half strike denied by a lengthy VAR check.

The blaugrana shipped two goals inside the opening 15 minutes at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with Eric Garcia’s loose pass catching Joan Garcia off-guard before Antoine Griezmann finished off a well-worked move.

Atléti extended that lead to four goals before the break, with Ademola Lookman burying a composed finish before Julian Álvarez ended his goal drought in stoppage time.

Barça started well after the interval but their momentum was killed by an eight-minute VAR check that ruled off a Pau Cubarsí strike for a marginal offside, and they crumbled further late on when Eric Garcia saw red for a rash challenge.

As it happened

Atlético Madrid wasted no time in testing the Barça defence at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, forcing an excellent save from Joan Garcia with just three minutes on the clock.

But the former Espanyol goalkeeper had a moment to forget soon after when he failed to stop Eric Garcia’s pass, allowing it to roll under his foot and over the line.

And yet that was just the start of a horrific first half for the blaugrana, who found themselves trailing by two goals when Antoine Griezmann arrived in the box and picked out the bottom left corner after a well-placed pass from Nahuel Molina.

The chances kept coming for Diego Simeone’s men, who saw Griezmann shoot into the arms of Garcia and Julian Álvarez force a goalline clearance from Jules Koundé as they continued the hunt for their third of the night.

But they didn’t have to wait long for it, with Ademola Lookman arriving in the box from the left to finish off a well-worked passage of play kicked off by Giuliano Simeone on the opposite flank.

Hansi Flick had seen enough and withdrew Marc Casadó, bringing Robert Lewandowski in as part of a wider tactical change that saw Ferran Torres shift to the left flank and Fermín Lopez drop deeper into midfield.

Barça looked set to be chasing a three-goal deficit in the second half until Álvarez – who had not scored since 9 December – found his way onto the scoresheet in the dying seconds of stoppage time, latching onto Lookman’s cutback.

Flick’s team talk seemed to stir a sense of urgency into his men, who tested Juan Musso mere minutes into the half before an eight-minute VAR check killed their momentum.

Pau Cubarsí rippled the back of the net from close range after Fermín’s strike from the edge of the area caused pinball inside the box – but a lengthy review, accurately described by The Athletic’s Pol Ballús as ‘the biggest VAR shit show I’ve ever witnessed’, highlighted a fractional offside that saw the goal chalked off.

Atléti quickly seized back the momentum and sought out their fifth goal of the night through Matteo Ruggeri, though the full-back’s effort was tipped over the bar by Joan Garcia.

Barça did not help themselves and were reduced to ten men in the 84th minute after Eric Garcia’s rash challenge on Alex Baena, who was through on goal before being kicked down by the 25-year-old defender, who saw his initial yellow card upgraded to a straight red after a VAR check.

Atléti came close to capitalising on that newfound advantage when Molina’s low ball across the face of goal evaded the Barça goalkeeper, although substitute Alexander Sorloth sent his effort waywards.

The hosts take a well-earned four-goal lead into next month’s second leg after a chaotic evening in the Spanish capital.

Analysis: Problems pile up for Barça who now have mountain to climb

Barcelona now look to overturn a four-goal deficit at the Spotify Camp Nou on Tuesday 3 March – but it could have been much worse for Hansi Flick’s men.

Thursday’s hosts were ruthless throughout the first half and could feasibly have scored more, had Antoine Griezmann and Julian Álvarez been a little more clinical with their chances when Atléti were chasing their third goal of the night.

Diego Simeone’s men had identified the flanks as a weak spot in a Barcelona side that has been in fine form this season, scoring 99 goals across all competitions and sitting pretty at the top of LaLiga.

Alejandro Baldé and Eric García were noticeably struggling to keep Giuliano Simeone at bay on the left side of the Barça defence, while Ademola Lookman – who previously spent time in England with Everton, Fulham and Leicester – ran riot on the opposite side of the pitch.

A weakened midfield, forced in part by injuries to Pedri and Gavi, couldn’t afford to sit back too much without sacrificing Barça’s chances of clawing one back – and so bad quickly turned to worse for the Blaugrana.

They improved after the break but that eight-minute VAR check absorbed any momentum they had mustered. After only having themselves to blame for their woeful first half, anger directed at the officiating served to further complicate their mindset as they chased a four-goal deficit.

There are just under three weeks until they host Atléti in the return fixture, in a match that promises to serve up a spectacle.

Great Britain's Jack Pinnington Jones is through to his first ATP Tour quarter-final as he continued his superb run at the Dallas Open.

The 22-year-old, who had to come through two rounds of qualifying to make the tournament's main draw, followed up his stunning victory over Italy's world number 20 Flavio Cobolli by beating American Eliot Spizzirri to reach the last eight.

Pinnington Jones, ranked 181st in the world, overcame world number 68 Spizzirri in three sets, prevailing 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 7-6 (7-4).

He will face former US Open champion Marin Cilic for a place in the semi-finals on Friday.

Pinnington Jones completed his junior season at Texas Christian University in May but opted against returning for a final year in order to pursue a full-time tennis career.

After losing his first qualifying match at the Australian Open in January, Pinnington Jones reached the final at the Soma Bay challenger event in Egypt before embarking on his four-match winning run in Dallas.

He is set to climb 43 places to 138th in the world after reaching the quarter-finals, and could enter the top 110 with victory over Cilic.

Elsewhere, Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina and top seed Iga Swiatek both suffered shock defeats at the Qatar Open.

World number three Rybakina lost 7-5 4-6 6-4 to Canada's Victoria Mboko, while Swiatek won the first set but fell to a 2-6 6-4 7-5 defeat by Maria Sakkari.

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It is expected that Raiders new head coach Klint Kubiak will attempt to poach a few Seahawks assistants. Currently the Seahawks are in the process of trying to keep one of them to be their new OC. One name that wasn't among those expected to interview for that job in Seattle is headed for Las Vegas to interview with the Raiders.

Seahawks WRs coach Frisman Jackson will interview for the Raiders’ OC job, a source tells me (@TomPelissero first). Jackson joined Mike Macdonald’s first Seattle staff in 2024. Klint Kubiak kept him when he replaced Ryan Grubb as OC and was highly complimentary of the job he did.

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) February 12, 2026

Jackson has been a wide receivers coach in the NFL since 2017 and has spent six seasons as an NFL wide receivers coach first with the Titans (2017) then with the Panthers (2020-21), Steelers (2022-23) and then the Seahawks (2024-25).

Under Jackson, Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba broke out to have two Pro Bowl seasons, including leading the league this past season with 1793 yards receiving.

Several other offensive coaches could also be brought in from Seattle for the Raiders OC job, but those interviews will have to wait until after they interview for the Seahawks OC job which will occur today and tomorrow (Friday).

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Klint Kubiak set to interview Seahawks assistant for Raiders OC job

Brentford came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Gtech Community Stadium on Thursday night.

Noni Madueke headed the visitors in front on the hour mark, before Keane Lewis-Potter scored a header of his own 10 minutes later to ensure the points were shared in west London.

Keith Andrews made one change for Thursday night's clash, with Yehor Yarmoliuk replacing Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Former Brentford goalkeeper David Raya started for Arsenal, with ex-Bees captain Christian Nørgaard returning to Gtech Community Stadium for the first time, where he remained an unused substitute.

The first real chance of the game came on the 10-minute mark when Arsenal almost scored from a corner. Declan Rice delivered to the far post, where Gabriel headed towards goal from close range. Sepp van den Berg was there to match his fellow centre-back's aerial attempt with a header of his own, as he cleared the ball off the line and away.

Brentford had their first real opportunity just over 10 minutes later and, just as he had done for the Bees for so many years, Raya made an incredible save in TW8.

The Spaniard attempted to roll the ball out to team-mate Rice, but Mathias Jensen was sharp and robbed it off the Arsenal man. The midfielder then delivered a fantastic ball into Igor Thiago in the six-yard box - and the Brazilian couldn't do much more. His thumping header was low and goal-bound, but Raya did phenomenally well to get down and beat the ball away.

Lewis-Potter produced a sublime bit of football on 53 minutes, when the winger's mazy run saw him beat three Arsenal players, before a pass to Dango Ouattara saw him feed Thiago, but the centre-forward's thunderous shot was blocked well by a Gunners defender.

Half-time substitute Martin Ødegaard had the visitors' first chance of the second half, when some neat football on the left saw the ball find its way to the Norwegian, but he blazed well over the bar.

And Mikel Arteta's side broke the deadlock on 61 minutes. A Piero Hincapié cross was whipped to the back post, where Madueke rose the highest to head the ball back across goal and past Caoimhín Kelleher to make it 1-0.

Brentford were so close to equalising from a near-identical scenario just a few minutes later. Jensen swung a corner to the back post and it was Lewis-Potter who was there, unmarked. The winger powerfully headed it down, into the ground, but it bounced just wide of the post.

The Bees had another chance soon after, when Thiago did superbly well on the counter attack. After Michael Kayode made a crucial intervention at one end, Vitaly Janelt won the ball and quickly played it forward to the league's second-top goalscorer. Thiago drove at his compatriot Gabriel and, using Ouattara as a decoy, found some space to shoot at goal, but it was saved again by Raya.

The hosts' pressure finally paid off when, after missing a headed chance earlier in the half, Lewis-Potter made amends by nodding home at the back post to equalise. A Kayode long throw, as standard, was launched into the box, which van den Berg flicked to the former Hull City man, who sent a diving header into the back of the net.

Keith Andrews' side were pushing for a winner and, with three minutes to go, Thiago was eyeing his 18th goal of the season. Another great pass from Janelt into the striker saw him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, before a fantastic recovery run and block from Cristhian Mosquera.

Thiago had one more chance in added time, when he was fed by Jensen, but his powerful effort was fired over the crossbar.

In an end-to-end finale, Kelleher made one of his best saves in a Brentford shirt as the game ticked into added time. Jurriën Timber broke into the final third and played the ball across to Gabriel Martinelli; the substitute looked in a prime position to score the winner, but a big, outstretched arm by the Bees' no.1 confirmed the draw.

Brentford: Kelleher; Kayode, Ajer, van den Berg, Henry (Hickey 90+5); Janelt, Yarmoliuk (Henderson 73), Jensen; Lewis-Potter (Damsgaard 73), Thiago, Ouattara

Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Pinnock, Collins, Donovan, Furo, Bentt

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel; Hincapié (Calafiori 81); Eze (Ødegaard HT), Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke (Saka 70), Gyökeres, Trossard (Martinelli 81)

Subs not used: Arrizabalaga, White, Lewis-Skelly, Nørgaard, Jesus

Attendance: 17,224

Atlético de Madrid has put "one and a half feet" in the 2025/2026 Copa del Rey final.

Thanks to a great first-half performance, the Colchoneros thrashed Barcelona 4-0 this Thursday (12th).

This was the first leg of the competition's semifinal.

Barça will need to overturn the four-goal deficit to take it to penalties on March 3rd.

Or win by at least five goals to advance in regular time.

Atleti hasn't played in a Copa del Rey final since 2012/2013, when they beat Real.

Rout already in the 1st Half 🔥

Simeone's team took the lead after a back pass turned into an own goal. 

The second didn't take long. And it was from Griezmann.

The third came after a lethal counterattack.

And there was still time for Julián Álvarez to end his drought before halftime.

The 70% possession by Hansi Flick's men was of no use. 

The second half came and Barcelona tried to stay alive in the tie.

There was even a goal by Cubarsí.

But after a long review... it was ruled offside.

Flick – who had already brought on Lewa in the first half – really tried something different.

But the absences of Raphinha and Pedri, along with Lamine Yamal's lack of inspiration, weighed heavily. 

Barcelona also lost Eric García, who was sent off in the 84th minute after a hard foul on Álex Baena.

He had been shown a yellow, but saw a different color after VAR intervention.

Atleti almost got a fifth with Sorloth.

The other semi has the biggest rivals in the Basque Country facing off.

And Real Sociedad took the lead over Athletic by winning 1-0 at their rival's home on Wednesday (11th). 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

The Oklahoma Sooners have made a clear choice for their top priority at the quarterback position in the 2027 recruiting class, and on Thursday morning they received another prediction to land their preferred signal-caller.

Rivals director of recruiting Chad Simmons has logged an RPM prediction for OU to land three-star passer Jamison Roberts out of the '27 class. Roberts is 6-foot-3, weighs 190 pounds, and he hails from Saraland High School in Mobile, Alabama. On3's Steve Wiltfong also believes OU will land Roberts.

Earlier this week, OU landed inside Roberts' top eight schools for his recruitment. He'll be at Oklahoma's Future Freaks event in March, and he's been feeling the love from the Sooners as of late. Both head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle have made sure Roberts knows he's a priority in Norman.

New #Sooners On3 🏈 RPM Prediction

⭐⭐⭐ 2027 QB Jamison Roberts
📏 6'3" / 190
🏫 Sarland HS (Mobile, AL)
🎚️ 60
✍️ By Chad Simmons
🎤⬇️ Director of Recruiting

Profile: https://t.co/9Th6FU5JED#OUDNA27pic.twitter.com/Qi7ckMxQL4

— Covered Wagons Recruiting (@OUCrystalBall) February 12, 2026

Roberts is one of five quarterbacks that have received an offer from Oklahoma in the 2027 class. Nebraska commit Trae Taylor hasn't received much interest from OU since Arbuckle took the reins of the offense, but Arbuckle pursued LSU commit Peyton Houston hard, before losing out on him to the Tigers.

As far as uncommitted prospects go, both Jonathan Moore and Greydon Howell have also received offers from the Sooners, but OU may have designs of them playing different positions (defensive back and wide receiver, respectively) and the college level. Dane Weber took a visit to OU when the Sooners beat Missouri in November, but he has yet to receive an offer from Oklahoma.

Roberts has become the obvious top choice at QB for the Sooners in the 2027 cycle, despite being rated as just a three-star player at this point. Oklahoma is pursuing him heavily, but they've got good competition for his services as well.

Oklahoma's QB room for the 2026 season currently consists of returning starter John Mateer, returning backups Whitt Newbauer and Jett Niu, and incoming true freshman Bowe Bentley. The only quarterback that OU has lost from last season is Michael Hawkins Jr., who transferred to West Virginia.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: OU receives new pick to sign class of '27 passer

While the Super Bowl is almost a week old, the talk continues as to who won the halftime wars: Turning Point USA? Or Bad Bunny and the NFL.

Well, if you look at the numbers, it’s obvious Bad Bunny won, with over 130 million viewers, and most are calling his halftime show one of the best. 

Yet, the controversy continues days later, with several celebrities chiming in with their take. Conservative talk show host Candace Owens has added more fuel to the fire with her take.

Owens said that Bad Bunny indeed outdid Kid Rock, and not only that, but the conservative group lost the entire narrative. 

“Reality: you lost the Super Bowl narrative. Bad Bunny had an objectively successful performance, whether you like it or not,” Owens said.

Owens wasn’t a fan of Bad Bunny, either; however, she called TPUSA frauds. 

“On the one hand, we have a half-time show presented without a word of English spoken.” “On the other hand, we have an organization that scammed its views by paying platform advertisers, followed by influencers, to pretend they broke records.”

Owens also exposed to the public that TPUSA’s halftime show was prerecorded, a claim later confirmed by Kid Rock, who was dragged on social media for lip-syncing his songs—an allegation he has denied. 

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Conservative host Candace Owens called TPUSA's halftime a scam

Barcelona’s defense of the Copa del Rey title is in serious jeopardy as the Blaugrana have a gigantic mountain to climb following a horrible 4-0 loss away to Atlético Madrid on Thursday’s semi-final first leg at the Metropolitano. The Catalans were the architects of their own downfall with a horrific first half performance, but were also the victims of a truly inexplicable refereeing decision in the final period that killed any hopes of a comeback as Diego Simeone’s side took a huge steps towards a place in the Spanish Cup final.

Reactions & Observations

• Only one word can describe Barça’s first half performance: disaster. The defending was pathetic, players were slipping all over the place, the attack was all out of ideas, and every single person in a Barça uniform played their worst half of the season.
• Atleti had a 4-0 lead at the break, but that honestly doesn’t tell the story of their dominance. The home team had a very simple plan that destroyed Barça’s backline time after time: get in behind Alejandro Balde, switch the play to the other wing, and have runners coming late into the box. It worked like a charm, and Atleti could have easily scored six or seven in the first half. It was that easy for them, and that bad from a Barça perspective.
• The first goal was bizarre, with Joan Garcia failing to control a pass from Eric Garcia and not being able to stop the ball from crossing the line. The other three goals were somehow worse, with Barça’s defense cut open time after time as Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julián Alvarez had all the time and space in the world and scored some good goals.
• Hansi Flick couldn’t wait until halftime to make a change and took off Marc Casadó for Robert Lewandowski in the 37th minute, but that didn’t solve the attacking issues and only exposed the backline even further. Frenkie de Jong had a rare but truly awful 45 minutes, and every single member of the back four was easily beaten throughout the period.
• Fermín López was the closest thing to a good attacking performer as he hit the crossbar and missed a good one-on-one chance, but literally no one else around him showed up to the party in the opening 45 minutes.
• Barça needed a quick goal to have any hope at all in the second half, and they found it on a free-kick routine that ended with a shot from Fermín that hit Robert Lewandowski and fell to Pau Cubarsí, who scored the rebound to boost the Blaugrana’s spirit just five minutes into the period.
• What followed after the goal was an absolute travesty: an EIGHT-MINUTE review by VAR somehow found Cubarsí to be offside, even though the replays and the offside lines showed ZERO evidence of an actual offside. There was nothing remotely clear or obvious, but after EIGHT MINUTES they decided to rule out Barça’s goal and completely killed the visitors’ momentum with one of the worst decisions you will ever, ever see.
• The rest of the game was a desperate attempt from a deflated Barça side to make a comeback, but they never came close to troubling the Atleti defense again and things got even worse when Eric Garcia was sent off for a really stupid challenge.
• This was an extremely frustrating night in every possible sense of the word. Barça were horrible, the refereeing was somehow worse, and Atlético deservedly won the first leg in a manner that pretty much decides the tie unless Barça perform one of their greatest ever miracles in three weeks.

ESPN analyst uses famous Aaron Rodgers quote to describe Chiefs' 2026 chances originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kansas City Chiefs did something in 2025 that not many thought was possible: they missed the playoffs.

But after being at the summit of the NFL mountain for so long and making the AFC Championship game at least every year since Patrick Mahomes became the starter, that would eventually take its toll.

The Chiefs never really looked like a contender in 2025, as injuries and poor form contributed to the first-ever down year for Mahomes and Andy Reid as a duo.

But as we turn to 2026, and Mahomes is on the comeback trail from an ACL injury, is there hope that 2025 was a blip on the radar?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler thinks so.

"The Chiefs ran out of gas in 2025 but have most of what they need to make another run," Fowler wrote. "Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes enter Year 9 together. Health has been an issue for years, but the offensive line is still quality and the team's track record in the draft is better than most. R-E-L-A-X."

More: Lions' $1 billion problem could sink rising ship

Can Chiefs bounce back in 2026?

Of course, they can; they've built up enough credits in the bank to warrant it.

But it all hinges on the health of Mahomes.

Eyeing a Week 1 return, which most think is a little aggressive, what happens to the Chiefs' chances if Patrick isn't fully good to go until say, Week 6? 

We saw how much a bad start can impact you with the Baltimore Ravens starting 1-5 last season, and Kansas City won't want that to happen.

There's enough talent on the roster at the time of writing to suggest the Chiefs are a playoff team, but how aggressive they are in free agency will tell us a lot about their 2026 trajectory.

More NFL news:

• Bills urged to keep underrated Josh Allen weapon
• Ravens' 2026 future could hinge on 1 unlikely player
• Chargers' hire named one of the best upgrades of the offseason
• Bears named big winners of 2025 draft class
• Chiefs big winners of free agency with 1 key prediction
• Bills know how to fix Keon Coleman claims ESPN analyst
• Analyst reveals key to Ravens' 2026 hope

It’s been only a matter of days since the Seattle Seahawks crushed the New England Patriots 29-13 en route to the second Super Bowl in franchise history, and with the victory parade already in the books, attention has turned to setting the coaching staff for the 2026 season.

The first order of business for Mike Macdonald when it comes to filling out his 2026 coaching staff will, of course, be to replace offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The next step in the process, though, might be replacing the coaches from the Seattle staff that Kubiak could take with him to Las Vegas.

The other names on the coaching staff most commonly linked to the Raiders seem to be Rick Dennison and John Benton, both of whom were on staff with Kubiak with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 and the New Orleans Saints in 2024. While those two are the most commonly mentioned names, it appears that a different member of the offensive coaching staff is the first to interview with the Raiders.

Frisman Jackson joined Mike Macdonald’s initial staff in 2024 after having split the previous four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers, and was the wide receivers coach at all three stops.

With the 2025 NFL season complete and the draft order officially set, early projections for the 2026 NFL Draft are beginning to take shape. And depending on which analyst you read, Clemson’s first-round outlook looks very different.

ESPN draft analyst Field Yates currently projects just one Tiger to hear his name called in Round 1, defensive tackle Peter Woods. Yates has Woods going No. 26 overall to the Buffalo Bills, labeling him one of the more debated prospects in the class.

“He’s an explosive, twitchy, powerful defensive tackle with natural disruption skills,” Yates wrote. “But there’s a worry about his shorter frame/arms, and his skill set did not often lead to production (only five sacks in three college seasons). I’ll bet on the athletic upside of Woods, who occasionally played fullback — he even scored a touchdown against Boston College last season. He’s an urgent and sudden player who can impact both a pass rush and run defense. The Bills need a ton of the latter after allowing the third-most yards per rush in 2025 (5.1).”

Woods finished his Clemson career with 99 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups over 35 games, including 24 starts. He even added a unique wrinkle offensively, rushing eight times for 15 yards and two touchdowns. In 2025, he became Clemson’s first All-American defensive tackle since Christian Wilkins in 2018 and was the only player nationally to post multiple games with both a sack and a rushing touchdown. He also earned first-team All-ACC recognition from the league, the AP and Phil Steele.

While Yates sees only Woods sneaking into the first round, FOX analyst Joel Klatt has a much larger Clemson presence in his projection, though notably without Woods included.

Klatt slots offensive tackle Blake Miller at No. 28 overall to the Houston Texans.

“Houston’s defense is elite, so it needs to keep building on the offensive side of the ball,” Klatt said. “The Texans’ offensive line was better this past season, but it can still improve. Miller started all 54 games in his career and is reliable.”

Cornerback Avieon Terrell follows at No. 29 to the Los Angeles Rams.

“The Rams have a few corners that are set to be free agents this offseason. So, why not bring in an All-American corner? Yes, I know it’s another Clemson player going in the first round after its underwhelming season. That doesn’t mean some of the Tigers’ top players aren’t NFL-caliber, though. Terrell is one of those guys and can play on the outside,” Klatt said.

Defensive end T.J. Parker rounds out Klatt’s Clemson trio at No. 31 to the New England Patriots.

Clemson baseball reveals starting rotation for weekend series vs Army https://t.co/pZvYgyaqBApic.twitter.com/JfFdVagsHt

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) February 12, 2026

“The Patriots could use some more firepower at wide receiver, but they need some pass-rushing help, too. Parker was considered to be a candidate to be a top-10 pick at the start of the season. He disappointed a bit, although the upside with Parker is still strong,” Klatt said.

The 2026 NFL Draft will take place April 23 through April 25 in Pittsburgh, and if these projections are any indication, Clemson could have anywhere from one to three players in the first round depending on how evaluations ultimately shake out.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ESPN analyst Field Yates evaluates Clemson’s Peter Woods

It's Brody King's wrestling world at the moment, as the AEW star continues to draw attention for the anti-ICE chants seemingly done in his honor on "AEW Dynamite" last week, chants that led to speculation regarding his absence from "Dynamite" this week. But in between all the controversy, King has a massive opportunity this weekend at "Grand Slam: Australia," where he'll challenge MJF for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. 

With the spotlight on him, and the momentum in King's favor after his resounding defeat of MJF to secure the title shot, many are wondering if AEW could pull the trigger and make King the champion. That would be a change of plans, however, as during a Fightful Select Answers Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp revealed that AEW's original direction did not call for King to unseat MJF this weekend. 

At the same time, Sapp noted that AEW hadn't factored the amount of buzz King would receive in the last week, and believes that a King victory was now possible. Ultimately though, he expects that its more likely that MJF retains the championship, based on long-term plans AEW reportedly has for the title.

While King's momentum is at a fever pitch, he has been far from the only AEW star chasing the AEW World Title over the last month, with "Hangman" Adam Page, Andrade El Idolo, Kenny Omega, and Swerve Strickland all also vying for the top prize. Page and Andrade will also be in Australia for "Grand Slam," with the winner receiving a title shot against either King or MJF at AEW Revolution, while Omega and Strickland will face each other in singles action on "Dynamite" next Wednesday in Sacramento.

Read more: AEW Stars: Meet Their Spouses & Partners

Don't miss any of the major wrestling headlines. Sign up to our free newsletter for the biggest stories, sent straight to your inbox. You can also add us as a preferred search source on Google.

Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

Chris Unger via Getty Images

After the UFC cut heavyweight Jailton Almeida following a second uninspired loss, should we see this as a sign that patience for underperforming fighters is quickly running out in the world’s top MMA promotion? Also, did BKFC just deliver the best combat sports offering of the past weekend, and if so, what does that tell us?

All this and more in this weekend’s mailbag. To ask a question of your own, hit up @BenFowlkesMMA on X or @Ben_Fowlkes on Threads.

@GeorgeWilb77062: Was there any funky line movement reported leading up to Jailton Almeida’s final UFC fight? Oh, and has anyone ever pointed to the canvas floor, declaring before the world to stand their ground, then not throw a single offensive strike?

That was honestly one of the most frustrating heavyweight fights of the modern era. It was all the more frustrating because, when he actually wants to, it seems like Jailton Almeida can actually fight. It’s just that he doesn’t seem to want to anymore. Instead he wants to stand around and make faces like he’s so bored of all this, which in turn makes us pretty bored watching him.

The UFC apparently agrees, because he’s already been cut from the roster. I hope people realize how drastic a move that is. For the longest time, the UFC policy seemed to be to hold onto heavyweights for as long as possible. An underperforming bantamweight might get cut right away, but heavyweights got to stick around and stink up the joint for years. Now, after two consecutive losses, the UFC goes and cuts a heavyweight who was still ranked in the top 10. (Almeida is actually still listed at No. 8 on the UFC website.) That’s wild!

You have to do really, really badly to get cut as a ranked heavyweight in today’s UFC. The division is so thin as it is. Tai Tuivasa has lost six in a row only just now fell out of the top 15. Cutting Almeida seems like a signal that the UFC is less patient than ever with guys who put on boring fights and lose anyway. Whether or not you believe that’s how talent should be evaluated, that’s now the reality. Fighters must adjust accordingly.

@ewillcock: Looks like BKFC had a good night of business. I really enjoyed watching the fights on YouTube for FREE.

Maybe it was the nostalgic main event, but i wondered if you have any thoughts on the card, and what's next for the promotion?

I spent Saturday night flipping back and forth across three different sports broadcasts: UFC Fight Night on Paramont+, BKFC’s Knucklemania event on YouTube, and Olympics coverage on Peacock.

Of those, BKFC definitely delivered the most entertainment and excitement with the least filler. (I get that Olympics broadcasts are aimed at a general audience, but come on, do I really have to watch a segment about some dude’s relationship with his grandmother before I can see him jump his snowboard off a big, icy ramp?) I think there’s absolutely a market for what BKFC is doing. I also think the big challenge is going to be figuring out how to consistently make money while playing to an audience that is essentially a niche within a niche.

Going live on YouTube at this point is smart, though. Too many fight promotions, while still scratching and clawing for market share, make the mistake of putting stuff behind a paywall in exchange for a relatively small and short-term cash infusion. BKFC needs to grow its audience. It needs to give people a chance to see what it’s doing and get excited about it. And there was a lot to get excited about at Saturday’s show.

@justlikelasagna: What does it say about the community of MMA fans (not all of them, just the vocal ones) that Tom Aspinall felt it necessary enough to show images of him getting eye surgery to prove that he really did f*** up his eye?

Some segment of MMA fans will never miss a chance to accuse an MMA fighter of being a coward. They must really enjoy it. They see this as a sport populated by people who are scared to fight and looking for any way to avoid it. They never seem to ask themselves why such people would seek out professional fighting as a vocation. They just adopt this as their viewpoint and then view everything through that lens.

I think it’s because that’s the thing that would make the most sense to them. Most people would be scared to get in a cage and fight a highly trained opponent. Most people should be. It’s a scary thing. But simply because they might be inclined to fake an injury in order to avoid it, it doesn’t mean everyone else would. Some people really are built different. And anyone who becomes UFC heavyweight champion is probably one of those people.

But honestly, is it really so hard to believe Tom Aspinall’s eyes were messed up? We all saw Ciryl Gane go knuckle-deep into both eyes. He went full Three Stooges on this man. Do people have a hard time imagining that this might do serious and lasting damage to one of the most delicate organs in the human body? Because I do not. If anything, I’m surprised we don’t see more ongoing eye issues from the many, many eye pokes in this sport.

@MMAJunkieGeorge: You think the UFC can benefit from an annual 8 man/woman grand prix to spice up divisions? Say Kayla Harrison beat Nunes and retired, let's crown a new champ via GP.

Maybe that'll shake things up in regards to who is next, interims, BMFs, doghouse (Arman). Two mil to the winner.

George, you know I love a tournament. Those old PRIDE Grand Prix events? That was some of the best MMA of the 2000s. But I also know how much the UFC hates tournaments, and not without reason. Remember when the flyweight division was brand new and the UFC did a modest four-man tournament to crown its inaugural champion? Even that managed to be a pain in the butt before it was over.

But some of these divisions where there’s really not much going on as it is? There’s really no reason not to do a tournament. Sure, some alternate will probably swoop in and win it while fighting all of one time in the final, but so what? A tournament is the best and easiest way to take a crop of fighters we don’t really know or care about and turn them (or at least one of them) into something memorable.

@logsupacoowacky: What's the over/under on how many of the eleven title holders will fight between now and the White House card?

There’s only one numbered UFC event between now and mid-June that’s still without a headliner. That’s UFC 327 in Miami on April 11, and so far the announced lineup for that one looks like a pretty good UFC Fight Night event — but nothing special. I think we’ll probably see one title fight added to that card somewhat soon.

But even then it would mean that the first half of 2026 would see a grand total of three UFC title fights (unless you include the BMF title, which I don’t). Of those three, one was an interim title fight and another was a rematch no one asked for that ended up being basically a rerun of the first fight. So in other words, UFC 327 is the one chance to have a true, fresh title fight prior to the White House event.

That leaves an awful lot of UFC titles that could be defended on that White House card. Maybe the UFC really is planning to deliver the seven or eight title fights Donald Trump seems to be expecting. If so, that could be a tricky broadcast (if you have seven or eight fights that could either last 30 seconds or 30 minutes, it’s tough to plan for). It would probably also mean that the few months following that event would be as light on title fights as the months leading up to it.

@Screenplaya: Does the UFC provide supplements to fighters, as Derrick Lewis said? Do they contain banned substances, as Derrick Lewis might've intimated? And, since we have weight classes to ensure fighters fight people their size, why is weight-cutting allowed?

When UFC exec Jeff Novitzky pushed back on Derrick Lewis’ claim that the UFC gave him peptides, it was the peptides part he disputed — not the claim that the UFC might be providing fighters with supplements. That seems a little weird to me. How would you feel if you found out that the UFC was giving your opponent some good stuff to help his training but hadn’t offered any to you? Because I could see not loving that.

As for weight-cutting, how do you stop it? Stuff like hydration tests don’t really work, at least not unless you’re willing to scratch a bunch of your own fights when people inevitably fail. You could try to do what California has experimented with and just tell fighters which division they need to compete in, but that could get heavy-handed in a hurry. I agree that it’s actually insane to have fighters deplete themselves so drastically the day before the competition, all just to fight someone who’s basically the same size, but I also don’t know how to make them stop. So far, neither does anyone else.

@LCombatsports: In an environment where combat sports media jobs are extremely hard to come by, what would you recommend anyone wanting to increase interest and engagement in one's work? Perhaps to be able to make some money in this field.

Don’t pin your hopes on someone offering you a job in MMA media. Don’t sit around waiting for an opening somewhere. There aren’t many, and with the combination of AI, declining ad revenue, and general uncertainty about how to take internet content and turn it into money, the environment will probably only get tougher.

I think the best approach is creating your own thing, whether it’s a podcast or a Substack or a social media presence or (and I realize this sounds dreadfully old school) a website. Something you control, where you can put up the content that you like, and then build an audience from there. Maybe someone sees it and offers you a job. Maybe you gradually monetize it. But either way, you own it and no one can take it away from you with a round of sudden layoffs.

Indiana football remains in the mix for one of the top wide receivers in the country in the class of 2027, according to On3/Rivals.

Monshun Sales, who attends Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, announced a final four of Indiana, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on Wednesday afternoon. It’s the Hoosiers and the three teams they beat in the postseason to win the national championship.

Sales is a 5-star prospect who ranks in as the second highest-rated wide receiver and eighth highest-rated prospect overall in the class of 2027 in the Rivals Industry Ranking. He holds offers from other top programs including Michigan, Oregon, Notre Dame and LSU, among others.

Wide receivers have enjoyed success in Indiana’s offense, where position coach Mike Shanahan doubles as coordinator and play caller, for each of Curt Cignetti’s first two seasons leading the program. Both Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. project as NFL Draft picks this spring while Charlie Becker emerged as a rising star during the Hoosiers’ run through the regular season. Additionally, Cooper Jr. starred at Lawrence North like Sales before committing to Indiana.

Sales would be the first 5-star to commit to Indiana in program history. As a star at a premier position and an in-state recruit, he’d be a huge get for the Hoosiers in 2027.

Atlético Madrid is STEAMROLLING Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

And there’s still the entire second half ahead at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

There was even a bizarre own goal. 

The Colchonero opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

Cubarsí’s back pass to Joan García turned into a goal after the Barça goalkeeper was “fooled” by the bounce of the ball.

Check out the play below and give your opinion!

Joan García had made a great save from Giuliano Simeone’s attempt just two minutes earlier.

Ruthless, Atleti got their second in the 14th minute with Griezmann. A series of passes and a perfect finish from the Frenchman. 

The third only didn’t come in the 23rd minute thanks to Koundé.

But it came on a perfect counterattack.

Unable to count on the injured Raphinha, Hansi Flick took off the booked Casadó to bring on Lewandowski in the 37th minute.

An attempt that didn’t have the immediate effect he’d hoped for.

Barça then saw Julián Álvarez end his drought—he hadn’t scored yet in 2026—after finishing off another lethal attack in the 47th minute. 

The return leg will only be on March 3rd, with Barça as the home team.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

Terrible news, everyone. Fiorentina’s back in action this weekend. Even worse, Serie A’s most disappointing side takes on Como, a team that’s already won twice in Florence this year, most recently in the Coppa Italia. The Lariani, of course, have gone from strength to strength, knocking Napoli out of the Coppa on penalties on Tuesday. Perhaps the Viola can ambush their high flying hosts, who might be tired out from their midweek exertions, but let’s be real: Como’s miles ahead and is the obvious favorite.

The match will be played on Saturday, 14 February 2026, at 14:00 GMT/9:00 AM EST at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinagaglia in Como. The forecast calls for a grey day on the banks of the lake with the chance of some rain, which perfectly suits my feelings going into this one. As a reminder, Fiorentina’s fans aren’t allowed to travel for Serie A games for the rest of the year after their idiotic clash with AS Roma fans on a highway outside Turin.

Three things to watch for

1. Intensity, urgency, all that jazz

Every cliche applies to Fiorentina right now. There aren’t leaders, there’s no character, the mentality is awful. I quantified it with a look at late-game performance earlier this week but you don’t need numbers to see that something fundamental is broken at this club. Whether that’s the deaths of Joe Barone and Rocco Commisso in quick succession or the organizational turmoil in upper management positions, things aren’t right and that hasn’t trickled down to the players so much as inundated them.

Fiorentina has shown glimpses of competence, of course. The first half against Como was excellent, for example, despite a wackily-rotated squad. The second half against Torino last time out was very good until the turtling began. Everything could and must improve, of course, but that’s not possible at this juncture. Cutting out the boneheaded mistakes would go a long way to staying in Serie A, though. If the Viola can just not dribble urine down their own legs, they’ve got a reasonable chance of getting something from this.

2. Set piece defense, as per usual

Fiorentina has gone ahead in both meetings with Como this year and in both, Como equalized through a set piece goal. I’m as sick of writing about this topic as you are of reading it but the fact remains that Fiorentina is almost uniquely catastrophic at defending set pieces; before fbref lost its data, the Viola had conceded more chances from them than any team in Serie A, and I haven’t seen anything that would change that. The only silver lining is that for Como to equalize from another corner or free kick would mean that at least Fiorentina will have scored again, only to unravel as per.

3. What fresh idiocy Fiorentina will unveil

One thing that’s been fun* about this year’s Fiorentina is the variety of errors that every player commits. We’ve seen defenders make inexcusable passes out the back, fluff their clearances, or stare at forwards running past them without moving. We’ve seen midfielders dribble into culs-de-sac of their own construction, bork 5-yard passes, and stand astonished in the center circle rather than track back. The forwards have missed goals in increasingly creative ways, dribbled into touch, and wandered off the pitch to enjoy a nice bowl of carabaccia.

Variety is the spice of life and this is a very spicy team indeed. If you, like me, have pretty much given up hope for this incredible collection of bozos to actually do their jobs for 90 minutes, the only entertainment they can offer you is a series of mistakes that deserve the Boots Randolph treatment. If we’re stuck on this sinking ship, all we can do is fire up the kazoos and provide a morbidly raucous chorus before the waves close over our heads.

*this has not actually been fun at all

Possible lineups

Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department

Everyone from the experts to the bookies to the bettors predicts Como to win and that’s the correct opinion. After all, Serie A’s nouveau-est riche side is in the hunt for a Champions League place and, even if that’s probably beyond it, Europe beckons any team in 6th at this stage of the season. The visitors are, of course, complete and utter ass. Their only advantage is a few extra days of rest and that’s not nearly enough to tip the scales.

Due to the curse that is TMBGD, though, I guess I’ll call it a 1-2 win for the visitors. The Moose has shown signs of life lately and I like his odds to get in behind the Como defense a couple of times; he’ll need to finish one of those chances, of course, but we’re in a safe space here so let’s assume he does. Como will pull one back via Paz after a scramble at a free kick, setting the stage for a late winner on the break from Marco Brescianini as the hosts pour bodies forward. Como’s going to dominate this game by every statistical and emotional metric but hey, why not pretend like Fiorentina has a chance? We lose nothing by hoping.

Forza Viola!

Don't look now, but Nikola Jokic is back in the picture.

An afterthought in January when he missed 16 games with a left ankle sprain, the Serbian big man has risen to second on the NBA MVP Odds board thanks to an impressive seven-game stretch in which he has averaged 24.4 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 9.4 assists per game. His strong play has Denver back in the thick of the playoff hunt and has Jokic within striking distance of his fourth most valuable player trophy.

Jokic's reemergence has coincided with an injury to reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has seen his odds move from -380 to -210 while he deals with an abdominal strain that is likely to sideline him for at least five games. 

Let's take a look at the latest NBA MVP odds below.

🏀2026 NBA MVP odds

Team		Movement
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	<<-210>>	▼
Nikola Jokic	<<+320>>	▲
Cade Cunningham	<<+1400>>	▼
Luka Doncic	<<+800>>	▼
Jaylen Brown	<<+3300>>	▼
Victor Wembanyama	<<+5000>>	▲
Anthony Edwards	<<+15000>>	▼
Jalen Brunson	<<+25000>>	▼
Tyrese Maxey	<<+25000>>	▼
Donovan Mitchell	<<+30000>>	▼

Our friends at bet365 have boosted Nickola Jokic's NBA MVP odds from +320 to +375. Act now while the value lasts.

NBA MVP prediction

With voters increasingly sensitive to both team success and two-way impact, SGA has the cleanest path to an MVP narrative this season. He's the best player on a top-two team in the West, elite efficiency from all three levels, and offers real defensive bite at the point of attack. His game scales without drama—he can dominate in isolation or flow within movement-heavy actions, and he gets to the line a ton without forcing bad shots. If Oklahoma City’s depth keeps their net ratings gaudy when he sits, while his on/off still pops, he’ll own the “drives winning” storyline that tends to decide close MVP races.

Doncic will put up video-game numbers again, yet the bar for heliocentric guards keeps rising, and defensive skepticism plus any midseason usage management could ding his case. 

By contrast, SGA’s steadiness, durability, and two-way credibility give him multiple avenues to “win” the discourse even if raw counting stats are a tick lower—especially if the Thunder post the league’s best record.

Pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Stake: 2 units

📈 NBA odds over time

This year's MVP chase has been a heavyweight melee. Follow along all season as we update this graphic with contenders rising and falling. 

💰2026 NBA MVP opening odds

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +150
• Nikola Jokic +350
• Luka Doncic +380
• Giannis Antetokounmpo +1200
• Victor Wembanyama +1200
• Anthony Edwards +2500
• Kevin Durant +5000
• Cade Cunningham +6000
• Jalen Brunson +8000
• Donovan Mitchell +10000
• Paolo Banchero +10000
• Trae Young +15000

NBA MVP betting data

The following data is courtesy of BetMGM.

• Highest ticket percentage: Victor Wembanyama 17.6%
• Highest handle percentage: Luka Doncic 21.8%
• Biggest liability:  Victor Wembanyama

Popular NBA futures odds

• NBA championship odds
• NBA Rookie of the Year odds
• NBA Most Improved Player odds
• NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds
• NBA Coach of the Year odds
• NBA Clutch Player of the Year odds

How is the NBA MVP decided?

The MVP award is one of the most prestigious honors in professional basketball—and one of the most debated. But how is the MVP actually chosen?

🗳️ MVP Voting Process

The MVP is determined by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters from the U.S. and Canada, as well as a fan vote that counts as one ballot. Each voter selects five players, ranked from first to fifth place. The point system is as follows:

• 1st place vote: 10 points
• 2nd place: 7 points
• 3rd place: 5 points
• 4th place: 3 points
• 5th place: 1 point

The player with the highest total point tally at the end of voting is crowned NBA MVP.

📊 What Do Voters Consider?

While there's no official checklist, MVP voters typically weigh several key factors:

• Individual statistics: Points, assists, rebounds, efficiency, advanced metrics like PER or Win Shares
• Team success: MVPs are rarely chosen from losing teams and Top 3 seeds are the norm
• Narrative and storyline: Voters often reward players overcoming adversity or carrying a franchise
• Consistency and availability: Games played, durability, and clutch performance matter

👀 Voter Biases and Trends

Some unofficial trends also influence MVP outcomes:

• “Voter fatigue”: Players who've already won may need to outperform their own past seasons to win again
• New blood bias: Voters sometimes prefer rising stars over repeat winners
• Position favoritism: Guards and forwards tend to dominate MVP voting, although that trend has been changing in recent years

📜NBA MVP betting history

A quick look at recent NBA MVPs and their opening odds.

Season	Player	Opening Odds	Team
2024-25	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	+400	Oklahoma City Thunder
2023-24	Nikola Jokic	+450	Denver Nuggets
2022-23	Joel Embiid	+600	Philadelphia 76ers
2021-22	Nikola Jokic	+1600	Denver Nuggets
2020-21	Nikola Jokic	+2500	Denver Nuggets
2019-20	Giannis Antetokounmpo	+210	Milwaukee Bucks
2018-19	Giannis Antetokounmpo	+475	Milwaukee Bucks
2017-18	James Harden	+1100	Houston Rockets
2016-17	Russell Westbrook	+200	Oklahoma City Thunder
2015-16	Stephen Curry	+650	Golden State Warriors
2014-15	Stephen Curry	+1600	Golden State Warriors

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Caleb Wilson, North Carolina men’s basketball’s superstar freshman forward, broke his left hand in a loss at Miami on Tuesday and will be out for a yet-to-be-determined period of time, the university announced on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Wilson suffered the injury in the first half of the 75-66 loss. X-rays taken during the game came back negative, which prompted him to return to the contest, but additional imaging that was done after the No. 13 Tar Heels returned to Chapel Hill, North Carolina revealed a fracture.

“The evaluation process is ongoing to determine the timetable for Wilson’s return,” North Carolina said in a statement.

Caleb Wilson out with fracture in left hand. pic.twitter.com/sI1zr4JG0A

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 12, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Bracketology projection for NCAA Tournament field has new No. 1 seed

Wilson has been one of the brightest stars in what has been widely hailed as one of the best freshmen classes in the sport’s recent history. The 6-foot-10 Atlanta native is averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game for North Carolina, which is 19-5 after a disappointing 2024-25 season in which it barely snuck into the NCAA Tournament field.

Wilson has been integral in that improvement. He has set North Carolina program records for scoring in double figures in each of his first 24 career games and for his 17 games with at least 20 points. He’s fourth in the ACC in scoring, third in rebounding and fifth in field goal percentage (at 57.8%).

In a thrilling 71-68 win last Saturday over archrival Duke, he had a team-high 23 points and helped keep the Tar Heels’ offense afloat in a game in which it fell behind by as many as 13 points.

The former five-star recruit is widely projected as one of the top five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Three of North Carolina’s seven remaining regular-season games come against teams ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll: No. 23 Louisville (on Feb. 23), No. 18 Clemson (March 3) and the rematch with No. 6 Duke (March 7), as well as a Feb. 17 game at an NC State team that’s receiving votes in the poll.

The Tar Heels are a No. 4 seed in the latest mock NCAA Tournament bracket from USA TODAY Sports.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caleb Wilson breaks hand, out indefinitely for UNC basketball

The countdown to Longhorns spring camp has begun which means it’s the perfect time to break down the roster. Today, it’s about the Longhorns I see making a major leap in 2026 and become household names. 

I’ve circled five players that I feel are set up for major success this season if they are able to put together strong spring camps:

WR Kaliq Lockett 

Sark loves playing his top line guys and that doesn't include Lockett(at least as of right now). That being said, I expect more rotation at the skill positions in 2026, both to stay healthy and because of the depth at RB and WR. Lockett factors in as likely the WR4 or 5 on the team, sitting behind either Cam Coleman or Ryan Wingo. I believe he’s capable of playing at either and the addition of Sterling Berkhalter makes me think he’ll likely fill in behind Wingo. Wherever he lines up, I believe he will make an impact when he’s on the field. 

Saving some of his best for last. Tough and gritty after taking a few big shots.

Kaliq Lockett the freshman on the other end ooo wee pic.twitter.com/5nEMaOgOS1https://t.co/vTPJbxbDC4

— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) December 31, 2025

TE Nick Townsend 

This is a player I’m very bullish on in 2026. I believe Townsend is not only capable of being the TE1 for Texas, but one of the best TEs in the SEC in 2026. He’s able to step into more of a receiving role in 2026 with the addition of Michael Masunas and Spencer Shannon, both elite blockers. I don’t think Townsend will match what Gunnar Helm did in 2024, but I don’t think it’s because he can’t. The room is just insanely talented and deep, but I believe Townsend is the most talented of the bunch and will explode in 2026. 

This block from Nick Townsend was one of a few really good showing from the true freshman, saw @CoachJeffBanks pumped from his play today

You better come correct because Townsend is coming with the smoke

This play had me screaming at the top of my lungs in DKR pic.twitter.com/dIhzKfbvd8

— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) September 7, 2025

DB Kade Phillips 

I believe there are very few players for Texas that will benefit more from Will Muschamp’s addition than Phillips. His man coverage ability is about as good as you will find and continues to build heading into his sophomore season. Phillips is a top tier playmaker in the secondary and I think he will be a difference maker for Texas this season. He's one of the most important players in the Muschamp defense. Muschamp always had elite CBs at Georgia(Lassiter, Everette, etc.). Having one side of the field shut down is a must and Phillips is more than capable of filling that role. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Phillips on an All-SEC team in 2026. 

we see you, Kade Phillips pic.twitter.com/u4QvVGBtPg

— Landon Holifield ✭ (@TheLandoShow) November 22, 2025

DB Xavier Filsaime 

Filsaime is someone that craves contact. That’s a must in the Will Muschamp defense and something I believe will allow Filsaime to thrive. Filsaime needs to slow down at tim but he’s a great talent that is capable of making a major leap in year three. I think the S room has three guys that need to step up and he’s one of them(McDonald, Williams Jr.). With Jonah Williams splitting time between baseball and football during the spring, Filsaime will need to be ready to play major snaps early in 2026. 

DL Maraad Watson 

I believe the DL rotation for Texas will be as strong as any in the country this season. Maraad Watson, heading into his second year as a Longhorn, figures to factor into that conversation consistently. Watson has remarkable ability for his size and I expect him to consistently be on the field in 2026. He seemingly needed a year for the “SEC strength” to come, but now I think he can be a force in this defense. He likely won’t be the top line player, but he can be a difference maker in the run and pass game this season. 

True underclassmen defensive players with double-digit snaps against Texas A&M last night:

Colin Simmons
Graceson Littleton
Kobe Black
Alex January
Maraad Watson
Ty'Anthony Smith
Lance Jackson
Kade Phillips
Xavier Filsaime

The future of the Texas defense pic.twitter.com/oRdxAkHaxY

— Evan Vieth (@EvanVieth) November 29, 2025

Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire.

This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Townsend, Phillips highlight breakout candidates for Texas next season

Jared Verse wasted no time establishing himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and led the league in total pressures (including playoffs) in 2024 before continuing to play at a high level last season.

He still has room for improvement, though. Verse wants to get even better, elevating his game to the elite level where Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett and the other top pass rushers live.

One way to get there? Train with them. Verse said on “The Pivot” podcast recently that Parsons invited him to train together in Dallas. Of course, Parsons is rehabbing a torn ACL, but he still wants to work with Verse and help him get better.

“I'm a student of the game now. I think I’ve got to get a lot smarter,” Verse said. “I was just talking to Micah two days ago. We were talking, he was like, ‘Bro, you are so fast, use your speed.’ Even Micah, he’s still recovering from his injury. He’s got a long way ahead of him. He said, ‘Come to Dallas.’ He trains in Dallas. He said, ‘Come to Dallas. Let’s work together.’ I’ve got to start working with these dudes who are at the level I want to get to. I haven’t spent enough time with Micah. I haven’t spent enough time with Will (Anderson). These dudes that dominate the league that I’m trying to get to that level. But they all work together. They’ll get and do workouts together. I’ve got to start getting into that.”

Verse has some untapped potential, something he’s well aware of. He wants to get better at finishing plays and turning pressures into sacks, something he improved upon this past season when he increased his sack total from 4.5 to 7.5.

Parsons and Garrett are still a tier above Verse, though, which is why he wants to pick their brains and learn how to clean up certain areas of his game.

Training with them can’t be any harder than working out with Aaron Donald, which Verse checked off his bucket list – or “never-doing-again” list – last summer before the season started.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Packers star Micah Parsons invited Jared Verse to train in Dallas

Feb. 12 (UPI) -- South Korean teen Gaon Choi scored a 90.25 to win gold Thursday in the Olympic halfpipe, denying Chloe Kim of a record third consecutive victory.

Choi, 17, received treatment after a nasty fall on her first of three runs in the competition in Livigno, Italy. She initially raised doubts whether she could continue, but rallied to overtake Kim with a stellar final run.

Her victory gave made her the first athlete from the Republic of Korea to win a gold medal in snow sports.

Kim posted an 88 on her first run and remained in the lead until the final round, when Choi posted a 90.25. She fell on each of her final two runs while trying to complete back-to-back double cork 1080s -- a trick with two somersaults and three rotations -- en route to a silver medal.

Japan's Mitsuki Ono, who scored an 85 on her first run, placed third. Americans Bea Kim (77) and Maddie Mastro (5.50) finished eighth and 12th, respectively.

Kim was denied in her quest to become the first female or male snowboarder to win gold at three consecutive Olympics. She also was attempting to tie Shaun White, who watched on Thursday at Livigno Snow Park, for the most gold medals (three) ever won by a snowboarder.

The 25-year-old American shrugged off the dislocated shoulder she sustained last month in training and started her initial run with a backside 720. She proceeded to land a switch backside air and double cork 1080, among other tricks, en route to her highest score.

Chloe Kim FLIES to FIRST place through the first run in the halfpipe final! pic.twitter.com/WarlCqfuQu— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 12, 2026

Japan's Ono (85) and Rise Kudo (77.5) were in second- and third-place, respectively, after the first run. Ono and Kudo remained in podium range after their second runs, with Kudo improving her score to 81.75. But Choi, who fell on her second run, saved her best performance for when it mattered most en route to shuffling the podium.

Spain's Queralt Castellet, who won silver in the halfpipe in 2022, placed 10th. Japan's Sena Tomita, who won bronze in 2022, placed ninth.

The men's snowboard halfpipe will be held at 1:30 p.m. EST Friday in Livigno. Jake Pates, Chase Josey and Alessandro Barbieri are the Americans set to compete in that event. Japan's Ruka Hirano and Australia's Scotty James, who earned gold and silver in the event in 2022, also are in the 12-man field.

Switzerland's Jan Scherrer, who won bronze in 2022 and sustained a concussion during training, did not participate in qualification for the event.

Cubs' Nico Hoerner trade rumor news shifts to contract idea originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Chicago Cubs signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract, and it changed the entire picture of their lineup.

Prior to that, it looked like Matt Shaw would start at third base with Nico Hoerner at second base.

Bregman is a third baseman, though, so something has to give.

Bregman will play third. Where does Shaw go? Does Hoerner get moved?

The free agent deal has put Hoerner in a number of trade rumors, even as he comes off the best season of his NHL career.

Now, though, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand thinks a contract extension could be in play rather than a trade.

"The Cubs extended Hoerner on a three-year, $35 million deal in March 2023, buying out his final two years of arbitration and his first year of free agency in the process," Feinsand wrote in a new article on Thursday. "The signing of Alex Bregman this winter shifted Matt Shaw into a utility role, potentially setting him up to take over for Hoerner a year from now, but Hoerner is a proven commodity coming off of his best season (6.2 bWAR in 156 games). The Cubs could look to extend Hoerner again, especially if they like the idea of Shaw moving around the diamond."

Hoerner could likely fetch something solid in a trade, potentially another pitcher. Shaw could also have his own trade value, given his youth and recent status as a high-ranking prospect.

Chicago could also stand pat, though, and find ways to use both Shaw and Hoerner. It's an option worth considering, especially given the way Hoerner seems to be appreciated in the clubhouse.

The Cubs likely don't have to rush here, and so it'll be fascinating to see what they decide in the end.

MLB analyst makes the case for the Tigers to extend Riley Greene originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Detroit Tigers fanbase has been treated to quite the rollercoaster of an offseason over the winter. The biggest question was whether the club was going to trade Tarik Skubal or not. 

So far, they have not, and an extension is still on the table, but now the focus is on the newest starting pitcher who joined the rotation, and that would be Framber Valdez. 

The two sides agreed on a three-year, $115 million contract, but he isn't the only new arm coming. The club also agreed to bring veteran Justin Verlander back on a one-year, $13 million deal.

MORE: Tigers' Reese Olson out for season amid Justin Verlander news

MLB analyst makes the case for the Tigers to extend Riley Greene

The starting rotation is now locked up for the 2026 season. If the group can avoid any injuries, this could be a dangerous starting rotation. 

With that set, the front office can focus on other things, like extending some of its younger talent. Riley Greene could be a prime extension candidate, and MLB.com's Mark Feinsand breaks down why. 

"Greene makes the list for a second straight season, and although his bWAR dipped from 5.4 to 2.2 in 2025, he set career highs with 36 home runs, 111 RBIs, and a .493 slugging percentage in 157 games last season. Greene will earn $5 million this year and is arbitration-eligible for two more seasons, making the 25-year-old a prime candidate for the Tigers to extend -- especially if they don't believe they will be re-signing Tarik Skubal next offseason."

Greene is coming off a monster season where he was a big part of the club's offense. And if he goes off again this upcoming season, it will only cost Detroit more money. 

It makes a ton of sense for Detroit to reach an extension with its rising slugger sooner rather than later.

More MLB news:

• Anthony Kay warns the rest of MLB that Munetaka Murakami is the real deal
• MLB analyst pushes the Rangers to extend MacKenzie Gore for future stability
• The Astros could face a big problem in extending Hunter Brown
• All eyes will be on Angels' RHP Grayson Rodriguez this spring
• Orioles' Shane Baz considered a prime breakout candidate for the 2026 season

NEED TO KNOW

• Rich Ruohonen said he had the best day of his life on Feb. 12
• The personal injury attorney from Minnesota became the oldest Winter Olympian in Team USA history
• Ruohonen, an alternate on the men's curling team, threw two stones during the match against Switzerland

Rich Ruohonen has made Winter Olympics history!

The 54-year-old Minnesota man entered the record books when he played during Team USA’s men’s curling game against Switzerland on Thursday, Feb. 12.

When Ruohonen — an alternate on the team — threw his first and second stones, he became the oldest U.S. Winter Olympian of all time.

"To go in and make both was great. It was awesome," he told reporters after making his throws. "The crowd was cheering me on and the [Swiss] Schwaller team were so great about it."

He added, "Normally in our game we shake hands if it's out of reach and I just told them, 'Hey guys, we're just going to get this out of way, do you mind if I play a couple rocks and we play one more end?' and they said, 'Great, you deserve it. Get in there.' “

Ruohonen’s teammates thought as much, too. After the U.S. allowed two points, lead Aidan Oldenburg was seen on the broadcast walking to the sideline and pointing to Ruohonen as if to say, "You're in."

Ruohonen broke a nearly 100-year-old record held by Joseph Savage, who was 52 when he competed in pairs' figure skating at the 1932 Lake Placid Games when figure skating was a summer sport, according to Olympics records.

Despite Team USA going on to concede after trailing 8-3 through eight ends, Ruohonen told reporters that it was the best day of his life.

"I think it was," Ruohonen said. "I mean, it's kind of bad under those circumstances that we're in a loss, and I'm a team player 110 percent, but I told them, 'Let's just get it out of the way now so we don't have to worry about it the rest of the way.' "

When he’s not curling back at home as a two-time national champion, Ruohonen works as a personal injury attorney in Brooklyn Park, Minn., according to The Athletic.

Amid making history on the ice, Ruohonen also spoke out about competing at this particular point in history and shared his perspective on ICE operations in his home state.

“I’m proud to be here, to represent Team USA and to represent our country,” Ruohoen said on Wednesday, Feb. 11. “But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention what’s going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it’s been for everybody.”

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He added, “This stuff is happening right around where we live. And I am a lawyer, as you know. We have a constitution. It allows us freedom of the press, freedom of speech, protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures, and makes it so we have to have probable cause to be pulled over. And what’s happening in Minnesota is wrong. There’s no shades of gray.”

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Read the original article on People

NEED TO KNOW

• Chloe Kim narrowly missed out on completing a historic gold medal three-peat after she took silver in the women's halfpipe on Feb. 12
• Choi Gaon of South Korea won gold, narrowly defeating Kim in the race, and Mitsuki Ono of Japan won bronze in Livigno, Italy
• Kim was the reigning champ heading into the day, as she also took home gold in Beijing in 2022 and in PyeongChang in 2018

Chloe Kim took silver in the women's halfpipe at the Winter Olympics, narrowly missing out on a historic three-peat.

The Team USA snowboarder came in second place in the event at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Thursday, Feb. 12 in Livigno, Italy. Choi Gaon of South Korea won gold , while Mitsuki Ono of Japan came in third with 85.00.

Kim — who was competing on a torn labrum — scored 88.00 during her first trip down the course, and only faced a challenge in the third run, when Gaon scored 90.25 and took the lead. Kim then took a tumble on her last attempt, and wound up with silver.

If the California native, 25, had won gold in the event, she would have become the first person to ever complete a women's snowboard halfpipe “three-peat," following her gold medals in Beijing and in PyeongChang.

Kim's win in Beijing made her the first woman to ever win two gold medals in halfpipe, making today’s run all the more historic.

She was just 17 years old when she won in 2018, the youngest woman to ever win gold in the snowboard halfpipe.

She had solid support in the stands, with her NFL star boyfriend Myles Garrett cheering her on. Garrett brought a camera with him to snap photos of Kim’s run during the qualifying round, and repeatedly called her “so amazing” as he watched in awe. She was the only competitor to score about 90 in the qualifying round.

Kim’s silver medal was hard-won, as she was fresh off an injury that she feared might put her Olympic dreams in jeopardy. In early January, she injured her shoulder in training, just over a month before the Games began.

"Ugh... I hate that I have to make this video. But I felt that it was necessary, so here we go," Kim said in an Instagram video. "I've been here for a couple of days. I'm currently in Switzerland and on my second day of training, I took the silliest fall, and that ultimately resulted in me dislocating my shoulder.”

The athlete said at the time that she was “trying to stay really optimistic” about her chances of competing, and noted that she wasn’t in much pain.

Months before the Games, Kim told PEOPLE that she didn’t feel a ton of pressure to defend her gold medal, but hoped she’d be able to do her best while enjoying the ride.

"I think the pressure I feel is wanting to do the best that I can and see what happens from there — but I just really want to enjoy this journey more than anything I think," she said. "At each Olympics I always go into it with a new set of goals. And I think this time I just really want to enjoy the experience and have a good time."

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.

Read the original article on People

An infernal semi-final. FC Barcelona has just delivered, without a doubt, the worst first half of the Hansi Flick era.

Crushed by Atlético Madrid (3-0 at halftime), the Blaugranas may have said goodbye to their hopes of qualifying for the Copa del Rey final.

Granted, this is only the first leg, but things already look very bleak.

As usual, internet users did not hold back. A review of tweets.

https://x.com/Noaminhoo10/status/2022047266333503933?s=20

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.

Not since 1999 has McLaren entered a Formula 1 season striving to defend both titles, after Lando Norris added a maiden Drivers’ crown to McLaren’s second straight Constructors’ championship in 2025. McLaren has now climbed the mountain—so can they stay there?

McLaren has been indisputably the success story of the last regulatory cycle.

Back in 2022 it was entrenched in the midfield, aspiring to extricate itself from a long-running slumber, and a sequence of poor performances and results prompted a strategic rethink that eventually bore fruit mid-2023. From then onwards McLaren has been at the sharp end of the field, resulting in back-to-back Constructors’ Championships, and a Drivers’ Championship for Lando Norris.

Now the ambition is to defend both of those titles.

“We are champions, but we don't carry being champions into 2026,” McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said. “Everyone will start from the starting blocks. Everyone will start from zero. You know, like our internal narrative is anything we will achieve, we will have to deserve it.”

McLaren began looking into its 2026 car, the MCL40, as early as Easter 2024, when the regulations were in an embryonic stage. Research and development ramped up through mid-2025, with focus switching from the MCL39 to the MCL40, perhaps facilitating a late-season resurgence from Red Bull. But McLaren is happy with the path that it has forged.

“We started this car so much earlier than we normally would,” said Chief Designer Rob Marshall. “A lot of the initial prep and groundwork was done. We lifted off on last year’s car to focus on this, but I wouldn’t say it suffered, I think. You could argue that others maybe kept pressing on with their 25 car longer than we did, but I think we probably did the right thing in the end.”

The current-spec MCL40 is “probably pretty much what we will bring to the first race,” with McLaren keen to learn as much as possible before giving the green light to upgrade packages.

“We really are going to have to be very focused on getting our heads around this car,” Marshall said. “It’s very complicated. It’s all new. There’s a lot of stuff that we need to dial in and tune in. So I think bringing a lot of new stuff to it, early doors, would complicate stuff. I think we’re better off understanding our platform before we get too keen on redesigning it before it’s turned a wheel.”

Added Stella: “We thought that in the economy of a season, it was important to start and launch the car in the most competitive package and configuration. That’s why we pushed all the timing to the limit, but within a very manageable limit.”

In the previous era one of McLaren’s strength was in its efficiency and correlation, with updated parts delivering their expected performance. The team is confident that can be retained in a new ruleset.

“The cars are all new, any built-in advantages have gone, but we've still got the same people and tools doing it,” Marshall said. “The tools will be stretched in a different direction, but you hope our approach is consistent and we go about it the same way. Hopefully we get similar or the same results.”

A large part of McLaren’s 2025 campaign concerned the micromanagement of its two strong drivers, with the team regularly going the extra mile to ensure fairness between Norris and Oscar Piastri. Norris eventually prevailed, in spite of Max Verstappen’s late surge, but his champion status will not earn him any preferential treatment.

“We will enter 2026 with continuity,” Stella said. “We will keep racing the McLaren way. If we have been able to achieve success in 2024 and then in 2025, what has added extra value to what we have achieved is the way in which we have achieved in such a collaborative, supportive way, cohesive way, together with our drivers. I was particularly pleased to see how energetic, proactive, full of ideas, but also full of support [the drivers are] to the way we have gone racing the McLaren way in the past. So that's the perspective of going into 2026 racing from a team point of view.”

Both drivers are still onboard with that approach, albeit a streamlined one, with Piastri conceding that “we probably caused some headaches for ourselves that we didn’t need to last year.”

Piastri spent swathes of the short winter break in his native Australia, reconnecting with family and friends, after a year in which he led the title race for the majority of the season—in only his third year—before slipping to third, only 13 points behind champion Norris.

Piastri won seven grands prix but did not triumph in any of the last nine rounds, in which he went six straight events without a podium.

“Obviously last year wasn’t the final result I wanted, but I think it was nice to go into the off-season, through the off-season, and reflect on it as a whole,” Piastri said. “It’s easy to get drawn into the ending but when you take a step back and look at how good last year was compared to my first couple of years, how strong the car was as a team, some of my individual performances I was really proud of, when you take a step back and look at those, some races at the end of the year were a little bit painful but to look back on the proud moments was nice to do over the break.”

Piastri described looking back on 2025 as “some nice lessons to learn, some tougher lessons to learn,” and insists he can draw confidence from the near-miss.

“I think in terms of performance, the peaks I had was a nice confidence boost and statement for myself that when I get things right and maximise my potential I can be a very strong competitor,” Piastri said. “I think some of the lessons in the back half of the year were very different in nature, a couple of things in Austin and Mexico from a technical and driving point of view that let’s say I hadn’t been challenged on earlier in the season, and then just obviously there’s a pretty long string of races where it was pretty eventful for lots of different reasons, how I can manage those things better, how we as a team can manage those things better, that’s probably one of the most important lessons.”

If Piastri is to achieve his ambition then he will have to dethrone his team-mate as World Champion.

A relaxed Norris is still embracing that mantle of World Champion but stressed that his achievements in 2025 have not altered his hunger entering 2026.

“I still have many more wins in F1 and try and get as many more championships as possible, but if I never do, I’m still happy, I achieved one,” Norris said.

“I don’t feel any different coming into this season, I just want to go out and win, there’s just my baseline feeling is that, I think it’s more at the end of the day if I don’t achieve something again I always have something I’m very proud about, but it hasn’t taken away any motivation or desire to do it again.”

USA women's hockey goalie has been a brick wall through preliminary round originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

USA women's ice hockey breezed through the preliminary round with a 4-0 record, led by goalkeeper Aerin Frankel who played in three of the games.

In Frankel's starts against Czechia, Finland and Canada, she only allowed one goal, while her offense supported her with 15 total goals. 

Frankel, who plays in the PWHL with the Boston Fleet, has been the statistically best goalie through the opening round. 

The United States' defense has only let up 45 shots on goal, and Frankel has been a brick wall with those that have gotten through. Her 97.78 save percentage is the best among all goalies in the Olympics. The 0.33 goals against average is also at the peak of the list.

MORE: Olympic women's hockey scores: Updated results, schedule for 2026 tournament games today

The native New Yorker's two shutouts are also leading all Olympic goaltenders. Only three other goalies in the 2026 games have recorded a single shutout. 

Frankel has set herself apart from the crowd. The Americans face off against Team Italy Friday afternoon in the play-off quarterfinals.

The leading Italian goalkeeper, Gabriella Durante, has allowed five goals in her 132 minutes on the ice. The USA has the edge in the goalkeeping department with the play-offs ahead.

Its goalie is not just known on the ice, though. She has also gained attention for her instagram page dedicated to rating and sharing the best Caesar salads. 

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Frankel has also started to share some of her meals in Milan, outside of her typical Caesar salad posts. The Italian food must be helping feed her elite week that she has had so far in the Olympics.

Her and Team USA are looking to gain its third gold medal this year in Italy.

More Olympic news:

Tkachuk, Hughes brothers make Team USA history dating to 1964 Olympics

USA Olympic bobsled results: Updated scores for monobob, two-man and four-man events

Winter Olympics' 10 highest-paid athletes in 2026, from Eileen Gu to Ilia Malinin

What goofy stance means in snowboarding vs. regular feet

Chloe Kim's bid for a third straight gold medal in the Olympic women's halfpipe fell just short as her final run ended with a fall. That meant South Korea's Choi Ga-on won gold after coming back from a bad fall of her own.

But Kim didn't hesitate after her third and final run. She went right over to Ga-on and gave her a huge hug and congratulated her. That's the Olympic spirit right there. And as you'll see below, a lot of fans loved seeing Kim be classy there.

Two golds and a silver for Kim in her career. That's pretty incredible, I'd say:

A GOLD MEDAL MOMENT 🫂

Chloe Kim found Choi Ga-on the moment she finished her final run for the silver medal to give the South Korean a congratulatory hug when she clinched gold. pic.twitter.com/9BmkrDfA5S

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 12, 2026

this was an insane final what a comeback for choi gaon congrats to her so happy for her & south korea & chloe with the amazing class you are still the greatest ever!!!! 🇰🇷🇺🇸 https://t.co/EymqCZ4RZa

— cam 🤍☄️ (@wildcatseoul) February 12, 2026

Chloe Kim isn’t just an incredibly talented athlete, but such a class act — everything an Olympic athlete should be and the kind that actually makes me feel patriotic. #WinterOlympics#Olympics2026#MilanoCortinaOlympic2026#ChockAndBatesWereStillRobbed

— James Knobloch (@JamesSaysHey) February 12, 2026

Third Olympic Medal at only 25 years old for Chloe Kim 🐐

She was the first to congratulate Choi Gaon. Class act 👏

Source: @BleacherReportpic.twitter.com/Lvxsxpf7Gi

— YoungBuck®️ (@Buck7990) February 12, 2026

Nothing but class. The absolute best of us is Chloe Kim. So proud #Olympics2026

— Lina Tragni (@linatragni) February 12, 2026

Agreed.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Chloe Kim classily congratulated Choi Ga-on after Olympic halfpipe

Would the New York Mets and New York Yankees benefit from a hard salary cap being instituted in MLB’s next collective bargaining agreement? An interesting new report details a few reasons why it would help the pair of NY baseball teams.

There has been a lot of speculation over the last few months that MLB is headed toward some dark days this time next year. The Los Angeles Dodgers dominating the league and winning back-to-back World Series with the most expensive roster in league history has frustrated many around the game. Especially owners of small and mid-market clubs.

Having over a billion dollars in deferred contracts and other teams like the NY Mets and Blue Jays handing out massive deals in recent years has created a narrative that MLB needs a hard cap to stop the out-of-control spending.

In theory, the idea would hurt wealthy clubs because it would diminish their greatest power, spending huge sums of money. However, a new report from The Athletic’s Evan Drellich suggests a hard cap in the next CBA would be a good thing for teams like the NY Mets and NY Yankees.

New MLB hard cap could have a max of $240 million

“Teams like the LA Dodgers, who have a league-high $402 million payroll, the NY Mets, and the NY Yankees would actually benefit from a limit on their spending.

“‘The biggest beneficiaries are going to be the biggest markets, and the biggest losers will be the small markets,'” a management source told Drellich. ‘… The big markets will do well because there will be no pressure from fans to go to $300-400 million payrolls and so forth.’”

Drellich suggests a potential hard cap could top out at $240 million and have a floor of $160 million.

Young stars could hit MLB free agency sooner

Another interesting facet of the addition of a hard cap is the changes players would want made to other contract guidelines to benefit them in different ways.

“The free agency and arbitration processes would also change,” Drellich suggests. “In the current system, it would be almost unthinkable for owners to let players become free agents sooner than the current wait time of six years, or to hit arbitration earlier than the current standard of three years. But a cap could reduce those wait times.”

New York has always been a top destination for free agents, especially because of the prestige of the Yankees brand. Shortened rookie contracts and arbitration mean young stars would be available for the pair of NY clubs far sooner.

NY Mets and NY Yankees could get out of bad contracts sooner

Another change to contracts that might come with a new hard cap is that, according to Drellich, deals may no longer be guaranteed. In a hard cap system, payroll limits are tied to overall revenue from the league. That makes guaranteed deals harder to have.

While it is not a lock, it is a possibility, which means the NY Mets and NY Yankees would be able to get out bad deals sooner than they can now.

Related Headlines

• Report Explains Why Cardinals, Reds & Pirates Could Be Badly Hurt By Hard Cap
• NY Mets News: More Bad News on Lindor Injury, Big Robert Jr. Prediction, Latest on Benge
• Super Agent Offers Realistic Plan for Rivals to Compete with Mets, Dodgers, Other Big Spenders, But It’s Not a Hard Cap

Seventeen-year-old Choi Ga-on denied American great Chloe Kim snowboarding history as she brushed off an early fall to win Winter Olympic halfpipe gold.

Kim had been hoping to become the first snowboarder - male or female - to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals.

But as heavy snow fell in Livigno, South Korean Choi usurped Kim at the top of the standings with 90.25 points from her final run, a score the 25-year-old could not better on her last attempt.

It showed remarkable resilience from Choi, after she had earlier taken a brutal fall in which she hit the icy lip of the pipe and flipped into its centre, lying motionless for some time.

But she eventually brushed herself down and stunned the onlooking crowd with her spellbinding third run, her coach bursting into tears at the realisation of what she had achieved.

For Kim, the build-up to the Games had been far from ideal.

With just one competition under her belt this season, she dislocated her shoulder and sustained a torn labrum in what she described as the "silliest fall" in training in Switzerland last month.

But despite having her shoulder in a brace, she showed little sign of it affecting her as she scored 90.25 in qualification on Wednesday.

Watched on by Team USA 'honorary coach' Snoop Dogg and snowboarding legend Shaun White in Thursday's final, eight-time X Games champion Kim had looked set for gold after her opening run scored 88.00, with few coming close.

But Choi's score - met by both cheers and gasps of shock from the onlooking crowd - piled the pressure on Kim, only for a fall to ensure she would leave an Olympics with silver for the very first time.

Japan's Mitsuki Ono took bronze with a score of 85.00.

More to follow.

• Day-by-day guide to the Winter Olympics
• Full schedule including times of medal events
• Winter Olympics 2026 medal table

Nick Castellanos shares 4-page handwritten note after Phillies release appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Nick Castellanos have finally come to the end of their relationship. The club gave Castellanos his release Thursday with one year and $20 million remaining on his contract. Castellanos and Phillies manager Rob Thomson had been at odds with each other since an incident in June of last season that had made its way out of the dugout and into the headlines.

Despite the end of his time with the team, Castellanos wrote a four-page letter to the Phillies organization and the team’s fans and posted the first page of it on his Instagram account. While he thanked ownership, staff, teammates and president of operations Dave Dombrowski, there was no reference on the first page to Thomson.

The divide between Castellanos and Thomson was largely the result of the outfielder’s shaky defensive play. He fared poorly in all the defensive ratings and Thomson had stuck by him for years. However, when the manager removed him from a game in June for a defensive substitute, Castellanos reacted negatively to the situation and Thomson did not like how the outfielder behaved or what he said.

The Phillies had worked hard to get Castellanos a new team during the offseason, but the team was unable to swing an acceptable deal. There was no chance of a reconciliation between the team and the player as Castellanos was instructed not to show up for the start of spring training.

Castellanos can sign with any other team. His new employer will only be responsible for the amount he signs for while the Phillies will owe him the difference.

Related: Phillies release Nick Castellanos after failing to trade him

Related: Zack Wheeler says quiet part out loud about Phillies’ playoff struggles

The Miami Dolphins are expected to move on from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, with multiple reports that the team is trying to find a trading partner for the 2023 passing-yardage leader. If Miami does not land a trade for the former Pro Bowl selection, they likely will look to release him as a post-June 1 cut, eating the remaining guarantees and signing-bonus accounting against the salary cap over two seasons. With Tagovailoa likely on his way out of Miami, the Dolphins may only have second-year quarterback Quinn Ewers on their roster at the start of the new league year in March.

Could they be in the market for a veteran to bridge the team to their next drafted “franchise” quarterback? And could that veteran be a four-time Pro Bowl selection who may be looking to come out of retirement?

Last May, quarterback Derek Carr suddenly retired. Needing surgery and likely to miss the 2025 season anyway, Carr and the Saints worked out a deal that would free up $30 million in guaranteed money still owed to him by the Saints, but would allow Carr to keep his original signing bonus without New Orleans looking to recoup that money.

Fast forward to the 2026 offseason, and it seems like Carr may be ready to return to the NFL. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo, Carr could be headed toward a return. Around the NFL writer Nick Shook adds, “momentum appears to be building toward a possible return to the NFL for the four-time Pro Bowler,” and has Miami as a possible landing spot:

The Dolphins are expected to move on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason and might only have Quinn Ewers, heading into his second pro season, as their best remaining option. With a roster that is talented enough to contend and includes stars like De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins only need a proven starter to complete the majority of their offensive picture. They’d find that in Carr, who would need to be convinced of new head coach Jeff Hafley’s vision but could find a welcome home in warm and sunny Miami.

With a projected deficit of $16 million entering 2026, Miami would likely need to create some cap space in order to make this possible. If they want Carr badly enough, though, they’ll find a way to make it work.

Selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, Carr started his career with the then Oakland Raiders, moving with the team to Las Vegas in 2020. He joined the Saints in 2023, playing two seasons before retiring. In his 11-year career, Carr threw for 41,245 yards on a 65.1 percent completion rate with 257 touchdowns and 112 interceptions. He has a 92.8 career passer rating. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2022.

If Miami is looking for a short-term starting quarterback who provides stability and can ultimately serve as a mentor to a younger player – either Ewers or a drafted passer in 2026 or 2027 – Carr could be the perfect fit.

What do you think of the idea of Miami pursuing Carr this offseason?

Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham will likely miss England’s March international fixtures ahead of the 2026 World Cup, according to the BBC.

The Three Lions face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley at the end of March.

Bellingham suffered a hamstring injury earlier this month and was supposed to be out for around four weeks.

However, it appears he will be out for between six and eight weeks, a massive blow for Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Bellingham has been struggling with injuries for some time, allowing Morgan Rogers to usurp his place in the first team.

The former Borussia Dortmund ace is in no danger of losing his place in the team, but will be desperate to get back to his best and find consistency.

The 22-year-old has managed six goals and four assists in 28 appearances this term, but Rogers’ form will keep him on his toes.

Rogers has been in sensational form for Aston Villa, playing a talismanic role in their title charge, while Ollie Watkins has struggled for form.

The Villa star has recorded 10 goals and seven assists in 36 appearances this season, including some absolute piledrivers to decide games.

Based on current form, Rogers has built a compelling case to be placed ahead of Bellingham in England’s midfield hierarchy, at least in the short term.

The 23-year-old playmaker has thrived when given responsibility, showcasing creativity, direct running, and a growing knack for decisive moments.

While Bellingham remains one of England’s most gifted players, his recurring injury setbacks have created an opening Rogers has seized with aplomb.

Tuchel values momentum and match sharpness, both of which Rogers currently possesses in abundance.

If he maintains his trajectory and continues influencing big games at club level, he should edge himself into England’s starting XI, carrying that advantage into the 2026 World Cup.

Benjamin Sesko is now beginning to show real promise as Manchester United’s leading striker.

In his last six games, the summer 2026 signing has scored five times, suggesting he has finally settled at M16.

Sesko needs a capable alternative

Yet while Sesko is proving to be the striker United truly needed, there remains a sense that the club’s attacking department is not quite where it should be.

For all his potential, United would benefit from another top‑class forward. Adding a sharp‑shooting alternative, or even direct competition, would elevate their frontline to one of the finest in the league.

Joshua Zirkzee might have been that option, but with the Dutchman heavily linked with a summer move away, United must look elsewhere. With the right addition, their attack could reach a whole new level.

Strikers on the Radar

Several names are already being linked with United. Jean‑Philippe Mateta and Karl Etta Eyong are reportedly on INEOS’ shortlist. But as the 20‑time English champions weigh up their options, they may be tempted to add Brentford’s in‑form striker Igor Thiago to their wishlist.

Thiago battling Haaland for the Golden Boot

Thiago has been prolific in front of goal, scoring 17 times this season, second only to Erling Haaland.

Stepping up after the departures of Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo from the Gtech Community Stadium last summer, the Brazilian has looked every inch the real deal.

And, like Ivan Toney, Wissa and Mbeumo before him, expectations are that he is destined for a big move away.

United could certainly use a player of his calibre, and convincing the Samba star to follow Mbeumo to the Theatre of Dreams may not prove too difficult.

Thiago’s Confession

The United speculation is rightfully growing following Thiago’s recent admissions about his childhood football memories via TNT:

“I wasn’t that interested in football… but then my brother made me watch the Premier League every weekend, especially Manchester United. From there it grew on me… feelings of love and affection.”

Some may interpret this as a subtle “come get me” plea, and United fans will hope INEOS take note.

At 24, Thiago could be the perfect foil for Sesko. The competition between the two would push each other to greater heights, potentially putting United into prime mode.

For the 20-time English champions’ opponents, that prospect would be nothing short of frightening.

Featured image George Wood via Getty Images

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The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games did not quite end up being the coronation for Chloe Kim many thought.

The 25-year-old still won a medal in the women's halfpipe event, but she fell just short of winning gold in women's halfpipe at a third consecutive Olympics, taking the silver.

Kim, who went last after finishing first among the 24-member field in the qualifier with a score of 90.25, put up an 88 on her first run but crashed out on the next two. Korea's Gaon Choi won gold after scoring a 92.5 on her final run. Japan's Mitsuki Ono earned bronze with an 85.

Full women's halfpipe results

Here are the full results from the women's halfpipe final on Thursday:

• 1st: Gaon Choi, Korea
• 2nd: Chloe Kim, United States
• 3rd: Mitsuki Ono, Japan

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Chloe Kim win? Full snowboarding results from Winter Olympics

Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby has been the subject of trade rumors early in the 2026 NFL offseason.

The five-time Pro Bowler is doing his best to avoid feeding into them, as he explained on a Feb. 10 edition of Jim Gray's "Let's Go!" podcast.

"My focus has been on getting healthy because that's all I can control right now," Crosby said when asked what he wanted amid the rumors. "That's all that matters to me is being with my daughters and being with my wife and taking care of myself."

"People are gonna have rumors," Crosby added. "I just looked at my phone – I've been working all morning. Everyone's hitting me up, 'Did you say this?' I can't control that. You earn that as a player. If I wasn't doing the right things and if I wasn't the person and player I was, people wouldn't be talking about all the nonsense. But that's what comes with it. If you have drama, if you have a losing season, they just try to throw gasoline on the fire and make things a certain way."

Crosby has been the subject of trade rumors since the end of the 2025 NFL season. He left the Raiders facility after being shut down for the final two games of the regular season, expressing discontent with the decision as Las Vegas jostled for the 2026 NFL Draft's No. 1 pick.

"I don't give a (expletive) about the pick, I don't play for that," Crosby said after the decision in December. "That's not my job. My job is to be the best defensive end in the world, and that's what I focus on every day."

More recently, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported Feb. 4 that Crosby was done with the Raiders while ESPN's Adam Schefter further outlined in a Feb. 9 appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that "there's a feeling around the league that Maxx Crosby would like to be traded."

Crosby has made it clear he is paying no mind to the rumors as he begins preparations for his eighth NFL season.

"For me, I know what I'm about. I know what I represent," he told Gray. "I really don't care what everybody has to say. I used to a lot as a young guy. I really don't give a damn. People can have their own opinions. I know what's going on. I know my truth. And I don't need to sit here and keep rehashing it to people that don't know what's going on. So, I don't even waste time with it."

That said, Crosby also acknowledged one of his main goals is to win. He has endured five losing seasons across his first seven years with the Raiders, including a 3-14 campaign in 2025.

"I have a lot of goals, but I do wanna win," Crosby said. "That's all that matters ultimately, but I wanna be in a place mentally where I'm 100% myself. I just wanna focus on football. That's truly what I want."

"People that know me know I'm about the work and football," he added. "I just wanna play football and be left the (expletive) alone. Period. And people that don't understand that, don't (expletive) know me."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maxx Crosby addresses Raiders trade rumors, future with team

You wouldn't know New Orleans Saints fans are feeling more optimistic than ever if you just looked at the standings. Winning six games and finishing last in the NFL's weakest division hasn't lowered expectations for 2026. For one thing, they seem to have a quarterback after drafting Tyler Shough. Could their five-year playoff drought come to an end?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ranked all 18 teams that missed the playoffs, including the Saints, based off their future outlook. And the Saints have found themselves in a "sneaky good trajectory" after kickstarting an overhaul last season. Here's why Fowler argues there's hope for a quick turnaround in New Orleans:

Quarterback Tyler Shough showed promise as a starter, providing hope for the future. Wide receiver Chris Olave and left tackle Kelvin Banks are among the young pillars on offense. And the defense overachieved, ranking in the top 10 in several defensive categories. Young players in the secondary are trending well. And, look at that, the team's cap deficit isn't pushing $80 million. Progress!

Those are some solid reasons for optimism. At the same time, the Saints haven't seen it through just yet. They're still old and too expensive at some major position groups. A surging salary cap and the clearance of some dead money on their books helps, but there's still work to be done. And as far as the rest of the NFC South is concerned, the Carolina Panthers are defending their title, while the Atlanta Falcons are right there with the Saints in Fowler's "sneaky good trajectory" tier, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a few slots ahead of them as a team that's "a few moves away" from returning to the playoffs.

It's too soon for anyone in New Orleans to take a victory lap. Fowler highlighted some reasons the rebuild could take longer than hoped, too:

The Saints' roster has been among the league's oldest for years. It's time to get younger. That's a lengthy process. Moving on from free agent veterans such as Cam Jordan and Demario Davis seems timely, even though they have held up well. The front seven needs at least one more quality player. On offense, the backfield needs fresh legs, as Alvin Kamara turns 31 this summer.

Even so, the Saints are definitely trending in the right direction. Having a quarterback the team believes they can win with every Sunday changes everything. If they can make some smart moves in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, New Orleans just might end that playoff drought and really give fans something to cheer about.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: ESPN: Saints are on 'sneaky good trajectory' with Tyler Shough at QB

The official online fan shop of the Olympic Games has been selling T-shirts with designs from the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, which were used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis for propaganda.

There are calls in Germany for the sale of the shirts to be stopped, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended it as being part of its Heritage Collection, celebrating styles from all editions of the Games.

The T-shirts, which are emblazoned with the original poster design for the Berlin Olympics by Franz Würbel, are currently out of stock.

The 1936 Games were used by Hitler as a chance to promote his ideals of racial supremacy and to glorify Nazi Germany on an international stage.

The Berlin T-Shirt shows a male figure wearing a laurel wreath. Over his head are the Olympic rings. Underneath him is the Brandenburg Gate and the words "Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games".

"The 1936 Olympic Games were a central propaganda tool of the Nazi regime," Klara Schedlich, spokesperson for sports policy for the Green Party faction in the Berlin House of Representatives, told the German press agency, DPA.

She accused the IOC of "clearly not reflecting sufficiently on its own history" and said "the choice of image is problematic and unsuitable for a T-shirt", without context.

The IOC told the BBC that while it "of course acknowledge[s] the historical issues of Nazi propaganda" it wanted to also remember that the Berlin 1936 Games saw "4,483 athletes from 49 countries compete in 149 medal events".

"We made an Olympic Heritage Collection available to the public that celebrates 130 years of Olympic art and design. For this series, emblems, pictograms, posters and mascots from all editions of the Olympic Games are featured," a spokesperson said.

"Many of them stunned the world with their athletic achievements, including Jesse Owens."

Jesse Owens, an African-American track and field athlete, won four gold medals at the 1936 Games, crushing the Nazi myth of Aryan racial supremacy.

The spokesperson said that the historical context of the Berlin Games was explained at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and that only a limited number of 1936 T-Shirts had been produced and sold.

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Two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones will make her boxing debut in March.

The 32-year-old former Team GB star will take on American celebrity Egypt Criss in Derby on Saturday, 7 March on the undercard of a bout between middleweights Ty Mitchell and Gabe Rosado.

Welsh fighter Jones will be in the boxing ring for the first time exactly 12 months since announcing her change of sports.

She became a star of the 2012 London Olympics by winning taekwondo gold at the age of 19 and went on to defend her title four years later in Rio de Janeiro.

Jones also competed at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and in Paris three years later, became world champion in 2019 and is a three-time European champion.

Criss, 27, is the daughter of hip-hop stars Anthony 'Treach' Criss from Naughty by Nature and Sandra 'Pepa' Denton from Salt-N-Pepa.

• Boxing schedule and results 2026
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North Carolina has lost freshman star Caleb Wilson to a fracture in his left hand, though it's unclear exactly how long he'll be out.

The school announced the nature of Wilson's injury Thursday, coming two days after the 11th-ranked Tar Heels' loss at Miami. It's potentially a huge blow for UNC coming roughly a month from Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament, with the 6-foot-10 forward regarded as a high-end NBA prospect while leading the team in scoring (19.8) and rebounding (9.4).

Wilson exited the Miami game to head for the tunnel and later returned to the game with his left wrist and palm area heavily taped while finishing with a season-low 12 points.

In its release, the program said X-rays taken during the game were negative for a fracture. But additional imaging done after the team's return to Chapel Hill revealed a fracture, and the evaluation process is ongoing to determine a timetable for his return.

Wilson, who is from Atlanta, ranks sixth among freshmen nationally in scoring.

___

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New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy wasted no time assembling his staff for the 2026 season. On Thursday, the team announced that the coaching staff for the 2026 season has been finalized.

The staff has 25 coaches in total, three more than the 22 coaches on the staff last season for the Steelers, as confirmed by PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh.

Tight ends coach Robert Kugler and game management/QB coach Tim Berbenich were officially announced with the finalization of the staff.

Kugler comes to the Steelers fresh off coaching in the Super Bowl as an assistant offensive line coach for the Patriots. He also has Pittsburgh ties, attending North Allegheny High School. Berbenich is the first game management coach that the Steelers have ever hired. He gained experience as a coaching analyst under Sean McVay with the Rams and, most recently, in a game management/pass game specialist role with Raheem Morris with the Atlanta Falcons.

The team also announced that it has retained strength and conditioning assistant Justus Galac.

Next up for McCarthy will be assembling the roster for his first season coaching his childhood team.

With the report that both sides are open to a return, it seems likely that quarterback Aaron Rodgers could be back with the Steelers for the 2026 season, but nothing is for certain as of now. With the legal tampering period for pending free agents set to open up on March 9, McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan’s actions will provide some more insight into the team’s plans for the 2026 season with their signings.

Finalized Steelers coaching staff announced Feb. 12

Head coach: Mike McCarthy (last coached the Cowboys from 2020-24)

Offense

• Offensive coordinator: Brian Angelichio (former Vikings pass game coordinator and tight ends coach)
• Quarterbacks: Tom Arth (retained)
• Offensive line: James Campen (last coached the Carolina Panthers offensive line from 2022-23)
• Running backs: Ramon Chinyoung Sr. (former Cowboys assistant offensive line coach)
• Wide receivers: Adam Henry (former Bills wide receivers coach)
• Tight ends: Robert Kugler (former Patriots assistant offensive line coach)
• Senior offensive assistant: Frank Cignetti Jr. (former Packers quarterbacks coach)
• Game management/quarterbacks: Tim Berbenich (former Falcons pass game specialist/game management coach)
• Assistant offensive line: Jahri Evans (former Saints assistant offensive line coach)
• Offensive quality control: Eric Simonelli (former TCU assistant linebackers coach)

Defense

• Defensive coordinator: Patrick Graham (former Raiders defensive coordinator)
• Assistant head coach/secondary: Joe Whitt Jr. (former Commanders defensive coordinator)
• Defensive pass-game coordinator/defensive backs: Jason Simmons (former Commanders defensive pass-game coordinator)
• Defensive line: Domata Peko (former Colorado defensive line coach)
• Outside linebackers: C.J. Ah You (former Texas Tech outside linebackers coach)
• Inside linebackers: Scott McCurley (retained)
• Defensive assistant: Shawn Howe (former Montana defensive coordinator)
• Defensive assistant: Pat Reilly (former Texans offensive assistant)

Special teams

• Special teams coordinator: Danny Crossman (former Dolphins special teams coordinator Danny Crossman).
• Senior special teams assistant: Derius Swinton II (former Raiders interim special teams coordinator)

Strength and conditioning 

• Head strength and conditioning: Mark Lovat (former Titans assistant strength and conditioning coach)
• Director of performance integration/sports science: Grant Thorne (former Titans assistant strength and conditioning coach)
• Strength and conditioning assistant: Justus Galac (retained)
• Strength and conditioning assistant: Abe Munayer (former head of athletic performance for Olympic sports at San Jose State)

Chief of staff: Steve Scarnecchia (formerly former Falcons chief of staff)

What do you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 coaching staff?Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments below!

Chloe Kim came up short in her attempt to become the first person to win three consecutive Olympic snowboarding gold medals on Thursday, finishing second in the halfpipe to South Korea’s Gaon Choi at Livigno Snow Park.

Choi stormed back from a nasty crash on her first run in which she clipped the lip of the halfpipe and came tumbling almost head first onto the icy surface. She looked shaky on her second run then the 17-year-old who leads the World Cup standings threw down a near flawless 90.25-point run while fresh snow fell to jump ahead of Kim, who had 88 points on her first run.

Dropping in last as the top qualifier, Kim had a chance to grab the gold medal back. She flashed two thumbs up to her coaching team before dropping in. But she fell on a cab double cork 1080, which she had stomped in her first two runs.

Read more:2026 Winter Olympics Day 6 live updates: Jessie Diggins wills her way to bronze

At the bottom of the halfpipe, Choi threw her arms in the air. Her coach ran to hug her. Kim, after sliding to the bottom of the pipe, ran through the crowd to congratulate Choi. The new Olympic champion was celebrating with Kim’s family.

The snowboard stars have history. Kim helped Choi train at Mammoth Mountain Snowboarding Club. Choi counts Kim among one of her snowboarding idols after Kim launched herself to superstardom at the 2018 Olympics.

Kim, then 17, became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal in PyeongChang. She followed it up with a historic gold in Beijing, where she became the first woman to win two Olympic gold medals in halfpipe.

The 25-year-old Kim suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder in early January while training in Switzerland. It was the second time she had injured her shoulder in less than four weeks after she was forced to withdraw from a World Cup competition in December.

The injury meant the Olympics were Kim’s first competition of the season.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It’s time for NBA All-Star Weekend! The midseason exhibition tournament will be held this Sunday, Feb. 15, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. But before the big All-Star Championship Game, there’s a star-studded celebrity game, the slam dunk contest and more fun NBA events for fans to enjoy. This year’s All-Star game also features a new format, with three teams competing (USA Stars, USA Stripes, and World) in a round-robin style. Yahoo Sports broke down the new NBA All-Star competition format for you.

Most of the action will air across NBC and Peacock. Here’s the full NBA All-Star Weekend schedule and everything you need to know to watch the game.

How to watch the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend:

Dates: Feb. 13-15

Location: Intuit Dome

TV channel: NBC, ESPN*

Streaming: Peacock

When is the 2026 NBA All-Star game?

The 2026 NBA All-Star Championship Game will be held this Sunday, Feb. 15. Leading up to the All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Weekend has a packed slate of events, including the 3-point contest, and slam dunk contest. NBA All-Star Weekend events run from Friday, Feb. 13 - Sunday, Feb. 15.

NBA All-Star Weekend schedule:

Friday, Feb. 13

• Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game: 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

• Rising Stars Game 1 – Team Melo vs. Team Austin: 9 p.m. ET (Peacock)

• Rising Stars Game 2 – Team Vince vs. Team T-Mac: 9:55 p.m. ET (Peacock)

• Castrol Rising Stars Championship: 10:35 p.m. ET (Peacock)

• NBA HBCU Classic (Hampton vs. North Carolina A&T): 11 p.m. ET (Peacock)

Saturday, Feb. 14

• NBA All-Star Media Day presented by AT&T: 1:30 p.m. ET (NBA App, NBA TV)

• Commissioner Adam Silver News Conference: 4 p.m. ET (NBA App, NBA TV)

• NBA All-Star Saturday Night: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• State Farm 3-Point Contest: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• Kia Shooting Stars: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• AT&T Slam Dunk Contest: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

Sunday, Feb. 15

• NBA G League Next Up Game: 2:30 p.m. ET (NBA App)

• All-Star Game 1 – Stars vs. World: 5 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• All-Star Game 2 – Stripes vs. Game 1 Winner: 5:55 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• All-Star Game 3 – Stripes vs. Game 1 Loser: 6:25 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

• All-Star Championship: 7:10 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock)

What channel is the NBA All-Star game on?

The Majority of NBA All-Star Weekend events will air on NBC and stream live on Peacock. The exceptions to that rule are the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which will air on ESPN, and the media events, which will air on NBA TV and stream in the NBA App.

How to watch the NBA All-Star game without cable:

More ways to watch NBA All-Star Weekend for free:

Who is playing in the NBA All-Star Game?

USA Stars

• Head coach: J.B. Bickerstaff (Detroit Pistons)

• Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

• Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

• Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

• Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder

• Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

USA Stripes

• Head coach: Mitch Johnson (San Antonio Spurs)

• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

• Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

• Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors*

• Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors

• Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

• LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

• Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

• Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

• Norman Powell, Miami Heat

World

• Head coach: Darko Rajaković

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

• Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers

• Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder*

• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets

• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

• Pascal Siakam, Indiana Pacers

• Alperen Şengün, Houston Rockets

• Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks

• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

"*" denotes unable to play because of injury

Who is participating in the NBA All-Star slam dunk contest?

• Keshad Johnson, Miami Heat

• Jase Richardson, Orlando Magic

• Carter Bryant, San Antonio Spurs

• Jaxson Hayes, Los Angeles Lakers

Who is playing in the NBA All-Star 3-point contest?

• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers

• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

• Kon Kneuppel, Charlotte Hornets

• Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers

• Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

• Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

• Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks

• Norman Powell, Miami Heat

Benjamin Pavard’s future remains uncertain after a difficult spell on loan at Marseille, casting doubt over whether the French club will make his move permanent.

The defender joined Marseille last summer on a loan deal that includes a €15m option to buy, a clause Inter had expected would likely be triggered.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 20: Benjamin Pavard of FC Internazionale Milano faces the media during the Training/Press Conference ahead of their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Urawa Red Diamonds at Virginia Mason Athletic Center on June 20, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

However, Pavard has struggled to convince in Ligue 1 and has reportedly come under increasing criticism from supporters, as per reports from the Corriere dello Sport.

De Zerbi departure offers Inter one last chance to cash in on Pavard

The recent managerial change could yet offer the Frenchman a fresh opportunity to revive his season, but if his performances do not improve, Marseille may decide against activating the purchase option.

Roberto De Zerbi was removed from his post as head coach and a breath of fresh air could be just what the former Bayern defender needs.

MARSEILLE, FRANCE – NOVEMBER 25: Roberto De Zerbi, head coach of Olympique de Marseille reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Olympique de Marseille and Newcastle United FC at Stade de Marseille on November 25, 2025 in Marseille, France. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

However, if Marseille choose not to activate their option, Pavard would return to Inter in the summer – although not necessarily for long.

The Nerazzurri are not believed to have plans to reintegrate him into the squad, meaning a new solution would have to be found.

Inter could also be forced to reassess their valuation of the player if they seek a permanent transfer elsewhere. Sporting director Piero Ausilio would then be tasked with finding a buyer and resolving the situation ahead of the new campaign.

Even clubs outside of Europe's top five leagues are going to demand higher fees. Anfield Watch understands that the club's midfield shortlist includes, Caleb Yirenkyi, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Eduardo Camavinga, Adam Wharton, Elliot Anderson, Warren Zaire-Emery and Kees Smit.

It's the latter, who plays for AZ Alkmaar that could end-up being a more affordable option. Smit is still an elite talent but he doesn't play for one of the big clubs who would demand a hefty fee, even in the Netherlands, Alkmaar aren't the biggest of clubs.

Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax are ahead of them.

But it looks like Alkmaar are going to be demanding a huge transfer fee as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.

“The name I keep bringing to the table: Kees Smit, the AZ Alkmaar midfielder,” the transfer insider reported on his YouTube channel.

“[His agent] Jorge Mendes is in control of the situation. There is Real Madrid interest, there are Premier League top clubs interested, several top clubs. So, it’s going to be a big battle between Spanish and Premier League clubs.

“For Kees Smit and AZ Alkmaar, it’s going to be a huge summer. It’s not going to be easy to sign him. Something like €40m-45m is not enough, it’s not enough money.

“Get ready for Kees Smit, because he’s going to be a big part of conversations.”

Smit is a fantastic player, but the fact that Liverpool are going to essentially have to pay over £40m for a player with little experience in European football is a staggering amount.

That's the nature of the market right now.

And to be fair, for a player of Smit's talent, it might be worth it. He really is one of the best young midfielders in European football right now.

He's been a stand-out in the Eredivisie. His vision and his pressing ability combined with his technical qualities make him an ideal profile.

However, there are so many risks with buying a young player from the Netherlands. Liverpool don't want to be spending in excess of £40m on a gamble.

So, it will be interesting to see how this saga plays out.

The Copa del Rey heats up with a semifinal that feels like an early final: at the Metropolitano Stadium, Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid hosts Hansi Flick’s Barcelona for the first leg of the semifinal.

The Colchoneros arrive at this stage after eliminating Deportivo La Coruna and Real Betis, the latter swept aside with a clear 5-0 victory. In the league, they are third, but far from the top spot, which is held by the blaugrana, and they see the cup as the most concrete opportunity to give meaning to their season.

Barcelona’s journey has been different: they are flying high in La Liga and have reached the Top 8 in the Champions League, avoiding the playoffs. In the Copa del Rey, the Catalans have overcome Racing, Albacete (who knocked out Real Madrid), and come into the semifinal boasting an extraordinary run: 17 wins in their last 18 official matches.

Last year, also in the semifinals, it ended 5-4 on aggregate for Barça after a thrilling 4-4 in Madrid and a second-leg win sealed by Ferran Torres. The return leg is scheduled for March 3.

With Real Madrid already eliminated from the other side of the bracket, the Metropolitano clash represents a huge opportunity for both teams. The first act took place yesterday with the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, won by the biancazzurri thanks to a goal from Turrientes.

🔄 SUB Flick: Casadò out, Lewandowski in

Hansi Flick tries to shake up Barcelona and opts for a substitution already in the first half. 

In the 39th minute, Marc Casadò, previously booked, makes way for Lewandowski.

The German coach hugs the midfielder and has a brief, intense conversation with him, probably explaining the reason for the decision.

🧨 Lookman SHOW, Atletico scores three

Atletico Madrid keeps pressing and finds their third goal in the 33rd minute of the first half.

The move is started by Giuliano Simeone, who sets up Alvarez. 

The pass to Lookman is brilliant: the Nigerian opens up his foot and scores diagonally to make it 3-0.

Fermin hits the crossbar ⛔ Koundé CLEARS off the LINE 😲

Non-stop excitement in Madrid! In the 20th minute, Olmo delivers a corner directly to Fermin, who heads it onto the crossbar.

Simeone’s Atleti responds immediately: Molina outsmarts Barcelona’s defense and sets up Alvarez, who shoots first time.

Koundé’s intervention on the line is crucial, saving at the last second.

Own goal 😱 Eric Garcia +Grizou: SHOCK start for Barça ❌

The Civitas Metropolitano clash heats up in just a few minutes: by the 14th, Atletico are already 2-0 up.

The opener comes from a sensational own goal by Joan Garcia: the Barcelona goalkeeper lets an Eric Garcia back pass slip under his foot. 

Lookman scores the tap-in, but the ball had already crossed the line.

Just before the quarter-hour mark, the Colchoneros double their lead: Musso launches for Lookman, Koke spreads it right to Simeone, who finds Griezmann’s run into the box. The Frenchman opens up his foot and sends the ball to the far post.

✅ The official lineups

ATLETICO MADRID (4-4-2): Musso; Molina, Pubil, Hancko, Ruggeri, G. Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman, Griezmann, Alvarez. Coach: Simeone

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsì, E. Garcia, Balde, Casado, De Jong, Fermìn, Yamal, Ferran Torres, Olmo. Coach: Flick

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

Our final position preview ahead of the 2026 college baseball season focuses on the pitchers, all 21 of them on Florida's official roster.

The Gators return perhaps the most talented 1-2 punch in the SEC in Liam Peterson and Aidan King. Both are expected to be among the top draft pitchers selected in the next two MLB drafts, but who will take over the all-important Sunday spot in the rotation? The trio of Luke McNeillie, Russell Sandefer (UCF) and Cooper Walls (Hawaii) presents three viable options and a ton of depth should injuries strike.

With Jake Clemente drafted over the summer, Florida needs a new closer and setup man. Two returners, Christian Rodriguez and Joshua Whritenour, appear primed to man those roles. The Gators have many long-relief options behind all those named above and more lefty specialists than last year. Finally, a quartet of freshmen will look to carve out roles in the bullpen early on in their careers.

Let's take a look at the 2026 Florida pitching staff.

Friday starter: No. 12 Liam Peterson (Jr.)

Leading the pitching staff is junior Liam Peterson, who has been a part of the starting rotation since his freshman year in 2024. He's played with Team USA, earned multiple preseason All-America nods and figures to be one of the first college arms drafted this summer.

As a freshman, Peterson started 15 games and appeared 17 times for Florida. He worked a 6.18 ERA over 62 2/3 innings while striking out 76 batters. He lowered that ERA to 4.28 last year and elevated his K% from 25.7% to 31.5%. Peterson has elite stuff, but he gets harder than most top-end pitchers do.

When he's on, he might be the best pitcher in the SEC. It's consistency that eludes, but he's improved with each season. If that trend continues, he'll be a first-round pick come June. D1Baseball ranks him No. 20 among starting pitchers heading into the season.

Arsenal: Peterson has a four-pitch mix that features both a slider (mid-80s) and a curveball (high-70s). His fastball runs up to 99 mph, often sitting around 96-97. Both breaking balls are above average, earning a 55 grade from MLB scouts, but he uses the slider more. His changeup (mid-80s) is also usable, albeit not a plus pitch at this point.

Saturday starter: No. 47 Aidan King (So.)

Aidan King started the 2025 season coming out of the bullpen, as most freshmen do. An injury to Pierce Coppola thrust him into a long-relief role early on and he quickly claimed the No. 2 spot in the starting rotation. Since then, he's been considered one of the top arms in the 2027 class.

His 2.58 ERA was the lowest of any Florida pitcher over a full season since Brady Singer in the 2018 season (2.55), and he finished the year just under 10 strikeouts per nine innings with a 7.6% walk rate. King induced groundballs 44.3% of the time last year and had a line-drive rate below 20%. He rarely gives up home runs, too. Avoiding a sophomore slump is always difficult, especially now that there's more tape for teams to study, but King has everything else going in the right direction.

Arsenal: King's fastball averaged 93 mph a year ago, but a year of college workouts should bring that number up. He flashed 97 at one point, so the mid-90s is a reasonable expectation now that he's a year older. That velocity increase should help his high-80s changeup become more effective as well, which means even more groundballs. His slider clocks in around 82-83 mph with some sharp, late break. That's the swing-and-miss pitch against righties and has the makings of a plus pitch.

Sunday starter: No. 38 Cooper Walls (So.)

Hawaii transfer Cooper Walls will get the starting role on Sunday to open the season. He won Big West freshman pitcher of the year honors last year after working a 3.73 ERA and 45 strikeouts over 60 1/3 innings. While the strikeout rate doesn't appear too impressive, he had a 3.02 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 5.6% walk rate. Walls' groundball rate of 48.7% was even higher than King's last season, too. D1Baseball ranks him No. 46 among transfer portal pitchers.

Arsenal: Walls worked in the low 90s with his fastball, averaging 89.5 mph last year, but he's capable of reaching 98 mph. Expect him to fall somewhere around 93-95 this year. His mid-80s slider is a true swing-and-miss pitch, which generated a 47% whiff rate over the fall. He'll mix in a mid-to-high 70s curveball, but Walls is still developing a true third pitch.

Midweek starters: No. 17 Russell Sandefer (Jr.)

Russell Sandefer transferred to Florida after a year with the UCF Knights. He spent his freshman year at Division II St. Leo. He appeared primarily in relief with UCF last season but made six starts in 18 appearances. His 3.38 ERA and 49-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 50 2/3 innings are solid, but he didn't impress enough over the fall to lock down a spot in the weekend rotation. A 48.1% groundball rate is promising, but that was against Big 12 bats, not SEC.

Still, if Walls struggles early, Sandefer appears to be next up in the rotation. He should get plenty of midweek starts to prove himself, too. D1Baseball ranks him No. 118 among college draft prospects, No. 128 among starting pitchers and No. 24 among impact transfers.

Arsenal: Sandefer has a mid-90s fastball that has touched 98-99, albeit with a more typical top-end around 96. He rounds out his arsenal with a low-to-mid-80s slider that generated a 47% whiff rate, a high-80s cutter, and a low-to-mid-80s changeup with a 49% whiff rate.

X-factor: No. 9 Luke McNeillie (Jr.)

The third starting option is third-year Gator Luke McNeillie, who has made four starts over 54 appearances over the last two seasons with Florida. He enters the year as Florida's most reliable option out of the bullpen. Expect McNeillie to work as a high-leverage, multi-inning reliever, but he could wind up starting more games this year if Walls and/or Sandefer struggle. He could also serve as a closer, if needed.

McNeillie threw 35 2/3 innings over 26 appearances as a freshman in 2024, posting a 7.07 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 21 walks. All of those numbers improved in 2025, as McNeillie lowered his ERA to 4.82 over 52 1/3 innings (28 appearances) with 72 strikeouts and 24 walks. The K% and BB% are promising and 2.77 SIERA bodes well for him heading into his junior year. He held opponents to a .230 batting average last year,

Arsenal: He's mostly fastball and slider with a fairly even split between the two. The heater sits in the mid-90s with good carry/ride, and his release helps it look even faster. The slider is in the mid-80s with two inches of vertical break and generates a 46% whiff rate. He trusts it, and it's a potential plus pitch. A lack of a true third pitch is what keeps him from starting games, but he does flash a changeup every now and then. Command is also an issue at times.

Late-inning arms: No. 15 Joshua Whritenour (R-Fr.) and No. 8 Christian Rodriguez (R-So.)

If McNeillie isn't closing out the game, Florida has two reliable late-inning arms to lean on in Christian Rodriguez and Joshua Whritenour.

Both missed their freshman year with Tommy John, but Rodriguez saw some action last year before breaking out in the Cape Cod League over the summer. His 5.32 ERA over 23 2/3 innings last season was slightly inconsistent, but he should be better a year removed from injury. In high school, Rodriguez ramped it up to 97 mph, making his "Bugs Bunny," high-70s changeup an elite weapon. He also has a high-70s slider. Rodriguez was one of the best relievers in the CCL, posting a 0.93 ERA over 19 1/3 innings. If he can replicate those numbers, he'll be a key member of the bullpen for Florida.

Whritenour is coming off an injury, but he has the look of a modern-day closer. He can run the heater up to 100 mph, often sitting in the high-90s, and his high-80s slider generates a 48% whiff rate. The lack of experience could lead to growing pains, however. He didn't get a taste of Division I ball last year like the rest of his class.

If Florida is going to run the closer by committee, these are the top two options.

Long-relief options: No. 23 Billy Barlow (R-Sr.), No. 22 Jackson Barberi (So.) and No. 37 Matthew Jenkins (Jr.)

Florida needs more than one long relief option in McNeillie and that's where Billy Barlow, Matthew Jenkins and Jackson Barberi come in.

Barlow and Jenkins transferred in last year with hopes of starting games. Both pitched primarily out of the bullpen, but Barlow got seven starts and Jenkins got four. Neither are expected to start much this year, barring injuries, but their ability to throw multiple innings should help out whenever a starter gets an early hook and McNeillie isn't available.

Barlow's 6.26 ERA over 46 innings in his first year with Florida is higher than his career 5.16 ERA over 155 1/3 innings. He was much better as a starter for Clemson and will hopefully return to form. He was much better in the second half of last season. The experience is an obvious plus, and he has a four-pitch mix that features a low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider, a high-80s cutter and a low-to-mid-80s changeup. He can be very effective at times, but it's important for Kevin O'Sullivan to recognize when he doesn't have it early on in an outing.

Jenkins transferred from JUCO Sante Fe in Gainesville and never really found his footing. He gave up 15 earned runs in 14 innings, leading to an elevated 9.64 ERA. His strikeout rate was impressive at 34.8%, but the walk rate was up near 16%, too. If he can find some more control, Jenkins will be an effective long reliever for Florida this year. He throws a low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider with a 40% whiff rate over the fall, a mid-70s curveball with a 57% whiff rate and a high-80s changeup.

Barberi made five spot starts for Florida last year as a true freshman and posted a 4.45 ERA over 32 1/3 innings. He has a fastball that can touch 100 mph and averages around 96, and both his mid-80s slider and mid-to-high-80s changeup generate swing-and-miss. Because of the starts, Florida could use him in a long relief role, but the stuff also poises him to pitch multiple days in a week in high-leverage situations.

Right-handers: No. 31 Ricky Reeth (R-Sr.), No. 20 Schulyer Sandford (R-Fr.), No. 21 Caden McDonald (R-So.) and No. 27 Blaine Rowland (So.)

Ricky Reeth spent the last three years at Notre Dame, posting a 5.00 ERA over 111 2/3 total innings. He has a strikeout-to-walk ratio above 3.0 for his career and was approaching 4.0 last season. His 21.6% strikeout rate and 6.0% walk rate were also impressive in 2025. The question is how well is stuff will play against SEC bats. His fastball sits in the low-90s, his slider is in the low-80s and his changeup is a consistent 82 mph. There's potential for Reeth to eat a lot of innings if he can remain consistent.

Schuyler Sandford was one of the more highly anticipated arms in the 2025 freshman class, but an injury kept him out for the entire year. At 6-feet-6-inches, Sandford has the size and length to reach the upper-90s with his heater, but it was around 92-93 against Georgia Southern and peaked at 96 this fall. He also has a mid-80s slider. His outing against Georgia Southern wasn't too impressive, but there's bound to be growing pains after Tommy John surgery.

Caden McDonald will be a two-way threat for Florida this year. While plenty of people are excited about his bat, he's a fine option on the mound. McDonald posted a 5.14 ERA over 28 innings (20 appearances) out of the bullpen last year. Opponents hit .280 off him, and that number needs to come down. But remember that he was coming off Tommy John, similar to Rodriguez. A year removed from the injury, he's bound to take a step forward, assuming the two-way role doesn't affect him.

McDonald posted a 3.51 ERA over 25 2/3 innings over the summer in the Cape Cod League. He has a four-pitch mix that features a low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider, a high-70s curveball and a mid-80s changeup.

Blaine Rowland posted a 3.21 ERA over 14 innings in eight appearances last year, but he hasn't been talked about much since the 2025 campaign ended. He didn't throw during the fall or the preseason, so there could be an injury that's unknown at this point. He's a 90-91 mph fatball guy with a slider that moves a ton. This might be a redshirt year for him, though.

Southpaws: No. 33 McCall Biemiller (So.), No. 44 Ernesto Lugo-Canchola (Gr.) and No. 32 Rivers Kurland (Fr.)

Left-handers are always important in baseball, and Florida has five on its roster. However, three of them are freshmen, so don't expect them all to get innings.

McCall Biemiller is the only returning southpaw on the staff. He had a 5.93 ERA over 13 2/3 innings (11 appearances, one start) last season. Command was an issue for him, as he walked (17) nearly as many batters as he struck out (18). Still, opponents only hit .224 off him, his strikeout rate was above 27% and his groundball rate was 48.4%. Biemiller needs to show more consistency this season, but he should be the first lefty out of the bullpen for Florida. He has a low-90s fastball, a low-80s slider with a 40% whiff rate over the fall, a mid-70s curveball with a 57% whiff rate and a high-80s changeup.

Ernesto Lugo-Canchola was brought in from Division II Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) to give Florida more depth in this role. He's like a left-handed version of Reeth, in that he'll eat innings when needed. Lugo-Canchola struck out 103 batters over 94 2/3 innings last year. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, his low-90s fastball looks a bit faster thanks to the downhill action, and he pairs it with a low-80s slider. He had a 2.00 ERA last year and opponents hit just .164 off him, but it's a big jump from DII to the SEC.

Rivers Kurland is the younger brother of second baseman Cade Kurland, but this isn't a case of nepotism. The younger Kurland improved dramatically during his high school years and looked like a legitimate ace as a senior when Gators Wire saw him at the FHSAA State Championships. He's a bit undersized at 5-foot-11, but has that action that throws hitters off. His fastball will likely clock in under 90 mph, and his breaking ball is in the mid-70s, yet both are effective. Maybe Kurland belongs in the nextsection, but it's hard to pick which freshmen will get chances on an SEC ball club.

Freshmen: No. 34 Eli Blair (Fr.) and No. 35 Jackson Hoyt (Fr.) and No. 45 Minjae Seo (Fr.)

Florida's other three freshmen arms are Eli Blair, Jackson Hoyt and Minjae Seo.

Blair and Hoyt are both lefties with mid-90s fastballs. Blair is 6-foot-8, which is as projectable as it gets, but he might need some more development before being trusted in Division I action. The same goes for Hoyt, who is 6-foot-3. However, with only a handful of left-handers on the roster, they could get playing time.

Seo is the only righty, but he won't pitch this year with an injury.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Previewing Florida baseball's 2026 pitching staff

Vikings and Cardinals predicted to pull off blockbuster quarterback trade originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals both have a question mark at the quarterback position.

The Vikings need to add a veteran quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy after the former first-round pick failed to cement himself as the long-term answer in 2025 and was the biggest reason Minnesota missed the playoffs.

In Arizona, the expectation is the Cardinals will trade Murray if there are any takers, which would leave Jacoby Brissett as the only notable quarterback under contract.

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton makes an intriguing prediction for both teams that sees a trade that sends McCarthy to Arizona and Murray to the Vikings. Moton then suggests the Cardinals sign Kirk Cousins to provide some insurance.

"The Cardinals should call the Minnesota Vikings about a signal-caller swap to dump Murray's contract and take on J.J. McCarthy's rookie deal," Moton said. "The third-year quarterback's contract would cost only about $6 million against the cap."

"In addition, Arizona can add Kirk Cousins to replace Jacoby Brissett, who may not fit into the new coaching staff's plans," Moton added.

This trade would make sense for both teams.

The Vikings would get a proven veteran quarterback who would be an upgrade over McCarthy and gives Minnesota a better chance to make the playoffs. And, at the age of 28, Murray can be a multi-year solution.

Meanwhile the Cardinals would get a young signal-caller who gives them at least some semblance of hope for the future at the position.

Arizona can deploy McCarthy in 2026 and see if he can cement himself as the long-term answer. If not, the Cardinals can turn to the 2027 NFL draft, when the quarterback class will be much better.

More NFL News

• Eagles trade rumor is exciting news for 49ers, Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos
• A.J. Brown trade rumor could lead to deal with Steelers, Bills or Patriots
• George Pickens rumor points to Cowboys making huge mistake
• Seahawks rumor pinpoints 4 possible Klint Kubiak replacements
• Raiders rumor names 2 favorites for OC under Klint Kubiak
• ESPN's Cowboys-Raiders trade prediction would shake up offseason

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona live score, stats, highlights, talking points from Copa del Rey semifinal 1st leg originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

JUMP TO:

• Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona score
• Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona highlights, key incidents
• Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona team news
• Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona upcoming fixtures

Atletico Madrid and Barcelona lock horns in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal tie on Thursday.

The Catalans have enjoyed a dominant recent record against Atleti, winning eight of the past 10 meetings in all competitions. That includes both legs of the semifinals last season, when a remarkable 4-4 draw at Camp Nou was followed by a 1-0 win for Barca in the capital.

Hansi Flick's team are still targeting a quadruple after winning the Supercopa de Espana in January, while Atleti will be determined to keep alive their hopes of a first trophy since they were crowned La Liga champions in 2021.

MORE:Barcelona's up-to-date injury list

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona

Location: Estadio Metropolitano (Madrid, Spain)
Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera

Starting lineups:

Atletico Madrid (4-4-2 right to left): Musso (GK) — Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri — Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman — Griezmann, Alvarez

Atletico subs: Oblak, Esquivel, Gimenez, Lenglet, Le Normand, Mendoza, Baena, Vargas, Nico, Sorloth, Almada

Barcelona (4-3-3 right to left): J. Garcia (GK) — Kounde, Cubarsi, E. Garcia, Balde — De Jong, Casado (Lewandowski, 36'), Lopez — Lamine Yamal, Torres, Olmo

Barcelona subs: Szczesny, Kochen, Cancelo, Araujo, Martin, Jofre, Bernal, Tommy, Bardghji, Hernandez, Lewandowski

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona highlights, key incidents

33 mins: IT'S 3-0! INCREDIBLE FROM ATLETICO! Another sublime counter involving the four forwards ends with Julian Alvarez playing a delicate pass to Lookman, who makes no mistake with a side-foot finish. Brilliant from Diego Simeone's team.

14 mins:GRIEZMANN MAKES IT 2-0! It's a terrific counter-attacking move that ends with Griezmann placing a low finish beyond Joan Garcia from inside the box. Atleti have taken early control here.

Watch (USA):

Griezmann makes it 2-0 for Atletico Madrid! They are shocking Barcelona right now 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DV7ID0Q5se

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 12, 2026

7 mins: GOAL! ATLETICO LEAD! It's an awful mistake from Joan Garcia, who seems to take his eye off the ball and allows Eric Garcia's pass to roll towards goal and over the line. The referee doesn't signal a goal, and Ademola Lookman puts the ball in the net anyway, but that will go down as an own goal from Eric Garcia.

Watch (USA):

HUGE MISTAKE FROM JOAN GARCIA IN THE BACK WHICH GIFTS ATLETICO MADRID A GOAL! pic.twitter.com/9j5LOxI41u

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 12, 2026

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona reaction

This section will be updated when match reaction is available.

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona team news

Atletico Madrid team news

• Pablo Barrios is out with a muscle injury, while Johnny Cardoso is not in the squad after sitting out the loss to Real Betis last time out due to a minor issue.
• Nico Gonzalez is available and on the bench. Copa goalkeeper Juan Musso starts, while Diego Simeone is fielding a very attack-minded lineup featuring Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez, Ademola Lookman and Giuliano Simeone.

Barcelona team news

• Raphinha and Marcus Rashford are both sidelined due to injury, so Hansi Flick has had some thinking to do regarding the left side of his attack. Dani Olmo looks set to fill that role, with Fermin Lopez deeper as part of the midfield trio along with Marc Casado and Frenkie de Jong.

Atletico Madrid vs. Barcelona upcoming schedules

Atletico Madrid upcoming fixtures

Barcelona upcoming fixtures

After two campaigns in Foxborough, Robert Kugler will be moving on to the AFC North.

The former New England Patriots assistant has been named the next tight ends coach of Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike McCarthy, the organization announced Thursday.

Kugler marks the first known departure from the reigning AFC champions’ coaching staff. The 33-year-old had been hired by the Patriots as an assistant offensive line coach in 2024. And after Jerod Mayo’s lone campaign at the helm, he was retained last February by eventual AP NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel to oversee the front five alongside veteran position coach Doug Marrone and fellow assistant Jason Houghtaling.

New England’s offense finished the 2025 regular season ranked third around the league in total offense, including fourth in passing and sixth in rushing. Quarterback Drake Maye was sacked 48 times over that span before being taken down for an additional 21 from the wild card through Super Bowl LX.

Prior to heading to Gillette Stadium, Kugler worked with the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line for two years after initially entering the NFL ranks in the same capacity with the Houston Texans in 2021. He made collegiate coaching stops at UTEP, Washington and Appalachian State.

Playing football at North Allegheny High School while his father, Sean, oversaw the Steelers’ offensive line, Kugler went on to serve as a two-time captain at Purdue. The convert from tight end to center started 43 consecutive games for the Boilermakers.

He spent training camp with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted rookie in 2016.

As Liverpool struggled through a dire autumn that saw the collapse of their Premier League title defence hopes, one of the players whose personal form was often highlighted for having fallen off most from the season before was that of centre half Ibrahima Konaté.

Complicating matters was that the 26-year-old French international was on an expiring contract and there were many who believed it a foregone conclusion he would join Real Madrid on a free transfer in 2026—just as fellow Red Trent Alexander-Arnold had in 2025.

Whether or not his poor form in the autumn played a role, those links have largely disappeared in recent months, and now along with Konaté’s form ticking up in the new year, there even some renewed chatter that a Liverpool extension might not be a genuine possibility.

While The Athletic’s James Pearce outlines this week that the club haven’t given up hope Konaté will re-up, clu captain and teammate Virgil van Dijk has come out in the wake of Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland to publicly encourage Konaté to do just that.

“We speak about everything and it’s a process,” Van Dijk said following the match. “It’s never that easy that we can just say get it done, it’s a process and we’ll see what comes out of it. But obviously I want him to stay, he’s an important figure on the pitch and off as well.

“He’s one of the leaders, he’s outstanding and in my eyes aworld-class centre-back, but I can do only so much. It’s in the club’s hands together with his agent and himself so let’s see what comes out of it.”

After winning Super Bowl 60 with the Seattle Seahawks, new Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is getting a late start to filling out the rest of his coaching staff. However, Kubiak is wasting no time after officially getting hired earlier this week, making one hire and interviewing a couple of candidates for the two coordinator spots.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Raiders are hiring Mike McCoy as assistant head coach. McCoy and Kubiak worked together in 2017, when the former was the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator and the latter was one of the team’s offensive assistants.

McCoy also brings head coaching experience to the first-year head coach’s staff, serving in that role from 2013 to 2016 for the then San Diego Chargers and as the Tennessee Titans’ interim head coach this past season after Brian Callahan was fired in Week 7.

Meanwhile, the Raiders will have a new defensive coordinator for the first time in four years after Patrick Graham left for the same position with the Pittsburgh Steelers. One of Graham’s understudies could end up being his replacement.

Per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, current defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator Rob Leonard will interview for the defensive coordinator job in Las Vegas. Meirov also notes that Maxx Crosby, who has been the subject of recent trade rumors, thinks very highly of Leonard. The coach has been in Las Vegas since 2023 and added the run game coordinator to his title ahead of this past season.

At offensive coordinator, Kubiak is already leaning on his network. Pelissero also reported that the Raiders are interviewing current Seahawks wide receivers coach Frisman Jackson for the job. The two coaches have only spent this past season working together, though. Jackson has nine seasons of experience as an NFL coach, all as a wide receivers coach, and was in the college ranks from 2008 to 2016. He also had a five-year career as a wideout for the Cleveland Browns.

NEED TO KNOW

• Livvy Dunne is throwing it back to her college days
• The college gymnast and Sports Illustrated model recently visited her alma mater
• Dunne announced her retirement from gymnastics on April 17, 2025

Livvy Dunne is feeling nostalgic.

The former collegiate gymnast-turned-Sports Illustrated model posted a series of videos to her TikTok account, taking followers along with her as she returned to Louisiana State University.

In the Feb. 6 video, the influencer could be seen back in the LSU gym with other gymnasts, as she performed a backhand spring on the spring floor to cheers from her former teammates.

In another Jan. 30 video, Dunne threw it back to one of her first times on the LSU campus with some snaps from her recruiting visit to the school.

"Remember what you looked like on your recruiting trip," Dunne wrote over a series of photos and videos of herself approximately six years ago.

Dunne joined the LSU Tigers gymnastics team in 2020, competing on the uneven bars.

In April 2025, Dunne's college career ultimately came to an end when the Tigers finished third in the NCAA semifinals.

At the time, Dunne had been injured and unable to compete. She shared a message on X bidding the sport goodbye.

"Couldn’t have asked for a better 5 years! Thank you, LSU," the gymnastics star wrote shortly after the meet. In a second post, she said, “✌️ out gymnastics it’s been real… and of course forever LSU!"

Later that year, in July, Dunne appeared on the What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon podcast, touching on why she had never attempted to compete in the Olympics.

Dunne, who previously competed with Team USA in 2017, referenced an injury she had sustained as a teenager, which led to a medical condition that limited her athletic ability.

"I was actually competing on a hurt ankle (at) the 2018 USA Championships," she said on the podcast episode, adding, "And part of my ankle bone died... so my Olympic dreams died with it."

Dunne, who was named a 2025 Sports Illustrated Swim cover star, also hinted at more "on-screen" work when speaking with PEOPLE exclusively on the red carpet at the issue's launch party in May.

"My life has revolved around gymnastics," the former college athlete told PEOPLE at the event. "So, honestly, to be able to say yes to more things and potentially maybe do some more performing art stuff on screen — and I'm very excited."

Just prior to the end of her gymnastics career, Dunne told PEOPLE that she was looking forward to being able to support her Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, boyfriend Paul Skenes, at his games.

"I'm super excited to be able to spend time with Paul," she said. "I've always had to train during my summers and stuff... So to be able to not have to do gymnastics training and be able to spend more time in Pittsburgh with Paul enjoying the baseball season, I'm looking forward to that."

Dunne and Paul both attended LSU and were introduced by mutual friends. They later confirmed their relationship in August 2023.

Read the original article on People

ESPN released its latest NBA Draft Big Board rankings on Thursday, with two Kentucky Wildcats included in the top 100.

Jayden Quaintance comes in at #18 in the latest rankings, dropping from #9 in the previous rankings.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo had this to say about Quaintance:

It’s unclear if he will try to play the rest of the way, and NBA scouts presently have more questions than answers about him as a prospect. The circumstances make him a tricky case ahead of the draft, given the limited amount of minutes he’ll have on his résumé following ACL surgery in March 2025.

Woo pointed to Quaintance’s defensive upside and ability as a lob threat as factors that could lead to him being drafted in the lottery, but JQ will likely have a lot to prove to NBA scouts with so little film available following the ACL surgery if he doesn’t play again this season.

ESPN has Otega Oweh in the top 100, coming in at #93.

After a slow start, Oweh has turned it on as of late, looking more and more like the Oweh we saw toward the end of last season. Oweh has scored at least 20 points in all but two SEC games (18 points against Texas and 12 against Tennessee in Knoxville).

Noticeably absent from ESPN’s rankings is Malachi Moreno.

SB Nation recently had Moreno ranked as the 23rd overall prospect in the class, and other outlets had him ranked in the top 30.

Moreno’s numbers aren’t eye-popping (8.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 blocks), but he’s put up those numbers in just 22 minutes per game and played a major role for Kentucky when many didn’t expect him to at the beginning of the season.

For now, it doesn’t appear Kentucky is in real danger of losing Moreno to the NBA this year, but he’s still got plenty of time to progress in his development and bolster his stock while hopefully guiding Kentucky toward a deep NCAA Tournament run.

You can check out the full ESPN rankings here.

Bruins' players in the Olympics represent 5 different countries originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Boston Bruins are well represented in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.

They've got one of the largest groups of NHL players in these Olympics.

It's the first time NHL players can compete in the Games since 2014, so it's a cool chance for fans of a given team to watch their players represent their countries. 

All told, the Bruins have players competing for five different countries at the Olympics.

MORE: Tkachuk, Hughes brothers make Olympic history not done since 1964

What Bruins players are at the Olympics?

There are eight Bruins at the Olympics, split between a handful of countries.

Superstar forward David Pastrnak plays for Czechia. He was the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies.

“Honeslty, speechless. Very honored,” Pastrnak told NHL.com. “Going over there to represent my country, I am going to give it my all. Really happy and honored to be able to hold our flag and represent us in the ceremony."

MORE: USA curling's Danny Casper doesn't let GBS health issue slow him down

The United States has two Bruins. There's first-line defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is paired with Minnesota's Quinn Hughes. Backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman also comes from the Bruins.

Sweden has two Bruins on its roster: Hampus Lindholm and Elias Lindholm. They are not brothers.

Finland has two Bruins, too: Henri Jokiharju, the veteran defenseman, and Joonas Korpisalo, a reserve goalie.

Latvia rounds out the Bruins representation. Boston prospect Dans Locmelis represents Latvia after spending this season with AHL Providence.

More Olympics news:

• This U.S. luge star was parodied on SNL
• Amber Glenn gets into music dispute during Olympic figure skating program
• Breezy Johnson's wild Olympics end in engagement
• U.S. Olympians get paid shockingly less than other countries for gold medals
• This USA curling star looks like Pommel Horse Guy
• 5 U.S. women's hockey stars attended the same high school

He may be a physical specimen, but Torrez Finney isn't indestructible.

As it turns out, Finney (11-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) found that out recently if he wasn't already aware. During his UFC 325 loss to Jacob Malkoun, Finney suffered a leg injury and was noticeably hobbled for the official decision.

Wednesday, Finney revealed the extent of the damage. He suffered a torn ACL and meniscus and underwent surgery the day after his Jan. 31 defeat. Finney added that the injury occurred in the first 15 seconds of the fight.

Thank God he’s built me to overcome every obstacle I’ve faced and that will be the story once again. I tore my ACL and both of my meniscus within my knee. Got me into surgery the next day. He said it’s insane I was able to fight tearing that 15 seconds into the fight
✊🏿😈🔥 pic.twitter.com/uPZ6lgqvwv

— Torrez Finney (@punishertorrez) February 12, 2026

The defeat was Finney's first of his professional career. The 27-year-old middleweight entered the bout having won his promotional debut vs. Robert Valentin in April.

Finney did not reveal a timeline for his return. However, it's common for professional athletes to take somewhere in the nine-to-12-month range to return from a torn ACL. Some are able to return as soon as seven months after injury.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Physical specimen in UFC reveals devastating injury 15 seconds into bout

Fans can look forward to a new offensive-minded regime with head coach Mike McCarthy at the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers, no doubt looking to acquire additional playmakers in free agency this offseason.

If Pittsburgh ultimately looks to add another wide receiver opposite DK Metcalf, Marquise Brown of the Kansas City Chiefs would be an ideal acquisition.

Stats

• 2019: 46 receptions, 584 receiving yards, 7 touchdowns
• 2020: 58 receptions, 769 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns
• 2021: 91 receptions, 1,008 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns
• 2022: 67 receptions, 709 receiving yards, 3 touchdowns
• 2023: 51 receptions, 574 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns
• 2024: 9 receptions, 91 receiving yards, 0 touchdowns
• 2025: 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns

Fit with Steelers offense

If Calvin Austin III walks in free agency, the addition of Brown could be viewed by some as an upgrade at wide receiver. With game-changing speed and acceleration, exceptional route running, and versatility to make an impact outside and in the slot, Brown could be exactly what the Steelers sorely lacked last season. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that his cousin Antonio Brown was arguably the greatest wide receiver in franchise history.

Contract prediction

Brown could predictably sign a two-year deal worth around $18 million, above Spotrac's projected $5.5 million average annual salary, given his upside and potential impact in Pittsburgh.

For up-to-date Steelers coverage, including any offseason moves, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.

This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers 2026 free agency scouting report: Chiefs WR Marquise Brown

The Patriots will begin preparing for the offseason after their loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. One of the key issues New England faces is determining whom to pursue in free agency and whom to let go.

One player the Patriots may consider parting ways with is pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, who will enter free agency. However, CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles believes that re-signing Chaisson should be a priority for New England this offseason.

“The Patriots spent the most money in free agency last year, but K’Lavon Chaisson was arguably their best bang-for-your-buck deal,” Pereles wrote on Thursday. “On a one-year $3 million deal, Chaisson had a career-high 7.5 sacks (and added three more in the postseason). At 26, Chaisson should have a robust market.”

New England signed Chaisson to a one-year, three-million-dollar deal last offseason, and he had a great season. He recorded 7.5 sacks in 16 games and was a major reason the defense took a giant leap this season.

Due to Chaisson’s outstanding season, it will likely cost the Patriots more to bring him back, as Spotrac recently valued his market value at nine million per season.

Chaisson has played six seasons in the NFL and might be seeking a long-term deal this offseason to secure a stable home for the remainder of his career.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris feels Formula 1 drivers have little to complain about following Max Verstappen's explosive criticism on the new generation of cars.

Speaking his mind on the new regulations, which feature a much bigger reliance on electric energy that forces drivers and teams to focus heavily on energy management, Verstappen said the new cars are "not a lot of fun" and feel "a bit more like Formula E on steroids".

Max Verstappen didn't want to drive 2026 car in simulator: ‘Doesn't help me stay in F1’

"The rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that [but] as a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out and, at the moment, you cannot drive like that," the four-time world champion said, suggesting the new rules aren't exactly helping him commit his long-term future to F1.

When Verstappen's comments were put to him, Norris said he actually enjoys the new challenges the 2026 F1 cars have thrown up, and feels that handsomely remunerated F1 drivers have "nothing to complain" about.

"A lot of fun. I really enjoyed it," Norris said. "So, yeah, if he wants to retire, he can retire. Formula 1 changes all the time. Sometimes it's a bit better to drive, sometimes it's not as good to drive.

"We get paid a stupid amount of money to drive, so you can't really complain at the end of the day. Any driver can go and find something else to do. It's not like he has to be here, or any driver has to be here.

"It's a challenge, but it's a good, fun challenge for the engineers, for the drivers. You have to drive it in a different way, understand and manage things differently, but I still get to drive cars and travel the world and have a lot of fun. So, nothing to complain about."

Lando Norris, McLaren

Norris pointed out teams will improve their new machinery in leaps and bounds over the coming months, so he doesn't think day two of the official pre-season test in Bahrain is a perfect indication of how this generation of cars will pan out on the long term.

"It certainly doesn't feel as quick as the past few years, and it certainly doesn't handle as perfectly and those things," Norris added. "I'm sure if [Max] came in and this was the F1 car he started driving, then he probably would say it's amazing. Comparing to the older cars, it doesn't feel as pretty and beautiful to drive, but it's still pretty good.

"It's still early days of a regulation that's meant to be a good amount slower, but if we fast forward to the end of this year and ahead to next year, we're going to be going a lot quicker by then.

"Everyone can have their own opinions, and say and decide what they want to do. No one should complain about that or be upset about it. Every driver has their own opinions. He didn't like it, and I like it."

Max Verstappen demolishes "anti-racing" and "not fun" 2026 F1 cars

F1 2026 Bahrain pre-season test: Charles Leclerc tops day two, Lando Norris completes most laps

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WELCOME TO THE RIYADH AIR METROPOLITANO!!! The massive home of Atlético Madrid in the Spanish capital is the site of the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals between the hosts and Barcelona, who come into this one looking for a solid result to take into the second leg at Camp Nou in three weeks. This should be all kinds of fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!

LINEUPS

BARCELONA

Starting XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde; Casadó, De Jong; Yamal, Fermín, Olmo; Ferran (4-2-3-1)

Substitutes: Szczesny (GK), Kochen (GK), Araujo, Martín, Cancelo, Jofre, Bernal, Tommy, Juan, Roony, Lewandowski

ATLÉTICO MADRID

Starting XI: Musso; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann (4-4-2)

Substitutes: Oblak (GK), Esquivel (GK), Giménez, Lenglet, Le Normand, Mendoza, Baena, Vargas, Nico, Sorloth, Almada

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2025-26 Copa del Rey, Semi-Finals, 1st Leg

Date/Time: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Friday)

Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain

Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera

VAR: Pablo González Fuertes

HOW TO WATCH

On TV: Not Available (USA), ITV4 (UK), Sporty TV (Nigeria), TVE La 1 (Spain), others

Online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), RTVE Play (Spain), others

Matchday Thread Rules

We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:

Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.

Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be playing in the All-Star Game as he recovers from a calf strain, but the two-time MVP will still be making the trip to California for this weekend’s festivities.

Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since injuring his right calf in a Jan. 23 loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Bucks officially announced Thursday that Antetokounmpo won’t play in the All-Star Game on Sunday at Inglewood, California.

San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox was selected to the All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Antetokounmpo. Fox will play for the USA Stripes team. Miami's Norman Powell, who has ties to Jamaica, will move over from the USA Stripes team to fill Antetokounmpo's spot on the Team World roster.

Antetokounmpo will still go forward with his plans to help coach in the All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday. The Bucks also said he will cheer on his Team World teammates on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo is coaching one of the All-Star Celebrity Game teams along with his brothers Thanasis and Alex as well as Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts.

Antetokounmpo had been selected last month as an All-Star Game starter for the 10th consecutive season. The 31-year-old forward is averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists in 30 games.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Victoria Mboko has pulled off a fantastic upset at the Qatar Open, taking down one of the best in Aryna Sabalenka to reach the semi-finals.

The 16-year-old is having a dream start to 2024, and her run in Doha is grabbing headlines. She’s picked up wins over Mirra Andreeva, Vera Zvonareva, and Marie Bouzková to earn her spot in the final eight.

She’s only played three tournaments this year but has already made back-to-back quarterfinals, including a trip to the final in Linz. It hasn’t been an easy road either—Rybakina came from behind more than once on her way to her latest title.

In Canada alone, she’s raised over $18 million for underprivileged children. The Canadian Press named him ‘Male Athlete of the Year’ twice and his legacy is set in stone.

Victoria Mboko backed by Rick Macci to become World Number One

Mboko’s run of form, which includes lifting both the Canadian Open and the Hong Kong Open, has caught the attention of fans and pundits alike – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Macci.

Since breaking into the top 20 at the start of this year, she has continued to build momentum. It’s now getting to a point where Macci believes that she could become number one in the world.

“Mboko has the raw firepower on three big-ticket items that spell a future number one,” said Mboko on X, also citing her ability to play between offence and defence as another reason for her belief in Mboko’s potential.

The Serena Williams coach then added: “Add in great make-up speed to live another day and Vic is quick here to stay.”

Mboko has picked up 27 wins on tour since winning in Canada. That record is only bettered by Iga Swiatek and Rybakina during that period.

Victoria Mboko faces familiar path in Rybakina Quarterfinal

Mboko’s next match against Rybakina in Qatar is a tough one, but there’s a bit of history working in her favour.

Their only previous meeting came in the Canadian Open semi-finals, where Mboko notched up the win and went on to take the title.

If she manages another win over Rybakina, there’ll be a growing feeling that Mboko can push all the way through to another WTA 1000 final, this time in Doha.

Jelena Ostapenko and Elisabetta Cocciaretto are next up for the winner of that quarter-final. Both would be heavy underdogs against either player.

Cocciaretto has come through as a lucky loser, while Ostapenko remains unseeded and is also still active in doubles play.

Read more:

Liverpool’s defensive rebuild has begun, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to be replaced.

Speculation over the future of Ibrahima Konate is understandably rife, with the Frenchman into the final six months of his deal at Anfield.

Talks have been underway for some time to try and keep the defender with the Reds, but progress has been slow and several teams are interested in a free transfer this summer.

When Liverpool announced a £60 million deal that would bring Jeremy Jacquet to Merseyside in the summer, many supporters believed that Konate’s time at Anfield was finished, but the 26-year-old proved once again on Wednesday why he deserves a new deal.

Konate’s ‘flawless’ display against Sunderland

Arne Slot’s side picked up a massive three points in their hunt for a top four spot with a 1-0 win over Sunderland on Wednesday, and Konate impressed in the North East.

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Brian Brobbey looked dangerous for the duration of the match, but Konate and Virgil van Dijk handled the threat well, and the Frenchman’s performance in particular stood out.

“He was flawless Konate, everything he did defensively”, Owen Harvgreaves told TNT Sports after the match.

The defender made two tackles, an interception, four clearances and blocked a shot against the Black Cats, whilst also completing 87.5% of his passes.

Hargreaves wasn’t the only one impressed by Liverpool’s defensive shift, with club legend Steven Gerrard also adding: “Liverpool’s centre-halves were immaculate.”

Van Dijk was also full of praise for his defensive parter, calling Konate’s performance ‘outstanding’ when speaking to TNT Sports at full-time.

Konate’s great performances are even more impressive when you consider the recent tragic passing of his father, and the Frenchman has shown great character to maintain his high standard of play throughout such a difficult time.

Richard Hughes will be assessing Liverpool options at centre-half ahead of the summer, and if Konate can continue to perform as he did against Sunderland then rewarding the 26-year-old with a new deal on fresh terms may prove to be smart business.

Konate’s wage demands may be high, but you’re going to struggle to find a defender of the same quality for cheaper, and he keeps proving he is more than capable of doing a job at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

It was an eventful season for the San Francisco 49ers’ tight ends. George Kittle looked well on his way to another All-Pro year after four catches, a couple of first downs, and a touchdown against the eventual Super Bowl champions in the opening quarter of the season.

We would not see Kittle again until Week 7.

Over the next month and a half, a guy named Jake Tonges caught four touchdowns and had a game against a playoff team in which he was targeted 11 times. Free agent signing Luke Farrell’s most memorable moment during that span was a fumble on the road in a game where the 49ers ended up losing.

Despite missing all that time, Kittle still ended up being among the most valuable pass catchers in the NFL. The passing game isn’t even the area where the offense missed Kittle’s presence the most.

It’s not a great sign if your offense can’t function if you remove one player from it, but the Niners struggled mightily to generate anything positive on the ground with Kittle. Their rushing numbers fell off a cliff. The playoff defenses didn’t have to respect it, which put more pressure on the backup quarterback.

Let’s get into the strengths and weaknesses of this group.

Strengths

You’d have no idea Kittle was coming off a hamstring injury at 32 if you watched him. The 49ers’ quarterbacks had a perfect passer rating when targeting Kittle on throws 10+ yards downfield. Kittle led the NFL with +156 receiving yards over expected despite missing those six games.

Kittle ended up catching 92 percent of his catchable targets while averaging 4.6 yards after the catch. He is what a Hall of Famer looks like. Week 10, when Mac Jones didn’t have any other options against the Rams, Kittle caught all nine of his targets. That kind of consistency became the norm for Kittle.

One of the coolest stories of the 49ers’ season was Tonges coming out of nowhere. He had at least 35 receiving yards in four games without Kittle. The offense needed every one of Tonges’s four touchdowns. Surprisingly, Tonges finished seventh among tight ends in passer rating when targeted. He looked like he belonged.

Weaknesses

The 49ers could not figure out how to get Kittle and Tonges on the field together. That remains one of the most baffling parts of the season.

Tonges had ten targets on 25 routes with Brock Purdy on third down. Seven of those resulted in first downs, including a touchdown. Kittle was only targeted 12 times on 55 third-down routes with Purdy. How does an offense struggle to feature Kittle on a down as important as third, but not Tonges?

Kittle’s 33-year-old season will be coming off an Achilles injury. Experts are optimistic Kittle will return to full health, but will he be a step slower?

The lack of other tight ends being able to function as blockers or pass catchers really hurt the team without Kittle. The 49ers’ explosive rush rate dropped from 11.2 percent to 5.8 percent without Kittle, while the average yards per carry went from 4.1 to 3.3. The 49ers rushed for 11 touchdowns with Kittle and only one without him.

The coaching staff couldn’t trust Tonges as a blocker, but Farrell, at 258 pounds, offered little in the passing game. Farrell’s lack of versatility makes you wonder if he’ll be a cap casualty this offseason.

How does the tight end room look in 2026?

We ranked tight end as the 6th-most pressing need this offseason. That might be low, given Kittle’s injury and the lack of experience behind him. Here’s how the tight end room looks heading into 2026:

• George Kittle
• Jake Tonges
• Luke Farrell
• Brayden Willis

Farrell is under contract through 2027 with an affordable cap number. It’ll be his 29-year-old season next year. He’s the epitome of a blocking tight end, although there were enough exposures to question his expertise there.

Tonges is a restricted free agent. It’ll be interesting to see whether another team offers Tonges a contract.

It’s early in mock draft season, but the 49ers are already being mocked a Kittle replacement. Kenyon Sadiq would quell any concerns about this position. He’s versatile, can block, win underneath as a receiver, but also stretch the field. Ohio State has a tight end who may make Kyle Shanahan salivate as a blocker. The 49ers could wait later in the draft and still find a tight end to contribute early. It’s a good year to need a tight end.

Then there is Kyle Pitts, who could follow Raheem Morris from Atlanta. You’ll have to pay a pretty penny for Pitts’ services, but he seems well worth the investment.

Other names in free agency may attract the 49ers, like Isaiah Likely, David Njoku, Dallas Goedert, Noah Fant, or Tyler Higbee. I could see the team being interested in Charlie Kolar. There is no shortage of options in free agency, either.

It’s the ideal offseason to address the position.

Tuesday night’s wild game in Lincoln saw Purdue pick up a huge road win.

It may have also come via divine providence through idiocy.

The game was decided when Jamarques Lawrence slipped and fell as he accepted the inbounds pass with 4.1 seconds left and the Cornhuskers trailing by one. Gicarri Harris recovered the ball, hit two free throws, and Nebraska never got a shot off, nor did it possess the basketball on their end of the floor. It was a weird end to an exciting game.

As it turns out, it may end up being a tremendous own goal that ends up being huge in the Big Ten race.

A few moments before Lawrence slipped Purdue’s Oliver Cluff scored and was fouled to put the Boilermakers in front by one with 5 seconds left. Nebraska fans did not like the call, and as Purdue walked back to its bench before the free throw attempt something was thrown on the court.

The object appears to land in the same spot where Lawrence would later slip:

Here is where it gets interesting. There is A LOT of time that happens between the tossed object and the slip. It obviously was not a full beverage because that would have exploded all over the court, but what if there was a small amount of liquid in the cup that was missed by whoever was cleaning the floor? It would have had to stay on the floor through:

• The pseudo-timeout as Purdue milled around in front of its bench before the free throw attempt.
• The attempt itself, including CJ Cox getting the rebound and getting tied up.
• An entire Nebraska timeout.

In terms of real time that span is at least 3-5 minutes from when the object was thrown to when the play happens. If you’ll notice, Sam Hoiberg also slips int he same area when he goes over to help Lawrence up. Harris did not slip, but probably because he had a moment to gather himself and the ball before he was fouled. It’s likely he was surprised to see the guy he was guarding slip and fall like a Looney Toons character on a banana peel.

At minimum, throwing something there is really stupid by the fan because it opens the door for a technical foul to be assessed on the home team and free throws to be awarded. At worst, Lawrence gets seriously injured because he did take a big fall. It is also pretty clear something on the court caused him to clip.

Harris does eventually go right through the same area without issue but that is also before Hoiberg fell, so who knows. Was it something on Nebraska’s shoes? Was something still on the court? Did Nebraska give up an own goal by missing that something was thrown on the floor and not getting it cleaned up. If so, it happened right at the Purdue bench, so how did Purdue not notice? Obviously there is no guarantee that Nebraska scores on the following play if he stays vertical, but at minmum this incident took their chances from slim to none.

I have no answers, but I found it very interesting that an excellent basketball game ended in such a strange manner.

—NET Rankings Update (men’s): No. 14.

—NET Rankings Update (women’s): No. 8.

—The Louisville women’s basketball team begins a three-game homestand with a 7 p.m. tilt against Wake Forest Thursday night. Here’s a preview.

—The Louisville baseball team kicks off its season tomorrow with the first of a three-game home set against Michigan State. U of L has announced an opening weekend starting rotation of Ethan Eberle, Jake Bean and Wyatt Danilowicz.

—Boink.

—Louisville OL coach Richard Owens is reportedly headed to Alabama, where he’ll coach the tight ends.

—The CJ looks at how the U of L men’s basketball season has gone compared to preseason expectations.

—The CJ’s Alexis Cubit writes about Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz, who’s looking to put Pierre, South Dakota on the map.

—This weekend in Cardinal athletics:

Thursday, February 12

• Women’s Basketball vs Wake Forest – 7:00 p.m. ET (KFC Yum! Center) 

Friday, February 13

• Track & Field at Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.)
• Track & Field at Music City Challenge (Nashville, Tenn.)
• Track & Field at Heartland Invitational (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Track & Field at Don Kirby Elite Invitational (Albuquerque, N.M.)
• Softball vs Boston (South Carolina Tournament) – 11:00 a.m. ET (Columbia, S.C.)
• Softball vs South Carolina (South Carolina Tournament) – 1:30 p.m. ET (Columbia, S.C.)
• Baseball vs Michigan State – 3:00 p.m. ET (Jim Patterson Stadium)
• Women’s Tennis vs Notre Dame – 4:00 p.m. ET (Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)
• Men’s Tennis at Middle Tennessee – 5:00 p.m. ET (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)

Saturday, February 14

• Track & Field at Husky Classic (Seattle, Wash.)
• Track & Field at Music City Challenge (Nashville, Tenn.)
• Track & Field at Heartland Invitational (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Track & Field at Don Kirby Elite Invitational (Albuquerque, N.M.)
• Softball vs Kennesaw State (South Carolina Tournament) – 10:00 a.m. ET (Columbia, S.C.)
• Lacrosse at Virginia Tech – 11:00 a.m. ET (Blacksburg, Va.)
• Softball vs Boston (South Carolina Tournament) – 12:30 p.m. ET (Columbia, S.C.)
• Baseball vs Michigan State – 1:00 p.m. ET (Jim Patterson Stadium)
• Men’s Basketball vs Baylor – 4:00 p.m. ET (Fort Worth, Texas) 

Sunday, February 15

• Women’s Golf vs Moon Golf Invitational (Melbourne, Fla.)
• Swimming & Diving at ACC Championships (Atlanta, Ga.)
• Softball vs Kennesaw State (South Carolina Tournament) – 9:30 a.m. ET (Columbia, S.C.)
• Women’s Tennis vs Indiana – 12:00 p.m. ET (Bass-Rudd Tennis Center)
• Baseball vs Michigan State – 1:00 p.m. ET (Jim Patterson Stadium)
• Women’s Basketball vs Florida State – 6:00 p.m. ET (KFC Yum! Center)

—The Athletic’s latest NFL mock draft has Chris Bell going 36th overall.

—Louisville Report previews this weekend’s season-opening baseball series against Michigan State.

—Very good video here on the three-point revolution in college basketball and whether or not it’s the best offensive philosophy moving forward.

—Villanova and Notre Dame will play a season-opening men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader in front of the Pope in Rome next November. Pope Leo is a Villanova grad and an ardent supporter of Wildcat basketball.

—Tickets are available for Louisville’s Senior Day game against Georgia Tech. It’s the first time the Cards are honoring the seniors on a game that isn’t the last home game of the season.

—The Winter Olympics have been completely unhinged in (mostly) the best ways possible.

—The J-Town Goose Wrangler must be stopped.

—Bob Valvano is giving his side of the story on his abrupt exit from ESPN680.

—Lorenzo Mauldin is the latest local signing for the Louisville Kings.

—Obsessed with Zou.

—Steve Wiltfong of Rivals has logged an expert prediction for Louisville and Jeff Brohm to land a 4-star recruit.

—Rick Pitino appeared on Andy Beshear’s podcast and talked about his time in the Commonwealth and his dismissal at U of L (among other things).

“I deserved to be fired,” Pitino said on an episode of The Andy Beshear Podcast taped in New York on Tuesday. “Because my assistant coaches did the wrong thing. And looking back on it, I learned a valuable lesson: who to hire, who to trust, what to believe in.”

It’s not the first time Pitino has let Louisville off the hook for its decision to fire him in the aftermath of the FBI’s investigation into the Adidas college basketball’s pay-for-play scheme. But it is the first time he has talked about what he called some mistakes in hiring assistant coaches, and why he made them.

“I was trying to get more high school one-and-done players at Louisville,” Pitino said. “I never went in that area, right? And John Calipari was having great success at Kentucky. And so I hired some people I should not have hired. And I learned a valuable lesson with that.”

For all the years Pitino and Calipari played coy about their rivalry, this was as close to a strategic concession as Pitino has made — that Kentucky’s success under Calipari led him to shift recruiting tactics at Louisville, and that the shift unraveled everything.

It’s a revealing moment in a wide-ranging, 30-minute conversation that touches on everything from his coaching evolution to his time in Greece, from Billy Donovan’s transformation at Providence to Richie Farmer’s short-lived departure from Kentucky. Pitino, now 73, sounds more relaxed than he did even during his Iona tenure, more willing to turn over the stones of his past without the usual edge or defensiveness.

Rick Pitino’s conversation with Gov. Andy Beshear ran 30 minutes and covered considerably more ground than his remarks about Louisville.

“There’s always a learning experience,” he said. “As a leader, you’ve got to understand when you make mistakes. You’ve got to correct the mistakes by not blaming others.”

—The Louisville men’s tennis team will look to extend its three-match winning streak on Friday when it squares off against Middle Tennessee State. Here’s a preview.

—Make Louisville Lassie the captain for the Georgia Tech game.

—Former Card Ty-Laur Johnson has left the San Diego basketball program and will be looking for a fourth school in four years next season.

—Potential red flag for Louisville: Multiple schools that participated in this year’s Players Era Festival say they’re still waiting on their payment from the event. The Cards are set to spend the next four Thanksgiving weeks playing in the tournament.

—Here are five freshmen to watch out for on this year’s Cardinal baseball team.

—Terrific work from the social team here.

—Will Wade is taking the responsibility for the way his team looked during its blowout loss to Louisville on Monday.

—The Cards have suddenly won six of seven which has many re-evaluating what this team’s ceiling could be.

—And finally, the latest Bracket Matrix updates continue to show a six-seed as the most common prognostication for this Louisville team. The Cards are seeded as high as fourth in some projections and as low as seventh.

This came as a surprise. Without giving any reason so far, FIFA has imposed a one-year transfer ban on a top Spanish club this evening.

According to the list of “clubs temporarily banned from registering new players due to various violations, such as financial disputes or non-compliance with regulatory requirements,” Athletic Bilbao is not allowed to sign any players during the next three transfer windows.

This is a drastic blow for the Basques, who participated in the Champions League this season. The club has not yet issued a statement on the matter.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

It’s not looking like we will see Jayden Quaintance back on the floor for Kentucky Basketball in the immediate future.

Mark Pope said Thursday that Quaintance is dealing with some swelling again from some rehab work he’s been doing, so any possible return to in-game action is “not imminent,” according to the Kentucky head coach.

Quaintance has missed the last nine games for the Wildcats, and with only seven games remaining in the regular season, it’s looking less and less likely that we’ll see Quaintance back on the floor for Kentucky.

However, Pope said he’s not ruling out the possibility that Quaintance could play again this season. That’s also the case with Kam Williams, who is recovering from foot surgery and has a small chance of returning late in the season.

“No, because they’re massively important for this team,” said Pope when asked if he’s shutting down Quaintance or Williams for the season. “And they’re difference-makers, for sure. We’re going to take them if we can get them.”

So now, the waiting game continues to see if Quaintance will take the floor again as a Kentucky Wildcat. He certainly could be a key piece for this team, but Kentucky has had some solid play out of Malachi Moreno and some really good spurts from Brandon Garrison. It’s looking more and more like those two will hold down the center position for Kentucky for the remainder of the season.

As for Williams, his 3-point shooting is what gets the attention, but his length and athleticism on the defensive end have been very impactful at times this season.

Here’s to hoping we see one or both of these guys again this season.

Want more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Then follow our Twitter page and like us on Facebook to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go CATS!

Everton fans tuning into Ange Postecoglou’s appearance on The Overlap this Thursday would likely have been alerted by a specific part of the discussion.

Postecoglou spoke about Tottenham’s lack of direction during his time in charge, pointing out how he had pushed for experienced players like Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, but ended up with youngsters Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall instead.

“We end up signing Dom Solanke – I was really keen on him and I really like him – and three teenagers. I was looking at Pedro Neto, Mbeumo, Semenyo and Marc Guehi because I said we need them if we’re going to go from fifth to third,” he began by saying.

“Those three teenagers are outstanding and brilliant young players, and I think they’ll be great players for Tottenham, but they’re not going to get you from fifth to fourth and third.”

Everton sit eight points ahead of Spurs in the Premier League table right now. Even so, David Moyes is facing some of the same problems over at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton’s roster is packed with raw, unfinished talent

The strategy of investing in players with future potential and resale value has its merits, but Everton may have leaned too heavily into this approach.

During Moyes’ first summer back in charge, the Friedkin Group focused on bringing in young prospects like Merlin Rohl, Adam Aznou, Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry. While all four are talented, none came in as finished products ready for the demands of the Premier League.

Rohl and Barry are 23 years old, while Aznou and Dibling are still just 19.

Of the group, only Barry has seen regular action with 18 starts so far this season. Even so, he has struggled to make a consistent impact and missed several chances during Everton’s recent game against Bournemouth.

Dibling has made four starts in the league, while Rohl has appeared twice. On the other hand, Aznou is still waiting for his debut appearance.

Everton short on experience in prime years

This recruitment policy has left Moyes with a squad that is heavy on youngsters and veterans, like 33-year-old Michael Keane and 36-year-old Idrissa Gueye, but lacking in players who fit the profile he really needs.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been an exception. At 27, he arrived with solid Premier League experience and has settled well into the side. But there aren’t enough players like him around to balance out the mix.

If the Friedkin Group do not bring in more proven talent over the summer, Moyes could easily end up having the same frustrations Ange Postecoglou voiced about Spurs on The Overlap.

Read more:

• Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Brentford
• Gunners' lead at top cut to three points by Man City on Wednesday
• William Saliba not in Mikel Arteta's squad due to illness
• Both teams aiming for third successive league win
• Victory for Bees would move them level on points with Liverpool

Premier League: Build-up as leaders Arsenal visit Brentford

With the 2025 season now concluded, we’ll keep track of every transaction by the Dodgers for the entire offseason here, beginning with the advent of free agency on November 2 until the start of spring training.

We will update this page throughout the offseason with every transaction, and links below to specific details about every roster move by the team. You can also find more information on each move in our Dodgers roster section on the site. Here is a look at how the roster looked at the first day of the offseason.

For more information on Dodgers transactions during the 2025 season, click here.

Note: On a mobile device, this table will show up best in landscape mode.