“The Loudest I’ve ever heard Neyland was..”🤔 Arion carter... game-changing interception vs Florida in 2024. Absolute pandemonium..Neyland was ON FIRE🔥😮‍💨 (🎥: ESPN College Football/YT)show more

Zabien Brown has arguably had the most impactful interceptions... by any Alabama football player, EVER: 👀 - Pick-six to tie CFP game vs. #8 Oklahoma - 99-yard pick-six vs. #11 Tennessee - Interception to seal the 2024 Iron Bowl - Game-winning interception vs. #2 Georgia (2024) Is he the most CLUTCH defender in Crimson Tide history? 🤔show more

THE GAME JUST CHANGED 🏈🌵😎 The first-ever National Collegiate... D1 flag football competition will crown a champion TONIGHT in the desert! It will be Florida vs. UCF in the #FiestaBowl Flag Football Classic presented by Oakley, live on ESPNU or in the ESPN app (6 pm ET).show more

Jermod McCoy's first college INT was vs Fernando Mendoza... in 2023 when Oregon State faced Cal. Now they're #Raiders teammates. "It was probably one of the top moments in my life," McCoy says. "We talked after that game too, chopped it up a little bit, it was good. Good to know we are going to be on the same team too. We got the best quarterback in college football and now going to be the best in the league."show more

THE HISTORY BOOKS HAVE BEEN OPENED FOR TARON DICKENS... 📚 Congratulations to Taron Dickens for breaking the FCS Record for the most Consecutive Pass Completions in a game, going 46/46! 🔥 The record was previously held by Princeton’s, Quinn Epperly with 29 Completions! #FCS x 📸/🎥 ESPN+ / Western Carolina Footballshow more

About that Check Engine light… I will say that... all these problems started shortly after I possibly got struck by lightning. I was pulled off on the side of the road doing a radio interview about storm chasing with 680 CJOB out of Winnipeg, home of the Jets,l. I hadn’t seen a damn bolt of lightning all day. Right in the middle of answering a question about the movie Twister, BAM out of nowhere a flash and instant crack of the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard. If it didn’t hit me it was very close. I shit you not this all happened.show more

I’ve been a Duke fan since I watched The... Shot in 1992 with my dad. We watched March Madness every year, and that was my first core memory of college basketball. I saw Christian Laettner on Letterman later that year (the Top Ten was also a family tradition back then) and was completely enamored. I insisted on a trip to Durham so I could see Cameron Indoor Stadium. My dad made it happen when I was in high school, even though I was definitely not Duke material (athletically or academically). I’m including a terrible pic of me at the Duke bookstore circa 1997. I took my oldest son to watch Duke in the Sweet 16 in Dallas in 2024. He’s been a Blue Devil basketball fan ever since. Anyway, my point is that I don’t care what anyone thinks, I will always be a Duke fan. 🥰 Go Blue Devils!show more

Julian Sayin has one of the PRETTIEST releases college... football has ever seen. Sayin was reportedly the “talk of the NFL Combine” amongst Ohio State players, despite not being named QB1 yet. One Big Ten coach believes Sayin has the potential to the best QB in the Big Ten in his first season as a starter. Multiple NFL scouts reportedly believe Sayin could end up being the most successful QB from the 2024 class (which included Dylan Raiola and DJ Lagway). He’s even received comparisons to names like Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, and Caleb Williams. The Buckeyes QB is going to be SPECIAL 🔥show more

Shedeur Sanders isn’t running a 40 at the #NFLCombine... —so as a former NFL Scout, I did the next best thing —I timed him running 40 yards during a game two years ago to see how fast he is. I got 5.37 seconds. I timed him with a stopwatch from his first step at the 50 until he reached the 10. What time did you get? I had to go back two years because Sanders only has one run in his 4 year college career over 40 yards on his ESPN stats page —and it was in this game when he played for FCS Jackson State vs. Southern in 2022. The record for the slowest time at the NFL Combine for a quarterback according to the USA Today is 5.37 by Ryan Mallet.show more

My experience as a Defenders fan going to STL... America's Center & The Dome for an away game. This was a solo trip, did not bring my family on this one. The St. Louis Battlehawks home games truly are one of the special environments for United Football League. I’ve been to 4 AWAY games for DC Defenders over the last 12 months and the environment for this one was fired up! They definitely should NOT move STL to a soccer stadium if they keep showing out like they did yesterday. I got to my hotel at 1AM on game day after a late flight from the west coast. I woke up 6 hours later, walked towards the stadium and randomly caught the STL player walk-ins. Then, I walked over to the tailgate and met up with The Bottom Line and enjoyed some mimosas and breakfast burritos with Ed Ploeger and his gang. Thanks for the hospitality! I was able to get him a signed Sam Kidd jersey as a thanks for all he does for the UFL community! After the tailgate, got in for gate drop at 0930, and went straight down to the field. I was able to say hi to a few players and talk with Steven McCrane as his son was nailing 50+ yard field goals with ease. Chatted up and made peace with a few STL fans around me. Once the game started, they had the place LOUD, and my watch kept alerting me that my hearing was getting damaged 🤣 . Being there for the first ever 4 point field goal by Matt McCrane made the travel worth it. After the home fans had a few rounds of beers, the heckling began (which was expected), but I had to pop about 6 beach balls/🎈 as I became the 🎯 for drunk fans as the only DC fan in the section. I tossed the balls back a few times until I immediately got hit with about 3 balls in a row. So that part was a bit of a let down, as I was just trying to enjoy a game. The halftime show was great. Overall, the game experience itself left something to be desired with the penalties and getting harassed by fans who were clearly recording trying to get rage bait engagement on 🎥. Probably won’t be going back to a STL game again, but I’m glad got to check it out! Pregame/Tailgate: 5/5 Halftime: 5/5 Game experience: 3/5 Getting to/from stadium: 5/5show more

Brysen Wright, RareBreeds 12U 6'2 180, Wide Receiver St.... Augustine, Florida The best player on the field was obvious for Sunday's main event of the Youth National Championship presented by Battle Sports. Wide receiver Bryson Wright is the prototype as a pass catcher. Massive frame that is already Power Five ready despite still in middle school. He is filled out and with six-plus years of development before he can even enter a college weight training program, he passes the eye test better than most top wide receiver prospects in the 2024 class right now. An addition to the already star studded RareBreeds perennial Yfbplayoff winning squad, Wright has brought a 'Florida swagger' to a team that dominated 40-14. "The coaching." said Wright on what has elevated him to the top of his age group. "I've been working with the right coaching, learning how to not be selfish and always just do the best I can. Normally tall, bigger guys can't play the way I play. I'm athletic for my size and that's really the biggest part of my game that makes me different." Intangible-wise he checks every single box the same as his size. Wright was able to run multiple routes and did not simply rely on being the biggest skill position player on the field. He is a natural catcher of the football and showed it on a highlight-worthy one-handed grab in the left corner of the endzone early in the contest. On an in-breaking 10-yard route, Wright took a reception for 40-plus for a score proving he can mix in some explosiveness and speed to being a massive target. Ohio State, Florida State, North Carolina and Georgia are schools he hopes to hear from once he gets to the high school level, but he may not have to wait too long. College coaches are already taking notice of the advanced offensive weapon and he could end up one of the few middle school prospects to earn Power Five offers before even deciding where he plays high school ball.show more

🚨🗣️New: Thierry Henry reacts to the USA vs Paraguay... stoppage for TV commercials: “I’ve spent my entire life in this beautiful game — as a player at the highest level, as a fan, and now as someone who analyses it every week — and what unfolded during that USA versus Paraguay match left me deeply frustrated. The fourth official standing there on the touchline, arm raised high, instructing the referee to hold the restart… not for any injury, not for tactical reasons, and not even primarily for player hydration in that scorching heat. No. It was because the broadcast team hadn’t finished airing all their commercials. That’s not football. That’s a television show pretending to be a World Cup match. The beautiful game is being strangled by greed. Players are out there in the heat, ready to restart, momentum building like a storm about to break — and we pause everything so the sponsors can cash in. It’s like stopping a symphony mid-crescendo because the advertisers want their jingle heard. Football didn’t conquer the world by turning into American sports with endless timeouts and ad breaks. We had rhythm, flow, emotion that flowed like a river. Now? It’s dammed up for dollars. This isn’t about hydration or player welfare anymore — it’s a slippery slope where the soul of the game is sold piece by piece. Fans deserve better. Players deserve better. The referee on that pitch looked like a puppet on strings controlled from some broadcast truck. Enough is enough. We need to protect what made this sport the greatest on Earth before it disappears completely.” The World Cup should be football’s cathedral. Instead, we’re turning it into a shopping mall with a pitch in the middle. And here’s the question nobody wants to answer: if the fourth official is waiting for commercials, then who is really running the game? FIFA? The referee? Or the broadcasters? Because the moment football starts asking advertisers for permission before asking the players, you’ve crossed a line. The World Cup is supposed to be the showcase of football. Not the showcase of who paid the most for airtime.”show more

Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke about his own father & his... humble roots after Tyrese Haliburton’s father confronted him after Milwaukee’s series-losing Game 5 vs. Indiana 🗣️ “I believe being humble in victory. People say when you win the game, you talk s***, it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful to someone else. I disagree. I’ve won a championship & they haven’t. I’m not trying to minimize their effort. I remember when I won, my mom never missed a game. When we won, she was scared to cross. ‘Am I allowed to come & hug my son?’… Except Thanasis, my family doesn’t sit courtside. I try to keep my family away from the game. Losing a game, emotions run high. I thought it was a fan. It was his dad. I love Tyrese. I think he’s a great competitor. His dad coming on the floor & showing me his son’s towel with his face. ‘This is what we do. This is what the f*** we do.’ That’s very, very disrespectful. My dad, who’s not with us anymore, my dad used to come in the family room & he’s the most respectful person ever. When you come from nothing & work your whole life to sell stuff in the street… you create this mentality of being humble your whole life. To not disrespect anybody… so, when his dad came here, I remembered: ‘Dad why are you so humble?’ That’s how I grew up… Having somebody’s dad — & I’m happy for his son & him — disrespecting me & cursing at me is totally unacceptable. I’m not the guy that points fingers, because snitches get stitches. I don’t want him to get fined. I talked with him at the end & I think we’re in a good place.” Thoughts? 🤔show more

A Love Story ♥️♥️ "Bro, drop her. There are... plenty of normal girls." That's what my teammate muttered in the locker room the week Leah joined our cheer squad full-time. I was the starting quarterback. Team captain. The guy people expected to date the loudest girl in the room — the one with the biggest following and the brightest spotlight. Leah didn't fit that script. She had Down syndrome. She didn't chase attention. She didn't care about being seen. But she showed up. Every single time. While everyone else filtered in late, Leah was already stretching on the sidelines. When practice ran long and tempers ran short, she stayed steady. When I threw a bad pass and slammed my helmet in frustration, she didn't flinch — she just said, "You'll get it next drive. You always do." She believed in me before I believed in myself. She waited after practice to ask how the game plan was shaping up. In study hall, when my grades started slipping, she'd slide my notebook back toward me and say, "Focus. You said you wanted that scholarship." No one else noticed when I was overwhelmed. Leah did. I started walking her home after practice. She'd tell me about her routines, how long she'd dreamed of wearing that uniform, how she practiced cheers in her bedroom mirror when she was ten. She spoke about everything with this quiet certainty — like joy was something you could train for. Somewhere between late-night games and early morning classes, I realized something: I wasn't looking for her out of responsibility. I was looking for her because she was my calm. Before every kickoff, I'd scan the sidelines until | saw her. And when she caught my eye, she'd give me that small nod like she was saying, You're ready. After graduation, people assumed we'd drift apart. We didn't. We stayed through college applications and job rejections. Through cramped apartments and long-distance moves. Through cheap furniture and shared savings accounts. We built our life slowly - brick by brick, paycheck by paycheck. Leah still shows up. She still reminds me of the things I forget. Still believes in plans I haven't finished building. Still chooses me on ordinary Tuesdays. Fifteen years later, when | look across our kitchen table, I see the same girl who stood on the sidelines and steadied my heartbeat before every game. They told me to find someone "normal." I found someone extraordinary. And I'm still choosing Leah the same way I did at seventeen — not because it's easy. But because she's the best decision I ever made.show more

My experiences at the stadium yesterday (I was tired... from same-day long flight so I may have missed a few things.): • There were lots of Shir-o-Khorshid flags and shirts in the stadium, which was great to see. Despite the “ban”, it was nice to see so many on display. Freedom of speech matters in the USA. • Compared to Islamic Republic-friendly Qatar in 2022, the difference was noticeable. Back then, I saw with my own eyes that there were binders at the admission gates listing prohibited items, including Shir-o-Khorshid flags. The security there was hostile and scrutinizing every flag and article of clothing. This time, there were no such binders or checks beyond normal security screening. • The fans carrying Shir-o-Khorshid flags were supporting Team Melli throughout the match. From what I saw, they were there to support Iran and enjoy the game. • The Islamic Republic anthem was loudly booed throughout the stadium. • I didn’t witness any major arguments or confrontations, although I know videos of disputes are circulating online. I’m only speaking about what I personally saw inside and around the stadium. • The only issue I witnessed involved an older Islamic Republic supporter sitting in the row behind me causing a disturbance and getting what I believe was his grandson to go to security and complain about nearby fans with Shir-o-Khorshid flags, claiming the flags were banned. Security told him to relax and made it clear they were not going to remove anyone’s flag. • Ironically, a few minutes later, those same Islamic Republic supporters were told to leave because they were sitting in the wrong seats. 👏 • The woman sitting behind me, wearing a regular Iran shirt, was ecstatic when they left. She told me she felt their presence beside her and her two sons had been a bad omen and was relieved to see them go. • The atmosphere was electric from start to finish. SoFi Stadium is one of the nicest stadiums I’ve ever been to and was an amazing place to watch a World Cup match. • Like what I saw in Qatar 2022, you can spot an Islamic Republic supporter from a mile away. Ugly to the bone. They always look mangled and angry (physiognomy is real in this case). A note - I encourage Iranian fans and Shir-o-Khorshid patriots to attend these matches and bring their flags. In my view, it’s a missed opportunity that some have chosen to boycott the national team when these events provide a chance to make their voices heard in front of the world. Boycotting only silences your own voice. It’s a self-inflicted loss of an opportunity to be seen and heard. Overall, it was a positive experience. Fans were there to support Team Melli. It was great to see so many Shir-o-Khorshid flags in the stadium and to see people expressing themselves freely without the issues we saw in Qatar. The result was disappointing, but the atmosphere and the passion of the Iranian fans made it a memorable.show more

Can't help but smile at this one. One of... those stories I think we are going to look back and laugh at one day. ⬇️ James Voorhies was an uncommitted catcher (and a very good one) just over a year ago. Hadn't thrown a varsity inning on the mound. In October going into his senior year I played catch with him at the local elementary school. We threw on a crabgrass field and I told him after 15 minutes of playing catch that his arm, body type, and feel for the baseball were far too advanced for him to not be on the mound. James agreed to start throwing bullpens and "give it a shot". 3 weeks later I did a workout with some of our clients and James threw a bullpen on the game mound. He was 85-87 and absolutely pounded the zone. Threw 3 of the dirtiest changeups I’ve seen (we had played with a kick-change grip a few weeks prior). I had never seen him throw against hitters. Saw a 15 minute catch play session and his first bullpen in years. I Immediately sent the video to a handful of Division 1 programs that were on his list and gave them the scoop. “He's got zero track record but everything about him looks like a future pro arm”. Responses ranged anywhere from excitement to skepticism, which was 100% to be expected. Fast forward a few months to February... CSUN pulled the trigger before his high school season even started and James went on to post a 1.09 ERA, 83 IP, 60 H, 21 BB, and 83 K in his first year of pitching to help take College Park HS to the NCS championship. So here we are essentially 1 year after Jimmy started pitching full time and he’s up to 94 mph as a true freshman, with a win and a save in his first two collegiate appearances with 7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 13 K. Pretty cool story of a guy going “all in” on something new and different, and a college program taking a chance on a guy that they see future potential in. But the best part of this story and biggest point I want to make is that I firmly believe the reason Jimmy V was the guy that CSUN took a shot on was because of his makeup, work ethic, character, and competitiveness. Jimmy is one of the best “makeup” guys I’ve ever recruited or advised. He is the perfect combination of humble and confident and was the QB/captain of his football team in high school. Jimmy made it easy for CSUN to say “that’s the guy we want to take a chance on.” And yes, it helped that he was 6’4” and a big time multi-sport athlete with a ton of upside. It fires me up to watch Jimmy doing his thing at a very high level. He’s got a ton of good baseball ahead of him. @jam8svoorhies CollegePark Baseball Diablo Valley Baseball Club CSUN Baseballshow more

Confession from an England fan: there’s one thing in... this whole US vs England war the Americans are just better at, and it’s time someone on our side said it. Not stadiums - Craven Cottage vs MetLife is two different conversations, 130 years of history and a billion-dollar engineering marvel can both be impressive. Not the football - England is the authority there, the most watched league in the world, where the stars play, same way the US is the authority on baseball whether or not they win the World Baseball Classic. It’s sports coverage. Any English sports fan who’s been to the States knows the feeling - wall-to-wall sport, endless channels, proper production, and you think: why don’t we have this? Even our players feel it. Marc Guehi in England camp this week: “Waking up, turning on the television and seeing ten sports channels in a row is top. It’s amazing.” And that’s exactly what CBS bottled. The best Champions League studio in the world is American-owned, European anchors - Abdo, Henry, Carragher, Richards - built by a producer who modelled it on Inside the NBA. They took the thing we envy about American sports TV and pointed it at our game. And it works better than our own product. The rest - the Tampa pitch outrage (it was a dodgy pitch), the USMNT record graphics (one knockout win ever, lads), the atmosphere wars (you like Coldplay concerts, we like limbs) - is noise. Let’s argue about something real instead... World War II.show more

Experiencing the joy of a British camping trip out... in the sticks ☔️ And of a so-called men-only camping trip where there is a woman on T with her arm skin dangling between her legs After I arrived I got talking to some guys and mentioned how important it was to have gay-male only spaces then one said there was a ‘transman’ around but “You’d never know”. I could tell who she was later that eve without even seeing her - during a noisy quiz night on Friday I suddenly heard that high-pitched grainy Buck Angel-type voice, looked over my shoulder and there she was She’s apparently a regular at this event (it’s been going for ten years) and much beloved by the organiser and some of the other regulars, but I’ve spoken to a number of men who just want it to be a gay men-only event or who feel very conflicted about it all (she also attended the event before she had surgery between her legs) Put more of a damper on things for me than the weather Not sure if I should contact the organiser and how to approach that - I’ll probably get banned for life as he gave her shout-outs during various announcements “We love you [name]!” Other team members also threw the word ‘queer’ around with abandon and referred to drag queen Divine as having been ‘assigned male at birth’ 🥴 There was nothing on the website whatsoever to indicate that this was a mixed-sex trip or that they were captured by the gender madness so I feel conned. At least I had a few good convos with other gay men who were on the same page - some had heard about the Sandie Peggie tribunal, one about Northumbria police withdrawing from Pride, but others were mostly unaware of the issues and even if they rolled their eyes at pronouns and ‘non-binary’ stuff they felt protective of ‘trans’, seemed to think that you can ‘become a man’ via surgery and hormonal interventions and said that my arguments were “the same they made against the gays” 🤦‍♂️ Some looked shocked and even disgusted at me using ‘she / her’ for this woman “He’s had to face much bigger decisions than I’ve ever had to” said one man, repeatedly. I said that didn’t show bravery but only a commitment to absolute madness So what was meant to be a carefree weekend with a bunch of gay men (250 of us) turned into a disappointing and frustrating couple of days Was meant to stay till Sunday but left Saturday late when I could catch a ride to somewhere that wasn’t on the way back to London but I just wanted to get away, the whole thing felt fake Now heading home via a bit of a detour Also learned I’m definitely more of a hotel person! 😆show more