Eight picks after selecting their quarterback of the future, the Chicago Bears made yet another move in their offensive makeover. The Bears snagged Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze, giving them two of the best prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. He joins a stacked skill-position group that includes Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, D’Andre Swift, and Cole Kmet. Odunze caught 214 passes for 3,272 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons with the Huskies, totaling 40 games and 30 starts. How will the 2023 AP All-American’s game translate to the next level? What Made Rome Odunze a Premiere Prospect? http://gty.im/2148530109 Odunze’s…
Author: Joshua Valdez
Joshua Valdez
Joshua Valdez graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Media Studies. He currently lives in Los Angeles, where he's pursuing his interest in screenwriting.
In a 2024 NFL Draft full of surprising moments, the Chicago Bears taking Caleb Williams first overall was not one of them. The USC alum was the consensus best player available by most of the football world, and the writing was on the wall back when the Bears dealt Justin Fields to the Steelers. Williams joins Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift, D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet and fellow rookie Rome Odunze in the team’s new-look offense. Will the former Heisman winner finally give Chicago’s fanbase a signal-caller to be proud of? Why was Williams such a hyped prospect before being taken by…
A popular talking point in today’s college sports landscape is the effect of NIL on the transfer portal. It’s no secret that student-athletes have been changing schools now more than ever, often in pursuit of larger financial incentives. This recent development is nowhere more apparent than the starting lineups in the men’s Final Four, which kicks off Saturday. NC State and Alabama have only one player between them that started at their current school. While Purdue and UConn each have multiple homegrown players in the lineup, they still rely on key contributors from transfers. Will the college game ever consistently…
After 44 years, the Purdue faithful will finally see their team back in the Final Four. The Boilermakers are re-writing their narrative in real time, one year after suffering an embarrassing first-round loss to No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. No. 1-seeded Purdue fended off the No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers 72-66 in an instant classic Elite Eight matchup. Each team’s superstar showed out, with Purdue’s Zach Edey scoring a career-high 40 points, to go with a game-high 16 rebounds. Dalton Knecht was also dominant for the Volunteers, registering 37 points on 14-of-31 shooting. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome Matt Painter’s squad,…
The 14-seeded Oakland Golden Grizzlies took advantage of a shaky Kentucky Wildcats unit, handing Big Blue an 80-76 loss in the tournament’s biggest upset thus far. Kentucky came into this game as a third seed, sporting one of the deeper squads in the country. John Calipari’s squad had five starters averaging double-digit points, and the team’s 89.4 points per game was ranked second in the country. However, this is March and none of that matters. How did the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Pull It Off? http://gty.im/2095087371 Grizzlies guard Jack Gohlke punished a lackluster Wildcat defense, making 10 threes on the way…
The No. 13-seed Samford Bulldogs (29-5, 15-3) will attempt to upset the No. 4-seed Kansas Jayhawks (22-10, 10-8) tonight in this first-round Midwest Region matchup. The Jayhawks come into this one shorthanded, as star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. is out for the season with a knee injury. This is a massive loss for Bill Self’s squad, as McCullar leads the team with 18.3 points a game. With Kansas losing four of its last five contests, it’ll now have to right the ship without its top player. Samford, on the other hand, is riding high. The Bulldogs have won four straight…
The overall No. 1-seed UConn Huskies take on the No. 16-seed Stetson Hatters in the NCAA Tournament first round. This East Regional matchup will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Friday. As per usual with top vs. bottom seed matchups, these two programs are on complete opposite ends of the college basketball spectrum. The Huskies are looking to defend their National Title, while the Hatters will be playing in their first-ever March Madness contest. Will Stetson be able to pull off an unthinkable upset? A Word On the Stetson Hatters Stetson qualified for the NCAA…
The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to bring in their former second-round pick Denzel Perryman on a one-year, $3 million deal. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport was the first to break the story. Perryman was an impact linebacker for the Houston Texans last season, registering 76 tackles, three passes defended, six tackles for loss, and two QB hits. Denzel Perryman Career Summary http://gty.im/1919849695 Perryman was drafted 48th overall by the Chargers in 2015 after a standout collegiate career at Miami. The veteran linebacker spent six seasons with the organization before moving on to the Raiders for two years. Then, the former…
The New England Patriots have agreed to terms with wide receiver K.J. Osborn, according to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. The terms of the deal have not yet been reported. Osborn joins JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Reagor, and Kendrick Bourne in the Patriot wide receiver room. Each of the latter players also re-upped their contracts with the team this offseason. K.J. Osborn Career Summary Prior to the New England Patriots Osborn was an under-the-radar prospect, playing college ball at both Buffalo and Miami. The Michigan native earned All-Second Team MAC honors in 2018 before transferring to the Hurricanes. He then led…
The San Francisco 49ers are restructuring fullback Kyle Juszczyk’s contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported today. Juszczyk will remain the highest-paid fullback in the NFL. The restructure will free up $1.75 million in cap room for San Francisco. While the exact terms have not yet been announced, this move confirms that Juszczyk will stay with the team. His situation was previously up in the air after he’d initially declined the 49ers’ request to take a pay cut. The 11-year veteran was originally slated to make a $5.75 million base salary along with $400,000 from per-game bonuses. The team would’ve released him…
The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing back their former standout defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The deal will be for three years and worth up to $33 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This move comes on the heels of a series of recent Eagles acquisitions, including running back Saquon Barkley and pass rusher Bryce Huff. General manager Howie Roseman has been aggressive about starting the offseason after getting upset by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard game. C.J. Gardner-Johnson Career Summary Gardner-Johnson played three seasons for the Florida Gators before getting drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2019. As…
The Atlanta Falcons have landed former Chicago Bears wideout Darnell Mooney on a three-year, $39 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Atlanta lands another weapon for new quarterback Kirk Cousins. Mooney joins a loaded skill-position group that includes running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts, and wide receiver Drake London. Darnell Mooney Career Summary http://gty.im/1862664864 Mooney enjoyed a successful collegiate career at Tulane, leading the Green Wave in receiving as a junior and senior. However, he wasn’t an upper-echelon prospect coming into the NFL draft. The 5’11 speedster was selected in the fifth round by the Bears in…
Noah Fant officially remains a Seattle Seahawk. The veteran tight end signed a new two-year, $21 million deal with the team, according to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schulz. The agreement was much needed for the Seahawks, as they lost Will Dissly earlier in the day to the Chargers. Noah Fant Career Summary http://gty.im/1429698409 Fant hasn’t quite lived up to his first-round draft status, but he’s still been a valuable target over the years. https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1767335863946539507 Before coming into the NFL, Noah Fant was a dominant force on the Iowa Hawkeyes. In 2017, he tied the national record for single-season touchdown grabs by…
After their worst season in 30 years (82-80), the New York Yankees were forced to take action. The 27-time champions immediately asserted themselves, acquiring outfielder Alex Verdugo in a deal with their arch-rival Red Sox on Dec. 5. One day later, the club traded for superstar outfielder Juan Soto in a seven-player deal with the Padres. New York also landed fellow outfielder Trent Grisham in the exchange, who will come off the bench as a depth piece. Finally, the Bronx Bombers signed right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal on Jan. 17. The two-time All-Star projects to…
Will New York Jets fans ever catch a break? After yet another tumultuous season, the beginning of the offseason has produced overwhelmingly negative headlines for the club. Last week’s Mecole Hardman news was just the most recent. However, the media circus actually started on Jan. 31, a few days before Super Bowl LVIII. That day, The Athletic released a lengthy, deep dive into the dysfunctional inner workings of the organization. The viral piece, which cited 30 different anonymous sources around the team, painted an unflattering picture of Gang Green. Jet Nation sounded off on social media, with some fans showing…
With the country’s No. 3-ranked prospect Dylan Harper officially signing his National Letter of Intent on Saturday, Rutgers men’s basketball (15-14, 7-11) is poised to make a National Championship run next season. Harper will team up with fellow top-three prospect Ace Bailey next season, forming the Scarlet Knights’ best recruiting class in program history. Their 1972 class is the only one that comes close. That year, the program landed collegiate legends Phil Sellers and Mike Dabney, who both led its 1976 Final Four team. Rutgers’ 2024 class currently ranks third on Rivals.com, only behind Duke and Kentucky. This is a…
This week, the NCAA Rules Committee will vote on three items that will change college football forever. These innovations include approving coach-to-player helmet communication, a two-minute warning, and sideline tablets. These new features will all help to modernize the sport, making it more similar to the NFL. All three of them are expected to be approved. After that, the proposals will be escalated to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP). They’re scheduled to discuss the changes on April 18th. However, potentially problematic changes are also on the table. Big Ten and SEC leaders are discussing an expanded 14-team College…
New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas announced at the NFL Combine on Wednesday that the team will not franchise-tag edge rusher Bryce Huff. The defensive end had a breakout season in 2023, recording 10 sacks, 29 tackles (19 solo) and 21 quarterback hits. The 25-year-old was a major factor in New York’s second-ranked pass defense last season. Douglas did say that the front office would talk to Huff’s representatives at the Combine. However, now that Huff will most likely become an unrestricted free agent, there’s a real chance the homegrown talent could join another team. It’s unusual for an…
LeBron James added another signature moment to his storied career last night against the Clippers, scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead his Lakers to a 21-point comeback victory. The 39-year-old continues to do things that no other NBA player has ever done at his age. It could easily be decades before James’ run gets duplicated. One reason is that players are no longer allowed to enter the league straight out of high school, which gives him a head start over the league’s new stars. However, there are still plenty of freakishly talented young stars that could feasibly…
On Feb. 20, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers announced modifications to the new 12-team format. When selecting the field, the CFP Selection Committee will now use a “5+7” system. The first five teams will be the highest-ranked conference champions, while the other seven teams will be the next-highest-ranked squads. It’s essentially a miniature version of the NCAA basketball tournament. Originally, the Board was going to go with a “6+6” system, but that changed after the PAC-12 disintegrated. The idea was to automatically include one team from outside the Power 5, but the Power 5 no longer exists.…
