Every year I take a look at who I think will be the top players on Boise State's football team. With so many unproven players, coming up with this season's list was a bit tougher than previous years. This team's squad is definitely more proven on the offensive side of the ball and that is reflected in our list. Last week, we continued our countdown by taking a look at a veteran defensive back. This week, we move back to the offensive side of the ball with a senior quarterback that has a lot to prove. Coming in at number four we have…
Maddux Madsen
The most polarizing player on Boise State's roster is almost always a quarterback and this season is no exception. Senior quarterback Maddux Madsen is entering his third full season as the starting quarterback and will look to win over a fan base that has mixed feelings about him. Madsen's sophomore season was a success, as he played a key role in helping the Broncos reach the College Football Playoff. Madsen's junior season was a bit of a roller coaster. He battled a lower leg injury for much of the season and was sidelined for two games after leaving with that same injury against Fresno State. Madsen returned in the Mountain West Championship and had his best game of the year in a victory over UNLV where he passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns.
Madsen enters his senior season with the lofty expectations that come with being Boise State's quarterback. The expectations with this group are a conference championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. In order to do so, Madsen will need to stay healthy and show more poise in the pocket. Last season, Madsen was hesitant to tuck the ball and run. Now that he's healthy, will he be more willing to use his legs? If this team meets its goals, it will be because Madsen has the best season of his career.
Countdown so far:

#madsen #Football #last

Tennessee said Wednesday that linebacker Arion Carter has been suspended for the first two games of the 2026 season by the NCAA after he repaid an agent for a flight he took during the NFL's pre-draft process.
Carter explored entering the 2026 NFL Draft before deciding to return for his senior season. As he was looking at entering the draft, an agent paid for a $427 plane ticket. After Carter suffered an injury while working out before the draft, he returned to school and paid for the flight.
However, the NCAA deemed the initial payment of that ticket by the agent to be a Level III violation because players and their families are not allowed to take material benefits from agents, including transportation. And a spokesperson for the school told the Knoxville News Sentinel that Carter had actually been suspended for three games before it was reduced down to two.
"We disagree with the NCAA's ruling on punishing Arion with a multi-game suspension this fall," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said in a statement. Arion made the right decision for his future health and well-being. He will proudly graduate from Tennessee in public health with Dean's List honors in August. Our team stands behind AC and his family, and we can't wait to be on the field with him during training camp this week."
Carter was Tennessee's third-leading tackler in 2025 despite missing three games because of a foot injury that flared up as he was looking to turn pro. He had 76 stops and six tackles for loss across 10 games. He'll miss the team's Week 1 game against Furman and its Week 2 matchup vs. Georgia Tech.

#carter #draft

Long before LeBron James bid farewell to the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, the transition of power within the franchise began. Luka Dončić, whom the Lakers famously traded for in February 2025, became their crown jewel.
But James remained at the heart of JJ Redick's squad that season and this past season. James and Dončić co-existed remarkably well, each respecting the other's game while forming an entertaining three-headed attack with Austin Reaves.
Even though the Lakers have been planning their future around Dončić for a good bit of time now, it wasn't until James officially closed the door on his chapter in L.A. that Dončić stood alone in the spotlight. He's the undisputed face of the franchise, and he's reportedly embracing a leadership role that's seemingly heightened in the absence of James, a four-time NBA champion and four-time league MVP.
In fact, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Dončić is hosting the entire Lakers roster in Slovenia for a four-day minicamp in August. The trip will feature workouts, golf, bonding and touring Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, McMenamin reported on Wednesday.
Dončić, a six-time All-NBA first teamer, is preparing for a pivotal season in his already prolific career. He played his way into the MVP conversation last season before a Grade 2 left hamstring strain effectively ended his campaign prematurely. He experienced that setback in early April and didn't make it back for the Lakers' postseason run, which came to a screeching halt in the Western Conference semifinals.

#lebron

Arkansas football enters 2026 looking almost nothing like the team that stumbled through a disastrous 2025 season that saw them go 2-10 overall and 0-for-the-SEC. After Sam Pittman was fired in late September and Bobby Petrino finished out the year as interim coach, the Razorbacks turned to Memphis' Ryan Silverfield to lead yet another full scale rebuild of the program. With a new staff, a roster overhauled through the transfer portal, but one of the toughest schedules in the country waiting, expectations in Northwest Arkansas are cautious but hopeful.
Silverfield arrives after six seasons at Memphis, where he went a solid 50-25 and built a reputation for explosive offenses. Memphis has always been a place at which it was tough to succeed. Despite a ton of local talent, the university's commitment level (or lack thereof) and competition on the recruiting trail from SEC schools frequently combined to keep the Tigers from reaching their potential.
Silverfield won more than ten games twice, but 2025 saw the Tigers drop to 8-4, and Silverfield leave prior to them taking a 31-7 beating from NC State in the Gasparilla Bowl. In short, he was not the most highly sought after coach on the carousel, and probably had a hit of a sell by date in Memphis. But Arkansas isn't exactly a plum ****** ignment in the SEC. So in some ways it felt like program and coach found each other at the right time.
Silverfield wasted little time ****** embling his first Arkansas staff. Tim Cramsey, his offensive coordinator at Memphis for four seasons, follows him to Fayetteville after helping the Tigers average 36 points per game and rank among the top 25 offenses nationally. On defense, Silverfield hired Ron Roberts, who spent the last two years running Florida's defense and previously called plays at Auburn, Baylor and Louisiana, including on Baylor's Sugar Bowl winning 2022 staff. Chad Lunsford, a former Georgia Southern head coach, takes over special teams duties after a strong 2025 at Auburn. The staff also brought in several ****** istants from Memphis and around the country, including veteran offensive line coaches Jeff Myers and Marcus Johnson, signaling a clear intent to rebuild a line that struggled last season.
Those new coaches are going to need name tags to keep up with all their new players. Few programs churned their roster harder than Arkansas this offseason. With dozens of scholarship spots to fill, the Razorbacks needed a portal class that ranked among the largest in the country, and they landed roughly 29 commitments that placed them near the top of the SEC and top 15 nationally in industry transfer rankings.

#memphis #coach #country #auburn

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is still in the running to earn the No. 1 overall spot on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list this summer.
According to the NFL's Grant Gordon, Maye is one of 12 contenders with viable shots at earning the top spot in this year's NFL 100 rankings after his superb season in 2025.
"2025 AP NFL Most Valuable Player runner-up was youngest player in NFL history to lead league in completion percentage (72.0, team record); Pro Bowler also led league in passer rating (113.5) and passing yards per attempt (8.9), ultimately guiding Patriots to Super Bowl LX," Gordon wrote.
Maye had a season of note in 2025. He was one of the most successful players in the league from an individual and team standpoint last season. In only his second NFL season, he racked up 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns and eight interceptions, earning All-Pro honors for his efforts.
Los Angeles Rams star and AP MVP Matt Stafford, as well as Rams star and AP Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett have the best chance to claim the top spot on the NFL 100 this year.

#player #spot #league #year

TMZ
Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) attacks against Dr. Anthony Fauci are a "heartbreaking" callback to McCarthyism, TMZ's Harvey Levin said Wednesday after Paul chaired a highly contentious Senate hearing with Fauci.
Fauci's hearing was marked by dozens of instances of the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases pleading the Fifth Amendment, something Levin immediately referenced.
"Anthony Fauci before a congressional hearing taking the Fifth Amendment is just one of the most heartbreaking things I have seen in government in my lifetime, and this is something we need to reckon with," he said. Levin also said he has "problems with how the CDC handled COVID," but that doesn't justify what's happening.
Fauci's years as a "dedicated public servant" go back decades, he added.

#fauci #heartbreaking

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy of Girls in South Africa will be closing after 2027 and transitioning its operations back to local officials
Winfrey will instead focuses on an "expanded" scholarship program for girls there
"Overall, there will be double the amount of girls who will have access to education through this model," a rep for Winfrey says
The South Africa school that Oprah Winfrey opened nearly two decades ago will be closing and transitioning its operations back to local officials while Winfrey focuses on an "expanded" scholarship program for girls there, she announced this week.
"The dream was never simply to build a school. It was to invest in the limitless potential of young women," Winfrey, 72, said in a statement on Wednesday, July 29, announcing that the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy of Girls will end operations in its current form at the end of 2027.

#winfrey #girls #operations #leadership

The NFL Players ******* ociation has investigated the circumstances surrounding the recent ACL tear suffered by Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton. And the NFLPA has concluded that the Panthers did nothing wrong.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFLPA has reviewed the video of the injury. It confirmed the preliminary conclusion that it was simply an unfortunate injury.
The issue became a proper subject of curiosity given the negotiated limits of the five-day acclimation period. Among other things, it mandates no contact during practice.
Ultimately, it's one of the basic realities of training camp. A season-ending injury can happen at any time, to any player. And any one injury could potentially alter a team's prospects for the season.
Depending on the player and the team, it could alter the entire landscape of the coming season.

#panthers #player

Although training camp is back and the New Orleans Saints are finally on the field again, the business side of football always tends to creep in. While most were worried about rookie Jordyn Tyson's availability for drills, which turned out to be full participation, maybe some attention should have been put on Chris Olave's contract.
Yesterday, in Saints General manager Mickey Loomis' press conference with Saints media, he spoke on the contract talks and had nothing negative to say. Olave was good to go for training camp, and his presence was never in question, but on the first day, he did sit out team drills due to the contract situation.
Contract situations like these can often cause issues, but this one may be different. While other players around the NFL are fully sitting out, Olave just chose not to participate in team drills. This is similar to what Alvin Kamara did a few years ago when he was looking for a new contract, and it never caused issues. Instead of holding out, Olave is holding in, so he is still a participant, just not fully.
This move puts just enough pressure on the front office to get this deal done quickly, and with what Loomis said about those negotiations, that should come sooner rather than later.

#contract

DIAMONDBACKS
PIRATES
Corbin Carroll – RF
Nick Gonzales – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS

#pirates #corbin #carroll #perdomo

PSG remains keen to keep Bradley Barcola this summer despite the player's reported interest in leaving the club, and the French champions are expected to discourage the ******* nal target from seeking a move when he returns to training.
Barcola is believed to be looking for a new challenge after winning back-to-back Champions League ******* les with PSG, even though he has found it more difficult to secure a regular place in the starting line-up. His situation has attracted interest from several clubs ahead of the new season.
The winger showed at the World Cup that he can perform at the highest level when he is given regular playing time, and ******* nal is eager to sign him during this transfer window. The Gunners believe he would strengthen their attacking options and add further quality to the squad.
However, PSG is unwilling to let Barcola leave without a fight and is determined to persuade him to remain at the club for at least another season. That stance could make it difficult for ******* nal to complete a deal despite its strong interest.
Liverpool is also in the race for the winger, increasing the competition for his signature. Even so, PSG's determination to keep the player may prove to be the biggest obstacle for any club hoping to secure his services this summer.

#arsenal #interest #even

After Tuesday's game was rained out, the Braves will (weather permitting) close out their 2026 slate of Mets road games with a Wednesday doubleheader which is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. ET.
AJ Smith-Shawver is set to make his season debut at the major league level for the Braves after completing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery the last few weeks with five outings across Single-A Augusta and Triple-A Gwinnett.
The Braves are largely keeping the same lineup from Monday's series-opening loss, making just one change in the lineup. Mauricio Dubón will play shortstop and hit sixth, while Eli White takes his typical place in left, likely because Atlanta doesn't want Jim Jarvis to play both full halves of a doubleheader.
Ronald Acuña Jr. is back atop the lineup for the second straight game, and Joey Bart is catching the second straight game to divide those duties similarly across the two-game day.
The Juan Soto-less Mets are not playing Luis Robert Jr. — somewhat recently back from an extended IL stint — in the first half of the doubleheader. Carson Benge replaces him in the lineup while A.J. Ewing will hold down his center field spot.

#Braves #second

NFL training camp season has arrived. Prepare for the onslaught of information, rumors and hype pieces. But fantasy football managers shouldn't be wary of the influx of info — Scott Pianowski has you covered with one key nugget to know for every team in each division. Next up is the AFC North.
Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2026 NFL season
Harold Fannin Jr. has a Yahoo ADP in the mid-60s, and it makes sense. He finished as the TE6 last year, and fellow tight end David Njoku was not retained. But Cleveland significantly improved its receiver group this year (widening the passing tree), and the quarterback collection is still suspect. So much of fantasy success is tied to environment, and I'm worried the uber-talented Fannin will have a difficult time overcoming his context this fall. The talent leaps off the screen, but he's not a cheap pick like he was last year.
I often have a soft spot for veteran players who command a boring discount, but I can't quite commit to DK Metcalf this year. He's entering his age-29 season and his yards per target has fallen the last two years. More importantly, the Steelers brought Aaron Rodgers back for his age-43 season – so we have to be muted with our expectations about this team's pace and passing volume. For all of Metcalf's talent, he'll probably miss out on 1,000 yards for the third straight season.
We think of the Bengals as a carnival team (fun offense, leaky defense) and that means it's a blast to invest in the passing game. But save some room for Chase Brown, too. Brown is coming off an RB8 season (despite Joe Burrow missing nine games) and there's little on the depth chart after Brown. And while Brown is a capable runner, his receiving chops (69-437-5 last year) keep him in the field in all packages. Brown makes a lot of sense as a mid-second-round pick.

#last #fantasy #passing #Football

Jalen Hurts did not wait for a question to establish the Philadelphia Eagles' standard for the 2026 season.
Hurts opened his first training camp news conference with a statement about the offseason, the workouts he organized with teammates and the importance of strengthening relationships throughout the offense.
"Really good summer," Hurts said. "We got a lot of work in, got a lot of guys together and definitely grew closer. The mentality is 100 percent alignment, zero entitlement."
The message reflects Hurts' approach to leading a roster filled with accomplished and highly paid players. Philadelphia has Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro performers and players with championship experience, but Hurts does not believe previous success guarantees future results. His offseason work amid A.J. Brown's departure was designed to build the alignment he referenced. Hurts trained with quarterbacks Tanner McKee, Andy Dalton and Cole Payton in Orlando, Florida, while several wide receivers and tight ends participated in throwing sessions.
DeVonta Smith, Hollywood Brown, Dontayvion Wicks, Elijah Moore, Dallas Goedert and rookie Eli Stowers were among the offensive players involved. First-round receiver Makai Lemon joined the sessions after working through a hamstring injury. The workouts allowed teammates to develop timing while learning how each player communicates and responds to coaching. That familiarity is particularly important as Philadelphia installs Sean Mannion's offense and incorporates several new skill-position players.

#hurts #workouts #teammates #work

Falkirk boss John McGlynn insists there has been "no contact" from the Scottish FA over the national team manager vacancy but wouldn't be drawn on whether he'd be interested in taking the job.
Scotland are searching for a new boss after Steve Clarke left following this summer's World Cup where his side failed to progress out of the group stage.
After securing back-to-back promotions with the Bairns and a top-six finish on their first season back in the top flight, McGlynn was tipped as an excellent choice to succeed Clark by former Scotland manager Craig Levain.
While the 64-year-old insists he's flattered to be linked to the position, he's fully committed to Falkirk.
"It's amazing for high-profile people in the game to be pushing my name for that job," McGlynn told Sky Sports.

#boss #steve

AI data centers are putting pressure on the US electrical grid in ways that did not seem possible just a few years ago, and that strain is a direct benefit to heavy equipment manufacturers, not just chipmakers. US data center power consumption is expected to increase by 22% in a single year, with total grid demand nearly tripling to 134.4 GW by 2030 as hyperscale buildouts gain speed.
Considering grid capacity cannot be increased quickly enough to meet that curve, on-site and backup power production has become a significant portion of AI infrastructure spending, with Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) alone accounting for an estimated 18% of the data center generator market. Notably, the company has come to be one of the Dow's best-performing stocks so far in 2026, with a year-to-date return of 47.81%.
The company's Q1 2026 revenue came in at $17.4 billion, up 22% year-over-year, with adjusted EPS of $5.54, above expectations. The backlog behind that expansion seems to be the real story, with Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) closing the quarter with a record $63 billion in order backlog, an increase of 79% year-over-year and $11.5 billion sequentially, owing to major project wins like Altus and Chevron, growing rental demand, and strong Mining segment order conversion.
CEO Joe Creed told ******* ysts that the company's massive engine backlog, which directly powers AI data centers, has grown by over 3.5x since Caterpillar first revealed capacity expansion plans back in January 2024.
This backlog progress led Oppenheimer to lift Caterpillar's price target to $1,105 from $980 on July 13, while keeping an Outperform rating, expecting high-margin Power & Energy deliveries to accelerate in the second half of the year. However, underlying margin trends indicate rising friction. Resource Industries segment margins fell by over 700 basis points year on year in Q1, to 10%, owing to roughly $600 million in quarterly tariff charges. With full-year tariff headwinds of $2.2 billion to $2.4 billion, Caterpillar's cost structure is under significant pressure even as top-line demand grows.

#billion #data #grid #centers

We've never seen Indiana football recruit at the level it's been lately.
The Hoosiers have had moments where they've reigned in highly-rated high school prospects, but they've been few and far between. They've never had a five-star commit, as happened when Monshun Sales announced his decision earlier this month. Nor have they ever landed one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, as happened when Lukas Prock did the same not long after. Sales and Prock are No. 1 and No. 2 in 247Sports' list of all-time Indiana commits.
With all of this in mind, we asked Indiana football fans how they felt about recruiting moving forward. There were responses that indicated a lack of optimism, but no respondents chose them.
Indiana fans, of course, have reason to be optimistic. Curt Cignetti and the rest of the Hoosiers' staff are coming off of the first national ******* le in program history and won it without a single 5-star on the roster, developing several other prospects into high-level contributors over time.
The Hoosiers enter the 2026 season with a similar build as former James Madison and Tom Allen Indiana players exhaust their eligibility and the roster is bolstered through the transfer portal and development of past recruits. Indiana sits at +950 to repeat as national champions, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

#indiana #prock #never #Football

By Nicole Jao
NEW YORK, July 29 (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed 7% on Wednesday as airstrikes resumed in the Middle East, adding to worries about dwindling supply as U.S. government data showed crude inventories fell to a ‌multi-year low.
Brent futures were up $6.16, or 7.33%, at $90.25 a barrel by 11:36 a.m. ET (1536 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate ‌crude gained $5.40, or 6.81%, to $84.65 a barrel.
"Renewed military strikes in the Middle East and Iranian officials reiterating that they want to control shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz amid depressed oil flows through the strait are lifting oil prices again," UBS ******* yst Giovanni Staunovo said.
The U.S. and Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Iran-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday, blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities.

#middle #east

The Denver Broncos open training camp this week with high expectations.
Veterans report on July 28 after a successful 2025 season that saw them win the AFC West and earn the No. 1 seed in the conference. Most of the core roster returns under head coach Sean Payton, and the team should feel confident about repeating as division champions.
Yet several key jobs and depth chart spots remain undecided. Numerous position battles will play a major role in shaping the 2026 roster, and they could also determine how far this talented group advances in the playoffs.
The biggest hole sits on the defensive line.
Most importantly, John Franklin-Myers left in free agency. He delivered strong interior pressure and helped the Broncos lead the league in quarterback hits last season. His departure creates a sizable gap in the rotation. The unit must maintain its disruptive force against both the run and the pass.

#denver #west #sean #numerous

The Kentucky football team is entering a new era in 2026 under coach Will Stein. We're going through the offensive positions, and ranking all 16 teams in the SEC at each position.
As we continue our position group previews of each SEC team and where Kentucky lands amongst their foes, we turn our attention to the offensive line. At all levels of football, but especially the SEC, you have to be strong in the trenches to compete against the top of this conference. Will Stein knows this, which is why he invested a lot of resources to overhaul this offensive line. Kentucky spent big up front to give 27-year-old offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich the talent to revive the big blue wall.
Ryan Silverfield has a ton to overcome in his first season as the Razorbacks head coach, and the offensive line could be the detriment of this offense. He brought Malachi Breland over from Memphis to be his starting left guard, and Bryant Williams the Louisiana transfer to be the starting right tackle. This is an inexperienced group across the board that will have a large task at hand, facing a brutal schedule with multiple game wreckers on the defensive line.
Jeff Lebby brought in a couple of SEC transfers to start at each guard spot, including Arkansas transfer LJ Prudhomme and LSU transfer DJ Chester. Jakheem Shumpert-Perkins and Blake Steen are expected to man the tackle spots. The Bulldogs offense have the firepower to be an explosive offense, but the offensive line will determine their overall ceiling as an offense in 2026.
Auburn's entire starting offensive line this season will be from the transfer portal, a theme of Alex Golesh is bringing guys with him from South Florida to help create continuity. Center Cole Best and right guard Cole Skinner follow Golesh over from the Bulls, and I am hesitant on being confident this plan will work out with the amount of USF players being brought in offensively. Michigan State transfer Stanton Ramil will be the left tackle, and James Madison transfer Jo Simmons will be the right tackle.

#line #offense #coach

For nearly two decades, Mike Tomlin was the steadying anchor of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise. But as the team endured years of postseason frustration, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark found himself facing one of the most agonizing moments of his broadcasting career: suggesting on national television that Pittsburgh and Tomlin needed a mutual fresh start.
Appearing on the "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast with his former teammate, Cameron Heyward, Clark opened up about the emotional toll of offering that critique.
"One of the hardest things I did in TV was maybe a year or two ago, saying I thought that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin should have a conversation about him leaving. I was very clear, I was like, Mike Tomlin is unfireable, I don't believe he should be fired. But I do believe that maybe the Steelers and Mike T, if a Super Bowl is the goal, could benefit from a conversation about is this the right thing going forward," Clark explained.
The comment triggered intense backlash from both ends of a divided fan base.
"In the same conversation I got from the people that hated him, 'What you mean he's unfireable?' And then from the people that loved him, 'You said Coach should be fired!' Tell me how those two things correlate, you dummies," Clark noted.

#tomlin

FRISCO, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager hit a solo homer and made a nifty defensive play in a rehab appearance for Double-A Frisco after being sidelined all this month because of lower back inflammation.
Seager is on the injured list for the third time this season, and has missed 52 games for Texas — one more than he has played for the AL West-leading Rangers. They are 24-28 without the two-time World Series MVP.
Seager went 1 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout against Corpus Christi, homering in the fifth before being replaced in the field after that inning. The top of the third ended when the shortstop made a backhanded stop in the hole and made a strong throw to first for the out.
His last game had been June 30 at Toronto, when he was removed in the first inning because of back discomfort. The rehab appearance came after Seager took live batting practice the previous two days before Rangers home games.
It wasn't immediately clear when he would rejoin the big league club.

#texas

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their first training camp practice with new running back Chris Rodriguez in attendance, though head coach Liam Coen said it offered only a small glimpse into what Rodriguez can offer.
Rodriguez missed much of Jacksonville's offseason program while recovering from surgery on a foot injury, delaying his opportunity to begin fighting for a role in the backfield.
The Jaguars signed the former Commanders running back after Travis Etienne departed in free agency, but Rodriguez's value is tied largely to a bruising style that is difficult to evaluate before the pads come on.
"What he brings to this team, I don't think any of us are going to see throughout the entire training camp, honestly," Coen said. "Until we play tackle football, it's going to be very difficult for all of us here to gain a true appreciation for who he is and what he does. I've seen it, so I do appreciate his skill set and what he brings. But just as a pro, he's a good dude. He doesn't say a ton, but he's tough. He's one of those glass-eaters. He is. He's going to run through a wall for his teammates, for his coaches, for this organization when the time comes."
Coen also said it had been difficult for Rodriguez to miss earlier training opportunities in the offseason as he rehabbed from surgery.

#difficult #going #running #back

Generosity is one of the few money decisions most people make without running the math first. You write the check because something moved you, and the arithmetic shows up later, if it shows up at all.
The ritual is familiar enough to be invisible. A donation goes out in December. A receipt comes back in January. The number lands on a tax return in April and then disappears into a filing cabinet until the next holiday season.
Nobody checks the second half of the trip. Where the money actually went after it left the account, who controlled it once it got there, and whether the group that cashed the check was the same group doing the work.
That is a lot of trust to extend to a form letter. Americans extended $617.20 billion in giving in 2025, the first year the total giving cleared $600 billion, according to Giving USA.
Washington has decided to start checking. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threw his weight behind a package of nonprofit disclosure bills last week, and the timing lands on the charitable deduction at the exact moment millions more filers are about to claim one.

#giving #shows #group #billion

[Getty Images]
We asked for your views on whether Iliman Ndiaye's "end product" makes him a player worth cashing in on.
Here are some of your comments:
Andy: Ndiaye is really the only player we have who gets fans out of their seats. He runs at defences and causes panic. He is great at winning the ball back in the opposition half. He links up well with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Could he score more? Yes, but as our forwards are no real threat, he gets double or triple-teamed regularly. I'd like him to stay, but since he won't sign a new contract I would reluctantly sell.
Stephen: £70m is far too low with the length left on his contract, we should be looking easy £100m.

#player #contract #kiernan

CHICAGO − Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Windy City. Only this time, he's wearing green instead of purple.
The first-year Michigan State football coach returned to his roots to speak at the Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, July 29. Fitzgerald, a native of nearby Midlothian, Illinois, became an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker at Northwestern before going on to coach his alma mater from 2006-22. The Spartans hired him Dec. 1 to replace Jonathan Smith, who was fired after two seasons in East Lansing.
MSU is picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten in the USA Today preseason poll. The Spartans went 4-8 last season and are 33-38 overall and just 18-35 in conference games since Mark Dantonio retired after the 2019 season. They have missed a bowl game in five of those six seasons and have not played in the postseason since 2021.
Fitzgerald was 110-101 in his 17 seasons at Northwestern with a 65-76 Big Ten record and two West Division **** les. He was dismissed prior to the 2023 season.
Stay tuned here for live updates from freep.com.

#season #since #Chicago #windy

US stocks fell on Wednesday after Iran launched surprise attacks against the US, and as investors counted down to the Federal Reserve's policy decision and earnings from two big spenders on AI.
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) lost 0.8%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) dropped 1.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI), which includes fewer tech stocks, fell by a steeper 1.5%, or over 800 points, as oil prices rose amid renewed tensions in the Middle East.
SK Hynix's (000660.KS, SKHY) second quarter profit rose by 557% year over year, the company reported after the US market close on Tuesday. That was less than Wall Street expected, prompting concerns that the artificial intelligence boom may be slowing. In Asia, investors once again dumped chip stocks such as Samsung (005930.KS) and SK Hynix, driving the KOSPI Composite (^KS11) down nearly 6% on Wednesday.
Two "Magnificent Seven" quarterly results stand as another big catalyst for the AI trade, with reports from Microsoft (MSFT) and Meta (META) dropping after the bell. It could be a make-or-break moment for tech stocks after Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) capital expenditure guidance last week spooked markets, resurfacing fears about the AI boom's sustainability.
In the Middle East conflict, Iran launched an "attempted surprise attack" on Tuesday, according to US Central Command, reengaging fighting between the US and Iran for the first time since a pause in hostilities on Friday. Oil prices jumped, with Brent crude (BZ=F) gaining more than 7% to trade back over $90 per barrel.

#stocks #Tech #meta

Rutgers fans have gotten accustomed to waiting until game week to learn who the starting quarterback will be.
Will that be the case once again? Maybe not.
Head coach Greg Schiano joined the Big Ten Network crew on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the upcoming season. He was asked about when the right time is to name a starting quarterback.
"You wish after that first scrimmage," Schiano said. "I think our first scrimmage is practice 12. But if it's not time yet, it's not time yet but it better be the week after. I don't want to go much more than that because right soon after that, you're getting into your first game prep for UMass."
This has become an annual tradition for Schiano and Rutgers. The exception came two years ago following the arrival of Athan Kaliakmanis. He was quickly named the starter, which gave Gavin Wimsatt the right amount of time to be able to transfer.

#game #week

I recently posted a series of videos on my YouTube channel (please jump there and subscribe) about the biggest X-factor players for Clemson's 2026 football season. Kobe McCloud and Amare Adams were the two biggest for the defense. On offense the biggest X-factor was quite obvious — Christopher Vizzina.
Vizzina was a blue-chip recruit out of Alabama who came to Clemson and waited behind Cade Klubnik. Entering his fourth year in the program, he has only attempted 105 collegiate passes. In an era where starting QBs hit the field quickly (e.g., Julian Sayin [OSU], Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele [Cal]) or gain playing time at a smaller program and transfer in with experience (e.g., Byrum Brown [AU], Anthony Colandrea (UN], Colton Joseph [UW]) it almost feels weird to turn the reigns over to the QB understudy. Reminder – This is actually normal. What everyone else is doing is what's new and different. Here's what Coach Swinney said about it:
"There's a reason why we had confidence in the decision we made. That's because we're there every day. CV has earned the opportunity to go be the starting quarterback at Clemson based on everything we've observed."
Unfortunately, they've observed it, but we have not. After a relatively positive performance in a spot start vs. SMU, Vizzina only attempted 15 more passes the rest of the year. They all came against Furman. That was it! We didn't even get an appearance in a cold and dreary Pinstripe Bowl to spark some confidence in him taking the reins for 2026.
What little we've seen from Vizzina outside of that SMU start has not been pretty. He's mostly struggled in Clemson Spring Games. He also struggled in his brief appearance against Boston College, throwing an interception shortly after Klubnik went down with injury. His late season opportunity against Furman yielded just 3.5 yards per pass attempt. His start vs. SMU likely gives us our best data though, so that's what I dive into in the film session below.

#clemson #factor

FC Barcelona have officially announced that young defender Joan Anaya has left the club to sign for UE Sant Andreu.
As part of the agreement with the Spanish third-division outfit, the Blaugrana will retain a percentage of any future sale of the La Masia defender.
"FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Sant Andreu for the transfer of Joan Anaya. The club retains a percentage of any future sale," the club statement read.
Anaya, 21, had been at Barcelona since 2015, when he signed for La Masia from Reus Deportiu.
The young right-back progressed through the different age groups at the Catalan club's academy, building a reputation for himself as a solid right-back with attacking flair and defensive nous.

#anaya #club #sant