South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer saw his team fall behind early on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.
Kns Tennessee South Carolina Football Bp
One of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal is headed to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
True freshman Air Noland confirmed Monday that he has decided to transfer to South Carolina. Noland spent last season at Ohio State, where he did not play in any games behind Will Howard.
Noland will have all four years of eligibility remaining at South Carolina.
Noland’s decision is a bit of a surprise largely because the Gamecocks have an entrenched quarterback. LaNorris Sellers broke out in 2024, throwing for 2,274 yards and rushing for 655 more while tallying 24 total touchdowns. Sellers will be a sophomore in 2024 as well, so Noland does not necessarily have a path to starting anytime soon.
A consensus four-star recruit and top five quarterback in the 2024 class, Noland was recruited by the likes of Alabama and Oregon before landing with Ohio State. His visit to South Carolina was the only known one he took after entering the portal this time around.
Aug 11, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks on the sidelines during the first half Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Wednesday’s game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will feature a halftime performance by Beyonce, a rather high-profile event for a regular season NFL game. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will be playing in that game, but that will not stop him from taking in the performance.
When asked if he was sorry that he would not be able to see the show because he was playing in the game, Jackson suggested he was going to watch anyway, and even jokingly apologized to coach John Harbaugh in advance for doing so.
“I’m gonna go out there and watch,” Jackson said. “My first time seeing Beyonce perform, and it’s at our game? That’s dope. I’m gonna go out and watch. Sorry, Harbaugh. Sorry, fellas.”
Obviously, Jackson may not follow through on his pledge here, but there is precedent for it. Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson actually came back out during Super Bowl LVI to watch Dr. Dre’s halftime show. That might be a cautionary tale for Jackson, though; not only is McPherson a kicker with fewer responsibilities, but it did not exactly go over well with the team.
On the other hand, Jackson continues to play at a high level, with 40 total touchdowns on the year and 3,787 passing yards. Maybe he can get an excused absence from the Ravens to watch the show.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) reaches for an incomplete pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Diontae Johnson was unable to carve out a role for himself with the Baltimore Ravens, but the wide receiver is getting another opportunity with a playoff team.
Johnson has been claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans, according to multiple reports.
The Texans had a sudden need for a wide receiver after Tank Dell suffered a gruesome leg injury during Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson comes with some baggage following his very brief tenure in Baltimore. The Ravens acquired Johnson in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in October, but things quickly went south for the former Pro Bowl wideout with his new team.
Johnson caught just one pass in four games with Baltimore and was suspended for refusing to go into the team’s Week 13 game. The Ravens then waived him on Friday.
Johnson was a productive player for five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before he landed in Carolina. He caught 107 passes for 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2021. The question is whether he will live up to his potential.
The Texans are 9-6 and have clinched the AFC South. If Johnson can quickly get up to speed with Houston’s offense, he may be able to play a role for the Texans down the stretch.
Dec 16, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) dribbles the ball up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jimmy Butler may not be entering his final weeks as a member of the Miami Heat after all.
Bobby Marks of ESPN reported Monday that there is a “growing consensus” that the Heat will not trade away their All-Star forward Butler ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. Marks notes that, barring Butler becoming a distraction or Miami getting a trade offer that they cannot turn down, he will likely remain with the Heat past the deadline.
The six-time All-Star Butler, who has been with the Heat since 2019 and led them to two separate NBA Finals appearances, can become a free agent over the summer. With Miami failing to reach a contract extension with Butler to this point, a trade has become an increasingly plausible possibility, and several big-name suitors have emerged as potential landing spots.
But any such trade of Butler would likely involve the Heat having to take back a bad contract (such as Bradley Beal from Phoenix or Andrew Wiggins from Golden State) to match salaries. Miami is under no obligation to do so, so they may be trying for a game of brinksmanship with Butler in holding him through the trade deadline and then gambling that he cannot leave in the summer without their help in a sign-and-trade that would return assets.
That might not be a bad bet since Butler has a $52.4 million player option for next season (a perfect sign-and-trade avenue if he opts in) and cannot realistically get a big payday from a contender through straight free agency as a soon-to-be-36-year-old on the decline. The risk for the Heat however would be the possibility of Butler leaving for a non-competitive team with enough cap space to pay him straight up. We have already heard rumors that there is one such team Butler may be interested in.
Anyone watching the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl closely on ESPN Monday probably spotted a bizarre graphical error that kept afflicting the Fresno State Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs were facing Northern Illinois in the annual game at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Id. As the game went on, many eagle-eyed viewers noticed that when Fresno State’s nickname was displayed on graphics, it was not quite right. The Bulldogs were instead being billed as the Bulldongs.
Mistakes like this are typically corrected, but it popped up again more than once during the second quarter.
Honest mistake and bad typo? Someone on the graphics team managing to get away with an elaborate practical joke? You decide, but it is pretty baffling that the issue was not quickly spotted and fixed. These types of errors do happen, but rarely do they look like this.
Fresno State did have a 13-3 lead at halftime. If they go on to win, maybe the new nickname will stick.
Apr 26, 2023; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) talks to the media during the introductory press conference at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Tom Horak-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Rodgers made a big revelation about his personal life on Monday.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers was talking about how he does all of his Christmas shopping online when he casually revealed that he has a girlfriend.
“I was a little bit worried because there was one package left for my girlfriend Brittani that hadn’t shown up yet,” Rodgers said. “So, I’ve been waiting on this to show up. It showed up today, so everything is great now.”
Rodgers could then hear McCafee’s crew quietly speculating that the 41-year-old quarterback is dating Britney Spears. Rodgers said his girlfriend is a different Brittani and spells her name with an “I.” McAfee pointed out that viewers and listeners just learned that Rodgers is “in love.” Rodgers responded that “it’s a good feeling, boys.”
You can see the exchange:
Rodgers is typically guarded when it comes to his personal life. It has been a very long time since he publicly admitted to being in a relationship. The New York Jets star’s last confirmed girlfriend was actress Shaleine Woodley, and the two split nearly three years ago.
There have been plenty of rumors about Rodgers’ love life since, but he has not acknowledged any of them. Things must be fairly serious between him and his new girlfriend for Rodgers to speak about the relationship publicly.
Sep 16, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels interim manager Phil Nevin reacts during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
After winning 73 games in his last season as an MLB manager, Phil Nevin is headed to a team that is even lower on the baseball totem pole.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Monday that the former Los Angeles Angels manager Nevin has landed a job with the Chicago White Sox. Nevin is joining Chicago as a special assistant in their player development department and will be involved in a number of roles, including scouting for the 2025 MLB Draft.
Nevin, 53, was an All-Star infielder as a player back in the day and then went into coaching. He served as the third-base coach for both the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees before becoming the manager of the Angels ahead of the 2022 season. Nevin lasted just two seasons though, going 119-149 (.444) overall and failing to earn a postseason berth before getting fired.
Having taken the 2024 MLB campaign off, Nevin will now be jumping back into the game with the lowly White Sox. After setting an modern-era record with a ridiculous 121 losses last year, Chicago is trying out some new things with Nevin joining the mix along with their interesting new manager hire.
Apr 3, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) gets ready to play the Memphis Grizzlies at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo is celebrating Festivus this year by airing out his grievances against the league.
In an interview this week with Eric Nehm of The Athletic, the Milwaukee Bucks star Antetokounmpo called out the NBA for not scheduling their team to play on Christmas this year. Antetokounmpo added that he was “pissed” about the Bucks getting snubbed.
“I’m a little bit upset or kind of questioning it,” Antetokounmpo said. “But I really believe there’s probably an algorithm that takes place within the NBA that shows who is the most attractive team or which team gets the most attention for them to be able to play in the Christmas game.
“There’s gotta be an algorithm because if it’s — how can I say — like a popularity contest, I can give you facts,” he added. “Two of the NBA All-Star starters, Dame [Lillard] and Giannis, and the All-Star MVP [Lillard], right? And the No. 1 vote-getter — not in the East, in the whole NBA — is not in the Christmas game? It’s a fact … We don’t get a Christmas game. Why? Because we got a small market? Maybe that’s the case. Or I want to believe what I tell you, I think there’s an algorithm within the NBA that they choose which team will get the most attention, the most viewership that day … I’m pissed.”
After winning the 2021 NBA championship, the Bucks have underwhelmed this season and currently sit at 15-12 (No. 5 in the Eastern Conference). But they have righted the ship in recent weeks (winning the NBA Cup title over the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month) and still have four All-Stars on the roster in Antetokounmpo, Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez.
The former MVP Antetokounmpo also has a point in that the Bucks are usually playing on Christmas Day, and you have to go all the way back to 2017 for the last time that they did not. Antetokounmpo did add too though that he is “happy” and grateful that he gets to spend the holiday this year with his family instead. But it is clear that the snub from Christmas 2024 bothers The Greek Freak, who already took to social media over the offseason to express displeasure with the NBA’s decision.
Dec 4, 2022; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders speaks during a press conference at the Arrow Touchdown Club. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Vick was formally introduced as the new head coach at Norfolk State on Monday, and he has one big name rooting for him.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders sent Vick a congratulatory message on X Monday following Vick’s introduction. Sanders said Vick “forever changed” the quarterback position as a player, and would have a “tremendous impact” as a leader of men in coaching. He urged followers to “support, encourage, assist & show consistent Love” to Vick as he begins his coaching career.
There is definitely some skepticism about Vick as a coach, both because of his lack of experience and his off-field history. However, Vick seems to be following Coach Prime’s blueprint to a certain extent. Like Vick, Sanders was best known for his playing career and media work, and got his first coaching job at an HBCU in Jackson State. Sanders was successful there and parlayed that into the Colorado job, and has continued to win at that stop.
Vick got looks from two different schools as he looked to start his coaching career, so people clearly saw something in him. An endorsement from Sanders cannot hurt either.
Sep 6, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of a Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays are trying their luck with a restoration attempt.
Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported Monday that the Rays are signing veteran slugger Eloy Jimenez in free agency. The 28-year-old Jimenez is getting a minor-league deal from Tampa Bay, Rogers adds.
Jimenez, a righty hitter, had his heyday about a half-decade ago with the Chicago White Sox, hitting 31 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and then having a Silver Slugger Award-winning season for Chicago in 2020.
But a host of injuries (to his hamstring, groin, adductor, heel, and more) have really set back the former top prospect Jimenez over the years since. Between the White Sox and the Baltimore Orioles last season, Jimenez was an overall negative-WAR player and eventually got demoted to the minors at one point after hitting sub-.240.
That said, Jimenez will now get a chance to compete with Jonathan Aranda for the DH job in Tampa Bay next season. He could also factor into the mix in the outfield after the Rays traded away a notable outfielder last month.
