2025 three-star safety Rylon Dillard-Allen narrowed his list of finalists down to four schools. Alabama was listed as one of the finalists for the Arizona native.
2025 three-star safety Rylon Dillard-Allen narrowed his list of finalists down to four schools. Alabama was listed as a finalist for the Arizona native. Along with Alabama, Dillard-Allen listed Texas A&M Aggies, UCLA Bruins, and Washington Huskies as finalists to land his commitment.
Dillard-Allen landed an offer from Alabama in May. Kalen DeBoer previously recruited him during his time at Washington. Now, Dillard-Allen has become a priority target for the Crimson Tide coaching staff.
Dillard-Allen plays for Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona. He is listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds. Given his size, there is a possibility that Dillard-Allen converts to being a full-time cornerback at the college level. For now, he is being listed as a safety, however.
Dillard-Allen will make his first trip to Tuscaloosa for an official visit on June 7. He is likely to return for an unofficial visit in the fall. Alabama likes where they stand, so it will be interesting to see how this weekend goes.
A lightweight banger between Drew Dober and Mike Davis is headed to Denver.
A lightweight banger is headed to Denver.
[autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Mike Davis[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night on July 13 from Ball Arena in Denver. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from The Denver Post.
Tied with Dustin Poirier for most knockouts in UFC lightweight history, Dober’s past seven wins have come by knockout. Dober (27-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) will look to rebound on home soil after dropping a unanimous decision to Renato Moicano at UFC Fight Night 235 in February.
Davis (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) returned from an 18-month layoff due to injuries to submit Natan Levy at UFC Fight Night 239 in March. The 31-year-old has won four straight since dropping his short-notice UFC debut to Gilbert Burns.
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, one of the best big men to ever play the game, also had some special praise for Bill Walton.
While their relationship wasn’t the best over the years, O’Neal called him one of the “forefathers” and included Walton in the same realm as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"We definitely lost one of the Four Fathers of The Big Man Alliance."
“We definitely lost one of the forefathers of the big man alliance…Bill and I had an up-and-down relationship…It was up and down because I was sensitive…If you wanna become a legend, shouldn’t you listen to a legend?”
Shaq naming Walton with players such as those shows how good of a player he was, and it’s a special tribute from the legendary big man.
Young Rockets prospects Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson will work as player correspondents for Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals in Boston.
According to a league announcement, young Houston Rockets prospects Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson will work as player correspondents for Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals. Game 1 is Thursday night, while Game 2 is Sunday evening.
Both of Smith and Thompson’s correspondent games are in Boston, where the Eastern Conference champion Celtics will host the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks.
Smith will work alone in Game 1, while Amen will work in tandem in Game 2 with Ausar Thompson, his twin brother (Detroit Pistons). The goal of the program is to bring fans on-the-ground coverage directly to NBA social media outlets, as well as the NBA mobile app.
Michael Levine, senior vice president of entertainment and player marketing, shared further program details with NBA.com.
The reality is that we want to work with our players in unique ways in which they can be perceived positively. We are giving them access to this type of platform, not only from a content standpoint, but from being on the NBA’s biggest stage. This is where they aspire to be one day.
This program really gives players an opportunity to do four things. One, is to build their social profile. We want to keep the momentum from their season going, and get them back in the spotlight.
Two, we also want them to understand the business of the NBA, and specifically the NBA Entertainment side. So, they’re seeing how we cover the Finals from a broadcasting perspective, photos perspective, original content, etc. I think when they go back to their markets, they then have a greater awareness of how things work. They leave with a better sense of how the NBA operates.
Three, is relationship building. So getting to know the people, the league office, our broadcast partners, our global partners, will help all of us build this game. This knowledge then leads to a more trusting and cooperative relationship.
Lastly, seeing the NBA Finals, this is where they hope to be. So all those things went into play as we were developing it. And the program has just gotten bigger and bigger over the years.
More information on the program is available here. Past participants in the media correspondent program — which also encompasses various events at All-Star weekend and the NBA draft — include CJ McCollum, Donovan Mitchell, Scottie Barnes, and Tyrese Maxey.
Smith and Thompson were each named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team after their rookie seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Both should play key roles for Houston in 2024-25, and while they’d like to play in the NBA Finals with the Rockets in the future — this weekend’s opportunity will suffice, for now.
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Introducing the NBA Player Correspondents for the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV 🎙️
See Jabari Smith Jr., Amen and Ausar Thompson, Keyonte George and Brandin Podziemski give inside access from Boston and Dallas, beginning tomorrow on the NBA App!
The most recent reasonably impactful No. 95 for the Cardinals was defensive lineman Leki Fotu
We continue the long countdown to the start of the NFL regular season. On this Wednesday, the Arizona Cardinals are 95 days from their Week 1 season-opening road matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
No. 95 on the Cardinals is currently defensive lineman Khyiris Tonga, who has yet to play a down for the team.
We don’t have to go far back to find the last reasonably impactful player to wear No. 95. The last two have been that.
Most recently, it was defensive lineman Leki Fotu, now a member of the New York Jets. He played four seasons for the Cardinals, drafted in the fourth round in 2020. He had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks last season.
Before him was Rodney Gunter, who was also a fourth-round pick (in 2015) and played five seasons for the Cardinals. He had 11 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, 29 quarterback hits and 126 total tackles in his five NFL seasons.
With the NTT IndyCar Series’ biggest free agent in Josef Newgarden taken off the table last week with a new multi-year extension to stay with Team Penske, the focus shifts to Arrow McLaren and its pair of high-profile seats to fill. Its current …
With the NTT IndyCar Series’ biggest free agent in Josef Newgarden taken off the table last week with a new multi-year extension to stay with Team Penske, the focus shifts to Arrow McLaren and its pair of high-profile seats to fill.
Its current lineup of Chevy entries — Pato O’Ward in the No. 5, rookie Theo Pourchaire in the No. 6 and Alexander Rossi in the No. 7 — has been formidable; among the trio, only O’Ward is locked into a long-term contract beyond 2024.
As the IndyCar season heads towards the halfway point, the team led by Gavin Ward has O’Ward sitting fourth in the championship with one victory and another podium, Rossi sitting directly behind him in fifth on the strength of six top-10 results, and Pourchaire — a part-time substitute who will contest the rest of the races — showing he’s capable of big things.
Based on the output and greater potential of its Mexican-American-French roster, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown says today’s lineup could very well be its future lineup, but first, negotiations with Rossi need to reach a conclusion.
“I always think getting any big decisions done early is important,” Brown told RACER. “Whether that’s Kyle Larson signed and announced early for the [Indy] 500, or (McLaren Formula 1 drivers) Lando (Norris’) renewal done, Oscar (Piastri’s) renewal done early.
“We’ve got Pato signed for the long term. We’re very happy with Alexander Rossi. We think Theo is doing an excellent job after being thrown in the deep end. We’ve got two seats to get done, and we feel very happy with the two guys that are currently in those seats.”
RACER understands Rossi and Pourchaire share in Brown’s enthusiasm to remain with the team in 2025 and beyond. But if that were to change for either or both drivers, there’s free agent talent elsewhere in the paddock, starting with recent Arrow McLaren stand-in Callum Ilott, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay to consider for the Nos. 6 and 7 Chevys.
“And at the same time, there’s a couple of free agents that have our attention,” Brown added. “So I think we will work to get something done in the next 30 to 60 days to lock in both seats. I’m confident we’ll have a stellar lineup for next year.”
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It would be a surprise if the package of O’Ward-Rossi-Pourchaire doesn’t return next year, and at the core of the effort, Brown wants to establish the year-to-year stability that’s been lacking in the wake of the contractual shenanigans created by Alex Palou — who is being sued by McLaren for an alleged breach of contract — and the pre-season injury saga surrounding David Malukas, who was dropped by the team in late April after being unable to drive during the four season-opening events.
“Obviously we’ve had Palou’s situation, and then David getting injured, so it’s been a bit of musical chairs for us this year,” Brown said. “So we’re all keen to put that behind us, select our three drivers nice and early, get it announced, and focus on racing.”
Week 6 at Lambeau Field will be the Green Bay Packers vs. the Arizona Cardinals but also Melton vs. Melton.
Week 6 at Lambeau Field will be the Green Bay Packers vs. the Arizona Cardinals but also Melton vs. Melton.
Bo Melton, the Packers’ third-year wide receiver, will get a chance to face Max Melton, the Cardinals’ second-round pick at cornerback, on Sunday, Oct. 13 in Green Bay.
The older Melton can’t wait to face younger brother.
“I knew we played (the Cardinals) this year, but I was looking forward to when we were going to play them. When I saw Week 6, I’m like, alright, it’s going to be good,” Melton said Tuesday. “No more backyard anymore. Big stage. He’s going to be ready for it, and I’m definitely going to be ready for sure.”
Melton said he typically trained with his brother during the offseason, and they often faced each other one-on-one in practices at Rutgers.
“It’s going to be different seeing him on the other side but it’s going to be fun for sure,” Melton said. “He’s competitive…I used to get him all the time, he got me a couple times when he got a little older. Definitely ready for Week 6, for sure.”
Bo’s advice to Max entering the NFL? Keep grinding. A seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, Bo landed on the practice squad as a rookie but eventually blossomed after arriving in Green Bay. Now, he’s on track to be a legitimate weapon in the Packers passing game in 2024.
The two Meltons, who, as kids, would create their own players in Madden with the goal of making the NFL, are now both in the league and ready to attack their opportunities.
“To finally make it was definitely a blessing. We’re happy to be here. I know he’s happy to be here. We’re just going to keep working,” Melton said.
Max went to the Cardinals with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Bo said he had a feeling Max would go to Arizona after he took a pre-draft visit there.
“I was extremely happy,” Melton said. “He went to an official visit to Arizona, so when I saw them on the clock, man, they’re going to call him. They called him. My family was crying. They were excited. I’m really excited to see him. We play them Week 6, so definitely excited to see him there too.”
The NFL journey comes full circle for the Meltons on Oct. 13 at Lambeau Field.
The Washington Huskies have one of the nation’s toughest schedules according to ESPN’s FPI.
The Big Ten is going to present a fair share of challenges for the Washington Huskies in their first season in the new conference, and among them is a tougher schedule.
ESPN’s Football Power Index, or FPI, is defined as “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is.”
ESPN also uses FPI to rank each of the 134 FBS teams’ strength of schedule and projects the Huskies will have the No. 13 hardest schedule in the country this season. That mark is good for the third-toughest in the Big Ten, behind Purdue at No. 11 and UCLA at No. 12.
In their inaugural season in the conference, coach Jedd Fisch’s team will play over half of its schedule against teams in the FPI’s top 50, which has the Oregon Ducks, who the Huskies will face on the road this year, as the Big Ten’s highest-ranked team at No. 2.
Also on Washington’s schedule are home games against the Michigan Wolverines (No. 12), USC Trojans (No. 18), and UCLA (No. 40). The Huskies will hit the road for matchups at Penn State (No. 6), Iowa (No. 37), and Rutgers (No. 45).
Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for tapping in with the Morning Win today. We appreciate you for taking the time here.
For the bulk of his career, Novak Djokovic has been superman on the court. He’s played through nagging injury after nagging injury. There was a time we thought his wrist would sideline him. Nope. Maybe that sore elbow? Nuh-uh. How about an abdominal injury? It’s fine.
He’s always been able to power through and come out on the other side victorious. That’s why how he got to where he is today. That’s why he’s arguably the greatest tennis player of all time.
Seeing him go down with a torn meniscus on Tuesday at Roland-Garros was a shock to the system.
He injured his right knee during his French Open match with Francisco Cerundolo. He played through the pain and won, but it’s unclear if any further damage was done. ESPN reports he will reportedly undergo surgery on Wednesday.
This makes the all-time Grand Slam leader’s future murky in both the long term and the short term.
Djokovic will miss Wimbledon, which begins July 1. There’s hope he’ll make it back for the Olympics, which is a big deal for him but he’ll be less than two months removed from a knee surgery at 37-years-old. We’ll see.
That’s exactly why his long-term outlook is questionable, too. He’s 37 years old! He’s still incredible, but it already felt like he lost a step this season when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open earlier this year. He’ll lose his No. 1 ranking to Sinner, who now has a good chance at winning the French Open with Djokovic sidelined.
It’s hard to forecast how this will go for Djokovic. But it’s around this age when all the greats begin to struggle. We’ve seen how it’s gone for Rafael Nadal with injuries. Roger Federer was marred by injuries late in his career, too. Tennis is a grueling game. It takes a lot and it’s hard to do for such a long time.
Djokovic has been tough. He’s also been really lucky. At some point, that luck was probably going to run out.
I hate to say it, but there’s a good chance we’ve reached that point here.
JJ Redick plays it coy
(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
All signs seem to point to JJ Redick becoming the Lakers head coach after he finishes calling the NBA Finals with ESPN this year. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports that LA is “zeroing in” on Redick as the guy.
Redick, though, is not giving any hints. He appeared on the Gojo and Golic show and said his focus is on the NBA Finals. That’s it and that’s all.
"My focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams, that will be addressed once the season is over. I'll just say that." @jj_redick addresses the elephant in the room — the rumors of the Lakers' interest in him as their new Head Coach pic.twitter.com/6OwYnG5iHQ
“My day-to-day right now is consumed with calling games, the 19 different podcasts I feel like I have, my obligation to all of our partners. So, my focus is on the NBA Finals. In terms of Shams [Charania], that will be addressed once the season is over. So, I’ll just say that.”
That’s a great answer from JJ. On one hand, yeah, it definitely sounds like a guy who is headed for LA after this season is over. On the other? There’s plausible deniability there! We’ll just have to wait and see.
But let’s not kid ourselves here. This is happening. The two names that came up the most in the Lakers coaching search have been Redick and Ty Lue. One of those dudes just signed an extension with the Clippers. The other is still offering up boilerplate answers to speculative coaching questions. The math isn’t that hard to do here.
The Chicago Sky rookie got two back-to-back technical fouls and an ejection for … seemingly nothing? Reese appeared to tell the official that a call was BS initially, which she got an initial tech for. But then she immediately got another one for simply waving the official off.
“While it’s possible she also said something to anger the ref after the first call, this is still an absurd way for Reese to be thrown out of the game … especially after, y’know, that whole hard foul situation went down over the weekend between Sky guard Chennedy Carter and Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark.”
Be better, refs. Please. I’m begging you.
Quick hits: Please stop talking, Pat McAfee … An awesome Mariners rally video … and more
