USC has successfully flipped some offensive linemen from other schools, but the Trojans have not been able to retain other prospects who flipped elsewhere.
Earlier this week, another unfortunate series of events emerged for USC football recruiting. On Monday, USC saw two of its commits in the 2025 class flip their pledges to SEC schools. First, four-star linebacker Ty Jackson spurned the Trojans in favor of Florida.
A native of Loxahatchee, Florida, Jackson is currently the No. 135 overall player in the class of 2025 On3 Consensus rankings. He is also the No. 15 linebacker, and the No. 20 player in the state of Florida.
Next, three-star linebacker Duane Morris changed his commitment from USC to Tennessee.
Hailing from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, On3 Consensus ranks Morris as the No. 524 player in the 2025 class. It also has him as the No. 43 running back and the No. 18 player in the state of Tennessee.
Following the loss of Jackson and Morris, USC’s 2025 recruiting class sits at No. 14 in the On3 team rankings. Three Big Ten schools are currently ahead of the Trojans: Ohio State at No. 3, Oregon at No. 7, and Michigan at No. 8.
College football’s early signing day is December 4, which is just one week away.
Investigators say a 36-year-old killed a 65-year-old using his own golf clubs to attack him.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida — A violent altercation at a public golf course this week in Palm Beach Gardens left one man dead and another facing a first-degree murder charge.
Investigators say Junior Boucher, 36, of The Acreage, killed 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel, using Hiltebeitel’s own golf clubs to attack him Monday afternoon at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, a city-owned course along Northlake Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike. Boucher also choked Hiltebeitel.
During a news conference Tuesday, Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said investigators are still attempting to determine a motive for the attack. Pape said Boucher did not appear to have a purpose for being at the golf course and there is no known connection between the two men.
“We’re still looking through the leads,” he said. “We’re still interviewing people at the scene. We don’t know (the motive) yet.”
During a court hearing Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail, county Judge Ted Booras assigned Boucher a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail. As a policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on open cases.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape addresses reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, during a news conference regarding a homicide at Sandhill Crane Golf Club. One person was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
Police: Man facing murder charge tried to flee after golf-club attack
Pape said Boucher’s family had reported him missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office about an hour before the attack, which occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. Court records show the attack occurred on the same day that a relative filed an eviction notice against Boucher.
According to Boucher’s arrest report, officers responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a man attacking another with a golf club. Upon arriving, officers found Hiltebeitel’s body next to a pond at the golf course and made contact with a partially clothed Boucher as he attempted to flee.
The arrest report did not list a place of residence for Hiltebeitel.
Witnesses told police Boucher began hitting Hiltebeitel with a golf club near the first hole, then retrieved another club and chased Hiltebeitel to the pond. He continued to strike Hiltebeitel until both men were in the water.
Then Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebeitel and appeared to choke him, witnesses told police. A short time later, Boucher got out of the water, stripped his clothes off and began to walk away toward a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest report. Officers said they used an “electronic control device” to detain him.
First responders pulled Hiltebeitel to the banks of the pond and attempted lifesaving care. Fire Rescue medics pronounced him dead.
Authorities took Boucher to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center for evaluation. He declined to speak to investigators without an attorney present.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham.
Jupiter entered the Class 3A state championship as one of the tournament’s favorites.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — Jupiter boys golf, ranked No. 2 nationally per iWanamaker, withdrew two of its golfers halfway through playing in the state championship this week, ending any hope for a state title.
Jupiter entered the Class 3A state championship as one of the tournament’s favorites and was in second place after the first day of play.
However, the Warriors started Wednesday’s second round with only three of five golfers on the course at Mission Inn Resort + Club, dashing their chances at a state championship in 2024.
Jupiter golfers Talan Wilkes and Cameron Kuchar, son of nine-time PGA Tour-winning golfer Matt Kuchar, were each absent on the second day of the tournament. Jupiter head coach Bruce Wasserman said “non-course incidents” forced the players’ withdrawals.
“Breaking rules of the state honor code for golf, for non-course stuff, is all I can really say,” Wasserman said.
Florida High School Athletic Association golf administrator Ed Thompson clarified that the two golfers were not disqualified; rather, they were withdrawn by Jupiter.
“WD” is listed next to both Wilkes and Kuchar’s names on the FHSAA scoring sheet.
“We were disqualified as a team because we only had three guys left, but the three guys, it was a great day with what they did,” said Wasserman, who became emotional discussing the circumstances. “From the start of this year, we knew we had the talent. We set out to win a state championship. We get here, we’re in position, and then this happens. It was devastating to them and emotional for all of us.”
After commending the efforts of his remaining players, Wasserman indicated that at full strength, his program might have won it all.
“Reasonably sure, if we would have had our full squad, we would have walked away with the title,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s a learning lesson for all of us. In the end, we had a fantastic season. We won a huge tournament in Orlando, we won districts, we won regionals, and things happen. That’s sports. That’s life. You’re not going to see a team as strong as this team, ever. But decisions, you know?”
Jupiter’s Hampton Beebe shot a 144, tying for the fifth-best individual score to achieve a medallion at tournament’s end.
“We did come a long way this year,” Beebe said. “This place is not easy. I’m proud of how I finished.”
Jupiter’s Hampton Beebe poses for a photo with his medal after shooting a 144 at the state tournament, good for fifth place overall (Nov. 20, 2024).
Brayden Jenard shot a 145, the eight-best mark, while Tristan Wieland wasn’t far behind with a 147, good for tenth place in the tournament.
In the wake of Jupiter’s ineligibility to compete as a group of give golfers, Viera took first place in the state championship, flanked by Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton) and Ponte Vedra.
Jupiter’s Brayden Jenard putts during the Class 3A state championship on Nov. 20, 2024. (Photo: Alexander Peterman/Palm Beach Post)
Dwyer takes sixth place in Class 3A state championship
Wylie Inman shot a 146, including two birdies on the back nine to crack the top 10 with a stellar performance for the Panthers, who finished sixth place overall in the tournament.
William Cui shot a 149 as a freshman. Notably, he shot par on every hole on the second day.
Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.
While Notre Dame is fighting to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation, that dream already was dead for Brian Kelly and LSU. They still could get into a decent bowl game though if they ran the table for the rest of the regular season. That won’t even happen now.
The Tigers suffered a 27-16 loss to a Florida team simply trying to get back to .500. That brought their losing streak to three, and they most certainly will drop out of the rankings now. There’s even more to this though.
With this loss, Kelly’s personal streak of seven 10-win seasons will come to an end. The last time Kelly failed to earn that distinction was during the Irish’s dreadful 2016 season in which they finished 4-8.
Kelly’s decision to bolt for Baton Rogue is looking more foolish all the time. This is the second time in three years Kelly has lost four games with the Tigers, something he didn’t do once over his final five seasons with the Irish. Does he still think he put himself in a better position to win a national championship?
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Here’s why LSU fans should be confident about the Tigers bouncing back this week
LSU needs a win. Thanks to a bye week and two losses, LSU’s last win was almost a month ago. It was a 34-10 victory vs. Arkansas that came one week after upsetting a top-10-ranked Ole Miss squad. Things were trending up for a one-loss LSU squad.
A month later, the mood is different. A flat second half vs. Texas A&M followed by a 42-13 drubbing from Alabama has LSU needing to win out to match its win total from last year.
“No one is in a good mood,” Brian Kelly said, “The food doesn’t taste good. No one likes being around each other right now.”
That’s what a 42-13 loss can do to a team, especially one with LSU’s expectations. But Kelly acknowledged the SEC is still in play and the team knows it. A bad mood doesn’t mean morale is shot and Kelly said he liked the group’s preparation this week.
Here’s why LSU fans should be confident in a rebound vs. Florida.
They’ve been here before
LSU was in a similar spot last year. After the Alabama loss, the Tigers were out of the SEC race and playoff conversation. But three games were left on the schedule and LSU had to find something else to play for.
Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers set their sights on the Heisman and breaking records while Kelly said the team took pride in getting to 10 wins.
A core of this team was present for that last year and Kelly is a veteran coach. LSU doesn’t have the cheat code that was Daniels this year, but LSU has enough veteran leadership. Over the summer, Kelly said this was his most player-led team yet.
I don’t see LSU coming out flat and that aforementioned leadership shows up.
Florida gives Nussmeier a bounce back opportunity
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier hit a rough patch coming out of the half vs. Texas A&M The stretch continued into the Alabama game. Nuss struggled to complete passes and the interception issues persisted.
Kelly said Nussmeier was locked in at practice this week, hinting at a big performance from his QB.
Florida offers a reprieve from the stingy defenses LSU’s seen in recent weeks. The Ole Miss and Alabama defenses are among the best in the country and A&M isn’t that far behind. According to SP+, this is the LSU offense’s most favorable matchup since South Alabama on Sep. 28.
LSU usually responds well after a loss
Under Brian Kelly, LSU has a habit of responding to losses. Kelly is 7-2 coming off a loss with an average scoring margin of +19.7
One of those losses came last week, but I don’t see LSU dropping three in a row. There just isn’t much evidence saying LSU is about to hit a wall or fall off a cliff. LSU usually takes care of business against lesser teams, and at this point, UF remains in that category.
Kelly is 6-2 as an away favorite at LSU and I think the Tigers are prepared for the environment.
Charlie Woods, son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, wrapped up his first round.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Florida – Charlie Woods, son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, wrapped up his first round of the Class 1A Florida high school state championship on Tuesday at Howey-in-the-Hills.
Woods shot a 78, six shots over par, finishing with the 55th-best individual mark at states.
Defending state champion Benjamin golf, composed of Woods and teammates Pavel Tsar, Andrew Tsar, Brooks Colton, and Jake Valentine, ended the first day in a three-way tie for 9th place with Lake Mary Prep and Lake Highland Prep.
Woods made a birdie on the 14th hole, a par 5, while bogeying on holes 7, 8, and 15.
He ran into some trouble on the 5th and 17th holes and ended those with double bogeys.
Entering state play, Woods tied four golfers for sixth place with a 71 at the regional championship. He, along with the other Benjamin golfers, are back at states trying to defend their Class 1A state title, though the first day leaves the Buccaneers with some ground to make up on Wednesday.
Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com.
With Notre Dame about to play its first home game in almost a month, a bunch of recruits and commits are on campus for the weekend. Among them is 2025 three-star running back commit [autotag]Justin Thurman[/autotag], who made his decision at the start of August 2023.
Thurman, who hails from Tampa, Florida, is taking in the sights of what will be his home starting next year. One good thing about him is he understands that no matter who you are, visiting Touchdown Jesus is an absolute must when one sets foot on the Notre Dame campus. It’s one of those things that looks beautiful no matter what time of day or year it is.
Thurman took in this breathtaking sight Friday and posted about it on social media. He also used it as a battle cry for the Irish to defeat Florida State on Saturday. It’s perfectly fine that he did so because it hard not to use Touchdown Jesus for inspiration.
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Even with Notre Dame set to have a fantastic 2024-25 season, there’s no reason to get complacent with the period beyond that. The Irish want to keep the good times going for as long as possible. Landing one particular player would help that cause in a big way.
Deniya Prawl originally hails from Toronto, but she’s been developing her game at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. She’s become a five-star small forward according to 247Sports and is ranked sixth in the 2025 recruiting class.
The Irish are one of three finalists for Prawl’s services alongside Tennessee and Baylor. She has announced that she’ll make her decision Nov. 11.
As of this moment, the only 2025 commit for the Irish is [autotag]Leah Macy[/autotag], another five-star forward who made her decision in May. While the Irish obviously have a solid player coming in already, it would help immensely to have another one, especially when women’s basketball is getting more attention than ever:
Best of luck to Prawl in making her decision, though we obviously hope she picks the Irish.
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Tom Doak has routed Old Shores on sand dunes near Panama City, Florida.
After news was reported last week that a development order had been approved by Washington County for a new course in the Florida Panhandle, Dream Golf announced Friday the name and designer for the 18-hole project.
Architect Tom Doak has routed what will become Old Shores, assuming all necessary permitting continues to be approved. The course will be built 30 miles north of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport that services Panama City.
The course will be an easy drive from the 30A region of beaches in South Walton County between Panama City and Destin, which has grown at an astonishing rate in recent years. The property is about a 30-minute drive north of Panama City Beach.
Speculation about the course has swirled in recent years, as happens with any project by Dream Golf. The collection of properties includes Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon and Sand Valley in Wisconsin, with new projects on the way outside Denver and another in Texas.
The first step in planning for Old Shores has been approved by Washington County in Florida. (Courtesy of Dream Golf)
The development order was the first step in receiving official sign-off to build Old Shores. As reported by the Washington County News, the development order was for 80 acres for the golf course amid 1,438 acres that have been acquired. No plans for further development have been announced or approved.
The name Old Shores is a reflection of the sandy dunes on the site, which used to be shoreline before the Gulf of Mexico receded to its current boundaries to the south thousands of years ago. Dream Golf said there is no set timetable for construction or completion.
“This land just makes you want to get to the next bend or over the next hill,” developer Michael Keiser said in a news release announcing the name of the course and Doak’s involvement. “There is so much variety – it’s hard to believe you could experience so many environments in one place. Every time I visit, I discover a side I had never seen before. This is an amazing and unexpected site.”
The site for Old Shores to be designed by Tom Doak for Dream Golf, assuming all permitting is eventually approved, is about 30 miles north of the Panama City, Florida, airport. (Courtesy of Dream Golf)
Micheal Keiser is the son of Mike Keiser, the developer of Bandon Dunes. Michael and his brother Chris are the developers of Sand Valley, the in-progress Rodeo Dunes in Colorado and the in-progress Wild Springs Dunes in Texas.
“We are grateful for the reception we received from Washington County, and we are eager to continuing the process of presenting our plans for this extraordinary property,” Michael Keiser said in the release. “I’ve walked the routing with Tom Doak numerous times, and I know this will be world-class.”
Doak’s extensive resume includes building the Pacific Dunes course at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, which is ranked by Golfweek’s Best as the top public-access course in Oregon and the No. 3 modern course in the U.S. Doak recently completed the now-open Sedge Valley course at Sand Valley, and he also constructed the Lido at Sand Valley, which brought back to life a famous but lost course on Long Island.
The Benjamin School boys golf team got off to a winning start in the 2024 FHSAA postseason this week.
Charlie Woods and the Benjamin School boys golf team got off to a winning start in the 2024 FHSAA postseason this week but it “wasn’t pretty” according to the team.
The Bucs won the District 13-1A championship at the Championship Club at Summerfield in Stuart on Tuesday with a team score of 291, two strokes better than West Palm Beach’s Oxbridge Academy.
“Wasn’t pretty but got the job done at districts,” Benjamin boys golf posted to its official team Instagram after the win. “Onto regionals.”
Woods, the son of legendary golfer Tiger Woods, shot a 1-over 73 to take sixth individually while senior Pavel Tsar, The Post’s reigning boys golfer of the year, placed seventh with a 3-over 75.
Benjamin’s most valuable player was certainly Tsar’s younger brother Andrew, a sophomore who fired 3-under 69 to win the individual district title. Tsar’s round had “many lip-ins” and was “lucky” according to the team’s Instagram account.
Oxbridge Academy enjoyed a phenomenal afternoon in coming up just short of the upset district championship. Sophomores Joey Iaciofano (-2) and Ajax Lanasa (-1) made a run at the individual district title while junior AJ Colonna (E) helped round out the top 5 with three ThunderWolves.
Benjamin, the reigning state championship in Class 1A, and Oxbridge Academy advanced to the Region 4-1A championships next Monday at Miami Shores Golf Club.
