Tag: number

Taliese Fuaga can keep wearing his college jersey number with the Saints

Taliese Fuaga hasn’t chosen his New Orleans Saints jersey number, but his college number is open. It just might not make Andrus Peat too happy:

Taliese Fuaga hasn’t chosen which number he’ll wear with the New Orleans Saints just yet, but his college number is open if he wants to keep wearing it. There’s just one little thing: Fuaga claiming the No. 75 jersey might not make Andrus Peat too happy.

That’s the number Peat wore for nine years with the Saints. His contract voided in March, making him a free agent and making No. 75 available. The team hasn’t expressed much interest in bringing him back. Both Mickey Loomis and Dennis Allen shared lukewarm responses when asked about his availability.

So Peat may not be interested in re-signing with the Saints anyway. Having his jersey hanging in someone else’s locker (assuming the Saints don’t give it to Fuaga anyway) wouldn’t make it very appealing. Teams will be looking to sign veteran linemen after the draft, once they know what their depth charts look like, and Peat could have better opportunities waiting than what he’d find in New Orleans. We’ll have to wait and see where he ends up, and which number Fuaga ultimately chooses to wear.

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The college basketball transfer portal has seen a shocking number of entrants

The number of college basketball transfer portal entrants is shocking

Modern-day college basketball is defined by NIL and the transfer portal.

The last few days have been a shining example. First, former Wisconsin star guard A.J. Storr committed to Kansas — his seventh school in seven years dating back to high school. That wasn’t much of a surprise. But then three-year starter Chucky Hepburn surprisingly entered as well.

Related: An updated look at Wisconsin basketball’s 2024-25 roster after Chucky Hepburn’s departure

If Hepburn could leave a program like Wisconsin after starting for three years and becoming the face of the team, then anybody could leave anywhere. It’s the reality of the current age of the sport.

The current numbers of transfer portal entrants show that reality.

Chas Wolfe of PrepScouting.net put out the updated figures on X on Friday. They include 1,701 total entrants, 156 freshmen, 626 sophomores, 519 juniors and 400 seniors.

The tough reality is only 22% of the entrants have committed to a new school. That number will rise in the coming weeks, but still won’t come near 100%.

The portal will stay open for the rest of the month movement continues across the sport. For programs like Wisconsin, the time must be spent rebuilding what is now a somewhat-broken roster.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Saints punter Lou Hedley has chosen a new jersey number

Australian punter Lou Hedley has chosen a new jersey number in his second season with the Saints:

There isn’t a new punter kicking for the New Orleans Saints, but the one they have will be wearing a new number. Second-year pro Lou Hedley has given up his No. 39 jersey to switch to the more-appealing No. 15, per the team website. It’s a new number for him after he wore No. 94 in college at Miami.

So who will be wearing his old jersey number? Right now, that’s been assigned to rookie kicker Charlie Smyth. So the Saints’ Australian punter will be wearing No. 15 and their Irish kicker is using No. 39.

Fans should expect some competition to be brought in for Hedley, though it’s likelier to be a rookie free agent signing than a veteran pickup. While the Saints’ coaching staff were largely pleased with Hedley’s performance in his rookie year, he struggled to give his coverage team much hang time or room to work with. He ranked last in the league in both hang time (4.03 seconds) and yards per punt (43). We rated him with a D in our rookie report cards at the end of the year.

Still, it’s possible Hedley beats his competition again and earns another year in black and gold. If he does overcome that challenge, he’ll be wearing No. 15.

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Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number

Willie Gay has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number. He’s going back to the same number he wore in college at Mississippi State:

It only took a week for Willie Gay to go through two different jersey numbers. The New Orleans Saints initially listed their newest linebacker in the same No. 50 he wore with the Kansas City Chiefs — but he’s now slotted into No. 6, which is the jersey number he used in college at Mississippi State. It ties in well with Gay reuniting with so many familiar faces from his college days, like teammates Johnathan Abram and J.T. Gray, as well as his old defensive coordinator Todd Grantham (the current defensive line coach for New Orleans).

The number only became available when the Saints released safety Marcus Maye at the start of the new league year last Wednesday, the same day Gay’s signing was announced. Before the NFL relaxed its rules for jersey numbers in 2021, just seven players had used No. 6 in Saints history, all specialists (most notably punters Thomas Morstead from 2009-2020 and Tommy Barnhardt from 1987-1999).

Now, it’s in high demand. But Gay isn’t the only Saints free agent pickup to have chosen his new jersey number. Backup quarterback Nathan Peterman is using No. 10, which is new for him; he wore No. 14 with the Chicago Bears  last year but opted for a different number in New Orleans. But veteran wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. is using the same No. 11 jersey he wore for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys. No word yet on which number defensive end Chase Young is going to wear, though.

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Which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the Saints?

Forget the contract and schematic fit. The real question is which jersey number is Chase Young going to use with the New Orleans Saints?

The New Orleans Saints made a splash in free agency by signing Chase Young, who could do a lot to change Cameron Jordan’s role and allow them to both play their best football. But beyond the salary cap ramifications of acquiring Young and how he’ll fit into the defense, we’ve got to consider the most important question: what jersey number is Young going to be wearing?

Young has worn two different numbers in the NFL, choosing No. 99 (with Washington) and No. 92 (with San Francisco). Right now, both of those are taken by Khalen Saunders and Tanoh Kpassagnon, respectively. Before he turned pro Young used No. 2 at Ohio State, and while that is available the Saints showed last year they didn’t understand the new rules by not allowing Jason Pierre-Paul to wear a linebacker number. They insisted he be listed as a defensive end, who are not eligible for wearing single digits.

Chris Olave has already shown an interest in switching to No. 2 (which he also wore in college at Ohio State), and there wouldn’t be any question about a wide receiver using it.

What about Young’s high school number? He transferred from St. Vincent Pallotti High School, where he wore No. 34, to DeMatha Catholic High School, where he switched to No. 9. Drew Brees’ number is unofficially retired, so we can scratch that out. Which means the only number Young has used before, No. 34, is also the only one still available. But it isn’t eligible for defensive linemen, so the Saints would have to list Young on the roster as an outside linebacker, which they’ve been reluctant to do before.

There are two numbers in the nineties that could appeal to Young: Nos. 91 and 97, last used by Kyle Phillips and Malcolm Roach. It’s also possible he could buy out his preferred number from Saunders or Kpassagnon, or go with something fresh altogether. It’s a curious situation, but honestly pretty low-stakes given everything else going on with this team and the world at large. We’ll keep an eye out for an update.

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New Broncos safety takes Kareem Jackson’s old jersey number

New Broncos safety Brandon Jones will wear jersey No. 22, formerly worn by Kareem Jackson in Denver.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Two days after the Denver Broncos gave quarterback Russell Wilson’s old jersey number to kicker Wil Lutz, new safety Brandon Jones is now taking Kareem Jackson’s old number.

After officially signing with the Broncos on Thursday, Jones took to Twitter/X with a Photoshopped image of him in a Denver uniform wearing No. 22. His caption: “New beginnings.. DEUCE DEUCE #BroncosCountry”

Jones, 25, signed a three-year, $20 million contract. He will help the team replace veteran Justin Simmons, who was released last week.

Jackson, 35, is facing an uncertain future in the NFL. He was fined four times for unnecessary roughness, ejected from two games and suspended twice (for six games total) last season. After meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell during his second suspension, Jackson questioned his future in the league.

“I’m not really sure how I protect myself, make plays and protect [the opponent] as well, but that’s what I was told,” Jackson said in December. “I’m not really sure what I do moving forward, as far as playing this game. So, hopefully, I’ll figure it out.”

It’s unclear if Jackson will play in the NFL again, but if he does, it’s almost certain he won’t return to Denver.

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Jason Pierre-Paul has already changed his Saints jersey number

Jason Pierre-Paul has already changed his New Orleans Saints jersey number. The NFL’s jersey rules wouldn’t let him keep No. 14:

So much for Jason Pierre-Paul’s No. 14 jersey. With his first choices already taken, the New Orleans Saints defensive end initially wanted to wear No. 14 to represent his 14th season in the NFL after signing with the Saints practice squad, but overly complicated jersey rules wouldn’t let it stand. Pierre-Paul was reassigned to the No. 54 jersey after being activated for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, No. 54 is aesthetically a better choice for a big defensive lineman than No. 14. But why couldn’t Pierre-Paul wear it after donning the No. 4 jersey with the Baltimore Ravens last year? NFL jersey rules were changed in recent years to allow linebackers to wear Nos. 0 through 59, and the Ravens listed Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker, which allowed the unique choice.

But the Saints wanted to list Pierre-Paul at defensive end, and NFL rules dictate that defensive linemen are only allowed to choose from Nos. 50 to 79 and 90 to 99. If the Saints had listed Pierre-Paul at outside linebacker in the first place he could have kept the number he wanted, but that’s not something they must’ve wanted to add to their spreadsheet. Oh well.

At any rate: Pierre-Paul was activated for Sunday’s game with the Falcons, playing behind Cameron Jordan, Carl Granderson, and Tanoh Kpassagnon with Isaiah Foskey still recovering from a quadriceps injury.

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Florida State announces plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey

Florida State announced plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey at Saturday’s game versus North Alabama:

Now this is cool: Florida State announced plans to retire Jameis Winston’s college jersey at Saturday’s game versus North Alabama, recognizing the New Orleans Saints quarterback for his accomplishments in Tallahassee. Winston led the school to a 14-0 record and a Rose Bowl win back in 2013, setting the stage for a College Football Playoff run in his 2014 sophomore season.

Winston only played two years at Florida State, but he left with the fourth-most career passing yards (7,964) and second-most touchdown passes (65) in school history, plus a 26-1 record.

And now, a decade since he turned pro, Winston will see the jersey he wore honored in an exclusive group. He’s just the eleventh player to earn this recognition at Florida State, joining the likes of Fred Biletnikoff, Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley, Warrick Dunn, Marvin Jones, Deion Sanders, Ron Sellers, Ron Simmons, Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke.

Good for him. Winston’s jersey will be retired in a ceremony at the end of the first quarter in Saturday’s home game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. It’s also senior night, and kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT with television coverage on The CW network.

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Jason Pierre-Paul picked a unique new jersey number to wear with the Saints

Jason Pierre-Paul picked a unique new jersey number to wear with the Saints, representing his fourteenth year in the NFL:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Czo9tHMPBjC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The newest member of the New Orleans Saints has made a unique choice for his jersey number: Jason Pierre-Paul announced his formal signing with the Saints practice squad on Tuesday, including an edited photo showing the pass rusher in his new uniform, featuring the No. 14 jersey. Pierre-Paul said it’s to represent his 14th year in the NFL in a post from his official Instagram account.

Though it isn’t reflected on the team’s website roster (where Pierre-Paul is not yet listed at all), this means that Pierre-Paul will be designated as a linebacker, even if he primarily plays defensive end. The No. 14 jersey only recently became available for linebackers and defensive backs after being limited to offensive players, kickers, and punters. If Pierre-Paul were listed as a defensive end, the only other options for him would have been Nos. 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 66, 69, 72, 76, and 79. For the most part, those are all thoroughly swaggerless.

Pierre-Paul wore No. 4 with the Baltimore Ravens last year; before that, he had only used No. 90 in the NFL and in college at USF. He wore No. 91 at College of the Canyons in California and No. 9 at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas after using No. 98 at Deerfield Beach High School in Florida.

So he’ll be using No. 14 for the first time in his football career. Former Saints quarterback Andy Dalton used it last season after running back Mark Ingram II wore it a year before; the number fell in disuse for decades until wide receiver Tommylee Lewis brought it back in 2020. Let’s hope Pierre-Paul wears it well.

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Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin explains why he didn’t change his jersey number

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin wore 10 in high school then 20 and 8 in college. That adds up to wearing No. 38 in the NFL.

It is game week for the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos will face off against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday, and expectations are raised under new coach Sean Payton, with the playoffs now a clear objective.

Ahead of Sunday’s season opener, eight Denver players have elected to change their jersey numbers for 2023.

Broncos rookie receiver Marvin Mims has changed his preseason number of No. 83 to No. 19, and cornerback Tremon Smith will now wear No. 1 after previously wearing No. 23.

While six other Broncos players have elected to change their numbers, one player chose not to: running back Jaleel McLaughlin.

McLaughlin went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft after finishing his career at Youngtown State. McLaughlin ended his career as college football’s all-time leading rusher.

But his reason for sticking with No. 38 is a unique one.

McLaughlin’s reason makes a lot of sense. His story is unique and it was probably a lot of hard work for him to get to this spot in his life. We’re excited to see No. 38 in action this fall.

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