The Chargers moved quickly to add another wide receiver in the wake of the Mike Williams injury.
Los Angeles moved quickly to add another wide receiver in the wake of the Mike Williams injury.
Hours after the team reported that Williams tore his ACL during Sunday’s game against the Vikings, ending his season, reports surfaced that the Chargers would be adding former Stanford receiver Simi Fehoko from Pittsburgh’s practice squad as his replacement.
Fehoko confirmed the rumors in a video posted to his personal Instagram on Monday night.
On Tuesday, the Chargers officially announced the signing of Fehoko. In correspondence, Williams was placed on the injured reserve list.
Fehoko originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Cowboys in 2021 and spent his first two seasons playing for Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in Dallas. After Moore left for Los Angeles this offseason, Fehoko slipped down the depth chart and was released by the Cowboys during final roster cuts and joined the Steelers practice squad, where he spent the first three weeks of the season.
The 25-year-old receiver has three catches for 24 yards in his pro career after racking up 62 receptions for 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns in three seasons in Palo Alto, CA at Stanford. At nearly 6’4” and 220 lbs, Fehoko ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and finished with a 9.17 RAS, signifying that he’s one of the better athletes at the position.
Fehoko is also the cousin of former Chargers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, who he joined on the Steelers this season.
Fehoko was used as both a downfield stretcher and screen player in college, making him a good fit for the role Williams is vacating. But it’s more likely that rookie first-round pick Quentin Johnston will take the bulk of those snaps, with Fehoko stepping in as WR5 as Joshua Palmer, Johnston, and Derius Davis all move up one position on the depth chart. Once Jalen Guyton returns from the PUP list as he recovers from a torn ACL of his own, the Chargers will likely carry six wide receivers.
Just weeks after claiming the NCAA title she became the first player to win her LPGA debut since 1951, earning her LPGA card in one start. For Zhang, making history is like making par.
Zhang continues to set the bar even higher for herself each step she takes in her career, and this week is yet another opportunity for her to make the challenging look effortless. The 20-year-old will be one of five American rookies to tee it up at the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast after she automatically qualified due to her world ranking, and it’s an opportunity she isn’t taking lightly.
“It’s so hard to rank every single one of the accomplishments. I feel like every experience that I’ve gained has been so unique in its own right. This is definitely up there,” she said in a press conference on Wednesday. “Being able to play the Solheim Cup is truly a dream come true. I’ve played two Junior Solheim Cups before, one in Des Moines and one in Gleneagles. But I watched and witnessed all these professional players represent Europe and the U.S. on that first tee, but that was the experience and adrenaline that I’ve seen before and to be a part of it now is really cool.”
“Honestly (Rose) was on my radar for 2024, not for this one,” admitted U.S. captain Stacy Lewis, “but she took care of winning this year, so she was able to qualify. Rose was really a great, great addition for us.”
Rose Zhang of Team USA plays a shot during practice prior to the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 20, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Zhang left Stanford after a stellar two years in college golf and was still taking classes when she won her professional LPGA debut at the Mizuho Americas Open in June.
“So I am currently on a leave of absence (from Stanford). I decided not to torture myself in fall quarter,” she said with her signature smile. Zhang plans to return to her schoolwork in January during the winter quarter, where she’ll be furthering her Communication studies, as well as her blossoming career.
Imagine being the top rising star in the world of golf and still choosing to not only further your education, but to do so at a place as demanding as Stanford. It speaks to her character both on and off the course.
The Irvine, California, native is the ultimate team player. Her game is nearly flawless and she meshes with any group, making her a weapon for an American side that will need some firepower against arguably the best European team ever assembled (or so says European captain Suzann Petersen). Despite her ability and match-play prowess, Zhang isn’t sweating her role for the team.
“I think whatever my place, whatever I should do is for the team, regardless of how much I’m playing, I’m going to be fighting out there every single event or every single match that I participate in,” said the always humble Zhang. “So no hard feelings there. I feel like I love being on the sidelines cheering for my teammates, if that’s what I’m going to do. That’s basically what being part of a team is.”
It sounds too good to be true, right? With Zhang, it’s just simply who she is.
Here are a handful of prospects for Chargers fans to watch in Week 2.
The second week of college football is here, which means we are back with another edition of the Scouting Notebook.
The Scouting Notebook will feature prospects to keep an eye on throughout the day. While some may think it’s too early to start talking about the 2024 NFL draft, there’s never a bad time to talk about the future of the Chargers.
With that being said, here are a handful of prospects to watch for in Week 2.
“There is so much to expect, but at the same time, I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like.”
Eight rookies will make their debut in the upcoming Solheim Cup later this month in Spain, including two of the world’s top young talents, setting up for what could be an exciting next decade-plus for the women’s game.
Rose Zhang, the 20-year-old phenom who won her first professional start on the LPGA earlier this summer, is one of those eight and earned her membership and a spot on the team via her world ranking, a feat even she didn’t think was possible.
“It’s been pretty crazy because I expected myself to also be a captain’s pick,” said Zhang ahead of this week’s Kroger Queen City Championship at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio. “Initially I didn’t even think it was possible for me to claim a spot because I wasn’t an LPGA member to start with, so the fact that I was able to get in by rankings and have (Stacy Lewis) be my captain — she was my captain at Spirit International — so the fact that we have that kind of little bond in common really makes me feel honored to be able to play with her and on her team again.”
Zhang is the perfect team player. She doesn’t have a flaw in her game and can mix well in any crowd. In fact, it’s the camaraderie she’s looking forward to the most when she makes her Solheim Cup debut at Finca Cortesin in Spain, Sept. 22-24.
“Us as athletes, it’s our dreams to be able to represent our countries, and for me to put on the red, white, and blue as a professional, there is no greater honor,” said Zhang. “At the same time, I’m playing with players that I’ve watched growing up, and to say that we’re teammates is pretty crazy, especially with everything that happened the last couple months.”
Despite the fact the U.S. squad had a team dinner Tuesday, Zhang said it hasn’t set in that she’s earned a spot in her first half season on tour, and probably won’t until she steps on the property.
“I don’t think it’s actually going to start feeling real unless I go out there and actually play, just because it’s almost like a surreal experience that I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like on the first tee,” admitted the always humble Zhang. “Even in the practice round, going to the venue, it’s going to seem all a dream until it’s over.”
“There is so much to expect, but at the same time, I can’t even imagine what it’s going to be like,” she added.
The Irish aren’t far removed from playing any of these teams.
If you’re a college sports fan, you undoubtedly know by now that the ACC will be growing in 2024. Specifically, California, Stanford and SMU are joining the conference. That’s two schools from the soon-to-be-extinct Pac-12 and one from the AAC that seemingly came out of nowhere. Such is the reality of a college landscape that’s changing on what seems like a daily basis now. You can’t really be blamed if you’re having a hard time keeping up with all of this upheaval.
While this decision, like all others these days, was made with football in mind, it also will affect every other sport, including basketball. With Notre Dame being part of the ACC for all sports outside of football and hockey, the time is right to see how the Irish have done against the teams they soon will see on a yearly basis. The meetings aren’t very extensive for any of these opponents, but that’s to be expected:
See how the men have done against their future competition.
If you’re a college sports fan, you undoubtedly know by now that the ACC will be growing in 2024. Specifically, California, Stanford and SMU are joining the conference. That’s two schools from the soon-to-be-extinct Pac-12 and one from the AAC that seemingly came out of nowhere. Such is the reality of a college landscape that’s changing on what seems like a daily basis now. You can’t really be blamed if you’re having a hard time keeping up with all of this upheaval.
While this decision, like all others these days, was made with football in mind, it also will affect every other sport, including basketball. With Notre Dame being part of the ACC for all sports outside of football and hockey, the time is right to see how the Irish have done against the teams they soon will see on a yearly basis. The meetings aren’t very extensive for any of these opponents, but that’s to be expected:
After weeks of speculation and discussions, NC State was the deciding vote, flipping from no to yes, allowing the addition of these three programs into the conference. Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina stuck with their votes of no, but in the end, they were outvoted.
Dabo Swinney met with the media shortly after the decisions and gave his honest opinions on what is happening in the ACC.
“I just focus on what I control. I don’t control any of that stuff, I don’t get distracted by any of that. So I think, not surprised is my reaction,” Swinney said. “Nothing really surprises me anymore when it comes to college football and those are certainly three really good institutions for sure. I guess my biggest reaction would be hey, last time we went to Dallas then to Bay Area, California? Brings back great memories for the Tigers.”
Nothing surprises Swinney anymore; it makes sense. You can only say so much about a topic at some point. We know how Swinney has felt about the changes in college football, and rather than further harp on these things, Swinney is looking at the brighter side of things.
Clemson’s and the ACC’s future is still up in the air, as we have no idea whether this will keep the conference intact. There is still a chance FSU leads a charge out of the conference, but we can only guess what will happen next.
Social media reacts to the breaking news of Standford, SMU, and Cal joining the ACC in 2024.
The ongoing saga of college conferences doing a shake-up continues, with the Atlantic Coast Conference welcoming Stanford, SMU, and Cal to the conference in 2024.
The decision has been looming for weeks, as programs, coaches, players, and fans gave their input on the move as many pondered what the ACC would look like adding distant teams to the conference. In a press release from the school, Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz responded to the decision to bring the three programs to the conference.
“I respect the outcome of today’s vote and welcome our new members to the ACC,” Guskiewicz said. “My vote against expansion was informed from feedback I have gathered over the last several weeks from our athletic leadership, coaches, faculty athletic advisors, student-athletes and a variety of other stakeholders who care deeply about our University and the success of our outstanding athletic program. I look forward to working with all our colleagues in the ACC to ensure excellence in academics and athletics – something our conference has long been known for. ”
The ACC welcomes Cal, SMU and Stanford to the league in 2024!
There is no denying this addition to the ACC will serve implications. Travel and scheduling will become more challenging, leaving fans to think twice about road games. However, with the bad, there is some good, with exciting new rivals on the horizon while adding more respect to the conference.
Social media had a field day with this topic; let us look at how fans reacted to Standford, SMU, and Cal joining the ACC in 2024.
In August, much was made of Notre Dame pushing for Stanford and Cal to join the ACC. The Atlantic Coast Conference initially didn’t have the votes to allow the two entry but Notre Dame kept pushing publicly and as a result, Friday morning saw Stanford, Cal, and Southern Methodist voted in as members to the conference starting in 2024.
As you can probably guess, the college football world on social media handled this well.
Here are a few of the best tweets and responses to the news of Notre Dame getting their push through, yet not having to join the ACC for football themselves.
