Tag: The Athletic

Gators continue to climb The Athletic’s bracket watch

Florida keeps climbing the bracket watches a head of the regular-season finale.

The postseason is almost but but a game still remains for Florida basketball before the tournament action begins. The Gators are hitting their stride at the perfect time, having won 10 of their last 13 and steadily rising up the Big Dance predictions.

The Athletic’s Brian Bennett recently released his updated men’s basketball bracket watch, moving the Orange and Blue up a seed to No. 6 in the East Region; in his previous edition, Florida was a No. 7 seed also in the East Region.

The Gators are lined up to face either the No. 11 Drake Bulldogs or Villanova Wildcats in the opening round held in Brooklyn, New York, where the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils will also face off with the No. 14 Vermont Catamounts.

Looking around the Southeastern Conference, Bennett’s bracket also includes the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, along with the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 4), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 4), Auburn Tigers (No. 5), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9). The Texas A&M Aggies are among the first four out.

Florida wraps up its regular-season schedule on Saturday, March 9, in Nashville as the Gators travel for a rematch with the Vanderbilt Commodores. Tipoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Karl-Anthony Towns’ knee injury made Shams and Woj disagree about how much time he’ll miss

Reporters dramatically disagree about how long KAT will miss with his injury.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns has reportedly suffered a left meniscus injury, which is awful news for the big man.

Towns was named a Western Conference All-Star this season after he missed a large chunk of the last season due to injury. He has played an integral role on the Timberwolves, currently tied for the best record in the West and the second-best record in the NBA.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Towns was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Charania reported that the Minnesota star is out indefinitely.

Charania then reported that Towns “has been gathering second opinions on the injury” over the past 24 hours.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, meanwhile, it “remains unclear” how much time Towns will miss due to the meniscus injury. In fact, per Woj, we don’t yet know if the Timberwolves star will miss any time at all.

Here is more from Woj (via ESPN):

“Karl-Anthony Towns has suffered a left meniscus injury, and doctors are evaluating whether that will require the Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star to miss a significant period of time, sources told ESPN on Thursday morning.

Towns is undergoing further evaluation to determine whether an immediate procedure is required, or whether there are rehab options that could return him to Minnesota’s lineup in the more immediate future, sources said.

A decision is expected soon, sources said.”

So to summarize, Charania’s reporting is that Towns is out indefinitely while Wojnarowski’s reporting is that the big could return in the “more immediate future” for the Timberwolves.

That is a bit confusing, of course, because Wojnarowski and Charania are considered the two most trusted basketball news-breakers in the industry.

The two reporters were also formerly coworkers at Yahoo Sports, where Woj was a mentor for Shams before the two became rivals. So it is especially interesting to see these two end up with such wildly different reports about how much time Towns will miss.

In reality, doctors have likely not yet determined the right treatment plan for the former No. 1 overall pick. But until then, this is a wildly important update for Minnesota’s title hopes.

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Vikings trade up for QB of the future in Dane Brugler’s mock

Minnesota Vikings trade up for J.J. McCarthy in the latest mock draft from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler gave us his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft, which was filled with chaos. Trades throughout the mock led to some thought-provoking results, including for the Minnesota Vikings. Brugler has Minnesota trading up to the seventh selection to take Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy.

Projected trade: Vikings send No. 11, No. 109 and a 2025 second-rounder to the Titans for No. 7

Bringing back Cousins and drafting McCarthy is the ideal outcome for the Vikings, as that would bridge the short-term with the long-term at the roster’s most important position. But with Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans and maybe a few other teams potentially in the McCarthy market, it might require a trade up for Minnesota to nab the Michigan quarterback.

Brugler stresses that his mocks are determined not by what he would do but by what he hears from credible sources. After a week in Indianapolis, Brugler had probably heard more than enough.

The fit for McCarthy into Kevin O’Connell’s offense would be seamless, but McCarthy is not ready to take the reins just yet. A transition from Kirk Cousins to McCarthy is the best-case scenario as long as Cousins is amenable to the handoff.

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Gators slip but still among top 25 in The Athletic’s basketball rankings

Florida lost a little ground after the loss but are still sitting in the upper echelon of college basketball.

The regular season is coming to a close, which means that teams are making their final moves in preparation for the upcoming postseason tournaments. Among them are the Florida Gators, which has risen meteorically of late but unfortunately lost their most recent game at the South Carolina Gamecocks.

A new week means a fresh set of college basketball rankings, including The Athletic’s offering by writer CJ Moore. In his latest update, Moore moved the Gators down from No. 20 in last week’s edition to No. 24 this week, putting them between the No. 23 St. Mary’s Gaels and No. 25 Boise State Broncos.

Looking around the SEC at other schools included in the top 25: Tennessee is the highest-ranked conference peer sitting at No. 4, followed by the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 9), Auburn Tigers (No. 14), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 16) and South Carolina (No. 19).

The Gators return home for a rematch against Alabama on Tuesday, March 5, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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The Athletic: Michigan football player offered $1.75 million to transfer

This is out of control.

College football truly has unfettered free agency these days, but unlike the NFL, where players are locked in for specific periods of time, schools can apparently work to coerce players to one school to come to theirs at any given time.

With the potent mix of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness licensing, we’re seeing an uptick in tampering. Though programs skirt around it by going through unofficial channels, it’s becoming a problem — especially for smaller schools or ones going through coaching changes.

Michigan football is in the latter category with Jim Harbaugh leaving for the NFL. And according to The Athletic, one Wolverine was offered a substantial sum in efforts to get him to leave Ann Arbor. (subscription required)

Whispers of lucrative NIL offers for Michigan’s star players proliferated during the open transfer window. One parent of a returning starter said, on the condition of anonymity, that their son was offered roughly $1.75 million to play next season at a different school — significantly more than the player was earning at Michigan. Despite those overtures, the transfer window closed with Michigan losing only one projected contributor, safety Keon Sabb.

Michigan fared well given the circumstances. As mentioned, only one Wolverine departed: reserve safety Keon Sabb. He is a big loss, but given both starting safeties are coming back, a loss where the damage is somewhat mitigated. The challenge for new head coach Sherrone Moore will be to continue to retain his roster in an ever-evolving college landscape where just about anything goes.

Almost anything.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler: Keon Coleman, Roman Wilson are WR prospects to watch for Bills

Keep an eye on these two:

NFL draft analyst for The Athletic, Dane Brugler, named two versatile (and athletic) wide receiver prospects that he likes as a fit for the Buffalo Bills at the 2024 NFL draft.

The two names to watch: Florida State’s Keon Coleman and Michigan’s Roman Wilson.

Both players are similar in at least one sense. Both have talents that have allowed them to thrive on the hardwood and on the track. Can that athleticism translate to the NFL?

Currently Coleman and Wilson land on Pro Football Focus‘ draft big board at No. 39 and 48, respectively. These could be two names to keep an eye on during the first or second day of the draft.

Brugler broke down both of their games during a recent appearance on the Bills’ team radio program, One Bills Live. That clip can be found below, along with highlights of both Coleman and Wilson:

Two Wolverines make The Athletic ‘freaks’ to watch at NFL combine

These guys are about to show out in Indy! #GoBlue

Michigan football has made some pretty big headlines in the offseason, not too long after Big Ten media days, each of the past few years as several players have been highlighted by The Athletic’s ‘freaks’ list.

Bruce Feldman looks into feats in the weight room and players across college football who can do things others simply cannot. At or near the top of the list in recent years have been Kris Jenkins, Mazi Smith and Kenneth Grant. But being a freak entering a college football season and preparing to enter the  NFL scouting combine are two different things.

Feldman updated his list specifically for the combine (subscription required), and two Michigan players made the cut, starting with wide receiver Roman Wilson.

The Athletic:

6. Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan

Here’s our latest two-point stance speedster from the Wolverines. Wilson clocked a 4.33 40 out of it last offseason. Even more impressive, Wilson ran a sizzling 6.20-second 3-cone drill and topped everyone at Michigan with a 3.77 shuttle time. Those two times have been met with some disbelief in combine training circles, so there will be a lot of eyeballs on Michigan’s top receiver. Wilson, who also flew up the Wolverines’ reactive plyo stairs in 2.22 seconds (tops in the program), had a fantastic few days at the Senior Bowl.

Not to be left out, Jenkins, who came in at No. 6 on the 2023 freaks list, made it in this edition, as well.

10. Kris Jenkins, DT, Michigan

The son of the former star NFL D-lineman by the same name was described by Jim Harbaugh as “the mutant of all mutants.” Some of the freaky stuff Jenkins can do that merited the No. 1 spot on the Freaks List in 2023 won’t be relevant at the combine. At 307 pounds, Jenkins did a Turkish get-up with a 170-pound dumbbell — the heaviest former Michigan strength coach Ben Herbert has ever witnessed. Jenkins also does pull-ups with a 100-pound weight strapped to his waist and could do 760 pounds on the combo twist.

Both are among players who could greatly improve their draft stock this week with strong showings. Wilson’s speed should wow NFL scouts and general managers while Jenkins’ athleticism while being a big man should likewise have player personnel swooning.

The NFL scouting combine is set to begin on Monday and runs through March 4, the following Monday, in Indianapolis.

Brian Thomas Jr. named among Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks List’ entering NFL combine

Brian Thomas Jr. is already seen as a first-round pick, but he could wow scouts at the combine this week.

As we prepare for the 2024 NFL draft, most of the attention is on [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who are both projected to be top 10 picks.

But fellow receiver [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] saw his stock skyrocket this season, and the projected mid-to-late first-rounder has the opportunity to boost his stock significantly at the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins on Monday.

Thomas was named among the players on the annual “Freaks List” by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. Thomas comes in at No. 11 on Feldman’s list after leading the nation in touchdown receptions with 17 in 2023.

Here’s Feldman’s scouting breakdown of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect.

One of the biggest breakout stars of the 2023 season, Thomas exploded for 68 catches for 1,177 yards and 17 TDs, basically doubling what he’d done in the previous two seasons combined. The 6-4, 205-pound Thomas is expected to light it up in Indy, potentially running the 40 in the 4.3s and vertical jumping 38-inches plus.

Feldman added in his piece that Nabers, who may not work out at the combine, would have also cracked the top 20 of this list.

Some mocks show Thomas going as high as the top 15, but more commonly, he’s seen as a later-round pick with the Buffalo Bills at No. 28 being an oft-predicted landing spot.

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Report: Early Signing Day dates set to change once again

According to a report from The Athletic, college football is set to change its December signing date and add a summer date as well.

It wasn’t too long ago when the first week of February contained the college football signing day for high school football recruits. ESPN would cover it all day long and the college football world would be buzzing.

Now , the early signing day is in December, the transfer portal is in play and the February date has been downgraded some. But according to a report from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, more change is coming our way.

Those who control these things are looking to move the December date up to the Wednesday before the conference championship games so the high school signings don’t interfere with the transfer portal signings. Right now, they all seem to roll together and it could get confusing.

With that, the college football leaders are also looking into potentially adding another signing date in the summer leading up to fall camp.

College football is quickly turning into a year-round sport with very little breaks in between.

Gators keep seed, switch regions in The Athletic’s revised bracket watch

The Gators are now in the South Region but still have the same opening round opponent.

Florida basketball took a tough loss in overtime at the Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday but defeat at the hands of the best offense in the country did little in the way of damaging the Gators’ NCAA Tournament hopes.

The Athletic’s Brian Bennett recently released his updated men’s basketball bracket watch, keeping the Orange and Blue at the No. 8 seed but switching it to the South Region. However, they still face the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats to start things off — just this time in Memphis, Tennessee, instead of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Looking around the Southeastern Conference, Bennett’s bracket also includes the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 2), Alabama (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 4), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 6), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 7), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 9) and Texas A&M Aggies (No. 11). TAMU is among the last four in while the Ole Miss Rebels are in the “first four out” category.

The Gators return home on Saturday, Feb. 24, to host the Vanderbilt Commodores inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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