Tag: UCLA

Lady Vols advance to Final Four for first time since 2002

Tennessee tennis advances to the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the first time since 2002.

No. 16 seed Tennessee defeated No. 8 seed UCLA, 4-3, in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on Friday. The match was contested at Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Tennessee advances to the Final Four for the first time since 2002. The Lady Vols are also the lowest seed to advance to the Final Four since a 64-team format was implemented in 1999.

“I’m so incredibly happy and proud,” Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. “We have said for this entire year that there is just something really special about this group. Not only are they good, but they have this togetherness that allows them to elevate each other’s performance. That’s what you guys saw tonight from start to finish. I couldn’t be more excited for these guys.”

Tennessee will next play No. 13 seed Texas A&M on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EDT in the Final Four.

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

$10 million UCLA ‘Calimony’ payment approved by UC Board of Regents

UCLA will have to pay $10 million per year to Cal, but only for three years and not six.

The UCLA Bruins are joining USC, Washington, and Oregon in the Big Ten later this year. As a consequence of leaving the Pac-12 and disrupting the structural integrity of the UC system, the Bruins do have to pay up to Cal, a payment labeled ‘Calimony’ by Golden Bear fans and longtime Pac-12 watchers. Because Cal is getting a relatively modest amount of up-front revenue for joining the cash-poor ACC, the UC Board of Regents felt it important to require UCLA to make the maximum possible annual payment of $10 million. A vote by the regents on Tuesday approved that proposed $10 million amount. However, there is a twist which makes this less than a complete disaster for UCLA. It’s a bad outcome for the Bruins, but it’s not a worst-case scenario.

The original proposal was for UCLA to pay $10 million per year for six years, through 2030. The $10 million payment stands, but the board revised it to just a three-year payment window through 2027. UCLA will still be constrained from a budgetary standpoint, but not for as long a period of time as the school had feared. Call this the Calimony Compromise, if you will.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

D’Anton Lynn doesn’t shy away from tough challenges

D’Anton Lynn’s attitude, not just his knowledge, should help USC.

D’Anton Lynn of USC appears to be a football coach who knows his Xs and Os inside and out, forward and back. His raw football acumen is undeniable, and that’s the main reason Lincoln Riley hired him away from the UCLA Bruins. However, there’s something else about Lynn which stands out.

USC football analyst Josh Webb explained this to us:

“There’s something Lynn told L.A. Times reporter Ben Bolch that really stood out to me. When talking about his relative lack of experience in college football and how UCLA head coach Chip Kelly hiring him as the Bruins’ defensive coordinator truly ‘came out of the blue’ and was a huge but daunting opportunity. Lynn knew it was something far beyond anything he’d done, but that wasn’t a deterrent. It was a motivation. 

“’I just felt like I was ready to take that step, and I needed to get uncomfortable. No matter what’s going to happen after this, I’m only going to grow,’ Lynn said to Bolch. 

“That mentality is exactly the position he’s putting his players in as we speak. Lynn’s scheme relies on big bodies up front to apply pressure while the secondary is given a bit more leeway with their zone coverage. It’s that same healthy mix of absurd pressure and quality coverage that took UCLA to the top of the NCAA in many defensive stats under Lynn. USC is hoping he can perform the same magic with them. USC hiring him despite a relative lack of credentials says a lot.”

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

WATCH: Back-to-back first round draft picks Taliese Fuaga, Laiatu Latu compete 1-on-1

It isn’t too often that two players competed against each other and then got drafted with back-to-back picks. So who won when Taliese Fuaga and Laiatu Latu squared up?

It isn’t too often you’ll see a pair of first round draft picks compete against each other at the college level. So it’s really impressive when you see two players picked back-to-back line up against one another.

That’s exactly what happened when UCLA kicked off against Oregon State last season, pitting right tackle Taliese Fuaga (the New Orleans Saints’ future pick at No. 14) against outside linebacker Laiatu Latu (the Indianapolis Colts’ choice at No. 15).

And it was one impressive battle. JM Football’s Bobby Skinner highlighted the battle in the trenches between these two future first-round picks, pointing out where they each got their wins. As for who won the day? You’ll have to tune in and see for yourself.

[lawrence-auto-related count=4]

UDFA rumors: Former UCLA RB Carson Steele to sign with Chiefs

UDFA rumors: Former UCLA running back Carson Steele is signing with the Kansas City #Chiefs

The impact of pre-draft visits goes a long way for players before the stressful weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs held their meetings like many of the other 31 teams around the league, and although some of the players’ names weren’t called at the podium, they still found a home with a team.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Former UCLA running back Carson Steele will sign with Kansas City after going undrafted. Steele was one of the many players who visited Kansas City ahead of the NFL Draft, getting an early indication that there was mutual interest. The Indianapolis native led the MAC in rushing yards in his second season at Ball State before transferring to UCLA.

In 2023, Steele rushed for 847 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Bruins. He is projected to be a hybrid fullback and could be a part of the offense missing from Andy Reid’s system since Michael Burton’s departure.

The Chiefs didn’t draft a running back, so they have Clyde Edwards-Helaire slated as the third-down option and backup to Isiah Pacheco on the depth chart. As a versatile fullback, Steele could earn him a spot on the team, especially if his blocking is up to the task.

For more Chiefs UDFA signings, follow our tracker.

20 best players available for Ravens on Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft

Day One of the 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and it was a historic night. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks, and 23 offensive players were selected, the most ever. Baltimore was able to land one of the top cornerbacks on the …

Day One of the 2024 NFL draft is in the books, and it was a historic night. Six quarterbacks were selected in the first 12 picks, and 23 offensive players were selected, the most ever.

Baltimore was able to land one of the top cornerbacks on the board without trading up.

Rounds two and three will play out on Friday night, and the Eagles will have two picks in Round 2 and none in Round 3.

Here is our list of the best players on the board during day two of the NFL draft.

Former Wisconsin transfer running back receiving plenty of Big Ten interest

Wisconsin could see a familiar face again in 2024

Former Wisconsin Badgers running back Jalen Berger is receiving plenty of Big Ten interest, now in his second time through the transfer process.

He already has a visit scheduled with Big Ten newcomer UCLA and has also heard from Minnesota and Nebraska, according to 247Sports’ Collin Kennedy.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

The former Badger re-entered the portal on April 23 after two seasons at Michigan State. Berger had a big 2022 for the Spartans, leading the team with 683 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 148 carries. Things were in flux, however, after a quiet 2023 and the program moving on from head coach Mel Tucker.

The New Jersey, native was a highly-touted member of Wisconsin’s class of 2020, ranked as the No. 136 player in the class and No. 20 running back. He burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2020 before his role evaporated in 2021, a behind-the-scenes saga that finished with his dismissal from the program.

The Badgers might not have seen the last of the former four-star recruit as several Big Ten schools appear to be atop his transfer list.

For more on Wisconsin’s transfer portal activity this spring, check out our 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker.

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.

[lawrence-related id=75349,75031,74984,74691,74654]

Indianapolis Colts select 1st defensive player of the round with EDGE Laiatu Latu

It took half of the first round before a defensive player was selected.

We were nearly halfway through the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and we finally had the first defensive player selected. But maybe not the one you expected. The Indianapolis Colts used the No. 15 overall pick to select former UCLA edge defender Laiatu Latu.

The biggest thing that kept pundits from ranking Latu higher is the serious neck injury he suffered when he played at Washington. At the time he was advised to medically retire but instead he transferred and turned his fortunes around.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5375″ ]

As long as he stays healthy, the Colts have themselves a dynamic and productive edge rusher who can play standing up and drop into coverage. Latu going here also means other teams in the back half of the first round who need help on the edge will have an option to select Alabama’s Dallas Turner who we consider a better and safer pick.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Notre Dame wide receiver headed to Pac-12 … er, Big Ten

All the best with the move

Wide receiver [autotag]Rico Flores Jr.[/autotag] became Notre Dame’s first wide receiver in nearly two full seasons to produce 100 receiving yards in a game in November when he did so against Wake Forest. Not two weeks after doing so he announced he was entering the transfer portal.

Now Flores has announced his new home: He is headed to the Pac 12.

Correction: He is headed to the Big Ten.

Flores announced Friday that he’ll continue his football career at UCLA.

Flores emerged as his freshman season at Notre Dame went on. He had 27 receptions for 392 yards and a touchdown this season. His biggest game came against Wake Forest; he had those 102 yards.

Flores shows great promise as a wide receiver at this level and was the one I was most upset to see leave the program. Considering what Notre Dame has added in the portal in recent days, it seems the Fighting Irish will be better at receiver in 2024 than 2023 despite the exits, including Flores’.

UCLA’s Laiatu Latu inspired by trials Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips overcame

Just like Jaelan Phillips, UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu was medically retired from football before coming back to earn All-American honors.

Shortly after the 2018 football season ended, Jaelan Phillips medically retired from football. Once the No. 1 recruit of the Class of 2017, the pass rusher’s time at UCLA was largely defined by injuries, including concussions and a wrist injury caused when he was hit by a car.

Just a few years later, Phillips was a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft after coming back from his brief retirement to play for the Miami Hurricanes where he earned Second Team All-American honors in 2020.

While Laiatu Latu never crossed paths with Phillips at UCLA, the pass rusher can relate to that journey. Just three years ago, Latu was medically retired by the Washington Huskies due to a neck injury. Like Phillips, he revived his football career after a transfer and earned All-American honors in 2023 with the Bruins.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

“I know he kind of went through something similar where he almost medically retired — or pretty much medically retired — and I heard about that,” Latu said of Phillips, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post. “And it’s definitely encouraging to hear that and it definitely helps me get through a lot, too.”

The Dolphins’ decision to draft Phillips was a risk that has paid off. In 42 games with Miami, the pass rusher has 22 sacks and was off to a career-best start in 2023 before an Achilles tear ended his season in November.

Would the team make a similar risk by taking Latu at No. 21 overall on Thursday? ESPN Analytics and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler think so.

“The Dolphins weren’t scared off by Jaelan Phillips’ injury past, and I don’t think they will shy away from Latu’s either,” Brugler wrote last week.

Latu finished the 2023 season with 13 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]