Author: rb809rb

The transfer portal does not open until January 2nd, but you would not have known that by looking at the news coming from the college football world on Monday. Athletes continue to announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal, and some top quarterbacks will be on the move in a couple of weeks. Florida’s DJ Lagway, Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola and Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby all announced they will be playing for a different school next season. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss who the top available quarterback is and where some of these guys might land. They also discuss NIL’s impact on all of this. A common thought is that players are transferring for more money, but are some quarterbacks transferring because they are being forced out of their current NIL contracts?

Advertisement

Then, the guys chat about a judge granting Jeremy Pruitt a preliminary injunction against the NCAA. This blocks the six-year show-cause order against Pruitt and moves him one step closer to returning to the sidelines. Jesse Minter also has a show-cause from his time at Michigan, and Pruitt’s ruling makes the crew wonder if his show-cause order could get overturned should Michigan look to hire him as their next head coach. In the latest news from the Michigan coaching search, Kalen DeBoer has now said multiple times that he is not leaving Alabama. Although part of the crew is not convinced, the guys discuss who else the Wolverines may look to.

Later, Godfrey finally makes his case to save the bowls. The bowl season is a time that used to be cherished by many, but the creation of the College Football Playoff, among other issues, has caused a decline in anticipation and excitement for bowl games. Steven Godfrey turns the bowl season on its head and makes his pitch for how the bowls could be revitalized.

Stay caught up on all things college football with College Football Enquirer.

(2:03) – Top QBs entering the transfer portal

Advertisement

(11:36) – How NIL could be forcing people to transfer

(25:24) – Jeremy Pruitt wins big court ruling

(33:45) – Michigan’s coaching search

(42:56) – Steven Godfrey saves the bowls

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast

There has been a lot of hype around Japanese superstar slugger Munetaka Murakami, as he was posted this offseason. With his posting nearing expiration, many are wondering which MLB team might make a move for the first baseman, or if there is a chance that he might not sign at all and stay in Japan for next season.

Advertisement

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about the fascinating posting of Murakami and why teams like the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Seattle Mariners, among a few others, could be a suitable fit for his services. They then get into the flurry of transactions that have gone on over the past few days, including Jorge Polanco going to Queens, the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Adolis García and an update to the Scott Boras Scoreboard.

Later, Jake and Jordan take a look at a couple of rosters for the World Baseball Classic, including the superstar power on Team USA and why the Dominican Republic squad is loaded on offense. They then ask a few questions pertaining to each team that could help them figure out which team could come out on top in the 2026 edition of the tournament.

1:14 – The Opener: Murakami signing soon

Advertisement

31:40 – Predictions for his landing spot

36:36 – Around the League

57:09 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update

1:02:02 – World Baseball Classic: Team USA roster

1:11:09 – A look at Team DR

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to The Dunker Spot

We have a fun episode of The Dunker Spot on deck!

First, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones check in on the MVP and ROY races — the top two for each award will be heavily contested throughout the year. Then, the guys react to a thrilling game between the Rockets and Nuggets, and open a broader discussion about the top of the West.

Advertisement

From there, they quickly salute the Knicks before diving into the Spurs’ upset victory over the historically-good Thunder. They examine Victor Wembanyama’s impact — and the ways the Thunder bothered him — as well as potential growth areas for the Thunder to hone in on. Then, it’s a quick peek into Tuesday night’s Final between the Spurs and Knicks.

(1:59) — MVP discussion

(30:51) — Rookie of the Year discussion

(48:08) — HOU/DEN thoughts + Who’s the 2nd best team in the West?

(01:01:27) — NBA Cup discussion (NYK salute, OKC-SA, NYK-SA thoughts)

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to Inside Coverage

Should we believe in the Pittsburgh Steelers after their MNF win? Yahoo Sports’ Andrew Siciliano, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab discuss Steelers’ playoff chances and Tua Tagovailoa’s future with the Miami Dolphins. Also, did the New England Patriots need to lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday to strengthen their playoff run? Plus, Andrew sits down with Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor to discuss the 2025 NFL season along with their thoughts on the state of the Seattle Seahawks. Closing things out, the crew breaks down Frank’s latest playoff projections before talking about their “One More Thing”.

Advertisement

(7:12) – Steelers MNF win over Dolphins

(18:30) – Did the Patriots need to lose to the Bills?

(24:14) – Richard Sherman & Kam Chancellor join the show!

(37:13) – How will the Packers move on without Micah Parsons?

(43:32) – Playoff Projections

(56:06) – One More Thing

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show

Kevin O’Connor breaks down the Knicks’ dominant NBA Cup final win against the Spurs and what it means for the team’s NBA title chances. He reacts to Victor Wembanyama’s tough night and the standout performances from Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Dylan Harper.

Advertisement

Kelly Iko joins to talk Giannis Antetokounmpo’s possible trade destinations, and shares why both the Rockets and Spurs are unlikely to mortgage their future for the superstar. Then, Raheem Palmer dishes on the Clippers’ openness to dealing James Harden & Kawhi Leonard and why the Rockets may be the Thunder’s top challenger for the NBA title.

(0:32) Knicks win 2025 NBA Cup

(14:49) What’s next for Ja Morant & the Grizzlies?

(21:53) Giannis trade destinations

(28:30) Will Nuggets make a trade?

(37:36) Clippers open to trading James Harden & Kawhi Leonard

(43:20) Are Lakers & Warriors too old to contend?

Advertisement

(51:18) Which teams can challenge OKC?

(56:23) Should there be an NBA team in Vegas?

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

The Washington Nationals’ youth movement is rolling full steam ahead. They’re hiring 31-year-old Philadelphia Phillies assistant general manager Ani Kilambi as the team’s new general manager, as reported Wednesday by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The Phillies hired Kilambi from the Tampa Bay Rays’ highly respected front office when he was just 27 years old. Kilambi went on to oversee the Phillies’ research and development department.

Advertisement

Now he’ll team up with 35-year-old Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni to help 33-year-old manager Blake Butera turn around an organization that won the World Series in 2019 but hasn’t made the playoffs — or won more than 71 games — in a season since.

Washington finished last in the NL East this past season with a lowly record of 66-96. In July, the Nationals moved on from general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.

One silver lining this season was the continued emergence of outfielder James Wood, who made his first All-Star team in his second season at just 22 years old. He raked 31 home runs and 94 RBI. He could be a pillar in the Nationals’ lineup for years to come, and so could shortstop CJ Abrams, another return from the Juan Soto trade in 2022. Abrams, 25, was an All-Star in 2024 and bumped his OPS up to .748 in 2025.

Wood and Abrams are at the forefront of a collection of young talent Washington has at its disposal. That pool features also 2025 No. 1 overall pick Eli Willits, though he’s only 18, so it could be a few years before he’s called up to the majors.

Advertisement

The point is the Nats have plenty of youngsters. That’s relatively true about their front office and managerial leadership, too. In that way, Kilambi will fit right in.

He started with the Rays in 2015, even before he graduated from UC Berkeley with a double major in statistics and operations research and management science, and he spent seven seasons in Tampa.

The Rays have developed a reputation as a leader in the analytics space over the years. They’re known for getting the most of out of the least on a tight budget. Kilambi, according to MLB.com, received credit from team executives for helping construct a powerful bullpen made up of a hodgepodge of relievers who played a significant part in the Rays’ 2020 AL pennant run.

Kilambi was then tasked with applying his skill set to a Phillies organization that, despite a much higher payroll, was lagging in the analytics department. It had made up some ground by the time Kilambi arrived, but his job was to grow the Phillies’ R&D department even more, as well as improve its data use.

His latest challenge will be his biggest yet.

Miami and Texas A&M are making their first College Football Playoff appearances.

Can the Hurricanes pull the upset after sneaking into the field, or will Texas A&M set up a quasi-home-game quarterfinal matchup with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?

Advertisement

[More CFP: Alabama at Oklahoma | Tulane at Ole Miss | JMU at Oregon]

No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M

How these teams got here

Miami (10-2): Hey, did you know that Miami jumped Notre Dame for the final at-large spot in the College Football Playoff in the last set of rankings? It might have been slightly controversial.

The Hurricanes got into the playoff because of their win over Notre Dame in Week 1. But it took so long for that playoff berth to feel certain because of the way the CFP committee evaluates teams. After Miami was at No. 18 at the start of November following a loss to SMU, the Hurricanes slowly worked their way up the rankings. They finally got close enough to Notre Dame for that head-to-head win to actually matter for the committee after BYU lost to Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game. Miami getting in the playoff over Notre Dame is perfectly defensible. How they got to the playoff, however, isn’t.

Advertisement

Texas A&M (11-1): The Aggies had designs on a first-round bye entering Thanksgiving week. A&M had saved an undefeated season with an incredible second-half comeback against South Carolina on Nov. 15 and then made quick work of FCS Samford to move to 11-0.

But the hope of a first-round bye in the playoff and a trip to the SEC title game again ended at the hands of the Texas Longhorns. A year after Texas denied the Aggies a visit to Atlanta, Texas did it again in a 27-17 win. A&M had no shot at the playoff a year ago; a chance for the national title is a nice consolation. But the Aggies would sure love to beat the Longhorns sometime soon.

How the QBs stack up

Miami QB Carson Beck had two really ugly games in 2025. Both of those games resulted in Miami losses.

Advertisement

The Georgia transfer has completed nearly 75% of his passes for 3,072 yards and 25 TDs with 10 interceptions. Six of those picks have come in the Hurricanes’ two defeats. He threw four picks in Miami’s 24-21 home loss to Louisville on Oct. 17 and then threw two more in a 26-20 overtime loss at SMU. Outside of that, he has just one other multi-interception game.

Beck has thrown at least two touchdown passes in eight of Miami’s 12 games this season and has been excellent since that SMU loss. Over his last four games, Beck is 89-of-112 passing for 1,125 yards and 11 TDs with just one interception.

A&M QB Marcel Reed was perhaps the most surprising player to miss out on the top 10 of the Heisman voting after his successful season. Reed isn’t the passer Beck is — he’s completed just 62% of his passes — but he’s rushed for 466 yards and six scores while also throwing 25 touchdowns.

A poor performance against the Longhorns made sure he wasn’t going to get invited to New York. But it’s hard to overlook how good Reed was in the comeback performance against South Carolina. After a disastrous first half, Reed finished the game 22-of-39 passing for 439 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

Advertisement

Players to watch

Miami WR CJ Daniels: Star freshman Malachi Toney has been the go-to wide receiver for the Hurricanes. His 84 catches are more than twice as many as any other Miami player, and he leads the team with 970 yards. But Daniels is a very important part of the Miami pass game. And the Hurricanes got him back at the end of the season.

Daniels has missed three games due to injury but is still tied with Toney for the team lead in receiving TDs with seven. The LSU transfer has 35 catches for 391 yards and had two grabs for 40 yards and a TD in his second game back from injury. Can he help prevent A&M from focusing its efforts solely on Toney?

Advertisement

Texas A&M RB Le’Veon Moss: The Aggies’ top running back hasn’t played since Oct. 11. But he could be back on the field against Miami after returning to practice this week.

Moss has missed the last six games with an ankle injury he suffered against Florida. Before the injury, Moss had 70 carries for 389 yards and six touchdowns over the Aggies’ first six games of the season.

In 2024, Moss had 121 carries for 765 yards and 10 TDs. Rueben Owens has filled in admirably with 618 yards on 112 carries with Moss out of the lineup. But having Moss and Owens back on the field together for the first time in over two months could be huge for the Aggies.

Key to the game

Both defenses are strikingly similar against the pass. Opponents have completed less than 60% of their passes for fewer than 200 yards per game against both A&M and Miami. But Miami has held opponents to fewer than five yards a carry and forces nearly two turnovers per game. A&M has forced just nine turnovers all season.

Advertisement

Will turnovers be the difference? And can Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. open up space for Beck to operate through the air? A&M has allowed opponents to rush for over six yards a carry four times in 2025. Fletcher leads Miami with 685 yards and 10 TDs on 141 carries. If Miami can make A&M worry about the run game, the Hurricanes have a real shot at pulling the upset.

Subscribe to The Cooligans

Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros sit down with Premier League and MLS legend Jermain Defoe for a wide-ranging conversation on one of the most memorable careers in modern soccer.

Advertisement

Defoe reflects on his iconic five-goal performance for Tottenham Hotspur, what it meant to hear Spurs fans chanting his name before his emotional return to the club, and the toughest defenders he battled in the Premier League. He also shares the surreal story of receiving a phone call from Drake ahead of his move to Toronto FC, and gives his take on which MLS players he believes could have succeeded in Europe.

From Premier League glory to MLS insight, this is a must-listen interview with one of England’s most prolific strikers.

Timestamps:

(1:00) – Jermain Defoe joins The Cooligans

(6:00) – Memorable moments from his time with Toronto FC

Advertisement

(11:30) – Breaking down Jermain’s legendary Premier League career

(37:15) – Breaking down his decision to join Toronto

(41:00) – Not being at Tottenham for the 2008 Carling Cup win

(46:30) – MLS players that could’ve played in Europe

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

The time has finally arrived. Twelve regular season games, and the conference championship games, have all led up to this point. After all of the questions, debate, anger and anxiety; the first round of the College Football Playoff begins Friday! The excitement gets started with ninth-seeded Alabama visiting eighth-seeded Oklahoma. A rematch from the regular season in which the Sooners came out on top. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss the matchup and what they think both teams need to do to come out victorious. Then, they take a look at another big-time matchup that will see tenth-seeded Miami visit seventh-seeded Texas A&M. They discuss the quick turnaround A&M has made under Mike Elko and how Miami can come away victorious. Also, Godfrey discusses the Group of Five teams deserving a spot in the Playoff and Ross looks at the fourteen coaches who will be coaching in the Playoff despite having accepted a different coaching job for next season.

Advertisement

Then, Ross talks about a story he wrote last year that is coming back to light. The current CFP agreement states that in the 2026 season, the Power 4 conference champions will be guaranteed a spot in the field. It also states that a Top-12 ranked Notre Dame would automatically get a bid. This overlooked and forgotten caveat has become the topic of much debate. The crew discusses its impact and what may come of this agreement if the Playoff is expanded to 16 teams. They also dive into the NFL’s impact on the CFP and why some of the premiere college games this weekend are not in the premiere time slots.

Later, it’s time for I’ve Got A Feeling. You get double the picks today as the guys not only pick games for this weekend, but they also pick who they think will be crowned National Champion. Alabama, Miami and Montana State are the favorites for the weekend. Meanwhile, two Big Ten teams and one SEC team are chosen to win it all!

Get ready for the College Football Playoff with College Football Enquirer.

0:00:00 – Alabama vs. Oklahoma CFP preview

Advertisement

17:14 – Miami vs. Texas A&M CFP preview

24:21 – CFP Coaches who are leaving their team

30:40 – Automatic bids changing for future CFPs

47:53 – How the NFL impacts the CFP

54:17 – I’ve Got A Feeling

59:53 – I’ve Got A Feeling National Champ edition

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Subscribe to Baseball Bar-B-Cast

With roughly three months until the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Team USA’s pitching rotation just got a huge bump as they go for their second championship in the tournament. Tarik Skubal was announced as the latest starting pitcher added to the roster, and adding the reigning AL Cy Young might be the biggest addition they’ve had yet.

Advertisement

On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman discuss the impressive rotation that has been assembled behind Skubal, which includes NL reigning Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes, Joe Ryan and Logan Webb. The biggest question now is how Team USA manager Mark DeRosa will use some of the game’s biggest arms in order to try to shut down any competition that comes their way.

Later, Jake and Jordan talk about some more free-agent signings that have gone down, including the San Diego Padres bringing back Michael King on a three-year deal, the New York Mets adding another former reliever from the New York Yankees and the possibility of Alex Bregman joining the Arizona Diamondbacks. The guys then make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad and The Uggla.

1:01 – The Opener: Tarik Skubal joins Team USA

Advertisement

27:12 – Scott Boras Scoreboard update

32:16 – Around the League: Murakami, Bregman updates

41:50 – Reliever market news

53:08 – Padres re-sign Michael King

1:02:38 – The Good, The Bad & The Uggla

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv