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  • Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore reportedly arrested on weapons charges

    Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore was arrested by Lakewood, Ohio, police Wednesday night on charges of carrying concealed weapons and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle, according to WKYC.com.

    Police told WKYC that Lattimore was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for having expired license plates and other traffic violations. The NFL veteran was taken into custody because he did not reveal that a gun was inside the vehicle when asked by an officer.

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    “We have been made aware of the arrest and are gathering more information. We have informed the NFL League Office and have no further comment at this time,” the Commanders said in a statement.

    Lattimore was booked at the Lakewood jail and released pending further investigation. Charges have not been filed.

    In 2021, Lattimore was arrested in Cleveland on suspicion of possessing a stolen gun and later charged with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony. Eight months later, he pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon, a first-degree misdemeanor. He was placed on a year of non-reporting probation, avoiding a 180-day jail sentence.

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    The 29-year-old Lattimore joined the Commanders via a 2024 trade after spending parts of his first eight NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints. The four-time Pro Bowler played only nine games during the 2025 season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks.

  • Buccaneers fire 5 assistant coaches, including OC Josh Grizzard after 1 season

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are cleaning house after the team decided to fire offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross, and defensive line coach Charlie Strong.

    “These decisions are always difficult, but the disappointing end to the season required some changes to our coaching staff in order to ensure we live up to the high standards we have set here,” said head coach Todd Bowles in a statement. “These coaches have all put in tremendous amount of work and effort, but unfortunately, the results were not there this past season. Our goal is to compete for championships every year, and it is my responsibility to make these tough decisions in order to reach those expectations. I want to thank these coaches for all that they have contributed to our success over the years, and I wish them well.”

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    Grizzard was Bowles’ fourth OC in four seasons, and with Bowles’ job safe, he’ll search for a fifth.

    The Bucs’ offense took a big step back this season, dropping from third in the NFL in total yards in 2024 (399.5 per game) to 21st this past season (320.4 per game). The team had won four straight NFC South division titles and made the playoffs every season since 2020, but has won only one playoff game since Bowles took over as head coach in 2022.

    [Get more Buccaneers news: Tampa Bay team feed]

    In Bowles’ four seasons in charge, Tampa has a 35-33 record.

    Since Bowles joined the franchise in 2019 as defensive coordinator, the Buccaneers have had Byron Leftwich, Dave Canales, Liam Coen, and Grizzard serve as offensive coordinator. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports two names to watch are Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Ravens OC Todd Monken.

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    Grizzard joined the Bucs in 2024 as passing game coordinator before being promoted to offensive coordinator following Coen’s departure to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

    Lewis, a former NFL journeyman who played seven games in the league, was hired in 2020 as an intern before moving up to be an offensive assistant. The following season he was promoted to assistant receivers coach before assuming the role of quarterbacks coach in 2023 and working closely with Baker Mayfield in his three seasons in Tampa.

    McGaughey was hired in Feb. 2024 after serving in the same role with the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Jets since 2014.

  • Fantasy Football Video: Lessons learned from the Cowboys’ backfield after Javonte Williams’ breakout season

    The Dallas Cowboys may have missed the 2025 NFL playoffs but they gave fantasy football managers plenty of value this season. From QB Dak Prescott to WR George Pickens and perhaps most notably RB Javonte Williams, Dallas’ roster was full of fantasy goodness, and was only made better by its putrid defense. On the latest episode of the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast, analysts Matt Harmon and Justin Boone go over their top lessons learned from the Cowboys’ backfield this season.

    Harmon begins the segment by reminiscing on a ill-advised preseason call for Jaydon Blue as a sleeper pick in drafts, a potential lead option in the backfield for Dallas as a rookie. Blue was mostly forgotten and it was Williams who took on the majority of the work, both on the ground and in the passing game. Harmon points out Williams’ involvement in the pass game was a big reason he finished as a top-12 RB in fantasy in 2025.

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    Williams, who entered his first season with the Cowboys not looking the same since a major knee injury in 2022, was overlooked in fantasy drafts because of that. He went on to post career highs across the board on the ground — 1,201 rushing yards on 252 attempts with 11 touchdowns. He also added 35 catches for 137 yards and a pair of scores.

    Boone echoes the sentiment that we all got it wrong with Williams before the season. He came out hot out the gate with 64 yards on 17 touches with two touchdowns in Week 1 against the Eagles. Williams would get at least 15 touches in every game through Week 7.

    The 25-year-old back had always been a player who split the work in backfields in Denver, says Boone. That led many of us to believe he couldn’t handle a full workload as the lead back in Dallas. Williams proved us all wrong and it tells us that taking a chance on the veteran back late in your draft wasn’t a bad idea after all.

    Williams is a free agent and it appears the Cowboys want to bring him back, which would be an ideal situation for the veteran RB to retain fantasy value in an elite offense in 2026.

  • Will the legendary story of Trinidad Chambliss continue for another season at Ole Miss?

    OXFORD, Miss. — A couple miles off campus, across the street from a Super Walmart and adjacent to a Chili’s, there exists a Planet Fitness that served as the primary workout space for a newly added transfer football player for the Ole Miss Rebels.

    For a couple weeks in May, few if anyone recognized the former Division II quarterback from Ferris State as he swiped a fob for access to the Planet Fitness franchise’s Oxford location, where, every day, he lifted weights and performed conditioning work with the general public of this college town.

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    In a little-known fact, Trinidad Chambliss wasn’t ruled academically eligible at Ole Miss until well into the summer.

    “I couldn’t even work out with the team,” Chambliss told Yahoo Sports in an interview earlier this fall from the team’s football facility. “There was a point over the summer where they thought I had to go back to Ferris State.”

    The anecdote is yet another interesting piece in one of the most fascinating stories in the recent history of the sport: The stunning, meteoric rise of Trinidad Chambliss, from complete obscurity to playoff hero, from an unrecognizable Michigan kid to a college football star in the Deep South, from a backup at the D-II level to a Southeastern Conference starting QB in a single calendar year.

    It’s a made-for-TV spectacle, a story with all the hallmarks for a Netflix documentary.

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    But a few days before Chambliss leads his streaking Ole Miss Rebels (13-1) into a College Football Playoff semifinal against the Miami Hurricanes (12-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, the quarterback’s tale is overshadowed by its latest chapter: It is not clear whether his story will continue in college beyond this month.

    Lording over Chambliss — and perhaps the entire college football quarterback transfer market — is a decision from the NCAA to grant him a sixth season of eligibility next year. Three days into the 15-day transfer portal, the association has not ruled.

    Chambliss — his legal representation, parents, agent and current school, too — is left in limbo while preparing for the biggest game of his life.

    “The unknown is uncomfortable,” says Trent Chambliss, the quarterback’s father.

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    While a half-dozen elite quarterback transfers make their future decisions and sign multi-million dollar contracts with a new school or their current program, Trinidad Chambliss is twisting in the winds of uncertainty, unable to officially strike a new deal.

    NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: QB Trinidad Chambliss #6 of the Ole Miss Rebels stands on the podium with the trophy in the foreground after winning the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Ole Miss Rebels and Georgia Bulldogs on January 1, 2026, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

    Ole Miss has secured a commitment from Trinidad Chambliss for next year if he is granted a waiver by the NCAA. (David Buono/Getty Images)

    (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

    That didn’t stop him overnight Sunday from agreeing to a new contract with the Rebels contingent on having the waiver granted, according to those with knowledge of the situation.

    The agreement sets up potential legal action if his waiver is not granted.

    Millions of dollars are now on the line.

    In the first full year of schools directly compensating athletes — and despite a cap on that compensation — the market for a top-five seasoned power conference starting quarterback stands to reach as much as $7 million annually when factoring incentives, says Fletcher Smith, the founder and president of Blueprint Sports, which serves as Chambliss’ representative.

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    “If Trinidad were in the portal, he’d be at the top of the list of transfer quarterbacks,” Smith said. “Certainly as Ole Miss continues to win, the economic impact loss on him would be substantial if the upside is at least $5 million. We are talking about a significant financial loss.”

    Manziel-like magic

    From the stands of the New Orleans Superdome, tears poured from Cheryl Chambliss’ eyes as her son led Ole Miss’ second-half comeback in a stunning upset of Georgia to win the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal, 39-34, in one of the best quarterback performances in college football postseason history.

    “It was the best we have ever seen,” tweeted Chambliss’ former coach, LSU’s Lane Kiffin.

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    Against defensive mastermind Kirby Smart and a group of high-profile defenders, Chambliss threw for 362 yards (his eighth 300-yard game this season), two touchdowns, completed 65.2% of his passes and took his streak without an interception to 136 attempts.

    At one point during the second-half comeback last week, Chambliss completed nine consecutive passes, including a 36-yarder on fourth down, an 8-yarder to convert a third down and two more passes while evading would-be sacks by dancing, twirling and skipping through the backfield in moves that remind some of a certain former Heisman Trophy winner.

    After the Sugar Bowl trophy presentation, Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter chased down the quarterback to give him a message: “You’re incredible!”

    “The two plays he made right here where we are standing,” Carter said after the celebration while on the field, “that’s some Johnny Manziel stuff.”

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    As Trinidad whirled around and heaved deep balls, his father whispered quietly to himself in the stands, “Finally.”

    “We’ve been waiting a long time for him to play free and have fun,” Trent Chambliss said. “He’s had an amazing season, but we haven’t seen the best of him until that game. Western Michigan knows that Trinidad. Ferris State knows that Trinidad. Everybody’s been waiting for that to happen. It was cool for him to finally reach a level of comfort.”

    Perhaps it’s understandable why Trinidad has played more conservative this season before Thursday’s game. After all, he’d never been here before. This time last year, he was leading Ferris State to the Division II national championship. Five months earlier, he was in a heated quarterback battle just to win the starting job on the DII level.

    And now here he was on national television carving through one of the sport’s powerhouse programs to lead his team one win away from competing for its first national title in over 60 years.

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    It doesn’t seem real.

    Well before this game, even before the playoffs began this year, none of this seemed real to Trinidad, especially when considering that 17 months ago, in his first game as the full-time starter at Ferris, he threw two interceptions, completed 13 passes and the team lost 19-3.

    “I had a lot of doubts through that point in time,” he said. “And then now, it’s just wild to think about this season here. I didn’t expect to play as much. I was just prepared if they needed me for short yardage.”

    So much needed to happen for him to arrive at this point. First, he had to win that starting quarterback competition at Ferris, perform well enough in his first season as a full-time starter in 2024 to attract other offers (51 touchdowns), get into the spring transfer portal, and then have Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. find video of him playing on, of all places, Twitter/X.

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    Then he needed to get academically cleared at Ole Miss. Those troubles had nothing to do with his grades (he’s an A student). But some of his credits from Ferris State didn’t transfer to the Ole Miss business school.

    Ultimately, the university cleared him. But it meant changing his major from business administration to multi-dimensional studies, petitioning the business school to accept some of the credits and then taking a full load of six classes over the summer.

    “It was nerve-racking,” Cheryl said.

    And then came the final break: starting quarterback Austin Simmons’ injury in the third game of the season. Even when Simmons grew healthy, Kiffin never yanked Trinidad from the lineup.

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    The coach, now at LSU, believed in Trinidad.

    As it turns out, he still does.

    Over the last two weeks, Ole Miss university and athletic department administrators have been notified of LSU’s interest in Trinidad.

    The problem, of course, for any school with interest in the quarterback: He’s not currently eligible to play any longer in college.

    Will the ‘underdog’ get another year?

    Trinidad is one of dozens of college athletes in the last few months to request an additional year of eligibility through the NCAA’s much-maligned waiver system.

    The association grants extended eligibility waivers in a case-by-case basis through the 21-person Division I Academics and Eligibility Committee. Committee members review evidence in each case before determining whether to grant the waiver.

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    The eligibility waiver process has been the target of public criticism from within NCAA member schools and legal scrutiny from attorneys who, ultimately, file suit on behalf of their athlete clients who’ve had waivers denied.

    Attorneys have filed more than 40 eligibility-based lawsuits against the NCAA in the last year, and the association has been successful in having the cases dropped or winning preliminary rulings in more than half of those. A handful of athletes, however, have succeeded in a judge granting an injunction to permit them to play an additional season.

    If Chambliss’ waiver is denied, another lawsuit may soon be filed.

    “I’d think everybody in college football would love to see Trinidad Chambliss come back and play another year,” said Tom Mars, an attorney who has for years represented coaches and players against the NCAA. “America loves an underdog. He’s the ultimate underdog. If the NCAA has the discretion to grant him another year, why wouldn’t they?”

    Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) and Mississippi defensive tackle Will Echoles (52) talk at the crowd after defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

    Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss celebrates with teammates after their win over Georgia. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

    (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

    NCAA rules traditionally permit athletes a five-year window to play four full seasons of competition. Extending eligibility is a complicated and divisive issue. While granting older college players more seasons of competition for, at times, legitimate reasons, a decision to extend their eligibility potentially impacts roster spots for high school players. It’s an argument the association has made in public comments as well as in court documents.

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    However, a new consideration is swaying some judges to rule against the NCAA in eligibility cases: the advent of NIL compensation and direct pay from schools to athletes.

    Extra eligibility now has a price on it. And Trinidad’s is quite high.

    Already, the quarterback is suffering financial “damages,” says Mars, for the NCAA’s delay in its decision. Quarterbacks are entering the portal and signing with other programs or their current schools in a competitive market from which his client is, for now, absent.

    For instance, one of the most highly sought transfer quarterbacks, Brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati, signed with Texas Tech on Sunday for an annual compensation of at least $5 million, according to those with knowledge of the contract. That figure is on par with compensation for many third-round selections in the NFL Draft.

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    “I wonder if anyone realizes that the urgency isn’t about the portal closing Jan. 16, but it’s how long is this elite quarterback market going to be open?” Mars said. “As I understand it, not much longer. Everyone wants closure as soon as possible, but there’s a significant economic impact caused by the delay here.”

    Trinidad’s case for a sixth year of eligibility hinges on him proving to the NCAA that he was unable to play during the 2022 season at Ferris State — his sophomore year — because of an illness. The quarterback used his redshirt season in 2021 as a freshman and then missed the 2022 season while fighting respiratory issues that doctors eventually solved through surgery to remove his tonsils, according to a 91-page filing drafted by Mars and forwarded by Ole Miss to the NCAA on Dec. 22. Mars drafted another document sent to the NCAA on Sunday re-emphasizing the NCAA has the sufficient evidence needed to grant the waiver based on the association’s own bylaw language.

    As part of the 91-page filing, Mars included documents from Dr. Anthony Howard, an ear, nose and throat specialist who treated Trinidad for the condition in December 2022. Ultimately, Howard determined the quarterback suffered from “enlarged tonsils” and other ailments that limited his ability to play in 2022.

    As of last week, NCAA officials signaled they needed more information, specifically from Ferris State, before making a decision.

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    Meanwhile, the Chambliss family remains in limbo. And Ole Miss too.

    Rebels coach Pete Golding is recruiting in the portal as if Trinidad is playing in his final year of eligibility.

    “It affects a lot of decisions of you know who you got to go get,” said Golding. “Obviously, you’re recruiting quarterbacks, but does [a QB] really want to [be] behind who I think would be the frontrunner for the Heisman or not? Hopefully we’ll know sooner than later, but that’s out of my control.”

    More than just a runner

    Last spring, when Ole Miss receiver Cayden Lee learned of the Rebels’ interest in a Division II quarterback, he thought it odd.

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    “I was like, ‘OK, first off, Kiffin is an offensive guy so he’s not going to just bring somebody in. He sees something in him,’” Lee said. “He got here and everybody was like, ‘He’s a runner.’ Well, we started throwing and I was like, ‘Oh s***. He can throw too. He’s like a little Kyler Murray out there.’”

    Trinidad says he’s been painted as a runner his entire life.

    “A lot of people didn’t think I could throw the ball,” he says.

    Can he throw? Considering those quarterbacks with at least 20 touchdown passes this year, Trinidad has the third-fewest interceptions (three), he’s top-30 in completion percentage (66.4), and he’s top 20 in passing yards per game (261.4). And, yes, he can run too. His 520 yards rushing makes him 10th nationally in total offensive yards per game.

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    “Watching him on film, he’s on a different level,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “He can do it all. He’s a limitless football player.”

    His dad credits some of Trinidad’s skills to him being an all-star shortstop in baseball and point guard in basketball — the hand-eye coordination, the field vision, the mental acuity.

    All of it was on display well before he took the field for Ole Miss. During his recruiting visit to Oxford last April, Weis, Kiffin and Ole Miss offensive support staff member Joe Judge put the quarterback through multiple tests, his mother and father remember.

    They assessed Trinidad’s depth of knowledge. They asked him to identify certain formations during a film test, diagnose a defense in another and then call out certain plays and checks in a third. In the middle of it all, Kiffin stopped the testing, pulled Cheryl and Trent into his office and delivered them a message before a planned visit to Temple, the only other FBS school having offered Trinidad.

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    “I’ve got good news and bad for you,” Kiffin said. “The bad news is I’m going to do my best to make sure you aren’t catching that flight to Philadelphia. The good news is we want your son.’”

    Trent and Cheryl are educators at their core. Trent is a high school administrator at Wyoming High in a suburb of their hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Cheryl is a retired juvenile probation officer.

    While their son, if granted an additional year of eligibility, stands to earn life-changing money, they are focused on something else: Trinidad is scheduled to graduate in May.

    “A college degree is very important,” Cheryl says sternly.

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    Trinidad never did this for the money anyhow. In fact, last December when schools expressed an interest in him — UCF promised him a spot, he says — he decided against entering the NCAA fall transfer portal. After enough attention built over the next few months, he ultimately entered the spring portal.

    He signed an undisclosed NIL deal with Ole Miss that was believed to be in the mid six-figures, though he “surpassed all of his benchmark” incentives, Cheryl said.

    “He is at the point where the contract gets revisited as the season comes to an end,” Trent said. “There will definitely be some nice adjustments.”

    Trent continues to express confidence Trinidad will be granted the waiver, despite pessimism from many in and around Ole Miss. Asked about any recent communication with Kiffin in recruiting, Trent Chambliss is coy with his answer. He’s more understanding of Kiffin’s decision than most around and at the university. At one point, he even compares Trinidad’s move from Ferris State to Ole Miss to Kiffin’s move from Ole Miss to LSU.

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    “The communication with him is the best it could be based on how the circumstances unfolded,” Trent said. “It’s been pretty clear that this wasn’t an ideal situation. It’s new ground for everybody.”

    But what if the waiver doesn’t come?

    “There’s the injunction route and the other is going to the league,” said Smith, Trinidad’s NIL representative. “Those are the only two options. The injunction route has its own set of issues because we don’t know how long that process plays out. Do we get an answer in March or April? The draft is in April.”

    In the meantime, one of college football’s best and most unlikely stories does have at least one more chapter left.

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    It will unfold on Thursday night in Glendale, Arizona, against the University of Miami.

    There’s a funny story about that, too, yet another interesting wrinkle in the story of Trinidad Chambliss.

    As the family left Ole Miss last April during its visit to campus, other schools learned of his commitment to the Rebels. Was there enough time to sway Trinidad away from Ole Miss?

    Coaches from Tennessee called. Arkansas, too. Ohio State, Minnesota and Florida State.

    “We were boarding our flight,” said Trent Chambliss, “when Miami called.”

    Trinidad turned to his dad, “What should I tell these schools?”

    “The hay is in the barn,” his dad replied.

    Trinidad looked at his father confused, “Dad, what does that mean?”

  • How to watch the Fiesta Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Miami game time, channel, where to stream and more

    After an action-packed season and some shocking post-season upsets, it’s all down to the final four teams in the College Football Playoff. The first game of the CFP semifinals kicks off this Thursday, Jan. 8 in Glendale, AZ when the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels face the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes at the Fiesta Bowl. Miami earned their spot in the game after handing Ohio State a surprising loss at the Cotton Bowl, eliminating the reigning champs from competition. Will they be able to repeat the performance when they face Trinidad Chambliss and his teammates on Thursday?

    The Fiesta Bowl game between Ole Miss and Miami airs on ESPN and will stream on ESPN Unlimited starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Here’s how to watch when it airs this Thursday.

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    How to watch Ole Miss vs. Miami in the Fiesta Bowl game:

    Image for the mini product module
    Image for the mini product module

    Date: Thursday, January 8

    Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

    TV Channel: ESPN

    Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, DirecTV, Fubo and more

    When is the Ole Miss vs. Miami game?

    You can watch coverage of this week’s Ole Miss vs. Miami Fiesta Bowl game starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Jan. 8.

    Where to watch the Ole Miss vs. Miami game without cable

    You can tune in to the Fiesta Bowl game on ESPN. ESPN is available on streaming platforms, including DirecTV and Sling, but for the most comprehensive college football coverage, you can also watch this game and hundreds more on the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.

    Image for the small product module
  • Oklahoma to hire longtime Dallas Cowboys star Jason Witten as tight ends coach

    Oklahoma’s new tight ends coach is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.

    The Sooners are set to add former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten to their coaching staff, according to On3. Witten’s hire comes as his son, Cooper Witten, is the No. 1 linebacker in the country and a five-star recruit in the high school class of 2027.

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    According to Rivals, Cooper Witten is the No. 19 player in the country and the No. 4 player in Texas. The Sooners were a top contender in his recruitment before Jason Witten was added to the coaching staff. Now, Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong have said they believe that Cooper Witten will play for Oklahoma.

    [Get more Sooners football news: Oklahoma team feed]

    Jason Witten, 43, played in the NFL from 2003 through 2017 for the Dallas Cowboys. He came back for the 2019 season with the Cowboys, too, and then played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. In between, he served as the lead analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” in 2018.

    Witten logged 1,228 catches for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns across his career. He joined Tony Gonzalez as the second tight end with over 13,000 receiving yards and Travis Kelce joined the club on Sunday in the Kansas City Chiefs’ final game of the 2025 season.

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    In late December, Witten was named one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot along with Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald. Eli Manning is also a finalist, along with Luke Kuechly. Philip Rivers was a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame but was removed from the group when he returned to play for the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the season.

    Oklahoma is Witten’s first college coaching job. After retiring from the NFL, Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas, where Cooper plays football.

  • Which NFL coaching candidates, including John Harbaugh, are the best fits for each opening?

    The story with this head-coaching cycle was that it wasn’t a great one with an abundance of top-end candidates. That changed a bit when Kevin Stefanski and John Harbaugh were fired.

    There are eight teams chasing a new head coach in this cycle, and while many of the openings aren’t that attractive, there are only 32 NFL head-coaching jobs and they’re all in demand. So much so we’re tracking the interviews for each.

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    Here’s a list of the best fit between coaching candidates and each available opening, in our order of least attractive opening to most attractive:

    Where will former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh land? (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

    Where will former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh land? (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

    (Baltimore Sun via Getty Images)

    Miami Dolphins: Chris Shula

    Maybe the Dolphins land John Harbaugh (we’ll get to him), which would be a home run for a franchise that is in for a major rebuild. But if they don’t land him, hiring the grandson of Dolphins royalty would be fun.

    Shula, the grandson of Dolphins legendary head coach Don Shula, has carved out a great career for himself as the Los Angeles Rams’ creative defensive coordinator. The Sean McVay tree has been pretty strong when it comes to producing head coaches. Maybe Shula wouldn’t want the pressure of coaching where his grandfather’s name is displayed in the stadium as part of the team’s ring of honor. But it would be a heck of a story, and Shula is a hot candidate for a reason.

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    Arizona Cardinals: Vance Joseph

    Joseph has familiarity with Arizona, having served as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator from 2019-2022. It was mostly a successful stint before a bad final season. After that, Joseph went back to the Broncos (where he was previously head coach) and has transformed Denver’s defense into one of the best in the NFL. That head-coaching experience might be attractive to the Cardinals.

    Cleveland Browns: Jim Schwartz

    When Browns owner Jimmy Haslam was asked if he wanted Schwartz, the team’s defensive coordinator the past three seasons, to remain with the organization he replied: “Absolutely. Great coach.” Since that’s the case, why not just promote him to head coach? Schwartz did that job before with the Detroit Lions. He has obvious familiarity with the Browns. And Cleveland’s defense hasn’t been a problem lately. If Haslam is serious about retaining Schwartz, it’s either as his next head coach or by convincing a new head coach to inherit Schwartz as his defensive coordinator, which is tricky. Maybe it’s best to cut out the middle man here.

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    Tennessee Titans: Matt Nagy

    The Titans should be looking for an offensive-minded coach to work with Cam Ward, and Nagy is back getting head-coaching interviews this cycle after his time as Bears head coach didn’t work out great. He returned to the Chiefs as quarterbacks coach for a season and then their offensive coordinator for three seasons. Nagy does have an NFL Coach of the Year award and many years devising offenses, which the Titans should value in their search.

    Las Vegas Raiders: Brian Flores

    Flores hasn’t gotten many interview requests yet, and maybe the Raiders fit is too obvious. Flores used to be the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, and former Patriots quarterback and current Raiders limited owner Tom Brady is helping run the team’s coaching search. Maybe the failure of Josh McDaniels, another former Patriots assistant turned Raiders head coach, will turn off owner Mark Davis. Stories about Flores’ final days as Dolphins coach, and particularly criticism from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, might be problematic. But Flores is an excellent defensive mind. And while other owners might turn away from Flores due to his lawsuit against the NFL, the son of Al Davis (whose side hobby was suing the NFL) might not.

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    New York Giants: John Harbaugh

    There are factors to taking a job other than who the quarterback is and what the current state of the roster looks like. Miami checks a lot of boxes for Harbaugh: South Florida is a nice place to live, there’s no state income tax, the Harbaugh family has some connections to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and Harbaugh can come in with a general manager instead of being hired by an incumbent who is on the hot seat.

    But football-wise, the Giants opening blows away Miami, which seems to be the other serious suitor for Harbaugh. Whether you believe fully in Jaxson Dart, he’s much better than whatever the Dolphins will have in a (likely) post-Tua Tagovailoa world. Also, the Dolphins roster as a whole is bad and they’re in as bad of a cap situation as you’ll find. The Giants are far from perfect, but their roster does have some exciting young talent. It’s just a matter of whether Harbaugh wants the best football situation or something else.

    Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski

    Stefanski got fired by the Browns and was immediately the top candidate on the board (at least until John Harbaugh was fired). The Falcons are an attractive opening, aside from quarterback questions. Stefanski, a two time NFL Coach of the Year, would come in with a new general manager, which is usually something head coaches covet. This would be a good hire for the Falcons.

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    Baltimore Ravens: Klint Kubiak

    The Ravens haven’t yet lined up an interview with Kevin Stefanski. It seems they’re looking for a young coordinator. Kubiak is the hot name among offensive coordinators after a good season with the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. He comes from a lineage of coaching; his dad Gary won a Super Bowl championship coaching the Broncos. And a new offensive mind to work with Lamar Jackson seems like a plus. The Ravens should be able to land just about anyone they want to be their head coach, and Kubiak is a hot name this offseason.

  • Colts GM Chris Ballard sees Daniel Jones as near and long-term answer, says QB has ‘really bright future’ in Indy

    Daniel Jones is recovering from a season-ending Achilles tear. He’ll be a free agent in the spring. But Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard sees Jones as the near and long-term answer at quarterback for a franchise that’s been spinning the wheel at the position since Andrew Luck retired ahead of the 2019 campaign.

    Ballard, who will be in the final year of his contract next season, is confident the Colts can work something out with Jones and his agent, and that Jones will eventually return to form, even noting that the 28-year-old Duke product “rehabs like a wild man.”

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    Jones, whom the New York Giants drafted No. 6 overall in 2019, signed what was reported as a one-year, $14 million deal with the Colts this past offseason. Then, in training camp, he beat out Anthony Richardson Sr., the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft who started 11 games for the Colts last season.

    Richardson backed up Jones this season until he fractured his orbital bone during pregame warmups at Lucas Oil Stadium leading up to a Week 6 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Shane Steichen described the latest of Richardson’s injuries as a “fluke accident,” which occurred while he was working with a stretching band in the locker room.

    The Colts placed Richardson on injured reserve, and he didn’t appear in another game the rest of the way, including as Indianapolis scrambled down the stretch to find a replacement for Jones. They famously brought a 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement. Rivers played admirably after close to five seasons without an NFL snap, but the 8-9 Colts went 0-3 in his three starts and were eliminated from postseason contention after starting the season 8-2.

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    [Get more Colts news: Indianapolis team feed]

    Ballard took a wait-and-see approach when he was asked about Richardson on Thursday.

    “I’ll tell you this about Anthony,” said Ballard, who is going on his 10th season as Colts GM. “He’s a great teammate. He’s a great teammate and never sulked, never complained, was doing a great job as a backup quarterback and then he has a freak accident in the locker room.”

    Ballard added:

    “But he’s got to still work through the vision [issue] he has, and we’ll see what the future holds there. A little bit of bad luck. We’ll kind of see going forward how that ends up playing out. A lot of it’s going to deal with his health, too.”

    Ballard also talked about how he was encouraged by what rookie quarterback Riley Leonard showed in his two extensive appearances. He left the door open to Leonard potentially serving as the Colts’ QB2 if Richardson can’t get to where the Colts hope he can.

    It’s clear, however, that Ballard’s focus is on Jones.

    “I mean I’ve been very stated about when you’re chasing the quarterback all the time, it’s hard,” he said.

    “Your margin for error really shrinks down. And I feel very good about Daniel Jones and where he’s at, where he’s going. Yes, he’s got the Achilles, but I think Daniel Jones has got a really bright future here in Indianapolis. And look, there is some comfort knowing that, OK, we know we’ve got a guy that’s proven, that’s done it and done some really good things. So that does give you some confidence.”

    Jones piloted an Indianapolis offense that got off to a historic start this season. He completed a career-high 68% of his passes while averaging a personal-best 8.1 yards per attempt.

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    Jones was more accurate and decisive under Steichen.

    Ballard believes that performance is replicable and that so is the team’s success over the first 10 games.

    “When we got back from Germany, I’d have told you we had a top-four team in the league,” Ballard said. “I believed that. I still believe that. But losing seven in a row is losing seven in a row. That’s not what top-four teams do, and that’s reality. That’s the facts.”

    Ballard once again took accountability Thursday. He knows the stakes are higher than ever after another year without playoff football in Indianapolis.

    “It starts with me, and until we win — until we win big, win a division, go far into the playoffs, there’s going to be doubt,” Ballard said. “That’s real. I don’t run away from that. I don’t shy away from that.”

    Ballard later added: “Words are words, actions speak louder than words, and wins speak a lot louder than losses.”

  • Why 2 of America’s finest figure skaters might not go to the Olympics

    ST. LOUIS — They glided through their pairs routine, expertly if not effortlessly, as in sync on the ice as they are off it. And when they finished their short program Wednesday night at the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov beamed, for they stood atop the pairs’ rankings after the first day of competition.

    And these national championships may be as far as they’ll go. Because while Efimova and Mitrofanov are indisputably two of America’s best skaters, with a viable chance to medal next month at the Winter Olympics in Milan, they are — at the moment — ineligible to compete for the United States. And the clock is ticking.

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    Efimova, who previously competed for Germany, is not a U.S. citizen. Unless she is granted citizenship by the time the United States figure skating contingent is named Saturday, she — and by association, Mitrofanov — will not be able to compete for the United States in the Olympics.

    “We’re still not eligible for the Olympics,” a still-smiling Mitrofanov said Wednesday night after the first round of competition. “We are hoping that maybe a last-minute miracle might happen.”

    ‘This has always been the law’

    A Finnish citizen, Efimova obtained her green card in July 2024. Although the citizenship process is complex and highly bureaucratic, the primary obstacle for Efimova is the mandatory three-year waiting period for citizenship after obtaining a green card through marriage. (Mitrofanov, born in Wisconsin, is a U.S. citizen.)

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    The Skating Club of Boston, the home rink of the duo — who have been married since February 2024 — has launched a PR effort on their behalf. On the club’s website, Efimova tells their story: how she and Mitrofanov are both children of Russian immigrants, how they began skating together in 2023 and later took their on-ice relationship to the next level, and how she continues to immerse herself in all elements of American life.

    “The sincere striving in the attitude and approach of the Americans to be the best in the world …. has really impressed me from living here,” Efimova wrote. “I see it in the skating club, within U.S. Figure Skating, my fellow Team USA athletes and among the many fans of figure skating.”

    The International Skating Union requires a one-year lay-out period for skaters competing for a new nation, but does not require those skaters to be citizens of their new country. That allowed Efimova and Mitrofanov to compete in virtually all international competitions except one: the Olympics, where the International Olympic Committee requires competitors to be citizens of the nation whose flag they wear.

    Efimov and Mitrofanov won the U.S. figure skating’s nationals last year, and based on their success since then, including a stellar performance this week in St. Louis, the duo would appear to be directly on track for selection to the U.S. Olympic team. The website SkatingScores.com, which tracks competitors based on the U.S. Figure Skating’s criteria for Olympic selection, lists Efimov and Mitrofanov as the top-ranked pair among all U.S. competitors.

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    Unfortunately for Efimova, the prospects of a last-second citizenship reprieve appear dim at best. “In short, she is attempting something that is, to my knowledge — and I’ve been practicing immigration law since 2002 — impossible,” says immigration attorney Ken Levine of the Atlanta firm Levine and Eskandari, LLC.

    Levine points out that this cut-and-dried stance on citizenship is not a new directive of the Trump administration, noting that there is generally only one realistic way of accelerating the timetable. “This has always been the law,” Levine says. “If someone got their green card through marriage, and they want to file for citizenship earlier than the three years, the only way to do that is to join the military, because they fast-track that.”

    Efimova’s status as a potential Olympian doesn’t affect her status in the eyes of U.S. citizenship officials. “George Clooney was just given fast-track citizenship in France. In their legal system, there is a provision for someone that has contributed mightily to the country, has reflected honor, helped the economy,” Levine says. “But there’s nothing analogous like that in the United States.”

    U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s organizing body, notes that other skaters have applied for, and received, citizenship following the receipt of a green card. Both Vadym Kolesnik (originally from Ukraine) and Christina Carreira (Canada) received U.S. citizenship in recent months, though neither petition was expedited and both had to wait several years for resolution.

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    A U.S. Figure Skating official confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the governing body is working with the USOPC and The Skating Club of Boston to attempt to expedite the citizenship process.  However, in response to an inquiry from Yahoo Sports, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services noted that the agency does not comment on individual cases, and that all individuals must follow established U.S. law.

    “To be honest, the last few weeks, it has been more difficult than normal,” Mitrofanov said Wednesday night. “We had to do a little bit more paperwork and everything like that. There has been a great push for it. Hopefully things happen, but it is out of our control. All we do is focus on our skating, focus on what we’re able to do, which is on the ice.”

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    If the duo are not able to skate in Milan, it’s unlikely they will continue to compete for a shot at the 2030 Games. Efimov wants to follow in the footsteps of her father and become a doctor, and plans to start medical school soon to follow that dream.

    U.S. Figure Skating will announce its teams starting at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. That’s the deadline for Efimov and Mitrofanov, and there will be no extensions.

  • NFL Wild Card Weekend MEGA-preview: Bears-Packers rubber match, Bills-Jags hoss fight, HUGE upset potential

    Nate Tice & Charles McDonald join forces to preview ALL six NFL Wild Card games. After reacting to the Miami Dolphins firing Head Coach Mike McDaniel and where he could potentially land as one of the better playcallers in the NFL, the duo dive into Wild Card Weekend. Nate & Charles start off by discussing whether the Carolina Panthers have a chance to keep it close against the Los Angeles Rams, if the Chicago Bears can get the upper hand on the Green Bay Packers in their rubber match and if the Buffalo Bills really deserve to be road favorites against the red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars.

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    Later, Nate & Charles discuss the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles battling to see who can get the good vibes going again, the Los Angeles Chargers trying to overcome their injuries against the New England Patriots (and MVP Drake Maye) and the Pittsburgh Steelers walking into a buzzsaw Houston Texans defense on Monday night. The two hosts wrap things up with their Hail Mary bold predictions, including some pessimism surrounding Bryce Young and Aaron Rodgers.

    (2:45) – Dolphins fire Mike McDaniel

    (13:30) – Rams @ Panthers

    (23:20) – Packers @ Bears

    (40:35) – Bills @ Jaguars

    (1:00:05) – 49ers @ Eagles

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    (1:16:30) – Chargers @ Patriots

    (1:41:20) – Texans @ Steelers

    (1:49:50) – Hail Mary predictions

    SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

    SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

    (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

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