Carlos Alcaraz returns from four month layoff due to a broken wrist. (Photo courtesy of The BBC).
The great Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, is back in New York for the 146th U.S. Open after a four month absence due to a wrist injury. Carlos goes for his eighth Grand Slam and third U.S. Open title after winning in 2022 and last season. Who can stop him?
Novak Djokovic, the 24 time Grand Slam winner, has a shot. German Alexander Zverev is the reigning French Open champion, and Americans Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, among others, have high aspirations in Flushing Meadows.
On the women’s side, as expected, Russian Aryna Sabalenka is the No.1 seed as she is the No.1 player in the world.
ESPN will televise along with ESPN 2 and ABC.
ESPN will broadcast the Women’s Final at 3 P.M. CT/4 ET on Saturday, September 12.
ESPN will carry the men’s final on Sunday, September 13th, at 1 P.M. CT/ 2 East.
Here are my Predictions:
Men’s Final
Ben Shelton over Taylor Fritz 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5
Should be an epic match. I like Shelton to emerge over Carlos in the quarters and over Novak in the semis. I’ve got Fritz over 19 year old Rafael Jodar in the semis.
Champion
Ben Shelton
Women’s Final
Coco Gauff over Sabalenka 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
Should be another classic with the 22 year old Gauff winning her third Grand Slam after capturing the 2023 U.S. and the 2025 French.
Champion
Coco Gauff
Recap of Week 0 Games in College Football
College Football was thrilling on Saturday. TCU couldn’t handle all of its own penalties, 11 for 89 yards, and fell to Bill Belichick and North Carolina, 15-10.
Not sure USC is totally back, it’s been a while. They won 42-26 over San Jose State, but looked a little questionable on defense once again.
Virginia was highly impressive with Missouri transfer Beau Pribula throwing for two touchdowns in a Cavaliers blasting of NC State, 34-8.
North Dakota State didn’t miss a beat moving up to FBS as they dominated Jax State, 33-7. The Bison play a hard-nosed physical brand of football. It’s impressive.
Stanford defeated Hawaii, 37-27 giving first year coach Tavita Pritchard a victory in his first game as head coach of the Cardinal.
FSU wasn’t overly impressive in its 34-17 victory over New Mexico State. New Mexico State was scrappy, but Mike Norvell’s team has a ton of improving to do if it wants to have any chance of having a decent season. He’s going to need at least eight victories, and that still may not be enough for the FSU faithful.
Finally, Charles Huff and his Memphis Tigers distinguished themselves as a contender for the Group of Six bid to make it to the 12-team Playoff going on the road to Allegiant Stadium and defeating UNLV, 27-21.
A nice Saturday to kick off the season.
Week 1 begins this Thursday Night.
The color and pageantry of College Football has arrived. Saturday was thrilling and it’s only going to get better as we matriculate into Week 1.
I’ll check in with you Thursday for Week 1 Previews and Predictions. Have a great Sunday.
Jaden Craig “matriculates” football-wise, to TCU after a decorated career in the Ivy League. (Photo courtesy of The Harvard Crimson).
Week 0 in College Football kicks off Saturday, and after all the upheaval over the summer, it’s time to put the controversy aside and focus on what’s best about the sport: the games.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey took a hard stand against Lane Kiffin and the LSU contingency when he barred any SEC team from adding NFL players to their roster. Players who had already signed NFL contracts.
Sankey put a league-wide penalty on any team that violated this rule. The punishment is severe. If a team does try and take an NFL player, the head coach would be suspended for half the season, the SEC would cut half of the team’s operations budget, and the school would lose SEC voting privileges.
I greatly admire the Commissioner for his strong stand.
That’s a positive for college football.
Now, onto the Week 0 matchups. Teams will be trying to establish themselves in the national landscape right out of the starting blocks. There’s an excellent storyline in every game on the opening weekend slate.
Here’s a look at Week 0, along with White’s World’s Sports Confidential’s Predictions.
Record in 2025: SU-174-58, 75%. ATS: 108-124, 47%. Over/Under: 123-109, 53%. Playoff/Bowls SU:13-8. ATS: 12-9. O/U: 15-6.
Record in 2024: 169-64, 73%; ATS: 121-111, 52%; O/U: 13-13. O/U just for bowls/Playoff, when I started keeping Over/Under. 2024 includes regular season and Playoff/Bowls.
All games are Saturday, and all times are Central. Records from 2025 are in Parentheses.
North Carolina (4-8, 2-6 ACC) vs. TCU (9-4, 5-4 Big 12)
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland, 51,700
11 A.M.
ESPN
Mike Monaco, JRodg, Dana Boyle
TCU by 8 1/2, O/U 46 1/2
Bill Belichick tries to recover from a disastrous first year at the helm in Chapel Hill. He’s got a new quarterback in Billy Edwards Jr., who threw for 2,881 yards with 15 TDs and 9 interceptions in 2024 for Maryland, but only played in three games for Wisconsin last year.
As usual, Belichick’s squad is packed with transfers. A lot of baggage in this program under Belichick, which is typical. A coach, his son, Steve, left the team for a medical leave. Another coach, the General Manager Michael Lombardi, not a coach technically, was suspended after a personnel complaint.
And, with that said, in comes Easy Rider Bobby Petrino to rescue the offense. That’s some serious luggage. He does have success as an offensive mind on his resume, however.
The TCU defense, and particularly its secondary, will be tested by Petrino and Edwards Jr. After a solid 2025 season on offense, as usual under Sonny Dykes, the Horned Frogs needed to bring in a new signal caller as Josh Hoover took his talents to Bloomington and Curt Cignetti; the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers. Hoover had some good moments in Fort Worth, but he’s also a pretty high interception passer. He threw 29 TDs, but also 13 ints last season. We’ll see if Cignetti and company can do better in that department with Hoover.
Jaden Craig comes to Fort Worth from Harvard where he threw for 2,869 yards, 25 TDs and 7 ints in 2025, and 2,430 yards, 23 TDs and 3 ints in 2024. He’s not a big scrambler, but he’s a solid athlete. TCU returns two starting offensive linemen, and 12 more returners, which will help their quarterback stay upright.
Gordon Sammis came over from UConn to replace Kendal Briles as offensive coordinator as Briles took the OC job under Shane Beamer at South Carolina. In 2025, the UConn offense was 16th in the country in points per game at 36.9. They ranked 18th nationally in yards, averaging 456.7 per game. And they led the nation in ball security turning the ball over only once all season. Sammis played offensive line at Virginia. So a possible upgrade for the Horned Frogs.
Prediction
This game may not be as high scoring a game as predicted, due to it being the first game of the season. TCU walloped UNC 48-14 in Chapel Hill last season, but I expect a much more competitive game in Dublin. Belichick and Petrino should have the Tar Heels better prepared, while both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks. I’ll take TCU to win, but UNC to make it interesting.
TCU 24, UNC 20
San Jose State (3-9, 2-6 Mountain West) @ USC (9-4, 7-2 Big Ten)
Jayden Maiava is expected to have a big year for the Trojans. (Photo courtesy of the LA Times).
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 77,500
2 P.M.
NBC
Noah Eagle, Todd, Kathryn Tappen
USC by 38 1/2, 60 1/2
Lincoln Riley secured the No.1 high school recruiting class in 2026 (On3 Rankings), and has declared that USC is back. They had a good year in 2025, not great, but have aspirations of making the Playoff this season. If they don’t, Riley may start feeling some more heat. Riley is expecting big things from quarterback Jayden Maiava, who in 2025, completed 265 of 403 attempts for 3,711 yards, 66 percent, 24 TDs and 10 ints. Those are probably more interceptions than Riley is looking for, but Maiava is in his fourth season, and that’s not terrible. He rushed for 6 touchdowns in 2025.
USC is planning on a big season in LA, and they aren’t backing down from their belief that they’re one of the best teams in the country. Lincoln Riley has done it before at Oklahoma, so you have some trust in his comments that USC is ready to compete. He could very well be right.
This’ll be tough for the Spartans.
USC 49, San Jose State 7
North Carolina State (7-6, 4-4 ACC) @ Virginia (11-3, 7-1)
CJ Bailey is stellar under center for the Wolfpack. (Photo courtesy of Queen City News, Charlotte N.C.)
Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, 61,500
2:30 P.M.
ESPN
Wes Durham, Max Browne, Madison Fitzpatrick
UVA by 4, 52 1/2
The ‘Hoos had a terrific 2025 under Tony Elliott as they reached the ACC Championship Game, losing to Duke, unfortunately in that one, but winning the Gator Bowl over Missouri, 13-7. Missouri transfer Beau Pribula will take the snaps for the Cavaliers this season. For Eli Drinkwitz and Missouri last season, Pribula completed 68% of his passes with 11 TDs and 9 interceptions. He rushed for 6 TDs.
On the other side, CJ Bailey completed 69% of his passes with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also ran for 6 scores.
Prediction
Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren is 4-0 against Virginia, including last season’s 35-31 comeback victory over Virginia in Raleigh, and the Pack hasn’t lost @ C-Ville since 1996. I like CJ Bailey and company to keep that momentum going and propel the Wolfpack into the 2026 season with an upset victory at Scott Stadium.
NC State 28, Virginia 27
Jacksonville State (9-5, 7-1 C-USA) @ North Dakota State (12-1, 8-0 MVC)
Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, 18,700
4:30 P.M.
CBS Sports Network
Rich Waltz, Adam Breneman, Brian Kelly? Are you kiddin’ me?
NDSU by 7, 46 1/2
After winning 10 national championships in FCS, which included five in a row from 2011-15, and the most recent one in 2024, the Bison left the Missouri Valley Conference and now begins their journey into FBS play as one of the now 138 teams in FBS this season. Jax State is solid, but I like the Bison at the Fargodome. Don’t know a ton about the Dome except that it is a definite home field advantage from what I’ve researched on it.
The Bison aims to make a statement in FBS this season. They had massive success in FCS ball and plan on the same at the FBS level. They play big, tough, physical football and that translates well to any level of the game. The home field will be an advantage at the end, too.
North Dakota State 24, Jacksonville State 16
Hawaii (9-4, 5-3 Mountain West) @ Stanford (4-8, 2-6 ACC)
Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, 50,424
6 P.M.
ACC Network
Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, Kendra Douglas
Stanford by 4 1/2, 48 1/2
Stanford had a tough transition into the ACC last season, and have a new coach, Tavita Pritchard, who is a former quarterback at Stanford from 2006-09. But Hawaii is pretty tough and defeated the Cardinal last season. I like the upset.
Hawaii 27, Stanford 24
New Mexico State (4-8, 2-6 C-USA) @ Florida State (5-7, 2-6 ACC)
Former Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels takes the reins in Tallahassee (Photo courtesy of x.com)
Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, 67,277
6 P.M.
CW Network
Thom Brennaman, Jason Cabinda, Wes Bryant
FSU by 32 1/2, 52 1/2
I really like former Auburn and Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels, who is now the new FSU starting quarterback . He completed 68 of 119 last season, 57 percent, for 797 yards, 3 TDs and 2 ints last year for the Tigers, playing at the end of the season, but gave Vanderbilt everything it wanted as he and Cam Coleman, now with Texas, wore out the Commodores secondary; though Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt prevailed in the end.
But Daniels and Coleman put on a clinic. I believe the ‘Noles will be improved with Daniels under center. Mike Norvell certainly needs him to be with Norvell’s job in jeopardy again with a bad season if Florida State can afford Norvell’s massive buyout.
Jackson Arnold, also from Auburn, will be under center for UNLV. (Photo courtesy of Hudl).
Allegiant Stadium, Vegas, 65,000
9 P.M.
FOX
Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, Josh Sims
UNLV by 4, 56 1/2
Charles Huff takes over at Memphis. Ryan Silverfield secured the Arkansas job after six solid seasons in the River City where he posted a 50-25 record and a 4-1 bowl record.
Memphis head coaches can have trouble with the transition from the Group of Five to Power 4 jobs. The Group of Five is now the Group of Six with the PAC-12 joining the American, the Sun Belt, the Mountain West, C-USA and the MAC.
Two examples of Memphis coaches struggling are Justin Fuente, who struggled at Virginia Tech before being fired, and now Norvell, who has been really slogging through the last couple of years at FSU, though he had good success in 2023, just missing the then four team playoff.
Both are good coaches. It’s just a tough row to hoe. Huff, a former running backs coach for Nick Saban in 2019 and 2020, has compiled a 39-25 overall head coaching record with a four year stint at Marshall, and last season at Southern Miss.
He’ll take on Dan Mullen and Jackson Arnold, a quarterback that has to be hungry to prove himself. Arnold completed 63 percent of his passes at Auburn last season with 6 TDs and 2 ints, but was benched later in the year. In 2024 at Oklahoma, he completed 63% of his passes for 1,421 yards with 12 TDs and 3 ints and led the Sooners to a victory over the Crimson Tide, 24-3. He rushed for 8 TDs at Auburn, and 3 for the Sooners.
Prediction
I like Huff to do a really good job at Memphis and for Memphis to keep this game close. But I like Mullen, Arnold and the Rebels to prevail.
All SEC Championship hopes run through Athens, but can Georgia and Gunner Stockton and Georgia do better than an SEC Championship? (Photo courtesy of The New York Times).
The Georgia Bulldogs won the SEC Championship in 2024 and 2025, but failed to get past the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff both seasons. Can Kirby Smart and Gunner Stockton shift the narrative to both SEC andnational champions in 2026?
Smart, 50 years old and born in Montgomery, has amassed a 117-21 overall record in 10 seasons at Georgia (85%), and authored a 75-19 SEC record (80%). He has four SEC Championships on his resume, 2017, 2022, 2024 and 2025, and national championships in 2021 and 2022.
The resume is impeccable, but there seems to be some frustration with how the last two seasons have ended in Athens, as the Bulldogs have failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals of the 12-team playoff.
Smart has a team capable of running the table all the way to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Monday, January 25th, 2027. But some things have to fall into place for the Bulldogs. And the schedule, like all schedules in the SEC, is intensely demanding.
Here’s a look at the keys to Georgia’s success in 2026.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton
Gunner Stockton returns for his senior season. The 6’1″, 215 pounder from Tiger, Georgia,
completed 269 of 386 passes in 2025, 70%, for 2,894 yards, 24 TDs, and only five
interceptions.
He also rushed for 462 yards and 10 TDs.
If Stockton can throw the ball downfield even better this season, and keep progressing as
both a player and a leader, the sky’s the limit.
Running backs
Nate Frazier will anchor the running game this season. (Photo courtesy of Instagram).
Nate Frazier will anchor the running game. The 5’10”, 205-pound junior, rushed for 947 yards and six touchdowns. He brings excellent running power between the tackles, solid speed, and an ability to break tackles and create explosive plays.
Sophomore Chauncey Bowens is a 5’11”, 225- pound powerful runner who may have even better take-it-the-house ability than Frazier. Bowens rushed for 546 yards and 6 TDs last season.
Dante Dowdell, a transfer from Kentucky who rushed for 560 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, was seriously injured in an ATV accident this summer, and his status for this season is uncertain.
He is out of the woods as far as any major repercussions to his health, but playing is not in the plans for the foreseeable future.
Dwight Phillips is a 5’10”, 185 junior who rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown, but Frazier and Bowens, if they remain healthy, will do the heavy lifting.
With four of five starters returning on the offensive line, led by center Drew Bobo, 6’5″, 305, the Dawgs will be formidable once again on the ground.
Through the air, there is talent, but not a lot of proven production.
The most experienced receiver is London Humphreys, who caught 18 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. Isiah Canion is a 6’4″, 205 junior transfer from Georgia Tech who caught 33 passes for 480 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025 for the Yellow Jackets.
Sacovie White-Helton caught eight passes for 70 yards but no touchdowns last season as a Bulldog. He is 5’9″, 180.
There are several players behind those starters on the depth chart, but no proven players in that group.
It’s a talented room, but untested for the most part.
Defense
KJ Bolden will anchor the secondary at free safety. (Photo courtesy of X.com).
Last year’s defense had trouble getting to the quarterback, and it really cost the team in its loss to Ole Miss in the quarterfinal playoff game. Georgia simply could not stop Trinidad Chambliss.
The Bulldogs will have to be better in that area this season.
The defense is led by senior defensive end/OLB Gabe Harris Jr., a 6’4″, 260-pounder who is expected to have a tremendous season.
In his junior year, Harris Jr. finished with 6 1/2 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble, but is expected to take on a more dominating role this season.
Senior middle linebacker Raylen Wilson, 6’1″, 235, finished with 74 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks in 2025.
Free safety KJ Bolden leads the back end for Georgia.
The 6’0″, 195-pound senior finished with 76 tackles last year, added two ints and recovered a fumble. He’ll quarterback the secondary.
Key Games
The key games for Georgia include-all Saturdays- September 19 @ Arkansas (11 A.M. CT/noon ET, ABC), September 26 vs Oklahoma, October 10 @ Alabama, October 17 vs Auburn, the Deep South’s oldest rivalry going on its 131st meeting.
Georgia leads the series, 66-56-8, and has won the last nine dating back to 2017.
Smart and the Dogs have not had as much success against the Crimson Tide, as Alabama leads the series 45-27-4, with Smart going 1-5 against Nick Saban and 1-2 against Kalen DeBoar so far.
The October 10 game at Bryant-Denny Stadium is a major contest for both teams, and then the Auburn Tigers invade Sanford Stadium the following Saturday.
The Florida game in Jacksonville on October 31 will be tough as well, as people in Gainesville and pundits around the SEC like this Florida team that Jon Sumrall has taken over.
On Nov. 7, the Bulldogs travel to Oxford to face Pete and the Rebels.
Nov. 14 is Missouri at home. Nov. 21 is @ South Carolina, a challenge for sure. And Nov. 28 is Georgia Tech at Sanford Stadium.
This gauntlet would challenge anybody in this conference, but Smart and Georgia embrace it.
Prediction
I’m looking at a team that can go 11-1 overall and win the SEC Championship again.
A loss at Alabama is possible, and games against Oklahoma, Florida in Jacksonville, @ Ole Miss, Trinidad and Kewan Lacy again will severely test the Bulldog defense, are all difficult. And @ South Carolina ain’t no bargain.
Auburn at home will be demanding, as it’s always a tough game, though I like the Bulldogs to emerge victorious in that one.
The key is, if the Dogs can matriculate through the SEC and win the SEC Championship over Texas, can they finally break through in the Playoff?
It’s about Stockton becoming an even more proficient downfield passer, and having a receiving corps that can be more explosive, and doing a better job catching the football than it has the last couple of seasons.
The running game and the line look strong if both units can stay healthy, which is always a question mark. The defense will face some electric quarterbacks this season.
Can it get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks and get’em on the ground?
That will be critical to this team’s success.
Saban always talked about affecting the quarterback, so Georgia will need to do that. But with the likes of Trinidad Chambliss, John Mateer, LaNorris Sellers, Keelon Russell or Austin Mack, Byrum Brown and potentially Arch Manning, this defense will be pushed to the limit to contain those explosive players.
Georgia can certainly win the SEC, but there will be a grueling stretch of games it’ll need to survive and advance.
Then, in the playoff, the Bulldogs could see the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, defending national champion Indiana, Miami, and teams like Texas, Texas A&M, and possibly Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU or Ole Miss.
The Dawgs can win it all if they can stay reasonably healthy and Stockton and company can be even better this season, while the defense, which is loaded once again, plays the way Kirby Smart’s defenses used to play.
I give Georgia a 55 percent chance to win the SEC and finish 12-1.
To win it all, they’ll have to get stellar play from Stockton, his supporting cast and the defense.
Alex Golesh is now on the Plains with high goals for the future of Auburn Football. (Photo courtesy of Auburn Tigers).
The Auburn Tigers enter the 2026 season with high hopes for a turnaround from the last three disastrous years under Hugh Freeze, as Auburn hired Alex Golesh from South Florida, who brought in several players from the portal, and in recruiting, and retained some quality returners to try and turn Auburn Football’s fortunes around. Freeze is back on the golf course working on his handicap, where he spent most of his time instead of coaching football.
Golesh did retain stellar defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, which was a no doubter given the results Durkin has gotten out of the Auburn D in the last two years. In his third season on the Plains, Durkin will bring another aggressive, attacking NFL style of defense, which will go along with Golesh’s uptempo, spread’em out offense. It could possibly work well.
Here’s a look inside the Auburn Tigers and a prediction on how great it’ll be to be an Auburn Tiger in 2026 and beyond…
Auburn Offense
Golesh brought along several of his South Florida players with him to the Loveliest Village. He was 23-15 in four years at Tampa, and 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the American in 2025. The Bulls posted victories over Florida and Boise State last season, but lost in the Cure Bowl at Orlando to Old Dominion, 24-10, after Golesh had taken the Auburn job on November 30th.
The man under center in 2026 is Byrum Brown, who put together a stellar career at USF, completing 616 of 950 passes, 65%, for 7,690 yards, 61 TDs against 19 ints.
In 2025, Brown completed 226 of 341, 66%, for 3,158 yards, 28 TDs against 7 ints. He also rushed for 1,008 yards and 14 more TDs, so he was responsible for 42 TDs in 2025.
He’s promising, though he has an unusual side-arm throwing motion, which could still work. Arch Manning uses that throwing motion as well, and it’s worked out OK, not great, for him so far. But Arch has a year of starting under his belt and his talent is unquestionable. So is Brown’s, however not in the SEC. That’ll be something to watch. But the numbers are absolutely impressive. His size is also impressive at 6’3″, 235. He’s electric.
He’ll be working with a few veterans around him, and guys who’ve been through the wars, just not the SEC wars. But a few have. Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 969 yards and 5 TDs last season, his sophomore season as a Tiger. Cobb brings terrific, hard-nosed toughness running between the tackles at 5’11”, 205, and an ability to take it to the house. Bryson Washington, a 6’0″, 210 pound junior transfer from Baylor, brings power running the ball as well. The Tigers offensive staff is high on what USF transfer wide receiver Chas Nimrod can bring to the Tigers passing game. Nimrod is 6’2″, 200. Bryce Cain, a sophomore and returning player, is a guy whom Golesh and wide receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator Kodi Burns expect to bring it this season out wide. Those are just some of the potential weapons. There will be 5 transfers starting on the offensive front, so that’s a transition, though all have experience in FBS ball. Six-four, 322 pound center, and USF transfer Cole Best, looks like a leader up front. Golesh has recruited a lot of depth on the O Line, so it just depends on how these guys progress the rest of this month and early in the season. With Brown, Cobb, Washington and some others, the running game could be outstanding if the blocking can hold up.
Defense
Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkin is totally trustable for the Tigers. (Photo courtesy of The Auburn Observer).
The great Durkin will have his bell cow back, the 6’0″, 210 pound outside backer Xavier Atkins. All Atkins did in 2025 was lead the Tigers in tackles with 84, posting 17 for loss, 9 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and he took an interception back to the tune of 73 yards versus Texas A&M at College Station, which led to an Auburn TD on the next play, though the Tigers dropped that game, 16-10, in another frustrating close Freeze loss. Atkins will anchor the defense. He’ll be alongside some other stellar second level players in middle backer Elijah Melendez and Buck linebacker Jared Smith. The secondary will feature free safety Champ Anthony and corner Rayshawn Pleasant. They both have good ball skills and leadership ability. There are a lot of transfers up front on D for Durkin and the Tigers too. Cody Sigler is a 6’2″, 308 defensive tackle, who transferred from Arkansas State. He brings a big body to Durkin’s 3-3-5 D. There are some other big, but new players up front, just like at Alabama. There are question marks for both teams on both sides of the line of scrimmage. But if anybody can develop this defense and the d line, it’s Durkin.
Everybody at Auburn knows the stellar Xavier Atkins will anchor this defense. (Photo courtesy of AL.com).
2026 Schedule
The schedule looks imposing in the SEC, but that’s rhetorical as every team has to survive this gauntlet. The Tigers open on September 5th versus Baylor at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Outside, in the city, it might be 95 degrees with 104 heat index, but it won’t be inside, which is good for both teams. Brutal right now in the South, maybe everywhere. This contest is a rematch from last season’s game at Waco, a game which the Tigers won 38-24 in what was a promising start, but one that didn’t last as the Tigers finished 5-7 and AD John Cohen dismissed Freeze with three games left in the season. Game time for the Tigers-Bears is 2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET on ABC. It’s one of the best games of week 1. There are some pretty good games the week before in week 0. I’ll cover and predict those when that time comes. TCU-UNC is the best game of week 0. It’s at 11 A.M. CT/12 East on ABC, and it’s being played @ Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Then Auburn faces Southern Miss at Jordan-Hare on Saturday, 9/12, at 6:45 P.M. CT/7:45 East on the S-E-C Network. In week 3, the Tigers square off with Florida and its new head coach, Jon Sumrall, at Jordan-Hare on Saturday, 9/19, at 6 P.M. CT/7 ET on ESPN. Some pundits are high on what Sumrall can do in his first year for the Gators after successful stints at Troy and Tulane, but we’ll see. Should be a highly competitive game. Vanderbilt comes to Jordan-Hare the next Saturday, 9/26, with the time and TV to be determined. Game 5 is Saturday, 10/3, @Knoxvegas versus the Vols. It’s either a 2:30/3:30 P.M. game or a 7/8 game with TV to be determined. Will know towards the latter part of September. The Tigers will have earned a nice off week on Saturday, 10/10, then they head to Athens to face “Dem Dawgs” on Saturday, 10/17. Looking at a 2:30/3:30 or 3:30/4:30 kick with TV TBD. The Tigers host Lame and his Bengal Tigers the next Saturday as LSU visits Jordan-Hare on 10/24, with an 11 A.M./12 P.M. kick preliminarily scheduled on ESPN. On Saturday, 10/31, Auburn’s @ Ole Miss with an 11 A.M./ 12 P.M kick likely. Arkansas at home on Saturday, 11/7 (11/12 kick), then the Tigers are @ Mississippi State on Saturday, 11/14, with an 11/12 kick possible. On Saturday, 11/21, the Tigers host Samford. And on Saturday, 11/28, they travel to Tuscaloosa to play for 365 days of bragging rights and a possible important showdown for both teams if things go better than predicted.
Prediction for the Auburn Tigers 2026 season
From what I’m reading and hearing from Golesh, things seem positive. He’s got some talent, a talented coaching staff, and an electric quarterback. Tiger fans should look for progress, not perfection. Games against Florida and LSU at home are toss ups, depending on the health of the teams.
There are some extremely difficult road games @ Oxford, @ Georgia and @ Tuscaloosa. Tennessee, like the East Course at BCC, is no bargain on the road either. Vanderbilt will put up a fight. They’re all tough in this conference. There are no Saturdays off in this conference.
A first game victory over Baylor in game one is critical for the Tigers to establish momentum and progress on a positive note moving into the rest of the season.
I’m looking at a ceiling of 8 wins if things go very well, an 8-4 season, and a floor of 5-7, if things don’t go as well and there are some critical injuries. I like what Golesh is saying and I love what Durkin does on defense.
Auburn’s got a shot to have a solid season and keep building for the future. The 2026 high school recruiting class was ranked 40th by Rivals/On3, but the 2027 class is already ranked 12th by Rivals/On3. The 2026 transfer class was ranked 47th.
But 2027 recruiting looks extremely promising.
Golesh just has to prove to the Tiger fans and recruits that he’s for real.
The 39 year old New Zealander was iron at the 154th Open Championship. (Photo courtesy of NBC News).
Quite a summer of sports with the thrilling finish at the 154th Open Championship as a veteran New Zealander captured the Claret Jug with superbly clutch play, a young Auburn Tiger made his mark on the PGA Tour at age 21, the prolific World Cup extravaganza, an epic documentary on an all time superb athlete, and, looking to the fall, the Alabama Crimson Tide prepares to take on the competition, both out of conference and in the SEC, as this 2026 squad evolves in fall camp to become the best team it can be. Auburn’s got next with a profile of the Tigers early next week.
A look at all of this in today’s column.
The 39 year old Phenom
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox went 72, 68, 62, 68 (-10) to capture the 154th British Open by a shot over American Cam Young. Those four rounds included immaculate play on Saturday and Sunday, punctuated Sunday by his second shot on the difficult 508 yard, par-4, 18th at Royal Birkdale, a masterpiece of a hole. Fox faced a 175 yard approach shot and selected a nine iron. The pin was located on the back tier of the top shelf of the green. Tied with Young at 9 under, Fox caught his shot perfectly, drilling it to 11 feet 7 inches. From there, with the pressure ratcheted up, he calmly drained a left to righter and claimed the 154th edition. Young, waiting on the practice tee, was visibly distraught. But Young and Sam Burns, who finished third at -8, are both exciting late 20-early 30 something players and will have more opportunities to win majors. Superb effort by the 39 year old who has hung in there through challenging times and kept the faith.
This young, recent Auburn Tiger looks to light up the PGA Tour in the near future. (Photo courtesy of Facebook).
The week after the Open, on July 23rd-26th at TPC Twin Cities near Minneapolis, a young emerging star in the game, straight out of Auburn, Alabama, put on a clinic at the 3M Open. It seemed like a slow day in sports on Saturday, 7/25, so I was watching Quarterback, a Netflix Documentary on NFL Quarterbacks that was in its third season. The quarterbacks being featured were Cam Ward of the Titans, Joe “Flucco” Flacco of the Browns/Bengals, Jayden Daniels of the Commanders and Bake being Bake of the Bucs. Very good.
Brombey, a prolific golfer in his own right, sent me a text and said, “this makes the game bigger when a grinder like Fox wins!” He went on to say, “By the way, Koivun shot 28 on the second 9, -8 (at the 3M). A record for the tourney. A blast to watch.” I was definitely interested. The 21 year old Jackson Koivun, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina by way of Auburn University, shot 61 on Saturday, and backed it up with a 66 on Sunday to finish 25 under, three clear of Scottie Scheffler and a talented field. You never know how young stars will evolve, but this kid looks for real. No guarantee, but I really like what I’m seeing from this young guy. Know MB and EHS ’80 are amped about Koivun’s future.
Spain captures the World Cup
Rodri captures the Golden Ball for “La Roja.” (Photo courtesy of Instagram).
The great Espana team allowed one goal in 8 games of World Cup play and defeated defending champion Argentina (2022, Qatar) and Lionel Messi, 1-0, at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands (New Jersey) on Sunday, July 19th. Spain star midfielder Rodri earned the Golden Ball as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He completed 692 of 720 passes, 94%. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, as dominant as they were, were completing 70+% of their passes, and that’s elite in the National Football League. So this was a remarkable performance. But also goalkeeper Unai Simo’n was just as worthy of an award as he claimed the Golden Glove Award awarded to the best goalkeeper of the World Cup for his phenomenal play in the goal for the Spaniards. It was Spain’s second World Cup as they also captured it in 2010 with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands in Johannesburg.
Joseph “Bama Golf” texted Derrick and me that afternoon and said, “Defense wins in every sport.” In team sports, Joseph is exactly right. You need quarterback play in football, at least good quarterback play, and you need some offense in basketball and baseball. In golf and tennis you have to play aggressively sometimes to win. But Bama’s point on defense and team sports is right on the money.
Final Record in the World Cup
Straight Up: 6-1; ATS, 5-2; O/U: 4-3
Joseph was on Spain early. He’s a terrific predictor. I was bought in early, too. Nice spectacle in the U.S. Really made it an enjoyable sports viewing summer along with the Knicks, the Carolina Hurricanes, the PGA and Professional Tennis Majors, MLB , and several sports documentaries.
Unai Simo’n carried Spain in the goal. (Photo courtesy of Instagram).
Rafa
The greatness was always on display from the phenomenon Nadal. (Photo courtesy of the New York Times)
Playing through a broken foot most of his career, Rafa Nadal still won 22 Majors, second only to Novak Djokovic’s 24. That, in itself, is rich. But the way he did it, his perseverance and his mental and physical toughness through the pain he was suffering from, and his intimidating way of playing the game had many of his opponents defeated before they started the match. There was Federer and Djoker as major competitors, but Nadal won 14 French Opens, 4 U.S. Opens, 2 Wimbledons and 2 Australians. He was a magnificent competitor and battled through injury after injury and never told anyone what he was going through. It was just revealed in the Netflix documentary, “Rafa,” that he played with a broken foot, which was actually a disease called Mueller-Weiss syndrome. It caused chronic foot pain, difficulty with weight bearing and running, and progressive damage to the foot. It started in 2005 after he won his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. But the great Nadal fought through it, and became, what I would consider, the greatest tennis champion of all time. He played tennis like a linebacker plays football. He was the ultimate warrior.
He had unusual habits on the court; lining up his water bottles between every change of sides, pulling at his tennis pants, etc. But they were coping mechanisms for the anxiety he felt in trying to win Grand Slams. But he conquered those demons. In 2024, a hip injury was just too much for him to overcome at age 38. He still had the nagging foot condition that never went away.
But in the documentary, he told his wife that 14 French Opens is “going to be harder to break than 24 majors.” Novak is still playing, but Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are making it tough on him, so he could retire with 24. I agree with Nadal. Fourteen French Opens is astounding.
After his retirement, Netflix asked Mery, his wife, what he would do now. She said, “He’ll embrace his new life.” At the end of the documentary, Rafa is running around the house with 3 year old Rafa Jr., with Mery holding one year old son Miquel. Looks like a happy guy to me. He still has his Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain, is passionate about playing golf and loves being a husband and a dad. He’s earned all the happiness he can get. What a career.
Alabama Football 2026
The Quarterback Battle heats up in Tuscaloosa (Photo courtesy of Facebook).
The Crimson Tide heads into its third season under Kalen DeBoar with question marks, but also reasons to be optimistic.
The main strength of this football team is its secondary. All-American senior strong safety Bray Hubbard (6’2″, 217), after posting 74 tackles in 2025, third on the team behind Deontae Lawson (80) and Justin Jefferson (79), is the Bell cow on D for the Tide. Lawson and Jefferson are both departed and trying to make NFL rosters, but Hubbard is back. Hubbard added 4 interceptions, which tied for the lead in the SEC. It seemed like when the Tide needed a big play on defense it was either Hubbard or corner Zabien Brown who made them. Brown returns after posting 39 tackles and 2 interceptions. He took both ints back to the house. One was a 99 yarder against Tennessee just before halftime that turned the game in the Tide’s favor, and the other was against Oklahoma before halftime, which turned the game around for the Crimson Tide in a first round playoff victory over the Sooners at Norman.
Also back are studs Dijon Lee Jr. at right corner, Keon Sann at free safety and Red Morgan at the Husky position. Walter was high on Lee Jr. last summer and he delivered as a freshman, as did the rest of the secondary. It’s a formidable group. In front of them there are question marks, but outside linebacker Yhonzae Pierre is not one of them. The 6’3″, 253 pounder recorded 52 tackles, eight sacks for -81 yards and 3 forced fumbles. Pierre looks like Will Anderson Jr. 2.0. He’ll need some help on the front seven. He and middle linebacker QB Reese (6’0″, 229) will need to lead an inexperienced group that shows promise, but needs repetition.
On offense, it’s about the quarterback room and the two guys competing in it, the O line, which needs to be better than last season if the Tide wants to reach its goals, and, also, of course, the running game and perimeter players. It’s a team game.
Keelon Russell is the 6’3″, 201 pound 5-star from the class of 2025. He was excellent in the spring game, completing 21-of-33 passes for 240 yards, 4 TDs and 1 Int. As a senior in Duncanville, Texas for Duncanville High School, Russell threw for over 3,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Austin Mack, 6’6″, 232, and entering his fourth season, brings a little experience, and four-star talent. He followed DeBoar from Washington and waited patiently on the bench last season behind Ty Simpson. In 2025, in limited action, he was 24-of-32 passing for 228 yards, two TDs and 0 ints. In his final season at Folsom High School in Folsom, California in 2023, Mack threw for 3,498 yards and 40 TDs. So it’s a tough decision, but a good problem for DeBoar and oftensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to have.
The O Line is being rebuilt with new O Line Coach Adrian Klemm taking over that room. Sophomore Michael Carroll, 6’6″, 318, will play right tackle or right guard. He has experience. The DeBoar staff is also high on sophomore left tackle Jackson Lloyd, 6’7″, 317. Outside of those two, there are positions to be filled. Senior transfer Racin Delgatty, (6’3″, 301, Cal Poly) is a leading candidate at center. Junior William Sanders (6″3″, 315) looks like a starting guard. Ethan Fields, a 6’3″, 319, a senior transfer from Ole Miss, will be another candidate who could start. The Tide needs eight or so who can play to be an effective offense in 2026. Coach Klemm has experience coaching USC in 2025, and the o line of the New England Patriots, among other stops, so he will be tasked with making this an asset for team. The Tide has to have it.
There are four running backs who look pretty solid to me. Daniel Hill, 6’1″, 236, is a powerful runner who has trimmed down and gained quickness and speed. Kevin Riley showed flashes last season, both as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. The 5’11”, 198 pound junior brings that pass catching element to the offense, which helps the quarterback immensely, taking pressure off of them to throw it downfield. AK Dear was a 95, four star in the class of 2025, so there is plenty of talent there. And 5-star freshman EJ Crowell, 5’11”, 221) is a player Alabama coaches and fans are ecstatic about. So the cupboard is solid.
On the outside, I like the potential of sophomore Lotzeir Brooks, 5’9″, 193. Brooks pulled in a lot of big receptions last season and has the ability to make explosives every game. Ryan Coleman-Williams is kind of on a redemption tour after having a tough sophomore season. He is graduating in 2 1/2 years, so that tells you he’s a solid kid. Just needs to be able to pull the ball in better. The talent should be there. Noah Rogers, a transfer from North Carolina State DeBoar and his coaches were counting on, was hurt in the spring and will be out for a while this fall. Freshman Cederian Morgan is a guy the Alabama coaching staff is high on. He’s 6’4″, 223, so the size and catch radius is there. Other players like Derek Meadows and Rico Scott will have to step up, but there is talent with those two. At tight end, the DeBoar and his staff are high on 6’6″, 268 pound Kaleb Edwards. Jay Lindsey and Marshall Pritchett are a couple of others who DeBoar and Grubb want to see have an impact.
Conor Talty and Lorcan Quinn are battling it out for kicking duties. Quinn has the lead at present. Adam Watford is the No.1 punter right now. Lee Jr. is the No.1 punt returner with Ryan Coleman-Williams also in the mix. And Brooks and Rico Scott are the kick returners.
2026 schedule
Saturday, September 5-vs East Carolina, 11 A.M. CT/12 ET, ABC
Sat. 9/12 @Kentucky, 2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ABC
Sat., 9/19, vs. FSU, 2:30 P.M. CT/3:30 ET, ABC
Sat., 9/26, vs. South Carolina, TBD on time and TV
Sat. 10/3, @Miss State, TBD
Sat. 10/10, vs. Georgia, TBD
Sat. 10/17, @ Tennessee, TBD
Sat., 10/24, vs. A&M TBD
Sat. 10/31, Off
Sat. 11/7, @ LSU
Sat. 11/14 @ Vandy
Sat. 11/21 vs. Chattanooga, 1 P.M. CT/2 ET SEC Net+
Sat. 11/28 vs Auburn TBD
A tough schedule with nine straight games without an off week. But that’s expected in the gauntlet that is the SEC. But this team has talent and DeBoar recruited well in 2025 with the No.3 class, and in 2026 with the No.6 class (Rivals/On3 rankings), and there is still good talent on the team from the Saban years.
This coaching staff will have to figure out which quarterback gives them the best chance of having success this year. With college football the way it is now, it’s a year to year scenario. Both guys have terrific talent, so it’s a good problem to have. Who can lead the best, make the best decisions and create the most efficient and explosive plays will be under center come the East Carolina game on September 5th. The line will have to be good, and the backs, to me, should be a hidden gem on this football team. There is talent on the perimeter and the defense has a chance to be highly successful. There’s no reason this 2026 Crimson Tide team shouldn’t be in the mix for the SEC Championship and Playoff “matriculation.” Looking forward to seeing how they can progress starting in game 1.
Early next week
“It’ll be great to be an Auburn Tiger”
Auburn Football 2026
The Vocab word of the day brought to you by Excedrin and myself
Serendipity–Finding something good or valuable when you weren’t looking for it.
Example-The Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers found serendipity when they both
finished 11-1 in 2026.
The next question is “Who won the Iron Bowl?” TBD.
Our great freshman, Jon Ed Steed, and his teammates home in on capturing the NCAA Championship in Men’s Golf. (Photo courtesy of On3).
Super freshman Jon Ed Steed helps lead the Dores into La Costa Resort and Spa for the NCAA Championships (Photo courtesy of On3)
Our 11th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores are trying to augment what our 10-3 football almost did, our men’s and women’s basketball teams accomplished, our women’s soccer team accomplished, and our baseball team, though not what we wanted, played extremely hard and there is a lot of hope for 2027. When you have a coach in Tim Corbin, who has won national championships in 2014 and ’19, there is always room to be optimistic.
There’s a lot of optimism for all our teams. Clark has reloaded and brought back some studs in wide receiver Junior Sherrill, running back Seddy Alexander and company to go along with 99, 5 star frosh quarterback Jared Curtis, and some nice pieces out of recruiting and the portal. And we have excellent returnees. We’ll be good.
The SEC is always a battle of attrition, but we’re well equipped for 2026 and beyond. Clark is already assembling a solid 2027 class led by 94, four star linebacker Omarii Sanders, 6′ 3 1/2″, 210. Love what Clark did in his fifth season with the great Diego and company and love what the future holds.
Coach By just recruited a stellar freshmen class and also landed some major transfers. Chandler Bing is coming back for his sophomore season, and I like what Chandler brings to the table with his athletic ability, driving and scoring and improving ability from beyond the arc. He averaged 28 points his senior year in his school in Atlanta. He also plays lockdown defense.
And the news of the year in Vanderbilt Sports happened on Tuesday when the amazing Tyler Tanner decided to return for his junior season. That’s tremendous. Tyler averaged 19 points, almost 6 assists and 2.4 steals. He’s looking at an All American Wooden Award season in ’26-27.
Get your season tickets for football and men’s basketball as soon as possible. It’ll be a spectacle at First Bank and Memorial Gymnasium in 2026-27.
Not to be outdone, Coach Shea Ralph led her women’s basketball team to an awesome season. Love the future with Mikayla Blakes and company returning. Coach Ralph is tremendous.
Also, Coach Darren Ambrose took our soccer team to the Elite Eight and we have incredible prospects for 2026.
Those respective teams banged hard on the door, and now Coach Scott Limbaugh, players senior Wells Williams, freshmen Jon Ed Steed and Will Hartman will home in on breaking it down at the NCAA Championships which commenced today and is being played at La Costa Resort and Spa North Course in the San Diego metro area.
Our great golf team, led by freshman Will Hartman’s tie for low medalist honors, won the Athens, GA. Regional defeating teams like No.1 Auburn to earn one of the 30 spots in this field. We tee off at 3:07 P.M. CT/ 4:07 ET/ 1:07 Pacific.
We’ll start senior Wells Williams, sophomore Ryan Downes, freshmen Jon Ed, Will and Michael Riebe. Jon Ed, Will and Michael were part of the No.1 recruiting class in the country in 2025. Coach Limbaugh also secured the No. 1 class in the country for 2026.
The North Course at La Costa will play over 7,500 yards with a couple of long par 5’s in the 616 yard 2nd hole, and the 609 yard 18th. No.6 is the No.1 handicap hole. It’s a par 5 at 576. Good bit of water on the backside. Greens will be a certain kind of bentgrass that will be quick, stimping at 12 1/2 to 13.
Coach Limbaugh, in his 14th season, has led his teams to 50 tournament titles, with the most recent one being the Athens (GA.) Regional, we’ve had 37 low medalists (winners of tourneys), 12 NCAA Championship Appearances, 7 Match Play appearances, 3 Final Fours, 2017, ’19 and ’22, and Gordon Sargent won the NCAA individual title in 2022. It’s a laundry list of excellence. There’s more, players in the pros, etc..
The format for the major championship of college golf is a 30 team field with the field playing 3 rounds, 54 holes, today through Sunday, with a cut to 15 teams after the third round on Sunday. On Monday, the field gets cut down to 8 teams after 18 holes, and those 8 will play match play starting Tuesday. The quarterfinals and semis will transpire Tuesday, and the Championship match is Wednesday. Golf Channel will stream the Championships over the weekend and televise on the Golf Channel Monday through Wednesday, starting at approximately, 5-5:30 P.M. CT/ 6-6:30 East/ and 3-3:30 P.M. Pacific.
Coach Limbaugh said the teams that are favored are Auburn, Florida, Texas and UVA.
We’ll home in on breaking this door down this time. Regardless, we’ve had a heckuva season, and the future is through the roof bright.
And we could very well get over the hump and capture our first Golf National Championship over the next 6 days.
Our outstanding sophomore third baseman from Ooltewah, TN., Brodie Johnston is pounding the baseball right now. (Photo courtesy of The Vanderbilt Hustler).
Our baseball team is picking it up as third baseman Brodie Johnston and right fielder Braden Holcomb, among many others, are pounding the baseball right now. And, just as importantly, we are pitching MUCH better, which we had to have. The defense has been stellar lately.
I’ll have some more on Friday with details on Brodie, Braden, Mancini, Ryker Waite, Ruston Rigdon, etc, and what to look for as No.4 Texas (D1 Baseball Rankings) comes to Nashville for a three game set at the Hawk. Couldn’t be more gigantic of a series.
Our RPI, as reported by Warren Nolan, an expert in the field, is 69, which is probably not good enough yet to get us in the NCAA Tournament. But we’ve improved markedly in the last week after taking 2 of 3 from Kentucky in Lexington and defeating Xavier, 11-1, in 8 innings by the run rule, a 10 or more run lead after the trailing team has hit in the 7th. We are now 25-17 overall and 9-9 in the always rugged SEC. We started out slowly in the non-conference and the SEC has been as brutal as ever. But we’ve held our own. But we’ve got work to do.
Connor Fennell has been pitching well on Friday Nights, and our bullpen was better last weekend in Lexington. We just need to get better starting pitching on Saturday and Sunday, and our bullpen needs to keep progressing.
Brodie’s been awesome hitting .367 with 13 homers and 38 steaks. Braden is also hitting well at .329 with 12 and 39. Waite, our shortstop, is hitting .301 with 5 and 32 and is 9 for 12 in base stealing, and our great senior, second baseman Mike Mancini, is hitting .301 with 12 and 39. Mancini is also 12-for-12 in stolen bases. We always need to manufacture runs. It can be the difference between winning and losing, and we’ve been pretty strong lately in the stealing and bunt games along with our hitting prowess.
Braden was 4 for 5 Tuesday versus Xavier, and our superb sophomore first baseman, Tommy Goodin, who has taken over at first, was three for 5 with a three run shot and 5 Ribeyes. Waite hit a grand salami. Tommy is hitting .295 with 9 long ones and 29 Ribbies.
Game one Friday versus Texas is at 6 P.M. CT/7 ET on SEC Network+. Saturday’s game is at 7 P.M. CT/8 ET on the SEC Network. And Sunday’s finale is at 12 P.M.CT/1 East on ESPN2.
Major weekend ahead at the Hawk, and we’ll have to pitch well because Texas hits .303 as a team and has a 3.41 team ERA. Texas is 30-8 and 11-6 in the SEC, good for third in the conference behind No.5 Georgia, which is 13-5 and 32-10, and No.7 A&M, which is at 12-5 and 31-7. We are in 11th place in the conference standings, so A LOT on the line on West End starting Friday.
We’re hitting .294 as a team and are 4th in the country in home runs with 87. Defense is solid at .975, and we turn a ton of double plays. Defense could even be a little sharper, but it was very sharp against Kentucky and Xavier.
The pitching ERA is where we need to pick it up. It’s at 5.38 right now. We’ve Got to get better on the mound if we want to have a highly successful season. We’ve had some injuries, but now have guys coming back, and we’re pitching four or five freshmen, so it’s been a learning curve. But now is the time for the staff to step it up. The freshmen have been through a lot of battles in the pre-conference and now in the SEC. So, they’re veterans at this point despite the fact that they’re freshmen. They’re just going to have to lock it down. We’ve got to have those young guys and the veterans produce for us to have good, if not great success this season. The talent is there. Just need to be mentally tough on the hill and throw strikes and let our defense make plays. Connor is definitely giving us that. Fennell is our leader on the staff. Our other juniors and underclassmen have to follow suit.
I’ll have more on our team through the weekend.
I’ll have more on “By,” Coach Mark Byington, and the men’s bball team coming up Friday. By was extended by Candice and rewarded our program and our University for it by pulling in a tremendous incoming freshmen and transfer class. I’ll have many more details on what By has done. Keeping Tyler Tanner as a Dore is preeminent in our plans for 2026-27. Tyler did not transfer, so it’s a matter of if we can keep him from going to the NBA. There are deadlines for declaring for the draft and staying in. I think we’ve got a shot to keep him and possibly get AK Okereke back. AK is trying to win his case in court for an extra year of eligibility. Will get into more detail on Men’s bball Friday. It’s going very well. By’s the man.
It was such a downer losing to Nebraska because I loved the guys on the team and they had such a sensational season. Sorry to see Tyler Nickel, and Devin McGlockton have to move on due to the fact that they’re out of eligibility. Nickel is kind of up in the air still though. He probably won’t be back, but there’s talk of him trying to get another year of eligibility. He was a little erratic as a shooter, but gave great effort and was a leader. Glock was a terrific leader and teammate and gave us a lot. I really liked what Jalen Washington did, too, in his one season as a Commodore. Wish those guys all the very best and will be pulling for them in their future endeavors. Will get more in depth on our newcomers Friday.
Football had an awesome spring. Clark has this program fine tuned to be a powerhouse in the near future. I love what five star freshman quarterback Jared Curtis can do for us. The QB competition is still ongoing into August, and we’ve got three other pretty good players. Curtis has the most talent. He can really sling it. Can a freshman quarterback really lead his team to prominence in the SEC? If anybody can do it, Jared can. It’s not a done deal, but I’m banking on Jared being our starting QB in game one vs. Austin Peay at FirstBank on Saturday, Sept 5th. And the talent around Jared, or whomever it is, is as good as we’ve ever had. The defense is loaded, too. We’ll have to fine tune our offensive line, but there’s great size and ability, and plenty of depth. And I’m a huge fan of O Line coach Chris Klenakis. With Coach Klenakis, and OC Tim Beck at the helm, and our chief Consultant to Clark and senior offensive Advisor Jerry Kill, we’ll have good offense. Seddy Alexander, MK Young and Junior Sherrill are back among others. I like our material on offense. And Clark and DC Steve Gregory can do super things with our talent on defense. Our defense can be elite. Couldn’t be going any better in football.
Our Men’s Golf team shot 9 under today in the second round of the SEC Tournament at Sea Island Golf Club at St. Simons Island, GA. and are in 9th place heading into Friday’s final round of stroke play at 11 under. We are one shot back of 8th place South Carolina, which is at -12. The top 8 finishers in stroke play matriculate to the Match Play on Saturday and Sunday. There are quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Saturday, and the Championship Match is Sunday. I like where Coach Scott Limbaugh and our team stands heading into Friday.
We are ranked 11th in the country. We have really improved throughout the season. We’ve got a young team, for the most part, as two freshmen are in the starting lineup of 5 players in the team competition. But the two freshmen were 2 of the three players in the No.1 recruiting class in the country in 2025, so they know what it takes. But our senior from West Point, Mississippi, Wells Williams, has been the story for our team through the first two rounds. Wells is at nine under for the tournament, and tied for fourth, three shots back of Auburn stud Jackson Kolvun.
We’ll need Wells, freshman Will Hartman, from Marvin, N.C., who is at -4, freshman Jon Ed Steed from Enterprise, Alabama, who has been superb for us this season, junior Chase Nevins, from Great Falls, VA. and sophomore Ryan Downes, from Longmeadow, Massachusetts, to lock down tomorrow and get us into the match play, where it’s anybody’s game then. No.1 Auburn leads the team leaderboard at -27.
Will have more VU Confidential stuff Friday with the 2026-27 Basketball team makeup, more on these tremendous signees, and a running diatribe (not overkill, but up to date information) on the Men’s golf team as they home in on round 3 and advancing to Match Play.
New England Patriots (17-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (16-3)
Sunday, 5:30 P.M. CT/6:30 P.M. ET, kickoff closer to 5:40/6:40
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA., 75,000
NBC, Streaming on Peacock
Mike, Cris, Melissa, Kaylee, Rules Analyst: Terry McAulay
Lead Laundry: Shawn Smith
Seahawks by 4 1/2, O/U, 45 1/2
Record in NFL Postseason: SU: 6-6, ATS: 5-7, Over/Under, 5-7. Made a pretty good comeback on the straight up after posting a 1-5 mark after Wild Card Weekend. Was 2-4 ATS and 2-4 O/U after the Wild Card Round, so hung fairly tough.
The Seahawks lead the NFL in scoring defense at 17.2 per game, while the Patriots are 4th at 18.8.
But these two quarterbacks, Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, are playmakers, so there will be some points scored. The weather in Santa Clara Sunday afternoon at 3:40 Pacific Time calls for 60+ degrees and 8 MPH winds. It’ll stay relatively steady there throughout the game.
I like Darnold and the terrific Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to make few more plays than Maye and the New England offense. It’s about players in the NFL. Mike McDonald and Mike Vrabel are good coaches for Seattle and New England, respectively, but it’s 85% about players and 15% about coaches in determining how successful an NFL team is. General Managers are big pieces in that, too. More like 5% GM’s and 10% coaches. In college, it’s 80/20, players to coaches, unless you bring an NBA player into the fold like Alabama has done in college basketball. Nice, Oats and Byrne, and the circuit judge who gave Bediako a 10 day stay to play. The circuit court judge’s wife is defending alleged murderer Darius Miles from the tragic shooting of a young woman a couple of years back in Tuscaloosa. They’re big Alabama boosters. There will be another hearing tomorrow to see if Bediako can play the rest of the season. We’ll see which subjective or objective judge is on the bench in Tuscaloosa. Nice work, Alabama. Real great example of competitive integrity. In High School, it’s more like 60% players, 40% coaching. Coaches matter more in high school.
So I’ll take the players of the Seahawks over the players of the Patriots in a solid game. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks hoist the Lombardi Trophy later Sunday Night.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an absolute warrior (Photo courtesy of The Seattle Times).
The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots both advanced to Super Bowl LX, representing the NFC and AFC, respectively. Super Bowl 60 will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. on February 8th and will be broadcast by NBC, The Seahawks defeated the LA Rams, 31-27, while the Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos, 10-7.
The Seahawks prevailed over the Rams behind superb play from quarterback Sam Darnold, who completed 25-of-36 passes for 346 yards with 3 TDs against 0 ints. He finished with a quarterback rating of 127.8, which is outstanding. Quarterback ratings are rated from 0-158.3, with below 75, poor; 75-85, below average; 85-95, average to above average; 95-105, very good; and above 105, excellent. Passer rating takes into account completion percentage, yards per attempt, TD rate and int rate. Another popular metric, QBR (Quarterback Rating), is ranked from 0-100, with 70+ very good, 80+ elite and 90+ MVP-like. It rates QBs on passing efficiency, rushing contributions, down, distance, score, opponent strength and clutch plays. There’s a penalty for turnovers. Darnold was at 82.9 against the Rams. The great Matthew Stafford of the Rams was right there with him. Stafford, this year’s more than likely Most Valuable Player in the NFL, completed 22-of-35 for 374, with 3 TDs and 0 ints. His rating was 127.6 and his QBR was 81.5, both outstanding. For the season, Stafford was 412-of-639, 65%, for 4,707 yards, 46 TDs against 8 ints. His rating for the season was 108.2, which is an MVP rating. His QBR was 71, also very good to outstanding.There is an argument that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should receive the MVP. Maye completed 354-of-492, 72%, with 31 TDs and 8 ints. He rushed for 4 TDs and 169 more yards. Maye’s passer rating was 113.5 and his QBR was 77.1, both excellent numbers. I just like the 37 soon to be 38 year old (Feb. 7th), to be the MVP. He just had more of an impact this season than Maye did, in my opinion. And his numbers were better. I’ll take the Tampa native who played at the University of Georgia from 2006-2008. Darnold completed 323-of-477, 68%, for 4,048 yards, with 25 TDs against 14 ints. His passer rating was 99.1, pretty solid, and his QBR was 55.7, 19th in the league. He had a very good season and Coach Mike McDonald and Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are elated that he’s a Seahawk, after Darnold spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings before signing a 3 year/$100.5 million contract with the Seahawks after the 2024 season, which included a $55 million guaranteed contract and a $37.5 million signing bonus. I’d say that’s worked out well for both parties so far.
But Maye is still playing after his team’s victory over the Broncos in blizzard-like conditions by the end of the third quarter last Sunday at Mile High. Before I get to that, I want to say that Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the 23 year old, 3rd year wide receiver from Ohio State, looks to be the best wide receiver in the National Football League. He was a dominant player on Sunday at Lumen Field in Seattle. JSN caught 10 passes for 153 yards and a six. He was unstoppable and is a key reason the Seahawks are going to Santa Clara for a rematch from Super Bowl 49, in which the Patriots defeated the Seahawks, 28-24, punctuated by a interception by cornerback Malcolm Butler, who played at West Alabama. The Seahawks were on the New England one yard line second and goal and running back Marshawn Lynch was going to carry all 11 Patriots defenders into the end zone if given the opportunity. But Pete Carroll didn’t give him the ball! Instead, Carroll elected to let Russell Wilson throw it. It was one of the most catastrophic coaching decisions in Super Bowl history. He relied on his offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell, who completely blew it with that play call. Lynch was not going to be stoppedd, but Carroll and Bevell cost their franchise a second straight Super Bowl after they won it in 2014. They haven’t ever gotten back until now. Interestingly, I read a book about Bill Belichick titled, Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time, written in 2006 by Ian O’Connor, in which O’Connor, of the New York Post and ESPN fame, described Bill as watching Carroll during the final drive, and wasn’t calling timeouts because he knew Carroll would blow it; which he did. Belichick won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady, but was denied election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame yesterday, a surprising move to many. I think it’s poetic justice for Spygate, and his disloyalty to women. He dropped his wife for a younger woman, then dropped her for a 24 year old. Belichick is 49 years older than Jordan Hudson, his now girlriend. He’s struggling at UNC now, too. Let him sweat a little.
The Patriots play outstanding defense under Coach Mike Vrabel. They have a solid offense with Maye under center and the great Josh McDaniels coaching the offense as offensive coordinator. It’s a tougher call on MVP because of Maye’s help in turning this team around the Patriots from 4-13 in 2024, to 14-3 in 2025, finishing in the second spot in the AFC behind Denver, which they defeated last Sunday on the road. Great stuff from the Patriots. I like Stafford though. Maybe I like the older guy, but the stats don’t lie, either. Should be a riveting Super Bowl. Will break it down and predict it next Thursday, 2/5.
Record
This past weekend, AFC/NFC Championship Games: Straight up: 2-0; overall: 6-6; ATS: 2-0, 5-7; O/U: 2-0, 5-7.
The 114th Australian Open/Predictions
Men’s Semifinals: Coverage begins Thursday at 9:30 P.M. CT/10:30 ET on ESPN for the first semi; and at 2:30 A.M. CT/3:30 ET Friday for the second semifinal match on ESPN.
Jannik Sinner over Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Carlos Alcaraz over Alexander Zverev, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4
Men’s Final, Sunday, 2:30 A.M. CT/3:30 A.M. ET, ESPN
Sinner vs Alcaraz
These are the two dominant players in tennis right now and for the foreseeable future. The 24 year old Sinner from South Candido, South Tyrol, Italy, and the 22 year old Alcaraz from El Palmar, Murcia, Spain, split the majors in 2025 with Jannik winning the Australian, going back to back, and Wimbledon, and Carlos winning the French Open and the U.S. Open. They have put on epic matches. Jannik has won the 2024 and 2025 Australian, 2025 at Wimbledon, and the 2024 U.S. Open. Carlos has won six majors, the ’24 and ’25 French Opens, 2023 and 2024 at Wimbledon, and the 2022 and 2025 U.S. Opens. His deepest run in the Australian is the quarters, so he’s advanced beyond that this year. This is one phenomenal rivalry in sports. It’ll be a classic.
Sinner over Alcaraz, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
I’ll take the great Italian to capture his third Australian Open in a row. (Photo courtesy of the BBC).
Women’s Final, Saturday, 2:30 A.M. CT/3:30 ET Saturday
Elina Svitolina vs. Elena Rybakina
I like Elina, the Ukrainian, to defeat Russian Aryna Sabalenka in the semis tomorrow morning at 2:30 CT/3:30 ET, and for Rybakina to defeat American Jessica Pegula after that. Both will be tough matches. Elina will be locked in to defeat Sabalenka. It’s personal for her. In the Final, I look for another classic with the 31 year old from Odessa, Ukraine emerging and capturing her first Grand Slam.
Svitolina over Rybikana, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
The awesome Ukrainian player, Elina Svitolina, captures the Australian. (Photo courtesy of CNN).
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Scottie, Farmers Insurance Open Prediction
The great Scheffler aims for more milestones in 2026 (Photo courtesy of Golf Monthly).
The question in 2026 is: can Scottie Scheffler be stopped? Doesn’t look that way after he shot 27 under to capture the American Express last Sunday in La Quinta, CA. and was four shots clear of four, second place finishers. The amazing Scheffler won the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2025, at Quail Hollow and Royal Portrush, respectively. After his victory last Sunday, the 29 year old from Dallas, who will be 30 on June 21st, is only the third player to win 20 PGA Tour events before turning 30, joining Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Now that’s elite. He won’t play this week at the Farmers, but will play next weekend, Super Bowl weekend, at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, a spectacle in golf. Scheffler has four majors to his credit; two Masters titles, in 2022 and 2024, and the 2025 PGA Championship and British Opens. He’s an unstoppable force on Tour. He has all the tools in his bag, and the mental game to go along with it. Very grounded guy. Happily married, deeply pious, has a son, and plays golf to be successful, and what he means by that is winning tournaments and winning majors. He’s also won the Players Championship in 2023 and 2024, and the Arnie in 2022 and 2024, among his 20 victories. As long as his putter is clicking, he’s a juggernaut on the course. There is a lot of competition out there including Rory, who finally won the Masters in 2025, and the great competitor J.J. Spaun, who ground out a 1 under score at the impossible Oakmont Country Club in 2025 to earn the U.S. Open victory, which included a 64 foot birdie putt on 18 to seal it. J.J. was iron. But Scheffler is the Secretariat of golf right now. Brooks Koepka is back on tour. I’m happy about it. He stands to lose 10’s of millions of dollars in future earnings due to his defection to the LIV in 2022. But he’s playing at the Farmer’s. He’s a pretty wealthy guy already, too, so it’s not as major to him as it would be to some other lesser known LIV players. Patrick Reed is coming back and should be eligible later this season and full time in 2027. Looks like Jon Rahm, Bryson and Cam Smith are staying put on the LIV. LIV golfers have until February 2nd to come back to the PGA Tour or the offer is over for this year. These are for LIV players who won a major or the Players since 2022. Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, will play as a non-member and aim to regain full time status in 2027.
The 90th Masters will be played April 9th-12th at Augusta National, the 108th PGA Championship will be played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA., just outside of Philly, May 14th-17th. This’ll be the second time the PGA Championship has ever been played at Aronimink. The first was in 1892? That was before Francis Ouimet played (the 1913 U.S. Open champ at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts). Been a minute. The 126th U.S. Open will be played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York on Long Island, June 18th-21st. This will be the sixth time the Open will be played at Shinnecock with the other years, 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004 and 2018. The 154th British Open (Excedrin wants me to call it the British Open instead of the Open Championship, so will go with E) will be played at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England July 16th-19th. This will be the 12th British Open at Royal Birkdale. The 52nd Players Championship, with the biggest purse in golf, a $25 million purse, with $4.5 million going to the winner, will be played at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, March 12th-15th.
The 8 Signature events are: 1. the AT&T Pebble Beach February 12th-15th, 2. the Genesis Invitational, Feb. 19th-22nd, 3.the Arnie, March 5th-8th, 4. the RBC Heritage April 16th-19th, 5. the Miami Championship at Doral, April 30th-May 3rd, 6. the Truist Championship (at Quail Hollow), May 7th-10th, 7.the Memorial, June 4th-7th and 8. the Travelers Championship, June 25th-28th. I’ll have more details on the Signature events, location, etc., forthcoming in upcoming weeks. The Signature Events have $20 million purses with $3.6 going to the winner and nice earnings for the top 70 players and ties who make the cut.
Winner at the Travelers Championship
At Torrey Pines North and South Courses in San Diego. North, 7,258 yards, Par 72. South, 7,667 yards, Par 72.
Defending champion: Harris English
Defending Genesis Invitational Champion played at Torrey Pines in 2025 due to wildfires in Pacific Palisades, CA.: Ludvig Aberg.
Weather-Looks good as of now. Could change on the Pacific Coast, but right now calling for mid to high 70’s Thursday through Sunday with winds at 5-10 gusting probably to 15-20 at times. Marine Layer in the morning can cause issues with getting the round started as there is a lot of fog. No big deal for the most part though it can delay play.
The rough will be up to four inches, and the Bentgrass/Poa annua greens will be stimping at 13. The players will play the North and South Courses Thursday and Friday, with each player playing the South one day, and the North the other. After the cut on Friday, the players will play the South exclusively Saturday and Sunday. There are 147 players in the field. The cut is top 70 and ties. For the iconic South Course, No. 16 is a 227 yard, par 3, with two bunkers up front. The prevailing wind will make it more difficult to get it close. No.17 is a 443 yard, par 4, with fairway bunkers on the right that require a high draw to clear. The green is undulating, demanding precision to negotiate the slopes on ir. Front bunkers add to the challenge, and the canyon on the left is another obstacle off the tee. No.18 is a 570 yard, par 5. A major risk/reward hole. With a solid, 3 hundge yard drive, the players will go for it on their second shot and have to clear the pond in front of the green. A lot of hearts have been broken in that pond. The rubber meets the road on Sunday on holes 16 through 18.
TV:
Thursday-Friday, 11 A.M.-2 P.M. CT, 12-3 ET, ESPN. Broadcasting regular events again. At least this one. Golf Channel: 2-6 P.M. CT/3-7 ET; Saturday: 12-2 P.M CT/1-3 P.M. ET Golf Channel. 2-5:30 P.M. CT/3-6:30 ET, CBS. Sunday: 12-2 P.M. CT/ 1-3 ETGC; 2-5 P.M. CT/3-6 ET, CBS.
Odds: Xander Schauffele: 13/1; Aberg: 17/1; Patrick Cantlay: 19/1; Cam Young: 22/1; Hideki: 25/1; Maverick McNealy: 27/1; Si Woo Kim: 27/1; Jason Day: 27/1; Chris Gotterup: 27/1-Sony Open winner; J.J. Spaun: 27/1; Taylor Pendrith: 30/1; Will Zalatoris: 33/1; Samuel Stevens: 35/1; Wyndham Clark: 35/1, Harris English: 40/1; Keegan Bradley: 45/1; Sahith Theegala: 45/1; Adam Scott: 50/1; Justin Rose: 50/1; Max Homa: 55/1; Koepka: 55/1; Davis Thompson, 55/1.
Winner
I’m going to take the 35 year old from L.A. via San Diego State University. He’s won twice on tour, at the 2022 Valero Open in San Antone, and at the 2025 United States Open at the brutal Oakmont, 15 miles northeast of downtown Pittsburgh. If you can win at Oakmont, you can win anywhere. Like Frank Sinatra sang about making it there and making it anywhere. Torrey Pines, Torrey Pines, give me:
J.J. Spaun
Give me John Michael “J.J.” Spaun to capture the Farmers. (Photo courtesy of The South Pasadenan).
Devin McGlockton and our team homes in on the Kentucky Wildcats tonight at Memorial. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated).
The Dores come into the game tonight vs Kentucky with a 17-3 record overall and 4-3 in the SEC. We lost three in a row to good opponents, @ Texas, vs. Florida, in a 98-94 heartbreaker, and @ Arkansas. We rebounded last Saturday and handled business at “the Humph” in Starkvegas, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 88-56. Our terrific sophomore, Tyler Tanner, led the way with 24 points, added 5 rebounds and authored a team high 5 assists. Tyler is playing at an elite level. Duke Miles added 17 points and 4 assists. Our sharpshooting marksman, Tyler Nickel, finished with 13, including 3-of-8 from trifecta. T Nickel is second in the conference in three point percentage making 46% of his attempts, 69-of-149. Jacob Crews of Missouri leads at 47%.
Devin McGlockton finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Jalen Washington gave us super minutes with 8 points and 8 boards. Freshman Chandler Bing added 5 points and 5 boards. Mike James didn’t score, but he pulled down 6 boards. We shot 54% from the field and 32% from deep. We out-rebounded them, 36-34. We also were 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, 91%. We held them to 35% from the field, 19% from triple, and they finished 11-of-17 from the line, 65%. So nice job overall by the team.
The Wildcats are 14-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference, so with us at 4-3, this is a tremendously important game for our guys. No. 30 Texas A&M leads the conference at 6-1. The Aggies are 16-4 overall. No.15 Arkansas, No. 19 Florida and Kentucky are all 5-2 and tied for second place. Arkansas is 15-5 overall, Florida is 14-6 and then Kentucky. We’re at 4-3 tied with Georgia, Missouri and Auburn for 5th place. Unfortunately, it’s a later start tonight on ESPN, but Memorial will be electric. I have some writing duties in the morning, so I’ll have to watch the second half in my office when I get in tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a recap after I watch the second half, if we’re successful. The Wildcats are led in scoring by six foot four inch guard Otega Owen, who averages 16 points. Six-foot-five guard Denzell Aberdeen averages 12 per game. Their seven foot, 250 pound center, Malachi Moreno averages 8.7 ppg and leads them in rebounding at 6.4. Kentucky averages 38.3 boards per game, and we’re at 36.8. Devin is our leader on the glass with 6.7 per game. Jalen Washington adds 5.4. We’ll need to hang with them on the boards, and get after them on the defensive end with T Tanner and Duke creating turnovers for us. Duke and Tyler are numbers one and three, respectively in the SEC in steals. Frankie Collins is number two, but he’s injured and out till mid to late February. That’s my best guesstimate from the intel I’ve gotten. That’s not too far away, though. We need our Tylers, Nickel and Tanner, and Duke to knock down some triples, and for Devin, AK Okereke along with Jalen Washington, Chandler Bing, Tyler Harris, and Mike James making major contributions on both ends of the court. I’ll go ahead and predict it.
Dores 85, Kentucky 82
***Update***: Duke Miles is out tonight, due to injury. Not disclosed exactly what the injury is, but he’s struggled with a leg injury and an illness this season. It’s not long term, but hurts a little tonight. We’ll have to figure it out without him.
Should be a spectacle. Love what Mark is doing. Coach Byington is a stud.
Will have more on our phenomenal men’s team tomorrow, hopefully.
Women’s Basketball
Our No.5 women’s basketball team, which lost a tough one to South Carolina on Sunday on the road, are still 20-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC. Tennessee leads the conference at 6-0. We’re tied for second place with South Carolina at 6-1. the great Mikayla Blakes leads the conference and is third in the country averaging almost 25 points per game. Coach Shea Ralph is doing a superb job. Just gotta find our rhythm again in our next game. Our Women play No. 17 Ole Miss Friday at 2 P.M. CT/3 ET at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on SEC Network+. The game was moved from Thursday Night in Oxford due to the winter storm that affected so many people this past weekend in the Southeast and throughout the Northeast. Nashville got hit pretty hard. We’re thinking about our friends in Nashville, Atlanta and other cities and towns that were affected by the relentless storm.
Football
Football signed 20 high school players and 17 transfers in this 2026 class. We added several important pieces to our offensive and defensive lines, excellent skill guys, and the prolific 98, 5 star quarterback (Both the On3/Rivals and 247 Sports rankings) Jared Curtis from Nashville Christian. Jared lit it up in high school leading his teams to back to back state championships. His junior season, Jared threw for 2,839 yards, with 40 TDs against only 3 ints. He commandeered Nashville Christian to the state championship in Tennessee’s Division II A level in 2024. He also rushed for 637 yards and 18 TDs. He completed 70% of his throws. This most recent season, 2025, Jared was injured some, but still threw for 1,863 yards, with 31 TDs against 6 ints. He rushed for 536 more yards with 10 rushing TDs. His state championship team in 2024 went 12-1, and this season’s back to back team finished 12-0. In the state championship game, the awesome Curtis threw for 254 yards and 5 TDs, and rushed for 77 more yards and another six in an emphatic 59-7 Nashville Christian victory over University School in Jackson (TN.).
We’re getting a special player in Jared Curtis. We’ve got some weaponry coming back to help him with running back Seddy Alexander and wide receiver Junior Sherrill returning unless something drastic happens in the portal. Clark and the staff have added nice pieces on offense and defense in recruiting, both high school and transfers, and we have some more excellent players returning. So, elated to see what this team can do in 2026. We do have other quarterbacks in Blaze Berlowitz, who looks pretty darn good too, Whit Muschamp, and Walter Taylor, who had been a Commodore a few years back, but transferred and has now transferred back to the West End. So a lot to be excited about with this football team for 2026. Game one is Saturday, September 5th vs Austin Peay in FirstBank.
Baseball
Baseball will be cranking it up soon. Our centerpieces in the lineup are Brodie Johnston, Braden Holcombe and Rustan Rigdon. Catcher Colin Barczi and infielder Mike Mancini are key pieces, who are back as well. We’ve got some nice arms, led by Connor Fennell and Austin Nye. I don’t know a lot about the young guys we have, I’ve read some stuff and they sound talented, but I do like the returners. We were picked 23rd in the D-1 Baseball Preseason Poll, and 17th by Baseball America. We’ll hopefully be a lot better than that. We always have a shot to make it to Omaha under the prolific Tim Corbin. Former player and veteran Cleveland Indians assistant hitting coach Jason Esposito is now our hitting coach, and Corbs and the entire team are ecstatic about that. Jason was a superb third baseman for us. Jason was a .350 hitter, a terrific defender, and played on our first CWS team in 2011. I like what we have in Espo. Our reliable Scott “Brownie” Brown will be back to coach the pitching, and Ty Blankmeyer is our other assistant. I like our players, our staff, and Candice and Chancellor Diermeier have put more resources into the program, which surely helps. Hawkins Field will keep being a superb venue to support our guys, and there will be additions to seating and more aesthetic improvements that are happening right now. It’s an elite stadium already, and will be even moreso after the renovations are complete. Not sure the timeline on that, but will look into it, and get back. We have a superb coach and a superb program. We’ve just gotta keep supporting it. We open with No. 10 TCU on Friday, 2/13/26, at 3 P.M. CT/ 4 P.M. ET in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. We play unranked but solid and usually ranked Texas Tech on Saturday, 2/14/26, at 11 A.M. CT/12 P.M. ET. And, on Sunday, we play unranked but highly successful and respected Oklahoma State at 10:30 A.M. CT/11:30 A.M. ET. I’m sure MLB Network or some other outlet will televise. I’ll look into that as well, and let you know on that in the upcoming days.
Women’s Tennis
Our No. 19 Women’s Tennis team just defeated No.7 Michigan on the road to punch their ticket to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Awesome stuff from Coach Aleke Tsoubanos and our women. Will keep you apprised on the women’s progress in the Indoor Championship. We’ll play Northwestern at home this coming Sunday, Feb. 1st before heading to Illinois for the Indoors.
Will keep you posted on Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Football, Women’s Basketball and tennis, both Men’s and Women’s, and anything else that comes up in the upcoming days. Anchor Down and let’s get the job done tonight at Memorial.
