Former NFL linebacker Johnie Cooks died Thursday, Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed on social media. Cooks was 64. Cooks became a star at Mississippi State, manning the middle of the defense and earning a spot in the Davis Wade Stadium Ring of Honor. Cooks and D.D. Lewis are considered the best Bulldog linebackers ever. The Baltimore Colts made Cooks the …

Look, it’s no surprise when any Texas A&M football player receives unfair treatment from a rankings perspective after the Aggies’ dreadful 5-7 2022 season, but when it comes to sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman, who, among intense pressure to deliver when injuries continue to mount, the young signal caller threw for 896 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception in five …

Every offseason there are rankings and lists. We predict breakout players, players under pressure and who might get cut, traded or otherwise. This is one of those lists. This time, it is about players who might surprise with their play in 2023, which is different than breaking out or whatnot. Whose production in 2023 might be better than expected? Listen …

Notre Dame will host Ohio State on Sept. 23 in one of the most anticipated games of the 2023 season. It will only be the Buckeyes’ third trip to Notre Dame Stadium with the only previous ones coming in 1936 and 1996. With the Buckeyes only playing in South Bend once every one or two generations, plenty of Buckeyes fans …

ESPN mock draft has Bears taking Ohio State wide receiver in 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago ESPN recently released a way-too-early 2024 NFL mock draft; Bears fans should be clinging to their seats. No one knows, obviously, where each team will pick. Records determine picks, and we’re not even at training camp. But we can prognosticate whenever we …

The outlook of Big Ten football coaches has changed slightly over the past year, and that appears to be good news for Penn State head coach James Franklin. In an annual look at how the Big Ten’s football coaches stack up against one another from top to bottom, CBS Sports has bumped Franklin up the totem pole of the conference’s …

LOS ANGELES — One of the last remaining links to the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship teams and one of the best players in franchise history is extending his stay in Los Angeles. Captain Anze Kopitar signed a two-year extension worth $14 million with L.A. on Thursday. He’s now under contract through the 2025-26 NHL season at an annual salary cap …

Jul. 6—Michigan Panthers general manager Steve Kazor is on the record as saying he’d love to bring Andover’s E.J. Perry back to the USFL franchise next spring and run it back. He is also a realist. “I got a few phone calls (last Sunday and Monday) from NFL teams on E.J.,” said Kazor. “He’s definitely drawing interest. Personally, I can’t …

There will be a new face on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff.” Former Heisman Trophy winner and 12-year NFL running back Mark Ingram will join analysts Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Urban Meyer and host Rob Stone on the network’s college football pregame show that airs Saturday mornings – head-to-head with ESPN’s “College GameDay” – in the fall. “I’m thrilled to join …

Bad news Bears? Not so fast, Colin Cowherd says in reversal of previous take originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago About three weeks ago, Colin Cowherd took a stab at predicting every single NFL team’s record, and subsequently their finish in their respective division for the 2023 NFL season. When discussing the NFC North, Cowherd barely wasted his breath on …

In exchange for retaining its football independence, Notre Dame plays a certain number of ACC opponents every season. The only other sport in which Notre Dame is not an ACC member is hockey, which plays in the Big Ten. While old-school Irish fans might long for the days of the program being able to schedule almost anyone at anytime, some …

The New York Giants added a few pass-catchers this offseason, but could the game-changing deep threat actually come from within? Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton argued that he’s a difference-maker on the outside and his production to date is misleading due to the amount of quality playmakers that have been around him over his four years with Big Blue. “You …

The Giants have 14 wide receivers on their roster, but do they have a WR1? Darius Slatyon answers emphatically, believing he is a No. 1 receiver who merely hasn’t gotten his opportunity. “I wouldn’t say it bothers me, because everybody doesn’t know what I know ,” Slayton told Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post. “Everybody is not in the …

Arizona received a commitment on Thursday from 2024 five-star EDGE Elijah Rushing, marking arguably the biggest recruiting win in program history. Rushing, who is ranked No. 8 in the 247Sports rankings, is the first five star the Wildcats have landed in the star system era. It bumps up the program from 50th to 41st in the 2024 247Sports class rankings.  Rushing …

Carlton Davis and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are entering Year 1 of the post-Tom Brady era, but the veteran cornerback doesn’t see the team falling into the pit of misery, if you will. In fact, Davis says those who doubt the Buccaneers aren’t going to be able to get the number on the truck that runs them over this season. …