The day we’ve been awaiting for nearly three years is finally upon us. On Monday, the calendar turned to July, and that means that the SEC has officially now expanded to 16 teams with Texas and Oklahoma formally joining the conference on July 1. This also means that the SEC West, which LSU has occupied since the conference moved to …

They all had a reason to come back. Every single one of them. Simone Biles to move past those wrenching two weeks in Japan three years ago, when the gymnastics superstar prioritized her mental health and safety over glory, a decision that inspired some and maddened others. Suni Lee to prove — perhaps to herself most of all — that …

Mike Macdonald landed the Seahawks head coaching job thanks to his work running the defense in Baltimore the last couple of seasons and the Seahawks will be hoping that his arrival helps set some of their defensive players up for greater success. Defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones is one of those players. Jones signed a three-year deal with the team before …

Phillip Wright III is down to three schools and a decision date locked in. Wright, the No 52-ranked wide receiver in the country out of Destrehan (La.) High School, has narrowed his list of schools down to three finalists. Georgia, LSU and Michigan are all in the mix for Wright, who tells Rivals he will reveal his college commitment on …

Kristen Shilton Close Kristen Shilton ESPN NHL reporterKristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN. Greg Wyshynski Close Greg Wyshynski ESPNGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.Jul 1, 2024, 10:52 AM ET The 2024 NHL free agency signing period is officially underway. As the deals continue to roll in, ESPN NHL reporters Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski will be …

One of the most scrutinized positions in the NFL is offensive tackle, a position where numbers have been noticeable through the sacks and pressures a player has given up rather than the elite pass rushers those same players are containing. While it’s hard to judge how good an offensive tackle is, it’s even harder to evaluate the position. The advanced statistics have …

USATSI For the first time in his eventual Hall of Fame career, Von Miller did not record a single sack last season. The Buffalo Bills pass rusher was trying to bounce back after suffering a torn ACL late in the 2022 campaign, and the injury slowed his production immensely in 2023. Miler appeared in 12 regular season games and tallied …

Jul. 1—*** The Wildcats are picked way down the list in the expanded SEC. Veteran coach Mark Stoops will use the snub as an extra layer of motivation. … Nine starters return on defense, led by man/mountain tackle Deone Walker. … Four of five starters return in the secondary. Corner Maxwell Hairston ranked among SEC leaders with five picks. … …

Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterJul 1, 2024, 10:57 AM ET CloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN. Chris Tanev and the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to a six-year contract worth $4.5 million annually, just days after the defenseman’s rights were traded to his hometown team. Tanev, who was a pending unrestricted free agent, had his rights traded Saturday …

Since being hired as the Panthers head coach early in the offseason, Dave Canales has made a habit of saying that the team does not want to put too much on the shoulders of quarterback Bryce Young in his second NFL season. The team’s offseason moves provide some idea of how Canales hopes to accomplish that. The Panthers signed guards …

Before heading to the SEC spring meetings in late May, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian stopped by his office. From his window, he saw the SEC logos that were being applied to the field at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Recalling that scene a few days later in Destin, Florida, Sarkisian told reporters at the spring meetings that “It’s all happening, it’s becoming …

The major periods of offseason roster-building have come and gone in the NFL, and now the league is in hibernation until training camps open up in about a month. While clubs will spend the final weeks of the summer trimming down their 90-man offseason rosters into the 53-man unit they’ll enter the regular season with, we have a good grasp …

Picking the best player in the NFL is easy, a layup, a gimme putt.  It’s Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and then everybody else. Mahomes has won two straight Super Bowls, three total, has two regular-season MVPs and three Super Bowl MVPs. He showed last season that he can win it all, even at a time when the …

One of the most transformative days in the history of college athletics is here. The first wave of conference realignment kicks off Monday with Oklahoma and Texas officially joining the SEC — Texas celebrated over the weekend with a Sunday party on campus, featuring a Pitbull concert — and SMU leaving the AAC for the ACC. July 1 also marks …

usatsi The Dallas Cowboys will kick off 2024 training camp on July 25. Just don’t count on star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb showing up. Eligible for a long-term contract extension, the Pro Bowl pass catcher is expected to skip the start of camp without a new deal in place, according to The Dallas Morning News. Lamb, 25, has “been engaged” …