Surprising Duke meets Virginia in ACC title game amid CFP uncertainty
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s the ACC championship game that was hard to imagine back in September and one that could muddle the College Football Playoff scenario. Duke, by virtue of winning a complicated five-team tiebreaker, will face No. 16 Virginia on Saturday night in Charlotte after both teams overcame steep...
Georgia looks to end Alabama’s rivalry dominance in SEC final
ATLANTA — After No. 3 Georgia closed an 11-1 regular season with its eighth straight win over Georgia Tech last week, coach Kirby Smart was asked about his senior class dominating its top rivals through four seasons. Smart replied with a reminder that Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee do...
WR Adam Thielen compares joining Steelers this late in season to ‘learning a new language’
For the first time since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, Adam Thielen was scheduled to meet with the media immediately after practice Thursday. Instead, he spent a half hour at the team’s indoor practice facility running plays and concepts with quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Meetings were...
Alex Highsmith named Steelers’ winner of Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award
Alex Highsmith on Thursday was named the Pittsburgh Steelers club winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, a coveted off-field league honor intended to recognize players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game. The sixth-year...
3 days before game vs. Steelers, Lamar Jackson (ankle) sits out Ravens practice
It’s been clear that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson hasn’t been playing at 100% in recent weeks. Three days prior to a first-place showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson did not take part in the Baltimore Ravens’ practice. Jackson did not participate in Thursday’s practice in Owings Mills, Md., because of...
Former Steelers CB Darius Slay puts off reporting to Bills to contemplate futureVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed Thursday. “Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from...
Kyle Dugger misses Steelers practice; Patrick Queen returns; Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt full go
Starting strong safety Kyle Dugger was an addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers injury report Thursday, but Patrick Queen returned to practice and stars Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt participated fully. Dugger was listed on the status report as having a hand injury. He practiced fully and had no designation Wednesday...
NFL mandates new playing-surface standards by 2028
The playing surfaces at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season. NFL field director Nick Pappas detailed the plans for the program Thursday that will provide each team “a library of approved and accredited...
Success of current players a key selling point on recruiting trail for Pitt’s coaches
Pitt’s coaches utilize a variety of strategies on the recruiting trail when courting prospects. Team culture, coaching stability, playing time and NIL and revenue-sharing are all pieces of the puzzle relayed by Pat Narduzzi and his staff to potential future Panthers. Particularly helpful is being able to point to current...
Mark Madden: It’s time to admit the unpleasant truth about Mike Tomlin’s Steelers tenure
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bad. Prehistoric offense. Rotten defense that costs $163 million. Old and getting older. Stars fading fast. Awful decisions piling up. It’s time to form a narrative. That narrative is: It’s not Mike Tomlin’s fault. That’s the vibe, especially on the national front. There are several forks...
First Call: Darius Slay claimed off waivers; Browns open practice window for Deshaun Watson; Pens start rugged stretch
Thursday’s “First Call” has a new destination for former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darius Slay. The prospect exists that the Steelers might get to face Deshaun Watson when they visit Cleveland after Christmas. The Penguins open up a brutal stretch of games against one of the NHL’s division leaders Thursday...
U mad, bro?: Angry Steelers fans blame everything from coach to weather to ‘Renegade’
I don’t even need to ask. I know you’re mad, bro. The Pittsburgh Steelers have now lost 11 of their last 17 games. It’s their record. It’s their effort. It’s their coaching. It’s their roster construction. It’s the franchise’s lack of urgency. It’s the feeling that things are only going...
Minor league report: Nailers, Maxim Pavlenko shut out RoyalsVideo
Goaltender Maxim Pavlenko made 32 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-0 win against the Reading Royals at Santander Arena in Reading on Wednesday. The result was Pavlenko’s second shutout of the season at the ECHL level and boosted his record to 6-3-0. Forwards Craig Armstrong, Max Graham and...
Browns QB Deshaun Watson returns to practice for 1st time in more than a yearVideo
BEREA, Ohio — Deshaun Watson was set to practice for the first time this year with the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday, opening the 21-day window for the quarterback to return to the lineup. His practice time will not count against the 53-player active roster. Watson is eligible to be activated...
West Virginia men use pair of 14-0 runs to blow past Coppin State
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Honor Huff and Chance Moore each scored 17 points to lead West Virginia’s 91-49 rout of Coppin State on Wednesday night. Huff hit three 3-pointers in a 4-minute stretch late in the first half, giving the Mountaineers a 40-26 lead. The Eagles scored the last six points...
Ravens reach a 3-year contract extension with TE Mark Andrews
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens agreed to a three-year contract extension with Mark Andrews on Wednesday, days after the tight end became the franchise’s career leader in receptions. Baltimore was facing some significant decisions after this season, with the 30-year-old Andrews and fellow tight ends Isaiah Likely and...
Colts’ Daniel Jones turns to college friends for help with injured leg
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones is getting a little more help from his friends. Seven years after two teammates created a special pad to protect Jones’ fractured collarbone, the same duo has done it again, this time to fit over Jones’ injured lower left leg. Jones said Wednesday...
Blue-chip prospects make surprising choices on signing day
The changing landscape of college football means the nation’s premier recruits are no longer signing with the same handful of programs. That became particularly apparent this week when the nation’s top-ranked prospect landed in Vanderbilt of all places. Vanderbilt parlayed the first 10-win season in school history into a recruiting...
T.J. Watt added to Steelers injury report; Patrick Queen does not practice
T.J. Watt was a surprise addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury report Wednesday. The star outside linebacker sat out practice because of a toe injury, per the status report. Watt played what could be considered a regular workload during the Steelers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. He was...
ACC emphatically pushes for No. 12 Miami, league champ to get CFP bids
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips is pushing for No. 12 Miami to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff along with the winner of the league championship game between No. 16 Virginia and Duke. That comes with the ACC facing at least the chance of being squeezed out of the...
Penn State lands surprise 4-star quarterback on unusual early national signing dayVideo
Penn State started Wednesday’s early national signing day with just four commitments in its 2026 class, a group that used to hold 25 dropping like flies. Many of them followed fired coach James Franklin to his new job at Virginia Tech. One noteworthy four-star held the line. Edge rusher Jackson...
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers wants receivers to attend meetings, film study with ‘an open mind’
When he was asked Sunday night how he can get more in sync with his wide receivers, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the impression that attendance at weekly film study was not perfect. “When there’s film sessions, everybody shows up,” Rodgers said after the offense managed a season-low 166...
A line was crossed: Eagles coordinator Kevin Patullo speaks out after his family home was vandalized
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said a “line was crossed” when his New Jersey home was vandalized because the incident stretched beyond football and into his personal life. Patullo’s home was vandalized with eggs over the weekend in the wake of the Eagles’ loss on Black Friday...
Steelers notes: WR Adam Thielen joins team, Donte Kent practices — but suffers new injury
A day after he was claimed off waivers, Adam Thielen was with the Pittsburgh Steelers running routes at practice Wednesday. To what extent will he be doing so during the Steelers’ next game Sunday? “I mean, he’s a very smart player,” fellow veteran receiver DK Metcalf said after Wednesday’s practice...
‘Couldn’t be happier’: Pat Narduzzi, assistants break down Pitt’s 21-strong 2026 class
From Pat Narduzzi’s perspective, the early signing period probably is a roller coaster of emotions. The excitement of welcoming new recruits to Pitt’s program, the anxiety of some of those prospects potentially backing off their verbal commitments, on top of preparing the current Panthers squad for their upcoming bowl game...
