Every NFL Draft cycle, players rise and fall on draft boards from preseason and midseason expectations. More evaluators, including high-level personnel members and coaches, are finally putting eyeballs onto prospects as the NFL season comes to a close and the collective Eye of Sauron turns towards the draft.

As more evaluators give their, well, evaluations, especially those who might have more sway than other members of the scouting staff, then opinions on players start to change. Players’ stocks gain more steam as coaches and general managers look at the players through a different lens and after the college season has completed, with more games and data to assess.

This happens at every position. But especially at the quarterback position. And this year is no different. In a class that lacks consensus everywhere, it can create wildly different boards and rankings from team to team and evaluator to evaluator. (Although it is safe to say that Miami’s Cam Ward is essentially the unanimous QB1 in this class and likely No. 1 pick, a justified selection that I wrote about recently.) 

Quarterback is the position where teams and fans desperately cling to any hope that their guy can be the guy, with the associated desperation that comes from NFL teams trying to find a real player at that position.

Hope and cope rhyme for a reason. It can cause evaluators to latch onto any glimmer of high-end play, arguing that it can be extrapolated once they get to work with them and chalking up any blemishes to youth, a college system, lack of talent, or whatever else.

As I continue to look at this year’s crop of quarterback prospects. I look at two players that have gained steam as the football season ended and the draft season begun: Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Louisville’s Tyler Shough.

I’ll first start with Dart.

Why could Jaxson Dart go in the 1st round?

Traits are a good starting point with Dart. He has a strong build (6-foot-2, 223 pounds) and is a good athlete and a quality runner of the football. He is willing to run between the tackles on designed runs and scrambles and lower the shoulder on defenders (something he’s going to have to dial back, but it is endearing to watch). Dart actually runs with good vision, too, even pacing some of his runs to set up blocks before bursting through the line.

But running is, and should be, only a part of a quarterback’s draft profile. As a passer, Dart was an effective and explosive operator of Lane Kiffin’s money play offense. He is a consistent thrower who delivers a tight spiral and has the arm strength to complete those throws to all three levels. Dart had the highest rate of explosive passes (gains of 16 or more yards) among all FBS quarterbacks with 300 or more pass attempts in 2024. His 25.4% rate just above Ward’s 24.2% rate, both of which are well above the average rate of 16% among the 81 eligible quarterbacks.

Streaky was a word that came to mind when watching Dart. There were drives where he would deliver three or four quality throws in a row that would move the Ole Miss offense down the field in a hurry.

Dart might not be excellent, or even great, in any one area, but his traits are all above-average-to-good for a starting NFL quarterback, with the arm and speed to operate inside and out of the pocket.

Where should Jaxson Dart go in the NFL Draft?

Dart’s consistency — or his feeling that he needs to stay consistent — is also a drawback. Actually, consistent might not be the best word; perhaps cleanliness works better. Dart seems to need things to be clean to be an effective operator. A clean read and a cleanish pocket so he can get through his full operation. An operation which typically requires a hitch or two, which is sometimes a hitch too many, to deliver his throws. 

While Dart has plenty of arm strength to deliver throws to the outside and can really drive on throws over the middle, his ability to push the ball can waver if he’s not able to hitch into the throw. Dart does seem to need to be able to get through his operation with a clean launching pad to operate effectively. His accuracy and ability to deliver throws with pace seem to waver from uneven platforms.

When the read wasn’t completely clean, or Dart didn’t seem to anticipate post-snap defensive rotation, his operation would also start to short circuit. Some results ended up OK; a scramble here, a throwaway there. But at other times Dart would turn down an easy answer, even on a concept that he’s comfortable with, to just do something else. Sometimes it was to run around. Sometimes it was to slowly progress across the field. Sometimes it was to scramble for a nice gain. Sometimes it was to eat a bad sack.

The first play in the cutup above is an example of what makes me uneasy with some of Dart’s ability to work from the pocket, or at least to do so consistently. Even on a concept that Dart had experience running, and not just once or twice, but dozens of times in game situations, Dart would still look like a novice in shortcutting his progression and anticipating throws. 

Here’s that exact same concept as the play above that Ole Miss ran multiple times in every game, both this season and in previous years.

Kiffin’s money play offense is a bit of a double-edged sword when evaluating and projecting Dart. Kiffin would do a great job of providing window dressing on a few core concepts that Ole Miss would run every week, and Dart was able to stand and fire some good passes when he saw exactly what he expected after the snap. But as defenses adjusted, or did something that Dart didn’t expect, the play could unravel and Dart could defer to being a runner too quickly, with his eyes coming down toward the pass rush and away from progressing through the play. He would say “no” to available options and decide to try his luck against an opponent’s pass rush. And while Dart is a good athlete, he’s not a very creative thrower and as a result, would end up attempting to run his way out of the problem or eating a sack. 

Dart’s sack rate and pressure-to-sack rates both shot through the roof in the second halves of games in 2024 as defenses adjusted to concepts. Dart had a 5% sack rate and 15.5% pressure-to-sack rate in first halves, which would rank 42nd and 33rd, respectively, among 81 qualifying FBS quarterbacks. In the second half and overtime of games in 2024, Dart had a 9% sack rate (ranking 73rd) and 24.6% pressure-to-sack rate (71st). 

Defenses would adjust to the common concepts and/or bring blitzes as games went along. Like here against Oklahoma:

Dart shouldn’t be condemned because he was just trying to execute the plays that were called. But it did make his play feel a bit robotic, and it made him go one-and-done when progressing on concepts. Kiffin’s offense was great at popping open a player to beat certain defensive looks, but it was simplistic. And on the plays that were repeat calls, Dart would have a bit too much fat on the progression of plays that he already had experience with. 

This isn’t to say that Dart can never learn to get better at anticipating, and he does flash a few throws over the middle that show him getting the ball out with some anticipation. But there wasn’t exactly a heap of tight window throws to sift through (again, some credit here to Kiffin and staff). 

I think it makes Dart more of a project than an early starter in the NFL, a player that I would be comfortable taking somewhere on Day 2, preferably in Round 3, part of the grab bag of Day 2 quarterback prospects that I consider behind Ward. 

Dart does have tools to work with. He has real athleticism and flashes the high-level throws a starting quarterback in the NFL needs to make. Ideally he can sit behind a veteran quarterback to continue to iron out some of the kinks, and continue to sharpen his anticipation and understanding of an expanded playbook. (I think there will be a steep learning curve for Dart executing more layered concepts.) There’s some fun stuff to work with here, but I would have reservations selecting Dart in the first round because of that learning curve and the lack of consistency he currently displays.

Now let’s look at Tyler Shough.

Why could Tyler Shough go in the 1st round?

Simply put, Shough can spin it.

Shough is a creative and flexible thrower that can contort his body and arm slot to get the ball off. He unlocks quick game and RPO concepts with his quick throwing motion and is able to get the ball on his teammates right as they’re working out of their breaks. Shough can deliver to all three levels and wins with his timing and ability to change arm angles.

Shough is also a good athlete at 6-5 and 219 pounds, but he doesn’t want to win as a scrambler. His athleticism shows up with his ability to be an excellent passer while on the move, and some of his best throws are when breaking the pocket to his left. Something that is atypical from a right-handed quarterback.

And although he doesn’t want to win this way (perhaps because of a past injury history, more on that in a bit), he can do some things as a runner, too! Which was reflected by his 4.63-second 40-yard dash time at the combine.

Shough’s athleticism and, uh, experience (again, more on that in a second) also shows up with his ability to avoid sacks. Shough is constantly able to find outlets whenever feeling heated up by pressure in the pocket, stacking up neutral or positive plays where other quarterbacks might start taking on water.

The outlets can be down the field, too, with Shough showing off an understanding of the timing of a play and where the ball should be. He will shortcut reads (like on the backside dig above) and gets the ball out with anticipation. He shows the ability to throw his teammate open, like on this comeback route he throws well before his receiver breaks on their route and also before the pressure can get home:

It’s not the sexiest play in the world, but that’s a real NFL throw. And Shough has the arm to throw the ball all over the yard, with the creativity, athleticism and arm strength to push the ball even when his feet aren’t set, something that is a prerequisite to succeed in the modern NFL.

Where should Tyler Shoug go in the NFL Draft?

Well, let’s finally get to the elephant in the room: Shough is old for a quarterback prospect. He will turn 26 in the first month of his rookie season and was in the same high school recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence (who is already on his second contract in the NFL) and Justin Fields (who is already on his third team in the NFL). How do you gauge that? 

Age is definitely a factor when evaluating athletes. It’s not the end all, be all, especially for quarterbacks (although I think people are going a little too far with the “old quarterback prospect meta”). But it is definitely better to see significant play at a young, or at least young-ish, age. Shough would be the oldest first-round quarterback drafted since in 2012. when the Cleveland Browns selected Brandon Weeden. (Weeden was even older at 29. A Mike Holmgren heat check!) 

Youth also makes for a more optimistic developmental timeline. You could argue that Shough was able to find outlets quickly in a college offense because he was in his seventh year of college and at his third college (Shough previously played at Texas Tech and Oregon). A Van Wilder as your signal-caller.

Why is Shough so old for a prospect? Because of the injuries he suffered in college, which included season-ending injuries like broken collarbones (plural) and a broken fibula. Injury concerns are completely team-dependent. Michael Penix Jr. went in the top 10 last year despite having multiple knee and shoulder injuries (and was also an older rookie quarterback at 24). It’s a sliding scale of ability and risk of whether those were chance things or there’s something about the player’s build that makes them more susceptible to injuries.

And Shough’s ability to avoid sacks also has a caveat. He is, perhaps because of his past injuries, allergic to taking contact. It helps Shough play with a great understanding of where to get rid of the ball and avoiding negative plays, and it should help Shough adjust well to the NFL since he already prefers to pull the ripcord on plays and doesn’t put himself in bad spots. But it can also limit the upside of some plays. 

Shough is a good thrower on the move, but he sometimes opts to avoid entering creation mode to get rid of the ball; he ranked second among FBS quarterbacks last year in throwaways with 31. And sometimes that can lead to some comical results as Shough gets rid of the football like a hot potato.

It’s really tough to weigh all the variables with Shough. His arm talent is undeniable and his best throws stack up with anybody in this class. But shouldn’t a quarterback that’s that much older than the competition play this way? Shouldn’t he understand timing and where outlets are since he should be a multi-year professional by now? Is there any more development to tap into? Or is Shough a beneficiary of experience? 

If Shough were 22, hell even 23, his throwing ability, sack avoidance, and overall athleticism would make him an intriguing name to look at in the back half of the first round. But he’s not. Those are the facts. It might seem like “only a couple of years”, but those are key years of an athlete’s, development.

I keep referring to the group of quarterbacks after Cam Ward as the “Day 2 grab bag,” and Shough is a part of that group to me. I respect the arm talent, but I’m also realistic to his more extended college history. How teams and evaluators consider the sliding scale of his ability and his age and injury history will be very interesting to watch unfold. Shough will be 30 by the time he would be on his second contract. Is it worth a high-level investment for a player that, in theory, has a flatter development curve?

 There’s an NFL-level arm and athlete here with Shough. But who pulls the trigger on him, and where in the draft, will be fascinating to watch in a month.

Devin Williams was one more poor pitch from coming out of the game or blowing his first save opportunity and ruining an otherwise outstanding Opening Day for the Yankees. 

The bases were loaded and the right-hander had to feel as if the roof was caving in on him as his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, were making his job difficult, especially in not chasing the changeup that has made him one of the most dominant relievers in baseball the last few years. 

In the end, however, Williams found a way to avoid disaster and get the job done, limiting the damage to one run while striking out the last two batters even as his pitch count climbed into the 30s. 

And so afterward manager Aaron Boone was quick to smile at his press conference and say, “I love that he didn’t break. He was in a corner there but he kept making pitches. It’s not always easy but we know how good he is.”

The result was that Williams and the Yankees escaped with a 4-2 win on Opening Day in the Bronx, a win that offered reason for them to feel good about their ballclub after their injury-plagued spring. 

There was Carlos Rodon, pitching like at least mostly like an ace in the absence of Gerrit Cole, dominating the Brewers over five innings before a couple of walks elevated his pitch count and knocked him out of the game. 

There was Austin Wells, the newly-minted leadoff hitter, making all sorts of history, from becoming the first Yankee catcher ever to lead off to becoming the first catcher in the majors ever to hit a leadoff home run on Opening Day. 

And there was the depth of the bullpen on display, as Tim Hill, Mark Leiter Jr., and Luke Weaver got eight outs while allowing only two baserunners before things got hairy in the ninth with Williams. 

“A great team win,” Wells called it. “We had so many good things happen.”

Intriguing as well, starting with Rodon. 

Boone was candid even before the game, talking about Rodon’s difficulty to adapt to pitching in such a pressurized environment after signing his big contract two years ago with the Yankees.

“As rough as his first year was,” Boone said, “that could have derailed a lot of people. But he really leaned into that. He connected with the people he needed to connect with and developed a really good routine to focus on the task at hand.”

Boone admitted that controlling his emotions on the mound has been the most difficult part for Rodon, and as such the manager was looking at the season-opening start as a test of just how far the lefty had evolved as a Yankee.

So after Rodon delivered his strong 5 1/3 innings that included seven strikeouts and only those two sixth-inning walks, Boone was beaming. 

“He was really in command of his emotions,” the manager said. “If he does that he’s capable of that every time.”

Boone also made the point that Rodon has expanded his repertoire since coming to the Yankees mostly as a fastball-slider guy, and has weapons to make him a much more complete pitcher. 

“The changeup is a very important pitch to him now,” Boone said. “To have longevity as a pitcher you’ve got to be able to evolve, and he’s doing that.”

As for Wells, the first-inning home run was quite a jump-start to his career as a leadoff hitter, a slot for which Boone thought he fit well because of his on-base percentage and his aura, if you will, even as a young player. 

“There’s just a presence about him,” Boone said. “Something you notice right away. I think he’s going to be one of the best two-way catchers in the league.”

Perhaps, but Wells admitted he didn’t believe Boone was serious when the manager approached him about it in spring training. 

“I really thought he was messing with me,” Wells said. “But then I did it, and it continued, and here we are. I’m good with it.”

Together with a home run by Anthony Volpe, a blast off the right-field wall by Ben Rice, and Wells’ first-inning blast it was a statement of sorts about what it will take for the 2025 Yankees to win big. They’re going to need breakout years from their young players, including Jasson Dominguez as well, if this team is going to have enough offense to overcome the loss of not only the injured Giancarlo Stanton but the departed Juan Soto. 

In that sense it was a feel-good day at Yankee Stadium, with things falling into place nicely for eight innings, setting the stage for Williams, the closer for whom they traded with these Brewers. 

Then suddenly a quiet came over the Stadium as Williams struggled. Nerves likely played a part but there was also the question of lingering scar tissue from that Pete Alonso home run last October that Williams gave up to blow the wild-card series against the Mets.

Disaster loomed, to the point where Boone went to the mound to take Willliams’ temperature and give him some rest, worried that he might have to pull him. 

“But he kept making pitches,” Boone said. 

Finally he began getting results: a sac fly, then he struck out Jackson Chourio swinging at a changeup, and after going to 3-2 on Christian Yelich, knowing he was coming out of game soon as his pitch count sat at 35, Williams reached back and blew 95 past Yelich for a strikeout to end the game.

Afterward Williams called it “a weird day” facing his old teammates, and thought their familiarity with him worked to their favor. 

“My command wasn’t great but they laid off some tough pitches,” he said. “They really made me work for it. But I just focused on making pitches. I know there are more eyes on me here with the Yankees but I wasn’t thinking about that on the mound. I’m pretty laid-back. I was able to get the job done.”

He didn’t break, as Boone put it, and maybe that bodes well for both him and the Yankees this season. On this day, anyway, it was the last bit of positivity to make these Yankees believe they can have a special season, injuries and all.

The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.

Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.

To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 13th of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 11 which has has had a total of 19 players wear the number in the history of the team.

The first of those players wearing No. 11 played in the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, big man alum Todd MacCulloch. After ending his college career at Washington, MacCulloch was picked up with the 47th overall selection of the 1999 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba native would play the first 2 seasons of his pro career with the Sixers, ending when he signed with the Nets in 2001. His stay with the team would span a single season, MacCulloch returning to Philly afterward.

During his time suiting up for the Nets, MacCulloch wore only jersey No. 11 and put up 9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 11 – Todd MacCulloch (2001-02)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Terry Francona’s first Opening Day as manager of the Cincinnati Reds started in a dentist’s chair.

About 12 hours later, Francona was experiencing baseball’s equivalent of a root canal.

The Reds were one out away from a successful debut for Francona, until the San Francisco Giants rallied for four runs in the ninth inning. Cincinnati got a run in the home half but ended up falling short 6-4.

Francona began the day with an emergency trip to the dentist for treatment of a broken veneer on a bottom tooth. As is his usual style, Francona tried to make light of the situation.

“Got it fixed and now I’m ready to go. I didn’t want to go through Opening Day looking like Jethro Bodine,” he said before the game.

That wasn’t the only painful experience for Francona. He then had to watch his team squander a lead in the ninth inning.

The Reds had a 3-2 lead going into the ninth when Francona decided to go with Ian Gibaut to close it out after Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Cincinnati’s closer situation remains in flux with Alexis Díaz on the injured list due to left hamstring inflammation.

With runners at the corners and two out, Patrick Bailey’s base hit to right-center tied it at 3-all before Wilmer Flores drove a hanging sweeper into the left-field stands to put the Giants on top.

“He left a breaking ball that caught too much of the plate. It was the middle of the order and he had a lot of deep counts,” said Francona about Gibaut.

The decision to go with Gibaut, who has 10 blown saves and only four career saves after Thursday, had Reds fans instantly second-guessing Francona.

“I don’t know if I’m ever going to go check to see who’s surprised,” said Francona about reactions to his decisions. “What I do is do what I think is right, answer questions and be confident enough to move on and not run to see how I’m being perceived. I’ll never do that.

“I think it’s OK to kind of know who you are. We can’t be the team where we throw the bats and balls out there and think we’re going to win. We’re going to have to scrap our (butts) off. That’s OK. I can enjoy that.”

The ninth inning implosion dampened what had been a good day for the Reds. Jeimer Candelario had a pair of hits and drove in three runs.

Cincinnati pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts. It is the second-most the Reds have had on Opening Day, with a record 17 against the Los Angeles Angels in 2013.

Starter Hunter Greene — who allowed two runs struck out eight in five innings — also defended Gibaut and went to his locker to talk to him before doing a postgame interview.

“He’s one of our best pitchers. Fans might not want to hear it. But they need to believe it because it is true,” Greene said. “I want him to know that I support him and I look past what happened today. And I know the rest of the team feels that way about Ian as well.”

As he had in previous managerial jobs with Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland, Francona tried to emphasize the point that what happens in the opener isn’t always a harbinger of what will take place the entire season.

“It better not deflate us too much. It’s no fun losing any way. Losing late is hard. If that is too much for us, I got the wrong read on our guys,” Francona said. “I get more excited to get into the grind of the season. The bad thing is tomorrow we have a day off where we sit through it.”

Francona is back managing after taking last year off, but that didn’t make this Opening Day special compared to the past ones. During last year’s opening day, Francona was in Los Angeles watching Arizona in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“I think, every day is special. I mean, it can be June 30th. I like coming to the ballpark. I was glad I didn’t last year because I needed to get away. Like I told these guys, when you know you need to get away, you’re probably late doing it. But it helped me along the way.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The absolute last thing any college basketball fan wants to see is a game that needlessly turns on an officiating decision. But with referee Tony Padilla working the Sweet 16 matchup between BYU and Alabama, we probably should have expected that.

As BYU tried to chip away against a hot-shooting Alabama team on Thursday, BYU’s Trevin Knell hit a huge three that cut the deficit to eight points in the second half. After the shot, he turned to Labaron Philon and said something to the Alabama freshman.

But that’s a moment where an official needs to understand the situation. It’s the Sweet 16. He hit a huge shot. A player is allowed to talk to some degree. Yet, Padilla immediately hit Knell with a technical that effectively negated the three.

Trevin Knell was assessed a technical foul after making this three. pic.twitter.com/EMZeT1pkid

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 28, 2025

That’s just abysmal officiating in every sense. Mark Sears went to the line where he extended the lead back to 10 on the technical free throws.

It was the kind of call that could ruin a game, and college hoops fans were rightfully furious with Padilla.

This was how Twitter/X reacted

Tony Padilla you’re terrible man

— Terrell Williams (@HowInvesting) March 28, 2025

Tony Padilla after Trevin Knell hits a 3: pic.twitter.com/Dsa9xnhzCf

— Cody Nagel (@CodyNagel247) March 28, 2025

Tony Padilla is a clown 🤡

Same dude who was in the middle of last week’s Arkansas-St John’s foul fest, just called the weakest tech I’ve ever seen.

This guy should not be calling high level college basketball games

— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) March 28, 2025

Tony Padilla has been awful all season. Has no business being in this game. https://t.co/U87bGs03sl

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 28, 2025

Sears just did the 3 pointer finger gun but he doesn’t get T’d up for it. Where is the consistency, Tony Padilla?

— UConn 6X CHAMPS (@aburks41) March 28, 2025

Tony Padilla has no business being employed by the NCAA . Embarrassment.

— Calvy J (@CJRealHoops1) March 28, 2025

This article originally appeared on For The Win: BYU fans were justifiably livid after ref Tony Padilla called an awful technical on Trevin Knell

NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Williams saved his first game with the New York Yankees by a whisker.

Acquired from Milwaukee in December, the bearded All-Star closer drew his first boos from Yankees fans just 18 pitches into his career in pinstripes.

“I heard ‘em. I heard ’em,” he said.

After loading the bases with no outs against his former team and allowing Brice Turang’s sacrifice fly, Williams struck out Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich to preserve a 4-2 opening day win over the Brewers on Thursday that turned tense in the ninth inning.

“Love that he didn’t break,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He just kept making pitches.”

New York traded for the 30-year-old right-hander in December, agreeing to send popular left-hander Nestor Cortes to the Brewers along with infield prospect Caleb Durbin and $2 million.

Knowing that Williams was unhappy appearing clean-shaven and could become a free agent after this season. the Yankees last month ended their ban on beards imposed by owner George Steinbrenner in 1976. Williams had advocated for the change.

Williams was drafted by the Brewers in 2013, made his big league debut with them six years later and had never pitched for another team before this year.

“When we did the opening ceremony,” he recalled after the game, “looking across and seeing all the faces that I’m familiar with being on the other side it was kind of weird for me.”

It was well past time for 5 o’clock shadows when Williams took the mound shortly after 6 p.m. with a 4-1 lead.

Joey Ortiz singled leading off and Isaac Collins doubled on a hop to the center-field wall on a changeup, Williams’ so-called Airbender.

Pinch-hitter Jake Bauers walked on seven pitches, five of them Airbenders, and Williams fell behind 3-1 in the count to Turang as boos broke out before the reliever got a pair of foul balls and the sacrifice fly.

“Obviously, there’s a little bit of different expectations, more eyes on you here, but none of that is going through my mind when I’m on the mound,” Williams said.

Pitching coach Matt Blake and catcher Austin Wells went to the mound.

“Keep being you and filling it up,” Wells recalled telling Williams. “He’s done it for a while now. So he’s calm, cool and collected.”

Bauers stole second and Chourio swung over a changeup on the eighth pitch of his at-bat for his fifth strikeout of the game, two more than his previous high.

With Fernando Cruz warming up in the Yankees bullpen, Yelich came to the plate.

“I’m very laid back, low key,” Williams said. “There’s really no other option. It’s either I get this guy out or we lose a game.”

Williams tied up Yelich, the 2018 NL MVP, with a full-count inside fastball for another strikeout that ended a 36-pitch outing, his longest since May 2022. The 95.1 mph pitch was Williams’ fastest of the day.

“He’s a great closer and we made it tough on him,” Yelich said. “He made a pitch again.”

Having been given the Yankees championship belt as player of the game, Williams seemed, well, relieved.

“I didn’t think my command was the best today,” he said, “but they also laid off some really good pitches at times. I think they had a really good plan against me. There’s no one that knows me better than that team over there, so they really made me work for this one.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Georgetown freshman forward Thomas Sorber told ESPN on Thursday that he will declare for the 2025 NBA draft while maintaining his remaining college eligibility.

Sorber was named to the All-Big East third team after averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals on 53.2% shooting from the field. He is the first Hoya since Markel Starks (2012-13) to earn all-conference third-team recognition.

The 19-year-old, who was also a unanimous selection to the Big East All-Freshman team, was limited to 24 games after undergoing season-ending foot surgery last month. He was one of the front-runners to win the Big East Freshman of the Year award before the injury.

Sorber wasn’t on the NBA radar to begin the season, but eventually established himself as a potential first-round pick after a strong freshman campaign. He was among the freshmen leaders in several advanced metrics, including defensive win shares and wins above replacement.

The 6-foot-10 standout was dominant at times in the paint as either a roller or back-to-the-basket scorer. He showed some flashes of being able to space the floor, though he will need to continue to improve in that area at the next level.

After announcing his draft intentions on Thursday, it isn’t known if Sorber will be cleared to participate in draft workouts or the combine May 11-18 in Chicago, Illinois. Underclassmen have until May 28 to withdraw from the draft and return to school.

The 2025 NBA draft will occur June 25-26 in New York City.

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: NBA rumors: Georgetown forward Thomas Sorber to declare for NBA draft

KENT, Ohio (AP) — Kent State has placed head coach Kenni Burns on administrative leave.

The university said in a statement Thursday that Burns was put on leave with pay and that Greg Glaus, executive deputy athletics director, would oversee the administrative responsibilities of the program. Also, the school said that offensive coordinator Mark Carney would be in charge of on-field activities.

Kent State did not provide details on why Burns was played on leave.

Kent State is scheduled to begin spring practices this weekend.

Burns has a 1-23 record in two seasons with the Golden Flashes. They were 0-12 last season, the fifth time in school history they had gone winless.

Before arriving at Kent State, Burns was the running backs coach at Minnesota.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Wilyer Abreu dedicated this two-homer game to his newborn twin boys.

Abreu went deep twice in Boston’s season-opening 5-2 win at Texas, including a tiebreaking three-run shot in the ninth inning Thursday. It came nearly eight months after the 25-year-old outfielder’s only multihomer game — in the same stadium, the day after his grandmother died.

“The the two that I hit last year, they were for my grandmother, but these two, they were for my twins,” Abreu said through a translator.

This two-homer game came 10 days after his sons were born, and after a spring training during which he lost 8-to-10 pounds while dealing with a gastrointestinal virus and doing much of his work on the back fields and in minor league games.

“I knew that I was going to be ready for opening day, and I worked very hard to be able to do that,” he said.

Abreu, who last year as a rookie was a Gold Glove-winning right fielder, had a part in every run for Boston. He singled and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder in the third. He homered in the fifth off Texas starter Nathan Eovaldi and his winner was a 394-foot liner to right-center off Rangers reliever Luke Jackson.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect that,” Abreu said. “But when I hit the second one, I figured it was one for each (son).”

In that game last Aug. 4 in Texas, after his ailing grandmother had died in his native Venezuela, Abreu wiped his face with a towel while looking at the dugout wall after a tying solo homer in the fourth. He still had tears in his eyes when returning to right field in the bottom of that inning.

Abreu said after that game “it obviously was a difficult situation.”

Two innings later, his three-run shot broke open a 7-2 win for the Red Sox.

Manager Alex Cora that night stuck with the left-handed hitter in a tight game after Walter Pennington came out of the Texas bullpen. Abreu won that lefty-lefty matchup by going deep for the second time.

Cora kept Abreu in again Thursday when left-hander Robert Garcia came out of the bullpen in the seventh. Abreu walked then, and was still in the game to face the right-hander Jackson in the ninth.

“Very special moment for me,” Abreu said. “Even better when you can start a season with a big win like this.”

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