One thing that is very apparent when you speak with Jeremy Hecklinski is that he doesn’t lack for confidence. In fact, he says that on a daily basis on the field, he brings a gunslinger mentality to the passing game.

Hecklinski visited with the media for the first time since arriving in Iowa City this summer and discussed his decision to enter the transfer portal and ending up following his former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest to Iowa City for the upcoming season with hopes of competing for the starting job in the future. He discusses what fall camp has been like and what it’s like playing in the Tim Lester offense.

One thing that is very apparent when you speak with Jeremy Hecklinski is that he doesn’t lack for confidence. In fact, he says that on a daily basis on the field, he brings a gunslinger mentality to the passing game.

Hecklinski visited with the media for the first time since arriving in Iowa City this summer and discussed his decision to enter the transfer portal and ending up following his former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest to Iowa City for the upcoming season with hopes of competing for the starting job in the future. He discusses what fall camp has been like and what it’s like playing in the Tim Lester offense.

One thing that is very apparent when you speak with Jeremy Hecklinski is that he doesn’t lack for confidence. In fact, he says that on a daily basis on the field, he brings a gunslinger mentality to the passing game.

Hecklinski visited with the media for the first time since arriving in Iowa City this summer and discussed his decision to enter the transfer portal and ending up following his former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest to Iowa City for the upcoming season with hopes of competing for the starting job in the future. He discusses what fall camp has been like and what it’s like playing in the Tim Lester offense.

One thing that is very apparent when you speak with Jeremy Hecklinski is that he doesn’t lack for confidence. In fact, he says that on a daily basis on the field, he brings a gunslinger mentality to the passing game.

Hecklinski visited with the media for the first time since arriving in Iowa City this summer and discussed his decision to enter the transfer portal and ending up following his former offensive coordinator at Wake Forest to Iowa City for the upcoming season with hopes of competing for the starting job in the future. He discusses what fall camp has been like and what it’s like playing in the Tim Lester offense.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.

And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.

For this article, we continue with the 36th jersey number in the series, jersey No. 36, with two players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.

The second of those players did so in the Oklahoma City Thunder era, big man alum Etan Thomas. After ending his college career at Syracuse, Thomas was picked up with the 12th overall selection of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

The Harlem, New York native spent his rookie season injured, and was dealt to the Washington Wizards in 2001, playing seven seasons with the Wiz before being dealt to OKC by way of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2009.

His stay with the team would span a single season, coming to an end when he signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2010. During his time suiting up for the Thunder, Thomas wore only jersey No. 36 and put up 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 36 – Etan Thomas (2009-10)

The Mets are promoting four prospects in Joe DeMayo‘s midseason top 30 for SNY — infielder/center fielder Jett Williams (No. 1), right-handed pitcher Jonah Tong (No. 2), outfield Carson Benge (No. 3) and first baseman Ryan Clifford (No. 6) — from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse, according to a report Sunday by The Athletic‘s Will Sammon.

Outfielder A.J. Ewing (No. 9) is also going to Binghamton from High-A Brooklyn, Sammon reported.

Tong, 22, allowed one run on three hits while striking out eight over five innings Sunday in Binghamton’s 2-0 loss to the Yankees-affiliated Somerset Patriots. He is 8-5 with a 1.59 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 20 starts for Binghamton this season.

The 21-year-old Williams was the Mets’ No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Through 96 games this season for Binghamton, he is slashing .281/.390/.477 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI.

Benge, 22, was New York’s first-round pick in 2024 at No. 19 overall. Promoted to Binghamton June 23, Benge has slashed .317/.407/.571 with eight home runs and 23 RBI through 32 Double-A games.

Also 22, Clifford is slashing .243/.355/.493 with 24 home runs and 75 RBI through 105 games this season for Binghamton.

Ewing, meanwhile, is 21 and enjoying a breakout year after getting promoted from Low-A St. Lucie to Brooklyn. Through 78 games for Brooklyn, he is slashing .288/.387/.388 with two home runs and 26 RBI.

Paul Finebaum Names College Football QB Poised for Breakout Heisman Campaign originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The LSU Tigers have established themselves as one of the premier quarterback programs in college football. Since 2019, the Tigers have produced two Heisman Trophy winners, both of whom were selected as top two picks in the NFL Draft: Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.

Garrett Nussmeier is the new quarterback aiming to have a strong season and, ultimately, to win the Heisman Trophy by the end of the year. He enters the season with the second-best odds to win the Heisman, trailing only Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning.

On “The Paul Finebaum Show,” the SEC Network analyst stated that he believes Nussmeier has a strong chance of winning that historic trophy.

“I think Nussmeier is positioned for potentially a Heisman season,” Finebaum said. “I don’t think the first game will determine that. I think games later on, perhaps against Alabama, will. But I have no doubt based on several interactions with Brian Kelly that he is ready for the season of his career.”

Paul Finebaum Has Bought Into The Hype of Garrett Nussmeier This Offseason

Finebaum has expressed strong support for Nussmeier this offseason, stating that he is among the top two quarterbacks in college football heading into the season.

“I think we could argue all day on who the best quarterback in the country is, and in every argument, Garrett Nussmeier will be in there,” Finebaum previously said. “So will (Cade) Klubnik, and then you can add one or two more. But, if he comes out of this season as one of the two or three best quarterbacks in the country, then LSU is in the playoffs with a chance to do something really special.”

Nussmeier delivered an outstanding performance last season as the starting quarterback, throwing for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, which helped lead LSU to a 9-4 season.

Paul Finebaum Thinks LSU is a ‘No Doubt’ College Football Playoff Team

With Nussmeier as the starting quarterback and several returning players, Finebaum is optimistic about the Tigers this year.

“I like LSU,” Finebaum previously said. “I haven’t wrapped my arms around how far they can go, but I have no doubt this is a playoff team.”

The Tigers are looking forward to the upcoming season, as they return 62% of their overall production, ranking 38th in the nation. In addition to Nussmeier, they are bringing back key players, including running back Caden Durham, who rushed for 753 yards and scored six touchdowns as a true freshman.

LSU has retained junior linebacker Whit Weeks, who led the team last year with 125 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss. The Tigers will also welcome back linebacker Harold Perkins, who missed most of the previous season due to injury. In his first two seasons, Perkins recorded 147 tackles, 26 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

The Tigers will kick off their season with an away game at the Clemson Tigers at 7:30 p.m. ET on August 30.

Related: Paul Finebaum Takes Subtle Shot at Clemson Ahead of LSU Showdown

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

Dawn Staley Reacts to Shedeur Sanders’ Performance in First Start With Browns originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

All eyes were on rookie Shedeur Sanders Friday night as he made his first NFL start in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.

While some were skeptical about how he’d perform, Sanders silenced doubts in the first half, looking as poised and confident as any quarterback — especially one who entered as the fourth option on the depth chart.

With Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel all sidelined, the door opened for Sanders to seize the moment, and he made the most of it — drawing reactions from several prominent figures across the sports world.

Dawn Staley Speaks Out on Shedeur Sanders’ Performance

Basketball icon and South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley wasted no time praising Shedeur Sanders, expressing how happy she is for him.

“Super happy for @ShedeurSanders!” Staley said. “You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!”

Super happy for @ShedeurSanders! You can try to break a young fella’s spirit but you can’t touch his talent! Do the damn thing Shedeur!!!

— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) August 9, 2025

Sanders even drew praise from NBA superstar LeBron James, who lauded his performance and told the doubters to quiet down.

“That young looking good out there!” James posted. “@ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high.”

He added, “And I don’t wanna hear that “It’s only preseason” bs. Cause if he was out there not going in y’all would be on his ass about it! So give credit and grace lames.”

That young 🤴🏾 looking good out there! @ShedeurSanders Keep going UP!!! HEAD down on the grind and HEAD high to the most high 🙌🏾🫡

— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 9, 2025

With the Browns holding a 14–7 lead at halftime, Sanders capped his first two quarters of professional football by completing 11 of 18 passes for 103 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers, while adding four rushes for 19 yards.

Both scores went to wide receiver Kaden Davis, and throughout the half Sanders delivered several pinpoint throws — showcasing he’s more than capable of competing at the NFL level, despite lingering skepticism about the hype he carried from his college days playing under his father, Deion Sanders.

Related: Deion Sanders Sends Bold Message on Shedeur Sanders Before Browns Start

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.