The New York Giants‘ anticipated hiring of John Harbaugh as head coach remains in limbo, creating a ripple effect across the NFL coaching carousel.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports that negotiations have hit rough waters despite both sides working toward a deal.
From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: The #Giants are (still) on track to officially hire John Harbaugh as their head coach. It has just taken some time. pic.twitter.com/GigJtEf5Mt
“There’s a lot to be handled. It sounds like they are trying to handle it, but smooth sailing it has not been,” Rapoport said. “Meanwhile, you have the Tennessee Titans, who are interested and waiting. You have Kevin Stefanski, who — maybe the one if things don’t work out with John Harbaugh — is also waiting. The entire coaching cycle is waiting for this deal to get done.”
Rapoport noted that both parties feel they possess leverage in the talks.
Other sources familiar with the situation point to an internal power struggle, primarily over general manager Joe Schoen’s control of personnel decisions. Harbaugh, drawing from his successful Baltimore structure, reportedly seeks greater influence or even Schoen’s demotion.
Contrary to perceptions, the Giants hold no real leverage. If Harbaugh walks away, it would mark the franchise’s most humiliating setback in decades, exposing deep organizational dysfunction at a critical juncture.
Carter explained the decision in an email to coach Josh Heupel and A.D. Danny White.
“Just the simple fact of me being able to go and finish my degree I only have a couple credit hours left,” Carter said in the message. “I’ll be the first in my family to graduate college. I just want to go and have a full season healthy. I had been dealing with turf toe in my feet all year and wasn’t able to play to my expectation. Being able to come back and have a full year of training and sharpening my tools and being a better linebacker and setting out to do everything I want to accomplish this next year.”
Carter is not expected to return to Tennessee.
There’s a question of whether Carter will be able to return to college football, after entering the draft. NCAA rules presumably don’t allow it. However, plenty of NCAA rules violate federal antitrust laws — as evidenced by the fact that the NCAA recently granted basketball player James Nnaji four years of eligibility even though he was previously selected in the first round of the NBA draft, but didn’t sign a contract.
If the NCAA tries to block Carter from returning, the NCAA presumably would lose in court.
Recently, former Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson declared for the draft, before multiple teams started making multi-million-dollar NIL offers. He eventually decided to proceed on a path to the NFL.
The Nnaji precedent presumably would allow Simpson and any other drafted player with remaining eligibility to change his mind, unless and until he signs an NFL contract.
Arlington Heights officials are pushing lawmakers to approve a mega projects bill that would support large-scale developments throughout the state. It includes the Chicago Bears Development at Arlington Park.
They held a news conference Friday called “Keep the Bears in Illinois.” The Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said the team is ready to commit billions of dollars to make the project happen.
Arlington Heights officials are pushing Illinois lawmakers to help keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.
“The Chicago Bears are not, capitalize not, asking for taxpayer money to build their stadium in Arlington Heights,” Mayor Tinaglia said. “That’s a big important piece of this puzzle.”
Infrastructure improvements around a new stadium would cost an estimated $855 million, which the Bears reportedly want the state to assist with.
The governor and leading lawmakers have expressed a willingness to help out with infrastructure, but have made no formal commitments.
“I hope that this can be a year where we can have a conversation, it’s open, honest and transparent about how to move forward. And the Bears know now that the ball is in their court,” state Rep. Kam Buckner said.
Friday’s news conference comes after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell toured the Arlington Heights site in addition to spending time in Northwest Indiana.
During his State of the State address Wednesday night, Indiana Governor Mike Braun said he would do whatever he can to bring the Bears across state lines as a new senate bill is proposed in the state creating a possible framework for a Bears move.
The city of Gary on Friday released what it calls a “strategic roadmap for the Chicago Bears.”
In a press release, the city says Indiana Senate Bill 27 would change the landscape of Indiana’s bid.
“This legislation, which establishes the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, provides a financial framework that Illinois simply cannot match. The proposed structure creates a pathway for the team to control its own destiny without the prohibitive tax burdens and stalled infrastructure talks currently seen in Illinois,” the city of Gary says.
The city of Gary also said it has identified three “Plug-and-Play” sites that are “ready for immediate development by the new Stadium Authority.” Those locations are Gary West End Entertainment District, Buffington Harbor and Miller Beach.
Click here for more information on Gary’s proposal.
Of course, Mayor Brandon Johnson is also maintaining his desire to keep the Bears here at Soldier Field in Chicago.
The 2026 NFL Draft deadline has passed, and 16 Texas A&M veterans from the 2025 roster have declared, headlined by five offensive linemen, including junior left guard Chase Bisontis, who was expected to return for one more year but opted to leave after three successful starting seasons.
However, head coach Mike Elko and his staff quickly went to work in the transfer portal, landing 18 commitments, including four offensive linemen, and Alabama star wide receiver Isaiah Horton, while the Aggie secondary received a significant boost as cornerbacks Dezz Ricks and Julio Humphrey will return next season, combined with the additions of Tennessee transfer CB Rickey Gibson, and Colorado safety Tawfiq Byard.
Incoming senior safety Marcus Ratcliffe announced his return via social media early in the process after reportedly re-signing with the team. Fellow incoming senior safety Dalton Brooks, who finished with a career high of 62 tackles, four sacks, and an interception, earned an impressive 72.2 pass rush and 70.8 pass rush grades per Pro Football Focus.
While Brooks needs to improve as a run defender, his coverage skill set and elite athleticism make him an elite third-down blitz specialist, which directly led to his four sacks and 13 pressures. He is much too valuable to keep off the field on nearly every down.
Now knowing that Brooks will return, Texas A&M’s safety rotation is the deepest it’s been under Mike Elko, and paired with a cornerback room that is equally talented, the 2026 Aggie secondary has a chance to lead the conference in passing yards allowed.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
“It does not sound like this is about money,” Rapoport said. “It sounds like it’s more about reporting structure and who is able to do what and how the whole organization is set up.”
Rapoport said it “seems like there was something lost in translation” because these are issues that would generally be ironed out before any word that a job had been accepted.
“There’s a lot to be handled. It sounds like they are trying to handle it, but smooth sailing it has not been,” Rapoport said.
Ian O’Connor of The Athletic, who has been out front on this story since Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens, summarized the situation this way:
“My understanding is John Harbaugh and Chris Mara are forming a pretty good bond since their Sunday lunch & meeting at Harbaugh’s house. Chris remains confident this gets done. Still a chance the Giants announce in the coming hours tonight, but no need for Harbaugh to rush it.”
Long-time NFL columnist Gary Myers offered this from his sources:
— “Everything is going fine. There are no issues. No hangups. There is no rush. If it doesn’t get done until Sunday, what’s the difference?” from ultra-reliable source a few minutes ago.
— Length and money still being discussed despite reports of 5-year $100M deal. They will come to terms that makes both sides comfortable.
— Power, final personnel say between Harbaugh and GM Joe Schoen is no issue. Harbaugh is comfortable with the arrangement. Schoen would be foolish not to lean on Harbaugh, so I expect it will be a collaboration.
— The contract is a hefty 30-40 pages. Lots of billable hours for the attorneys.
Press conference will be Tuesday.
There remains a belief that the Giants will formally introduce Harbaugh as their head coach on Tuesday.
And I don’t just mean that teams have just waited out a bad wave of massive dead cap hits.
I mean that teams have shown an ability to compete, and win, despite scary credit card deficits.
Of the 10 teams with the largest dead cap hits of 2025, five made the playoffs.
The Saints and Jets led the way in dead cap space, with $109 million and $108 million.
And yes, they stunk.
As a reminder, dead cap space is money you cannot use against your annual cap because of prorated bonus money left over from players who have already been cut, traded or retired.
Now here’s the amazing thing:
The 49ers (3rd), Seahawks (4th), Eagles (5th), Jaguars (6th) and Texans (10th) all overcame their very high ranking in 2025 dead cap space to post successful seasons.
The 49ers had $103.6 million in dead cap space this season (and a ton of injuries) and still found a way to go 12-5 in the regular season.
We bring this all up because 2026 is going to be a devastating salary cap situation for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and team executive and salary cap guru Brandon Shore.
We’ve heard that Shore wasn’t exactly gung-ho about at least some of the big raises and extensions executed by fired general manager Chris Grier.
(After all, Ross fired Grier but kept Shore.)
So JES and Shore will work together to clean this up.
Look at these dead cap hits the Dolphins are looking at for 2026:
Tua Tagovailoa $67.4 million (probable cut)
Jalen Ramsey $20.7 million (traded)
Tyreek Hill $15.9 million (probable cut)
Bradley Chubb $10.9 million (probable cut or restructure)
Terron Armstead $10.7 million (retired)
Tagovailoa’s total dead cap hit of $99.2 million (unless Miami can through some miracle trade him) will likely be spread over 2026 and 2027, though they could theoretically take the whole things in 2026.
It’s a crucial blow. But consider the Broncos led the entire NFL in 2024 with a dead cap hit total of $89 million after cutting Russell Wilson. And they recovered quickly. So quickly.
Wilson was a $53 million dead cap hit in 2024 and a total dead cap hit of $85 million. But Denver still went 11-6. And then 14-3 this season.
Spotrac projects the Dolphins at $18 million over the cap for 2026, near the bottom of the league, but that’s even before they make moves on some of the players listed above. When a player is cut, there are is often both dead cap space left (bad news) and also salary cap space cleared (some good news).
But no matter how you massage the numbers, they don’t look good for Miami.
The Dolphins made their run at a title and didn’t even win a playoff game.
And so now Sullivan (with whiz Shore) must reset. That means a lot of drafted and undrafted rookies in 2026. That means a lot of minimum-contract young veterans in 2026.
Four of the eight teams to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs had highly-paid veteran quarterbacks and four had quarterbacks on rookie deals.
Any team with a quality quarterback on a rookie contract has the ability to spend more at tackle, receiver, edge, cornerback, etc. That’s a big edge, if you don’t have an elite, superstar signal-calling veteran.
Even though the 49ers rewarded Brock Purdy with a big future extension, his cap hit is still only $9.1 million this season. You can see how that helps a team.
San Francisco will adjust their strategy in 2028, when that Purdy cap hit jumps to $57.6 million.
The Dolphins can try to emulate sharp 49ers
The Dolphins swung and missed on Tua, who had many successful games, but led the team to no successful playoff wins. And he appears to breaking down physically and/or mentally.
That contract was a mistake. But with a series of very smart moves, the new Dolphins general manager can recover.
Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller are two quarterbacks who figure to be on the Dolphins’ roster in 2026. And they’re on club-friendly rookie deals, which helps.
The 49ers had success this year despite enornmous dead cap hits for Deebo Samuel (traded), Arik Armstead (released), Charvarius Ward (void year), Leonard Floyd (released) and Javon Hargrave (released).
They didn’t tank. They re-loaded with quality draft picks and smart, reasonably-priced free-agent signings.
The Dolphins may look to add draft capital. They may look to restructure or extend contracts in ways that actually lower cap figures in the near future.
It’s not easy, but it’s doable. It’s been done.
And it’s at the top of the list of tasks for new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.
And I don’t just mean that teams have just waited out a bad wave of massive dead cap hits.
I mean that teams have shown an ability to compete, and win, despite scary credit card deficits.
Of the 10 teams with the largest dead cap hits of 2025, five made the playoffs.
The Saints and Jets led the way in dead cap space, with $109 million and $108 million.
And yes, they stunk.
As a reminder, dead cap space is money you cannot use against your annual cap because of prorated bonus money left over from players who have already been cut, traded or retired.
Now here’s the amazing thing:
The 49ers (3rd), Seahawks (4th), Eagles (5th), Jaguars (6th) and Texans (10th) all overcame their very high ranking in 2025 dead cap space to post successful seasons.
The 49ers had $103.6 million in dead cap space this season (and a ton of injuries) and still found a way to go 12-5 in the regular season.
We bring this all up because 2026 is going to be a devastating salary cap situation for general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and team executive and salary cap guru Brandon Shore.
We’ve heard that Shore wasn’t exactly gung-ho about at least some of the big raises and extensions executed by fired general manager Chris Grier.
(After all, Ross fired Grier but kept Shore.)
So JES and Shore will work together to clean this up.
Look at these dead cap hits the Dolphins are looking at for 2026:
Tua Tagovailoa $67.4 million (probable cut)
Jalen Ramsey $20.7 million (traded)
Tyreek Hill $15.9 million (probable cut)
Bradley Chubb $10.9 million (probable cut or restructure)
Terron Armstead $10.7 million (retired)
Tagovailoa’s total dead cap hit of $99.2 million (unless Miami can through some miracle trade him) will likely be spread over 2026 and 2027, though they could theoretically take the whole things in 2026.
It’s a crucial blow. But consider the Broncos led the entire NFL in 2024 with a dead cap hit total of $89 million after cutting Russell Wilson. And they recovered quickly. So quickly.
Wilson was a $53 million dead cap hit in 2024 and a total dead cap hit of $85 million. But Denver still went 11-6. And then 14-3 this season.
Spotrac projects the Dolphins at $18 million over the cap for 2026, near the bottom of the league, but that’s even before they make moves on some of the players listed above. When a player is cut, there are is often both dead cap space left (bad news) and also salary cap space cleared (some good news).
But no matter how you massage the numbers, they don’t look good for Miami.
The Dolphins made their run at a title and didn’t even win a playoff game.
And so now Sullivan (with whiz Shore) must reset. That means a lot of drafted and undrafted rookies in 2026. That means a lot of minimum-contract young veterans in 2026.
Four of the eight teams to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs had highly-paid veteran quarterbacks and four had quarterbacks on rookie deals.
Any team with a quality quarterback on a rookie contract has the ability to spend more at tackle, receiver, edge, cornerback, etc. That’s a big edge, if you don’t have an elite, superstar signal-calling veteran.
Even though the 49ers rewarded Brock Purdy with a big future extension, his cap hit is still only $9.1 million this season. You can see how that helps a team.
San Francisco will adjust their strategy in 2028, when that Purdy cap hit jumps to $57.6 million.
The Dolphins can try to emulate sharp 49ers
The Dolphins swung and missed on Tua, who had many successful games, but led the team to no successful playoff wins. And he appears to breaking down physically and/or mentally.
That contract was a mistake. But with a series of very smart moves, the new Dolphins general manager can recover.
Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller are two quarterbacks who figure to be on the Dolphins’ roster in 2026. And they’re on club-friendly rookie deals, which helps.
The 49ers had success this year despite enornmous dead cap hits for Deebo Samuel (traded), Arik Armstead (released), Charvarius Ward (void year), Leonard Floyd (released) and Javon Hargrave (released).
They didn’t tank. They re-loaded with quality draft picks and smart, reasonably-priced free-agent signings.
The Dolphins may look to add draft capital. They may look to restructure or extend contracts in ways that actually lower cap figures in the near future.
It’s not easy, but it’s doable. It’s been done.
And it’s at the top of the list of tasks for new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Cody Rhodes won’t be pursuing his revenge against Drew McIntyre after all.
WWE via Getty Images
WWE continued its European tour Friday afternoon with another three-hour episode of “Smackdown” in London following last week’s surreal title change.
The champ is here
Following a recap of last week’s organization-flipping championship win, Drew McIntyre received a hero’s welcome in London with bagpipes, fireworks and flames roaring from the turnbuckle posts.
McIntyre attempted to remove the hometown glow by turning on the audience and asking where they were when he was fired, when he struggled with the Bloodline and battled CM Punk. After successfully turning the crowd, McIntyre made it clear Cody Rhodes won’t be getting a rematch.
Despite focusing a decent amount of their recent rivalry on his ability to pick the stipulations of their match, McIntyre left out that he apparently had General Manager Nick Aldis put in place a clause that eliminated the chance of a rematch for Rhodes.
Drew McIntyre says that he had Nick Aldis add a clause to the 3 Stages Of Hell Contract that states Cody Rhodes doesn’t get a rematch for the WWE Championship!
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Randy Orton was quick to hit the ring afterward to threaten McIntyre before Jacob Fatu arrived and actually threw hands with the champ. Fatu attacked McIntyre, who ultimately jumped over the guardrail and escaped “The Samoan Werewolf” through the audience.
The Miz took a page out of Orton’s book and popped up behind the Viper, hitting him with a Skull Crushing Finale before the referee started the first of four qualifying matches.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Orton wins, Miz loses — what’s new?
After last week’s brief interaction, Miz briefly had the upper hand before Orton gave the fans what they wanted. Orton played the greatest hits and landed a powerslam, made his way to the outside, and tossed Miz onto the announce table, then connected on his middle rope DDT.
Miz hit another Skull Crushing Finale, but it wasn’t enough to put Orton away. Instead, Orton reversed a rollup, hit an RKO and earned the first spot in the Fatal 4-Way at Saturday Night’s Main Event to become the No. 1 contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Can they (continue to) co-exist?
Before Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair hit the ring to battle Giulia and Kiana James, Bliss questioned if Flair was actually sick last week or just pretending. The duo continue to tease their ability to coexist before Bliss walked away, and Nia Jax and Lash Legend got in Flair’s head about her partner.
That made no impact on the match, and this one went about as expected. Giulia did her best to keep her team afloat, but a tag for James opened the door for Bliss to hit Sister Abigail for the pinfall. After the match, Jax and Legend hit the ring, taking out Bliss and Flair before Giulia was held back trying to get in their faces.
Nia Jax & Lash Legend try to give Charlotte some advice about Alexa Bliss, but Charlotte wasn’t having any of it.#SmackDownpic.twitter.com/NIL1oXeAHl
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Cody Rhodes is back on the chase
Rhodes hit the ring and questioned if things got too formulaic on his latest title run. For some reason, he was content not getting a title rematch and said he was ready to fight from the bottom back to the top.
Rhodes declared himself for the Royal Rumble and called out Fatu, who he said had the biggest receipt coming his way.
“I wasn’t just the companies Champion, I was your Champion!”
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
With Melo and Cardona, you can’t win
Trick Williams and Matt Cardona were put in tough positions. It’s clear Williams is being positioned as the cocky, fresh talent arriving after success in NXT. He’s also massively over and giving Williams some early momentum could avoid some of the pitfalls WWE encountered with Carmelo Hayes and his arrival from NXT. At the same time, Cardona felt like a big deal in his return from the indies back to the WWE.
Slotting these two into a No. 1 contender’s qualifying match put WWE in a no-win situation, with one of the two having to eat a loss. Between the two, Williams was a great choice to advance into the No. 1 contender’s qualifying match, showing WWE’s faith in how far he can climb.
After the match, Kit Wilson made his way to the ring and added insult to injury by attacking Cardona.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Jacob Fatu is the (Saturday Night’s) Main Event
Wilson was in the ring cutting a promo about toxic masculinity before Fatu popped up behind him, superkicked him out of the ring, and called out Rhodes. It seems for now, Fatu has moved on from the promotion’s champion, McIntyre, and is good with tossing hands with the former champ, Rhodes.
Rhodes wasted no time running to the ring before security filled the ring and kept the duo apart. I said in Uncrowned’s recent breakout stars piece that Fatu needs to be elevated onto the same field as the likes of Rhodes — and here we are. He’ll get a match with Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Only a matter of time
The Wyatt Sicks and the MFT traded promos reflecting on their struggle over the lantern that was stolen from the Wyatt Sicks before Solo Sikoa fought Damian Priest in the No. 1 contender’s qualifying match.
As the MFT made their presence felt, setting Priest back over and again, it was the Wyatt Sicks who eventually evened the score and worked to get back the lantern. Uncle Howdy nearly wrapped his hands around it before Sikoa ran out from the ring and tossed him over the announce table.
That distraction provided the opening for Priest to hit the South of Heaven chokeslam for the pinfall victory. After the match, as Uncle Howdy was about to get the lantern, Talla Tonga set him down and snatched it.
Next week will see the factions face off for the WWE Tag Team championship.
UNCLE HOWDY TRIES TO TAKE THE LANTERN
SOLO SIKOA STOPS HIM, BUT THE DISTRACTION COSTS HIM
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
👑 Uncrowned Gem of the Night 👑
We got a nice glimpse into the future of WWE with U.S. Champion Carmelo Hayes and Leon Slater competing in an absolute barnburner.
The duo opened the bout with a frenetic pace, with Slater living up to be every bit the legit challenger he is. Despite Hayes appearing to tweak his knee early in the match, the two proved to be perfect dance partners in a match that never slowed.
Hayes and Slater wrestled with pace and precision, they traded technical submissions, and creativity in a really refreshing tilt. Slater came up just short, but as wrestling’s worst kept secret, his stock is well on the rise.
It was also another feather in the cap for Hayes, whose 2026 is off to a great start.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Competition for the U.S. Championship
Shinsuke Nakamura was seen watching the United States Championship match backstage before Tama Tonga confronted him. Tonga warned that after the MFT win the tag-team titles, he’s coming for the U.S. belt and that Nakamura needs to stay out of his way.
Johnny and his mask
Axiom demanded his mask back from Johnny Gargano backstage, who said he didn’t know anything about it. Nathan Frazer was wearing another mask and hit Gargano, then said they’ll have a match next week. Frazer and Axiom laughed before walking off.
Jordynne Grace, to the moon
Chelsea Green is maybe the most underrated talent on the roster. She gets plenty of love, but is still somehow undervalued. She can put on great matches, is entertaining, and makes her opponents look like gold.
Green was the perfect opponent for Jordynne Grace, who has been elevated right into the main-event picture. Another competitive match saw Grace pin Green clean, then confront the WWE Women’s Champion, Jade Cargill, who was seated at ringside.
Green attempted to attack Grace from behind, but knocked Cargill off the apron, dropping the title into the ring. Grace posed with it before tossing the belt back to Cargill.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Ilja Dragunov arrives, Sami Zayn elevates
McIntyre had two very different reactions to these two challengers confronting him backstage. McIntyre virtually ignored Dragunov as he was running from Fatu, but laughed off Zayn, leaning on his unbeaten record against the challenger.
Dragunov and Zayn then put on an absolute war from the opening bell. They stomped each other, showed technical expertise, and Dragunov got cut open early in the match with blood pouring down the side of his face.
Dragunov attempted the H-Bomb from the corner, but a front kick put him on his heels. Zayn later missed on a Helluva Kick, and they kept the pressure on each other. The two competitors played with the London audience’s emotions, with near-falls and a moment where Zayn narrowly escaped a count-out loss.
— The Movement – Pro Wrestling (@TheMovementXx) January 16, 2026
Zayn eventually put Dragunov away with an exploder suplex, then a Helluva Kick for the win, proving the confrontations earlier in the evening accurate as proper foreshadowing. Dragunov appears to be another breakout candidate for someone who likely belongs in the main event moving forward, while Zayn is right on the cusp of fighting for the title in Riyadh at the Royal Rumble.
As Zayn celebrated his win, Williams followed him with a Trick Shot, standing over his challenger as the show went off the air.
Jan. 16—WINNER, S.D. — Entering this wrestling season, Apollo Willuweit was faced with an interesting question: How does one improve on perfection?
As an eighth grader, the Winner wrestling standout went 44-0 en route to a Class B state title at 106 pounds. Now a freshman but back in the same weight class, Willuweit is aiming to one-up himself, improving in the fine margins to be as assertive as he can be on the mat.
Midway through this season, Willuweit is right where he wanted — and expected — to be: 24-0 and a clear frontrunner for a state title repeat.
His answer to that difficult, almost philosophical question: Dominate.
“I try to be as dominant as I can, and I know what I have to do,” Willuweit said. “I try to think that no one’s better than me, and if I go out there and wrestle as hard as I can, no one can mess with me. I believe that, and my work shows.”
Even though Willuweit went undefeated last season, it was a campaign during which he was learning and adjusting to the different style of wrestling faced at the varsity high school level compared to many of his prior experiences in AAU or middle school.
With an entire state title-winning varsity season to build upon, Willuweit has started to exert his control more often. Last season, among his 44 wins, 21 came by pin and five by technical fall. This season, he’s already notched 12 pins and matched his mark with five tech falls. Of his 24 victories this season, only six matches went the distance, and half of those were major decisions. Willuweit has 72 takedowns to his credit, seventh-most of any wrestler in the state regardless of class and weight, and hasn’t surrendered a single one.
Among Willuweit’s triumphs so far are the Rapid City Invitational and Mid-Dakota Monster, which each required five victories. In both tournament title matches, he handled Sullivan Sigman, a sophomore standout for Class A power Sturgis, first by decision and then by major decision. Notably, Sigman is 23-3 on the season with just two losses against South Dakota opposition — both to Willuweit.
Elsewhere, Willuweit already has victories over many of the other top Class B 106-pound contenders, including Dakota Grappler’s No. 2-ranked Bode Walker (Canton), No. 3 Cole Scott (Custer) twice, No. 5 Will Hosman (Miller/Highmore-Harrold) and No. 8 Jace Edgar (Redfield).
“I want to be a five-timer,” Willuweit said. “I want to be one of the greatest that’s ever done it in South Dakota, so that keeps me going every day.”
While Willuweit is confident in his own abilities, he’s also quick to credit his teammates for continuing to push him, saying much of his stiffest competition is within Winner’s own wrestling room.
“I think it’s the best wrestling room in the state,” Willuweit said. “I get my butt kicked a lot, I’ll tell you that.”
A perennial wrestling power in Class B, Winner has a lineup filled with standouts from top to bottom. Even still, the smallest guys on the roster in terms of physical size are some of the Warriors’ biggest stars on the mat.
Alongside Willuweit at 106 pounds, the Warriors have Judd Hansen, a transfer from Gregory, at 113, along with Rylan Robbins at 120 and Roukyn Robbins at 126. So far this season, that quartet has a combined record of 87-5. Fellow freshman Roukyn Robbins, like Willuweit, has yet to be defeated.
Willuweit strives to learn from all three of his closest peers. He said Hansen is the toughest for him to handle in head-to-head competition. Meanwhile, he looks to Roukyn Robbins when it comes to technique, and Rylan Robbins serves as a top motivator.
Together, they hope to help the Warriors do something special this season. Winner has finished second in the Class B team standings six times in the past eight years, but spurred by its crew of top lightweights, the Warriors hope this is the breakthrough season.
“We really want that state championship,” Willuweit said. “We know we can do it, and it might be our only chance to do it. This is the year.”
Jan. 16—MITCHELL — Three years ago, Taylor DeJong walked into the Mitchell High School wrestling room knowing very little about the sport.
Today, the senior captain carries herself with the confidence of a veteran, blending experience, leadership and steady improvement as she closes out her prep career with the Kernels’ girls wrestling program.
“In the last three years, Taylor has really become one of the leaders for the girls team,” said MHS wrestling coach Baker Haar. “She went from knowing nothing about wrestling three years ago, to leading the girls and pushing them. She’s a good captain for the girls, and she holds her teammates accountable and they gravitate toward her. I am proud of how far she has come along.
DeJong has put together a strong senior campaign at 155 pounds, holding a 14-6 record through her first 20 matches of the season. Her progress was on full display Jan. 2 at the McCook Central/Montrose Invitational in Salem, where she battled her way into the championship match and finished second overall — another sign of her steady rise as one of Mitchell’s most reliable competitors.
“All the drill work has definitely helped me to become a better wrestler. It has helped me put different things together, continue to move around and not just stop after one pinning turn,” DeJong said. “It usually works out well for me if I take a shot right away to kind of keep things moving. Especially in my weight class, as we don’t move a whole lot.”
That aggressive approach has translated into steady results, as DeJong and the Kernels host their home meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 for the Jerry Opbroek Invitational.
DeJong has recorded nine pins this season, five of them coming within the first minute of the opening period. The early finishes reflect not only her physical improvement, but also a growing confidence in her positioning and decision-making on the mat.
“She’s done a really good job this year about knowing the position that she’s in,” Haar said. “In past years as a less experienced wrestler, she’d get out of position on attacking shots, or she would give up points that she didn’t need to. But now she knows what her body needs to do in order to stay out of trouble and score more points. It’s becoming more of a habit for her where she doesn’t have to think about where to go, she just does it.”
DeJong’s senior season is the culmination of a rapid learning curve. She joined the program as a sophomore during the 2023-24 season, qualifying for the state tournament in her first year and finishing with a 24-11 record, along with a fourth-place finish at the Eastern South Dakota Conference tournament. While she didn’t reach the state podium then, the experience laid the foundation for what was to come.
As a junior, DeJong took another step forward, finishing sixth at the state tournament at 165 pounds and closing the 2024-25 season with a 26-15 record. As of Jan. 16, DeJong owns a 64-32 career record, a testament to her growth since stepping onto the mat for the first time three seasons ago.
“I think I have definitely grown strength-wise, and just my knowledge of wrestling has definitely helped me to win more matches this year,” DeJong said. “Also, my coaches have helped me grow, especially with the pep talks right before the match, or afterwards to tell me what I did wrong. And my teammates are really good about being there for myself, and each other, no matter what happens during matches.”
Leadership has become another defining part of DeJong’s role. Named a team captain this season, she has embraced the responsibility of setting standards for a growing girls program at Mitchell.
“She could be anywhere on that podium depending on the day,” Haar said. “It’s more of the mental side, rather than the physical side. It’s a season-long battle that accumulates in the last weekend in February, and she knows that.”
She adds wrestling to her talents in the throwing circle in track and field, after she was Mitchell’s top shot put and discus thrower in 2025. As for wrestling, after already standing on the state podium once, she hopes to climb even higher this time around.
“My goal is to definitely place higher at state since I have been there and placed,” DeJong said. “So, I hope to make it to either the first and second match, or at least better than last year.”
