After taking a one-year sabbatical from the College Football Playoff, Georgia begins the 2024 season atop the preseason USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 as the team to beat for the SEC crown and national championship.

The Bulldogs are followed by No. 2 Ohio State, which is set to enter the season opener with Kansas State transfer Will Howard at starting quarterback. Then comes another SEC team, but it’s not Alabama: Texas clocks in at No. 3 after last year’s Big 12 title and playoff berth.

Rounding out the top 10 are No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Clemson, No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Mississippi.

As in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the re-rank’s top 25 is heavy on the two strongest conferences in the Bowl Subdivision. The SEC has eight teams in the top 25 and the Big Ten has six, followed by the ACC with five teams and the Big 12 with four. The one Group of Five team in the top 25 is No. 19 Memphis, a strong contender for the 12-team playoff.

Outside the top 25, teams of note include No. 28 Texas A&M, No. 30 Boise State, No. 43 Auburn and No. 59 Florida.

The two teams in last year’s championship game find themselves sliding down the rankings. Defending champ Michigan comes in at No. 16, well in range of the playoff, after an offseason exodus that includes quarterback J.J. McCarthy and coach Jim Harbaugh. Washington starts all the way down at No. 47 after an even larger loss of talent; the Huskies bring back just two of last year’s 22 starters on offense and defense.

The re-rank continues to undergo a steady inflation. There were 120 FBS teams in 2010, 124 in 2013, 126 in 2014, 127 in 2015, 128 in 2016, 129 in 2017, 130 in 2019, 131 in 2022 and 133 last season. This year, the FBS grows to 134 teams with the addition of Kennesaw State as a transitional member of Conference USA. Below is the official preseason rankings with records from last season.

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Former UConn basketball star Gabby Williams, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, has signed a deal to join the Seattle Storm for the rest of the season after leading France to a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Williams had a breakout performance in the Olympic gold-medal match against the United States women’s national basketball team. Williams recorded 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in France’s 67-66 loss to Team USA. Williams scored five points in the final five seconds of the game and nearly forced overtime, but her foot was on the three-point line during a buzzer-beating jumper.

‘Gabby’s Olympic performance showcased her world-class talent, and we’re excited to have her join us as we push for the playoffs,’ Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said in a statement on Tuesday. ‘Gabby is a dynamic player who brings tremendous versatility. She’s a two-way player that can guard multiple positions and has a strong offensive game; given her familiarity with our system, we know she can have an immediate impact.’

Williams was named to the Paris Olympics’ All-Star five women’s basketball team, alongside USA’s Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson. Williams was also named the best defensive player of the Olympic tournament.

This is not Williams’ first time playing for the Storm, let alone the WNBA. Williams was drafted out of UConn by the Chicago Sky in 2018 and traded to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2021, before being traded to the Storm in 2022. She averaged 7.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting a career-best 44.4% from the field in 2022, in addition to picking up WNBA all-defensive team honors. 

She resigned with the Storm half-way through the 2023 season due to injury before transitioning to play overseas full-time.

“I’m so excited to be joining the Storm for the rest of the season,” said Williams. “I feel more than ready to finally return to Seattle. I’ve missed the organization, my teammates and the fans so much. I absolutely can’t wait to come back and finish the season strong.”

Williams will be teammates with Jewell Loyd, who won a gold medal with Team USA in 2020 and 2024, both times against Williams and France.

Williams played for the French national team at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and at the Paris Games earlier this month. The Nevada native is eligible to play for France because her mom, Therese, is from the country. Williams is also fluent in French, she told ESPN in 2021.

Williams is not the only player from the French national team to land a contract following the Olympics. Power forward Guerschon Yabusele, who helped lead the French men to a silver medal against Team USA at the Paris Olympics, agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.1 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to an ESPN report.

The final week of 2024 Little League World Series (LLWS) competition started off hot with five games in action on Monday. The action continued with high stakes on Tuesday – four elimination games made up the schedule on Aug. 20.

Eight teams faced an end to their journeys as they play in the elimination bracket of the LLWS on Tuesday. Four teams went home after losing their second games of the tournament, and four advanced one step closer to their respective regional finals.

All four games on Tuesday – two on the U.S. side, two on the international side – were win-or-go-home clashes. Here’s everything that happened in Williamsport throughout the day.

Little League World Series: Aug. 21 schedule

Wednesday’s action in the main and elimination brackets begins at 1 p.m. once again. The teams in the elimination bracket will be determined following Tuesday’s results.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

All times Eastern.

Chinese Taipei vs. Japan, 1 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
Nevada vs. Texas, 3 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN
Mexico vs. Venezuela, 5 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
Hawaii vs. Florida, 7 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN

Florida 6, New York 1

A massive sixth inning secured the win for Florida. After Mieses’ home run, it was down to Lathan Norton to get the final three outs. After a quick punchout to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Norton surrendered a base knock before setting Jason Rocchio and Vincent Ruggiero on strikes.

Florida advances to take on Hawaii tomorrow. 6-1 the final.

Mieses breaks it open

Even after Anderson’s triple, Florida wasn’t done. A two-out rally would put two runners on base for DJ Mieses, who launched a home run to straightaway center field.

What was a one-run lead for Florida coming into the top of the sixth has ballooned to a five-run lead. It’s 6-1 Florida going into the bottom of the sixth.

Chase Anderson with massive triple for Florida

With Florida up by just one run in the top of the sixth, Chase Anderson delivered massively with a triple down the right field line. JJ Feliciano would follow that up with a sac fly to center and Florida takes a 3-1 lead, a massive advantage with just three outs for New York to work with.

New York battles with two outs

It looked like Florida’s Lathan Norton was on pace for a quick three-up, three-down inning. He was peppering the strike zone and had struck out the first two hitters in the bottom of the fifth. However, despite getting each of the next two hitters to 0-2 counts, both players were able to smack singles to put the go-ahead run on base.

Norton was fortunate enough to force a weak ground ball to third to end the inning, but for a second, it looked like New York might be able to tie or even take a lead before the sixth.

Dean Scarangelo off to rocky start

After 4.2 solid innings from Stephen Grippo, New York changed pitchers to Dean Scarangelo, who promptly walked Teraj Alexander on four pitches. That would bring up Christopher Chikodroff, who would dribble a soft grounder to first.

Fortunately for Florida, Alexander distracted the first baseman by dancing in front of the ball, and it snuck underneath the first baseman’s glove. The ball reached the outfield, which was enough to score Liam Morrisey from second.

Scarangelo was taken out of the game after that in exchange for Alex Torres, who would end the inning securing a flyout. Florida takes a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Grippo sac fly ties the game

On just the second pitch of Norton’s outing, New York starting pitcher Stephen Grippo launched a fly ball to deep center field. Not only did the runner score from third, but Ruggiero also tagged up and reached third. It’s a tie ball game with a runner on third and only one out.

Rohozen out after double

After an incredible first three innings, Garrett Rohozen is out after surrendering a double to Vincent Ruggiero. With that double, New York has two runners in scoring position with no outs. Florida opted for Lathan Norton in Rohozen’s place. He’ll look to keep the damage to a minimum.

Rohozen keeps Florida’s lead intact

A rocky third for Grippo was matched with a rocky third for Rohozen on the other side. However, Rohozen was able to keep New York from scoring. Despite New York getting runners to second and third, Rohozen got New York’s final hitter to ground out right back to him.

After three, Florida still leads 1-0.

Mexico with the incredible comeback

Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Mexico made one of the greatest comebacks in LLWS history, scoring five runs in their final turn at-bat to walk away with the win. In fact, Mexico was down to their last out and hadn’t even scored a run, but a three-run blast from Antonio Guerrero would tie the ball game.

Mexico wasn’t done in that inning though. Two batters later, Ulises Ortiz would send everyone home with a two-run shot to keep Mexico alive. What a game! 6-4 the final, Mexico wins!

Florida gets one

The top of the third saw either team’s first great opportunity to score as Florida had the bases loaded with only one out. A lineout would push the burden to Hunter Alexander. Alexander drew a walk, and drove in the first run of the game, but given the situation, you have to imagine Florida wanted more than just the lone run. Still after two-and-a-half, Florida leads 1-0.

Grippo and Rohozen have surrendered no hits

Through two innings of play, both New York starter Grippo and Florida starter Rohozen have been perfect, surrendering no hits. This could be a very quick game as both pitchers are very low on pitch count with only four innings to play.

Florida vs. New York: Grippo dominant in first

New York’s Stephen Grippo was not messing around in the first inning. He picked up two punchouts in a three-up, three-down first inning. Nine of his ten pitches were strikes. Florida could be in for a very tough game.

Guerrero and Hernandez trade strong innings

After a lackluster fourth from Mexico’s Antonio Guerrero, Mexico needed to give their star pitcher some run support if they wanted any hope of winning. Unfortunately, Cuba’s Deivy Hernandez continued to deal, taking Mexico down with ease. He’s now thrown four shutout innings, surrendering just two hits.

Guerrero bounced back in the top of the fifth though, going three-up, three-down to give his team another shot at minimizing Cuba’s lead. Mexico’s first priority needs to be getting Hernandez out of the game. Cuba’s ace has thrown just 70 pitches through four innings.

Cuba capitalizes

With Mexico’s Antonio Guerrero entering the game, Cuba was going to need to take every advantage they could get. Well, the first batter that Guerrero faced, Leonardo Junco, he threw a wild pitch that reached the backstop. That scored a runner. Guerrero would go on to plunk Junco.

All of a sudden, Cuba had runners on first and third once again with only one out.

Mexico would luck out after another wild pitch took a huge bounce off the backstop to get Deivy Hernandez as he tried to come home, but Marloon Herrera would score Junco to make it 4-0.

Deivy Hernandez getting it done on both sides

On the mound, Cuba’s Deivy Hernandez has been lights out, holding Mexico to no runs through three innings. Mexico has had to use three different pitchers, and even opted to go for their superstar pitcher Antonio Guerrero after Hernandez bounced a single to right field in the top of the fourth.

If Cuba wants to win this game with Guerrero on the mound, they’ll need to take advantage of having runners on first and third with only one out against Guerrero. They won’t get many more opportunities like this.

Cuba gets another run after strange rundown

Two outs, runners at first and third. You just knew some shenanigans were going to go down. However, something very strange happened.

As expected, the runner at first opted for a delayed steal. As soon as the throw went to second, the runner from third came home to score. That was expected. However, the runner between first and second still needed to reach base. It looked like he was going to be safe at second after a throw drilled the runner in the helmet and dribbled into the infield grass. However, Mexico was able to corral the ball and flip it to second just as the runner was diving in. The run still scored, but Mexico was able to get out of the inning.

Even the announcers said they weren’t sure how to score that play.

Cuba leads 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Cuba takes the lead

After a solid top of the first inning, Cuba looked to be on their way to a massive win after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first. However, two straight punchouts put the burden on Yans Espinosa to bring home the runners.

Espinosa got ahead in the count 2-0, but after taking two straight breaking balls, the count was even. Luckily for Cuba, Espinosa didn’t need to get a hit. The next pitch got through Mexico’s catcher, allowing the runner from third to score. That was the only run Cuba could secure, but it’s still a massive advantage to end the first up one.

Cuba 1, Mexico 0 heading into the second inning.

Hawaii 3, Pennsylvania 1

With two outs, Pennsylvania’s chances of winning seem slim, but the team isn’t giving up. With a runner on third, Will Siveter drilled a single to left field, driving in the runner. The duty then fell to Tyler Wexler to keep Pennsylvania alive. He drew a walk. All of a sudden, the go-ahead run was at the plate. Dean Hamilton would go down on strikes, ending Pennsylvania’s run, but not before giving Hawaii a bit of a scare in the top of the sixth.

Hawaii extends lead to three

It’s going to be very tough for Pennsylvania to make a comeback now. Hawaii drove in another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Pennsylvania has already made an effort to prevent a goose egg, getting a runner to third in the top of the sixth, but hope seems slim for the hometown team’s chances of advancing in this tournament.

Dean Hamilton saves run with defensive play

With Hawaii leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Pennsylvania couldn’t afford to surrender any more runs if they wanted a chance to come back.

After a sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position, Hawaii had an opportunity to extend their lead. Hawaii’s Kellen Takamura drilled a line drive toward short, but Pennsylvania shortstop Dean Hamilton made a great play, snagging the ball to his left in order to end the inning. Pennsylvania trails 2-0 heading into the fifth.

Venezuela defeats Aruba, 2-1

Despite not scoring a run for five innings, Venezuela gets production when it needs it most. After getting the bases loaded, a wild pitch tied the game, and a bases-loaded walk issued to Jhonson Freitez gave the Latin America Region champions the win.

Venezuela will play the winner of Tuesday’s Mexico-Cuba clash on Wednesday for a spot in the international bracket’s semifinals. Aruba has been eliminated with the loss.

Evan Tavares strikes out the side for Hawaii

After taking the mound with a 2-0 lead, Hawaii’s starting pitcher makes quick work of Pennsylvania’s lineup in the top of the second inning. After allowing a single on the first pitch, Tavares gets two strikeouts swinging and one looking on the next 10 pitches to complete the inning.

Venezuela ties the game

Kransen’s first pitch to Luis Yepez is wild, and Durán comes home to tie the game. Aruba decides to intentionally walk Yepez after the snafu, and the bases are loaded once again with no outs. It’s 1-1 with the winning run 60 feet away.

Aruba finds itself in trouble late

Beiker Zarraga hits a bunt single, getting the bases loaded for Venezuela with zero outs in the bottom of the sixth.

Hawaii plates another with steal of home

Hawaii pulls off the first-and-third double steal on Pennsylvania, and Brextyn Kamaha’o Hong scores. It’s 2-0 Hawaii after the first.

Joshua Durán, Simón Vicheria get things started for Venezuela

Needing at least one run to send the game to extras, Venezuela gets the tying run aboard after Durán singles on a ball to right field. One pitch later, Vicheria reaches on an error after his bunt attempt.

Venezuela has the tying and winning runs aboard with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Hawaii on the board first in second game of the day

As Aruba attempts to complete the shutout of Venezuela on Volunteer Field, Pennsylvania and Hawaii have started their elimination matchup on Lamade Field.

Kanon Nakama plates Gauge Pacheco for the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field. It’s 1-0 Hawaii.

Pérez works perfect sixth

Aruba is unable to add any insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning. The 1-2-3 inning from Pérez ensures his team will only need a run to tie or two to win in the bottom of the final inning.

Kransen strikes out three more in scoreless fifth

The pitchers’ duel continues. After a two-strikeout, scoreless top of the fifth inning from Venezuela’s Pérez, Aruba’s Kransen strikes out three more in the bottom of the inning.

It’s still 1-0 Aruba, so Venezuela will have to try to battle back from a deficit in the game’s final frame. If they struggle to do so like they did against Japan on Monday, they’ll be eliminated from the tournament.

Kransen ends the fourth with a strikeout

One up, one down for Kransen after he enters in relief. He gets Abraham Lucena with a swinging strikeout. It’s still 1-0 Aruba with two innings left to play.

Naivmar Angela exits

Aruba’s starter hits his 85-pitch limit in the bottom of the fourth inning. He exits after 3 2/3 innings with a shutout intact and seven strikeouts on the day. Henry Kransen will be the new pitcher.

José Pérez relieves Mora, throws perfect inning

Pérez replaced Mora on the mound to begin the fourth inning and make quick work of Aruba’s lineup. He struck out the first batter he faced then induced two grounders to get through the inning on 12 pitches.

Angela eliminates scoring threat in third

Venezuela threatened to tie when it put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the third. Angela ended the inning by striking out Jesús Díaz looking on a full count.

Beiker Zarraga throws out batter from right field

The Venezuelan right fielder charged an opposite-field grounder from Jayziël Dinmohamed and came up throwing. Even with Dinmohamed hustling out of the box, Zarraga’s throw beat him to first base.

As a result, Mora’s third inning was perfect, and it included two more strikeouts to bring his total to six on the day.

Angela strikes out three in scoreless second

Aruba’s starting pitcher is rolling. He’s recorded five strikeouts through two innings of work. It’s still 1-0 Aruba entering the third.

Willian’s Mora pitches himself into, then out of, trouble

After striking out the first two batters on six pitches, Mora loaded up the bases for Aruba after a hit batsman, a walk and a single. He ended the threat quickly after that by striking out Matthew Rincones on three pitches.

Naivmar Angela escapes jam

After issuing a walk to load the bases with one out, Angela strikes out the next two Venezuelan batters to get out of the inning unscathed. It’s still 1-0 Aruba after one.

Venezuela loads the bases in the first

A couple of walks and a base hit have put Venezuela in good position to tie the game or take the lead in the bottom of the first. The Latin American Region champions have the bases loaded with one out in the inning.

Aruba scores first as Carrasquel narrowly misses inning-ending fly out

Venezuelan center fielder Samuel Carrasquel put his body on the line, diving to try to catch a Nishant Toledo fly ball. He ends up just short, trapping the ball in his mitt instead of catching it on the fly. The result is an RBI single for Toledo, and Aruba gets on the board first as Izaak Martina comes around to score.

The Caribbean Region champs lead, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.

Aruba vs. Venezuela prepared to begin Tuesday’s slate of games

Four more elimination games get underway Tuesday, and the Caribbean and Latin American regional champions will face off in the first of them soon.

2024 Little League World Series: Time, TV, streaming and how to watch

All 39 games of the Little League World Series will be broadcast on one of ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, with streaming options including ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET.

Stream the Little League World Series with Fubo (free trial)

How many teams have been eliminated from the LLWS?

The LLWS started with ten teams in both the international and U.S. brackets. Since the start of the LLWS, eight teams have been eliminated, four from each side of the bracket.

Eliminated from the U.S. half of the bracket are Midwest Region (South Dakota), New England Region (New Hampshire), Great Lakes Region (Illinois) and Northwest Region (Washington).

In the international side of the bracket, four more teams are eliminated: Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe-Africa (Czech Republic) and Australia.

When is the LLWS championship game?

The LLWS championship game is slated for Sunday, Aug. 25, at 3 p.m. ET. The third-place consolation game will take place the same day at 10 a.m. ET.

The international and U.S. championship games — which serve as the semifinals to Sunday’s championship game — will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET, respectively.

How does the Little League World Series work?

The Little League World Series is split into two brackets: the United States bracket and the international bracket. Each bracket will play out their own individual tournaments, with the winner from each bracket facing each other in the championship.

The U.S. and international brackets are double-elimination brackets, meaning a team can progress in a separate elimination bracket after losing its first game. The elimination bracket winner plays the winners’ bracket winner in its respective – U.S. or international – final for the chance to play in the LLWS championship.

In other words, a team must lose twice before it is eliminated from the tournament.

Little League World Series: Aug. 20 schedule

All times Eastern

Venezuela vs. Aruba, 1 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
Hawaii vs. Pennsylvania, 3 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN
Mexico vs. Cuba, 5 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
New York vs. Florida, 7 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN

The 2024 U.S. Regional Champions

Great Lakes – Hinsdale Little League – Hinsdale, Illinois
Metro – South Shore Little League – Staten Island, New York
Mid-Atlantic – Council Rock Newtown Little League – Newtown, Pennsylvania
Midwest – Sioux Falls Little League – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Mountain – Paseo Verde Little League – Henderson, Nevada
New England – Salem Little League – Salem, New Hampshire
Northwest – South Hill Little League – Puyallup, Washington
Southeast – Lake Mary Little League – Lake Mary, Florida
Southwest – Boerne Little League – Boerne, Texas
West – Central East Maui Little League – Wailuku, Hawaii

The 2024 International Regional Champions

Asia-Pacific – Kuei-Shan Little League – Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei
Australia – Hills Little League – Sydney, New South Wales
Canada – Whalley Little League – Surrey, British Columbia
Caribbean – Aruba Center Little League – Santa Cruz, Aruba
Cuba – Santa Clara Little League – Villa Clara, Cuba
Europe-Africa – South Czech Republic Little League – Brno, Czech Republic
Japan – Johoku Little League – Tokyo, Japan
Latin America – Cardenales Little League – Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Mexico – Matamoros Little League – Tamaulipas, Mexico
Puerto Rico – Radames Lopez Little League – Guayama, Puerto Rico

Past Little League World Series results

Teams from the United States have dominated the Little League World Series as of late, having won each of the last five dating back to 2017. The last international team to win the tournament was Japan, who beat Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in just five innings in the 2017 final.

List of past winners:

Results date back to 2010 LLWS.

2023: El Segundo, Calif.
2022: Honolulu
2021: Taylor, Mich.
2020: Canceled due to COVID
2019: River Ridge, La.
2018: Honolulu
2017: Tokyo
2016: Maine-Endwell, N.Y.
2015: Tokyo
2014: Seoul, South Korea
2013: Tokyo
2012: Tokyo
2011: Huntington Beach, Calif.
2010: Tokyo

LLWS bracket and schedule

Here is the full 2024 LLWS bracket, courtesy of the Little League World Series:

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A former NFL player accused of urinating on another passenger, while on a Delta Air Lines flight from Boston to Dublin, Ireland, had pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him but has issued an apology to crew members and fellow passengers on board the flight.

Gosder Cherilus, 40, of Wakefield, Massachusetts, was accused of disorderly behavior on board Delta Air Lines Flight 154 from Boston to Dublin Sunday. A criminal docket, viewed by USA TODAY, states Cherilus was consuming alcohol and was intoxicated prior to the flight, which was delayed by over three and half hours, according to data published on FlightAware.

‘Witnesses described Gosder’s behavior as disruptive, irritable, delirious and aggressive during the flight,’ the court documents said.

What happened on the flight?

The ex-NFL player initially fussed over the seating arrangements and about an hour into the flight, got up, walked up to a seat where an elderly lady was seated and began urinating on her, fully exposing his genitals, court documents said, adding he continued the act for 20 seconds, ’emptying his entire bladder.’

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Crew members and witnesses attempted to stop Cherilus by grabbing his arms and demanding him to go back to his seat. When he went back to his seat, he woke up an elderly man and argued with him over the seating arrangement before hitting him with his right hand.

‘Passengers and flight crews were eventually able to deescalate Gosder and convinced him into returning to seat 3D, where he passed out,’ the court documents said.

Cherilus’ actions sent the entire flight into shock and fearing for their safety given he stands at 6’6′ and is approximately 280 pounds, as per court records. As the result, the flight was diverted and forced to return to Logan International Airport, where it was met with members of law enforcement agencies.

Cherilus also refused to get off plane

Massachusetts State Police, in a statement Monday, had said troopers boarded the aircraft around 2 a.m. Sunday and commanded the player to leave the plane but ‘he became irate and uncooperative.’ Court documents said Cherilus resisted arrest and defied authorities’ verbal commands to deboard the plane. He had to eventually be escorted off the flight in handcuffs. Due to his size and strength, it took four officials to restrain him.

Cherilus appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to charges of disorderly conduct, disturbing a flight crew and resisting arrest.

Cherilus issues apology

Cherilus, meanwhile, addressed the matter on social media, apologizing and attributing his behavior to a ‘sleeping medication’ that he normally doesn’t use.

‘The flight was unexpectedly delayed for approximately four hours,’ Cherilus wrote in a post on Instagram. ‘In preparation for the expected overnight flight, I took a sleeping medication that I don’t normally use, which resulted in behavior that is not representative of my character, and I would like to apologize to the passengers and flight crew.’

According to data published on FlightAware, Delta Flight 154 left Logan at 12:12 a.m. ET Sunday, more than three and half hours after it was scheduled to take off, before taking a U-turn and landing in Boston at 2:33 a.m.

An attorney for Cherilus could not immediately be reached for a comment.

‘Zero tolerance for unlawful behavior,’ says Delta

“Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful behavior and will cooperate with law enforcement to that end,’ the spokesperson said in a statement. ‘We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel.”

Other passengers, meanwhile, were put on another flight to Dublin on Sunday, a Delta spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday.

Who is Gosder Cherilus?

Cherilus was an offensive tackle at Boston College from 2005 to 2007. He was drafted into the NFL in 2008 by the Detroit Lions. He played five seasons in Detroit, two with the Indianapolis Colts and two for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 2016.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

The final week of 2024 Little League World Series (LLWS) competition started off hot with five games in action on Monday. The action continues with high stakes on Tuesday – four elimination games make up the schedule on Aug. 20.

Eight teams face an end to their journeys as they play in the elimination bracket of the LLWS on Tuesday. Four teams will go home after losing their second games of the tournament, and four will advance one step closer to their respective regional finals.

All four games on Tuesday – two on the U.S. side, two on the international side – are win-or-go-home clashes. Follow along with USA TODAY’s live coverage throughout the day.

Dean Scarangelo off to rocky start

After 4.2 solid innings from Stephen Grippo, New York changed pitchers to Dean Scarangelo, who promptly walked Teraj Alexander on four pitches. That would bring up Christopher Chikodroff, who would dribble a soft grounder to first.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Fortunately for Florida, Alexander distracted the first baseman by dancing in front of the ball, and it snuck underneath the first baseman’s glove. The ball reached the outfield, which was enough to score Liam Morrisey from second.

Scarangelo was taken out of the game after that in exchange for Alex Torres, who would end the inning securing a flyout. Florida takes a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.

Grippo sac fly ties the game

On just the second pitch of Norton’s outing, New York starting pitcher Stephen Grippo launched a fly ball to deep center field. Not only did the runner score from third, but Ruggiero also tagged up and reached third. It’s a tie ball game with a runner on third and only one out.

Rohozen out after double

After an incredible first three innings, Garrett Rohozen is out after surrendering a double to Vincent Ruggiero. With that double, New York has two runners in scoring position with no outs. Florida opted for Lathan Norton in Rohozen’s place. He’ll look to keep the damage to a minimum.

Rohozen keeps Florida’s lead intact

A rocky third for Grippo was matched with a rocky third for Rohozen on the other side. However, Rohozen was able to keep New York from scoring. Despite New York getting runners to second and third, Rohozen got New York’s final hitter to ground out right back to him.

After three, Florida still leads 1-0.

Mexico with the incredible comeback

Down 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Mexico made one of the greatest comebacks in LLWS history, scoring five runs in their final turn at-bat to walk away with the win. In fact, Mexico was down to their last out and hadn’t even scored a run, but a three-run blast from Antonio Guerrero would tie the ball game.

Mexico wasn’t done in that inning though. Two batters later, Ulises Ortiz would send everyone home with a two-run shot to keep Mexico alive. What a game! 6-4 the final, Mexico wins!

Florida gets one

The top of the third saw either team’s first great opportunity to score as Florida had the bases loaded with only one out. A lineout would push the burden to Hunter Alexander. Alexander drew a walk, and drove in the first run of the game, but given the situation, you have to imagine Florida wanted more than just the lone run. Still after two-and-a-half, Florida leads 1-0.

Grippo and Rohozen have surrendered no hits

Through two innings of play, both New York starter Grippo and Florida starter Rohozen have been perfect, surrendering no hits. This could be a very quick game as both pitchers are very low on pitch count with only four innings to play.

Florida vs. New York: Grippo dominant in first

New York’s Stephen Grippo was not messing around in the first inning. He picked up two punchouts in a three-up, three-down first inning. Nine of his ten pitches were strikes. Florida could be in for a very tough game.

Guerrero and Hernandez trade strong innings

After a lackluster fourth from Mexico’s Antonio Guerrero, Mexico needed to give their star pitcher some run support if they wanted any hope of winning. Unfortunately, Cuba’s Deivy Hernandez continued to deal, taking Mexico down with ease. He’s now thrown four shutout innings, surrendering just two hits.

Guerrero bounced back in the top of the fifth though, going three-up, three-down to give his team another shot at minimizing Cuba’s lead. Mexico’s first priority needs to be getting Hernandez out of the game. Cuba’s ace has thrown just 70 pitches through four innings.

Cuba capitalizes

With Mexico’s Antonio Guerrero entering the game, Cuba was going to need to take every advantage they could get. Well, the first batter that Guerrero faced, Leonardo Junco, he threw a wild pitch that reached the backstop. That scored a runner. Guerrero would go on to plunk Junco.

All of a sudden, Cuba had runners on first and third once again with only one out.

Mexico would luck out after another wild pitch took a huge bounce off the backstop to get Deivy Hernandez as he tried to come home, but Marloon Herrera would score Junco to make it 4-0.

Deivy Hernandez getting it done on both sides

On the mound, Cuba’s Deivy Hernandez has been lights out, holding Mexico to no runs through three innings. Mexico has had to use three different pitchers, and even opted to go for their superstar pitcher Antonio Guerrero after Hernandez bounced a single to right field in the top of the fourth.

If Cuba wants to win this game with Guerrero on the mound, they’ll need to take advantage of having runners on first and third with only one out against Guerrero. They won’t get many more opportunities like this.

Cuba gets another run after strange rundown

Two outs, runners at first and third. You just knew some shenanigans were going to go down. However, something very strange happened.

As expected, the runner at first opted for a delayed steal. As soon as the throw went to second, the runner from third came home to score. That was expected. However, the runner between first and second still needed to reach base. It looked like he was going to be safe at second after a throw drilled the runner in the helmet and dribbled into the infield grass. However, Mexico was able to corral the ball and flip it to second just as the runner was diving in. The run still scored, but Mexico was able to get out of the inning.

Even the announcers said they weren’t sure how to score that play.

Cuba leads 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Cuba takes the lead

After a solid top of the first inning, Cuba looked to be on their way to a massive win after loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the first. However, two straight punchouts put the burden on Yans Espinosa to bring home the runners.

Espinosa got ahead in the count 2-0, but after taking two straight breaking balls, the count was even. Luckily for Cuba, Espinosa didn’t need to get a hit. The next pitch got through Mexico’s catcher, allowing the runner from third to score. That was the only run Cuba could secure, but it’s still a massive advantage to end the first up one.

Cuba 1, Mexico 0 heading into the second inning.

Hawaii 3, Pennsylvania 1

With two outs, Pennsylvania’s chances of winning seem slim, but the team isn’t giving up. With a runner on third, Will Siveter drilled a single to left field, driving in the runner. The duty then fell to Tyler Wexler to keep Pennsylvania alive. He drew a walk. All of a sudden, the go-ahead run was at the plate. Dean Hamilton would go down on strikes, ending Pennsylvania’s run, but not before giving Hawaii a bit of a scare in the top of the sixth.

Hawaii extends lead to three

It’s going to be very tough for Pennsylvania to make a comeback now. Hawaii drove in another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Pennsylvania has already made an effort to prevent a goose egg, getting a runner to third in the top of the sixth, but hope seems slim for the hometown team’s chances of advancing in this tournament.

Dean Hamilton saves run with defensive play

With Hawaii leading 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Pennsylvania couldn’t afford to surrender any more runs if they wanted a chance to come back.

After a sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position, Hawaii had an opportunity to extend their lead. Hawaii’s Kellen Takamura drilled a line drive toward short, but Pennsylvania shortstop Dean Hamilton made a great play, snagging the ball to his left in order to end the inning. Pennsylvania trails 2-0 heading into the fifth.

Venezuela defeats Aruba, 2-1

Despite not scoring a run for five innings, Venezuela gets production when it needs it most. After getting the bases loaded, a wild pitch tied the game, and a bases-loaded walk issued to Jhonson Freitez gave the Latin America Region champions the win.

Venezuela will play the winner of Tuesday’s Mexico-Cuba clash on Wednesday for a spot in the international bracket’s semifinals. Aruba has been eliminated with the loss.

Evan Tavares strikes out the side for Hawaii

After taking the mound with a 2-0 lead, Hawaii’s starting pitcher makes quick work of Pennsylvania’s lineup in the top of the second inning. After allowing a single on the first pitch, Tavares gets two strikeouts swinging and one looking on the next 10 pitches to complete the inning.

Venezuela ties the game

Kransen’s first pitch to Luis Yepez is wild, and Durán comes home to tie the game. Aruba decides to intentionally walk Yepez after the snafu, and the bases are loaded once again with no outs. It’s 1-1 with the winning run 60 feet away.

Aruba finds itself in trouble late

Beiker Zarraga hits a bunt single, getting the bases loaded for Venezuela with zero outs in the bottom of the sixth.

Hawaii plates another with steal of home

Hawaii pulls off the first-and-third double steal on Pennsylvania, and Brextyn Kamaha’o Hong scores. It’s 2-0 Hawaii after the first.

Joshua Durán, Simón Vicheria get things started for Venezuela

Needing at least one run to send the game to extras, Venezuela gets the tying run aboard after Durán singles on a ball to right field. One pitch later, Vicheria reaches on an error after his bunt attempt.

Venezuela has the tying and winning runs aboard with no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Hawaii on the board first in second game of the day

As Aruba attempts to complete the shutout of Venezuela on Volunteer Field, Pennsylvania and Hawaii have started their elimination matchup on Lamade Field.

Kanon Nakama plates Gauge Pacheco for the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field. It’s 1-0 Hawaii.

Pérez works perfect sixth

Aruba is unable to add any insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning. The 1-2-3 inning from Pérez ensures his team will only need a run to tie or two to win in the bottom of the final inning.

Kransen strikes out three more in scoreless fifth

The pitchers’ duel continues. After a two-strikeout, scoreless top of the fifth inning from Venezuela’s Pérez, Aruba’s Kransen strikes out three more in the bottom of the inning.

It’s still 1-0 Aruba, so Venezuela will have to try to battle back from a deficit in the game’s final frame. If they struggle to do so like they did against Japan on Monday, they’ll be eliminated from the tournament.

Kransen ends the fourth with a strikeout

One up, one down for Kransen after he enters in relief. He gets Abraham Lucena with a swinging strikeout. It’s still 1-0 Aruba with two innings left to play.

Naivmar Angela exits

Aruba’s starter hits his 85-pitch limit in the bottom of the fourth inning. He exits after 3 2/3 innings with a shutout intact and seven strikeouts on the day. Henry Kransen will be the new pitcher.

José Pérez relieves Mora, throws perfect inning

Pérez replaced Mora on the mound to begin the fourth inning and make quick work of Aruba’s lineup. He struck out the first batter he faced then induced two grounders to get through the inning on 12 pitches.

Angela eliminates scoring threat in third

Venezuela threatened to tie when it put runners on the corners with two outs in the bottom of the third. Angela ended the inning by striking out Jesús Díaz looking on a full count.

Beiker Zarraga throws out batter from right field

The Venezuelan right fielder charged an opposite-field grounder from Jayziël Dinmohamed and came up throwing. Even with Dinmohamed hustling out of the box, Zarraga’s throw beat him to first base.

As a result, Mora’s third inning was perfect, and it included two more strikeouts to bring his total to six on the day.

Angela strikes out three in scoreless second

Aruba’s starting pitcher is rolling. He’s recorded five strikeouts through two innings of work. It’s still 1-0 Aruba entering the third.

Willian’s Mora pitches himself into, then out of, trouble

After striking out the first two batters on six pitches, Mora loaded up the bases for Aruba after a hit batsman, a walk and a single. He ended the threat quickly after that by striking out Matthew Rincones on three pitches.

Naivmar Angela escapes jam

After issuing a walk to load the bases with one out, Angela strikes out the next two Venezuelan batters to get out of the inning unscathed. It’s still 1-0 Aruba after one.

Venezuela loads the bases in the first

A couple of walks and a base hit have put Venezuela in good position to tie the game or take the lead in the bottom of the first. The Latin American Region champions have the bases loaded with one out in the inning.

Aruba scores first as Carrasquel narrowly misses inning-ending fly out

Venezuelan center fielder Samuel Carrasquel put his body on the line, diving to try to catch a Nishant Toledo fly ball. He ends up just short, trapping the ball in his mitt instead of catching it on the fly. The result is an RBI single for Toledo, and Aruba gets on the board first as Izaak Martina comes around to score.

The Caribbean Region champs lead, 1-0, in the top of the first inning.

Aruba vs. Venezuela prepared to begin Tuesday’s slate of games

Four more elimination games get underway Tuesday, and the Caribbean and Latin American regional champions will face off in the first of them soon.

2024 Little League World Series: Time, TV, streaming and how to watch

All 39 games of the Little League World Series will be broadcast on one of ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC, with streaming options including ESPN+, the ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial. Coverage begins at 10 a.m. ET.

Stream the Little League World Series with Fubo (free trial)

How many teams have been eliminated from the LLWS?

The LLWS started with ten teams in both the international and U.S. brackets. Since the start of the LLWS, eight teams have been eliminated, four from each side of the bracket.

Eliminated from the U.S. half of the bracket are Midwest Region (South Dakota), New England Region (New Hampshire), Great Lakes Region (Illinois) and Northwest Region (Washington).

In the international side of the bracket, four more teams are eliminated: Puerto Rico, Canada, Europe-Africa (Czech Republic) and Australia.

When is the LLWS championship game?

The LLWS championship game is slated for Sunday, Aug. 25, at 3 p.m. ET. The third-place consolation game will take place the same day at 10 a.m. ET.

The international and U.S. championship games — which serve as the semifinals to Sunday’s championship game — will take place on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. ET, respectively.

How does the Little League World Series work?

The Little League World Series is split into two brackets: the United States bracket and the international bracket. Each bracket will play out their own individual tournaments, with the winner from each bracket facing each other in the championship.

The U.S. and international brackets are double-elimination brackets, meaning a team can progress in a separate elimination bracket after losing its first game. The elimination bracket winner plays the winners’ bracket winner in its respective – U.S. or international – final for the chance to play in the LLWS championship.

In other words, a team must lose twice before it is eliminated from the tournament.

Little League World Series: Aug. 20 schedule

All times Eastern

Venezuela vs. Aruba, 1 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
Hawaii vs. Pennsylvania, 3 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN
Mexico vs. Cuba, 5 p.m. | Volunteer Stadium | ESPN
New York vs. Florida, 7 p.m. | Lamade Stadium | ESPN

The 2024 U.S. Regional Champions

Great Lakes – Hinsdale Little League – Hinsdale, Illinois
Metro – South Shore Little League – Staten Island, New York
Mid-Atlantic – Council Rock Newtown Little League – Newtown, Pennsylvania
Midwest – Sioux Falls Little League – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Mountain – Paseo Verde Little League – Henderson, Nevada
New England – Salem Little League – Salem, New Hampshire
Northwest – South Hill Little League – Puyallup, Washington
Southeast – Lake Mary Little League – Lake Mary, Florida
Southwest – Boerne Little League – Boerne, Texas
West – Central East Maui Little League – Wailuku, Hawaii

The 2024 International Regional Champions

Asia-Pacific – Kuei-Shan Little League – Taoyuan City, Chinese Taipei
Australia – Hills Little League – Sydney, New South Wales
Canada – Whalley Little League – Surrey, British Columbia
Caribbean – Aruba Center Little League – Santa Cruz, Aruba
Cuba – Santa Clara Little League – Villa Clara, Cuba
Europe-Africa – South Czech Republic Little League – Brno, Czech Republic
Japan – Johoku Little League – Tokyo, Japan
Latin America – Cardenales Little League – Barquisimeto, Venezuela
Mexico – Matamoros Little League – Tamaulipas, Mexico
Puerto Rico – Radames Lopez Little League – Guayama, Puerto Rico

Past Little League World Series results

Teams from the United States have dominated the Little League World Series as of late, having won each of the last five dating back to 2017. The last international team to win the tournament was Japan, who beat Lufkin, Texas 12-2 in just five innings in the 2017 final.

List of past winners:

Results date back to 2010 LLWS.

2023: El Segundo, Calif.
2022: Honolulu
2021: Taylor, Mich.
2020: Canceled due to COVID
2019: River Ridge, La.
2018: Honolulu
2017: Tokyo
2016: Maine-Endwell, N.Y.
2015: Tokyo
2014: Seoul, South Korea
2013: Tokyo
2012: Tokyo
2011: Huntington Beach, Calif.
2010: Tokyo

LLWS bracket and schedule

Here is the full 2024 LLWS bracket, courtesy of the Little League World Series:

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Fantasy football leagues are won by players outperforming their draft positions. These sleepers give a return on investment that can overcome potential pitfalls across your team due to injuries or other issues.

In 2023, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua likely won a lot of fantasy football leagues after entering the season ranked as WR101 (the 101st wide receiver drafted, on average) per FantasyPros. He finished the season as a top-five wide receiver in all formats. Detroit Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown was WR10 before the season and ended the year as the No. 3 wide receiver in fantasy football.

Sleepers like Nacua don’t come around often but ones like St. Brown can make the difference between a championship and summer punishments for last place. Here are two players at each position who could outperform their current average draft position (ADP) and position ranking, per FantasyPros aggregate data:

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

2024 fantasy football sleepers: Quarterback

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (ADP 140, QB20)

2023 stats: 326-of-521 passing, 3,965 yards, 24 touchdowns, 11 interceptions | 254.3 fantasy points

Stafford managed to finish last year as QB15 despite missing two games and wide receiver Cooper Kupp. It’s hard to imagine he’ll take a step back with Kupp returning and an upgraded offensive line, specifically in the interior.

Los Angeles lost defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and the Rams’ defense may take a step back in 2024. That would put Los Angeles in high-scoring games. Stafford’s ADP puts him behind the likes of Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, and Kirk Cousins. With Sean McVay still on the sidelines, Stafford is a great value choice as a QB2 or low-end QB1 if you prioritize your resources elsewhere.

Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (ADP 171, QB25)

2023 stats: 149-of-255 passing, 1,808 yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions | 106.1 fantasy points

Levis is a dual-threat quarterback entering his first full season as a starter with upgrades at the wide receiver position and a new play caller in head coach Brian Callahan, who has a track record of success from his time in Cincinnati. Callahan also brought along his father Bill who is one of the best offensive line coaches in the league.

Levis is currently ranked behind Geno Smith and Bo Nix by ADP. You don’t have to squint to see him outperforming that position as at least a QB2.

2024 fantasy football sleepers: Running back

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys (ADP 149, RB44)

2023 stats (full PPR): 361 yards rushing, two touchdowns; 17 receptions, 144 yards receiving, two touchdown | 91.5 fantasy points

Ezekiel Elliott is back in Dallas but is four years and 896 carries removed from his last Pro Bowl season with the Cowboys in 2019. He set career-lows in yards from scrimmage (955) and touchdowns (five) in 2023.

Dowdle split time last year in the Cowboys’ backfield with Tony Pollard, who is now in Tennessee. The Cowboys offense may take a step back in 2024 – especially if the CeeDee Lamb contract situation worsens – but Dowdle should have plenty of opportunity to finish better than RB44 as a more explosive option than Elliott.

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (ADP 73, RB24)

2023 stats (full PPR): 1,035 yards rushing, eight touchdowns, one fumble lost; 29 receptions, 170 yards | 195.5 fantasy points

Pittsburgh brought in Arthur Smith as the new offensive coordinator for 2024. Smith’s reputation for a strong running game and Pittsburgh’s upgrades along the offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft make Harris and fellow Steelers running back Jaylen Warren popular sleeper picks this season.

Warren was a more efficient runner last season but Harris may be the better sleeper for one simple reason: size. He’s one of the bigger running backs in the league at 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 242 pounds, compared to Warren at 5-feet-8 and 215. Smith’s shown a preference for bigger backs at previous stops in Tennessee (Derrick Henry) and Atlanta (Tyler Allgeier). That could give Harris the edge over Warren.

2024 fantasy football sleepers: Wide receiver

Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers (ADP 88, WR37)

2023 stats (full PPR): 51 receptions, 717 yards, five touchdowns | 152.7 fantasy points

Johnson was traded to Carolina this offseason as the Panthers build around second-year quarterback Bryce Young. Last season, 33-year-old Adam Thielen led the team with 103 catches, 1,014 yards, and four touchdowns. Johnson is a big upgrade over Thielen at this point in their careers.

Upgrades on offensive line and a new play caller should improve things for Young and Johnson appears to be the clear No. 1 target in the passing game. He’s being drafted around the likes of Jayden Reed, Xavier Worthy, and DeAndre Hopkins. None of those players are No. 1 targets on their teams.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks (ADP 101, WR44)

2023 stats (full PPR): 63 receptions, 628 yards, four touchdowns | 149.8 fantasy points

A regime change in Seattle could be to Smith-Njigba’s benefit. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb comes from Washington Huskies where he ran exciting three-receiver sets with the likes of NFL draftees Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk. That could bode well for the trio of Seahawks receivers in Smith-Njigba, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf.

Smith-Njigba could flourish in more underneath and intermediate routes and grow into a bigger role as Lockett ages. He was overvalued in 2023 but could be a worthwhile sleeper in 2024.

2024 fantasy football sleepers: Tight end

Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys (ADP 82, TE10)

2023 stats (full PPR): 71 receptions, 761 yards, five touchdowns | 177.1 fantasy points

Ferguson finished the 2023 season as TE9 thanks to scoring four of his five touchdowns from Weeks 8-13. He became the second option in the Cowboys’ passing game and there’s no reason that’ll change in 2024. If anything, his role could expand in 2024 amid Lamb’s contract issues. It’s hard to find value at a thin tight end position in fantasy football but if you miss out on the big names, Ferguson’s a low-end TE1 and great consolation prize.

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (ADP 105, TE12)

2023 stats (full PPR): 59 receptions, 592 yards, three touchdowns | 136.3 fantasy points

Goedert will have a new offensive coordinator this season in Kellen Moore. The last time Moore had a comparable set of pass-catchers as Philadelphia has in 2024 was in Dallas in 2021 with Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Dalton Schultz. That season Lamb, Schultz, and Cooper had a very even split of targets (104-120) and catches (68-79).

Goedert, DeVonta Smith, and A.J. Brown are a relatively similar trio talent-wise to what the Cowboys had that season. Philadelphia’s offense prioritized Brown in 2023 with 158 targets and 106 receptions. Those could go down with a larger distribution going to Goedert. It may be a stretch but again, tight end is a thin, top-heavy position in fantasy.

2024 fantasy football sleepers: D/ST

Chicago Bears (D/ST 11)

2023 stats: 30 sacks, 22 interceptions, six fumble recoveries, two touchdowns | 120 fantasy points

The Bears defense played well down the second half of 2023 and return most of their starters. The defensive backfield may be the best part of this unit with Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Jaquan Brisker. Defensive performance is hard to predict year-over-year. But they’ll likely be playing from behind less often thanks to an influx of talent on offense for 2024.

Houston Texans (D/ST 13)

2023 stats: 46 sacks, 14 interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries, three touchdowns | 131 fantasy points

Houston enters year two under head coach DeMeco Ryans, who coordinated the No. 1 defense in the NFL in 2022. A second year in his system, the additions of Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair, and a year of development from Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. should see Houston as a top-10 defense in 2024. Their schedule is tough but the potential is there.

After the wild success of College Football 25, it was only a matter of time before beloved sports games from millennials’ childhoods came back for a cut of that sweet, sweet nostalgia bait cash. Earlier today, it was revealed that ‘Backyard Sports’ would be making a comeback, after nearly a decade since the last release in the series.

In an official statement, Playground Productions, the company responsible for producing ‘Backyard Sports’ games, announced that the series would be returning ‘in the coming months,’ with its iconic aesthetic and fan-favorite characters such as Pablo Sanchez, Kenny Kawaguchi, and Pete Wheeler all set to return as well.

‘We’re incredibly excited to reintroduce Backyard Sports to a new generation of players,’ Chris Waters, Chief Product Officer at Playground Productions, said. ‘We’re taking great care to preserve the look and feel that made the original games so special while updating them with modern features and gameplay that today’s audience expects.’

The return of this beloved series has some people wondering what other beloved sports video game series could see a comeback in the near future.

Here are a few we would love to see.

Game series that deserve a comeback

Mario Super Sluggers

Mario is iconic, and his side hustles as a professional soccer player, golfer, and partier are still going strong. However, Mario’s tenure as a pro baseball player only lasted two games. ‘Mario Superstar Baseball’ (2005) and ‘Mario Super Sluggers’ (2008) are both much-beloved games in the Mario sports series with diehard fans that still make content for the games today. However, in more than a decade and a half, there has not been a single addition to those series. While ‘Mario Tennis’ enjoyed a recent edition to the Switch.

With incredible games like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Bros. Wonder being added to the Mario series as of late, there is tons of new material and characters to draw from to give players new experiences.

NFL Blitz The League

Let’s be honest. This game was so violent that there is almost no chance it could be made today…but imagine how cool it would be if it did. With Madden continuing to disenchant players for several years now, a new, unrealistic football game could be just what NFL fans need to bring themselves back into the NFL video game landscape.

The Bigs

Much like Mario Baseball, ‘The Bigs’ has not seen a new release since before 2010, but boy, was this game fun. The quick minigames in the field, the impact that elite players had on games, the integration of the Wii’s motion controls. Everything meshed together perfectly to make an MLB video game just unrealistic enough to feel special without taking away from the key aspects of baseball.

Also, Jack Cust was a monster in ‘The Bigs 2’ with constant no-doubter home runs. That alone was enough to make that game incredible.

SSX Tricky

When was the last time a snowboard racing game was released? It’s been a long time. That’s a niche market that needs filling, and the reintroduction of ‘SSX Tricky’ would certainly get some heads turning. Much like ‘NFL Blitz The League,’ ‘SSX Tricky’ might be considered too violent to be made today. After all, one of the main mechanics was punching your adversaries on the slopes. However, the high-pace, outlandish nature of the game would certainly still sell copies today.

NFL 2K

Now, here’s a game that we can all agree on. Some fans may not want a cartoonish game. They’d rather have another simulation-style game like Madden. Unfortunately, Madden will have zero competition in simulation-style NFL games until at least 2026. Even when their exclusive rights expire, it will take another company millions of marketing dollars to get on the same level as Madden.

That’s where 2K Sports comes in. This is a company that has the money to market a new game, and they know how to make NFL video games considering they’ve done so before, with their last installment coming in 2004. NFL 2K5 is widely-considered one of the best simulation-style NFL games of all-time, with mechanics and animations that still hold up today.

NHL general managers had money to spend this offseason with the salary cap rising from $83.5 million to $88 million.

That led to a busy free agency season in which USA TODAY Sports’ top 25 players moved within three days.

Though things calmed down, there still were plenty of transactions. The Columbus Blue Jackets granted forward Patrik Laine’s trade wish, and the St. Louis Blues made offer sheets to two players from the Edmonton Oilers.

More deals could be on the way. Stars Leon Draisaitl, Sidney Crosby, Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen and Igor Shesterkin are eligible to receive contract extensions. Jeremy Swayman, Lucas Raymond, Seth Jarvis and Moritz Seider are among restricted free agents needing new contracts.

Here are the top NHL transactions that have occurred during the 2024 offseason:

Aug. 20: Kraken re-sign F Matty Beniers to seven-year deal

The Seattle Kraken locked in their first-ever draft pick, forward Matty Beniers, on Tuesday with a seven-year, $49.98 million contract extension carrying an average annual value of $7.14 million.

A restricted free agent, Beniers, 21, was selected by Seattle, then an expansion team, with the second pick in the 2021 NHL draft.

Beniers made his NHL debut in 2022, playing 10 games and earning nine points (three goals, six assists). In his first full season, he recorded 24 goals, 33 assists in 80 regular-season games en route to winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. Last season, he tallied 15 goals and 22 assists in 77 games. — Field Level Media

Aug. 20: Oilers don’t match Blues’ offer sheets

The Edmonton Oilers chose not to match the St. Louis Blues’ offer sheets to defenseman Philip Broberg (two years, $9.16 million) and forward Dylan Holloway (two years, $4.58 million) and will receive a second- and a third-round pick as compensation for the former first-round picks.

They also made a separate deal with the Blues, acquiring the rights to Notre Dame defenseman Paul Fischer and a 2028 third-round pick for future considerations.

The Western Conference champion Oilers picked up a defenseman, Ty Emberson (who previously played for coach Kris Knoblauch), and a forward, Vasily Podkolzin, in trades earlier this week. Edmonton is now about $946,000 under the salary cap, according to Puckpedia.

Aug. 20: Flyers to terminate Ryan Johansen’s contract

The Philadelphia Flyers, citing ‘a material breach,’ placed forward Ryan Johansen on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. He has one year left at an $8 million salary ($4 million cap hit for the Flyers). Philadelphia took on his contract last season as part of the Sean Walker trade and he never played for the team because of a hip injury. Sportsnet reported that Johansen is expected to file a grievance.

Aug. 19: Canadiens acquire Patrik Laine from the Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets granted forward Patrik Laine his trade wish, and the Montreal Canadiens are adding a three-time 30-goal scorer to their young core. The Canadiens give up defenseman Jordan Harris, 24, but also receive a 2026 second-round pick and reportedly are taking on Laine’s full $8.7 million cap hit.

Laine, 26, totaled 110 goals in his first three seasons with the Winnipeg Jets and topped 20 goals twice with the Blue Jackets. But he has had injury issues recently and was in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program last season. If he can stay healthy and regain his form, he’d boost a Canadiens forward group that includes 25-and-under players Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach. Laine is signed through the 2025-26 season.

‘We want players that want to be Blue Jackets and Patrik made it clear that he thought a change of scenery was best for him,’ Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell. ‘We were able to acquire a good young player in Jordan Harris while maintaining financial flexibility in this deal, which was very important to us.’

Aug. 19: Predators’ Yaroslav Askarov seeks trade, per report

Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz told The Tennesseean, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the team expects goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to report to training camp when it opens in September.

Trotz was responding to a report from NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes that Askarov asked to be traded. Weekes also reported Askarov won’t report to the American Hockey League if assigned there.

One of the best young goaltending prospects in the NHL, Askarov is next in line for the Predators’ net behind Juuse Saros. But Saros signed an eight-year contract extension on July 1. – Alex Daugherty, The Tennessean

Aug. 18: Oilers make two trades ahead of decision on matching offer sheets

The Edmonton Oilers traded defenseman Cody Ceci to the San Jose Sharks, along with a third-round pick, for defenseman Ty Emberson. They also acquired forward Vasily Podkolzin from the Vancouver Canucks for a fourth-round pick.

The Oilers have until Tuesday to decide whether to match the St. Louis Blues’ offer sheets to defenseman Philip Broberg (two years, $9.16 million) and forward Dylan Holloway, (two years, $4.58 million). Ceci, a healthy scratch in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, has a $3.25 million cap hit and Emberson makes $950,000, so Edmonton saves $2.3 million in that deal. Podkolzin makes $1 million but spent 44 games in the American Hockey League last season.

Even with the savings, the Oilers would need more in order to match the offer sheets. But Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has reported that Evander Kane needs surgery. Edmonton would get cap relief if Kane goes on long-term injured reserve.

Ceci, 30, gives the Sharks another veteran, as they build around top draft picks Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith.

Aug. 15: Jakub Vrana gets tryout offer from Capitals

The Washington Capitals have made a professional tryout offer to forward Jakub Vrana, who was on the 2017-18 Stanley Cup team. Vrana, 28, who will get a shot to make the team in training camp, had been traded to the Detroit Red Wings in 2021 in the Anthony Mantha deal and spent parts of the past two seasons with the St. Louis Blues.

Aug. 14: Maple Leafs name Auston Matthews captain

The Toronto Maple Leafs named Auston Matthews the 26th captain in franchise history and the first U.S.-born one.

Maple Leafs center John Tavares, named captain in 2019, said he decided it was time to pass the leadership mantle to the two-time 60-goal scorer.

‘This decision is a recognition of a maturation of a person who has shown a skill set that is special, unique and who has a relentless drive to win,’ Tavares, who’s entering the final year in his contract, said at a news conference. ‘In that, I believe Auston can become more and that he is ready for this honor and responsibility.’

Matthews, who was born in California and grew up in Arizona, is entering the first year of a four-year, $53 million contract that gives him the league’s top cap hit. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft.

‘To be a captain is truly special,’ said Matthews, who turns 27 next month. ‘For (Tavares) to call me and kind of let me know that he wanted to pass on the captaincy to me was very emotional.’

Aug. 14: Ryan Getzlaf joins NHL Player Safety department

The NHL Department of Player Safety said former NHL star Ryan Getzlaf is joining the staff of chief disciplinarian George Parros, his former Anaheim Ducks teammate. Getzlaf spent his entire career with the Ducks, winning a Stanley Cup in 2007, and was captain for 12 seasons. He retired in 2022 as the franchise’s leading scorer.

Aug. 13: Blues make offer sheets to pair of Oilers

The St. Louis Blues tendered offer sheets to a pair of Edmonton Oilers restricted free agents, defenseman Philip Broberg and forward Dylan Holloway, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said.

The Oilers have an Aug. 20 deadline to match the offers. If they don’t, they will receive draft picks as compensation from the Blues.

Broberg’s offer is for two years, $9.16 million and would require a second-round pick going to the Oilers should they decline to match it. Holloway, offered two years and $4.58 million, would return a third-round pick. – Field Level Media

July 31: Evgeny Kuznetsov signs with Russian team

SKA Saint Petersburg announced it had signed forward Evgeni Kuznetsov to a four-year contract with the Kontinental Hockey League team. Kuznetsov and the Carolina Hurricanes had agreed this offseason to terminate his contract. The 2018 Stanley Cup winner with the Washington Capitals was traded to the Hurricanes at the deadline after being cleared by the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance Program. Kuznetsov, 32, finishes his NHL career with 575 points in 743 games.

Also: The Montreal Canadiens signed defenseman Kaiden Guhle to a six-year, $33.3M contract extension.

July 30: Rangers sign Ryan Lindgren for one year

The final must-do item on the New York Rangers’ offseason agenda is complete.

They inked restricted free agent Ryan Lindgren to a one-year, $4.5 million contract, with details first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 26-year-old defenseman was scheduled for an arbitration hearing Friday.

The Rangers were willing to go well above Lindgren’s $3.6 million qualifying offer in order to keep the deal short, prioritizing flexibility for next summer − when young core players such as Alexis Lafrenière, K’Andre Miller and Igor Shesterkin will be due for expensive new contracts − over a slightly lesser average annual value that likely would have resulted from offering more years.

It casts doubt about whether Lindgren will stick in New York beyond this coming season, but a one-year deal was the prudent decision given the expected 2025-26 salary cap crunch. – Vince Z. Mercogliano, lohud.com

Also: The Montreal Canadiens reached two-year deals with defensemen Arber Xhekaj ($1.3 million cap hit) and Justin Barron ($1.15 million cap hit).

July 29: Wild sign Brock Faber to eight-year extension

The Minnesota Wild signed rookie of the year runner-up Brock Faber to an eight-year extension. It kicks in during the 2025-26 season and will average $8.5 million. Faber, 21, tied for first among rookies in assists (39) and led rookies in average ice time (24:58) and blocked shots (150). His 47 points broke the Wild’s previous record for points by a rookie defenseman (Filip Kuba, 30 in 2000-01). 

July 29: Hurricanes sign Martin Necas for two years

The Carolina Hurricanes and forward Martin Necas agreed to a two-year deal ($6.5 million cap hit), avoiding arbitration. Getting him signed for more than a year is a positive for the Hurricanes, who lost forwards Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen to free agency. They also mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Evgeny Kuznetsov. Necas, 25, finished fourth on the team in goals (24) and tied for third in points (53). Carolina still needs to sign forward Seth Jarvis.

July 27-28: Blue Jackets sign two restricted free agents

The Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Kirill Marchenko avoided arbitration by agreeing to a three-year contract with a $3.85 million cap hit. The 24-year-old has topped 20 goals in his first two NHL seasons, totaling 44. A day earlier, the Blue Jackets had signed forward Kent Johnson to a three-year deal with a $1.8 million cap hit. Forward Cole Sillinger is the team’s last remaining restricted free agent.

July 26: Trade target Patrik Laine cleared by assistance program

Patrik Laine’s request to be traded by the Columbus Blue Jackets received a significant boost.

The Finnish forward was released from the NHL/NHL Players’ Association’s player assistance program, clearing him to personally speak with coaches, executives and players from around the league for the first time since entering the program Jan. 28 for undisclosed reasons.

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell did not comment on Friday’s news but told the Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network, on Tuesday he’s confident a trade for Laine can be worked out this summer. A big holdup in trade talks, according to Waddell, was Laine’s inability to speak with him or opposing GMs while in the NHL/NHLPA program. – Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch

July 25: Flyers’ Travis Konecny signs eight-year extension

Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny signed an eight-year, $70 million contract extension. The new deal, which is to begin in 2025-26, will make Konecny, 27, the highest-paid player on the Flyers’ roster. He had career highs in goals (33), points (68) and short-handed goals (six) in 76 games last season. He led the team in goals, assists and points. ‘There’s such a bright and exciting future with this team and I can’t wait to be a part of it for the next nine years and see what we will accomplish,’ Konecny said. – Field Level Media

July 24: Sabres agree to terms with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

The Buffalo Sabres avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to terms with goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a five-year deal with a $4.75 million cap hit. The restricted free agent gets a big bump from last season’s $837,500 after setting career highs with 54 appearances, 27 wins and a 2.57 goals-against average. The Sabres will go with a young goaltending duo of Luukkonen, 25, and Devon Levi, 22, next season as they try to end a 13-season playoff drought.

July 24: Oilers name Stan Bowman general manager

New Edmonton Oilers general manager Stan Bowman is known both for his three Stanley Cup titles and for stepping down after a 2021 report criticized how the Chicago Blackhawks handled a sexual-assault complaint during their 2010 championship run. He was recently reinstated by the league. Bowman detailed the steps he took during his absence from the NHL and said, ‘I can tell you without a doubt that those things will never happen on my watch again.’

OILERS: What Stan Bowman, others said about Blackhawks scandal

July 23: Sabres agree to terms with Beck Malenstyn

Forward Beck Malenstyn, acquired from the Washington Capitals in an offseason trade, agreed to terms with the Buffalo Sabres on a two-year contract with a $1.35 million cap hit. He had filed for salary arbitration. Malenstyn is known for his defensive work, penalty killing and physical play. He led the Capitals last season with 241 hits while recording career highs with six goals, 15 assists and 21 points.

Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also has filed for arbitration.

Also: The Toronto Maple Leafs and forward Connor Dewar agreed to a one-year, $1.18 million deal. He had filed for salary arbitration.

July 22: Blue Jackets hire Dean Evason as coach

The Columbus Blue Jackets have settled on a new head coach.

Dean Evason will run the Blue Jackets’ bench after agreeing to a multi-year contract to fill a void created by the June 17 firing of Pascal Vincent. Not counting interims, Evason, 59, becomes the 11th coach in the franchise’s 24-year history.

Evason steps into the role after veteran Todd McLellan removed himself from the search process earlier this month. Evason doesn’t have as much experience as an NHL head coach as McLellan, but handled that role with the Minnesota Wild for five years before he was fired in November. Evason went 147-77-27 in 251 games with the Wild, including four trips to the playoffs. – Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch

July 22: Joe Pavelski announces retirement

Joe Pavelski, who said in June he would take next season off, is retiring, he and the Dallas Stars announced. Pavelski, 40, finishes with 476 goals and 1,068 points in 1,332 career regular-season games between the San Jose Sharks and Stars. He’s the NHL’s leading U.S.-born playoff goal scorer with 74 and helped lead the Stars to back-to-back trips to the Western Conference final. Pavelski never won a Stanley Cup but he went to the Final in 2016 with the Sharks, scoring a playoff-leading 14 goals and four game-winners, and in 2020 with the Stars. He had been captain of the Sharks.

July 20: Canucks sign free agent forward Daniel Sprong

Winger Daniel Sprong’s deal with the Vancouver Canucks is for one year at a reported $975,000. He’s coming off back-to-back 40-point seasons despite averaging 11 to 12 minutes a night. He’ll add secondary scoring to a team that ranked sixth in goals per game last season. Sprong will get another chance to prove himself after the Seattle Kraken didn’t give him a qualifying offer in 2023 and the Detroit Red Wings let him go to free agency.

July 19: Red Wings, Joe Veleno reach deal, avoid arbitration

The Detroit Red Wings and forward Joe Veleno agreed to a two-year, $4.55 million contract, according to Sportsnet. He had filed for salary arbitration after getting a career-best 12 goals and 28 points in a bottom six role.

July 17: Hurricanes, Evgeny Kuznetsov agree to terminate contract

The Carolina Hurricanes placed forward Evgeny Kuznetsov on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. He cleared waivers and the contract was terminated, which will allow Kuznetsov to play in Russia. He had one year, at a $7.8 million cap hit, left on his contract. The Washington Capitals, who traded him to the Hurricanes last season, retained half of that, and both teams are now free of that cap hit.

The mutual decision brings another offseason change to the Hurricanes roster. They weren’t able to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Jake Guentzel and traded his rights to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he signed. Defensemen Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce and forwards Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen left in free agency. Defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Matt Walker and forwards Jack Roslovic and William Carrier are among the offseason additions.

Kuznetsov spent time last season in the NHL/NHL Players’ Association assistance program and finished with only 24 points in 63 games. He scored a league-best 32 points during the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup run. He also was known for his goal celebration of flapping his arms like a bird.

The Hurricanes announced later in the day that they had re-signed forward Jack Drury to a two-year contract with a $1.725 million cap hit.

July 16: Kings re-sign Quinton Byfield

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft will get five years at a $6.25 million average. The Los Angeles Kings forward was a restricted free agent. The deal follows a breakthrough last season with a jump from three goals and 22 points to 20 goals and 55 points while being moved into a top six role. If he continues that progress, the deal will look good years from now.

Also: The St. Louis Blues said defenseman Torey Krug has been diagnosed with pre-arthritic changes in his left ankle and will be evaluated in six to eight weeks. If he needs surgery, he will miss the 2024-25 season. The team said the injury is a cumulative result of a bone fracture from earlier in his career. … Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs signed a two-year contract. He was pressed into action in the playoffs after an injury to Thatcher Demko.

July 13: Rangers, Blue Jackets sign players

The New York Rangers re-signed defenseman Braden Schneider to a two-year contract with a reported $2.2 million cap hit. The Columbus Blue Jackets and goalie Jet Greaves settled on a two-year deal and avoided arbitration. It’s a two-way deal the first year that pays him less in the American Hockey League, but the second year is a one-way deal.

July 11: Utah’s Tij Iginla signs entry-level contract

Igina, the son of Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, was the Utah Hockey Club’s first draft pick, taken sixth overall in June. He had 84 points in 64 games last season with Kelowna of the Western Hockey League. Iginla and Detroit Red Wings selection are the 13th and 14th of June’s 32 first-round picks to sign a three-year, entry-level contract.

Also: The Lightning and defenseman J.J. Moser reached a two-year, $6.75 million contract, avoiding arbitration. He was acquired from Utah in the Mikhail Sergachev trade.

July 10: Ryan Suter signs with Blues

Defenseman Ryan Suter, 39, who was bought out for the second time in his career, signed a one-year, $775,000 contract. He can earn another $2.225 million in performance bonuses. The Dallas Stars bought out the final year of his three-year contract. He was bought out by the Minnesota Wild in 2021.

July 8: Capitals name Chris Patrick general manager

Chris Patrick becomes the seventh general manager in Capitals history after being promoted from associate GM. Brian MacLellan was promoted to president of hockey operations. Patrick is the son of Capitals chairman Dick Patrick.

The Capitals were one of the busier teams this offseason, trading for Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Jakob Chychrun and Logan Thompson and signing Matt Roy, Brandon Duhaime and Taylor Raddysh.

July 6: Top two NHL draft picks sign

No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) and No. 2 pick Artyom Levshunov (Blackhawks) signed three-year, entry-level deals rather than return for another season at college. They could end up at different levels. Celebrini, who was the clear-cut No. 1 pick, is expected to open the season with the Sharks. Levshunov, depending on what happens in training camp, could start in the American Hockey League.

July 5: 14 players file for salary arbitration

Fourteen restricted free agents have filed for salary arbitration, the NHL Players’ Association announced.

They are (in alphabetical order): Jake Christiansen (Blue Jackets), Connor Dewar (Maple Leafs), Jack Drury (Hurricanes), Ty Emberson (Sharks), Jet Greaves (Blue Jackets), Ryan Lindgren (Rangers), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sabres), Beck Malenstyn (Sabres), Kirill Marchenko (Blue Jackets), J.J. Moser (Lightning), Martin Necas (Hurricanes), Spencer Stastney (Predators), Joe Veleno (Red Wings) and Oliver Wahlstrom (Islanders).

The key one is Necas, who has been linked to trade rumors. Moser and Malenstyn were acquired in offseason trades.

Hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 4, though nearly all players reach a settlement beforehand.

July 3: Kraken hires Jessica Campbell as assistant coach

Jessica Campbell made history when she was hired to join Dan Bylsma’s coaching staff on the Seattle Kraken.

She becomes the first female full-time assistant coach in NHL history to work behind the bench

Campbell, 32, made similar history in the American Hockey League when Bylsma hired her as an assistant coach with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2022. Bylsma, a former Stanley Cup winner, is bringing Campbell with him to the NHL after being named Kraken coach in May.

‘I just know that if the team has success and my impact is a good one, it could potentially open the doors for others,’ she said.

July 1-4: Early days of free agency

The Nashville Predators were among the winners by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights lost key players early but have added back. On Day 3, the Detroit Red Wings signed two-time Stanley Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko.

A look at the opening days of 2024 NHL free agency

June 24-July 1: Who was traded before free agency?

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals were busy on the trade front. The Lightning moved out Mikhail Sergachev and Tanner Jeannot, then acquired the rights to Jake Guentzel and signed him to a seven-year, $63 million contract. The Capitals traded for forwards Dubois and Mangiapane, defenseman Chychrun and goalie Thompson, moving out goalie Darcy Kuemper and Beck Malenstyn.