Who are the most powerful people in college football? The USA TODAY Sports Network decided to figure it out.

Our panel of experts debated and discussed the topic for hours and settled on the top 25 going into the 2025 season, with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey taking the top spot in a vote after the list was determined.

Names like Sankey, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, Colorado coach Deion Sanders and retired coach Nick Saban will be familiar to college football fans, but others like Jimmy Sexton, Cole Gahagan and Dave Brown hold tremendous sway behind the scenes. And some members of this exclusive club, like President Donald Trump, may surprise you.

Our panel of experts from our network who decided on this ranking included national college football writers Matt Hayes and Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY sports writers Paul Myerberg and Brent Schrotenboer, former USA TODAY sports columnist Dan Wolken and beat writers Frank Bodani (Penn State), Scott Wright (Oklahoma State) and Marc Weiszer (Georgia). Editors Erick Smith, Andrew Birkle and Tommy Deas helped shape the discussion.

Here are the top 25 most powerful people in college football as the 2025 season gets underway.

1. Greg Sankey, SEC commissioner

Why he is on the list: Sankey blends the credibility he’s earned from a career working in college athletics with the respect he amassed from guiding college football throughout the pandemic season and the gravitas that accompanies leading a “Super Two” conference steeped with powerful brands to shape the sport in an unparalleled way.

2. Burke Magnus, ESPN president, content

Why he is on the list: He oversees the live content, studio shows and journalism for a company that is paying billions of dollars to league partners for the rights to televise games, including the College Football Playoff and postseason bowl games. His company controls much of what you see and learn about the game.

3. Tony Petitti, Big Ten commissioner

Why he is on the list: Petitti leads the richest conference in college football –  the one owning the past two College Football Playoff champions. His power and influence, however, don’t quite match the SEC’s Greg Sankey in shaping and leading the sport.

4. Mark Silverman, Fox Sports president and COO

Why he is on the list: He oversees live event, studio programming, production, marketing and digital for Fox Sports, the television partner of the Big Ten Conference. His company funded the Big Ten’s expansion and is a 61% owner of the Big Ten Network, where he previously served as president.

5. Steve Berman/Jeffrey Kessler, antitrust attorneys

Why they are on the list: They are the lead attorneys who helped dismantle the NCAA’s amateurism model with class-action lawsuits, including the landmark case, House v. NCAA. Because of their work, schools are now paying players for the names, images and likenesses. They remain positioned to advance players’ rights.

6. Claudia Wilken, federal judge

Why she is on the list: Wilken approved the massive, landmark $2.8 billion dollar House settlement that paved the way for the current era of college sports, allowing schools to directly reimburse their student-athletes. Just over a decade ago, Wilken presided over O’Bannon v. NCAA and ruled the ban on athletes being compensated for their NIL rights represented illegal restraint.

7. Pete Bevacqua, Notre Dame athletics director

Why he is on the list: Notre Dame remains one of the biggest brands in college football, and Bevacqua’s influence on the sport matches it. Notre Dame’s value on the national landscape gives Bevacqua a valuable seat at the table with major conferences and TV networks when the future of the sport is being molded.

8. Brett Yormark, Big 12 commissioner

Why he is on the list: While his conference doesn’t carry the weight of the Big Ten or SEC, Yormark’s innovative approach to leading his conference and generating revenue streams has strengthened his impact. His aggressive style and business background have elevated the Big 12’s relevancy in an evolving college football environment.

9. Rick Cordella, NBC Sports president

Why he is on the list: The president of NBC Sports since September 2023, Cordella oversees the Big Ten Saturday Night package that brought regular-season games not involving Notre Dame back to the network for the first time since 1959. While not to the level of ABC/ESPN or CBS, NBC is now an influential player at the crossroads of TV and college sports.

10. Jimmy Sexton, agent to coaches

Why he is on the list: Sexton represents a cavalcade of prominent coaches. Clients include Kirby Smart (Georgia), Steve Sarkisian (Texas) and Kalen DeBoer (Alabama). No agent has fueled the soaring coaching salaries and buyouts and the advent of fully guaranteed contracts more than Sexton.

11. Donald Trump, United States president

Why he is on the list: Trump has involved the federal government in the interest of policing college sports, the focus on big-money college football. It seems a daunting bureaucratic lift. Will his actions – creating a presidential commission on college sports and signing an executive order to reform it – prove more symbolic than policy-changing?

12. Jim Phillips, ACC commissioner

Why he is on the list: Phillips remains in an impactful position as the future of power-conference college football evolves. He offers another influential voice in the fight for fair and equal treatment of power conferences moving forward, particularly in the College Football Playoff.

13. Mark Keenum, Mississippi State president

Why he is on the list: Keenum is the president of the College Football Playoff’s board of managers, an 11-member group comprised of university presidents and chancellors that holds authority over all aspects of playoff operations. Keenum has been the president of Mississippi State since 2009 and has previously served as the president of the SEC and leader of the league’s executive committee.

14. Cody Campbell, Texas Tech booster and board of regents chair

Why he is on the list: He’s changing the paradigm on both ends: he has spent, and will continue to spend, hundreds of millions on Texas Tech sports with notable gains in football and softball. He’s also President Trump’s point man in the White House’s push for college sports reform.

15. Cole Gahagan, Learfield CEO 

Why he is on the list: Founded as a farm radio network, Learfield has morphed into a major player in the business of college sports, serving as a conduit for a variety of deals, from stadium naming rights to media rights to engineering more than $140 million in NIL sponsorship agreements in 2025.

16. Dave Brown, Gridiron founder and president

Why he is on the list: Brown’s company provides the go-to software for college football scheduling. Gridiron serves as a matchmaker platform where schools can view and connect with potential opponents for their scheduling needs. If you’re watching a non-conference game, there’s a good chance Gridiron helped procure the matchup.

17. Chris Del Conte, Texas athletics director

Why he is on the list: Oversees a department that generated the most total operating revenue nationally in fiscal year 2024 at $331.9 million with $325 million in operating expenses. Helped spearhead Texas going to the SEC where it started league play in 2024. That move set off a round of conference realignment.

18. Nick Saban, ESPN analyst and retired coach

Why he is on the list: Even after exiting the sidelines, Saban remains a visible presence on ESPN’s College GameDay and a voice that resonates across the sport. President Donald Trump met with him when he spoke at Alabama’s spring graduation and turned to him for guidance on the changing landscape in college athletics.

19. Chad Chatlos, Turnkey ZRG search firm managing director

Why he’s on the list: ZRG is the most respected search firm in college sports, and Chatlos has led searches for some of the top jobs in football, including Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Ole Miss. He also played key role in searches for NCAA president, and Big Ten and Big 12 commissioners.

20. Ted Cruz, U.S. senator, R-Texas

Why he is on the list: Cruz, the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is the face of congressional efforts to reform college athletics. Working within his own party and across the aisle on an issue with largely bipartisan support, Cruz has wielded substantial influence in the college space.

21. Deion Sanders, Colorado coach

Why he’s on the list: He is the single highest-viewership attraction in a sport where eyeballs are the currency of the realm. His heavy reliance on the transfer portal has influenced recruiting nationally. His success pushed the door open wider for former Black athletes to become college coaches.

22. Bryan Seeley, College Sports Commission CEO

Why he’s on the list: Potential. Because there’s a whole lot of unknown with a position that has the framework to be the “czar” of college football as his organization oversees NIL deals, but could easily devolve into a front man for the most powerful presidents and chancellors of the SEC and Big Ten.     

23. Shannon Terry, founder of On3 Sports, 247 Sports and Rivals

Why he’s on the list: A visionary in the multimedia world of delivering content, his On3 brand crossed over into NIL valuations that are now the industry standard. Previous companies (Rivals, 247Sports) are trendsetters in recruiting coverage, and used by many FBS and FCS coaching staffs.

24. Kirby Smart, Georgia coach

Why is on the list: Entering his 10th season, the former Alabama defensive coordinator is winning at Saban-like levels and looks like he will be a mainstay competing for national titles. Served as co-chair for the NCAA Football Rules Committee and isn’t shy about voicing his take on issues of the day across the national landscape like transfer portal windows.

25. Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN personality

Why he is on the list: Herbstreit, an ESPN college football fixture since 1996, is the anchor of College GameDay and is arguably the preeminent TV analyst in the sport. His national cache (which includes his ever-popular golden retrievers) has been fueled by his pointed commentary on the sport and his social media interaction with fans.

Brent Schrotenboer, Paul Myerberg, Matt Hayes, Blake Toppmeyer, Marc Weiszer, Scott Wright and Frank Bodani all contributed to biographies.

(This story was updated to add a video.)

A pair of Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury minority owners have filed a lawsuit against controlling owner Mat Ishbia, alleging conflicts of interest, mismanagement and a lack of transparency in an attempt to dilute ownership shares.

The lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, also alleges that Ishbia may have cut “multiple undisclosed side deals with other investor members,” which would breach the ownership agreement the investors had entered.

The suit, filed Wednesday, Aug. 27 in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, lists a pair of limited liability companies, Kisco WC Sports II and Kent Circle Investments, as the plaintiffs. They are seeking for Ishbia and the company to provide the financial documents and records they allege have been withheld, as well as the payment of legal fees and further damages.

Suns Legacy Holdings (SLH), the company that operates the franchises, and ISH Suns, the controlling stakeholder of SLH, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

USA TODAY Sports, however, obtained a letter sent from the company’s counsel, lawyer David Marroso of O’Melveny & Myers LP, to the attorney representing the plaintiffs.

The letter, sent Tuesday, Aug. 26, says that Kisco and Kent Circle have demanded that Ishbia buy out the remaining shares they hold, at a valuation of $825 million. Per the letter, that figure represents a 60% increase from the valuation during the time of the sale to Ishbia in December 2022 for $4 billion.

The letter does not dispute the appreciation of the company and states that its value “is approaching $7 billion,” but the letter goes on to say that the company’s “market value is not the point” in question.

“Your clients have no right to insist that ISH Suns acquire their interest at all, much less at the valuation and premium they are demanding,” the letter states. “Let us be clear: ISH Suns does not object to your clients marketing their interests and obtaining offers from any other person, subject to the rights and obligations set forth in the parties’ agreement and applicable league rules.”

Andrew Kohlberg (Kisco) and Scott Seldin (Kent Circle) are the minority owners behind the companies suing Ishbia. According to the letter Marroso sent, both Kohlberg and Seldin had the opportunity to sell their interests in the team to Ishbia in 2023, when he completed the purchase of the company. Fourteen of the 16 minority owners invested in SLH sold their shares, with Kohlberg and Seldin being the lone holdouts.

“Kohlberg and Seldin have resorted to threatening baseless litigation and sensationalized press coverage as a means of intimidating and coercing ISH Suns into unprincipled and unjustified buyout negotiations,” the letter states. “That will not work. ISH Suns and the Company will not be bullied by these sharp and abusive tactics.”

At the center of the lawsuit is a capital call on Monday, June 2 that Isbhia initiated, seeking more money from investors. The lawsuit alleges that the call was announced on short notice and that it “appears to be part of a leverage strategy to exert pressure on and dilute the Company’s minority owners.”

The lawsuit alleges that the cost per unit that Ishbia was seeking during the call was “strikingly low and bears no relationship to the actual value of the Company.”

The suit, which is redacted in some parts, goes on to illustrate Kohlberg and Seldin’s dissatisfaction with Ishbia’s management of the company.

The Suns have not been shy about spending money on players in an attempt to compete in the Western Conference. In February 2023, right after Ishbia took control, Phoenix traded for Kevin Durant in a blockbuster deal, pairing him with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

The experiment, however, did not work out, with Durant traded to the Rockets and the Suns buying out Beal this offseason.

The Suns finished 36-46 in the West, placing just outside of the play-in window, and will have Jordan Ott coach the team in 2025-26 — their fourth coach in as many seasons.

Freddie Freeman was not in the lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, Aug. 27. 

Freeman was a late scratch from the lineup, considering he was third in the Dodgers’ lineup on Tuesday.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Freeman will be “day-to-day,” and it’s something he’s dealt with before.

“Freddie is down today,” Roberts said during his pregame availability. “He’s got a little kind of neck stinger that’s got from his neck to his shoulder on the right side.”

Roberts decided to have the 2020 NL MVP skip Wednesday’s game, so he will have a few days off while the team is not playing on Thursday.

Freeman is expected to be back in the lineup on Friday.

How did Freddie Freeman get injured?

There’s no specific event that’s led to Freeman’s neck injury, but it has been something that’s shown up in recent years.

“It’s something that is recurring, but he finds a way,” Roberts said. “It’s shown itself a little bit over the last few days, but it didn’t really feel good coming out of last night.”

Roberts explained that it’s unlikely he will be examined or undergo any imaging in the upcoming days.

The NFL’s roster cut deadline day was on Tuesday. All 32 teams had to trim rosters from 90 to 53 players ahead of a 4 p.m. ET deadline.

But for many players, getting waived ahead of the deadline does not mean they’ll need to open their LinkedIn to find a cushy, corporate job, even if another team does not claim them.

Every team will be adding some of the players it waived to its practice squad. Those lucky candidates will join a pool of more than a dozen extra players on the team’s payroll that can be called up to the active roster during the season if needed.

Practice squads will begin to take shape on Wednesday at noon ET, when teams can start signing players.

NFL practice squad signings

This section will be updated as NFL teams add players to their practice squads.

Arizona Cardinals

WR Andre Baccellia
LB Elliott Brown
OL Jeremiah Byers
RB Michael Carter
OL Jake Curhan
TE Josiah Deguara
WR Simi Fehoko
DL Anthony Goodlow
CB Darren Hall
OL Sincere Haynesworth
OL Nick Leverett
WR Tejhaun Palmer
DL Elijah Simmons

Atlanta Falcons

WR Chris Blair
CB Cobee Bryant
WR Dylan Drummond
OL Joshua Gray
S Ronnie Harrison
CB C.J. Henderson
Edge Khalid Kareem
WR Nick Nash
OL Brandon Parker
TE Joshua Simon
QB Easton Stick
DL Kentavius Street
RB Carlos Washington Jr.
PK Lenny Krieg (international)

Baltimore Ravens

QB Tyler Huntley
OT Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan
CB Thomas Graham Jr.
OLB Malik Hamm
DB Keondre Jackson
RB D’Ernest Johnson
WR Keith Kirkwood
LB Chandler Martin
WR Anthony Miller
TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
DL Basil Okoye (international)
G Jared Penning
DB Marquise Robinson
DE Kaimon Rucker
C Nick Samac
FB Lucas Scott
DL Brent Urban

Buffalo Bills

QB Shane Buechele
LB Jimmy Ciarlo
OL Travis Clayton (international)
OL Dan Feeney
S Sam Franklin
RB Frank Gore Jr.
WR Stephen Gosnell
OL Kendrick Green
CB Daequan Hardy
CB Dan Jackson
LB Keonta Jenkins
DE Andre Jones
TE Keleki Latu
DT Zion Logue
DT Jordan Phillips
S Jordan Poyer
WR Kristian Wilkerson

Carolina Panthers

LB Krys Barnes
CB Shemar Bartholomew
OLB Boogie Basham
RB DeeJay Dallas
DL Jared Harrison-Hunte
QB Hendon Hooker
CB Kalen King
OL Jarrett Kingston
OLB Mapalo Mwansa (international)
TE Bryce Pierre
WR Ja’seem Reed
CB Mike Reid
DL Sam Roberts
WR Ainias Smith
OT Michael Tarquin
S Trevian Thomas
OL Brandon Walton

Chicago Bears

WR Maurice Alexander
WR Miles Boykin
RB Brittain Brown
TE Stephen Carlson
DL Xavier Carlton
LB Power Echols
LS Luke Elkin
DB Tre Flowers
DL Jonathan Ford
DB Mekhi Garner
DL Tanoh Kpassagnon
DL Jamree Kromah
OL Jordan McFadden
WR JP Richardson
OL Ricky Stromberg

Cincinnati Bengals

RB Gary Brightwell
OT Devin Cochran
OT Andrew Coker
CB Jalen Davis
LB Joe Giles-Harris
G Jaxson Kirkland
CB Bralyn Lux
C Seth McLaughlin
RB Kendall Milton
WR Jordan Moore
LB Maema Njongmeta
QB Brett Rypien
DE Isaiah Thomas
WR Isaiah Williams

Cleveland Browns

TE Sal Cannella
WR Malachi Corley
WR Kaden Davis
S Christopher Edmonds
DT Ralph Holley
CB LaMareon James
DT Sam Kamara
RB Ahmani Marshall
DE Julian Okwara
OL Cole Strange
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
RB Trayveon Williams
QB Bailey Zappe

Dallas Cowboys

LB Justin Barron
WR Jalen Brooks
DL Earnest Brown
OL Saahdiq Charles
OT Geron Christian
S Alijah Clark
WR Jalen Cropper
RB Malik Davis
TE Rivaldo Fairweather
TE Princeton Fant
QB Will Grier
CB Kemon Hall
WR Traeshon Holden
LB Buddy Johnson
CB Robert Rochell

Denver Broncos

LB Levelle Bailey
WR Michael Bandy
QB Sam Ehlinger
TE Caleb Lohner
OL Joe Michalski
DL Jordan Miller
CB Quinton Newsome
WR A.T. Perry
FB Adam Prentice
CB Jaden Robinson
S Keidron Smith
CB Reese Taylor
OL Calvin Throckmorton
LB Jordan Turner
S Delarrin Turner-Yell
LB Garret Wallow

Detroit Lions

DT Myles Adams
WR Ronnie Bell
C Trystan Colon
DL Keith Cooper
DB Erick Hallett
TE Zach Horton
WR Tom Kennedy
WR Jackson Meeks
OL Mason Miller
OL Michael Niese
LB Anthony Pittman
RB Jacob Saylors
S Loren Strickland
OT Dan Skipper
Edge Isaac Ukwu

Green Bay Packers

RB Israel Abanikanda
DL Deslin Alexandre
DB Johnathan Baldwin
T Brant Banks
DL James Ester
WR Mecole Hardman
LB Jamon Johnson
K Mark McNamee (international)
DL Arron Mosby
WR Isaiah Neyor
WR Will Sheppard
DB Jaylin Simpson
LB Kristian Welch

Houston Texans

CB Damon Arnette
OT Trent Brown
TE Harrison Bryant
DB Myles Bryant
DE Solomon Byrd
FB Jakob Johnson
DT Haggai Ndubuisi

Indianapolis Colts

LB Austin Ajiake
RB Ulysses Bentley IV
RB Khalil Herbert
OT Marcellus Johnson
WR Tyler Kahmann
CB Chris Lammons
TE Maximilian Mang
TE Sean McKeon
DL Durell Nchami
WR Coleman Owen
G Josh Sills
DT Josh Tupou
C Mose Vavao
S Trey Washington

Jacksonville Jaguars

WR Chandler Brayboy
OL Jerome Carvin
LB Branson Combs
WR Eric Ezukanma
QB Seth Henigan
TE Patrick Herbert
RB Ja’Quinden Jackson
OL Ricky Lee
CB Keni-H Lovely
TE Quintin Morris
DB Jabbar Muhammad
DL Keivie Rose
DB Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig
WR Dorian Singer
OL Sal Wormley

Kansas City Chiefs

LB Cole Christiansen
S Mike Edwards
RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
OT Chukwuebuka Godrick (international)
OL C.J. Hanson
WR Jimmy Holiday
DT Coziah Izzard
CB Kevin Knowles
QB Chris Oladokun
WR Hal Presley
CB Melvin Smith
FB Carson Steele
TE Robert Tonyan
DT Marlon Tuipulotu
TE Tre Watson

Las Vegas Raiders

WR Alex Bachman
RB Chris Collier
S Terrell Edmunds
DE Jahfari Harvey
WR Shedrick Jackson
LB Matt Jones
DT Treven Ma’ae
G Atonio Mafi
QB Cam Miller
TE Albert Okwuegbunam Jr.
TE Carter Runyon
WR Justin Shorter
OL Laki Tasi
S Trey Taylor
CB Greedy Vance
OT Dalton Wagner
S JT Woods

Los Angeles Chargers

G Karsen Barnhart
DL Terah Edwards
CB Harrison Hand
WR Jaquae Jackson
S Tony Jefferson
LB Emany Johnson
C Josh Kaltenberger
LS Rick Lovato
RB Myheim Miller-Hines
CB Myles Purchase
EDGE Garmon Randolph
WR Jalen Reagor
OT David Sharpe
G Branson Taylor
QB DJ Uiagalelei
RB Kimani Vidal
Thomas Yassmin (international)

Los Angeles Rams

OL A.J. Arcuri
OL Wyatt Bowles
WR Tru Edwards
CB A.J. Green
DT Jack Heflin
S Tanner Ingle
CB Cam Lampkin
OL Dylan McMahon
OLB Jamil Muhammad
ILB Elias Neal
DT Bill Norton
WR Brennan Presley
TE Mark Redman
RB Ronnie Rivers
RB Cody Schrader
S Nate Valcarcel

Miami Dolphins

CB BJ Adams
CB Cornell Armstrong
LB Quinton Bell
OL Braeden Daniels
WR AJ Henning
DT Alex Huntley
LB Derrick McLendon
K Riley Patterson
OL Josh Priebe
TE Hayden Rucci
S John Saunders Jr.
WR Theo Wease Jr.
RB Jeff Wilson Jr.

Minnesota Vikings

G Henry Byrd
WR Dontae Fleming
S Kahlef Hailassie
DL Jonathan Harris
WR Lucky Jackson
WR Jeshaun Jones
WR Tim Jones
G Vershon Lee
CB Fabian Moreau
OLB Gabriel Murphy
TE Bryson Nesbit
OL Max Pircher (international)
DT Taki Taimani
RB Xazavian Valladay
TE Nick Vannett
CB Zemaiah Vaughn

New England Patriots

CB Miles Battle
G Mekhi Butler
OL Jack Conley
CB Brandon Crossley
TE C.J. Dippre
RB Terrell Jennings
WR John Jiles
DE Truman Jones
C Alec Lindstrom
CB Kobee Minor
DT David Olajiga
LB Cam Riley
DT Jahvaree Ritzie
TE Gee Scott Jr.
LB Bradyn Swinson
WR Jeremiah Webb

New Orleans Saints

WR Kevin Austin Jr.
CB Dalys Beanum
S Terrell Burgess
S Elliott Davison
QB Hunter Dekkers
DE Fadil Diggs
QB Jake Haener
OT Easton Kilty
CB Jayden Price
LB Nephi Sewell
K Charlie Smyth
TE Jack Stoll
TE Treyton Welch
DE Jonah Williams
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.

New York Giants

DL Elijah Chatman
OLB Trace Ford
OLB Tomon Fox
DL Elijah Garcia
C Bryan Hudson
WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
G Jake Kubas
S Raheem Layne
K Jude McAtamney (international)
RB Dante Miller
DL Jordon Riley
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
CB Dee Williams

New York Jets

S Dean Clark
DB Jordan Clark
QB Brady Cook
WR Tyler Johnson
OL Kohl Levao
K Harrison Mevis
DT Payton Page
WR Jamaal Pritchett
LB Jackson Sirmon
WR Quentin Skinner
LB Boog Smith
WR Brandon Smith
DE Eric Watts
OL Leander Wiegand

Philadelphia Eagles

LB Chance Campbell
WR Elijah Cooks
G Kenyon Green
TE E.J. Jenkins
CB Brandon Johnson
OLB Patrick Johnson
TE Cameron Latu
WR Terrace Marshall
QB Kyle McCord
CB Parry Nickerson
OT Hollin Pierce
OLB Antwaun Powell-Ryland
CB Eli Ricks
S Andre Sam

Pittsburgh Steelers

DT Kyler Baugh
CB Beanie Bishop
S Sebastian Castro
OT Dylan Cook
TE J.J. Galbreath
WR/RB Max Hurleman
CB D’Shawn Jamison
OL Steven Jones
DL De’Marvin Leal
RB Lew Nichols
CB James Pierre
CB Daryl Porter Jr.
RB Trey Sermon
OLB Julius Welschof
WR Ke’Shawn Williams
WR Robert Woods

San Francisco 49ers

CB​ Eli Apple
WR Junior Bergen
DL​ William Bradley-King
DB​ Derrick Canteen
WR​ Robbie Chosen
DL​ Trevis Gipson
LB​ Jalen Graham
OL​ Drake Nugent
LB​ Curtis Robinson
WR​ Malik Turner
DL ​Sebastian Valdez
TE​ Brayden Willis
OL​ Nick Zakelj

Seattle Seahawks

NT Quinton Bohanna
WR Tyrone Broden
DT Anthony Campbell
LB Jalan Gaines
CB Shemar Jean-Charles
OT Amari Kight
G Sataoa Laumea
C Federico Maranges
RB Damien Martinez
LB Patrick O’Connell
NT Brandon Pili
S Jerrick Reed II
LB Jamie Sheriff
NT J.R. Singleton
RB Anthony Tyus III
WR Ricky White III
RB Jacardia Wright

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

QB Connor Bazelak
DL C.J. Brewer
DL Adam Gotsis
WR Garrett Greene
OL Luke Haggard
CB Bryce Hall
WR Dennis Houston
DL Nash Hutmacher
LB Nick Jackson
DT Jayson Jones
OL Michael Jordan
OL Tyler McLellan
OL Lorenz Metz
OL Ben Scott
TE Tanner Taula

Tennessee Titans

DB Kendell Brooks
DE Ali Gaye
DT Cam Horsley
RB Jermar Jefferson
WR Mason Kinsey
RB Jordan Mims
TE Thomas Odukoya
DB Amani Oruwariye
WR James Proche II
DT Isaiah Raikes
WR Xavier Restrepo
OL Andrew Rupcich
QB Trevor Siemian
DE Carlos Watkins

Washington Commanders

DT Ricky Barber
WR Ja’Corey Brooks
TE Lawrence Cager
DT Sheldon Day
C Michael Deiter
CB Antonio Hamilton Sr.
QB Sam Hartman
DE Jalyn Holmes
WR Jacoby Jones
DE T.J. Maguranyanga
S Rob McDaniel
G Timothy McKay
WR Chris Moore
CB Car’lin Vigers

NFL waiver claims

A total of 29 players were claimed off waivers following the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline. They were as follows:

Carolina Panthers

WR Dalevon Campbell (from Chargers)
DB Damarri Mathis (from Broncos)

Chicago Bears

LB D’Marco Jackson (from Saints)
DB Jaylon Jones (from Cardinals)

Cleveland Browns

DB Jarrick Bernard-Converse (from Jets)
RB Raheim Sanders (from Chargers)

Dallas Cowboys

DB Trikwese Bridges
DB Reddy Steward

Detroit Lions

DT Tyler Lacy (from Jaguars)
DE Tyrus Wheat (from Cowboys)

Indianapolis Colts

LB Chad Muma (from Jaguars)

Las Vegas Raiders

LB Brennan Jackson (from Rams)

Miami Dolphins

DB Julius ‘JuJu’ Brents (from Colts)

New England Patriots

QB Tommy DeVito (from Giants)
DB Charles Woods (from Rams)

New Orleans Saints

WR Trey Palmer (from Buccaneers)
G Xavier Truss (from Denver)

New York Giants

DB Beau Brade (from Ravens)
DB Rico Payton (from Saints)

New York Jets

LB Cam Jones (from Chiefs)
OT Esa Pole (from Chiefs)
TE Jelani Woods (from Colts)

Philadelphia Eagles

C Willie Lampkin (from Rams)

San Francisco 49ers

DT Jordan Jefferson (from Jaguars)

Seattle Seahawks

CB Derrion Kendrick (from Rams)

Tennesse Titans

DB Jalyn Armour-Davis (from Ravens)
LB Dorian Mausi (from Vikings)
DE C.J. Ravenell (from Ravens)
DB Samuel Womack (from Colts)

NFL waiver order

NFL teams will have the opportunity to claim players off waivers ahead of the Noon ET deadline. Below is a look at the order of priority for 2025, which is the inverse order of the teams’ finishes during the 2024 NFL season.

Tennessee Titans
Cleveland Browns
New York Giants
New England Patriots
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Chicago Bears
San Francisco 49ers
Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts
Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Denver Broncos
Pittsburgh Steelers
Los Angeles Chargers
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Rams
Baltimore Ravens
Detroit Lions
Washington Commanders
Buffalo Bills
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles

Difference between waived and released in NFL

The difference between being waived and released in the NFL is all about service time. Those with four or more accrued seasons – which the NFL defines as a season during which a player is on the 53-man roster, physically unable to perform list or injured reserve for at least six games – are released while those with less are waived.

Players who are released immediately become free agents. That allows them to immediately start negotiating potential deals with teams around the league.

Meanwhile, players who are waived are subject to the NFL’s waiver process, where they can be claimed by another NFL team willing to take on the remainder of their contract.

Only after clearing waivers does a waived player become a free agent able to sign with any team.

What is a practice squad?

A practice squad is an extra group of players a team can have in reserves that do not count toward its 53-man roster limit. Those players participate in weekly practices and help rostered players prepare for their matchups each week.

Practice squad players can be promoted to the roster as extra help in case of injuries to active players or if teams feel like they’ve developed enough to earn a spot on the roster.

Who is eligible to make a practice squad?

Any player with any level of experience – from rookie to multi-year veteran – can be on an NFL practice squad, though there are some limitations on how many veterans each team can carry.

Ten of a team’s practice squad players must be either rookies or second-year players. Teams are allowed only six three-plus-year veterans on their practice squads.

How many players are on an NFL practice squad?

In total, 17 players are allowed on an NFL practice squad. Ten of them must be either rookies or second-year players. Veterans can occupy a maximum of six practice squad spots. One player of the 17 must also be an international player – specifically, a member of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.

If a team has no international player on its practice squad, it would be capped at 16 players on the reserve group.

How much money do practice squad players make?

First- and second-year players make $13,000 per week during the season. That’s $234,000 over 18 weeks.

Players with more than two years of NFL experience typically earn a minimum of $17,500 per week, which translates to $315,000 over 18 weeks.

Practice squad players also do not count against a team’s salary cap. Only the 53 players on the active roster affect a team’s cap space.

NFL practice squad candidates in 2025

The following players have been marked as potential practice squad candidates by various NFL insiders.

Jordan Clark, DB, New York Jets
Cobee Bryant, CB, Atlanta Falcons
Xavier Restrepo, WR, Tennessee Titans
Sam Hartman, QB, Washington Commanders
Tank Lichtenhan, OT, Baltimore Ravens
Elijah Chatman, DL, New York Giants
Cam Horsley, DT, Tennessee Titans
Sam Roberts, DL, Carolina Panthers
Eku Leota, Edge, Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyler Huntley, QB, Cleveland Browns
Trent Brown, OT, Houston Texans

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Consider these rankings.

At No. 10 is D.J. Lagway, a five-star recruit from a year ago, a trendy Heisman pick who likely saved Billy Napier’s job and has Florida fans legitimately excited for the first time in years.

At No. 9 is Arch Manning, the most recognizable player in college football, as close to a Chosen One as has existed in football for a long while.

At No. 8 is Blake Horvath. Navy’s quarterback.

That’s the way EA Sports College Football 26 ranked those three quarterbacks ahead of the game’s release this summer, putting Horvath in an elite tier next to the game’s best. He’s part of a top 10 that includes Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and the rest of the names you’d recognize.

This being college football in 2025, that means everyone on that level is being well-compensated. It’s probably conservative to estimate that every elite quarterback in the country is at least a millionaire, with plenty of those names earning way more than that. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah is making a reported $4 million a year. Klubnik has an NIL valuation of $3.3 million, per On3. Manning is estimated to make more than $6 million.

“It’s funny sometimes to look around and be like, ‘Wow, that guy’s getting $6 million, that guy’s getting $4 million,” Horvath said at American Conference media days in July.

Horvath’s valuation is simple, and it isn’t an estimate. It’s $0.

Athletes at service academies are considered government employees and are not allowed to make money off their name, image and likeness. The service academies are also barred from opting into the House v. NCAA settlement that allowed schools to directly pay athletes for the first time.

For Horvath, who threw for 1,353 yards and rushed for 1,246 while leading the Midshipmen to a 10-3 record in 2024, that means (at least) hundreds of thousands and probably more that he can’t have access to. His NIL valuation might be in the seven figures.

Horvath won’t make a dime this season from NIL. He does earn about $1,300 per month in gross pay, like all other midshipmen do as part of their enrollment before graduation. But don’t get it twisted: He’s exactly where he wants to be.

“There was never a thought in my mind to leave,” he said. “I don’t think there’s another quarterback or player in the country who’s a better fit for a system than I am at Navy.”

How Blake Horvath ended up at Navy

“Every time he gets the ball, he scores,” Laura Horvath, Blake’s mom, once texted her husband. “I don’t know if that’s normal.”

This wasn’t during last season’s Navy-Memphis game, but it might as well have been. That was when Horvath announced himself as a legitimate quarterback to a national audience, amassing more than 400 yards of total offense and six combined touchdowns running and throwing in a game where every nearly photo of Horvath includes a defender chasing after him, somewhere in the distance.

Unlike Manning and Lagway, Horvath was not a five-star recruit. He grew up just outside Columbus, Ohio, born into a family of diehard Buckeye fans. It’d take longer to list the members of his extended family who didn’t go to Ohio State.

A three sport athlete (basketball, baseball and football), Horvath ran the triple-option offense at Hilliard Darby High School. Former coach John Santagata estimates they’d throw the ball an average of five times a game.

“It was a clone, at the time, of Navy’s offense,” Santagata said.

Perfect, then, that Navy was the only Bowl Subdivision team that recruited Horvath as a quarterback. Santagata typically put his best athlete at quarterback in his option scheme, and he’d had plenty of former high school quarterbacks transition to other positions in college. Horvath had offers from MAC schools to play wide receiver or defensive back. But he wanted to play quarterback.

Freshman rarely see significant playing time at Navy. Horvath was on the scout team for the kickoff unit.

He played only four games his sophomore year because of a finger injury, splitting time with Tai Lavatai at quarterback. The Midshipmen struggled and went 5-7. After a loss at Memphis, Horvath pulled his hood over his head and looked at the ground as he went to say hello to his mom. She’d never seen him do that before.

A year later, the game against the Tigers marked the peak of his career.

“If you really want to get to the nitty, gritty, the underlying cause of all that,” Laura Horvath said, “It’s Coach Cronic coming in. It’s just astronomical, the turnaround.”

How Drew Cronic changed Navy’s offense

Brian Newberry took over as Navy head coach in 2023, earning a promotion from defensive coordinator after Ken Niumatalolo was fired. After his first season in charge, Newberry decided to bring in a new offensive coordinator. He turned to Drew Cronic, who had been the head coach at Championship Subdivision school Mercer.

A few months after he arrived in Annapolis, Cronic and a few of the players went out to run some routes and go through some passing plays.

“It was awful,” he said.

For years, the service academies have run the triple-option as a way to level the playing field against teams that usually have bigger and better athletes. It gives them an advantage – a unique style of play that other teams aren’t used to seeing. But it can also be one-dimensional. When it doesn’t work, it really doesn’t work.

Cronic wanted to give opposing defenses more to think about. That meant more time in the shotgun, more potential options. And, yes, the chance to throw the ball more. Horvath ultimately averaged about 10 pass attempts per game in 2024, a number that doesn’t put him close to the rest of those elite quarterbacks from the game’s rankings but still a higher number than most fans would expect from a service academy.

By the end of training camp, Cronic believed in what he’d created. The next few months more than validated it as the Midshipmen won 10 games for the first time since 2019 and finished the season with defeats of Army and Oklahoma.

Horvath was also one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country last season, but didn’t qualify for the official ratings because he threw too few passes. He also rushed for 17 touchdowns, with plenty of his big plays coming out of the shotgun.

“I thought he’d be a good runner,” Cronic said. “But he’s a really good runner. It’s very subtle. He makes very subtle cuts without slowing down. He sees things, he has good vision. And can wiggle by you before you realize just how well he runs.”

Can service academies thrive in the revenue sharing era?

Were this a normal college football team, the next part of the story would be all too-familiar for college football fans.

Consider other programs outside the Power Four conferences that had successful quarterbacks in 2024. Tulane’s Mensah? Gone to Duke. South Alabama’s Gio Lopez? Gone to North Carolina. Washington State’s John Mateer? Gone to Oklahoma. New Mexico’s Devon Dampier? Gone to Utah. Liberty’s Kaidon Salter? Gone to Colorado. North Texas’ Chandler Morris? Gone to Virginia. Appalachian State’s Joey Aguilar? Gone to Tennessee, with a quick pit stop at UCLA.

Horvath was never going anywhere. That’s for a couple reasons.

For one, students at the Naval Academy sign what’s referred to as a “2 for 7” before they begin their junior years. It essentially means they’re committing to serve in the Navy for five years after graduation in exchange for the next two years of their education. Getting out of that contract would require significant legal maneuvering, and anyone doing it would have to pay back the money the government as already spent on their education.

In current college football terms: A six-figure buyout.

Horvath said he never had serious discussions about that.

“I don’t really entertain those,” he said. “I shut those down before they really even start.”

Horvath’s breakout came during his junior season. But what if it had happened a year earlier, before he’d signed his 2 for 7?

Consider Army running back Kanye Udoh. He rushed for 1,117 yards as a sophomore for the Black Knights in 2024, then entered the transfer portal and enrolled at Arizona State.

It’s something Army’s team has not had to even consider until the past few years. And it puts a service academy in a difficult spot, because they can’t recruit a replacement from the portal.

“If you’ve got a young man who grew up without luxuries in his life, didn’t come from a family where they had a lot of money and all of a sudden he’s got a chance to make hundreds of thousands of dollars immediately and change the lives of his family immediately, how do you argue with that?” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “What do you say? You want the guy to stay. You care about him, you love him. You want him to be compelled to stay with his teammates. But you also want to stand up, shake his hand and say, ‘Congratulations.’ Because it’s more money than maybe anybody in his family’s ever made in their lifetimes.”

Monken and Newberry usually have a similar recruiting pitch to offset questions about NIL money: The money is coming on the back end. It’s true, obviously — graduates of service academies tend to do pretty well for themselves in their careers. 

They have differing views, though, on how the current state of college football is affecting their recruitment.

“What’s going on right now in college football is helping us,” Newberry said. “That’s been reflected in the way we’ve been able to recruit for the last two years. Because high school players aren’t getting the same amount of opportunities as they used to. There’s not that many scholarships going out for high school players. And so we’re able to recruit kids right now that we weren’t able to recruit before all this.”

Monken pushed back on that.

“Their recruiting pool and our recruiting pool is the same recruiting pool,” he said. “It’s always been the same recruiting pool. There are just certain young men who are not going to entertain an academy offer because they don’t want to go into the military. And so that cuts our recruiting pool down, way down.”

The academies are unique for a few other reasons, too. Because they did not opt in to the House settlement, they aren’t bound by any roster limits and can have an unlimited number of players. That’s extremely important because they don’t use the transfer portal to replace players who leave.

And they have pretty straightforward roster turnover. Most football players at the academies aren’t going to the NFL anyways, so they’re more than happy to move on with their lives after playing their four years.

Could Blake Horvath get another year of eligibility?

But what if it wasn’t just four years?

Service academies doesn’t redshirt players. That makes sense on the surface when you consider the entire point of the academies is to prepare students for careers in the military. But it puts those three teams at an obvious disadvantage on the field.

Army and Air Force have used something called “turnbacks” to sometimes get extra years for players. That’s a term that refers to a student who essentially applies to take an extra semester or two to graduate. Newberry wants to open the door for some players to take an extra year if they’ve had a serious injury.

His rationale is essentially this: At Navy, almost nobody ever plays as a freshman. If someone has a season-ending injury, that’s another year gone. That would leave someone with only two seasons of play.

Horvath is eligible for an extra year because of the season-ending finger injury in 2023.

Newberry said he’s cleared it with the Secretary of the Navy, but ultimately it’ll come down to a case-by-case basis.

“Maybe it’ll happen,” Horvath said. “But that’s after the season stuff. We’ll deal with that when it comes.”

For now, then, it’s back to the drawing board. Back to work with Cronic trying to figure out the next iteration of the Navy offense, one that gets them beyond 10 wins and to an American Conference title game.

The kid leading that team will do it without earning a dime, a perfect juxtaposition with the team that he grew up watching.

“I do know that everybody gets NIL money,” Laura Horvath said. “We hear about that all the time. We live in Columbus, Ohio. Nobody gets more NIL than them. It paid for a national championship.”

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jdylan@gannett.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve has had enough thoughts and prayers.

Following a mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic Church that left two children dead and at least 17 people injured less than seven miles from the Lynx’s Target Center on Wednesday, Aug. 27, Reeve condemned the ‘lack of regard for life’ in our country.

‘When we would go to school, we trained for tornados. Kids today train for active shooters,’ Reeve said. “It’s such an indictment of our society, our lack of regard for life. There are things that we can do about it, and we don’t, but for some reason as Americans we value something different. It’s sickening, it’s sad for the kids.’

Reeve continued: ‘It’s sad for the kids that have to grow up like this. …The sad thing is we can’t sit here and tell them that help is on the way, because we’re not going to do a damn thing about it.’

LIVE UPDATES: Minneapolis shooter fired into church pews, killing 2 children

The shooting occurred at Annunciation Church, which also houses a school, just before 8:30 a.m., authorities said. The shooter approached the outside of the church building and fired inside toward the children sitting in pews, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said. Two children aged 8 and 10 were killed, while fourteen of the 17 injured were children. The assailant died of a self-inflicted wound at the rear of the church, O’Hara said.

Reeve said many parents, including members of the Lynx staff, drop their kids off a school each day expecting them to be safe.

‘It’s sad for the kids to walk through the door and not know what’s going to happen,’ she added. ‘So hearts go out to the lives lost, kids that are hurt, teachers that have to go through this, families that drop their kids off at schools and don’t have their kid come home. Hearts go out to them.’

The Lynx joined Minnesota’s pro sports teams in issuing a statement on Wednesday.

‘As members of this community, we stand together in mourning,’ the Lyns said in a joint statement with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves. ‘No child should feel unsafe in a place of learning and worship, and no family should endure such unimaginable loss.’

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Premier League titans Manchester United suffered a shocking upset Wednesday, falling to fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalty kicks in the second round of the 2025-26 EFL Carabao Cup.

First-half goals from Charles Vernam and Tyrell Warren gave the Mariners a lead at Blundell Park, only for United seeming to salvage their hopes with late goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire.

Early-round Carabao Cup play goes directly to tiebreaking penalty kicks in the event of a draw, and Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana’s save on Clarke Oduor in the third round put the Red Devils on the brink of advancement.

However, with Matheus Cunha standing over a potential game-winning spot kick, Grimsby’s Christy Pym did the same, extending the shootout on … and on … and on.

All 11 players from both teams took at least one penalty, and after 11 rounds the score was 10-10. It’s a rare occasion in the sport, but by rule that means the same shooters must go again. Finally, the 13th round saw Grimsby’s Darragh Burns convert for a second time before Mbeumo’s effort smacked the crossbar, leading to thousands of jubilant home fans celebrating arguably the biggest win over 75 years for the Mariners.

Grimsby Town plays in League Two, the fourth — and lowest among the country’s fully professional leagues — tier of the English soccer pyramid. At kickoff, if you stacked the standings from the Premier League, EFL Championship, League One, and League Two in order, there were 55 teams between Manchester United (16th in the Premier League) and Grimsby (fourth in League Two). Grimsby’s last season in the top flight came in 1947-48, and as recently as 2021-22 they were in the semi-professional fifth tier.

It’s the first time a team from the fourth division of English soccer has knocked the Red Devils out of the tournament, and it ends arguably the easiest path for Manchester United to claim a trophy this season. Manager Ruben Amorim’s side is also in the Premier League and will participate in this season’s FA Cup (a different competition encompassing all levels of English soccer).

However, the club’s ability to actually challenge for Premier League honors feels like a distant memory these days, with the Red Devils finishing a woeful 15th last season. That disappointing campaign meant that the club missed out on all three of European soccer’s continental competitions for the first time since the 2014-15 season. With the FA Cup a larger tournament with more rounds to win, the Carabao Cup is widely seen as the easier trophy to lift.

All of which makes losing to a fourth-division team whose roster is valued at €3.6 million by Transfermarkt (a mere €883.6 million off of Man United’s) all the more painful for the Red Devils.

Skip Bayless has been off the air since Aug. 2, 2024, when he left FS1’s ‘Undisputed’ after a hectic summer that saw co-host Shannon Sharpe leave the show as well.

It seems that the airwaves are not done with Bayless, though. After more than a year of silence, the 73-year-old broadcaster is making his return on a new football show, produced by Underdog, the same group that produces former NBA star Gilbert Arenas’ popular program, ‘Gil’s Arena.’

Bayless broke the news via an interview with The Athletic, where he talked up his excitement for the show. ‘I’m not exaggerating to you,’ Bayless said. ‘I’m telling you, the God’s truth, I’m more on fire for this than I have ever been.’

What will Skip Bayless’ new show be called?

Bayless’ new show will be titled, ‘The Arena: Gridiron.’ He will host the show alongside former NFL coach Jay Gruden, former All-Pro cornerback and Super Bowl champion Aqib Talib, and Arenas himself. Reports say former quarterback Cody Kessler and six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy will be recurring guests on the show.

Why will Gilbert Arenas talk NFL?

The three-time NBA All-Star has made a name for himself in retirement as an NBA analyst. So, obviously, fans wondered why he’s part of a new football-based show.

According to Bayless, Arenas is looking to broaden his horizons as an analyst. Bayless says that ‘(Arenas and I) met, got to know each other, and he wants, so to speak, to take his talents into the NFL space, which he should because he’s got rare charisma and showmanship and a rare sports brain. He’s deeply smart about sports.’

Bayless even went as far as to compare Arenas’ talent for sports media content to the likes of Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, both of whom Bayless worked alongside.

Bayless said, ‘I’ve spent the last year looking for a new partner who would excite me or inspire me or be able to challenge me, and I found that partner in Gilbert Arenas.’

Skip Bayless FS1 lawsuit; Gilbert Arenas scandal

Before leaving FS1, Bayless was named in a lawsuit by a stylist who made allegations against Bayless, other on-air personalities, and some studio executives. The stylist has since asked a Los Angeles court to dismiss the case.

Arenas found himself in hot water as well, recently. On July 30, Arenas was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.

When asked if he had any concerns about the recent charges against Arenas, Bayless said he had none. ‘He believes he did nothing at all wrong,’ Bayless said. ‘And I believe in him.’

Future of Gilbert Arenas’ YouTube channel

Arenas’ YouTube channel will undergo a small rebrand as it expands into NFL media. The channel name will shift from ‘Gil’s Arena’ to ‘The Arena: Presented by Underdog.’