Alexandra Eala, 20, upset No. 14 seed Clara Tauson in a thrilling three-set match.
Eala is a 2023 graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy and is a former junior Grand Slam champion.
She entered the 2025 U.S. Open ranked No. 75 in the world.

There’s a new underdog story to monitor in the 2025 U.S. Open women’s singles bracket. 

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines made history Sunday on the Grandstand court in Flushing Meadows, upsetting No. 14 seed Clara Tauson in the opening round of this year’s tournament to become the first Filipino player to win a singles match in the main draw at a Grand Slam event. Eala defeated Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (13-11), overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the final set before winning the match in a dramatic tiebreaker that featured five match points and plenty of crowd support for Eala.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which hosts the U.S. Open each year, is near an area of Queens known as Little Manila with a large Filipino community.

‘To be Filipino is something I take so much pride in,’ Eala said after the match. ‘And you know, I don’t have a home tournament, so to be able to have this community here at the U.S. Open, I’m so grateful that they made me feel like I’m home.’

Here’s what else to know about Alexandra Eala as she continues her quest to make more history at the final Grand Slam tournament of the year:

Alexandra Eala age

Alexandra Eala turned 20 years old in May 2025.

Alexandra Eala, Rafael Nadal tennis connection

Alexandra Eala is considered a rising star in the women’s tennis ranks, with four wins over top-20 players this year after her upset of Tauson. She also defeated three Grand Slam champions in a row ‒ Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and Iga Swiatek ‒ during a run to the semifinals at the Miami Open in March.

Eala is a 2023 graduate of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. She arrived in 2018 to train with her brother, according to the facility’s website. She began training with the program, which was founded by its namesake and 22-time Grand Slam winner, as a 12-year-old. Nadal congratulated Eala on social media following her wins in Miami earlier this year.

Eala was already the first Filipino player to win a junior Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open girls’ championship in 2022, and she became the first Filipino to be ranked inside the top 100 in the world earlier this year. She made her professional debut in 2020.

Alexandra Eala ranking

Alexandra Eala entered the 2025 U.S. Open ranked No. 75 in the WTA tennis rankings. Her career high ranking is No. 56, which she achieved in June 2025.

Alexandra Eala next match at U.S. Open

Alexandra Eala is scheduled to face the winner of Monday’s first-round match between American Claire Liu and Cristina Bucsa in the U.S. Open second round on Wednesday, August 27.

Perhaps your fantasy football league hasn’t yet had its draft … or you’re looking to get into one more league.

When you do, you’ll definitely want a cool name for your team, one that’s nice and fresh for the 2025 season.

That’s where we come in. USA TODAY Sports has compiled a list of more than 160 different options so you can focus on roster building. After all, just think about how great these names will look on a trophy once the season ends.

Inspired by each of the 32 NFL franchises and their top players, here are our picks for the fantasy team names you’ll most enjoy having.

Fantasy football team names for 2025

Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Instincts (Kyler Murray)
Here Comes McBride (Trey McBride)
McBridesmaids (Trey McBride)
Let’s Marvin Get It On (Marvin Harrison Jr.)
Conner Artist (James Conner)

Atlanta Falcons

Penix Attack (Michael Penix Jr.)
Bed Bath & Bijan (Bijan Robinson)
To the Mooney and Back (Darnell Mooney)
Drake it ’til you make it (Drake London)
Kyle Me Maybe (Kyle Pitts)
Up Pitts Creek
The Pitt-stop

Baltimore Ravens

Zay it with Flowers (Zay Flowers)
Henry’s Court (Derrick Henry)
Lamarvelous (Lamar Jackson)
I am Bateman (Rashod Bateman)
Bateman and Ravens
Justice Department (Justice Hill)
The Nuk-lear Option (DeAndre Hopkins)
Nuks of Hazard (Hopkins)

Buffalo Bills

Cooks in the Kitchen (James Cook)
The Cook-ie Monster
Khalil Eyes (Khalil Shakir)
It’s all Khalil to Me (Shakir)
Keon Dreamin’ (Keon Coleman)
Knox Three Times (Dawson Knox)
Knox Knox Jokes
Allen the family (Josh Allen)
Oh my Josh (Allen)

Carolina Panthers

The Young and the Restless (Bryce Young)
The Bryce is Right (Young)
You get what you Legette (Xavier Legette)
Tet for Tat (Tetairoa McMillan)
Chu-bacca (Chubba Hubbard)
Hubba Bubba (Hubbard)
Hooked on a Thielen (Adam Thielen)

Chicago Bears

Rome-an Empire (Rome Odunze)
Re-Caleb-rated (Caleb Williams)
D’Andre Swift (Bears’ version)
The Burden of Proof/Dreams/Truth (Luther Burden III)
Moore Touchdowns Please (DJ Moore)
Moore than a Feeling (Moore)
DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love (Moore)
Cole-lossal Impact (Cole Kmet)
Colston Love Island (Colton Loveland)
Fantasy Loveland

Cincinnati Bengals

Joe with Flow (Joe Burrow)
Average Joes (Burrow)
Say It Ain’t Joe (Burrow)
Ja’Marr, Chase Brown (Ja’Marr Chase, Chase Brown)
Ja’Marr the merrier (Chase)
High Tee Society, Tee Time, Tee Off (Tee Higgins)
All in the Chase (Brown)

Cleveland Browns

Flacco of Birds (Joe Flacco)
Cup of Joe (Flacco)
Built Ford Tough (Jerome Ford)
Call of Jeudy (Jerry Jeudy)
Hey Jeudy
The Judkins Will See You Now (Quinshon Judkins)
The Njoku’s on You (David Njoku)

Dallas Cowboys

Baby Dak Ribs (Dak Prescott)
Dak to the Future (Prescott)
Now You CeeDee, Now You Don’t (CeeDee Lamb)
Fergalicious (Jake Ferguson)
Jake From Dallas (Ferguson)
Put Some Miles on It (Miles Sanders)
Slim Pickens (George Pickens)
Can you Pickens?

Denver Broncos

HOT TO BO! (Bo Nix)
Nix-elodeon (Nix)
Sutton for Punishment (Courtland Sutton)
Courtland’s in Session (Sutton)
Mims The Word (Marvin Mims Jr.)
The Engram Angle (Evan Engram)
Evan Almighty (Engram)
Odds and Evan (Engram)
Orange Pony Club

Detroit Lions

In Goff We Trust (Jared Goff)
GoffFather
Special Agent Gibbs (Jahmyr Gibbs)
Here Comes the Sun God (Amon-Ra St. Brown)
Jameson’s Whiskey Business (Jameson Williams)
LaPortaPotty (Sam LaPorta)

Green Bay Packers

Love Island (Jordan Love)
Cheesehead Over Heels
Defending Jacobs (Josh Jacobs)
Reed Between the Lines (Jayden Reed)
Golden Hour (Matthew Golden)
Matthew Golden Girls

Houston Texans

Stroud and Proud (C.J. Stroud)
Stroudy with a Chance of Touchdowns
The Mixon Administration (Joe Mixon)
Mixon Match
Finding Nico (Nico Collins)
Nico’d and Dimed (Collins)

Indianapolis Colts

The Pittman’s Bodyguard (Michael Pittman Jr.)
The Warren Treaty (Tyler Warren)
Civil Warren (Tyler Warren)
Tool Man Taylor (Jonathan Taylor)
Papa Jonathan’s (Jonathan Taylor)
Downs and Out (Josh Downs)

Jacksonville Jaguars

Big Game Hunter (Travis Hunter)
Lawrence & Order (Trevor Lawrence)
Stranger Things (Brenton Strange)
Strange New World (Brenton Strange)
Brian Rot (Brian Thomas Jr.)
Saving Private Brian (Brian Thomas Jr.)

Kansas City Chiefs

Mahomes Alone
Mahomes Improvement
Sweet Mahomes Alabama (Patrick Mahomes)
Blank Pacheco (Isaiah Pacheco)
Hollywood Game Night
Hollywood Squares (Hollywood Brown)
Travis Kelce (Taylor’s Version) (Travis Kelce)
TE Love Story (Travis Kelce)

Las Vegas Raiders

The Day of the Jakobi or Jack-al (Jakobi Meyers, Jack Bech)
Ashton Answered (Ashton Jeanty)
The Jeanty Giant
Bechwarmers (Jack Bech)
BrockBuster (Brock Bowers)
Brock N’ Roll (Bowers)
Bowers Power

Los Angeles Chargers

Herb Your Enthusiasm (Justin Herbert)
Hampton Inn (Omarion Hampton)
McConkey Tonks (Ladd McConkey)
Herbert’s Heroes (Justin Herbert)
Highway to Hampton (Omarion Hampton)

Los Angeles Rams

Nacuadata Refinement (Puka Nacua)
Nacua Matata (Puka Nacua)
Inglorious Staffords (Matthew Stafford)
Kyren on My Wayward Son (Kyren Williams)
The Adams Family (Davante Adams)

Miami Dolphins

Tyreek or Treat (Tyreek Hill)
Shake, Waddle and Roll (Jaylen Waddle)
Achane Reaction (De’Von Achane)
De’Vont Stop Believin’ (Achane)
Tua Legit to Quit (Tua Tagovailoa)

Minnesota Vikings

Keepin’ up with the Joneses (Aaron Jones)
Game of Jones
Turn on the Jettas (Justin Jefferson)
Griddy Little Liars (Jefferson)
Hock N’ Roll (T.J. Hockenson)

New England Patriots

Beats by Rhamondre (Rhamondre Stevenson)
The Hunter Games (Hunter Henry)
Can You Diggs it (Stefon Diggs)
Call Me Maye-be (Drake Maye)
Maye the Force Be With You

New Orleans Saints

Shough Dynasty (Tyler Shough)
Shough it off
Shough yeah!
Shaheed Racer (Rashid Shaheed)
Lights, Kamara, Action! (Alvin Kamara)
Olave Garden (Chris Olave)

New York Giants

Your Friends and Nabers (Malik Nabers)
Like a Good Nabers
All in the Nabershood
Dart Spreading the News (Jaxson Dart)
Connect the Darts
Russellmania (Russell Wilson)

New York Jets

Fields of Dreams (Justin Fields)
Hall N’ Oates (Breece Hall)
Breece’s Pieces (Hall)
Garretteed to Win (Garrett Wilson)
Wilson of Fortune
TaylorMade Touchdowns (Mason Taylor)

Philadelphia Eagles

Hurts So Good (Jalen Hurts)
A Bar-kley Song (Tipsy) (Saquon Barkley)
Barkley and the Beast
Eastbound & Brown (A.J. Brown)
Brownie Points
DeVonta’s Inferno (DeVonta Smith)
In Goedert We Trust (Dallas Goedert)

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood (Aaron Rodgers)
The Rodgefather (Rodgers)
Metcalfornia Dreamin’ (DK Metcalf)
DK, Have It Your Way (Metcalf)
Metcalf Gala
American Ninja Warren (Jaylen Warren)
Air Freier (Pat Freiermuth)

San Francisco 49ers

Brock & A Hard Place (Brock Purdy)
Brockstars (Purdy)
Christian McCaffre (Christian McCaffrey)
Run CMC (McCaffrey)
Here’s to You, Mr. Robinson (Brian Robinson Jr.)
Aiyuk to the Future (Brandon Aiyuk)
Jauan Solo (Jauan Jennings)
The Kittle Engine That Could (George Kittle)
Kittle Big Town

Seattle Seahawks

Hey Darnold! (Sam Darnold)
McDarnolds
The Walkering Dead (Kenneth Walker III)
American Njigba Warriors (Jaxon Smith-Njigba)
Jaxon 5 (Smith-Njigba)
Coop, There It Is (Cooper Kupp)
Cooper Scooper (Kupp)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker by the Dozen (Baker Mayfield)
Rubber Buckys (Bucky Irving)
Build Me Up Buckycup (Irving)
Starbuckys (Irving)
The Garden of Evans (Mike Evans)
Evans Almighty
Magic Mike Evans
All I do is Godwin (Chris Godwin)

Tennessee Titans

The Warden (Cam Ward)
I Think I Cam (Ward)
The Pollard Express (Tony Pollard)
The Tony Awards (Pollard)
Ridley’s Believe it or Not (Calvin Ridley)
Calvin and the Chipmunks (Ridley)

Washington Commanders

The MysTerry Machine (Terry McLaurin)
McLaurin Racing
The Ekeler Files (Austin Ekeler)
The Zach-street Boys (Zach Ertz)

Most of the NHL’s top unrestricted free agents found homes early in July.

But there is still plenty of action to track during the NHL offseason. There are trades to be made and restricted free agents to re-sign. Salary arbitration hearings were scheduled from July 20 to Aug. 4, although players and teams settled beforehand in all 11 cases.

Also, players whose contracts run out after the 2025-26 season are eligible to sign contract extensions at any time.

Here is a look at the latest signings, trades and other news that have happened since the initial surge of movement in late June and early July:

Aug. 25: Tyson Barrie retires after 14 seasons

Barrie, 34, announced his retirement after recording 508 points in 822 regular season games with five NHL teams. The offensive-minded defenseman and power play specialist was drafted in the third round by the Avalanche in 2009 and played eight seasons there, topping 50 points three times, before going to the Maple Leafs in the 2019 Nazem Kadri trade. He signed as a free agent with the Oilers in 2020 and went to the conference final in 2022. In an oddity, he played 85 games (tied for most in league history during an 82-game season) in 2022-23 after Edmonton traded him to the Predators in February of that season. He finished his career last season with the Flames.

Aug. 22: Marco Rossi signs three-year deal with Wild

Rossi, 23, will average $5 million in his three-year contract after recording career bests of 24 goals, 36 assists and 60 points. The start of his NHL career was delayed by complications from COVID, but he has recorded back-to-back 20-goal seasons. He led the Wild with seven power-play goals last season and finished second in points to help Minnesota reach the playoffs despite losing Kirill Kaprizov for half a season to injury.

Also: The Panthers added center depth by signing Luke Kunin to a one-year deal. He split time last season between the Sharks and Blue Jackets and was leading San Jose with 163 hits at the time of his trade.

Aug. 21: Frank Nazar signs extension with Blackhawks

The Blackhawks saw enough after 56 games to make Nazar, 21, the highest-paid player on the team – for the moment. The nearly $6.6 million cap hit in his seven-year extension, which kicks in during the 2026-27 season, moves him past Tyler Bertuzzi ($5.5 million).

Nazar, a 2022 first-round pick, had 26 points in 53 games in 2024-25 after being recalled from the American Hockey League in December. The extension continued his run of good news. He helped the United States win gold at the world championships and he has been invited to USA Hockey’s Olympic orientation session.

Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of 2023, is also eligible for an extension and almost certainly will top Nazar’s number.

Aug. 20: Victor Olofsson signs with Avalanche

Olofsson signed a one-year deal with Colorado worth $1.575 million, according to puckpedia.com. He played last season with the Vegas Golden Knights and had three 20-goal seasons with the Buffalo Sabres. The winger will provide secondary scoring after the Avalanche traded Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood this summer.

Also: Utah Mammoth goaltender Connor Ingram was cleared by the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program to return to the NHL. He went into the program in March.

Aug. 19: Milan Lucic signs tryout agreement with Blues

Lucic, 37, will try an NHL comeback, coming to St. Louis’ training camp on a professional tryout agreement. He last played in October 2023 and entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He has been cleared by the program, the Blues said. During his prime, Lucic was a key power forward and won a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011. His numbers had dropped off in recent seasons.

Aug. 18: Hudson Fasching signs with Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets added forward depth by signing Hudson Fasching to a one-year deal. It’s a two-way contract, meaning he’d make less if sent to the American Hockey League. Fasching, 30, played for the New York Islanders the past three seasons and has 40 points in 175 career NHL games with three teams.

Also: The Colorado Avalanche signed University of New Hampshire defenseman Alex Gagne to a two-year, entry-level contract. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder was team captain last season, had a career-best 17 points and led the Wildcats with 62 blocked shots.

Aug. 15: Travis Hamonic signs with Red Wings

Hamonic is getting a one year deal at $1 million. The veteran depth addition likely will play in the bottom defense pairing. He ranked second on the Ottawa Senators last season in blocked shots per 60 minutes and also killed penalties. Detroit will be his fifth NHL team. Hamonic, who turns 35 on Aug. 16, has 53 goals and 242 points in 900 career games.

Aug. 10: Jack Johnson signs tryout agreement with Wild

The 38-year-old defenseman will go to camp as a tryout in a bid for a 20th NHL season. He played 41 games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Wild might be without defenseman Jonas Brodin at the beginning of the season, according to the Athletic.

Also: The Kraken agreed to terms with defenseman Ryker Evans for two years at a $2.05 million average. He ranked fourth among Seattle blueliners with 25 points and was first with 123 hits.

Aug. 9: Nathan Bastian signs with Stars

He’ll get a one-year, $775,000 contract and add depth to the forward group. Bastian had played all but 12 games of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and ranked third among New Jersey regulars last season with 12.83 hits per 60 minutes. He has career totals of 33 goals, 68 points and 190 penalty minutes in 276 regular season games between the Devils and Seattle Kraken.

Aug. 8: Two-time Stanley Cup winner Kyle Clifford retires

Cllifford, who won Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings, is retiring after 13 NHL seasons. The NHL Players’ Association said he would move into a player development role with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Clifford had two stints with the Leafs and finished his playing career in the organization with the American Hockey League’s Marlies. He also played for the St. Louis Blues and finished with 66 goals, 144 points and 905 penalty minutes in 753 NHL games.

Aug. 8: Avalanche re-sign Joel Kiviranta

Kiviranta is sticking around for a third season in Colorado by signing a one-year deal. Terms weren’t released. The bottom-six forward had 16 goals last season.

Aug. 2: Nick Robertson settles before arbitration hearing

All 11 players who filed for salary arbitration settled their cases before their hearings, with the Maple Leafs and Robertson the last to do so. Here are the new contracts the players agreed to, listed alphabetically.

Morgan Barron (Winnipeg Jets): Two years, $3.7 million.Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks): Five years, $32.5 million.Drew Helleson (Anaheim Ducks): Two years, $2.2 million.Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken). Three years, $13.575 million.Nick Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs). One year, $1.825 million.Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets): Three years, $15.75 million.Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks): Two years, $5.5 million.Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens): Two years, $2.825 million.Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres): Two years, $4.4 million.Maxim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders): Two years, $4.5 million.Gabriel Vilardi (Winnipeg Jets): Six years, $45 million.

July 31: Sabres’ Devon Levi re-signs for two years

He’ll average $812,500 in the deal and is the final restricted free agent who needed to re-sign. He has had back-to-back solid seasons in the American Hockey League. With the Buffalo Sabres signing Alex Lyon this summer, Levi is expected to spend more time in the AHL for now.

July 28: Nicklas Backstrom signs deal in Sweden

The former Capitals star, 37, is returning to hockey by signing a deal to play for Brynas for the first time since 2006-07. He had played 1,105 NHL games in between, recording 1,033 points. But he had missed all of last season and most of 2023-24 while recovering from 2022 hip surgery.

July 17: Maple Leafs acquire Dakota Joshua from Canucks

Vancouver receives a 2028 fourth-round pick. Joshua will likely slot in the Maple Leafs’ bottom six forwards. He had a career-best 18 goals and 32 points in 2023-24 but missed the beginning of last season after having surgery for testicular cancer. He finished with 14 points in 57 games. He originally was drafted by the Maple Leafs but never played for them.

July 17: Blue Jackets’ Yegor Chinakhov requests trade

Yegor Chinakhov, a former first-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has asked for a trade.

The agent for Chinakhov posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the trade request.

“I had some misunderstandings with the coach during the season,” read the post quoting Chinakhov. “Now I would be glad to have a trade. I would like to move to a different location. Will I return to Russia? As long as I can play in the NHL, I will keep developing here.”

Chinakhov, who was selected with the No. 21 overall selection in 2020, missed nearly half of last season with a back injury, an issue that also sidelined him for the final 17 games in the previous season. – Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch

July 15: Sabres re-sign Bowen Byram for two years

The defenseman will average $6.25 million in the deal. He was considered a candidate for an offer sheet but the Sabres reportedly filed for arbitration to prevent that. He ranked third among Sabres defensemen in average ice time and third with 38 points. The cap hit makes him the third highest paid defenseman on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power.

The 2025 NFL preseason is officially over.

Teams now have until Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. ET to cut down their rosters to 53 players. Many already made moves a day after their preseason finale. Cleveland was one of those teams and waived quarterback Tyler Huntley in another move in a crowded quarterback room. Minnesota made quarterback moves as well by trading Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles and signing former Eagles starter Caron Wentz.

More changes are coming Monday and into Tuesday. Though those early moves involved some veterans, rookies will be affected by roster moves in the coming days.

Some rookies stood out with more playing time or better opportunity in the final week of the preseason. Others didn’t play as well as in prior weeks.

Here are five rookies whose stock is up after the preseason finale – and five whose stock is down.

Stock up

Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Tez Johnson

Johnson is an outlier when it comes to size at the NFL level. At 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, he’s one of the lightest wide receivers in NFL history. His lackluster performance at the scouting combine saw him drop to the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

He had one more opportunity to show out in the preseason and did against the Buffalo Bills. He had a near-even split of snaps at the slot and wide positions. He caught all eight of his targets for 58 yards and a touchdown. Forty-seven of those yards came after the catch.

He had one of the best celebrations of the weekend as well.

Washington Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt

The Commanders took Croskey-Merritt in the seventh round, No. 247 overall and he’s made the most of his opportunity. He had 11 carries for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in his final preseason appearance.

This stock up has less to do with recent on-field production and more to do with what’s happened around him on the roster. Washington traded away Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers and that clears the way for Croskey-Merritt to get a bigger share of the carries out of the backfield.

Chicago Bears WR Jahdae Walker

Walker went undrafted out of Texas A&M and he’s fighting for a chance to make it as an outside receiver in a Bears offense flush with talent at the position. He certainly made a good push for the final roster in the preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Walker caught three of his four targets and the final one, a six yard touchdown catch from quarterback Tyson Bagent, came in the closing seconds of the game to get the Bears the win.

Walker’s played well enough this preseason to earn a spot on an NFL roster. He’s caught 8 of 11 targets this preseason for 98 yards and two touchdowns. If the Bears decide to waive him, there’s little doubt another team will come calling for his services after this latest performance against a well-coached defense.

Pittsburgh Steelers DT Yahya Black

The Steelers had an injury scare with their top rookie, defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, in their preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. Harmon left the game with a knee injury and will miss the next month or so. The team’s other draft pick on the defensive line put on a show throughout the rest of the game.

Black, the Steelers’ fifth-round pick, notched two sacks on just 18 snaps. Even when he wasn’t directly making a play on the ball-carrier, Black took up double-teams to spring other defenders free to make a play. Per Pro Football Focus (PFF), Black made four defensive ‘stops’ (defined as ‘tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense’) on his 18 snaps against the Panthers.

Arizona Cardinals OLB Jordan Burch

Arizona invested much of their resources this offseason into the defense, Burch included. He was the team’s third of six draft picks on that side of the ball. Burch played just 15 total snaps in the Cardinals’ finale against the Las Vegas Raiders but had a huge swing play in the first quarter.

Burch got a strip sack on Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell to give the Cardinals’ offense the ball in the red zone. Arizona scored a game-tying touchdown four plays later.

That performance means Burch should get more opportunities off the edge as the season goes on.

Stock down

Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders

Sanders started the preseason with a great showing against the Carolina Panthers. He ended it with a much worse performance.

Sanders took more sacks (five) than completions (three) against the Los Angeles Rams. Huntley came in for the final drive of the game for the Browns to lead them on a scoring drive to get the win and seal an undefeated preseason.

It’d be a surprise for Sanders to get cut this week but this game showed how he needs to improve to make it as a starter in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers RB Jordan James

San Francisco selected James in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. A power back out of Oregon, he impressed early on in camp even with Christian McCaffrey a full-go in practice for the first time since 2023.

Unfortunately, James suffered a broken finger which will require surgery. He’s expected to miss the start of the regular season.

His outlook took another hit with the 49ers trading for Robinson. That veteran addition means another player James will have to share carries with behind McCaffrey once he returns from injury.

Green Bay Packers OL Anthony Belton

Green Bay made Belton their second selection in the 2025 NFL Draft and the North Carolina State product has had a mixed preseason so far. He started off well in the opener against the New York Jets with zero pressures allowed with 42 snaps at left tackle, per PFF.

Things got worse in his first start a week later against the Indianapolis Colts. He was called for five penalties in the first half alone and gave up five pressures on 33 pass block snaps at right tackle, per PFF. His final action of the preseason came at left tackle again versus the Seattle Seahawks and he gave up two pressures on 17 pass block snaps.

As a prospect, Belton was viewed as a much better run blocker than pass blocker and that’s bearing out so far. He’ll need time to develop and the tools are there despite the rough start.

San Francisco 49ers DT Alfred Collins

Collins is one of multiple high-end draft picks San Francisco used on defense this year. The Texas product is expected to play a prominent role as a rookie.

He played 25 snaps against Denver in the preseason opener. In his first start, he played 19 snaps against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road.

San Francisco rounded out the preseason at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. Collins got the start again and played 27 snaps in the win. He missed two tackles on the day, per PFF, and managed just one pressure on 17 pass rush snaps. Not the best finish for a player with high expectations on a revamped defense.

Arizona Cardinals LB Cody Simon

Simon played well in the Cardinals’ preseason opener against Kansas City, specifically in coverage. A week later, he struggled more in his first start against Denver. Things continued in a downward trend for his final showing against the Raiders.

Simon had more snaps in run defense (21) against Las Vegas than in his first two games combined. He missed a tackle and allowed two catches on his two targets in pass defense according to PFF metrics.

Simon won’t need to fill in as a starter save for injury but didn’t play as well as hoped to close the preseason. The fourth-round pick will likely need more time to develop before becoming a regular starter.

Approximately 25-30 coaching changes are anticipated this winter, following a trend of high turnover in recent years.
Several SEC coaches, including Hugh Freeze (Auburn), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), and Brent Venables (Oklahoma), are facing high-pressure seasons in 2025.
Other coaches on the hot seat include Brent Pry (Virginia Tech), Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Brent Brennan (Arizona), Trent Dilfer (UAB), Sonny Cumbie (Louisiana Tech)

Marcus Freeman’s seat at Notre Dame is an ice-cold tundra. The temperature of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s seat sits at absolute zero. Likewise with Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Colorado’s Deion Sanders, among a few others.

On the other end of the thermometer are the Bowl Subdivision coaches in college football facing sweltering scrutiny and increasingly high stakes heading into make-or-break 2025 seasons.

Recent history suggests somewhere between 25 and 30 programs will making a coaching change this winter, many triggered by the initial burst of moves in the days following the end of the regular season. Sixty-one programs have changed coaches in the past two cycles, representing roughly 45% of the FBS

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Let’s go down the list of college football’s hottest seats, starting with a threesome of SEC head coaches nearing win-or-go-home territory:

Hugh Freeze, Auburn

The results simply haven’t been there through two seasons, ratcheting up the pressure on Freeze to justify the hype and applause that greeted his return to the SEC after a successful run at Liberty. This can’t-miss hire has, uh, missed: After going 5-7 last year, Freeze is in danger of becoming the first Auburn coach to post three losing records in a row since Earl Brown from 1948-50. The heavy focus paid this offseason to Freeze’s terrific golf game and the Tigers’ woeful recruiting class is the canary in the coal mine for a tenure that could be circling the drain.

Sam Pittman, Arkansas

Arkansas is the SEC program most likely to make an offseason or even midseason coaching change given Pittman’s inability to capitalize on a breakthrough 2021 season and the Razorbacks’ questionable depth and talent level compared to the league’s top half. Pittman is 30-31 overall since 2020 but just 14-28 in the SEC – and only 7-17 in conference play the past three seasons. It doesn’t help that Arkansas is set to face what may be the nation’s toughest schedule.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma

Venables is definitely on firmer ground that Freeze and Pittman, though that might change should the Sooners implode in 2025 and, say, fail to even reach the postseason. Combined with the fact that rival Texas is surging toward a potential national title, another miserable run through the SEC might convince Oklahoma to reenter the job market just four years after tabbing Venables as Lincoln Riley’s replacement. With the school set to hire a new athletics director in the coming months, now is the time for Venables and the Sooners to make a run at nine or more wins.

Brent Pry, Virginia Tech

After going 16-21 through his first three years, Pry remade his coaching staff and brought in about 30 transfers to change the direction of a program still mired in the middle of the pack in the ACC. While he’s led the Hokies to back-to-back bowl bids, another six- or seven-win finish might not be enough to salvage his tenuous job security; the Hokies probably need to show more substantial progress to earn Pry another season.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati

Last year’s team did make a two-win improvement over Satterfield’s 3-9 debut, though that doesn’t really tell the story of another lost season: Cincinnati coughed up five losses in a row after a 5-2 start, further contributing to the sense of negativity that has gripped the program since Luke Fickell’s departure for Wisconsin. (That hasn’t worked out for anyone involved, unfortunately.) The Bearcats should be better in 2025 and should get to six wins, buoyed in part by a Big 12 schedule that avoids three of the league’s best in Arizona State, Kansas State and Texas Tech.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Gundy agreed to a restructured contract after a dreadful 2024 and then rebooted his roster and coaching staff in what feels like a last-ditch effort to salvage the most successful tenure in program history. While his track record and connection to the school have long been factors in Gundy’s corner, his relationships with the administration and fan base have seesawed so much over the years that Oklahoma State would be clearly be comfortable pulling the plug at some point during or right after his 21st season.

Brent Brennan, Arizona

Things have gone south so quickly at Arizona that Brennan is in legitimate danger of being fired after just two seasons. (Four coaches were dismissed last year after two years or less in their position, so while rare, it’s not unheard of.) After opening 2024 ranked No. 21 in the preseason Coaches Poll and fifth in the Big 12 – one of five teams to earn a first-place vote – the Wildcats slumped to 4-8 overall and finished second from the bottom in the conference standings. As at Cincinnati, there’s a pervasive sense of doom and gloom around the program that’s impossible to ignore.

Trent Dilfer, Alabama-Birmingham

The most unserious hire in recent FBS history is nearing its end, much to the delight of a fan base that has been absolutely stunned by the Blazers’ decay into one of the worst teams in the American. After going six years in a row without a losing finish, UAB is a pitiful 7-17 in Dilfer’s two seasons, with only one victory against a team that finished with a winning record. It’s almost as if hiring a coach with zero college experience – and only four years of on-field coaching experience, period, all on the high school level – was an idiotic decision.

Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech

After going 3-9 in each of his first two years, Louisiana Tech went 5-7 in the regular season in 2024 and backdoored into the Independence Bowl in place of Marshall, losing to Army 27-6 but doing enough to give Cumbie one more season to post the Bulldogs’ first winning record since 2019. The offense has to improve: Tech finished 118th nationally in scoring to offset major gains from a defense that ranked among the best in the Group of Five.

Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Hurts, Matthew Stafford, Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco are the only projected Week 1 starting quarterbacks to have started and won a Super Bowl. Yet this season could mark the last hoorah for three of them as QB1.

‘I’m pretty sure this is it (my last season),’ Rodgers said during an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on June 24. ‘That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was really about finishing with love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had. I played 20 freaking years. It’s been a long run and I’ve enjoyed it. What better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL?’

On his third team in four years, the Pittsburgh Steelers present Rodgers his best opportunity to return to the postseason. After all, Mike Tomlin led the Steelers to a winning record in each of his 18 seasons as head coach, marking the longest such streak to start a head coaching tenure in NFL history. Pittsburgh’s reached the playoffs two-straight years without Rodgers.

Flacco’s on his second stint with the Cleveland Browns. He’s part of an infamous group of 40 quarterbacks who’ve started for the Browns since 1999.

Cleveland’s decision to start Flacco Week 1 is understandable considering five of the Browns’ first six opponents made the playoffs last year. However, it’ll be quarterback management malpractice if the Browns don’t give Dillon Gabriel and or Shedeur Sanders a shot before a 2026 NFL draft in which the franchise has two first-round selections. Albeit, based on the Browns QB history, it’s hard to put anything past them.

In the Big Apple, Giants coach Brian Daboll declared Wilson the starter. But Wilson, who’s on his third team in as many seasons, appears to be on borrowed time, especially after Giants first-round pick Jaxson Dart completed 32-of-47 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns in the preseason.

“I feel like whenever my number is called that I’m gonna go out there and play my game and I’m gonna ball. That’s just my mindset every time I touch the field,” Dart said after the Giants’ preseason finale. “Obviously, Russ is the starter. He’s gonna do amazing. He’s had such a great camp and has played at an elite level. My job is to be the best teammate and be ready whenever it is.”

Daboll’s registered an 18-32-1 record in three seasons as the Giants coach. His job status could be contingent upon Dart’s development. Nevertheless, it’ll be difficult to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of Dart while he’s holding a clipboard on the sideline.

“We are on a day-to-day plan with the young quarterback. Everyday we’re learning something,” Daboll said of Dart after the Giants’ third preseason contest. “Just try to do things that may come up one day with him. We’ll keep on building him…I think he’s done a good job, credit the player first and foremost. Being a rookie quarterback is not easy. Being a quarterback is not easy. He knows that he still has a lot of things to work on, but he’s made progress every day. I’m glad we drafted him. I’m glad he’s our guy.”

Daboll’s words are an indication it’s just a matter of time before Dart becomes the team’s starter.

Rodgers (41), Flacco (40) and Wilson (36) all signed one-year deals for their respective teams. Maybe the three of them had the foresight 2025 is their final opportunity to be QB1. Rodgers already declared it’s likely his last season in the NFL. For Flacco and Wilson, there’s a pretty good chance this year is their final opportunity to be a starting quarterback.