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.’

The ongoing contract stalemate between the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons has a new twist.

Parsons filed a grievance earlier this year regarding his fifth-year option salary, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Pro Football Talk was first to report the news.

The dispute stems from the fact Parsons believes his salary should be $24 million, the amount slotted for a linebacker. The Cowboys have Parsons listed as a defensive end, which pays him a $21.324 million.

Parsons won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award as a linebacker. He also made the Pro Bowl in 2022, 2023 and 2024 as a linebacker. He was named a 2021 first-team All-Pro as a linebacker. He was a first-team All-Pro edge rusher in 2022 and named a second-team All-Pro edge rusher in 2023.

The grievance adds another layer to the saga between Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Parsons already requested a trade and didn’t participate in training camp because of stalled contract talks.

Jones and Parsons can mend their fences if they reach an agreement on a contract extension. Parsons’ next extension is expected to award him over $40 million a season, no matter the position listed.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley announced his six captain’s picks, opting not to select himself as a playing captain.
The 2025 Ryder Cup will be held at Bethpage Black in New York from September 26-28.
European captain Luke Donald will announce his picks on Sept. 1.

The eyes of the golf world were on Keegan Bradley on Wednesday morning.

For a year now, ever since Bradley was named the captain of the United States team for the 2025 Ryder Cup, his six captain’s picks – and the possibility he could pick himself as a playing captain – loomed as a defining storyline for this edition of the biennial team event pitting the best from the U.S. and Europe. Bradley called it the biggest decision of his life.

But with less than a month to go before the match-play action gets underway at Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York, Bradley chose not to make history. In fact, he made the choice awhile ago, he said, ‘and I’m glad it’s over.’

Bradley announced his captain’s picks during a news conference from PGA of America headquarters in Frisco, Texas, and did not make himself the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963. Instead, Bradley added Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns as captain’s pick to the United States team’s six automatic qualifiers.

‘The decision was made awhile ago that I wasn’t playing. The last 48 hours or so we had the team set. We weren’t scrambling at all,’ Bradley said. ‘This was a really tough decision. I would say there was a point this year where I was playing awhile ago, and all these guys stepped up in a major way and played their way on this team. That’s something that I’m really proud of and something that I really wanted.’

Bradley was ranked 11th in Ryder Cup points after the 2025 PGA Tour season and won the 2025 Travelers Championship. Young (14), Cantlay (15) and Burns (16) all finished below him in the standings. Maverick McNealy (10), Brian Harman (12) and Andrew Novak (13) were the highest-ranked American golfers to not be selected based on Ryder Cup points. 

‘It broke my heart not to play,’ Bradley added, ‘because you work forever to make these teams, but ultimately I was chosen to do a job. I was chosen to be the captain of this team and my ultimate goal when I started this thing was to be the best captain I could be, and this is how I felt I could do this. If we got to this point and I felt like the team was better with me on it, I was going to do it. I was going to do whatever I thought was best for this team, and I know 100 percent for certain this is the best choice.’

The 2025 Ryder Cup begins with foursome and four-ball matches on Friday, Sept. 26 at Bethpage Black, with the United States attempting to recover on home soil after Europe won the Ryder Cup convincingly in 2023. Europe has won five of the past seven Ryder Cups, but has not won in the United States since 2012.

Europe captain Luke Donald is scheduled to announce his six captain’s picks on Monday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. ET on Golf Channel. Here’s a breakdown of the United States captain’s picks, as well as the Ryder teams, date and format:

Ryder Cup 2025 US captain’s picks

Justin Thomas
Collin Morikawa
Ben Griffin
Cameron Young
Patrick Cantlay
Sam Burns

2025 Ryder Cup teams

United States

Scottie Scheffler*
J.J. Spaun*
Xander Schauffele*
Russell Henley*
Harris English*
Bryson DeChambeau*
Justin Thomas
Collin Morikawa
Ben Griffin
Cameron Young
Patrick Cantlay
Sam Burns

Europe

Rory McIlroy*
Robert MacIntyre*
Tommy Fleetwood*
Justin Rose*
Rasmus Højgaard*
Tyrrell Hatton*

Europe captain Luke Donald is scheduled to announce his six captain’s picks on Monday, Sept. 1 at 9 a.m. ET on Golf Channel.

*automatic qualifier

Watch the Ryder Cup with Fubo

When is the 2025 Ryder Cup?

The 2025 Ryder Cup is scheduled for Sept. 26-28 at the Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale, New York. The event will be broadcast nationally by NBC and USA Network and available via live stream on Peacock and Fubo. Times and schedule have not been announced yet

Ryder Cup format 2025

The three-day competition features four foursome and four four-ball matches on the first two days of competition. The winner of each match earns a point for their team. The order of the events each day is determined by the home team’s captain.

The final day of Ryder Cup competition concludes with 12 singles matches in which a point is awarded to the team of the winning golfer. There are 28 total points to determine the Ryder Cup champion, with half-points awarded for matches that end in ties.