Ohio State and Notre Dame both started transfer quarterbacks in January’s national championship game. Three of four College Football Playoff semifinalists started a transfer quarterback. Half of the teams in the entire bracket had a transfer quarterback under center.

No position better embodies the new landscape ushered in by the transfer portal and the elimination of the one-year redshirt rule.

But while shuffling quarterbacks dominate transfer headlines, every Bowl Subdivision team is digging into the portal to replace starters, develop depth and unearth potential diamonds among another team’s castoffs.

Some programs do this better than others. As we look ahead to the 2025 season, transfers at quarterback and elsewhere are guaranteed to shape FBS conference races and the chase for the national championship. These teams did the best job reloading through the portal:

1. LSU

Top three transfers: EDGE Patrick Payton (Florida State), WR Nic Anderson (Oklahoma), WR Barion Brown.

LSU loaded up edge rushers, interior linemen and receivers in an effort to reverse a recent dip under coach Brian Kelly. Payton had 32 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in his three years with the Seminoles. Brown is also a game-changing talent in the return game. Anderson, Brown, and Oklahoma tight end transfer Bauer Sharp will make an immediate impact.

2. Texas Tech

Top three transfers: OT Howard Sampson (North Carolina), EDGE Romello Height (Georgia Tech), DT Lee Hunter (Central Florida).

Few programs have been more adept at mining the portal, with a big boost from some of the nation’s most robust NIL offerings. This class is loaded with help on both lines, with Sampson and Miami (Ohio) transfer Will Jados set for starting roles on the offensive front. Another addition to watch on offense is Louisiana-Lafayette tight end transfer Terrance Carter, who had 689 receiving yards last season.

SPRING POWER RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

3. Oregon

Top three transfers: OT Isaiah World (Nevada), OL Emmanuel Pregnon (Southern California), RB Makhi Hughes (Tulane).

Oregon’s transfer class is small, but the 10-player group packs a punch. The star is World, maybe the best overall player in this year’s portal. Pregnon will slot into the interior of the line and contend for all-conference accolades. Hughes is a difference-making running back who went for a combined 2,779 yards and 22 rushing scores the past two seasons.

4. Mississippi

Top three transfers: OL Patrick Kutas (Arkansas), EDGE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas).

The two Arkansas transfers will play huge roles for a team with genuine playoff credentials. While not a finished product, Umanmielen flashed in spurts for the Cornhuskers. Lane Kiffin was able to bring in a bunch of receivers to help new quarterback Austin Simmons, including Harrison Wallace III (Penn State) and De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State).

5. Missouri

Top three transfers: EDGE Damon Wilson II (Georgia), WR Kevin Coleman Jr. (Mississippi State), QB Beau Pribula (Penn State).

Pribula is the marquee transfer after playing well in relief of Drew Allar last season. His ability to handle the load as the starter should define Missouri’s 2025 season. Overall, Missouri continues to do very well finding high-impact, day-one starters in the portal, including Wilson and Coleman from within the SEC and edge rusher Nate Johnson (Appalachian State) and running back Ahmad Hardy (Louisiana-Monroe) from the Group of Five.

6. Miami (Fla.)

Top three transfers: QB Carson Beck (Georgia), CB Xavier Lucas (Wisconsin), CB Charles Brantley (Michigan State).

The quality of this transfer class may not be determined until Beck shows he has recovered from last season’s arm injury and can reclaim his place among the top NFL draft prospects at the position. The class will also provide a major upgrade at cornerback. Brantley is scheduled to compete for one of the starting jobs once he gets healthy; he’ll miss the spring dealing with a leg injury suffered late last year. Lucas ended up at Miami after a controversial exit from Wisconsin and has the tools to develop into a stopper on the outside.

7. Auburn

Top three transfers: WR Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech), OL Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), OL Mason Murphy (Southern California).

This group will help transform the offense. Former Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold is the expected to grab the starting job, though his returns with the Sooners fell short of expectations. Arnold will be able to throw to holdover Cam Coleman and newcomers in Singleton and Wake Forest receiver transfer Horatio Fields. The defensive haul lacks the same type of impactful transfers but has several younger players with the potential to develop nicely, including LSU linebacker transfer Xavier Atkins.

8. Florida State

Top three transfers: WR Duce Robinson (Southern California), EDGE James Williams (Nebraska), OL Luke Petitbon (Wake Forest).

There are fewer headliners in this year’s class than in the recent past, which may not be a bad thing after last season’s top-ranked transfer group flopped on arrival. Players such as Williams could supply a huge spark in rotational roles; the Nebraska transfer would be a weapon on third down, for example. The class also features a new starting quarterback in Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos, who played under new Florida State coordinator Gus Malzahn at Central Florida.

9. Nebraska

Top three transfers: OL Elijah Pritchett (Alabama), WR Dane Key (Kentucky), OL Rocco Spindler (Notre Dame).

The Cornhuskers acquired two plug-and-play offensive linemen in Pritchett and Spindler, with Pritchett set to step in at left tackle. Key should be the team’s leading receiver, while young Kentucky transfer Hardley Gilmore might take a year to develop. Nebraska also added one of top Group of Five defenders in former Georgia Southern linebacker Marques Watson-Trent and some needed flexibility in the back seven in Oklahoma transfer Dasan McCullough.

10. Wisconsin

Top three transfers: QB Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland), TE Tanner Koziol (Ball State), DL Parker Petersen (Tulane).

Wisconsin lost several key pieces to the portal, including Lucas, running back Tawee Walker (Cincinnati) and wide receiver Will Pauling (Notre Dame). The Badgers could offset those departures with an 18-member transfer class headlined by the in-conference addition at quarterback and a potential breakout talent in Koziol. Idaho wide receiver transfer Mark Hamper averaged 20.1 yards per catch last season and could provide a major spark to the passing game.

The three-time All-Pro receiver has agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The team announced the deal late Sunday night.

Adams has been a consistent receiver over the years, positing five-straight seasons with at least 1,000 yards and came just three yards short in 2019 of making it seven straight. That has remained the case despite playing with multiple different quarterbacks since his departure from the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2022 season.

He eventually told the Las Vegas Raiders that he preferred to be traded in an effort to reunite with Aaron Rodgers on the New York Jets in 2024.

Vegas was in the midst of finding a quarterback solution in the post-Derek Carr years, something that hurt Adams’ statistically.

Adams played in just 11 games for the Jets before the team opted to release him, announcing the move in early March. It came as a result of the team’s decision to part ways with Rodgers following the arrival of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey as head coach and general manager.

Does the College Football Playoff appropriately award strength of schedule? That’s a factor being debated as SEC decides schedule format.
CFP selection committee does value strength of schedule – just not as much as some within the SEC would like.
SEC has considered going to nine conference games for more than a decade but has always stayed at eight. The SEC’s 2026 schedule format remains undecided.

Ah, spring. The flowers bloom, the pollen makes us sneeze, we bust out shorts as soon as the temps hit 60 degrees, and the SEC bigwigs debate whether to add a ninth conference game to the schedule.

These traditions must never die.

SEC schools are rekindling their annual scheduling dialogue, a conversation that keeps bubbling up, going on more than a dozen years now. The SEC will play eight conference games next season. The 2026 schedule remains undrawn. SEC schools will vote later this year whether to stay at eight or increase to nine conference games in 2026.

What’s the holdup in going to nine conference games? Well, some within the conference believe the College Football Playoff committee does not assign enough reward to strength of schedule when selecting playoff teams.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey wants nine conference games, but some athletics directors feel squeamish about risking another loss, after the first 12-team playoff included no three-loss teams.

“Trying to understand how the selection committee for the CFP made decisions is really important,” Sankey said last week on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

“One of the issues in the room for our athletics directors is, what seemed to matter most (to the selection committee) is the number to the right – the number of losses.

“I think (nine conference games) can be positive for a lot of reasons. You watch the interest around conference games. But, not if that causes us to lose (postseason) opportunities.”

Round and round we go, debating whether the juice of another conference game is worth the squeeze.

SPRING POWER RANKINGS: Big Ten | SEC | ACC | Big 12

LOOKING AHEAD: Our way-too-early college football Top 25 for 2025

Greg Sankey: CFP committee didn’t ignore SEC schedule strength

Let’s clarify a few portions of this debate. The CFP selection committee does value strength of schedule – just not as much as some within the SEC would like. And, not enough to make up for SEC teams losing multiple games to mediocre or bad teams.

Meanwhile, the 2026 playoff format remains undecided, complicating scheduling decisions.

I understand the hesitance to add a ninth conference game. In most cases, that would increase a team’s schedule difficulty, and the cleanest avenue to playoff qualification from a Power Four conference remains going undefeated or suffering just one loss.

Record matters. How could it not? If teams simply got rewarded for losing to tough opponents, the first 12-team playoff would have included 10-loss Mississippi State, which played a brutal schedule.

While record matters, the committee honored schedule strength in its rankings, too. How else do you explain one-loss Indiana being seeded behind four two-loss at-large qualifiers, a list that included two SEC teams? The committee recognized that Indiana played a squishy schedule, but it couldn’t completely ignore a Big Ten team with an 11-1 record on selection day.

“As I recall, we had three-loss teams from the SEC ahead of some two-loss teams from significant conferences,” Sankey told Finebaum, “so I will note there was a recognition on the part of the selection committee on the strength of our league.”

Bingo. Alabama ranked ahead of Miami and Brigham Young on selection day, despite having an inferior record. Mississippi and South Carolina also outranked BYU.

Strength of schedule kept Alabama and Ole Miss in the mix on selection day despite their losses to Vanderbilt and Kentucky, respectively.

So, let’s extinguish this lingering narrative that the CFP ignored schedule strength.

If the playoff featured 14 teams instead of 12 – it might by 2026 – then Alabama would have become the first three-loss qualifier in playoff history. All because off its strength of schedule.

Schedule matters, but so do results.

Alabama lost to two average teams, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma, among its three losses. Ole Miss lost to three teams that finished the season unranked, including pitiful Kentucky.

At 9-3, with unattractive losses on the résumé, each team narrowly missed qualification.

Seven teams managed to beat Oklahoma last season. If Alabama had joined that list, we wouldn’t be having this debate. The Tide would have been in the playoff, giving the SEC four qualifiers, and SMU would have been out.

But, because Oklahoma beat Alabama like a drum, we’re debating whether the selection committee needs to award more credit to a team’s schedule.

Here’s an idea: Want to make the playoff? Don’t lose to Vanderbilt or Kentucky.

Schedule strength only one side of College Football Playoff selection coin

Still, in some corners of the SEC, appetite seems lacking for an additional conference game.

Strength of schedule “needs to be recognized and not have it be two vs. three losses, one vs. two losses, whatever that looks like, as the deciding factor,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne recently told reporters. “Not all schedules are created the same.”

True, and not all losses are created the same. Indiana didn’t lose to either Vanderbilt or by 21 points to Oklahoma. Nor did it lose on its home field to putrid Kentucky.

But, the SEC schedule debate continues, because it’s spring, and this marks tradition. Perhaps, there’s a way for the SEC to finally rule on its its 2026 conference schedule.

“Maybe we’ll flip a coin over eight or nine (conference games),” Sankey joked with Finebaum. “ … There are two sides to every coin.”

Indeed, and there are multiple sides to playoff selection. It’s not a one-sided coin determined exclusively by schedule strength.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

The NFL offseason has already kicked off with franchise tags, contract extensions, trades, trade requests and star players released. With hundreds of free agents set to hit the open market, things will continue to heat up.

NFL free agency begins this week, with the legal tampering period opening things up on March 10 at noon ET and the new league year starting Match 12 at 4 p.m. ET.

There are dozens of top players available in free agency who can be difference-makers. Last year, it was Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Derrick Henry who signed with new franchises and sent shockwaves around the league. Who might be the key free-agent acquisitions of 2025?

Here is a breakdown of one key NFL free agent from all 32 teams set to hit the open market.

Top NFL free agents: One key player for every team

Tennessee Titans: DT Sebastian Joseph-Day

Plenty of the focus in Tennessee is on the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but the Titans and new general manager Mike Borgonzi have a fair amount of cap space to work with. Joseph-Day is a veteran run-stuffer who pairs well with 6-foot-4, 366-pound T’Vondre Sweat. Jeffery Simmons adds to a stout front that can’t afford to lose a veteran like Joseph-Day to spell Sweat and Simmons for stretches.

Cleveland Browns: RB Nick Chubb

There’s a likelihood the Browns will select a quarterback with the No. 2 pick in the draft, but with Deshaun Watson’s albatross contract and injury looming over the team, Chubb remains the face of the franchise along with Myles Garrett. He struggled at times returning from a brutal knee injury, but with a healthy offseason under his belt it’s possible that his elite and efficient production returns.

New York Giants: WR Darius Slayton

Slayton has been mentioned often in trade rumors to contenders over the last two years. He posted more than 700 receiving yards in four of his first five seasons, leading the Giants each time. The 28-year-old provides the ability to stretch the field. A trait most of the other top free-agent receivers who are north of 30 years old and not quite burners at this stage can bring to the table.

New England Patriots: CB Jonathan Jones

The Patriots have the most cap space of all 32 teams and are expected to be very active. Jones has proven to be a versatile corner with the ability to play in the slot and the perimeter since signing with New England as an undrafted free agent. Entering year ten, he brings a valuable veteran presence to any locker room. With Travis Hunter a possible draft choice for the Pats, Jones could be on the outside looking in.

Jacksonville Jaguars: G Brandon Scherff

The Jaguars are tied with the Packers and Seahawks with the fewest unrestricted free agents with just 10 players apiece. Scherff is in the latter stage of his career, but the former No. 5 overall pick remains a capable starter in the trenches.

Las Vegas Raiders: LB Robert Spillane

An argument can be made for defensive end Malcolm Koonce here, but Spillane is one of the steadiest linebackers in the league. He finished inside the top five in both tackles and snaps in 2024 and is elite in run defense. The former Steeler brings tenacity to any unit as a legitimate every-down linebacker.

New York Jets: CB D.J. Reed

Reed is among the top 10 free agents overall. Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are also on the list of Jets free agents. They can be considered here, but Reed is more likely to land a long-term contract. He’s excelled opposite of Sauce Gardner. He allowed a 57% completion rate and only two touchdowns in coverage this season. He’s arguably the top corner in free agency and should have a robust market for his services.

Carolina Panthers: WR Diontae Johnson

Johnson bounced around four teams in 2024 and finished the year with the Ravens, who claimed him off of waivers after the Texans waived him. It was a tumultuous year for the 28-year-old, but he showed during his seven games in Carolina that he could still produce at a high level. He’s among the top 10 free-agent wide receivers in 2025.

New Orleans Saints: CB Paulson Adebo

The Saints have an undeniably adverse cap dilemma this offseason. Edge rusher Chase Young should be noted here but Adebo was playing like a lockdown corner before breaking his femur and ending his season early. With Marshon Lattimore traded to Washington, the Saints have a glaring hole in the secondary.

Chicago Bears: OL Teven Jenkins

Jenkins has been terrific when he’s on the field, but he’s struggled to stay healthy throughout his first four seasons in the NFL. Many will point to Keenan Allen, but the Bears clearly need to protect their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, better in 2025 and beyond. He lined up at left guard exclusively in 2024 after playing multiple spots along the line. New Bears head coach Ben Johnson will be keen on developing the big boys up front, which has been already exhibited with two trades this offseason with the acquisitions of All-Pro guard Joe Thuney from the Chiefs and Jonah Jackson from the Rams.

San Francisco 49ers: CB Charvarius Ward

The 49ers are focused on clearing cap space to extend Brock Purdy this offseason. This was evident when they traded Deebo Samuel to Washington during the combine. Ward is an elite lockdown corner who finished as a second-team All-Pro in 2023. He took time away from the field after the death of his daughter in 2024, but he’s not far removed from elite play. He provides excellent press-man coverage and finished third in coverage grade among all corners in 2023, per PFF.

Dallas Cowboys: EDGE DeMarcus Lawrence

With the Cowboys placing the franchise tag on Osa Odighizuwa, the veteran edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence gets bumped up. He will be 33 next month but he’s proven to still be a disruptive force off the edge 11 seasons in. He suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 4, but posted three sacks, a forced fumble, four tackles for loss and five QB hits before the injury. He’s one year removed from grading as the eighth overall edge rusher per PFF.

Miami Dolphins: S Jevon Holland

Miami has a league-high 29 unrestricted free agents. Among them is Holland, a former second-round pick who just turned 25. He finished with a career-low 64 tackles in 2024 but has proven productive when schemed up to blitz. He’s the top free-agent safety and is entering his prime. He will be in high demand.

Indianapolis Colts: G Will Fries

The Colts have had one of the most underappreciated offensive lines in recent years, opening up holes for Jonathan Taylor to run through and Fries has been a part of that. He was approaching elite status before fracturing his tibia in Week 5. He will be healthy entering 2025 and can boost any team looking to improve their hog mollies.

Atlanta Falcons: C Drew Dalman

Staying in the trenches, you won’t find many better than center Drew Dallman. Center has been an overlooked position, but the connection to the quarterback is undeniable. Dallman is a bully in the run game and was graded fourth-overall at the position in 2024.

Arizona Cardinals: G Will Hernandez

Hernandez has found a home in the desert and has been a solid performer recently. It took some time but he’s lived up to his second-round pedigree. He excels as a pass blocker and would provide stability to many offensive line rooms.

Cincinnati Bengals: CB Mike Hilton

Wide receiver Tee Higgins would be here but the Bengals chose to franchise tag the receiver for the second consecutive season. Hilton is a veteran corner who has solidified himself as one of the best in the slot in the NFL. It’s a prime defensive position, and with the emergence of elite slot receivers across the league, many contenders will be eager to acquire the veteran with playoff experience.

Seattle Seahawks: LB Ernest Jones

Jones was traded twice in 2024. First, it was from the Rams to the Titans before the regular season and then he was shipped off to Seattle before the trade deadline. He’s a former third-round pick with pass-rush skills and is an elite run-stopper. He’s finished top 15 in total tackles the last two seasons and graded as the fifth overall linebacker in 2023 per PFF.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: WR Chris Godwin

Godwin suffered a season-ending ankle dislocation in late October, but is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season. He was on pace for 121 receptions, 1,399 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL. Godwin will be 29 this season and trails only Mike Evans in every significant statistical receiving category in Buccaneers’ franchise history. He is the best free-agent receiver under the age of 30.

Denver Broncos: DT D.J. Jones

Jones is a veteran interior defensive lineman and was a significant piece of Denver’s finish as the third-best run defense in terms of yards per game allowed in 2024. He can also be disruptive in pass-rush situations.

Pittsburgh Steelers: RB Najee Harris

The Steelers have quite a few free agents who are steady contributors. Quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are notably available, but with one of the signal callers presumably re-signing, running back Najee Harris becomes a key. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, the only back to do so since he entered the league. He has not missed a game, suiting up for 68 regular-season games and two playoff games. He’s the third player in the last 20 years to have 1,000 rushing yards in each of his first four NFL seasons joining Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson.

Los Angeles Chargers: OLB Khalil Mack

In a light free-agent class, Mack is the best pass rusher available. Even at 34 years old, the former No. 5 overall pick remains a force. He’s enjoying a late-career resurgence. He had 88 QB pressures in 2023, his highest mark since 2016. He graded as the fifth-best edge rusher in 2024, according to PFF. He can significantly impact a contender despite a decrease in snaps.

Green Bay Packers: C Josh Myers

Myers is a former second-round pick from 2021. He suffered a leg injury in the Packers’ playoff loss, but it’s been reported he avoided a significant injury. He is arguably the second-best center in free agency behind Dalman.

Minnesota Vikings: QB Sam Darnold

With Darnold not slapped with the franchise tag, he becomes the top free-agent quarterback on the market. He threw 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record. He had a career year before Minnesota’s wild-card loss. The former No. 3 overall pick in 2018 is just 28 years old, and with multiple QB-needy teams and a weak draft class at the position, he should be a hot commodity.

Houston Texans: WR Stefon Diggs

Diggs is another veteran coming off a season-ending injury. He tore his ACL in Week 8 and will turn 32 next season. He’s been one of the most reliable receivers over the last decade, finishing with over 1,000 receiving yards in six straight seasons before 2024. Many contenders with thin wide receiver rooms will be interested in his services but Tank Dell’s devastating knee injury makes for a return to Houston plausible.

Los Angeles Rams: WR Demarcus Robinson

The Rams handled their most important pending free agent earlier in the offseason when they extended tackle Alaric Jackson. This bumps Robinson up the list after the team informed Cooper Kupp they would trade him during the offseason. For the Rams to comfortably move on from Kupp, they must fill the void he leaves. The veteran Robinson would do that after he spent the last two years with the team. He’s coming off his best season, and with Tutu Atwell re-signed before free agency, the team can use another reliable receiver alongside Puka Nacua.

Baltimore Ravens: OL Patrick Mekari

With left tackle Ronnie Stanley agreeing to a contract extension before free agency, do-it-all offensive lineman Patrick Mekari becomes a hot name available. He played nearly every snap at left guard for Baltimore and was strong in protection and run-blocking for two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Detroit Lions: CB Carlton Davis III

Davis was acquired via trade before the 2024 season to boost Detroit’s secondary and delivered much-needed stability. He joined a long list of injured Lions late in the season, but before that he ranked inside the top 20 of PFF’s overall defensive grade among cornerbacks. He’s a physical corner, strong against the run and can step into the No. 1 cornerback role on any defense he steps on the field with.

Washington Commanders: EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.

The 49ers sent Deebo Samuel to Washington for a fifth-round pick, which helps fill the hole left by wide receivers Dyami Brown, Olimade Zaccheaus, Noah Brown and Jamison Crowder, who are all free agents. The Commanders have plenty of cap space to improve the offense around Jayden Daniels further, but it will be key for them to bring back any of their top contributors on defense. Fowler led Washington with 10.5 sacks in 2024. The wheels are already turning with the return of Bobby Wagner to prop up a defense that struggled immensely.

Buffalo Bills: CB Rasul Douglas

GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have built an excellent core on the offensive and defensive lines. Amari Cooper is a player many would have in this spot over Douglas, but the receiver will be 31 in June and his role isn’t as crucial to the team’s success with Joe Brady’s offense leaning on the line and the running game. Douglas has been a staple in the secondary since arriving at the 2023 trade deadline. He’s an impact player and key for the Bills defense who often meets the league’s best quarterbacks every year in the postseason.

Kansas City Chiefs: WR DeAndre Hopkins

The Chiefs opted to franchise tag guard Trey Smith, one of the top free agents who would hit the open market. There was a case for Nick Bolton, but he has agreed to re-sign. Hopkins, Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson are unrestricted free agents. Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown has agreed to stay on a one-year deal, Rashee Rice will return and Xavier Worthy was a bright spot. However, Rice still faces a possible suspension for his involvement in a multi-vehicle accident. Hopkins could be a viable option for many contenders on a team-friendly ‘prove it’ deal.

Philadelphia Eagles: EDGE Josh Sweat

The defending champs have a handful of key players set to hit the market who will be highly coveted, but GM Howie Roseman has been a wizard at managing the team’s cap space. Linebacker Zack Baun was one of those players and has agreed to stay. Baun graded as the top overall linebacker in the NFL per PFF in 2024 and earned first-team All-Pro honors. With Baun’s future secured, next up is another guy who fit perfectly in Vic Fangio’s system. Sweat led the Eagles with eight sacks and capped it off with 2.5 sacks in the Super Bowl 59 victory. He’s one of the top pass rushers on the market.

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INDIANAPOLIS — JuJu Watkins has Caitlin Clark beat.

For now.

With 29 points in the Big Ten tournament title game Sunday, Watkins has already scored 1,684 points. That surpasses the 1,662 points Clark scored in her first two seasons at Iowa.

That Watkins is ahead of Clark right now isn’t a surprise. Watkins set the NCAA freshman scoring record last year, with 920 points, and has already played 65 games compared with the 62 Clark played as a freshman and sophomore.

Clark’s scoring rate didn’t really take off until her third season, either. She scored 1,055 points as a junior and 1,234 points as a senior, when she became the all-time scoring leader in major college basketball. Iowa also reached the national title game in each of Clark’s last two years, giving her additional opportunities to add to her points total.

Still, that Watkins is scoring at this fast a clip is impressive. Even Clark has been impressed, singling Watkins out after USC played at Iowa last month in the game where Clark’s jersey was retired.

‘JuJu, you’re awesome,” Clark said then. “It was fun to be here and watch you play.”

Watkins said then she doesn’t give much thought to scoring records. Keep piling up the points as she has, however, and she won’t have a choice. The entire country was fixated on Clark’s pursuit of Pete Maravich’s record, and there’ll be a similar spotlight if Watkins gets close to Clark.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James could miss as many as two weeks with a strained left groin, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak until the team made an announcement.

‘I’ve been there before, and I know what type of injury you’re dealing with,’ James told reporters.

In 2018, James tore his groin and missed about a month – 17 games total. ‘No, it’s not as bad as that,’ James said.

The Lakers are 40-22 and in third place in the Western Conference, a ½ game behind the second-place Denver Nuggets (41-22), 1½ games ahead of the fourth-place Memphis Grizzlies and two games ahead of the fifth-place Houston Rockets.

What does LeBron James’ injury mean for Lakers?

This is a tough injury for James and the Lakers at this point in the season – the Lakers have 20 games remaining and are battling for the No. 2 seed. They have played well the past two months, going 20-5 and moving up from seventh place since Jan. 14.

The injury also interrupts the Lakers’ attempt to develop more chemistry with Luka Doncic, who the Lakers acquired from the Dallas Mavericks just before the trade deadline. James and Doncic (34 points, eight rebounds against Boston) have played well together. Doncic has played well for the Lakers but there is room for him to play better, especially with his shot. The Lakers will rely even more on Doncic with James sidelined.

Who will get more playing time with LeBron James out?

The Lakers were also without Rui Hachimura (left knee injury) and Jaxson Hayes (bruised right knee) against the Celtics. Rookie Dalton Knecht and Gabe Vincent will get more minutes, and the Lakers will try to get more scoring from Dorian Finney-Smith. Hachimura is out at least another week, and he had played well alongside Doncic.

What is rest of Lakers schedule?

The Lakers have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule, according to tankathon.com. They play Oklahoma City twice, Denver twice, Milwaukee twice, Houston twice and Memphis and Golden State once each.