CLEARWATER, Fla. — They are greatness on a treadmill, undeniably taking steps forward – from 87 to 90 to 95 wins – even as the forces of October seem to blow them back.

Yes, digressing from World Series runner-up to NLCS loser to NLDS sucker-punch can create undeniable appearances of regression, at least externally. For the Philadelphia Phillies, though, channeling those increasingly early playoff failures into something, anything constructive come next autumn is imperative.

“You always gain knowledge from years past,” says Kyle Schwarber, their designated hitter and often leadoff man. “And we’ve had a lot of really good things we can look back on and grab from that.

“And we can also look at the failure part and be very good self-evaluators and evaluate, ‘OK, that didn’t go right.’ And pull from that and try to be better going forward.

“It’s been the majority of the same group the last two or three years. All that experience now culminates in this year and seeing if we can perform, be healthy, find a way into the postseason format and see what we can do.”

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And suddenly, time could be running short.

The raucous gang that’s turned Citizens Bank Ballpark into the loudest postseason joint in the big leagues – punctuated by unmatched clubhouse bacchanalia when they prevail – is entering something of a collective walk year.

Schwarber and catcher J.T. Realmuto are both entering the final year of their contracts, with Realmuto’s five-year, $115 million deal potentially marking the end of a Philly run that began with a trade from Miami before the 2019 campaign.

And it still seems like yesterday Schwarber, who turns 32 on March 5, parachuted into Clearwater in March 2022, shortly after the lockout-delayed spring training began, his four-year, $79 million deal soon followed by a $100 million outlay for Nick Castellanos to lengthen the Phillies’ lineup.

The investments have paid off tenfold.

Those Phillies parlayed 87 wins into a wild-card berth and rode it all the way to Game 6 of the ’22 World Series, where the Houston Astros finally turned them back. But the October backslides – beginning with blowing a 3-1 lead in the 2023 NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks and bottoming out with a 3-1 loss to the New York Mets in the ’24 NLDS – take some of the starch out of the good.

The Phillies enter this season as defending NL East champions for the first time since 2012. Yet that flag was won largely before the weather turned crisp.

Cruel autumn

It’d be trite to term the Phillies’ season a “tale of two halves,” but it would also be painfully accurate. They sent a franchise-record eight players to the All-Star Game, by which time they’d posted a 62-34 record and amassed an 8 ½ game division lead.

And while that lead never dipped below five games, their performance went south in the 66 games after the break – in almost every respect.

First half: A .756 OPS, .331 OBP, 113+ adjusted OPS.

Second half: .741, .316, 107.

On the pitching side? A first-half 3.42 ERA, .657 OPS against and 3.41 strikeout-walk ratio devolved to 4.49, .767 and 2.97.

“It’s really hard, as good as we were in the first half, to replicate that in the second half,” says Realmuto. “To have two halves that dominant. For me it’s about playing our best baseball at the right time.”

The team never played so poorly as to provoke panic, and the malaise could be at least partially attributed to the perpetually comfortable division cushion. Yet before they could flip a switch, the Mets flattened them, their once-stout bullpen suddenly unsteady and manager Rob Thomson juggling the lineup and benching All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm.

With six players locked into nine-figure contracts, this winter was not the time for a revamp, not that one was necessarily needed.

Instead, club president Dave Dombrowski made significant but not sweeping changes: Left fielder Max Kepler’s bat will be a big improvement over Johan Rojas, closer Jordan Romano should backfill the ninth inning after Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman departed, and the trade for lefty Jesús Luzardo is insurance against rotation regression, and a bridge to top prospect Andrew Painter’s arrival.

“I’m really excited about the pieces that Dave and John did bring in and add to the group we had last year,” says Realmuto. “If the core group of guys here just do our part and get a little better and continue to work, we’re going to be in a good spot at the end of the year.”

That core remains almost peerless. Ace Zack Wheeler nearly won the Cy Young Award, and he and Aaron Nola combined to throw 399 innings. Perpetual MVP threat Bryce Harper’s .898 OPS ranked fourth in the NL, and he, Wheeler, second baseman Bryson Stott and outfielder Brandon Marsh were all Gold Glove finalists.

Yet right fielder Nick Castellanos was simply league average in his production, and Bohm epitomized the club’s softer second half numbers, with a .268 OBP and four homers in his final 37 games before a playoff benching.

“If you were to look at the team on paper, it’s really good,” says Schwarber. “We showed that at points last year, how great of a team we can be and are. We won the division and obviously had an early exit, right?

“It comes down to us to execute in the postseason. There’s no surprises to our roster. People are going to look at our lineup, our starters and bullpen and know everyone. I think that’s the beauty of it – it comes down to us to perform and figure out a way to be the last team standing.”

Yet it’s not like the club can simply set an egg timer for mid-September to ensure they roust themselves from the second-half doldrums, right?

“Definitely not. You gotta work,” says Realmuto. “And by the time September hits, you gotta know what you’re doing well and not doing well and capitalize on those things you’re doing well.

“And the things you’re not doing well, do those less often.”

Always in it to win it

The NL East stakes were raised with Juan Soto’s $765 million deal with the Mets, who came tantalizingly close to a World Series trip. Yet in what figures to be a three-team race, the Phillies should offer greater pitching certainty than the Mets or Atlanta Braves.

And should Painter be ready for a summer promotion, he could provide a second-half gust at their backs that was missing last year.

That would be a welcome youth infusion for a club not getting any younger. Realmuto, who turns 34 in March, missed five weeks after undergoing meniscus repair on his right knee in June, and didn’t have his legs under him for a while after.

He’d welcome a return in 2026, better yet if it dovetails with the Phillies’ prosperity.

“My mindset’s kind of the same every year: If what I want happens, then everybody’s happy at the end of the year,” says Realmuto, who re-signed on a five-year, $115.5 million deal two months after hitting free agency in 2021. “If we win, if the Phillies win, win the division, win the World Series, the contract stuff will take care of itself. My free agency will all take care of itself.”  

Schwarber is in a similar situation. The Philles could be primed for a more significant reset after 2026, when Castellanos comes off the books and prospects like shortstop Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford are closer to contributing.

Still, Schwarber’s elite power and on-base ability – he’s averaged 44 homers and a .344 OBP in his three seasons – bring plenty of upside, even as his positional limitations, particularly with Harper ensconced at first base, limit roster flexibility.

Time flies when you’re having fun.

“It’s been a quick four years, going into the fourth year of it,” says Schwarber, who was non-tendered by the Chicago Cubs in 2020 and played for Washington and Boston in 2021. “But it’s been great. For me, it’s kind of like I’ve got that first chance where you feel you can settle in, get to know a group and kind of keep blossoming into who you are as a person, a player.

“It’s been such a great time and all you can ask for – walking into a spring training clubhouse and you’ve got an opportunity to win. That’s been my biggest thing – I love being on winning teams. We’re not playing to get through a 162-game season. We’re playing for more.”

And still well-positioned to finish the job.

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If you want to have a miserable time watching sports these days, tune in to a college basketball game with about a 10-point margin and four minutes to go. There’s a good chance you’ll get your wish. 

Vanderbilt’s 86-84 road win Wednesday night at Texas A&M was a disgrace to the sport, an eyesore of the highest order and a cry for help in a sport that too often doesn’t have a clue about how tedious it can become.

From the time the ball was inbounded with 3:33 remaining and Vanderbilt leading 70-60, it took more than 40 minutes of real time to complete the game. Why? In a game where officials blew the whistle for 52 total fouls, 14 were called in the final minutes, leading to 28 free throws. Toss in a couple of instant replay reviews, injury stoppages, timeouts and endless offense-defense substitutions by both coaches and you have the most unwatchable finish possible to a game that had the potential to be dramatic. 

Would anyone in their right mind find that entertaining? These bungled end-of-game scenarios are absolutely killing the momentum of what has been an otherwise fantastic season in college hoops. 

And what happened in College Station isn’t a one-off or just an SEC problem. Last Saturday, for instance, it took more than 30 minutes of actual time to play the last three of NC State’s 85-73 win over Wake Forest for similar reasons: Constant fouling, subbing and the compulsion of college referees these days to go to the monitor every time they’re unsure late in a game whose fingertip a ball nicked before it went out of bounds. 

Who wants this? 

In calls and texts to some administrators on Thursday morning, there is broad agreement that games are taking too long, officials are too reliant on the replay monitor and endless parades to the foul line suck the absolute life out of the game. For every great college basketball finish that comes down to a final possession, you will have at least one or two that gets pulled into a slog. 

There is no reason for these games to so regularly overshoot the two-hour television windows. By the time Vanderbilt-Texas A&M was off the air Thursday, the ensuing Kentucky-Oklahoma game on SEC Network had fewer than eight minutes remaining in the first half. 

How can anyone defend that? And guess what: In the upcoming NCAA tournament, where the TV networks squeeze in even longer commercial breaks, it will probably be worse. 

The good news is, this can all be fixed — if college administrators and the NCAA men’s basketball oversight committee have the stomach to fix it. 

Traditionally, men’s college basketball is glacially slow to change any rules. And the sport’s establishment gets especially offended by any suggestion that it should modify its game to look more like the NBA. 

But a crisis like this demands some fresh thinking. And it has to start with one simple admission: It should never, ever, under any circumstance, take 40 minutes to play fewer than four minutes of game time the way Texas A&M and Vanderbilt fans suffered through on Wednesday. 

So how do you fix it? 

The most obvious and easiest change is to go from two halves of 20 minutes to four quarters of 10 minutes each. This is a no-brainer. Every other form of the sport plays four quarters except for men’s college basketball. Not only is it asinine, it’s actively harmful to the game. 

Everyone in the sport knows that playing halves slows the game down because the moment a team commits a seventh foul, every subsequent foul results in a trip to the free-throw line for the rest of the half. If officials are calling the game tightly, that threshold can be crossed pretty quick. 

In every other league, including women’s college basketball, the fouls reset every quarter and there is less time being spent in the bonus after a team commits its fifth foul. Again, there is absolutely no logical reason why men’s college basketball does not conform to this system. 

The second easy fix is to get rid of the current instant replay system, where the officials look at pretty much every close out-of-bounds call in the final two minutes of a game, and go to a coaches-challenge system like the NBA employs. 

Though even the NBA approach to instant replay has its detractors, and its officials too can get a little too monitor-happy in certain situations, college basketball simply cannot continue on its current course. It’s now relatively common to see officials make a call and then immediately signal for a review, second-guessing their own work. It takes too long, it brings the game to a halt, it happens with far too much frequency and it shouldn’t be acceptable.  

Finding the right line between acceptable human error and the integrity of the game is always a tricky conversation. You want to get the close calls right, especially when there’s so much on the line, but nitpicking every loose-ball scramble or carom off a fingertip is a crutch for bad officiating and a road to nowhere. 

Just give coaches a challenge they can use at any point in the game or keep in their back pocket to deploy when it really counts, whether it’s an out-of-bounds call or a controversial foul, like the one Arizona got called for with 3.2 seconds left last Saturday to give BYU a 96-95 victory. Think Tommy Lloyd would have liked to have veteran official Tony Padilla take a second look at that one?

That’s what replay should be used for. Otherwise? You gotta live with human error. It’s a better way than what college basketball currently has, and it would almost certainly prevent some unnecessary stoppages in the final few minutes. 

The next two suggestions are in the more radical category but should be up for discussion. 

The first is to adopt a 24-second shot clock. A lot of college coaches would not like this because they enjoy the ability to set up the offense in the half court and call plays from the sideline. There is also a longstanding argument that the majority of college players aren’t skilled enough to operate in a 24-second shot clock environment and it would make the game uglier and more frantic. 

But the other side of that argument is that ultimately, players would adapt, it would help their long-term development for pro basketball and it would cut down on some of the foul-o-rama tactics at the end of games. It’s simply a math equation: When a team is trailing in the final few minutes, it’s often a better bet to play defense and try to get a stop when the shot clock is 24 seconds as opposed to 30. 

The final suggestion is the most controversial. The NBA G League has for several years now used a one-free-throw rule, which means a player who gets fouled goes to the line for one shot only that is worth the corresponding number of points until the final two minutes of the game. In other words, if you’re fouled shooting a three, you get one shot worth three points. If you’re fouled shooting a layup, you get one shot worth two points. 

It eliminates a lot of wasted time at the foul line and moves things along. It’s worth looking at because, let’s face it, free throws are the least-entertaining part of the sport. 

All of these suggestions and more should be on the table if college basketball is serious about cleaning up its act and presenting a more fan-friendly product. And if you can’t admit that 40 minutes is way too long to play the final 213 seconds of a basketball game, you shouldn’t have any role in the future of the sport to begin with. 

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich announced that he will not return to the sidelines this season, months after he suffered a mild stroke, but expressed his desire to eventually return to coaching.

‘I’ve decided not to return to the sidelines this season,’ Popovich said Thursday in a statement released through the team. ‘(Acting coach) Mitch Johnson and his staff have done a wonderful job and the resolve and professionalism the players have shown, sticking together during a challenging season, has been outstanding. I will continue to focus on my health with the hope that I can return to coaching in the future.’

Prior to issuing the statement, Popovich addressed the Spurs in person for the first time since he suffered the mild stroke Nov. 2. During the meeting, Popovich updated the team about his recovery and let them know that he would miss the remainder of the season.

This follows a report from ESPN Saturday, indicating that it was expected Popovich would not be returning to coach this season.

Popovich, 76, has missed all but five of San Antonio’s games this season. Assistant coach Mitch Johnson has been serving as the acting head coach in Popovich’s abscence.

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The Spurs were two games over .500 after upsetting the Denver Nuggets Jan. 3, but have since stumbled, going 6-17 since then. The team did acquire point guard De’Aaron Fox earlier this month in a trade with the Sacramento Kings, hoping that pairing him with second-year phenom Victor Wembanyama would elevate the team’s play.

Wembanyama, however, was diagnosed on Feb. 20 with deep vein thrombosis, or a type of blood clot, in his right shoulder, following the All-Star Game. The team announced that Wembanyama would miss the rest of the season, undoubtedly slowing San Antonio’s ambitions to contend under this rebuild.

The Spurs are currently in a four-game losing streak and are 24-33, in 13th place in the Western Conference.

Johnson’s performance with the Spurs is counting towards Popovich’s career coaching stats; that means Popovich — as of Thursday afternoon — has recorded 1,412 career victories in the NBA, most of all-time.

Is tight end Travis Kelce returning to play for the Chiefs in 2025? The answer, for now, is still not totally clear.

Kelce has not yet made an official announcement on his intentions to continue playing football next season as rumors of his potential retirement continue to swirl. But in the meantime, several comments from NFL personnel and media members have indicated that a return is more likely than not.

On Tuesday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told NFL Network, ‘We anticipate Travis being back … and that’s how we’re operating this offseason.’

Veach also expressed that they believe Kelce can still contribute at a high level both on and off the field for the Chiefs. The veteran tight end’s poor performance in Kansas City’s Super Bowl loss to the Eagles, Veach said, could be explained in part by an illness that Kelce was battling that week.

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Two days later, ESPN host Pat McAfee shared that his ‘source(s)’ told him that Kelce is ‘coming back for sure.’

McAfee’s source, who ostensibly is Kelce himself, said, ‘[I’ve] got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game, and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!’

To reiterate, Kelce still has not made any official public comment himself, so any speculation about his return thus far should be taken with a grain of salt. If he returns, the 35-year-old would be entering his 13th season in the NFL, a career length that would match his brother, former Eagles center Jason Kelce.

Travis is coming off of the least productive season of his career outside of a rookie season that featured only one snap. He finished 2024 with career-low marks in yards (823) and touchdowns (3) on 133 targets and 97 receptions.

Still, the tight end has been a crucial part of the Chiefs’ offense since his first year healthy in 2014.

Kelce was named to his 10th straight Pro Bowl this past season and is a seven-time All-Pro, with four appearances on the first team and three on the second team. He is also a three-time Super Bowl champion and the holder of five Chiefs franchise records, including career receptions (1,004), receiving yards (12,151) and receiving touchdowns (77).

In the shadow of the NFL Scouting Combine, a supposedly random meeting between two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks seems to have stolen some of the spotlight.

The story begins with seven-time champion Tom Brady being a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, a team with serious quarterback issues it needs to address. Then there’s two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matthew Stafford, who led the Los Angeles Rams to a title three years ago but who’s been the subject of trade rumors this offseason as the team reassesses its future. Adding to the intrigue, the Rams have reportedly given Stafford’s agent permission to speak with other teams to determine his trade value.

But that’s before things started getting weird.

Tom Brady reportedly recruiting Matthew Stafford

A report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal said Brady has been in contact with Stafford’s camp about possibly coming to the Raiders. Stafford, 37, has two years remaining on his contract with the Rams, but is said, per NFL Network, to be seeking a new deal that ups his average annual value from $40 million to $50 million.

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Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford went skiing?

On Wednesday, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported that Brady recently hosted Stafford at his home in Montana, where the two ‘spent time together and went skiing.’

That would be quite the flex on Brady’s part.

However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport downplayed the meeting’s significance, saying it was ‘unplanned’ – while also taking a shot at Schultz’s report by adding it ‘did not include Brady ‘hosting’ or ‘recruiting’ Stafford, despite reports saying otherwise.’

Rapoport added in a separate post on X that ‘like many other high-profile people,’ Brady and Stafford both own houses in the same ski community.

Tom Brady’s agent issues cryptic denial

Another NFL Network reporter, Tom Pelissero, added some fuel to the fire after reaching out to Brady’s longtime agent, Don Yee.

Referring to the report of a Brady-Stafford ‘recruiting visit’ and describing it as ‘an Internet rumor,’ Pelissero got a vague response from Yee: ‘I know that reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste, but this story’s inaccurate.’

Showdown at Starbucks

Not content to conduct their disagreements over the internet, Rapoport and Schultz just happened to run into each other on Wednesday at the Starbucks coffee shop inside the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, where they’re covering the NFL combine.

With their feud percolating, there was a “serious big time media confrontation,” between ‘two NFL newsbreakers,’ according to a post on X by Eric Sollenberger, who goes by the handle of @PFTCommenter. 

Sollenberger cited several eyewitnesses, as did Mike Florio of NBC’s Pro Football Talk, who reported Schultz accosted Rapoport.

The (ahem) brew-haha was reported to NFL Security. And Florio says the league took statements from mulitple witnesses.

From Shedeur Sanders and Ashton Jeanty to Abdul Carter and Walter Nolen, many of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL draft have already bowed out of testing and on-field drills at this year’s scouting combine. In a class already short on star power, that could allow for the Indianapolis spotlight to be seized by a surprising figure.

Identifying prospects flying under the radar can be somewhat of a moving target, especially this early in the process. But there are plenty of top athletes and players on the rise who could soon be the talk of the event despite lacking the billing of some of their peers.

Here are 10 sleepers who could create a buzz at the combine:

QB Tyler Shough, Louisville

A seventh-year senior who will turn 26 as a rookie might seem like an odd candidate for a sleeper, as many might be hard-pressed to see the room for growth with a passer who was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. But after navigating stops at Oregon and Texas Tech to start his career, Shough finally found his form in his lone season with the Cardinals. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound signal-caller is a classic pocket passer who can deal to every level of the field and manipulate coverage, though he can struggle to regain his composure if forced out of rhythm. His medical outlook might be the most important part of his combine stay after he was sidelined for extensive stretches in the previous three seasons with various ailments, but Shough has the opportunity to stand out amid a glut of quarterbacks clawing for a spot on Day 2.

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RB Jaydon Blue, Texas

As part of a loaded Longhorns backfield, Blue only logged 214 carries in three years, even after taking on a leading role last season. But that was more than enough for him to demonstrate his breakaway straight-line speed. The former track standout ran an official 10.7 100-meter in high school but says he topped out at 10.2. The 6-foot, 200-pounder will put his speed to the test in the 40, and a top time could help him stand out as a potential big-play threat, both as a runner and a receiver.

RB Marcus Yarns, Delaware

After racking up 29 touchdowns in the last two years with the Blue Hens, Yarns demonstrated at the Senior Bowl he’s up to the task of hanging with a higher level of competition. The 5-foot-10, 189-pounder now has the chance to set himself apart from his more highly-touted peers as a potential third-down back who can create mismatches against linebackers in the passing game. He’s a strong candidate to post one of the better 40-yard dash times and should also fare well in drills that highlight his explosiveness.

WR Kyle Williams, Washington State

Don’t pigeonhole the 5-foot-10, 182-pound target as merely a slot receiver. The UNLV transfer eats up cushions in a hurry, as he posted 17.1 yards per reception and 14 touchdowns last season. He also topped out at 21.36 mph during Senior Bowl practice, the best mark of any receiver during the first session. With the potential to also post impressive marks in agility drills, Williams could continue to solidify his push into Day 2 if he has a strong outing.

WR Da’Quan Felton, Virginia Tech

His physical traits alone should earn him a shot with some team, as 6-foot-5, 212-pound pass catchers with big-play potential as downfield targets aren’t easy to find. But the former Norfolk State transfer has to account for a litany of drops and an overall lack of refinement. His deep-ball credentials are evident after he averaged 17 yards per catch in 2023, but standing out with top marks in the vertical leap and broad jump — as well as an impressive 40-yard dash — might help him convince teams to overlook the other shortcomings in his game and nab him as a developmental option.

OT Charles Grant, William & Mary

The wrestling-to-offensive-line pipeline continues to run strong with Grant, who was an all-state wrestler at 220 pounds in high school. Now standing 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds with a massive wingspan, he’s a two-time All-American who should be one of the first Football Championship Subdivision prospects off the board. Grant shouldn’t have trouble showing he can get on the move, which should help him in case some teams view him as a guard.

DE Bradyn Swinson, LSU

Is it possible for a second-team All-Southeastern Conference pick to be overlooked early in the draft process? In the case of Swinson, it’s possible. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound former Oregon transfer doesn’t have the same widespread recognition as many other established figures in this edge rusher class, but few players can match his burst in getting off the line or closing in on the quarterback. His technique is a work in progress, but rangy, explosive pass rushers with a knack for slipping blocks tend to get claimed quickly come draft day.

LB Eugene Asante, Auburn

A sixth-year senior, he toiled in relative obscurity through three years at North Carolina and one at Auburn before breaking out in 2023. At 6-foot and 220 pounds, he’s built like a safety but runs like a cornerback, closing in on ball carriers in a hurry. His frenetic style made the team captain a source of energy for the Tigers’ defense, but it could also occasionally be his undoing whenever he overran plays or bit on misdirection. While his instincts are underdeveloped for his experience level and his size might disqualify him from some schemes, Asante should be able to showcase his impressive raw tools at the combine. His best shot at latching on with a team is likely as a sub-package linebacker who can create havoc as a blitzer and grow into a potential coverage asset against running backs.

CB Darien Porter, Iowa State

Not often you find a 6-foot-2, 197-pound cornerback who was a high school state record-setter in the 400 meters. It’s even more rare that a defensive back with an elite level of linear athleticism is also fluid enough to be a standout in man coverage while adding ample ball skills from his earlier days as a receiver. Yet Porter manages to put all that together in what might be one of the most impressive sets of physical tools in this year’s class. A sixth-year senior who didn’t start until 2024, Porter is a late bloomer who still can be shaken by craftier receivers. But his immense upside should be evident through his workout and testing marks.

CB Tommi Hill, Nebraska

Another former receiver who switched sides in college, Hill saw what should have been a breakout 2024 campaign derailed by plantar fasciitis. If the 6-foot, 205-pounder is fully recovered, he has a shot to be among the leaders in the vertical leap, broad jump and 40-yard dash. For teams that rely heavily on zone coverage and are in search of a sure tackler with superlative ball skills, Hill could have plenty of appeal.

Smith’s two sons ― Landon and Brady Smith ― are still with the Utah basketball team. Landon is Utah’s director of administration and basketball operations, while Brady is a sophomore walk-on transfer from Salt Lake Community College.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd praised both of Craig Smith’s sons for handling their father’s firing well following the Wildcats’ 83-66 win over the Utes.

“I want to acknowledge two guys today, Brady and Landon Smith,” Lloyd said following Thursday’s game. “They are Craig’s kids. One’s the director of operations; the other’s a walk-on. Both of those kids showed up today, which is pretty amazing. I know this is a business, and it’s a hard business, and I get all those things, but we all have families. We all have kids, and for his kids to show up today

‘…Craig, I talked to him today, and had not one bad word to say, straight class. For his boys to show up today, with their teammates, says something. This stuff’s hard, what we go through, even when it’s going good, it’s hard.”

The university fired Craig Smith on Monday following a 76-72 loss to UCF on Sunday. The loss dropped the Utes to 15-12 on the season and 7-9 in Big 12 play. Utah went 65-62 in four seasons under Craig Smith and never reached the NCAA Tournament.

Utah hired Craig Smith in 2021 following a successful three-year run as the coach for Utah State. However, Craig Smith could never capture the magic with the Utes, ultimately leading to his firing. Lloyd can sympathize with it in a high-pressure role as a coach.

“We got to know each other coaching against each other in the Pac-12, and we kind of came into the league together,” Lloyd said. “Do Craig and I talk on the phone a lot? No. Do we completely understand what everybody goes through all the time? Yes. So you develop a brotherhood.

“There’s not too many people that know what your life’s really like, and the stress you feel and the pressure that’s on you, and trying to figure out your team and everything comes with it. It was just one guy calling another guy because he respects him, and I just wanted him to know that, ‘hey, he’s a great dude, and sorry that that happened, and I hope he and his family are OK.”

INDIANAPOLIS – Most of college football’s top 2025 NFL prospects will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium to showcase their skills in front of NFL head coaches, executives and scouts.

A total of 329 players were invited to participate at the 2025 NFL combine. Abdul Carter, Shedeur Sanders and Ashton Jeanty won’t work out at this year’s event, but plenty of other high-touted prospects will put their skills on display as they attempt to impress the NFL world in advance of the draft.

Here are six top prospects I’m looking forward to watching at this year’s combine:

Colorado CB Travis Hunter

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The reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the most ballyhooed prospect in this year’s draft class. Hunter’s name was mentioned a ton during coach and general manager interviews.

Hunter is listed as a cornerback at the combine.

Some coaches and general managers view Hunter as a better wide receiver prospect, and others consider him to be best suited as a cornerback. All the coaches and general managers that I spoke with said Hunter has the ability, at minimum, to have some wide receiver packages at the NFL level.

Hunter is the consensus top cornerback in this draft class. He has rare ball skills and diagnoses routes well as a cornerback. His skills as a wide receiver seamlessly translate to corner, and he uses it to his advantage.

Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan

Many believe McMillan is the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. The 6-foot-5 wide receiver has a big catch radius and runs with long strides. He’s a possession receiver with good ball skills.  

There are questions about McMillan’s speed and versatility running the route tree. If he runs in the 4.5 range or below, it could solidify him as the top wide receiver in this year’s draft class.

McMillan compiled 84 catches for 1,319 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. He was named first-team All-Big 12 and an AP first-team All-American.

Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart

Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders are the top two quarterbacks in the 2025 draft. The third-best quarterback prospect is to be determined. Dart has a prime opportunity to make his case as he showcases his skills at the combine.

Dart started three years in the SEC. He throws with adequate accuracy, can get through progressions and is a good decision-maker. However, there are concerns about Dart’s arm strength and anticipatory throws. The passing drills at the combine will be massive for him.

Dart earned first-team All-SEC in 2024. He set an Ole Miss school career record with 10,617 passing yards.

North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton

There’s talk that Ashton Jeanty and Hampton could be drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs were the last two running backs to be selected in the first round of the same draft in 2023. Robinson and Gibbs have fared well thus far.

Hampton is a downhill running back who runs with good aggression. At 6-foot, 200 pounds, he has the size and strength to be a three-down running back. The North Carolina product can improve on his ability to diagnose holes and lacks elusiveness. His cone drill will be equally as important to the 40-yard dash.

Texans QB Quinn Ewers

There were some games last season where Ewers played like a top-three quarterback prospect in the draft and others where he looked like a mid-round pick at best. Ewers is a gamer and performs well when in rhythm. He has solid arm talent and can make throws off-platform.

The Texas product sometimes struggles with consistency and his mechanics sometimes break down. He has raw talent, and it could be on display in Indianapolis.

Ewers played high-level football, starting 35 games at Texas. His streak of 26 straight games with a passing touchdown is the longest active in the FBS.

Marshall EDGE Mike Green

Teams are intrigued with Green after a superb performance at the Senior Bowl.

Green is athletic, explosive and has the bend and flexibility to get around the edge. Green’s 17 sacks led the FBS in 2024, a Sun Belt Conference record and matched the Marshall team record. He also registered 22.5 tackles for loss.

Penn State’s Abdul Carter is considered the top edge in this year’s draft. There’s no clear No. 2 pass rusher. Can Green make his case at the combine?

Green does come with some character concerns. Green addressed circumstances around his 2022 departure from the Virginia football team at the combine. He was accused of sexual assault twice, allegations in which he denied. He was suspended from Virginia and transferred to Marshall.