INDIANAPOLIS – Jacob Rodriguez won’t know for another two months where he’ll be playing football in 2026. But the former Texas Tech star doesn’t need the NFL draft to inform him where he’ll be.

“Home is wherever she is,” Rodriguez said Feb. 25 at the league’s annual scouting combine, a reference to his wife, Emma.

And while that might seem like a stock answer for one half of a young couple, it’s hardly simple in the case of the Rodriguezes. That’s because Emma, who graduated from West Point in 2023, is now a Black Hawk helicopter pilot – meaning not only does the lieutenant have a demanding Army career of her own, she’s likely to be stationed anywhere in the United States, to say nothing of the likelihood she’ll be deployed abroad and maybe domestically.

“We’ve been doing long distance for our whole marriage, and so it’s something that we’ve kinda been used to,” said Jacob Rodriguez of Emma, who was also his high school sweetheart when they were growing up in Texas. “I know she has a lot going on, I have a lot going on. We both try to find the time to get to talk to each other.

“Whenever we get to see each other, it’ll be great.”

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In the meantime, NFL ballcarriers are likely to see a lot of Rodriguez, an off-ball linebacker – and sooner than later.

An All-America in 2025 for the Red Raiders, the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and winner of numerous postseason awards last year (Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award among them), Rodriguez’s 140 solo tackles since 2024 were the most in FBS. He also forced seven fumbles in 2025, tied for the most in a single season over the past decade, and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting (including 17 first-place votes) despite his rarely recognized position.

“Just a total playmaker – run stuffing, sacks, interceptions, pass breakups. He does it all, even scored a touchdown on offense,” said ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller.

“I know there’s going to be some conversation about athletic ability, (lack of) explosiveness in the lower body … (but) in terms of just pure football players, Jacob Rodriguez is one of the best in this class.”

Jacob Rodriguez ‘will be a starter in the NFL’ draft expert says

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds by Texas Tech, Rodriguez may not have optimal size for his position – which he hasn’t even played for all that long – and may not blow many scouts away with his other physical traits. But he’s taken the long road to success before.

“I’ll make this prediction here early: Jacob Rodriguez might not be a top 100 pick in this draft, (but) he will be a starter in the NFL,” says Miller.

“I would not be surprised if he works his way into a rookie starter position and then has a very nice, long career because of the instincts, the football IQ, the awareness and the toughness that he plays with.”

Rodriguez has only been a linebacker since 2022, when he changed schools and positions after getting a scholarship to play quarterback at the University of Virginia coming out of high school. But a coaching switch in Charlottesville led him to enter the transfer portal – where he languished before getting a lifeline from Texas Tech, with caveats: He had to walk on … and switch positions. Yet his experience behind center has translated quite nicely to his new role – though he did score a pair of red-zone TDs in 2025 on direct snaps in option packages amid a callback to his former football life.

“It definitely helps,” Rodriguez says of his QB background. “Preparation is the biggest thing. Quarterbacks prepare in such a way that they have to know everything that’s going on on both sides of the ball.”

Said Miller: “You see that – the understanding of the game, the knowledge of the game definitely shows up now that he’s on defense.”

Yet so does the hard work and leadership.

“Jacob is one of the guys who has to come around and cool me down when I’m talking trash. It’s exciting to play with J-Rod,” said Texas Tech defensive lineman Lee Hunter, one of several Big 12 champion Red Raiders invited to this year’s combine.

‘J-Rod is the GOAT. He’s a dog. He takes pride in what he’s doing.’

And, similar to most defensive quarterbacks, that means a lot of time studying the playbook and opponents.

“A lot of it comes from preparation,” said Rodriguez, who’s already met with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears at the combine.

“You kinda know where the ball’s gonna go, and so you can have a quicker step to be able to get there. And then a lot of it has to do with effort – if you’re playing defense, then you’ve got to play with a lot of effort. That’s kinda mandatory.”

Rodriguez models his game after Buffalo Bills linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard but became prolific at creating turnovers by watching former Bears cornerback Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman, whom he recently met.

“There has to be a purpose to take the ball away – everything you do should be wanting to take the ball,” said Rodriguez.

It would be a ball for Emma Rodriguez if she’s able to continue seeing her husband play in person. She managed to make the trip from her duty station in Fort Riley, Kansas, to see all of his home games in Texas Tech’s magical 2025 season, which ended with a loss to Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals.

“Long distance is hard, but whenever you’re with the right person, it’s incredibly worth it,” Emma Rodriguez told ESPN last season.

“We live very different lives but very demanding lives at the same time. And as long as we get to do it together, that’s what makes it worth it.”

Married now for nearly three years, Jacob Rodriguez says his union with Emma is “normal,” underpinned by trust and inspiration.

“She motivates me so much,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here without her.

“She’s great, she’s so high performing in her own right. It helps us because she understands how much work you have to put in to do something at a high level, and so I think we have a mutual respect for each other on that end.”

And, if the NFL does them a solid, maybe a place to make a mutual home sooner rather than later.

The 2025-26 college basketball season continues to be a difficult one for Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley.

The 11th-year Sun Devils coach saw his team drop to 5-10 in Big 12 play following a 90-78 loss to TCU on Tuesday, Feb. 24. To add injury to insult, Hurley was also knocked down during a dustup, falling to the floor, about midway through the second half.

A brief sideline scrap between the two teams began when Bryce Ford was forced to call a timeout after Arizona State’s Andrija Grbović set a successful trap near the Sun Devil bench. Grbović and Ford continued to tussle after the whistle.

Members of both teams ran near the ASU bench, with shoving ensuing, with Hurley pushing Horned Frogs center Vianney Salatchoum back, and TCU coach Jamie Dixon also got involved. In all of it, it appears Hurley tripped over someone’s feet and tumbled to the floor.

Despite the brief scuffle, no players or coaches were ejected. Still, it was another bad chapter in the last two seasons for Hurley. The Sun Devils fell to 13-12 overall and are tied for the 12th-worst record in the Big 12.

Last season, ASU finished 15th in the conference and has not had a winning season since the 2022-23 season. Hurley is in the final year of his contract and is widely seen as a lame duck head coach.

“Chloe [Kitts] will come back next year,’ Staley said. ‘I think she said that on Instagram. Right? Well, as far as I know (she’s coming back). Transfer portal isn’t open yet.”

Kitts, a 6-foot-2 forward, tore the ACL in her right knee in September and is out for the season. Before Staley’s confirmation, it was unclear if Kitts would return to South Carolina or declare for the 2026 WNBA Draft. Kitts hasn’t announced her return on Instagram. Staley may have been referring to an October 2025 post the Gamecocks senior made when sharing news of her ACL injury.

‘While this isn’t how I hoped my senior season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose,’ Kitts wrote. ‘I’ll continue to lead, support and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead!’

Before her injury, Kitts started was a starter for the Gamecocks. The South Carolina forward was part of the undefeated 2023-2024 team that won a national championship. Kitts posted career highs in points (10.2), rebounds (7.7), assists (1.9) and steals (0.7) her junior season.

Kitts won MVP at the 2025 SEC Tournament and averaged 10.6 points during South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament run. Kitts finished the 2025 NCAA Tournament with two double-doubles, including 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Sweet 16.

In his first battle against the automated ball-strike system, Paul Skenes was no match for the robots.

Pitching his first inning of the spring as he ramps up for both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Team USA’s World Baseball Classic squad, Skenes faced called strike challenges from Atlanta Braves batters on three occasions.

And the Braves successfully challenged all three calls by homeplate umpire Chris Segal – and added another in the second inning.

Two of the overturns definitely made life more difficult for Skenes. Braves first baseman Matt Olson – one of the game’s most disciplined hitters – challenged a 1-1 curveball that Segal called a strike, nicking the outside corner. Olson, a sheepish grin on his face, tapped his head just, you know, to see what happened.

Sure enough, Segal erred – by one-tenth of an inch, ABS ruled – and a 1-2 count became a 2-1 count. Olson went on to draw a two-out walk, illustrating how certain counts – such as 1-1 – are more pivotal and perhaps crucial to challenge.

Thusly emboldened, Jurickson Profar followed by challenging the first pitch – a 98.3 mph fastball seemingly on the outside corner. Segal? Wrong again, this time by a half-inch. And 0-1 became 1-0 and Profar drew a walk.

On challenge No. 3, Skenes finally took matters into his own hands. Jumping ahead 0-2 on Austin Riley, he fired a 99-mph fastball at the top of the zone. Segal punched Riley out – and Riley was tapping his helmet before Skenes could even think to trudge off the mound.

Call overturned – a whole 1.5 inches above the zone.

At that point, the camera turned to Skenes’ girlfriend, Livvy Dunne, in the stands at the Braves’ CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla. She looked far more relieved when Skenes threw an almost identical pitch – just a smidge lower and in the zone.

And Riley swung through it anyway.

The Braves’ pedantry cost Skenes anywhere from three to 13 more pitches, finishing with 31 for the inning. Not necessarily what the Pirates or Skenes wanted.

But he still put up a zero and struck out two – proving robots can only break Skenes down so much.

Yet challenges will be a way of life in this, the first year of the ABS system in which teams are granted two challenges for both sides of the ball – and get to keep them if they’re successful. Spring 2025 was a trial run, but with the system going live on Opening Day, teams are doing what they can to ace the system.

And perhaps the Braves got the NL’s reigning Cy Young Award winner off his game just a bit.

In his second inning of work, Skenes was his own enemy, issuing walks to Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón. Leadoff batter Ronald Acuña Jr. then challenged a fastball that ABS ruled was 1.5 inches outside.

Skenes got Acuña on a pop-up, seemingly no worse for wear. Yet this was Skenes’ lone spring start for the Pirates before the WBC, and they’d hoped to get him through three innings.

Instead, he was lifted with one out in the third, his 53 pitches not enough to complete the frame. Skenes struck out four but also walked four – technology no help in his efforts at pitch efficiency.

Snoop Dogg left a major impression during his visit to see Swansea City face Preston on Tuesday, Feb. 24.

The rap star was given a hero’s welcome ahead of the game, his first in person since becoming an investor in Swansea last year. Fans at the Swansea.com Stadium greeted Snoop Dogg by waving white towels, while young soccer players gave the 54-year-old a guard of honor on the field.

But Preston head coach Paul Heckingbottom joked Snoop Dogg made his presence felt in another way.

At his post-game press conference after the teams drew 1-1, Heckingbottom was asked if his players had been aware of the festive atmosphere surrounding the rap star’s presence.

‘Just the smell of weed in the tunnel is the only thing that [made us] realize something was different,’ Heckingbottom said.

Snoop Dogg traveled to Wales after his spell at the Winter Olympics in Italy, where he served as a special correspondent for NBC.

According to Swansea manager Vítor Matos, the rapper went into the dressing room to speak with the players.

“He’s someone that likes to be involved. He was involved not only with us, but as well with the (U.S.) Olympic team. He really loves sports,” Matos said.

“It’s good for him to be involved. I’m happy that we have someone like him who loves the club, loves the city, wants to be here.”

Snoop even appeared to call his shot before the game. Swansea posted a video on social media of the rapper predicting that Liam Cullen would score in the game — an outcome that came true when the midfielder headed home an equalizer in second-half stoppage time.

Swansea moved up to 14th in the Championship with the draw. The Swans will face third-place Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Several host cities for the 2026 World Cup have warned of potentially ‘catastrophic’ effects if $625 million in security funds aren’t distributed amid a partial government shutdown.

The funds were designated for the 11 American host cities in the Trump administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which was passed in July.

The money is intended to ‘carry out the extensive security activities required to protect players, staff, attendees, venues and critical infrastructure across the host cities, strengthening them against potential terrorist attacks.’

But in a Feb. 24 hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security, representatives from Miami, Kansas City and New Jersey said that they had not yet received the funds.

With just more than 100 days until the World Cup kicks off, those who testified warned of major consequences should the money not arrive soon.

‘We have to start making some really tough decisions and it starts with our fan festival,’ said Ray Martinez, chief operating officer of the Miami World Cup Host Committee.

‘Without receiving this money, it could be catastrophic for our planning and coordination.

‘The matches up at the stadium will take place, but preparing for all the impromptu events and watch parties that we are expecting to see will be in jeopardy.’

The current government shutdown is limited to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees a number of government agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency administering the $625 million in grants.

Rep. Nellie Pou, a New Jersey Democrat whose district includes World Cup final venue MetLife Stadium, warned that her constituents are ‘running out of time’ to prepare for the tournament.

“Congress has appropriated $625 million for the 11 cities hosting World Cup matches, including my district,” said Pou. “With only roughly four months to go, these cities still report they have not received this funding. This is completely unacceptable this close to kickoff.

‘If DHS is going to play a role in this tournament, then DHS needs to be transparent, coordinated, and timely. The World Cup is a global stage. We need to act like we are ready for it. We’re running out of time.”

Kansas City Deputy Police Chief Joseph Mabin echoed the concerns of others who testified.

‘Right now we’re in a critical stage where we need those funds committed and released,’ Mabin said.

He added: ‘The ‘drop dead’ date for this funding is immediate.”

When Lon Rosen was in his role as executive president and chief marketing officer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he ‘only dreamed’ of having the reach that the Los Angeles Lakers have.

Fourteen years and three World Series championships later, Rosen is returning to the Lakers — the same organization where he started his three-decade career as an intern — as their new president of business operations. The first piece of new owner Mark Walter’s front office overhaul is officially in place.

‘Let’s face it,’ he told reporters. ‘I’m very fortunate to be involved with two very iconic global brands.’

Rosen spoke with a small handful of beat reporters on Tuesday night in a wide-ranging, 20-minute conversation. These are the biggest takeaways:

Rob Pelinka will remain in current role

At the forefront of that overhaul will be the president of basketball operations, Rob Pelinka, who has previously told reporters that he and Governor Jeanie Buss will lead the team’s front office expansion this summer. Among those at his side will be Dodgers executives Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi in advisory roles.

“I just run the business side, Rob’s empowered to do what he does,” Rosen said. “He’s talked about it and I can talk about it. Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, they have involvement helping Rob a bit. It gives you a deeper bench, and I think Rob appreciates that. And it is unique. But they have a skill set that they can transfer some of it here. And that’s really how we look at it.

‘Look, I have a really good relationship with Rob. I’ve known Rob Pelinka from when he was representing Kobe (Bryant). I met him many, many years ago.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday morning that the Lakers are hiring former Virginia head coach Tony Bennett as an NBA draft advisor under Pelinka.

Magic Johnson’s involvement

Aside from Rosen’s ties to Walter, he’s also a longtime business partner of Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson. When Rosen left the Lakers in 1987 to start his sports marketing company, Johnson was his first client. Before Rosen joined the Dodgers front office after Guggenheim Baseball Management — led by Walter and with Johnson as a minority partner — bought the team for $2.15 billion in 2012, Rosen worked for Magic Johnson Enterprises.

Johnson was the Lakers’ president of basketball operations from 2017-19. He was the emcee at Pat Riley’s statue unveiling on Sunday, but he won’t, however, be with the franchise in an official role.

‘Earvin is one of the most unique individuals I’ve known in my life, and he’s one of my closest friends,’ Rosen said. ‘Earvin’s involved with all types of things. He owns football teams, baseball teams, soccer teams, insurance companies, a lot of things. He’s always gonna have some type of involvement with all the teams, but he is not gonna have a day-to-day involvement. It’s gonna be no different since he left the Lakers.

‘Obviously he’s a huge fan of the Lakers, but he’s not gonna be, ‘Hey Rob go sign this player. Do that.’ He’ll always be involved with all the teams that he’s involved in, but no, he’s not gonna have day-to-day involvement at all.”

Ticket prices increasing

One hot-button issue that has been at the forefront of Lakers fans’ minds is the upcoming spike in ticket prices for next season. NBA Twitter personality Rob Perez posted last Friday that his season tickets were increasing by 14% in his section, not including a 3% admin fee for season ticket holders who don’t pay in full upfront.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that one longtime Lakers season ticket holder’s seats in the 300 level were spiking from $6,192 to $9,035, a 45% jump.

‘Well, we hope they renew,’ Rosen told reporters. ‘And obviously it reflects on what the market is now and the demand for tickets. You can look at how tickets sell and what the prices are. You look at primary and secondary market and you can see where their demand is.”

The Lakers’ future at Crypto.com Arena

Rosen was also asked about the state of Crypto.com Arena, now in its 27th year after first opening in 1999. There were previously rumors of the Lakers exploring the possibility of leaving the arena and returning to the Forum back in 2019, but that was before the Clippers built Intuit Dome across the street.

Rosen reaffirmed Tuesday that the Lakers aren’t going anywhere.

‘I think it’s a great building,’ he said. ‘It’s very functional. I guess the fans like it, because they come here and they sell it out, and they enjoy the environment, they eat the food, they park their cars. So, it’s a very efficient building.’

Expanding the Lakers’ global brand

It’s safe to say that the Dodgers reached Rosen’s dream of having the global footprint of the Lakers during his run there. Now, he has a chance to take it even further in his return to the franchise that he started with as an intern.

It’s something he told reporters the team will put ‘quite a bit of focus on.’

‘With the Dodgers, we signed Shohei Ohtani, and the world sort of flipped on itself on a business model,’ Rosen said. ‘I think there’s a huge growth potential for the Lakers internationally, and it’s something that they’ve started to do. … Having Luka Doncic doesn’t hurt at all. I mean, he’s one of the most popular players in the world and we want to jump on his shoulders and see what we can reach out there.’

During Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the 47th President of the United States announced that the next recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom will be Team USA men’s ice hockey goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

The three-time Vezina Trophy winner played a monumental role in the U.S. defeating Canada in Sunday’s gold medal match at the 2026 Olympics, saving 41 of 42 shots en route to a 2-1 overtime victory.

Trump mentioned that he’d ‘never seen a goaltender play as well as goalie Connor Hellebuyck.’ Following the announcement, Trump reiterated that Hellebuyck ‘deserved it.’

Celebrate men’s, women’s Olympic hockey gold medals with our new book

Hellbuyck’s honor will put him on a short list of athletes to be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In fact, he is the first hockey player to win the award. Here is the full list of sports figures to have received the award.

Athletes to have received Presidential Medal of Freedom

Hellebuyck would be the 44th sports figure – athletes, coaches, owners and broadcasters – to receive the award. Listed below are all those recipients, including the President who handed out the award.

*- indicates coach

^- indicates owner

Gerald Ford

Jesse Owens (Track & Field)
Joe DiMaggio (Baseball)

Ronald Reagan

Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant (Football)*
Jackie Robinson (Baseball)
Earl Blaik (Football)*

George H. W. Bush

Ted Williams (Baseball)

Bill Clinton

Arthur Ashe (Tennis)

George W. Bush

Hank Aaron (Baseball)
Roberto Clemente (Baseball)
John Wooden (Basketball)*
Arnold Palmer (Golf)
Muhammad Ali (Boxing)
Frank Robinson (Baseball)
Jack Nicklaus (Golf)
Buck O’Neil (Baseball)

Barack Obama

Billie Jean King (Tennis)
Stan Musial (Baseball)
Bill Russell (Basketball)
Pat Summitt (Basketball)*
Ernie Banks (Baseball)
Dean Smith (Basketball)*
Charlie Sifford (Golf)
Yogi Berra (Baseball)
Willie Mays (Baseball)
Vin Scully (Baseball Broadcaster)
Kareem Abdul‑Jabbar (Basketball)
Michael Jordan (Basketball)

Donald Trump

Roger Staubach (Football)
Bob Cousy (Basketball)
Tiger Woods (Golf)
Dan Gable (Wrestling)
Lou Holtz (Football)*
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Golf)
Gary Player (Golf)
Annika Sörenstam (Golf)
Roger Penske (Auto Racing)^
Mariano Rivera (Baseball)
Babe Ruth (Baseball)
Connor Hellebuyck (Hockey)

Joe Biden

Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
Megan Rapinoe (Soccer)
Katie Ledecky (Swimming)
Magic Johnson (Basketball)
Lionel Messi (Soccer)