Rivals Five-Star: Four-star QB Peyton Houston
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RIVALS FIVE-STAR EVENT: Roster | Ten prospects to watch closely | Ten matchups we can't wait to see | ACC programs in the spotlight | Big Ten programs in the spotlight | SEC programs in the spotlight | Key QB storylines | Key RB storylines | Key WR storylines | Key TE storylines | Key OL storylines | Key DL storylines | Key LB storylines | Key DB storylines | Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy
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Indianapolis Star
20 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Pacers' NBA Cup game against Cavs to be televised on Amazon Prime
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pacers will have one of their NBA Cup group play games nationally televised on Amazon Prime in the first year the streaming service will broadcast NBA games. The NBA has been releasing its 2025-26 schedule in parts this week, and on Wednesday they announced the full NBA Cup schedule. The Pacers will play the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. on Amazon Prime in a rematch of the teams' Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Cavs finished 64-18 last season to earn the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and post the second-best record in their history, but the Pacers stunned them in five games in the semifinals en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000 and just their second in franchise history. The Cavs are considered early-line Eastern Conference favorites for next season. The Pacers likely would be had All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton torn his right Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He will miss all of next season. Re-live the Pacers unbelievable run to the 2025 NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book In their other NBA Cup games, the Pacers will host the Hawks at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31 and the Wizards on Friday Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. They will play the Raptors in Toronto at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Hawks finished 40-42 last season in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the No. 7 seed Magic and then the No. 10 seed Heat in the play-in round and failed to make the playoffs. However, they added center Kristaps Porzingis, ace defensive wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker and sharpshooter Luke Kennard in a busy offseason. They also bring back forward Jalen Johnson, who was averaging 18.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game in his first 36 games of 2024-25 before a season-ending shoulder injury. The Raptors finished 11th in the East at 30-52, but they'll add now-healthy forward Brandon Ingram and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles to their wing heavy lineup. The Wizards finished last in the East at 18-64. They traded away leading scorer Jordan Poole but acquired veteran guard C.J. McCollum and wings Malakhi Branham and Cam Whitmore through trades. They also drafted guard Tre Johnson with the No. 6 pick out of Texas. The Pacers reached the finals of what was then called the In-Season Tournament in 2023, losing to the Lakers. Their surprise run in that event helped accelerate their trajectory toward the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2023-24 season after they failed to make the playoffs in 2022-23. In 2024, the Pacers were winless in NBA Cup games and started the season 10-15, but went 40-17 the rest of the season to earn the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference en route to a conference championship and the Finals.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit
ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit originally appeared on The Spun. This week is turning out to be a pretty memorable one for ESPN host and reporter Laura Rutledge. Rutledge started her ESPN career in 2014 as a SEC reporter. She was eventually named the host of "NFL Live" in June 2020. While she'll continue to host that show during the 2025 season, she'll also have to carve out time in her schedule for an elevated role on "Monday Night Football." It was reported on Tuesday that Rutledge will join Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and Lisa Salters for every "Monday Night Football" game this season. "Rutledge, now a two-time Emmy recipient as the host of NFL Live and reporting for SEC on ABC, has joined Buck, Aikman and Salters for marquee MNF regular season games and ESPN's Wild Card and Divisional playoff games for the past few seasons, sharing the sidelines with Salters more than a dozen times," ESPN's press release states. "In those same seasons, Rutledge was the sideline reporter with Fowler, Orlovsky, and Riddick for select MNF dual game weeks. This season, in addition to appearing on MNF each week, fans will continue to see Rutledge host NFL Live and SEC Nation on Saturday mornings." Instead of celebrating her promotion, Rutledge showed love to her "Monday Night Football" teammates. "Congratulations to Lisa who continues to set the standard in our business. Class, talent and professionalism personified," Rutledge wrote on X. "So excited for you two, Katie George and Peter Schrager." Just a few hours after landing this promotion, Rutledge hopped on the set of "NFL Live" to conduct her usual role. She wore a dress that clearly grabbed people's attention. "Goodness, Laura. You look amazing," one fan wrote on X. "Wow, Laura. Also congrats on the MNF gig," another fan said. "Ok Laura has definitely been in the gym. Great job," a third fan commented. It's safe to say Rutledge is a fan favorite at ESPN. Football fans will get to see plenty of Rutledge this fall due to her roles on "NFL Live" and "Monday Night Football." The NFL season officially begins on Sept. 4 when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys. ESPN's Laura Rutledge Wows Fans With 'NFL Live' Outfit first appeared on The Spun on Aug 13, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida star QB DJ Lagway's injury raises concern about College Football Playoff run
It doesn't matter how it happened, only that it did. And that the long- and short-term future for one of college football's top young players is now in question. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is quickly becoming Mr. Glass. Shoulder, hamstring and core injuries in his first year in Gainesville, and now a calf injury in fall camp. 'I'm not an injury-prone guy,' Lagway said last month during SEC media days. Then a left calf strain arrived before the start of fall camp, and now the inevitable is here: when and how could the glass crack again? Lagway missed time or didn't participate full-go throughout the entire offseason, multiple injuries not only stalling his development - but also leaving the Gators' 2025 resurgence in question. In one short year, Lagway's injury timeline has moved from unlucky to unnerving. Whether it's increased level of competition, intensity of training or just plain bad luck, four injuries (two relatively serious) before the start of Lagway's second season is cause for concern. More problematic: it's not a long or difficult a jump from calf strain to a much bigger problem. Especially since we've seen it of late among the greatest athletes in sports. Aaron Rodgers and Tyrese Halliburton dealt with calf strains in the last two years, and both strains preceded season-ending Achilles injuries. Kevin Durant's Achilles injury in 2019 started with a calf strain, too. But before we go down that rabbit hole and scuttle the season for a rising star quarterback and a team with College Football Playoff hopes, before we make too much of Lagway wearing a compression wrap on his left calf in practice, maybe he's not Mr. Glass at all. Maybe he just got dinged more times than most. 'The whole injury thing, for the most part, is relatively new for me,' Lagway said last month, and he hasn't spoke to media since. 'I feel better than I ever have right now.' It was last month when Lagway admitted to USA TODAY Sports that the throwing shoulder injury didn't occur during his breakout freshman season as most believed, but that it was something he dealt with the entire season. A season in which he won every game he started and finished. His 6-1 record overall as a starter included a lone loss to Georgia, where he left late in the second quarter with a hamstring injury — with the Gators leading 10-3. Other than that, Lagway's freshman season (even with modest numbers) was high-level production in the nation's most difficult conference. He has had soreness in the shoulder since high school, and has typically used rehabilitation instead of surgery to overcome pain and stiffness. The shoulder injury (and the core injury) forced him to miss throwing in spring practice. Then the calf injury showed up before fall camp, and despite the soreness, Lagway has been throwing and looks sharper than ever. The only question now: will the calf hold up? 'The guy's been working hard all summer,' Florida coach Billy Napier said earlier this week. 'Certainly, hopefully, he'll be able to do more and more as we go day-to-day.' That's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it's also all Napier and Florida have to hold. Because with Lagway, Florida is a legitimate threat to reach the College Football Playoff. Without him – and with sixth-year nomad Harrison Bailey or former walk-on Aidan Warner playing quarterback – the Gators may have problems reaching bowl eligibility. Earlier this week, former Alabama coach Nick Saban – speaking during his Nick's Kid's Foundation event – said five teams could win the SEC this season. One of those teams was Florida. ARCH MADNESS: Rumors with Nick Saban and Cleveland Browns are plain dumb TOUGH ROADS: College football toughest schedules based on preseason poll Even with the uncertainty of Lagway's health, or the nation's toughest schedule. Which, frankly, Napier and the team are getting tired of talking about. Spot the ball, they all say now. Doesn't matter that the schedule includes games away from Gainesville against Georgia, LSU, Miami, Texas A&M and Mississippi, and home games against Texas and Tennessee, Florida played the same schedule last year. And by the end of the regular season (and with a healthy Lagway), the Gators were playing as well as anyone in the SEC. There's a lot to like about this Florida team, one that Napier has patiently and organically built through high school recruiting instead of relying on the crapshoot that is the transfer portal. An experienced and deep offensive line, some of the SEC's best young skill players and a defense that developed last year with Lagway. In the six games Lagway started and completed, the Florida defense gave up an average of 13.1 points per game. In the other seven games, the Gators gave up an average of 31.5. 'He makes everyone better,' Napier said. 'That's what rare players do.' If they can stay on the field. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida faces DJ Lagway injury concern ahead of playoff run
