USC makes another huge splash on recruiting trail, lands five-star tight end Mark Bowman
USC makes another huge splash on recruiting trail, lands five-star tight end Mark Bowman USC football recruiting tsunami isn't slowing down at all
USC football just continues to load up on the recruiting trail. On Friday, the Trojans added to their already top-ranked 2026 recruiting class, landing one of the top players in the cycle: five-star tight end Mark Bowman.
Bowman plays at longtime USC feeder program Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. He reclassified from the class of 2027 to 2026 earlier this year. 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 16 overall player and the No. 1 tight end in his class.
Following the news, the USC football social media account posted a video edit that featured Trojan alum Will Ferrell jumping into a pool in the movie Anchorman. The video was a seemingly subtle troll of Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. Lanning recently went viral on social media for jumping into a pool with a recruit following his pledge to the Ducks, only for him to decommit earlier this week.
USC is firmly ahead of Oregon on the recruiting trail right now. Now, it falls on Lincoln Riley to turn those recruiting wins into victories on the field.
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USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Everything Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after OU beat Oregon in the WCWS
Everything Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said after OU beat Oregon in the WCWS Bittersweet. That's how Oklahoma softball coach Patty Gasso described her team's win over Oregon on Sunday in the Women's College World Series. The Sooners eliminated the Ducks to secure a place in the final four of the WCWS with a 4-1 win. Oregon is coached by former OU player and assistant Melissa Lombardi. Oklahoma will play Texas Tech on Monday. If the Sooners win the initial game against the Red Raiders, the two will meet again immediately after in a winner-take-all game for a spot in the WCWS championship series. Gasso had nothing but positive things to say about her protege Sunday, though, and looked forward to facing a former Big 12 opponent for Monday. Patty Gasso's opening statement Huge win for the Sooners. Personally, kind of bittersweet, because those are my people on the other side. It's hard to play on such a platform that means so much and it's going to end somebody's season. It was hard, but super proud of that staff and all that they've done, so really proud of Missy (Lombardi) specifically getting back here. She's dreamed of this for a long time. Gone through a lot to get here. Really happy for her. This team I think it all started in the circle. (Kierston Deal) came out and really handled her business pretty well. Gave up a run, but that's expected. We answered back pretty quickly. And then we had Sam (Landry) come in in a good matchup with their three-hole, I believe, and just kind of let her ride it through. We're in elimination time now so you do everything and anything you can. Just super happy for Cyd Sanders. Her senior year, what a wonderful memory to have, these home runs. Really timely hitting for some of them. At the same time, we left a lot of runners on base, but that means we're getting on a lot. Very pleased. I'll tell you, just straight up, we win a game and we walk over and we shake hands and we walk in the dugout like 'Hey, OK' and I'm like 'Do you know what we just did? Does anyone know what we just did? We're in the Final Four.' 'Yeah, we're good. We're swag. Swaggy swag.' I'm just like, 'Somebody celebrate. Can we do something fun.' They're just the most calm, chill. Sometimes I'm like 'I don't know that you know. Do you know?' 'Yeah, we're good.' So I'm like OK. Hopefully we'll have some massive celebrations in the future. But I'm really happy and proud of these guys. Gasso on the challenge of having to beat Tech twice (Associated head coach JT Gasso) has got a lot of work to get going on. I do, to someone's point, we talked about the amount of elite pitchers we have faced and have had some success off of. That's what we're going to live off of. We're going to have to make a few adjustments for sure. But we're fighting. We're fighting for our lives now. That's what it's going to look like. It's going to be a fight on our side to say we will not surrender for anyone or anything. That's how we're going to approach it. Gasso on Oklahoma's pitching plan for Monday I like where we're at. I have no idea how we're piecing it together quite yet. But everybody is, they're going to empty their tanks, without question. Gasso on Sanders' clutch-ness Very needed for this offense. Cyd is exactly what you just saw. Very chill. Very easy-going. Does not get affected by much of anything. Just getting her swing on. Grein is tough. She is tough. Definitely facing her will help us tomorrow. But Cyd is just very unassuming. Doesn't get all caught up in the thought process. She just waits for her moment. Gasso on wanting to see her team respond after losing to Texas OK, the warm-up was better, for sure. Seven innings, they get distracted. They just look around a little bit. They talk some. They just kind of become spectators sometimes. I don't need them to be like the little kids in the 10-and-under teams in the dugout, but I do need them paying attention. They are. They just sometimes don't make a lot of noise. Every once in a while they'll create something. They were definitely more focused and ready today. They learned a valuable lesson. That's one thing we're doing this season is learning so many valuable lessons to help this team go into next year so much better than when we started. I'm on an amazing ride. I don't know how they feel. They don't share a lot. They just walk off the field, walk in the locker room like 'what are we having for dinner?' I'm like 'OK.' I want to celebrate with somebody, but it's swaggy but it's bizarre at the same time. Trying to figure it out. On Tech being a newcomer to the WCWS It's been cool to see new faces because that brings in more fans and fan bases. I've known coach Glasgow for quite a long time. I've watched his career move around some. He's an amazing coach. He really is. Some of the stuff he pulls out of his hat is pretty epic. He does it the right way. I really enjoy going up against him because you know you're going to have a battle. Ole Miss the same thing. I was also a member of the Big 12 for 30 years. To see a Big 12 team get in here that's a new name. That's really, really cool for the Big 12. Ole Miss just got on that hot run. Sometimes it's fun to follow those underdogs or Ole Miss that way. The experience, when you have a team that comes to the World Series - that's why I'm really excited for Missy because she really worked hard. Her standard and my standard are very similar and so to finally get her team here. I was just watching. I was a fan from afar. I was really rooting for them. It's going to edify and move her program to a new level. Gasso on whether four WCWS titles or nine straight elimination wins is more impressive Oh, I don't know. That's impressive. Nine is pretty dang impressive. That's character. That's like, we are not going to quit. So I love, love, love that. But it's also nice raising a trophy and taking an easier route. I do respect the fact that our team fights their tail off to the end. Gasso on preparing Sam Landry to face former coach and teammates I'm going to work on that. That's a good question. She's so different. She's quite different. She's quite a different pitcher than she was. And she really, really showcased, she threw really well tonight. Really well. I hope that will carry over for her and just really have tunnel vision and blinders on and not worry so much on that side but more about her girls on her side. Gasso on the importance of seeing her former assistants get love from current schools Thank you for asking that question. If you aren't investing in Melissa Lombardi then you're not paying attention. Not only is she a great coach and very organized and a hustling, hustling staff that recruits very well, but she's an extreme professional and does it the right way. Treats her players the right way. Expects hard work on the field but also her players walking through the line were very grateful for the game that we have, wished us luck. She is turning girls into women and that's what we've done at OU. That's what she was when she came to OU was a girl that turned into a woman. She's one of the best out there. There's no question about that.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
What Sooners Sam Landry, Isabela Emerling and Cydney Sanders said after beating Oregon
What Sooners Sam Landry, Isabela Emerling and Cydney Sanders said after beating Oregon The three players who came to the dais after Oklahoma beat Oregon in the Women's College World Series were just like their coach said. Cool, calm and collected. Sam Landry pitched a gem in relief, Isabela Emerling hit a solo home run and Cydney Sanders added two more to lift the Sooners to a 4-1 win over the Ducks in an elimination game Sunday, setting a meeting with Texas Tech on Monday. If the Sooners win the evening game, the two will face off again immediately after in a winner-take-all game in which the victor goes to the best-of-three championship series. Here's what Landry, Sanders and Emerling had to say after beating Oregon. Sanders on her experience on the WCWS stage Honestly, I think just being present today was a really big factor for me. I don't think it was, like, a little bit different from the other moments. But, I don't know, it's pretty cool. I've never done that before, especially in the World Series. So that was awesome. I've never seen that before. It was pretty exciting. It may not look like it on TV or whatever. But I was excited on the inside. Sanders on hitting both homers in a 3-2 count Just really zoning in on the strike zone. Not really making it too big. I think I took a really big hack. I told myself to relax and not try to do too much, just try to pass the bat to my teammates. It ended up coming out like that. Landry on the effort against Oregon I think, I don't want to speak for Katie, but I thought she just looked really good. She came out there very confident. It's fun going in behind somebody else like that. I think she kind of fed into what I was able to do today. She definitely set up all the batters thereafter to how I pitched to them. Physically, I feel good. Mentally, I feel pretty good. We're just ready to go. Landry on facing her former coach at Louisiana I don't even think a lot of the girls on the team know about my history with him and a lot of the girls there. God is so good to have us all here in the same place and being able to play. We'll have a family reunion after the game. We're here to do a job. Super excited for them, excited for this team. Landry on facing old teammates I think I'm a completely different pitcher, person, player than I was when I was at Louisiana. We're still going to work it like any other game. Get the scout on them, find some holes and go through. Just keep it like any other game and not keep it too big. Sanders on working the count I honestly didn't even know it was 3-2 if I'm being honest. I just treated it like it was a zero-zero count. Just trying to see-ball, hit-ball. Not really thinking about working the count. Just trying to see a ball big and hit it. It wasn't really just trying to have a strategy, it was just luck of the ball today. Sanders on facing Tech ace NiJaree Canady A lot of spin. That was really two years ago. I try to live in the moment. I have to see film again to really go back and watch and see what my at bats look like. Just trying to keep it simple, keep the same mindset, not really try to do too much. Sanders on facing elite pitchers I think just wiping it clean. Every game is different no matter how you look at it. Whether you face them two years ago, faced them the day before, I think everyone can bring a difference each game. I think just taking it slow and having a mindset, being confident. I think we can go a long way with that. Emerling on the same I agree with what Cyd said. Just clean slate. We've got to take film on each pitcher face. Whatever team it is. Just a new challenge to face. Landry on both teams' players huddling at end of game When we come together with teams at the end of games, we're praying. We're just thanking God for letting us be in this moment, be in this sport for the day that He brings. He's our fourth man in the fire and he's there to support a lot of people and we're just happy we're able to be a part of the story that is able to glorify Him.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zach Daudet's 11th-inning walk-off home run sends Cal Poly to regional championship round
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Zach Daudet's walk-off home run in the 11th inning lifted Cal Poly to a 7-6 victory over Utah Valley on Sunday night and the Mustangs reached the championship round of the Eugene Regional. The Mustangs (43-19) advanced to play Arizona later Sunday night. A win by Cal Poly would force a deciding game on Monday. A win by Arizona would wrap up the regional championship and send the Wildcats to the super regionals. Advertisement Landon Frei's third-inning grand slam gave Utah Valley a 4-1 lead. Cal Poly responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Cam Hoiland hit a leadoff home run for the Mustangs and Ryan Fenn came through with a two-out RBI single. Daudet scored on a balk and Nate Castellon doubled in two more runs for a 6-4 lead. Utah Valley (33-29) caught up with a leadoff home run by Dominic Longo II in the sixth and an RBI double by Jayden Smith in the seventh. Jaccob Torres (6-4), who came in and got the third out in the ninth inning to leave the bases loaded, got the win for Cal Poly. He did not allow a hit in 2 1/3 innings pitched. Carston Herman (5-4) took the loss after giving up Daudet's home run. ___ AP college sports: The Associated Press
