No. 12 Illinois and star QB Luke Altmyer are ready to enter uncharted territory
The Illini flew under the radar on their way to a 10-win season last year — their first since 2001 — and they return 18 starters including star quarterback Luke Altmyer.
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Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Part of wild UCLA-Tennessee QB swap, Joey Aguilar excited to start for No. 24 Vols
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Joey Aguilar is half of college football's wildest flip-flops. When Nico Iamaleava departed Tennessee in April for UCLA, the quarterback left the Trojans to join the Volunteers. Now Aguilar has Iamaleava's old starting job. 'Coming out here and being the starting quarterback for this program is nothing but excitement, and that's all I can say," Aguilar said Wednesday. "I'm just super excited.' Adapting to changing circumstances is nothing new for the 24-year-old quarterback. When the coronavirus pandemic shut down junior college football in 2020, Aguilar was preparing to start on his goal to be a firefighter. He was lured back to football where he played two seasons at Diablo Valley Community College in California. He then played 25 games at Appalachian State in 2023 and 2024. Aguilar was ready to test himself at UCLA when Iamaleava was not welcome at Tennessee just before the Vols' spring game. Iamaleava transferred to UCLA . So Aguilar, who has the Bible verse Proverbs 3:5-6 tattooed on his ribs, gambled on moving again. Even Aguilar can't quite believe how everything has turned out. 'If you would tell me that in 2021, 2022, I probably would not believe it," Aguilar said. "I was in juco at that time, looking at players at this level, like, 'Dang, that's crazy. I wish I was there.' And here I am. I just got to thank Jesus for giving me the opportunity to be here.' Aguilar arrived on campus in Knoxville in May. He has size at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds and a resume featuring 6,760 yards passing with 56 touchdowns at Appalachian State. He also ran for 452 yards and five more scores. Aguilar will make his 25th career start Aug. 30 when the 24th-ranked Volunteers open the season in Atlanta against Syracuse. He had to beat out Jake Merklinger, who appeared in two games last season, and freshman George MacIntyre. Aguilar did it by quickly learning coach Josh Heupel's offense that the other quarterbacks already knew. That involved early mornings, late nights, lots of film and talking with coaches to learn both game plans and the concept of what Tennessee does on offense. "It took a while, but I got it down,' Aguilar said. Heupel said Tuesday that Aguilar showed just how comfortable he had become to the point he was able to control the offense as coaches asked. Tennessee announced Aguilar as the starter Sunday night in a social media post. 'His decision-making accuracy with the football, you know, our checks that he controls, you put all that together, and that's ultimately why we made the decision,' Heupel said. Even with his experience, Aguilar has had to adjust to just how fast Heupel wants Tennessee's offense to operate. The Vols ran an average of three plays per minute in his first season and at a rate of 10 seconds per play in his second. They mostly stuck to the ground reaching the College Football Playoff last season. How fast the Vols go this season will depend on Aguilar. He ran an up-tempo offense in 2023 at Appalachian State. 'We were like pretty on the ball, just not as fast,' Aguilar said. "So just getting used to getting in the signal and lining up and going through my progressions was just an adjustment I had to make.' As strange as this journey has been, Aguilar thanked his family, friends and coaches for supporting him all the way as he prepares to make his next start. 'I wouldn't go back and would want to change my journey at all.' Aguilar said. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: and
Newsweek
3 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Clemson's Frustrating Transfer Portal Stance Lands Harsh Reality Check
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Clemson Tigers were one of the most dominant national powers just over a half-decade ago, making four National Championship Games in five years and winning two of them. Since then, however, Clemson has lost some of its luster. The Tigers went 10-4 last season and were hammered in the first round of the College Football Playoff. They've lost at least three games in each of the last four campaigns, and while they appear to be on the rise heading into 2025, there are some who are skeptical of Dabo Swinney's club. More news: Insider Reveals Major Red Flag for Clemson QB Cade Klubnik Take Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, for example, who wonders if Swinney's window at Clemson has closed thanks much in part to Swinney's lack of activity in the transfer portal over the years. "And as those struggles mounted, many others and I criticized Dabo for stubbornly steering clear of the transfer portal," Mandel wrote. "He relented a little this offseason, landing a couple of possible key contributors, but his lineup will still be comprised almost entirely of homegrown guys. It'd be a heck of a told-you-so to win a national title in 2025. However, my concern is depth. While the 'X career starts' guys get the most attention in the portal, teams also use it to build and maintain their depth." Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers, looks on during the game against the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13 in New Orleans,... Dabo Swinney, head coach of the Clemson Tigers, looks on during the game against the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Clemson's 29-game winning run came to an end with a 42-25 loss to LSU. More Kevin C. Cox/Getty Swinney is far from the only coach who has attempted to stick to an old-school approach, but the problem is that that doesn't necessarily work anymore. At least not if you try to use it rather exclusively. Clemson has been outstanding at recruiting for quite some time now, but so have plenty of other top schools in the country. The difference is that the Ohio States, Alabamas and Oregons of the world have also strongly utilized the portal. More news: Insider Exposes Painful Question That Could Derail Oregon Ducks Perhaps Swinney will start getting more with the times now, but there is no doubt that his slowness to adapt in recent years has hurt the Tigers. Clemson is ranked fourth in the AP top-25 poll going into the new college football season, so to be fair, Swinney has done a fine job putting this current roster together. But will it be enough? We are about to find out. The Tigers will open their season at home against No. 9 LSU on Aug. 30. For more on college football, head to Newsweek Sports.
Associated Press
3 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Managers miffed at offshore sports betting on Little League World Series
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — This week, as usual, sports bettors can get action on MLB games from U.S.-based gambling sites. Meanwhile, at least a couple of offshore bookmakers are offering odds on games at the Little League World Series. Team managers, and Little League itself, are not pleased. 'I'm not a fan,' said South Carolina's manager Dave Bogan, noting he goes to Las Vegas twice a year. 'It's just not appropriate, it feels dirty, quite honestly.' In news conferences throughout the Little League World Series, U.S. team managers have voiced their displeasure with gambling on their games — players at the tournament top out at 12 years old. Little League International also released a statement last week denouncing sports betting on youth competition. 'Little League is a trusted place where children are learning the fundamentals of the games and all the important life lessons that come with having fun, celebrating teamwork, and playing with integrity,' the statement said. 'No one should be exploiting the success and failures of children playing the game they love for their own personal gain.' BetOnline and Bovada are among the offshore sites offering daily odds on LLWS matchups. They are both based outside the United States and are both illegal to use in the U.S. and not subject to its laws. BetOnline is located in Panama and has offered sports betting and gambling since 1991. Bovada, a Costa Rica-based company, joined the scene in 2011. BetOnline's brand manager Dave Mason said in a post on X that BetOnline is making the moneylines itself and that it 'ain't easy.' He has posted odds on X throughout the tournament. Jon Solomon, the community impact director of Project Play, an initiative of the Aspen Institute's Sports and Society program, said there are negative effects on young players whose games are the subject of betting. Such wagering, he says, is fairly common. In 2018, Project Play surveyed Mobile County, Alabama, and found that '26% of surveyed youth said they had played in a game where adults bet money on who won or the final score,' according to its State of Play report. The report said that tackle football, basketball and baseball were more likely to be gambled on by adults according to the children surveyed. 'This is just, you know, bets that usually sort of happen, maybe at the field, or in the gym,' Solomon said in a phone interview. 'Kids are already facing a lot of pressure in youth sports these days. It is a highly commercialized industry with a lot of people already making a lot of money.' When gambling is involved in the actual performance of the game, Solomon believes the pressure can be even higher. The report showed that gambling 'was witnessed by both boys (33%) and girls (19%).' In professional and collegiate sports, Solomon noted instances of athletes getting harassed by gamblers — think any kicker who missed a last-second field goal. 'Now imagine the stakes for a more impressionable child, right, or teenager?' Solomon said. 'It's so unhealthy and so unneeded, and I think if anyone is betting on youth sports, they should seriously seek help because you have a serious addiction most likely.' Hawaii Little League manager Gerald Oda is adamant that gambling on these games takes away from the 'beauty' of Little League. 'This is the only tournament where you're representing your local community,' Oda said. 'It's that innocence, that pureness that these kids show on the field.' Oda believes the memories his 12-year-old players make are more important than the games won or lost. 'It's about them experiencing this whole moment here. They're going to have memories saying that when I was 12, this is what we did,' Oda said. 'Gambling is here to stay, but I am thankful that Little League is very protective of what they have, and they should be. You know that pure joy and emotion whether you win or you lose, that's the greatest thing.' Solomon said youth sports is 'all about the delivery of the sport' from leagues and coaches. 'Sports, if not delivered properly, can be harmful to children and betting on sports would definitely fall into that category of it being harmful,' Solomon said. Pressure from parents and coaches, as well as early sports specialization, can also negatively impact youth sports. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that made sports betting illegal across most of the U.S for over 25 years. Now, 39 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized sports betting but states don't allow wagers to be made where those competing are under 18. In keeping with those laws, no online betting sites such as FanDuel, Draft Kings or ESPN Bet offer lines on the LLWS and Nevada's manager TJ Fechser hopes that doesn't change. 'We're in a big crazy world now and if we ever see publicized sports books throughout the world standardizing it, we have to really look into ourselves. Is this appropriate?' Fechser said. 'I'm not the decider on this, but I don't want to see it being standardized.' ___ Amanda Vogt is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.
