Latest news with #Anchorman
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
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.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
USC Trojans Take Shot at Dan Lanning With 5-Star Commitment Announcement
USC Trojans Take Shot at Dan Lanning With 5-Star Commitment Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The USC Trojans landed a major commitment on the recruiting trail Friday afternoon, picking 5-star tight end Mark Bowman, who is rated as the No. 1 TE and No. 16 player in the 2026 class. Advertisement While the addition is huge for Lincoln Riley and his staff to improve their roster, it was also an opportunity to fire a shot up north and troll Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, who were also in on Bowman's recruitment. In a video posted to X right after the announcement from USC football's official account, Trojans alum Will Ferrell is shown jumping into the pool in a clip from "Anchorman." Shots fired right at Lanning. For those who remember, it was earlier this spring that Lanning celebrated a commitment from 5-star EDGE Richard Wessley by ripping his shirt off and jumping into a pool. That commitment hasn't gone very smoothly for the Oregon Ducks, though, with Wessley recently coming out and having his name removed from the Ducks' commits list as he continues to weigh his options. Advertisement This is a fun ribbing from USC to Oregon, and likely one that won't be received well by the Ducks as they continue to try and build momentum on the recruiting trail. Of course, we've seen over the years how Lanning uses past occurrences in his pregame speeches and motivational tactics against teams, so it will be interesting to see this fall if any other cannonball-related content comes out, especially with USC traveling up to Eugene to face the Ducks on November 22. Related: Nittany Lions Make Major Announcement About Oregon Ducks vs. Penn State Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USC flexing its muscle again after stealing TE Mark Bowman from UGA
AP USC is feeling pretty good these days. How could the Trojans not? On Thursday, pictures surfaced on social media of five-star freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart working out with Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. On Friday, the Trojans flexed again in a big way by beating Georgia and many others for arguably the best tight end in the 2026 class in Mark Bowman. Advertisement MORE: Bowman to USC CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info Nick Lucero/ Minutes before Bowman's commitment to USC was announced, the USC Football X page put out a meme of Ron Burgundy from "Anchorman" jumping in the pool. Was that a tip of the hat to Oregon coach Dan Lanning cannon-balling with five-star DE Richard Wesley during a visit only to see Wesley decommit 17 days later since his pledge wasn't cleared with his family? A low-key flex by the Trojans? Advertisement Two weeks ago at the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei Showcase, Bowman made no secret of where his recruitment stood: Georgia was the team to beat. The four-star tight end had a great relationship with position coach Todd Hartley. He had total respect for how Georgia has dominated college football and it reminded him of the situation he's in at Mater Dei. The Brock Bowers comparisons did not hurt. But USC never gave up. Never gave up recruiting him, never gave up selling him on potentially being the next Mark Andrews in Lincoln Riley's offense and never gave up putting together a lucrative NIL package. Georgia's NIL strategy in recruiting is different than a lot of other programs, often to its detriment. Advertisement Coach Kirby Smart bellyached this week at the SEC spring meetings that schools are paying current commits upward of $20,000 to stay committed. That's before their real NIL kicks in once they get to campus. He didn't name names, but he didn't really have to. The Bulldogs just lost out on five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell to Miami as the Nixa, Mo., standout hired super-agent Drew Rosenhaus to handle his NIL, rumored to be in the $2 million range. Last recruiting cycle, Georgia lost out to Texas late when the Longhorns paid handsomely for five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry, an in-state kid who at one point was committed to the Bulldogs and it looked like he was going to re-commit on signing day. The pitch from Georgia to Bowman was clear: We're bringing in four-star Lincoln Keyes, we're going after four-star Kaiden Prothro and we want you to be the centerpiece of it all on the offensive side. Advertisement Look at the track record: Georgia throws to its tight ends. Georgia puts tight ends into the NFL with seven on NFL rosters currently. But it was not enough as Bowman picked the Trojans. USC has the No. 1 class in the country by far. That will even out a little as other teams catch up since the Trojans also have 10 more commitments than any other team in the country. Bowman is a massive piece for USC, maybe its biggest piece yet. And beating Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Oregon for him has the Trojans flexing big time. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH USC FANS AT
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here are all of the celebrities Trump has pardoned so far
President Donald Trump added to his list of pardoned celebrities this week, including reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley and rapper NBA YoungBoy. Trump's pardons and commutations in his first term and so far in his second feature a number of public figures, including several rappers and an actor who participated in the Jan. 6 riots. Here's a list of celebrity pardons granted by Trump so far. The stars of "Chrisley Knows Best," which ran for 10 seasons on the USA Network, were released from prison Wednesday after being granted their presidential pardons. The Chrisleys were convicted in 2022 of swindling $36 million out of banks in the Atlanta area and committing years of tax evasion. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years and Julie Chrisley to 7 years. The president claimed the couple was "prosecuted because they were celebrities.' Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose legal name is Kentrell Gaulden, was pardoned by Trump on Wednesday. Gaulden was sentenced to two years in prison in 2024 after acknowledging he possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon, according to The Associated Press. "I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist," the rapper said in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday. The former Illinois governor was pardoned on Feb. 10 following convictions of wire fraud, lying to an FBI agent, extortion attempts and soliciting bribes more than a decade ago. Blagojevich, a Democrat, was impeached and removed from office in 2009. But in between trials and before receiving his 14-year sentence, Blagojevich also appeared on Trump's reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice," as a contestant in 2010. Trump commuted Blagojevich's sentence in 2020. The "Anchorman" and "Mr. Show" actor and comedian was one of the 1,500 pardons and commuted sentences Trump issued in January to those involved with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Johnston was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day for obstructing officers during a civil disorder, a felony offense, in October. Even before his sentencing, Johnston lost his role voicing a character on the animated show "Bob's Burgers." Hip hop star Lil Wayne, whose legal name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was one of Trump's 143 last-minute pardons and commuted sentences of his first term. The "Lollipop" rapper pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge in December 2020 after carrying a handgun on a private jet from California to Florida. Carter was previously convicted on felony weapon charges, making it illegal for him to possess firearms under federal law. Carter is also the founder and CEO of record label Young Money Entertainment. Rapper and singer Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, was pardoned alongside Lil Wayne at the end of Trump's first term. The "No Flockin" singer was sentenced to 46 months in prison on federal weapon charges after admitting he falsified information on federal forms to purchase firearms, obtaining two handguns and one semiautomatic weapon. This article was originally published on
NBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Here are all of the celebrities Trump has pardoned so far
President Donald Trump added to his list of pardoned celebrities this week, including reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley and rapper NBA Young Boy. Trump's pardons and commutations over the course of his first and current terms in office feature a number of public figures, including several rappers and an actor who participated in the Jan. 6 riots. Here's a list of celebrity pardons granted by Trump so far. Todd and Julie Chrisley The stars of "Chrisley Knows Best," which ran for 10 seasons on the USA Network, were released from prison Wednesday after being granted their presidential pardons. The Chrisleys were convicted in 2022 of swindling $36 million out of banks in the Atlanta area and committing years of tax evasion. Todd and Julie Chrisley were sentenced to 12 and 7 years, respectively. The president claimed the pair were "prosecuted because they were celebrities.' NBA YoungBoy Rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose legal name is Kentrell Gaulden, was pardoned by Trump on Wednesday. Gaulden was sentenced to 2 years in prison in 2024 after acknowledging he possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon, according to the Associated Press. "I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist," the rapper said in a statement posted to social media on Wednesday. Rod Blagojevich The former Illinois Governor was pardoned on February 10 following convictions of wire fraud, lying to an FBI agent, extortion attempts and soliciting bribes more than a decade ago. Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office in 2009. But in between trials and before receiving his 14-year sentence, Blagojevich also appeared on Trump's reality TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice," as a contestant in 2010. Trump previously commuted Blagojevich's sentence in 2020. Jay Johnston The "Anchorman" and "Mr. Show" actor and comedian was one of the 1,500 pardons and commuted sentences Trump issued in January to those involved with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Johnston was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day for obstructing officers during a civil disorder, a felony offense, in October. Even before his sentencing, Johnston lost his role voicing a character on the animated show "Bob's Burgers." Lil Wayne Hip hop star Lil Wayne, whose legal name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was one of Trump's 143 last-minute pardons and commuted sentences of his first term. The "Lollipop" rapper pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge in December 2020 after carrying a handgun on a private jet from California to Florida. Carter was previously convicted on felony weapon charges, making it illegal for him to possess firearms under federal law. Carter is also the founder and CEO of record label Young Money Entertainment. Kodak Black Rapper and singer Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, was pardoned alongside Lil Wayne at the end of Trump's first term. The "No Flockin" singer was sentenced to 46 months in prison on federal weapon charges after admitting he falsified information on federal forms to purchase firearms, obtaining two handguns and one semi-automatic weapon.
