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USA Today
5 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Dante Moore looking to increase speed, rushing for Oregon Ducks in 2025
The Oregon Ducks have a long history of producing elite quarterbacks. More than that, though, they've had a history of QBs who could get out and run when needed. With Dillon Gabriel now off to the NFL, though, and Dante Moore or Austin Novosad stepping in, there was a thought that might change. Across 14 games of action in his first two years of college football, Moore has recorded a grand total of -78 rushing yards. The negative numbers came during his time as the UCLA Bruins' signal-caller for nine games in 2023, as he was marked down with 45 carries for -84 yards. A majority of those yards came on sacks, however, as he recorded a long rush of 16 yards. In a backup role for the Ducks in 2024, Moore recorded a single carry for six yards. Now, in a quarterback battle against Novosad, Moore cited his increase in speed as something he was satisfied with this offseason. "I had a great off-summer," he said, speaking Oregon's 2025 Media Day. "I really got my body right. I actually hit my goal for the summer. Coach [Wilson] Love and Coach Bolt [Kyle Bolton] made sure I got my speed up and hit my goal. I'm really excited. I'm excited to show what I can do with my feet." What was that speed goal, though? "My goal was to hit 21 miles per hour, and I hit 21.5," Moore revealed. "I was super excited about it. It made me happy. I almost cried." While Moore may not reach the dual-threat abilities of Oregon quarterback legend Marcus Mariota, if he can come close to the rushing levels that Bo Nix (744 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns from 2022-23) and Dillon Gabriel (149 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2024) produced, it would greatly diversify and further raise the ceiling of the offense. Moore is up for the challenge, and after an offseason of work, can add to the offense in ways he previously hadn't been able to. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Browns QB competition finds 'forever home' on social media, even during offseason break
BEREA — Joe Flacco remembers what social media was like when he arrived in Baltimore as the Ravens' first-round pick in 2008. "I think Twitter started right around '07, '08," Flacco said during Browns minicamp on June 11. "I came in '08. I can remember the first time I walked into the cafeteria in Baltimore and somebody was like, 'Hey, you mind if we tweet this?' And nobody knew what that meant." Flacco returned to Cleveland in April, at which time everyone knew about Twitter, only now, it's called X. Not only is the social media platform ubiquitous to everyone inside the Browns facility, it and others like it are ubiquitous to everyone outside of the facility as well. Although not everyone uses X or Instagram or whatever, enough do that it can appear to have an impact on the lens through which progress is assessed. Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel called it the "Amazon lifestyle" or a "microwave mentality," and fellow rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders spoke of a "mindset" that needs to be adjust to "understand the situation." All of it, however, centers around how the Browns' quarterback competition involving Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders and Kenny Pickett is being framed outside the organization. 'Yeah, I think probably the biggest difference nowadays is social media, I would expect," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said during minicamp June 11. "Listen, the news cycle is 365 days a year and there's a lot of content and there's a lot of hours to fill, as you guys all well know. So, and also we understand how popular our sport is, how interested our fans are in our sport. So, we embrace that. We like that part. "Having said that, once we get inside the building, we really do focus on where our feet are. We focus that we're here. We focus on what we have in front of us. And I think all of our players have done a great job of understanding that.' That includes the player whose presence in the competition has generated the most social media impressions of any of them. Sanders arrived in Cleveland with millions of social media followers, which translates into a rather large group of supporters interested in his daily affairs, on and off the field. Many of those followers are the same ones who thought before the 2025 NFL Draft Sanders would be a top-five pick, and claimed various conspiracies were behind his fall to the fifth round, where the Browns selected him. Now that he's with a team, they have made it clear of their disapproval over any news not definitively calling him the future starter. Sanders, while not directly addressing his social media followers, has been much more in the moment when he's been asked about anything down the road. "My goal is to be the best teammate and to be as positive as I can be," Sanders said at minicamp June 10. "So in every aspect, I view things as I got time. I got time to be able to grow and mature and be able to understand the ins and outs of the defenses and be able to get the good insight from the vets in the room. "So I look at it as a plus. I got time to actually be able to really have a great understanding, and whenever it's time for me to play, then it's time for me to play. But I'm not looking too far in the future about all that." The reality of the Browns' quarterback situation is that whoever does start the regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals may not be the starter when the regular season ends against the Bengals in Cincinnati. There may even be more than two starters before the season comes to an end, if the recent past predicts anything about the future. For now, the quarterback situation would best be viewed not as a four-for-one-spot fight, but as two separate two-man competitions, with Flacco and Pickett in one and the two rookies in the other. Everything that has transpired to this point with regards to that competition validates this may be the best way to look at things, even as everyone involved says to not look at much of anything. "We're so far away from that type of thought process," Stefanski said. "Honestly, we're in our installation phase. It's the off season, it's OTAs, so we're going to keep the focus there. Once you get into training camp, of course you're getting ready to play games and ultimately getting ready for playing the season. But right now that's not our focus.' The Browns could control the environment much more during the offseason program, in part because so much of it was closed off from prying eyes. They only allowed the media to watch two OTAs and three minicamp practices, and the fans weren't allowed in for anything. Training camp will be different. All of the camp practices will be open to the media, including three total joint practices at the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles, and fans will be able to watch them over a certain number of practices in Berea, as well as all three preseason games. Until then, however, the battle for the quarterback job will continue to be waged daily. Only it won't happen in the meeting rooms or practice fields, but in various corners of social media. It's a far cry from Flacco's rookie year in Baltimore. "The difference now is everybody's getting their stuff from there and it's treated a little bit more seriously because that is the main news source," Flacco said. "But you still have the same thing you always had, which is a million different opinions. So it kind of blends your actual news source with a bunch of other stuff. "And now I think we live in this world where just like everything you see on there, there's a good portion of people that are taking whatever you see on there very seriously. … I won't even download it on my phone just because I know it's a trap to just get sucked in." Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@ Read more about the Browns at Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Social media gives offseason theater for Browns QB battle to be waged
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Dane Brugler's 2026 NFL Draft summer positional rankings: Tight ends
Editor's note: This is the fourth installment of Dane Brugler's 2026 Summer Scouting series. Previous rankings: Edge rushers | Running backs | Defensive tackles In seven of the past nine drafts, there has been at least one tight end selected, including a handful of top-15 picks (two in last year's draft alone). Advertisement The 2026 draft class doesn't look as top-heavy at tight end, lacking a Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland at the top. However, it can still be a solid class, with several interesting Day 2 projections at the position. (Note: Asterisk represents draft-eligible underclassmen. Heights and weights are what NFL teams have on file for each player, with a 'v' representing verified measurements and 'e' for estimated measurements.) Although Sadiq wasn't a high-volume pass catcher last season, good things happened when Dillon Gabriel threw his way (25 catches on 27 targets). He is quick off the line, loose at the top of routes and strong to the football. However, the No. 1 takeaway is his nifty athleticism and balance to be a threat after the catch — Sadiq was the only FBS tight end last season to average more than 10 yards after catch (YAC) per reception. Sadiq saw only two targets in the Big Ten Championship Game, but he made them count with a pair of touchdown grabs. In the clip below, Penn State is late to react to the tight end wheel, and Sadiq does the rest. His quick transition to pluck, collect himself and leapfrog the defensive back without gearing down is special stuff. Sadiq enters his junior season with just 30 career catches and three touchdowns — numbers he should surpass before Halloween this season. The talent and opportunity are there for him to be the top tight end in college football, and in next year's draft class, but time will tell if he can turn that projection into production. Sadiq is in position for a true breakout season, especially with Oregon offensive play caller Will Stein describing him as 'one of the best players in college football.' With Terrance Ferguson now in the NFL, Sadiq will be the go-to tight end for Oregon's offense, and an integral part of the passing game, even more so with wide receiver Evan Stewart expected to miss the season with a knee injury. Advertisement Given his talent as both a receiver and blocker, Sadiq (the only tight end to appear in my way-too-early 2026 mock draft from April) has the potential to earn the TE1 crown. A talented joker tight end, Klare is a smooth athlete in the passing game, with a talent for creating space both before and after the catch. He is an outstanding zone route runner and knows where the holes are. Against man, he can cross up defenders in space with the start-stop quickness to be elusive (averaged 6.6 YAC per reception in 2024). Klare is quick to snatch the football and put it away. Using his body fluidity, he can adjust to the catch mid-stride and quickly transition to being a runner to make the first tackler miss — he doesn't need to gear down to read and cut away from pursuit. Klare split about 50-50 between playing inline and in the slot last season for Purdue, but he was inconsistent when asked to be a sustained blocker. He can be physically manhandled when attempting to seal powerful defensive ends and needs to be more assertive with his hands to keep his target engaged as a run blocker. Will Kacmarek will be the Buckeyes' 'blocking' tight end, but scouts are hoping to see more development from Klare in that area. Ohio State produces more NFL talent than almost every other program, including having three tight ends drafted over the last five years. However, the Buckeyes haven't had a tight end selected in the first two rounds in 30 years (Rickey Dudley, No. 9 in 1996). Klare has the talent to change that and become a top-60 pick in the 2026 class. Everyone is familiar with Jeremiah Smith and the potential of the receivers in Columbus. Still, Klare might be the key to unlocking Ohio State's offense, especially with a first-year starter at quarterback. Klare led the Boilermakers in receiving last season (by a large margin), and there was still a lot of meat left on the bone in that offense. There will be more mouths to feed in the Buckeyes' offense, but Klare will be in a better situation to allow his talent to shine. Advertisement Royer is a good-looking athlete for his size and illustrates his movement skills in different ways on the football field, including at the catch point. His ability to track, adjust and frame throws, regardless of placement, is where his athletic skill shines. Just six FBS tight ends registered at least 50 catches with two or fewer drops last season, and Royer was in that group. He can do a better job creating space and pacing his routes, but he looks very natural attacking the football mid-air. Given Royer's athletic gifts, I expected to see a variety of explosive plays as I studied his 2024 video, but they were tough to find. Though he ranked 11th among FBS tight ends in receptions (50) last season, he was 41st at his position with just five catches of 20-plus yards (none over the final seven games). The blame doesn't fall just on Royer, who can only run the routes he is asked to and catch the passes thrown to him. However, scouts are hoping to see him be more of a playmaker in the Bearcats' offense in 2025. A former four-star recruit, Royer was the top-ranked tight end in Ohio State's loaded 2020 class, which also included future first-rounders C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. After seeing a combined seven targets over three years in Columbus, Royer entered the transfer portal and headed to his hometown school. He registered 50 catches for 522 yards and three touchdowns last season, his first with the Bearcats. Royer considered declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft and is currently graded by NFL teams as a potential Day 2 pick in the 2026 class. With Brendan Sorsby returning at quarterback for Cincinnati, Royer has the goods to become one of the top tight ends in college football. It took only 20 minutes of watching film to get through all of Luckie's targets from last season, but the small sample size was still exciting. Luckie's speed and athletic ability stand out in everything he does on the football field, especially in the passing game. Advertisement As a route runner, he closes the cushion in a flash and makes it challenging for safeties or linebackers to match the burst out of his breaks. He also shows athletic body control at the catch point (see his sideline grab versus Texas). Watch how abruptly Luckie sinks, transitions his weight and pivots on this route against Clemson and cornerback Avieon Terrell. He sells the inside pattern and uses his athletic body control to cut back outside, giving the quarterback an easy target to throw to. Turns out, it is tough to replace Brock Bowers — shocking, I know. Luckie was a significant part of filling that void last season and led Georgia tight ends in targets and receiving yards, but his overall impact was spotty from week to week. Although the flashes are worth betting on, Luckie needs to improve his preparation during the week and execution on game days, both as a blocker and receiver. Without Bowers last season, Georgia had more of a committee approach at the tight end position, between Luckie, Oscar Delp and Ben Yurosek. Delp returns in 2025 and is a potential draft pick in the 2026 class himself, giving the Bulldogs arguably the best tight end duo in the country. However, Luckie has the talent to be a much-needed weapon in Georgia's scheme. His early ranking is a bet more on potential than established production, but the talent is there for Luckie to push for top-100 status. When studying tight ends, I often gravitate toward the pass catchers who play like power forwards — tight ends who force their way through coverage, outrebound jump balls and sustain grabs through contact. That is the way Joly plays, and the numbers support it. According to PFF, Joly had the highest contested catch percentage (84.6) in 2024 among the 34 FBS tight ends who saw at least 10 contested targets. On this clip, the Cal nickelback is grabbing, holding and doing just about everything he can to disrupt the route, but Joly powers through and finishes the contested catch. Joly is more of a pass-catching flex option than a traditional inline tight end, but his on-the-move execution as a run blocker is an area in which scouts see improvement. With his athleticism and physical mindset, he can effectively hook a linebacker or dig out a safety. However, his technical consistency must continue to improve for Joly to become a more valuable asset in the run game. Advertisement A little-known, 215-pound wide receiver out of high school, Joly was a two-star recruit and signed with UConn, one of his only Division I options. He added weight and had his breakout season as a sophomore in 2023, which led to his decision to enter the transfer portal and land at NC State last season. He led the Wolfpack in receiving yards (661) and was one of three FBS tight ends to average better than 15 yards per catch in 2024. Joly (pronounced JOE-lee) just turned 21 this month and is one of the youngest senior prospects in the 2026 draft class. And if he builds off last season, I won't be surprised to see him make a strong case as a top-100 pick, similar to Jonnu Smith's trajectory coming out of FIU to become a Day 2 pick in 2017. 1. Royer 2. Joly 3. John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming (6-5 1/2, 251) 4. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt (6-3 1/2, 240) 5. Michael Trigg, Baylor (6-3 3/8, 250) 6. RJ Maryland, SMU (6-3 1/4, 224) 7. Jack Velling, Michigan State (6-4 1/8, 248) 8. Tanner Koziol, Houston (6-6, 251) 9. Miles Kitselman, Tennessee (6-4 5/8, 259) 10. Sam Roush, Stanford (6-4 1/2, 250) 11. Oscar Delp, Georgia (6-4 3/8, 250) 12. Josh Cuevas, Alabama (6-2 3/4, 251) 13. Jeremiah Franklin, Boston College (6-3, 246) 14. Seydou Traore, Mississippi State (6-3 1/2, 237) 15. Lake McRee, USC (6-3 3/4, 249) 16. Bauer Sharp, LSU (6-3 3/4, 246) 17. Tanner Arkin, Illinois (6-3 3/8, 268) 18. Rohan Jones, Arkansas (6-1 3/4, 236) 19. Dae'Quan Wright, Ole Miss (6-3, 251) 20. Matthew Hibner, SMU (6-3 5/8, 244) 21. Amari Niblack, Texas A&M (6-3, 240) 22. Ethan Conner, Troy (6-2 3/4, 238) 23. Chamon Metayer, Arizona State (6-3 7/8, 258) 24. Matt Lauter, Boise State (6-3, 243) 25. Caleb Fauria, Delaware (6-4 1/4, 244) 1. Klare 2. Sadiq 3. Luckie 4. Marlin Klein, Michigan (6-6, 245) 5. Jack Endries, Texas (6-4, 240) 6. Garrett Oakley, Kansas State (6-5, 235) 7. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech (6-2, 245) 8. Luke Hasz, Ole Miss (6-3, 240) (Top photo of Kenyon Sadiq: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oregon's Dan Lanning has his own idea to fix the College Football Playoff: Get rid of byes
LAS VEGAS — There's a lot going on in college football these days. There's a disagreement over the College Football Playoff format, debate over athlete compensation rules and uncertainty on the future of the transfer portal. But if Dan Lanning could change one thing, it wouldn't be associated with any of that. 'College football season should end Jan. 1,' the Oregon head coach told Yahoo Sports in an interview from Big Ten media days on Wednesday. 'That solves a lot of the problems that exist.' Shifting up the college football season — long a discussion point among college administrators — would result in what Lanning says will be a more condensed playoff, one spread across five weeks instead of seven, and one that does not, he said emphatically, include long byes for teams. After last season, he's done with those. His No. 1-seeded Ducks had 25 days off before a 41-21 loss to eighth-seeded Ohio State in the quarterfinals. 'All four teams that had a bye lost. There's something to that,' Lanning said. Lanning and three Oregon players spun through Day 2 of the three-day Big Ten football media days here on Wednesday as the defending conference champions and a team predicted to finish toward the top of the league again this year despite a host of departures and plenty of new faces (Oregon had 10 players drafted, including veteran quarterback Dillon Gabriel). [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] The Gabriel-led 2024 version of the Ducks romped through last season undefeated, beating Ohio State in a thriller at home and knocking off Penn State in the conference title bout. And then, in a stunning display at the Rose Bowl, they fell behind 34-0 to the Buckeyes in the rematch. While Ohio State was an 'unbelievable team,' Lanning said, it's pretty clear what happened. One team had a month off and the other had played the weekend before in the first round of the playoffs. Perhaps long, extended off time isn't such a positive. 'You saw a team that wasn't resting and a team that was,' Lanning said. 'In the second half, we were a much different team, but it was too much to overcome. So if there's anything that I would change, it's playing these games faster and sooner. College football belongs on Saturday, not the NFL.' Lanning's shot toward the NFL is a reminder of the growing animosity between those in college sports and the NFL, which continues to encroach on days traditionally reserved for college football. He's far from alone in this. The NFL began long ago playing games on Thursdays, normally exclusively for college football. Two years ago, they started to play on Black Friday, too. And starting the third Saturday in December, the league plays games on Saturdays in what's become a complication for college's new, expanded playoff. In fact, the two of the four first-round games competed with NFL games last December and both semifinals in January were scheduled on weekdays to avoid a head-to-head with NFL weekend playoff games. 'Look at Major League Baseball,' Maryland head coach Mike Locksley said. 'They spend $900 million on minor league baseball as a development league. The NFL is getting us for free. When I grew up, Thursday night used to be college football. Now it's two NFL games.' But back to Lanning. His idea of moving up college football's playing season is a long-discussed issue that may solve, as he says, several matters. Ideally, he believes college football should turn Week Zero into Week 1, shifting up the entire season by a week (conference championship games would presumably move to Thanksgiving weekend). The playoff could begin on the first or second weekend of December, the national semifinals would fall on New Year's Day and the championship game would be back in early January instead of Jan. 20 as it was last year (it's Jan. 19 this season). Conceivably, the first two rounds of the playoffs could be unencumbered — without competition from NFL games. And the postseason will mostly be completed by the time the new, single transfer portal period is established (the expectation for that is early to mid-January). 'It solves a lot, whether it's the portal being open during the season or what,' Lanning says. 'I just wish we played a similar playoff to every other model that exists in every other sport where you play every Saturday and you get knocked out. There might be byes, but it's not going to be more than 14 days off as opposed to what we had this past season.' Not long ago, College Football Playoff leaders seriously discussed the prospect of shifting up by a week the entire regular season. In fact, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said two years ago that a Week Zero shift should be considered. 'I don't know that anybody's ready to say we can't do it or we can do it,' he said then. However, since Phillips uttered those words, conversations around the prospect have faded. College leaders begrudgingly made the decision to take on the NFL head-to-head with those two first-round playoff games in December. These weren't just any ho-hum NFL games. The 1 p.m. kickoff, on NBC, was the Texans versus the then two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The 4:30 p.m. kickoff, on Fox, was one of the most attractive division rivalries of the last 20 years: Steelers vs. Ravens. 'They purposely scheduled aggressively against us,' one college football executive told Yahoo Sports then. But moving up the entire season is no easy task. There are long-term game contracts that would need adjusting, such as with venues for conference championship games. Normally played on the first weekend of December, title games would kick off Thanksgiving weekend to allow for, at the very least, an agreed-upon 12-day period between the final league title game and the first playoff game. There are plenty more hurdles, like convincing your primary network partner to go along with this. Over the last two years, ESPN executives have expressed to some CFP leaders their concern over how such a move would impact television windows around the holidays. More than 50 FBS games are played during the Thanksgiving week, many of them drama-filled rivalry meetings, like Auburn-Alabama, Michigan-Ohio State and Florida State-Florida. These are rating giants on a holiday week, generating eye-popping figures. If the schedule is shifted up, Thanksgiving week would feature just nine games, and while all of them are conference championships, five of those involve only Group of Five programs. That's not to mention the shifting of the traditional opening weekend, also built around a holiday (Labor Day). However, during Division I conference commissioner meetings last month in Asheville, North Carolina, administrators re-examined making Week Zero a permanent playing date for college football teams, but without moving up the entire season. It would provide an additional bye week for teams. For now, schools wanting to play on Week Zero must be granted a waiver by NCAA governance committees. Lanning would love to see that end, and for Week Zero to become Week 1, no more playoff byes and a postseason that ends before mid-January. 'If anyone ever asks me what's the one thing I could change in college football,' he said, 'it's always that.'
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cleveland Browns Reportedly Blown Away By This QB During Practice
Suddenly, the Cleveland Browns' quarterback room is crowded, with four players competing for one starting role. Between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, one will emerge as the starter, another will be the primary backup, and another will act as the third-string quarterback. Those determinations will be made throughout Browns training camp and upcoming preseason matchups. Yet, one of the newcomers is reportedly already making a strong impression, leading to more snaps than anyone anticipated. According to NFL Network expert Judy Battista, the Browns have already given Gabriel, their third-round rookie, an increase in snaps after being blown away by his processing speed early on. That's a particularly notable trait that could continue to endear Gabriel to the Browns' coaching staff, especially because Battista notes how processing speed and decision-making will be major keys behind the decision to name a starter. While other reports have praised Sanders, the team's fifth-round rookie, for his work ethic, it's becoming clear that the Browns' quarterback competition could get very interesting this fall. Though the rookies are off to a strong start, the veterans presumably still have the advantage, being that they've already seen NFL defenses and have grown accustom to the speed with which they move. Related: Related Headlines Report: NASCAR to Race in San Diego in 2026, Location Revealed for Street Race WNBA All-Star Broadcast Controversy: ESPN Host Shocks With Risqué Remark NASCAR points leaders: Cup Series points leaders, NASCAR playoff picture after Dover NASCAR: Winners, Losers from Denny Hamlin's Echopark Automotive 400 Win at Dover
