The Kentucky football offseason has been defined by roster change, but not a drastic change in messaging from the top. Mark Stoops emphasized continuity with his coaching staff. There were a few unexpected departures by assistants, and new staffers were added to the fold.

Essentially, the Kentucky head coach believes his program’s recent shortcomings are because his program did not keep the main thing the main thing. There was a trickle-down effect that came from nationwide changes in the sport that eroded a way at the identity of his program and distracted his focus from the Kentucky football team.

Mark Stoops believes he reassembled a team in his image by adding veteran players with something to prove. It was accomplished via the transfer portal. That’s a temporary solution. Is the long-term solution still a viable one?

Talent Acquisition: Can Kentucky Still Win with Geography?

Mark Stoops’ success was built in the trenches. Kentucky played Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots in the SEC with players from Big Ten country and it worked.

Stoops received a contract extension following a 2-win season because of his ability to recruit. Following a 10-win season and impressive run with Lynn Bowden, Ari Wasserman described Stoops’ Kentucky football program as the “Big Ten killer.” Ohio State ate first, but the Wildcats cleaned up with the best of the rest in Ohio and Michigan. Kentucky used its location to pitch SEC football and it brought some of the best of the Midwest to the Bluegrass. Can it still work in the NIL and revenue-sharing era?

“What is Kentucky’s advantage? Kentucky used to go into Cincinnati and find a high-rated three-star or a low-rated four-star that is very good that was an hour-and-a-half away. They could sell SEC football and that was enough. They had good relationships with their coaches because Mark Stoops is really a cool dude. Vince Marrow was a really convincing guy. They did a good job there,” Wasserman said in a conversation with Andy Staples.

“But now… what is your plan? If you don’t have the money to spend in football the way your peers do, you can’t rely on your geography. I don’t care how motivated Mark Stoops is, what do you do?”

The talent acquisition plan appears to have changed. Quarterback Matt Ponatoski is the only player from Ohio in the Wildcats’ 2026 recruiting class. Mark Stoops believes revenue-sharing has put Kentucky in its best financial situation since dollars flooded the college football market in 2021. Will these changes be enough for Kentucky to rediscover success under Stoops? It’s the multi-million dollar question about the identity of this football program.

As the new face of Georgia football, quarterback Gunner Stockton is poised to be one of the most active student-athletes in NIL during this upcoming season. The backup to now-Miami quarterback Carson Beck the past two seasons, Stockton takes the reigns of the Bulldogs’ program both on and off the field.

Ahead of his first year as QB1, Stockton is starring in a new NIL campaign for footwear brand HEYDUDE – alongside his tight end Oscar Delp – to help promote their Collegiate Collection of lifestyle shoes.

The collection – featuring the Bulldogs, Penn State, Clemson, Ohio State, Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan, among others – includes HEYDUDE’s popular Wally and Wendy shoes for men and women.

The Georgia duo of Stockton and Delp shared their HEYDUDE partnership in a collaboration post on Instagram, showcasing their footwear in unique offseason looks.

MORE: Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola teams with adidas to launch new sneaker

One of the most consistent brands in NIL, HEYDUDE has partnered with star football and basketball players across the country, including the likes of reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, last year’s National Championship quarterback Will Howard of Ohio State and former ACC basketball rivals Kyle Filipowski of Duke and Armando Bacot of North Carolina, among many others.

Stockton came on for Georgia late last season in the SEC Championship against Texas, earning the win and followed-up with a start against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, finishing with a career-high 234 passing yards. Delp started 10 games a season ago and finished with four touchdowns on the year.

In addition to HEYDUDE, Stockton’s previous NIL partnerships include EA Sports, Parsons Xtreme Golf, Onward Reserve and the Athens Area Humane Society, among others.

No. 5 Georgia opens the season at home on Aug. 30 against Marshall.

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The Oregon Ducks have been on a tear on the 2026 recruiting trail.

Dan Lanning and company have put together the No. 3 class in the country, headlined by four five-star recruits. That feat isn’t too surprising: The Ducks have routinely signed top five classes the past few seasons.

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Even though the Ducks hold commitments from some of the best recruits in the country, that doesn’t mean other programs aren’t trying to flip some members of the class. Rivals reported such a flip appears likely for five-star edge Anthony “Tank” Jones, a native of Alabama.

Jones is the No. 22 player and No. 4 edge nationally and the No. 1 player in the state, and both Alabama and Auburn are reportedly making strong pushes to keep him home.

“We are hearing that both in-state schools, Alabama and Auburn, will play the slow game and work to get him back on campus for games this fall,” read the report. “Both the Crimson Tide and the Tigers are giving Jones his space, but as the season progresses, we expect staffs from both SEC programs to be in Mobile working to flip him from the Ducks through Signing Day in December.”

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With the early signing period in December, the Crimson Tide and Tigers have ample time to convince Jones that there’s no reason to trek to the Pacific Northwest. They also will have time to sweeten their offers.

According to On3’s name, image and likeness licensing valuations estimates, Jones ranks 33rd in high school football with a $422,00 valuation. This past season for St. Paul’s Episcopal, Jones compiled 84 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.

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Related: College Football Insider Predicts SEC Powerhouse Will Fire Head Coach and Lose Top Recruit to Rival

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.

HANOVER, N.H. – Rich Parker, Bill Johnson Head Coach of Men’s Golf, has announced the incoming Class of 2029 to the Dartmouth men’s golf program.
 
Luke Harper
5’10” | Dallas, Texas | The Covenant School
Before Dartmouth: Four-year Varsity golfer … three straight TAPPS 4A State Championships … Individual TAPPS 4A State Champion … Four-time First Team All-State … Two-year captain … Three-time team MVP … AP Scholar with Distinction … National Merit Scholar.
Why Dartmouth: “I chose Dartmouth because of the strong community, the athletic resources, the beautiful setting and the academic rigor.”
 
Benjamin Wang
5’10” | San Ramon, Calif. | Dougherty Valley High School
Before Dartmouth: Rolex Scholastic All-American … Three-time DVHS men’s golf team Most Valuable Player … EBAL Player of the Year … Captain of the DVHS golf team senior year … AP Scholar with Distinction … AIME Qualifier.
Why Dartmouth: “I chose Dartmouth for the vibrant small community as well as the great blend of academics and athletics.”
 
The Big Green return unanimous Ivy League First Team selection Tyler Brand to their roster for the 2025-26 season and tee off when they travel to the Metropolis Intercollegiate hosted by Columbia in White Plains, N.Y. on Monday, Sept. 8 and Tuesday, Sept. 9.
 

WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons University has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2025 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Coaches’ Poll, marking their bid to return to the top of the league for the first time since 2015. The Sharks earned 111 points and five first-place votes in the poll, which was conducted by the conference’s 11 head coaches.

Simmons is coming off an 18-4 season (10-2 GNAC) that saw the Sharks claim the No. 3 seed in last year’s GNAC Tournament before advancing to the championship game, where they fell to Johnson & Wales (then a GNAC member).

New England College was a close second in the poll with 110 points and three first-place votes. The Pilgrims posted a 16-4 overall record (10-2 GNAC) and earned the No. 2 seed in 2024, claiming the head-to-head tiebreaker over Simmons before falling in double overtime to the Sharks in the semifinals.

Colby-Sawyer College collected 98 points and two first-place tallies to take the third spot, followed by Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, which garnered 83 points to land in fourth. Under the direction of first-year head coach Theresa Arsenault ’14, the Monks went 10-11 overall and 7-5 in GNAC play last fall, earning the No. 5 seed in the tournament. After knocking off No. 4 Colby-Sawyer in the quarterfinals, SJC fell to eventual champion Johnson & Wales in the semifinals.

Lasell University rounded out the top five with 74 points and one first-place vote.

The University of Saint Joseph (72), Dean College (56), and Rivier University (54) claimed the next three spots, while Regis College (35), Albertus Magnus College (18), and Elms College (13) closed out the rankings.

The 2025 GNAC Field Hockey season begins Friday, August 29 with non-conference action, while league play opens Saturday, September 6. Teams will compete in a 10-game, single round-robin schedule, with the top eight programs advancing to the GNAC Tournament. The postseason begins with the quarterfinals on Saturday, November 1, continues with the semifinals on Wednesday, November 5, and concludes with the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 8. The winner will earn the conference’s automatic qualifier to the 2025 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.

 

2025 GNAC Field Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Simmons – 111 (5)
2. New England College – 110 (3)
3. Colby-Sawyer – 98 (2)
4. Saint Joseph’s (Maine) – 83
5. Lasell – 74 (1)
6. University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) – 72
7. Dean – 56
8. Rivier – 54
9. Regis – 35
10. Albertus Magnus – 18
11. Elms – 13

 

Wildcat Nation lost one of its greatest over the weekend.

Former UA pitcher James Farris, who was part of the 2012 baseball team that won the school’s fourth national title, passed away on Sunday following a battle with liver cancer. He was 33.

Farris played for the Wildcats from 2011-14, appearing in 48 games with 47 starts. That includes in the championship-clinching win over South Carolina at the College World Series in 2012 when he threw 7.2 scoreless innings in a 4-1 win.

A native of Arkansas, Farris graduated from Highland High School in Gilbert before coming to the UA. He was drafted twice, passing on being a 15th-round selection of the Houston Astros in 2013 before the Chicago Cubs took him in the 9^th round in 2014.

Farris reached Triple-A in 2017 in the Colorado Rockies organization but was unable to crack the majors, retiring from baseball after that and entering private business. He married his wife Madeline in 2022 and leaves behind a 2-year-old son, Gatlin.

A GoFundMe page started by a family friend in May remains active, with donations going toward Farris’ family.