We are edging closer and closer to Husker Football and Volleyball!

It’s almost August and we are only a few weeks away.

I cannot wait to see if the performances live up to the hype.

Nebraska

Raiola Named to Maxwell Award Watch List – University of Nebraska – Official Athletics Website

Huskers Open 2025 Fall Camp – University of Nebraska – Official Athletics Website

Fall Stories of HUSKERS FOOTBALL: Archie Wilson Is Going To Be FUN – Corn Nation
Huskers fans are hoping – PRAYING – for a sharp uptick in special teams improvement. Punter was actually solid in 2024. We could still be looking at a huge upgrade.

Emmett Johnson taking on challenge of mentoring Nebraska football’s young running backs during fall camp | Husker Red Zone | hastingstribune.com
LINCOLN — While Monday’s start of fall camp was a new experience for many on Nebraska’s roster, veterans like Emmett Johnson have been through it all before.

Nebraska Volleyball Big Ten Media Day Storylines to Watch – On3
Here are storylines to watch during Nebraska’s Big Ten Media Day and Dani Busboom Kelly’s first Big Ten Media Day

Elsewhere

Ryne Sandberg dies at 65: Hall of Fame second baseman spent 16 years in MLB, primarily with the Cubs – CBSSports.com
The Hall of Famer was one of the greatest second basemen in MLB history

Deion Sanders health update: Colorado coach reveals battle with bladder cancer during offseason absence – CBSSports.com
Coach Prime revealed he’s been cured of the cancer and plans the lead the Buffs in the 2025 season

NFL employees told to shelter in place as gunman kills 4, injures another in NYC high-rise that houses league headquarters – Yahoo Sports
The gunman reportedly killed four before turning his gun on himself on the building’s 33rd floor.

The story of the 2025 Tour de France in 21 photographs – The Athletic
Every year the Tour is a slice of a French summer – these are some of the most evocative images from the 2025 edition

OSHKOSH, Wis.- The two-time defending NCAA Division III long jump champion and division record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor events, Joshua Rivers (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) will compete at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships on Friday (Aug. 1).
 
The USATF Outdoor Championships, the second national meet of the year for Rivers following his fifth-place performance of 7.96 meters at the indoor championships in Staten Island in February, will be hosted by Division I Oregon at Hayward Field in Eugene between Thursday and Sunday (July 31-Aug. 3) and will be broadcast both live and on demand on NBC. The live stat
 

“We are all extremely proud of Josh and all that he has accomplished with the program in his career,” stated head men’s and women’s track and field coach Justin Kinseth. “Josh is one of very few student-athletes that can say they have won four individual national titles and competed at two USATF championships as a collegiate athlete. He is a shining example of the continued excellence of both our track & field program and our athletics department in Oshkosh”.
 
The men’s long jump is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. pacific time (6:10 p.m. central) on Friday.
 

Rivers set both the indoor and outdoor Division III long jump records this season at a pair of home meets. He leapt 8.13 meters at the Early Bird Open & Multi on December 7 and 8.04 meters at the WIAC Outdoor Championship on May 2. The now four-time individual national champion with two indoor titles and a pair of outdoor crowns over the last two seasons, is the only long jumper in Division III history to surpass the eight-meter mark.
 

When asked about what it means to be able to compete at such a high-profile meet, Rivers said, “I am honored to have the opportunity to represent UW-Oshkosh track & field at the USATF Championship for the second time this year after competing at the indoor championship in Staten Island back in February”.
 
The 2025 World Athletics Outdoor Championships will be held in Tokyo, Japan between September 13-21.

ECU

• Helped lead Pirates to two consecutive Super 16 appearances at the National Invitational Volleyball Championship

• Averaged 14.5 digs/match in 2023 season

• Totaled 633 digs in 80 matches over three years in Greenville, N.C.

• Secured starting libero role with team bests in digs (359) and digs/set (3.86) as a freshman.

BEFORE COLLEGE

• Led Saunders Secondary School to first provincial title as a sophomore with a 55-2 mark, while not losing a set in the tournament

• Averaged 12 digs/match as a senior leading team to city and Western Ontario titles

• 2020 Team Ontario Elite member

• Silver medal-winner for Team Ontario at the 2019 USA VB High Performance Championships

• 2017 gold medal winner in the U16 competition of the Volleyball Canada Indoor National Championships in 2017

PERSONAL

• Daughter of Sandra Lee and Wayne Shum

Some North Texas athletes say they’ve been left scrambling after their sport was cut.

The University of Texas at Dallas announced Monday it is dropping its track and field and cross-country programs this upcoming semester.

“It’s like the perfect school that I wanted,” said incoming UTD freshman Saniya Bosby.

UTD is where Bosby, a Rockwall resident, thought she would start and finish her college career as a student and athlete.

Bosby said she signed with UTD earlier this year, accepting a track and field scholarship for the fall, and was shocked to learn—in an email—that the program is being discontinued.

“Track is the thing I wanted to do. It’s the college experience. I love making friends through my sport, I love the traveling. I don’t think I would’ve gone had I known that it wouldn’t be an option,” explained Bosby.

Bosby is among several athletes who’ve contacted NBC 5, frustrated by the timing of Monday’s announcement—just three weeks before the semester starts.

“It just breaks my heart, it does,” said Madison Avery, a track team member entering her sophomore year. “We have 65 athletes in this program, and there is no remorse, no emotion, sympathy for us at all.”

“It really is a part of who we are, so for something like this to be stripped away from us in the blink of an eye with no warning, no nothing, it hurts beyond compare,” said Randi Beckham, former women’s sprinting team captain.

UT Dallas says it decided to discontinue men’s and women’s track and field and cross country “because of ongoing budget constraints and a lack of on-campus facilities.”

“We recognize the disappointment this decision brings to our student athletes and the impact on their experience at UT Dallas,” Angela Marin, UT Dallas director of athletics, said in a statement to NBC 5 on Monday.

The announcement comes after UTD joined the Lone Star Conference earlier this month and as it transitions from a Division III to a Division II school.

“We were so excited about going D-2,” said Beckham.

Scott Casterline, a tenured agent, said the shifting NIL landscape in college sports is creating an uneven playing field.

“Any program like that’s going to get cut because they don’t make any money, unfortunately,” said Casterline.

UTD says athletes can keep their scholarships through the upcoming school year if they choose to remain at the school.

Bosby said she’s trying to figure out her next move to keep her college dream of being a student-athlete on track.

“We’re all very unsure,” said Bosby.

NBC 5 reached out to UTD for additional comment for this report, but has not heard back.

As we inch closer to the start of the 2025 high school football season, three members of the Millikan football program have made their college commitments before they open their senior seasons.

Pass catcher Jude Nelson, defensive end Peyton McCutcheon, and linebacker Aisa Taeleifi have all recently made commitments to play at the next level, continuing Millikan’s recent run of churning out college football talent.

Nelson made his commitment to Colorado State, where he will be utilized as a dynamic receiver, playing either tight end or out at wide receiver. It’s easy to imagine how Nelson will be utilized by CSU, since those Rams run a similar Air Raid offense to what his current Rams run.

“I think it’s huge, you know, it’s good for him and his family, (Colorado State) runs a similar offense to us, and I think they’re going to use him the right way,” said Millikan head coach Romeo Pellum of Nelson’s commitment. “I think Jude’s best football is ahead of him. I think he’s going to be a guy this year and wow a lot of people. We’re just fortunate to have him on our team, he’s a guy on both sides of the ball, so look out for him this year.”

While Nelson has shown the ability to fill in and cause havoc on the defensive line, the plan is for him to play tight end at the next level. He was down to Boise State and Colorado State for his decision, but went with the Rams due to how compatible he felt with the coaching staff and the offensive system.

“It’s a dream come true, I’ve been working for it for my whole life, basically,” Nelson said of his commitment. “I think the difference was really how I fit in the offense. That was a really big thing for me. I love both places, both staffs were like family to me; it just felt right when I went up to Fort Collins. I loved the town more than I thought I was going to … I feel like I can get on the field early and make some plays there.”

On the defensive line, McCutcheon plans to continue his playing career at San Diego State, and is looking like a disruptive playmaker going into his senior season. After transferring in from Dominguez High last season, McCutcheon joined a solid defensive unit up front for the Rams, helping them win the Moore League title.

Coach Pellum said that McCutcheon’s physical development this offseason has been a big key in his development, and the attention from college recruiters was quick to follow. He missed a handful of games due to injury as a junior, but is hoping to be ready for a full slate of games in his 12th grade year.

“He looks like a grown man,” Pellum said of McCutcheon. “Colleges come by and they tell me he looks like what’s in their locker room right now, and looks better than a lot of their guys. I just feel for guys that have to block him, and I feel bad for quarterbacks, because he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s athletic, and he hits really, really hard. He’s a mean son of a gun on the football field.”

McCutcheon will be reunited with former Millikan teammate JP Mialovski at San Diego State. The quarterback signed with the Aztecs after last season.

Finally, Taeleifi made his commitment to play college ball at Portland State. The hard-nosed linebacker was a key figure for the Rams’ stop unit in 2024, finishing second on the team with 58 tackles.

“He played almost every snap last season, I believe. So it’s huge for our defense to have a guy like him coming back–he knows our defense inside and out,” said Pellum of Taeleifi. “He’s a ball player. He was arguably up for Defensive Player of the Year last year, so look out for him. Portland State is getting an absolute steal. So I’m excited to see him this year.”

Taeleifi said he’s been working on his closing speed and reaction time in dissecting plays this offseason. His decision to head to the Pacific Northwest was all about the comfortability he felt with the coaching staff on his visit.

“They just made it feel like home for me,” Taeleifi explained. “Immediately, right when I met them, I just felt like they really wanted me to come there. And that’s what it’s all about for me. They really want me, then that’s where I want to go. I want to go where I’ll be treated well and be taken care of.”

Millikan had more than a dozen football players sign college scholarships by the end of last year’s recruiting cycle, and the Rams are already off to a strong start with the Class of 2026.