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Meet the 4-star recruit who is using NIL to promote adoption: ‘We hit the jackpot with him’

When Bear McWhorter was in the third grade, his mother, Vanessa, and father, Josh, sat him down alongside his sister to discuss an important family matter. The McWhorters had two happy and healthy children and a nice life in Cartersville, Ga., about 40 miles northwest of Atlanta. But the more Vanessa and Josh thought about […]

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When Bear McWhorter was in the third grade, his mother, Vanessa, and father, Josh, sat him down alongside his sister to discuss an important family matter.

The McWhorters had two happy and healthy children and a nice life in Cartersville, Ga., about 40 miles northwest of Atlanta. But the more Vanessa and Josh thought about the future — leaning into their faith for clarity — the more passionate they felt about the possibility of adding to their family.

How would Bear and Lily feel about the McWhorters fostering, and potentially adopting, children in need?

Bear, now 17 and a four-star offensive lineman who is committed to Michigan, was initially in a bit of shock. He’d always been the baby of the family and had never thought about what it might feel like to add another sibling, let alone share his space with a stranger. But he supported his parents’ desire to open their home. And in September 2017, right as he was about to head out for football practice, he met 4-year-old Olivia for the first time.

“We ended up getting her and didn’t know how long we were going to have her or anything like that,” Bear said, “and ended up just having her forever. I love her.

“It just ended up being a great thing for our entire family.”

Seven years later, the McWhorters are a family of six. They formally adopted Olivia in 2019 and began fostering 4-month-old Lydia in early 2020, before finalizing her adoption in 2022.

Olivia is now 12 and the family’s best distance runner, hoping to eventually follow in her brother’s footsteps and compete collegiately. Lydia is 5 and learning new big-kid words every day.

Bear, who committed to Michigan in February over Clemson, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida, told every coach who recruited him over the years about his family’s story. And in March 2024 — after years of brainstorming with Josh about how he might be able to use his name, image and likeness for good — he launched a foundation to raise money and awareness for adoption and fostering.

The Brother Bear Foundation. Because every child deserves a family.

“I got two new little sisters,” Bear said. “And (it) really changed my view on life.”


Vanessa McWhorter knew when she and Josh officially signed up to foster in the state of Georgia that reunification between a child and his or her biological family was the ultimate goal.

“But Olivia’s story was really hard,” Vanessa said. “When she came to us — and I won’t share much of her story — they kind of knew she most likely was going to need an adoptive home.”

Olivia, now a thriving, sassy preteen, was born in nearby Rome, Ga., about 15 minutes away from the McWhorters and had already bounced around multiple homes in the foster system before she started kindergarten. On the day she arrived at the McWhorter family home that fall 2017 afternoon, she walked through the doors and called Vanessa “Mom” right away. Shortly thereafter, the two met Josh for lunch at Chick-fil-A.

“She had never been around bigger men before,” Vanessa said of her husband, a former offensive lineman who played collegiately at Furman. “(She told him) ‘You’re as big as the sun.’”

Bear said hello for the first time before that football practice later that afternoon. The two talked for a few minutes and Bear went on his way — not remembering much else. But Vanessa and Josh paid close attention to how their biological children interacted with Olivia. They were touched by both Bear and Lily’s kindness.

“They took her on as a sibling super quick,” Vanessa said.

“They never treated her like she was any different,” Josh followed.

In hindsight, Bear acknowledges those first few weeks were an adjustment.

Olivia had different life experiences. Bear was shocked when she lashed out or snapped at his parents — something that never would have been tolerated from him or Lily. But even as a fourth grader, the more he learned about her past, the more he understood.

“It’s not all her fault,” he remembers thinking.

“Being in a great family, a great home, everything like that, where you’re taken care of, I think it’s definitely something that all of us take for granted.”

About two months into her stay with the McWhorters, Olivia turned 5.

As the new kid at school and church, she didn’t have many friends to celebrate with. So Bear and Lily jumped right in as built-in best friends when the McWhorter family took her to the local aquarium and commemorated her big day with a “Frozen”-themed birthday cake.

In March 2019, the whole family gathered in the courthouse when her adoption became final and Olivia legally became a McWhorter.

“It was awesome,” Bear said. “It was kind of surreal, adding somebody to the family like that. But it was really, really cool and definitely a very happy day.”

If he only knew the McWhorters were just getting started.


The McWhorter’s agency recommended that the family go “on hold” for six months after Olivia’s adoption became final. The idea is for family members to bond with one another and get accustomed to their new norm before introducing another child into the home.

Six months later, the agency called again: “Are y’all ready to reopen?”

Vanessa and Josh agreed to open their home once again, but decided the odds of adoption were slim this time around. They were happy to foster and be a resource for another family thinking about adopting, but their home was a little full. Adding a fourth child wasn’t part of their plans.

“Then it was in January, the end of January of 2020, it was right before COVID and I got a call for a 4-month-old little girl, and of course my heart just stopped,” Vanessa said. “Three hours later, we had a baby.”

Bear was confused when Vanessa picked him up from school that day with a baby seat in her car. Because of the quick nature of the call and how fast the situation unfolded, there was no time for the McWhorters to fill the children in on what was happening. Olivia initially thought her parents were surprising their children with a dog.

Bear saw the baby.

“Who’s this?” he asked.

“And that’s how he met Lydia,” Vanessa said.

A few weeks later, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and the McWhorters’ initial plans of serving as short-term caregivers for Lydia changed.

With infants among those at the highest risk during the pandemic, Bear remembers how scared his family was about having a newborn in the home amid all of the uncertainty. Throw in the fact that he had almost no experience with newborns — “I never liked being around babies” — and his whole world shifted.

“But it ended up being really, really fun,” Bear said. “(Lydia) has the most personality, and she is the smartest little kid I’ve ever met. And so just being around her so much, it was really, really cool for me.”

While Bear navigated schoolwork and football throughout the pandemic, the now 6-foot-3 1/2, 293-pounder picked up a few new skills, too. He became a pro at changing diapers. He learned how to burp Lydia with ease and was happy to jump right in any time her tiny tummy got the best of her.

“Bless her heart, she spit up every bottle she took. She had awful, awful reflux,” Vanessa said. “But he’s just such a happy-go-lucky kid. He adjusted really, really well, and he had so much fun with her, especially in those baby months.”

Lydia provided some lightheartedness for the family, too.

“She’s just got an unbelievable personality,” Josh said. “Even as a baby, there was something different about her, and she’s sort of become the center of our family. She was the (pandemic) entertainment. That’s for sure.”

As Lydia aged from an infant to a toddler and soon was in need of a permanent home, the McWhorters got serious about officially adding her to the family.

In 2022, they gathered around the kitchen table to log into a Zoom call and sign some paperwork in front of the judge who virtually presided over Lydia’s adoption. Afterward, the family had a small get-together with their loved ones to celebrate their newest daughter and sister, two years in the making.

Last month, Vanessa walked into Lydia’s bedroom to tuck her youngest daughter in and read her a book, when Bear came in to join. He sat through story time, then stayed back after Vanessa left the room to tell his little sister goodnight. He’s constantly quizzing her on math problems or going over writing lessons, even teaching her a few of his and his teammate’s favorite potty-humor jokes along the way while she cracks up every time.

“I look at Bear,” Josh said, “and I just think, ‘Man, we hit the jackpot with him.’”


The idea for the foundation was born in Josh’s truck during the hour-long trip to and from Bear’s training sessions in Canton, Ga.

With two hours together three nights a week, father and son chatted about many of life’s bigger topics. When they started to think about how Bear might be able to use his platform as an emerging national recruit to make some sort of a difference, they kept coming back to adoption.

“It was part of our family’s story, it was a part of his story. He loved his sisters,” Josh said. “And he wanted to create a way for other people to be able to experience that same joy.”

High school athletes in Georgia are allowed to profit off their name, image and likeness, and through his foundation, Bear sells “Brother Bear” T-shirts for about $25, with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly toward helping families foster and/or adopt. During his recruitment, several coaches, including South Carolina’s Shane Beamer and assistants from LSU and Arkansas, snapped photos with their shirts.

The vast majority of the funds raised by The Brother Bear Foundation, for now, are coming from T-shirt sales, but the operation could grow considerably as Bear’s profile increases over the next few years.

“We’ve not gone out and asked for donations,” Josh said, “even though we’re legally able to, until we know exactly where we’re going with this and who’s doing what.”

Later this summer, if all goes according to plan, Bear will meet a baby girl from Ghana whom he helped bring to the States — his $2,000 contribution helping the family with the costs.

“Seeing all the hard work and everything I’ve done to get to this position in football and (to) have this platform and be able to turn around and use it for something like that, it’s really, really cool,” he said. “I just hope that people realize that they can do it, too. They can open their home.”

Josh, who works in finance, has made it clear that he and Vanessa will take care of the business side of things. It’s Bear’s job to use his platform to promote the foundation, invest in it himself and perhaps most importantly, do his part on the football field. The latter should be feasible for Bear, who is named after Josh but goes by Bear after Alabama legend Bear Bryant as a nod to his grandfather’s extreme Crimson Tide fandom. (Don’t worry, Grandpa has since come around on the Wolverines.)

In the meantime, Bear has one final summer at home, one last football season at Cass High before it’s off to Michigan. He plans to soak up every second and take what he has learned from his family with him to Ann Arbor.

Playing offensive line for the Wolverines, he said, may not be all that different from his role as brother to Lily, Olivia and Lydia.

“It’s a lot of protection and setting everybody straight,” he quipped.

“Opening up your home and your family to just welcome somebody that needs it — I just feel like it doesn’t get any better than that.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos courtesy of the McWhorter family)





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MLB Pipeline releases final mock with big movement

Just one day before the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway, MLB Pipeline released its final Mock Draft with some major movement. The Draft serves as a special event that cements the lifetime dream of hundreds of amateur baseball players. LSU left-hander pitcher Kade Anderson and Stillwater High School infielder Ethan Holliday seem to be the […]

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Just one day before the 2025 MLB Draft gets underway, MLB Pipeline released its final Mock Draft with some major movement.

The Draft serves as a special event that cements the lifetime dream of hundreds of amateur baseball players. LSU left-hander pitcher Kade Anderson and Stillwater High School infielder Ethan Holliday seem to be the players still in contention for the No. 1 overall pick, while Tennessee left-hander Liam Doyle and Corona High School right-hander Seth Hernandez could come off the board right after.

MLB Pipeline’s picks, 1-43, are below:

1. Washington Nationals: LHP Kade Anderson, LSU

LSU sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson has skyrocketed to the projected No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft. Anderson led all college pitchers this season in strikeouts (180) and pitched to a 3.18 ERA in 119 innings. He held Coastal Carolina to just three hits and no runs with 10 strikeouts in the opening game of the College World Series Final, posting the first CWS shutout since 2018.

“With a quick arm and athletic delivery, Anderson provides plenty of strikes,” MLB.com writes. “There’s still projection remaining in his slender 6-foot-2 frame, and his uptick in stuff this spring could make him a frontline starter. He also comes with a high floor as a lefty with four effective offerings and pitchability.

Tennessee’s Liam Doyle (© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Tennessee left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle ranked second in the country in strikeouts (164) behind Anderson, pitching to a 3.20 ERA in 95 2/3 innings this season. He struggled a bit down the final stretch, however, posting a 6.86 ERA over his final five starts (21 innings). Doyle, however, remains positioned to be the highest drafted pitcher in Tennessee program history. This comes after transferring from Ole Miss prior to the season.

“While he throws his fastball nearly two-thirds of the time, Doyle has four effective pitches after switching to using an upper-80s splitter as his changeup,” MLB.com writes. “Despite his dominance this spring, there are concerns about his ability to succeed as a starter at the next level because he has an unorthodox delivery and constantly throws with maximum intent. He does provide consistent strikes and has held his stuff deep into games and throughout this season.

Right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez out of Corona High School (CA) would mark Cincinnati’s third straight selection of an arm in the Top 10 picks. Hernandez is the top high school pitching prospect of the 2025 class and has reached 100 mph on his fastball. He’s verbally committed to Vanderbilt. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.

“In addition to his pure stuff, Hernandez does a solid job finding the zone, especially considering his age and power stuff,” MLB.com writes. “Committed to Vanderbilt, he gets very high marks for his work ethic, showing the ability to make adjustments and corrections to put himself in position to be one of the first pitchers taken in the 2025 Draft. 

Holliday, who is the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday (First Overall Pick in the 2022 MLB Draft), was projected as the No. 1 pick for most of the past year. But he has slipped a bit recently. Holliday was recently named Gatorade’s Oklahoma Player of the Year at Stillwater High School and looks to become the fourth No. 1 pick out of high school in the past 10 MLB Drafts. He’s verbally committed to Oklahoma State, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.

“Holliday moves well for his size and has average speed, though he’ll probably lose a step as he continues to mature physically,” MLB.com writes. “He has nice actions and solid arm strength at shortstop, but he won’t cover enough ground to stay there on a long-term basis. The Oklahoma State recruit projects better as a slugging third baseman and could be a quality defender on the hot corner.”

5. St. Louis Cardinals: SS Eli Willits, Oklahoma commit

Fort-Cobb Broxton’s Eli Willits (Photo via OU Athletics)

Fort-Cobb Broxton (OK) High product Eli Willits is one of three talented high school shortstops projected in the Top 10 of this year’s draft. He is listed at No. 5 on MiLB.com’s Prospect Rankings ahead of Carlson and is a proficient switch-hitter. His father, Reggie Willits, is a former MLB veteran who is now an associate head coach at Oklahoma. His brother, Jaxon, started 50 games for the Sooners at shortstop this season. He’s also verbally committed to Oklahoma, but it looks like he probably won’t reach campus.

“Willits has the nonstop motor and instincts to get the most out of his physical tools,” MLB.com writes. “He plays quicker than his plus speed and earns solid grades for his arm strength and defensive play at shortstop, and scouts won’t be shocked if those both become pluses once he’s fully developed. There’s no reason he shouldn’t stay at shortstop but he’d also profile well in center field.”

Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette was originally selected in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, but bet on himself and returned to college. The decision paid off mightily, as the 2025 First Team All-American is projected as the No. 3 pick in the 2025 Draft. Starting for a Beaver program that made the College World Series for the first time since 2018, Arquette hit for a .354 average with 17 doubles, 19 home runs, 66 RBI, a .654 SLG% and a .461 OBP%. He would become Oregon State‘s third top-three pick in the last seven Drafts.

“While Arquette is an average runner and played second base at Washington, he showed on the Cape that he should have the chops to play shortstop long-term, with easy actions, soft hands and more than enough arm with carry at every angle across the diamond,” MLB.com writes. “College bats with pop at a premium position are always a hot commodity, so Arquette should get plenty of attention in the first round.”

Shortstop JoJo Parker is the third projected high school shortstop to be selected in the top-10. He’s the twin brother of Perfect Game All-American Jacob Parker and his tabbed as MiLB’s No. 9 ranked prospect. He’s verbally committed to Mississippi State. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and will choose to go pro.

“While Parker will get the chance to play shortstop at the next level and his solid arm strength, his actions and quickness are just average,” MLB.com writes. “That likely will dictate a move to second or third base in the future, though he should provide enough offense to profile at either position. The twins are committed to playing together at Mississippi State if they don’t turn pro.”

Florida State’s Jamie Arnold (Photo via FSU Athletics)

Florida State left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold is the third projected college lefty to go in the top-eight picks in this Mock Draft. He capped off back-to-back stellar campaigns for the Seminoles by pitching to a 2.98 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 84 2/3 innings this season. In 13 2/3 innings of work in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Arnold led FSU to two wins (Mississippi State and Oregon State) by pitching to a 2.63 ERA with 22 strikeouts.

“Arnold has shown the ability to fill up the strike zone and limit damage while maintaining his stuff deep into outings,” MLB.com writes. “With the funky arm slot, his stuff has drawn some comparisons to Chris Sale’s, a reason why his name will be mentioned in conversations at the top of the first round.”

Auburn‘s Ike Irish was one of the best catchers in college baseball in 2024, but transitioned to the outfield in 2025. He excelled there as well, making just two errors in 55 games. Offensively, he hit for a .364 average with 13 doubles, 19 home runs and 58 RBI for a 40-win Tiger team. Over the span of three seasons, Irish hit for a .350 average with 48 doubles, 39 home runs and 167 RBI. He was named to the All-SEC First Team in both 2024 and 2025.

“Irish entered 2025 contending for the title of best catching prospect in college baseball but spent most of the spring in right field after fracturing his right scapula when hit by a pitch in March,” MLB.com writes. “There’s a growing sentiment that he’d be better off maximizing his offense by sticking in the outfield, and he moves and throws well enough to get the job done in right. Behind the plate, he shows the hands to become an average receiver and framer, though a long release undermines his plus arm strength a bit.”

10. Chicago White Sox: SS Billy Carlson, Tennessee commit

Billy Carlson is a stud defensive shortstop out of Corona High School in California. He is one of two prospects out of Corona High (RHP Seth Hernandez) projected as First-Round picks. He was once a two-way player (with a fastball in the mid-90s), but he has focused on the infield as he embarks on his professional baseball journey. He is currently verbally committed to Tennessee. But it looks like he probably won’t reach campus and go pro instead.

“At one point, Carlson was thought to be a legitimate two-way player, with a fastball in the mid-90s and feel for spinning a breaking ball,” MLB.com writes. “But it will be his five-tool potential at a premium position that will get the Tennessee recruit selected in the top half of the first round, though his age at Draft time (19) might rule out some teams.”

Picks 11-30 of the draft

Texas A&M’s Jace LaViolette (© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)

11. Athletics: 2B Gavin KilenTennessee
12. Texas Rangers: SS Daniel PierceGeorgia commit
13. San Francisco Giants: RHP Kyson WitherspoonOklahoma
14. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Steele HallTennessee commit
15. Boston Red Sox: SS Marek HoustonWake Forest
16. Minnesota Twins: RHP Tyler BremnerUC Santa Barbara
17. Chicago Cubs: OF Brendan SummerhillArizona
18. Arizona Diamondbacks: C Caden BodineCoastal Carolina
19. Baltimore Orioles: 3B Gavin FienTexas commit
20. Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Gage WoodArkansas
21. Houston Astros: OF Jace LaVioletteTexas A&M
22. Atlanta Braves: SS Wehiwa AloyArkansas
23. Kansas City Royals: LHP Kruz SchoolcraftTennessee commit
24. Detroit Tigers: OF Slater de BrunVanderbilt commit
25. San Diego Padres: SS/2B Kayson CunninghamTexas commit
26. Philadelphia Phillies: C Luke StevensonNorth Carolina
27. Cleveland Guardians: 3B Josh HammondWake Forest commit

28. Kansas City Royals: SS Dax KilbyClemson commit

Compensatory Round of draft

29. Arizona Diamondbacks: 1B/3B Andrew FischerTennessee
30. Baltimore Orioles: 3B Xavier NeyensOregon State commit
31. Baltimore Orioles: 2B/OF Sean GambleVanderbilt commit
32. Milwaukee Brewers: OF Ethan ConradWake Forest
33. Boston Red Sox: OF Cam CannarellaClemson
34. Detroit Tigers: OF Jaden FauskeLSU commit
35. Seattle Mariners: OF Devin TaylorIndiana
36. Minnesota Twins: SS Alex Lodise, Florida State
37. Baltimore Orioles: RHP Patrick ForbesLouisville
38. New York Mets: LHP Jack Bauer, Mississippi State commit
39. New York Yankees: RHP Riley QuickAlabama
40. Los Angeles Dodgers: 3B/OF Quentin YoungLSU commit
41. Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Marcus PhillipsTennessee
42. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Tate SouthiseneUSC commit
43. Miami Marlins: OF Mason NevilleOregon



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Sporting News ranks Big Ten Football schedules from hardest to easiest

The Sporting News ranked Big Ten football schedules for this upcoming college football season from hardest to easiest, all the way from Wisconsin (hardest) to Illinois (easiest). This list casts great news for College Football Playoff hopeful teams such as the Fighting Illini, Oregon and Michigan, but casts a daunting shadow on struggling programs such […]

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The Sporting News ranked Big Ten football schedules for this upcoming college football season from hardest to easiest, all the way from Wisconsin (hardest) to Illinois (easiest).

This list casts great news for College Football Playoff hopeful teams such as the Fighting Illini, Oregon and Michigan, but casts a daunting shadow on struggling programs such as Wisconsin, Rutgers and Purdue.

Last year, Oregon had the 12th hardest schedule according to The Sporting News and finished the regular season with an unblemished 9-0 conference record. The Ducks then went on to win the Big Ten Championship Game in their first year in the conference.

Toughest Opponents: at Alabama, vs Illinois, vs Michigan, vs Ohio State, at Oregon

Bad news for a Wisconsin program which has failed to reach the eight-win mark in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-92. Anything less than eight wins seems like it would put head coach Luke Fickell on the hot seat. With the hardest schedule in the Big Ten according to The Sporting News, it really could be another rough campaign for the jumpin’ Badgers.

© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Toughest Opponents: at Illinois, at Ohio State, vs Oregon, vs Penn State

Coming off back-to-back seven win campaigns, Rutgers will face three teams that made the College Football Playoff last season. A win over any of these four teams this season would likely give the Scarlet Knights and head coach Greg Schiano their first top-25 victory since 2009 (USF).

Toughest Opponents: at Illinois, vs Michigan, at Notre Dame, at Oregon

USC‘s 2025 conference schedule is a bit of a gauntlet, as it will travel (to what will likely be top-15 teams) Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon this season. Paul Finebaum tabbed Lincoln Riley as the head coach with the most pressure this season and anything less than being in the College Football Playoff conversation could be disastrous for the QB guru.

Toughest Opponents: at Illinois, at Michigan, vs Penn State, vs Texas

The reigning National Champions have the fourth most challenging schedule this season according to The Sporting News. The Buckeyes kick off the 2025 season on August 30 at home against Texas in a monster non-conference matchup and will face off against Illinois, Michigan and Penn State in conference play. Ohio State will look to break its four-season losing streak to the Wolverines this year, but a win in Ann Arbor is no easy task (unless you’re Appalachian State).

© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Toughest Opponents: vs Illinois, vs Michigan, at Notre Dame, at Ohio State

In what is set to be another disastrous season for a lowly Purdue program (ranked dead last among all power-four programs in Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football preview), the Boilermakers travel to both Notre Dame and Ohio State along with hosting Illinois and Michigan in West Lafayette. Purdue hasn’t gone winless in conference play in back-to-back seasons since 1919-20.

Toughest Opponents: vs Illinois, at Michigan, vs Ohio State, at Oregon

Washington seems to a program still looking to find itself in the second year of the Jedd Fisch era. The Huskies will travel to both Michigan and Oregon, but will host Illinois and Ohio State at Husky Stadium. It’ll look to get back to its program peak in 2023, when it went five-for-five in conference games against top-25 opponents.

Toughest Opponents: at Illinois, vs Michigan, vs Oregon, at Penn State

Northwestern has the seventh toughest schedule in the Big Ten this season according to The Sporting News. The Wildcats will host Illinois and Penn State at newly built Martin Stadium, looking to surprise the college football world once again like they did in 2023 when they went 8-4.

© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Toughest Opponents: vs Illinois, at Oregon, at Penn State

A season removed from making the College Football Playoff after not winning one singular regular season top-25 matchup, Indiana travels to both Oregon and Penn State and will host Illinois in Bloomington. Year two of the Curt Cignetti era is set up to show the college football world that the Hoosiers are here to stay, or it could show that they were a one-year wonder.

Toughest Opponents: at Ohio State, at Oregon

Freshly extended P.J. Fleck will lead his Minnesota Gophers into the conference’s ninth hardest schedule, headlined by road games at both Ohio State and Oregon. During Fleck’s tenure at Minnesota, he is 0-3 against Ohio State and has yet to face the Ducks.

Toughest Opponents: at Ohio State, vs Penn State

In what could be a make or break year for head coach DeShaun Foster and newly acquired quarterback Nico Iamaleava, the Bruins will travel to Ohio State and host a home game against Penn State this season. The road game against the Buckeyes will serve as a chance at redemption for Nico, who passed for just 104 yards in Tennessee‘s 42-17 loss to Ohio State in the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Teams 11-18

11. Penn State Nittany Lions
12. Iowa Hawkeyes
13. Nebraska Cornhuskers
T-14. Michigan Wolverines
T-14. Maryland Terrapins
T-14. Oregon Ducks
17. Michigan State Spartans
18. Illinois Fighting Illini

© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images



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Jason Martin & Arnie Spanier discuss the LeBron James controversy, Cooper F | FOX Sports Radio

In a new episode of FOX Sports Saturday, Jason Martin & Arnie Spanier (in for Aaron Torres) start off the show discussing the LeBron James controversy and new information coming out about the Lakers informing Luka Doncic, but not LeBron James about the sale of the Lakers. They then go into Cooper Flagg already being […]

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In a new episode of FOX Sports Saturday, Jason Martin & Arnie Spanier (in for Aaron Torres) start off the show discussing the LeBron James controversy and new information coming out about the Lakers informing Luka Doncic, but not LeBron James about the sale of the Lakers. They then go into Cooper Flagg already being more marketable and more of a face of the NBA than Victor Wembanyama. Jason brings up marketability and draws the Angel Reese Caitlin Clark parallel after Reese was chosen to be on NBA 2K26 over Caitlin Clark, who draws substantially more viewership. Fox Sports Radio NBA Analyst Mark Medina joins the show to discuss LeBron James’ appearance at the Lakers vs. Pelicans game and the controversy surrounding him. Arnie then brings up the new NIL Era in College Football and how Texas Tech just spent $5.1M on an OL for 3 years.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.





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Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormak makes a big claim ahead of next football season

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormak has been in the job since July of 2022. Since then, the Big 12 has been represented in every College Football Playoff. In Yormaks inagural year, it was TCU who shocked the world and made it to the National Championship before crashing out to Georgia in what was a dominant […]

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Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormak has been in the job since July of 2022. Since then, the Big 12 has been represented in every College Football Playoff. In Yormaks inagural year, it was TCU who shocked the world and made it to the National Championship before crashing out to Georgia in what was a dominant 65-7 Bulldog win.

The year after, Texas was heartbroken thanks to a 37-31 loss to eventual runner-ups Washington in the semifinal stage.

But, last year things were a little different. the 2024/25 season saw the expansion to the 12-team playoff bracket and big-hitters Texas and Oklahoma jumped ship to the SEC, as the Big 12 welcomed four new teams. The likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah were each introduced.

Just one team from the Big 12 made the CFP, being Arizona State.

It would be harsh to say last season was a disappointment from the Big 12 standpoint. After all, having to deal with the massive blows of losing Texas and Oklahoma was patched with the Sun Devils compiling a six-game win streak that pushed Kenny Dillingham’s team to the playoff.

Yet Yormak expects for this season to be different.

According to Shehan Jeyarajah of CBS Sports, Yormak was quoted at the Big 12 Media Days saying, “No league offers the competitive balance that we do. … I fully expect the Big 12 to earn multiple College Football Playoff bids this year and to show once again that we can compete.”

When looking at the current layout of the Big 12, this is an ambitious claim. According to college football analyst Phil Steele, 11 teams were ranked inside the top 50, including the Jayhawks.

Those teams include Arizona State (15), Baylor (18), Utah, Texas Tech (25), TCU (26), Iowa State (28), Kansas State (30), Brigham Young University (42), Cincinnati (42), and Houston (46), before Kansas reached the 49th spot.

As of today, star BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff withdrew from the program after likely being faced with a seven-game suspension, after breaking the BYU honor code, taking away a possible dark horse for some college football playoff drama. Combine that with the massive overhaul of Texas Tech, which has seen the Red Raiders reel in 21 of the nation’s elite transfers and the world has yet to see thme fully mesh.

Dillingham’s Arizona State is, of course, going to top the Big 12 schools after their remarkable 11-3 season last Fall.

For the Jayhawks, opinions are mixed, quarterback Jalon Daniels appears to still have a little bit of a question mark over his head from fans regarding his ability when fully fit after spells of injury holding him back. That, along with the recent promotions of assistants to full-time coordinator positions, has its ups and downs. But, a strong transfer class ranked 7th in the Big 12 according to 247Sports does pose hope.

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South Carolina softball picks up commitment from transfer portal speedster

South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard has picked up another commitment for the 2026 version of the Gamecocks. Utility player Lexie Shaver, a former Kennesaw State Owl, announced her pledge to USC on Saturday evening. Shaver, a two-time All-State performer and Utah state champion at Riverton High School, played a year at the junior […]

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South Carolina softball picks up commitment from transfer portal speedster

South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard has picked up another commitment for the 2026 version of the Gamecocks. Utility player Lexie Shaver, a former Kennesaw State Owl, announced her pledge to USC on Saturday evening.

Shaver, a two-time All-State performer and Utah state champion at Riverton High School, played a year at the junior college level before spending 2025 at KSU. While there, she played with fellow South Carolina transfer portal commitment Emma Friedel, a right-handed pitcher.

This spring, Shaver played a lot of first base but has experience playing multiple positions, something she could do with the Gamecocks, too. Her athleticism and speed on the bases will be a weapon for Coach Chastain Woodard as South Carolina lost several of its top base-stealing threats from the 2025 roster to graduation and oft-used pinch runner Chloe Lackey. Shaver brings a little pop to the table, too. She swatted four home runs as a sophomore but cleared the fence 15 times as a junior college freshman.

SEE ALSO: South Carolina softball adds veteran infielder from Purdue

This summer, Shaver has been tearing up the Florida Gulf Coast League. She was named an All-Star and belted a two-run homer in the FGCL All-Star Game. She also brought home the FGCL Humanitarian Award.

Shaver is the 10th overall transfer portal commitment of the summer for South Carolina. She is also one of several who have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

In total, she joins Mississippi State right-handed pitcher Josey Marron, NC State outfielder Tori Ensley, Ole Miss infielder Tate Davis, Florida infielder Alyssa Hovermale, Kennesaw State pitcher Emma Friedel, Kentucky pitcher Julie Kelley, Georgia infielder Precious Bross, Ole Miss catcher Jamie Mackay, and Purdue infielder Sage Scarmardo as members of South Carolina’s transfer class.

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College Football is ripe for another Michigan/Notre Dame classic

Too much time has passed since the Wolverines and Fighting Irish have butted heads in one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries. The next scheduled meeting is not until 2033 in Ann Arbor and a year later in South Bend. In my opinion these two titans should be playing every year, excluding the college football […]

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Too much time has passed since the Wolverines and Fighting Irish have butted heads in one of the sport’s most iconic rivalries. The next scheduled meeting is not until 2033 in Ann Arbor and a year later in South Bend. In my opinion these two titans should be playing every year, excluding the college football playoff.

If and when they matchup it will be the first time that two African American coaches lead the way for both programs. Marcus Freeman and Sherrone Moore are riding high off of last season’s proverbial humps that they both mutually overcame. However in eight years from now one or both might be gone, with how things are humming inside their respective buildings.

2028 is the soonest that both have an opening on their schedules. Credit to Notre Dame which is not shying away from playing teams like Texas, Alabama and Florida during that stretch. So its argument of not wanting to play Michigan in the same time frame is somewhat valid.

If Notre Dame ever decided to join a conference the Big Ten makes more sense than the ACC and are a much better fit then the four Pac-12 members who debuted in 2024. Unfortunately since the Irish stayed independent this long, then they’ll never join a conference, unless the money is too rich to turn down.

A prime-time game between the two would do astronomical numbers wherever they play, like in 2011. The most likely scenario, though, is that they’ll square off in the playoffs before 2033. You would think that with the money alone, both universities would find a way to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties involved.

A Michigan/Notre Dame regular season clash makes college football better. The only thing that would top it would be a national championship encounter.



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