MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the second time in three seasons, the West Virginia University baseball team has won the Big 12 regular season title. Despite a 3-0 loss to Kansas, Thursday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark, the Mountaineers clinched the outright title with Arizona State’s loss to Oklahoma State.
 
The Mountaineers are now 40-11 on the season and 19-7 in the Big 12 while the Jayhawks improve to 40-14 overall and 18-10 in conference play.
 
It is the 16th regular season title in program history for West Virginia and the second Big 12 championship, having shared the title in 2023.
 

In Thursday’s game, redshirt senior Griffin Kirn threw 8.0 innings while allowing two runs and striking out 10. At the plate, senior Kyle West and freshman Gavin Kelly each had two hits.
 
Kansas took the lead in the first with a run-scoring fielder’s choice before tacking on with solo home runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
 
Jayhawk pitcher Dominic Voegele, the Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year, tossed 7.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts to earn the victory.
 
The Mountaineers will look to even the series on Friday. With expected inclement weather, first pitch is now 5 p.m.
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUBaseball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
 

Not many storylines in college football are better than a freshman finding success. Youngsters can capture the attention of fans if their impact comes right away. The 2025 season is expected to be no different, having some stars entering the sport.

ESPN has released a list of 10 first-year players to watch this year. All of them come from massive programs, many of which have the expectation of competing in the College Football Playoff.

Surprisingly, three of them are quarterbacks — a position extremely tough to produce as a true freshman. That being said, let’s check out the full top 10 from the Worldwide Leader.

The biggest recruiting win of the cycle went to the Michigan Wolverines. Pulling Underwood away from LSU gave Sherrone Moore his quarterback of the future.

But now, Underwood might be the present as well. Michigan opens the season on Aug. 30 against New Mexico and Underwood is expected to be the starter. A massive season ahead for a program looking to get back to winning ways.

There is going to be a hill for Russell to climb if he sees the field early on. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer recently stated the Crimson Tide would roll with Ty Simpson if there were a game to play in the immediate future.

Even so, ESPN is going to be keeping an eye on Russell during his true freshman campaign. After all, he finished as a Five-Star Plus+ prospect and No. 2 overall per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Dan Lanning and Will Stein were able to go into the Lone Star State and pull one of the best players. Moore was previously committed to LSU and Texas was heavily involved. He still chose to play in the Pacific Northwest at Oregon.

Wide receivers are able to produce in the Ducks’ scheme at a high level. And when you have to talent of Moore, numbers are expected to pile up in a big way.

Uncharacteristically, Oklahoma found itself in desperate need of offensive line help. Fasusi was not the only big-time recruit in the OU class but certainly projects as someone would could make a quick impact.

Left or right side, Bill Bedenbaugh could work Fasusi at multiple spots. Snaps will be there throughout the season, and if he can develop, maybe earn a starting place as the season progresses.

Texas is going to rely on outside faces at defensive tackle this season. Steve Sarkisian hit the NCAA transfer portal hard, bringing in four guys. However, Terry might be too talented to be kept off the field over other experienced players.

In-state Georgia finished runner-up for Terry, shocking some of the recruiting world. Texas now has quite a player to work with heading into the 2025 season.

Deion Sanders has only really known one quarterback during his two seasons at Colorado: his son. So, with Shedeur leaving for the NFL, a new face of the program was needed.

Lewis reclassified to 2025 and heads out West from Carrollton (GA). A quarterback battle is taking place with Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, possibly moving Lewis down ESPN’s list a tad.

Ohio State was home to the freshman who made the biggest impact last year. ESPN has Sanchez slated at No. 7 but the Buckeyes have hope that Sanchez’s level is similar to Jeremiah Smith.

A young, talented defensive back calling Columbus home is nothing new. Not many have this much buzz coming out of spring practice, though. Sanchez appears to have a bright future ahead.

Speaking of talented defensive backs, LSU needed to add one to its roster. The secondary has been a massive hole under Brian Kelly during his time in Baton Rouge. Pickett was about as must-get as you can have.

LSU hopes the perceived talent translates on the field if given early playing time. Corey Raymond is known to produce star players and needs to hit quickly with Pickett.

In a list filled with skill position players, never would you expect USC to be one with a defensive lineman. But Lincoln Riley splashed with Stewart out of the Boot to bring a talented pass rusher to Los Angeles.

Position versatility is certainly there for Stewart as he settles in. Another reclassification, the former four-star, should still be playing high school football. Instead, he projects as a potential impact player for the Trojans.

Running back is a popular position for freshmen to make an impact. Clemson certainly needs an impact runner and Davidson provides a ton of potential.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik is Clemson’s returning leading rusher. Dabo Swinney might have no problem handing the ball off to a first-year player in order to fix the issue.

Since committing to the Miami Hurricanes football program, Nixa offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell has been the source of much online argument because of national reports of what he’ll receive in Name, Image and Likeness compensation.

Miami (OH) transfer Reece Potter didn’t know what to expect when he entered the portal in late March — but he certainly didn’t expect things to unfold the way they did in April, then early May. His phone wouldn’t stop ringing, hearing from programs and coaches he never would have imagined would be prioritizing him after two seasons in the MAC.

Among them? North Carolina, Washington, Louisville and UConn.

“It was really crazy. The phone was always ringing with different people talking to you, trying to give their pitch on why you should go to their school,” he told KSR. “It was crazy. It was really cool hearing from all these schools, the Hubert Davises and Dan Hurleys — I mean, it’s just wild. There were some people that I grew up watching and you watch on TV every day. It’s wild for those people — you get that call and it says ‘Maybe: Hubert Davis’ or however it was marked. It’s wild for sure, it was fun.”

Then the text messages and phone calls came in. At that point, it was over.

“Once Kentucky called me, it was like, ‘It’s time, I’m done talking to these people. Let’s get to the business,’” Potter said.

As a Lexington, the opportunity to return home and play for the winningest tradition in college basketball history was too much to pass up. Sure, other schools offered more playing time (and maybe more cash), but Kentucky was selling something money can’t buy.

The process wasn’t immediate, though. He knew immediately he wanted to wear the blue and white, but his parents wanted him to take a deep breath and think through the decision, not committing out of emotion.

“When Kentucky called me, it was a dream come true, but I still had to make the best decision for myself,” he told KSR. “Always in the back of my mind it was like, ‘You’ve got to go there. You have to go there.’ But my parents were very supportive, they were like, ‘Just take your time, just kind of see what’s all out there.’

“Once they contacted me, I took a week to settle down a little bit. Right away, I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m going there. I’m going there.’ My dad was like, ‘Relax, relax. I know that’s your dream school, but just take a week for yourself. Really understand what that would mean for you, if that’s the decision you want.’”

Then a week went by and he was just as excited then as he was when the process started, confirming what he knew from day one: Kentucky was home.

“So after that week, I kind of got down to contacting the other schools, like, ‘What’s the deal here?’ I always knew I was going here, so it was easy after that,” Potter said. “I called my parents, I was like, ‘I’m going there.’ They were like, ‘Yeah, we always knew you were gonna do that, but we just wanted you to make the best decision for yourself.’ So I’m glad it’s over, and I’m glad to be able to be a part of this.”

How is he feeling a little over a week following his commitment, the dust now settled ahead of move-in to open June?

“The decision was a dream come true, for sure. All of the hecticness is out of the way, so now, I’m able to relax and kind of just enjoy this decision I was able to make,” he continued. “It’s setting in, for sure. It’s still a dream come true. I

“‘m just waiting to put on the jersey for the first time and be able to walk out to Rupp Arena. That’s going to be the biggest thing.”

Once a kid watching Kentucky as a fan, he now gets to represent his hometown as a Wildcat himself. Quite the dream come true.

Here is the May 15 edition of The Daily Recap presented by My Perfect Franchise.

The bigger picture

Rivals’ Adam Gorney excellently laid out the practical way to approach what happened between Georgia and offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell, who committed to Miami on Tuesday.

Most felt Cantwell was going to choose Georgia up until the day of his commitment ceremony. However, his relationship with the Miami coaching staff and a hefty NIL compensation package ended up swaying the Hurricanes’ way. While the recruiting loss stings, Gorney pointed out that head coach Kirby Smart is not going to put that kind of money on the line for one player.

While talent is key in college football, there are many other factors involved. After all, no one player is bigger than the overall concept of a team.

“Smart is just not going to push his entire stack into the middle on one player, say, Cantwell,” Gorney wrote. “If the Bulldogs can circle back on five-star Immanuel Iheanacho or make a less-costly run at four-stars Carter Scruggs, Malakai Lee, Ekene Ogboko and others, that might be more rewarding in the end. At least, that’s the bet Smart is making.

“With more NIL money freed up as Cantwell packs his flip flops for South Beach, Georgia can spread more around to multiple offensive linemen, to four-star tight end Mark Bowman, to four-star all-purpose back Derrek Cooper, to five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and others.”

There are numerous approaches to building a roster. Smart’s preferred method in the NIL era is to get as many talented and motivated players on his team. Paying a large sum on one player is going to cut into what the program can afford on other players.

In addition, back in March, Smart said what he wants to see out of young players in his program.

“I want to see the fire,” Smart said. “I want to see the passion, the energy. I want to see who wants to be a good football player. Who really cares about this game. Like, they care more about the game than they do their NIL revenue stream. Like if you really, really, really care about the game and want to be good it doesn’t matter about any kind of money. It matters how I play the game and more and more we’re seeing across college football, the purest, the ones that care about the game the most, play the hardest.”

“And usually the team that plays the hardest wins. I know everybody thinks it’s just whoever is more talented but there is a whole lot to how hard you play and how much you care about it.”

Still a great offensive line

Heading into the 2025 season, Georgia figures to field a great offensive line. In fact, ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic believes the Bulldogs have the best offensive line in the SEC.

“I think last year is a bit of an anomaly for Georgia,” Cubelic said. “Right this second, I am going with Georgia as the No. 1 group. I think injuries got in the way.”

Cubelic is confident in the bulk of Georgia’s line, including center Drew Bobo, who is set to replace Jared Wilson as a starter. Interestingly enough, he said that Earnest Greene is among the few question marks of the group.

“I am going to give Earnest Greene a little bit of a pass, …” Cubelic said. “I’ve seen great football in this kid. It’s out there. The film of Earnest Greene being dominant is there. Consistently can it come back? Maybe, if it does, I think Georgia’s got a chance to be the best offensive line in the SEC.”

Also on UGASports

Film don’t lie: Drew Bobo.

Ryland Zaborowski continues to progress from his elbow injury.

Previewing No. 4 Georgia’s upcoming baseball series against Texas A&M.

One last homestand

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