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Will Howard names ‘best college player in country’ ahead of 2025 season

Will Howard led Ohio State to a National Championship this past season after defeating Notre Dame before moving on to the NFL, before naming the player to watch in college football this year Charlie Wilson US Sports Reporter 09:48 ET, 28 May 2025 Will Howard believes Jeremiah Smith to be the best player in college […]

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Will Howard led Ohio State to a National Championship this past season after defeating Notre Dame before moving on to the NFL, before naming the player to watch in college football this year

Will Howard believes Jeremiah Smith to be the best player in college football

Will Howard has named his former Ohio State number one wide receiver as Jeremiah Smith as the best player in college football ahead of the 2025 season.

Quarterback trio Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik are above Smith as the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy next season, but Howard believes his former college teammate to be the best talent in the nation after what he showed in his freshman year.

As a true freshman, Smith dominated like no wide receiver ever has in college football, with 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns and winning a National Championship – including catching a deep-ball from Howard in the final against Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame team. His incredible performances have seen him on the cover of EA Sports College Football 26, alongside fellow second-year receiver in Alabama’s emerging superstar, Ryan Williams.

READ MORE: USC coach blasted for ‘pathetic mentality’ over Notre Dame rivalry stanceREAD MORE: Shedeur Sanders told chances of being Browns starter with ESPN analysts in agreement

Speaking to EA Sports ahead of their release of the new game, Howard was asked who he believes should be the cover star for the second edition after it’s return.

He said: “Give me Jeremiah Smith… Best player in the country right there, man.”

While Manning will be disappointed not to be on the cover, not too many would argue with Smith being chosen after his incredible first year in college football – something his older cousin Geno Smith had seen coming.

Jeremiah Smith had a dominant freshman year

The Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback had warned college football coaches that his younger cousin would dominate as soon as he entered the NCAA.

In a 2023 press conference when Smith had been with the Seattle Seahawks game, Geno had discussed his abilities before a reporter asked his name. He replied: “His name? Jeremiah. You’ll all know it next year.”

Geno was then asked about Jeremiah again after news had broke that he won the starting position as a true freshman, before replying: “I’ve seen a lot of great receivers, and I’ve had the chance to watch a lot of JJ since he was about 10 years old. He’s gonna be the best receiver ever. I really believe that.”

Arch Manning is the current favorite to win the Heisman Trophy

Smith had dominated through his first year, but put in a statement performance in the Rose Bowl as Ohio State advanced over Oregon earlier this month, having 187 yards and two touchdowns.

In that game, he was given a 94.6 grade by Pro Football Focus (PFF) for his performance – one of the highest ever given to a receiver.

Smith will not be draft eligible until 2027, in what looks to be a generational class alongside the aforementioned Williams, with quarterbacks DJ Lagway, Dylan Raiola and potentially, Manning, if he stays at Texas.

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A college degree is no longer a risk-free investment

My unifying theory of finance is that everything goes seriously wrong when people start seeing something — a bond, a mortgage-backed security, a crypto exchange — as risk-free when it isn’t. Look at any financial crisis or minor blowup, and that’s always where it starts. Lately I have been wondering if my hypothesis applies […]

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My unifying theory of finance is that everything goes seriously wrong when people start seeing something — a bond, a mortgage-backed security, a crypto exchange — as risk-free when it isn’t. Look at any financial crisis or minor blowup, and that’s always where it starts.

Lately I have been wondering if my hypothesis applies to areas outside of finance — specifically, to education. For years, a college degree was seen as a risk-free asset. It took money and time, but it was near certain it would pay off in the form of increased lifetime earnings.

No wonder that we are now in an education bubble: Lots of people went to college, studied things that aren’t useful, and found themselves overwhelmed with debt. Many more can pay their debt, but work in jobs that don’t require a degree anyhow.

In the postwar era, college was a bet that couldn’t fail. Not many people went to college in the first place, and those who did were rewarded with much higher earnings. And as technology evolved, it made college-educated workers even more productive.

This trend has started to turn. Not only does technological knowledge now command less of a premium, but many more Americans now have a degree, making it less valuable. There has also been a proliferation of for-profit schools that offer less great education, and more college dropouts.

Still, you might ask: Even if the returns to education have declined, at least getting a degree is less of a risk than not getting one, right? Maybe not. For decades, recent college graduates were less likely to be unemployed, and if they lost a job they tended to find another one more quickly. But in the years before the pandemic, a new trend emerged: Recent graduates (age 22 to 27) had higher rates of unemployment than the general population. (They still had lower rates of unemployment than people the same age with no degree, though that difference is narrowing.)

Some of this has to do with the state of the labor market; in the years after the Great Recession, for example, graduates had a harder time finding work, and this depressed their earnings for years. But the concern is that this is more structural than cyclical. Industries that were once stable and lucrative sources of employment, such as consulting and banking, can now use AI for many entry-level tasks. While they still hire young graduates, they need fewer of them.

It’s only a matter of time before AI reduces demand for all entry-level corporate jobs. AI is great at doing what new hires fresh out of college tend to do — writing emails, putting together PowerPoints, summarizing the highlights of last night’s game. So far there is not much evidence this is driving hiring decisions, but the trendlines are not good.

This is not to say that college is no longer worth it. But it’s no longer a sure thing, where you can go to pretty much any school, and study pretty much anything, and be confident that it will pay off.

College is still a good investment, if you study the right things and go to a reasonably good school. But more graduates will find it harder to find work, and when they do, they will discover that their degree wasn’t necessary. Eventually, because a college education will have a smaller payoff, fewer people will probably go to college.

I know it’s commencement season, and I don’t want to sound too apocalyptic, so: It is important to keep in mind that a college education is an investment in lifetime earnings, so the payoff relative to any current job may not pencil out. It’s also worth noting that careers will require more risk management. Historically, at least, income for college graduates has grown much faster than that for non-graduates. This will probably remain the case for graduates who can complement new technology, and those will tend to be the ones who have learned how to adapt and think critically.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently released a report on the labor market for recent college graduates, including data on unemployment and underemployment rates by major. On the one hand, it looks like ethnic studies is a sure bet compared to computer engineering. On the other, ethnic studies majors are more likely to be underemployed or have a job that does not use their degree — which risks slower wage growth. The lesson here is that it is critical to both choose a major that will be in demand, and to learn skills on the job — skills that will be valuable in a changing work force.

Another way to manage risk is to be more open about where you live after graduation. Moving to a big city used to increase your earning potential if you had a degree. But one study suggests that more job and wage growth may now occur in smaller cities.

It has always been hard to say exactly what the labor market holds for new graduates. True, current conditions do seem tougher than they have been, and it’s likely that the change will last. Gone are the days when a college degree automatically made you more likely to have higher earnings and better employment prospects. But that degree is still worth it, even if it’s not quite the risk-free investment it used to be.

Allison Schrager is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering economics. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, she is author of “An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk.”



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Louisville strikes for 6 runs in 8th to eliminate Arizona from College World Series with an 8-3 win

Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zion Rose’s two-run single gave Louisville its first lead during a six-run eighth inning and the Cardinals knocked Arizona out of the College World Series with an 8-3 win Sunday. Louisville’s 19th come-from-behind win of the season moved the Cardinals (41-23) to another elimination game Tuesday against the loser […]

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Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zion Rose’s two-run single gave Louisville its first lead during a six-run eighth inning and the Cardinals knocked Arizona out of the College World Series with an 8-3 win Sunday.

Louisville’s 19th come-from-behind win of the season moved the Cardinals (41-23) to another elimination game Tuesday against the loser of Sunday night’s Coastal Carolina-Oregon State matchup.

Arizona (44-21) has lost six straight CWS games over three appearances since 2016.

The Cardinals trailed 3-1 early and came up empty after having runners in scoring position in the third, fourth and fifth innings. When they broke through, the runs came in bunches.

Lucas Moore’s sacrifice fly in the seventh made it a one-run game against Garrett Hicks (5-2), and then Arizona had an improbable meltdown with National Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta on the mound after the Cardinals’ first two batters reached in the eighth.

Tague Davis’s blooper loaded the bases, and then Rose punched a two-run single down the right-field line to put Louisville up 4-3. No. 9 batter Kamau Neighbors singled in another run to cap his 4-for-4 day.

Garrett Pike got caught in a rundown between third and home and scored when Pluta dropped the ball trying to tag him at the plate. Neighbors came home on Alex Alicea’s squeeze bunt, and Matt Klein singled to left for the final run.

Tucker Biven (4-0) pitched the last four innings for the Cardinals, working around two singles to hold Arizona scoreless in the ninth. Louisville is 26-0 when leading after eight innings and 203-5-1 since the start of 2019.

Adonys Guzman, who singled in the Wildcats’ first run in the first inning, hit his second homer of the NCAA Tournament and ninth of the season to give his team a two-run lead in the third.

Freshman Smith Bailey gave Arizona another strong start. He went six innings for the fifth time in six starts, including three straight in the NCAA Tournament. He allowed five earned runs over 18 postseason innings (2.50 ERA).

This was the teams’ second meeting of the season. In February, Louisville won 13-1 in Arlington, Texas, in a game shortened to eight innings by the run rule.

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports




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FIFA Club World Cup Predictions & Best Bets Today (6/15)

Betting News is your trusted source for betting picks and up to date news and stats on the NFL, MLB, NHL and many other sports. We analyze every game to help you find the best bets and best odds to wager on today’s games. We also review online gambling websites to help you find the […]

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FIFA Club World Cup Predictions & Best Bets Today (6/15)

Betting News is your trusted source for betting picks and up to date news and stats on the NFL, MLB, NHL and many other sports.

We analyze every game to help you find the best bets and best odds to wager on today’s games.

We also review online gambling websites to help you find the best sportsbooks and casino sites to play at.

We are Here to Help You Make Informed Betting Decisions and help players have more fun and more wins when gambling online.

Copyright © 2019 – 2025 Betting News All Rights Reserved.

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Content reserved for readers of 18+ years of age or legal majority in their jurisdiction. Responsible Gaming.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling, and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (USA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN only), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ only), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA only) or 1-800-522-4700 (CO only).

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Livvy Dunne honors boyfriend Paul Skenes with twist on LSU jersey

And these are a few of Olivia “Livvy” Dunne’s favorite things. While cheering on her beloved Tigers Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, the former LSU gymnast-turned-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model rocked a custom jersey that paid tribute to her alma mater and her boyfriend, fellow LSU alum and reigning NL Rookie […]

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And these are a few of Olivia “Livvy” Dunne’s favorite things.

While cheering on her beloved Tigers Saturday at the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, the former LSU gymnast-turned-Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model rocked a custom jersey that paid tribute to her alma mater and her boyfriend, fellow LSU alum and reigning NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, Dunne — who boasts more than 13 million followers across Instagram and TikTok — showed off her split jersey that recognized the Tigers on the front and Skenes’ Pirates on the back.

Livvy Dunne modeled a split jersey in June 2025 that recognized MLB boyfriend Paul Skenes, an LSU alum, and the Tigers, at the College World Series. Livvy Dunne/Instagram
Livvy Dunne cheered on the Tigers from Omaha on June 14, 2025. Livvy Dunne/Instagram

“Party in the front business in the back,” the 22-year-old New Jersey native captioned a selfie, which highlighted the star pitcher’s No. 30 jersey number.

Dunne — whose relationship with Skenes, 23, was revealed in 2023, the same year he and the Tigers captured the College World Series title — had one of the best views in the house at Charles Schwab Field, where LSU defeated Arkansas, 4-1.

LSU advanced in the winner’s bracket with the victory and will face UCLA on Monday night.

Livvy Dunne’s relationship with Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes was revealed in 2023. Olivia Dunne / Instagram
She’s supported him as he’s advanced to the pros. Livvy Dunne/Instagram

“I am so happy geaux tigers,” Dunne exclaimed in a separate Instagram Story on Saturday.

It’s certainly been a spring to remember for Dunne, who was announced as one of the four Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover stars for the 2025 edition of the iconic publication, along with Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, actress Salma Hayek and entrepreneur Lauren Chan.

Dunne, just two years removed from her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut, shot what became the cover photo in Bermuda while nursing a knee injury.

Livvy Dunne became a first-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model in 2025. WireImage
She celebrated this year’s issue by taking the runway in Miami in May 2025. Getty Images

“Fun fact, I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so poses like this and the cover shot kind of hurt, but it was honestly so worth it,” Dunne said in an Instagram video recapping the whirlwind shoot.

Elsewhere this year, Dunne bid farewell to gymnastics after her collegiate career came to an end in April. She won a national championship with LSU last year.

“You will always be my first love,” Dunne said in an emotional tribute video.

Paul Skenes (30) made his MLB debut in 2024. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes on the mound on June 8, 2025. AP

“Time did fly by, and I will cherish every memory for the rest of my life.”

As Dunne chases new dreams in this next chapter, she’s also supporting Skenes as he lives out his.

The Pirates’ first-overall pick in 2023, Skenes was officially called up to the majors in May 2024 and struck out seven in his debut.

Although Skenes has posted an ERA of 1.78 across 15 games, the Pirates sit in last place in the NL Central at 29-43.

Skenes is slated to pitch Sunday to close out Pittsburgh’s four-game series against the Cubs.



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Fisk University women’s gymnastics team, the first at an HBCU, to stop competing after 2026 | National Sports

NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University’s bold experiment in women’s gymnastics is coming to an end. The school has announced it is shuttering the program at the end of the 2026 season. Fisk made history in 2023 when it became the first historically Black college or university to launch a women’s artistic gymnastics team. Fisk’s ambitious […]

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NASHVILLE (AP) — Fisk University’s bold experiment in women’s gymnastics is coming to an end.

The school has announced it is shuttering the program at the end of the 2026 season. Fisk made history in 2023 when it became the first historically Black college or university to launch a women’s artistic gymnastics team.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



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Parkland Gymnasts Soar in NCAA Competition – Parkland Talk

9 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp 17Shares Samara Buchanan, Bella Miller, Kielyn McCright, Jessica Naranjo and Haylen Zarbowski. Parkland has become a hot spot for another sport, with five gymnastics stars competing in college. Kielyn McCright is a 2020 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She began her college career at Utah State before transferring to […]

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Parkland Gymnasts Soar in NCAA Competition

Samara Buchanan, Bella Miller, Kielyn McCright, Jessica Naranjo and Haylen Zarbowski.

Parkland has become a hot spot for another sport, with five gymnastics stars competing in college.

Kielyn McCright is a 2020 graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She began her college career at Utah State before transferring to Clemson University. She finished her senior year by making the ACC All-Tournament Team (Beam). McCright previously competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2024 and set a season-high 9.875 at the ACC Championships earlier this year after missing six matches due to injury.

Bella Miller also graduated from MSD in 2020 and did not compete her first two years, but did get named to the EAGL All-Scholastic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll at the University of North Carolina. She has a career best of 9.875  on the floor and 9.725

Jessica Naranjo, who also attends UNC, was named to the All-ACC Championship Team on beam as a freshman, competing in 11 beats and three bar lineups. She was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team and a WCGA Scholastic All-American.  She ranks fourth all-time with a score of 9.825 on the beam and also earned scores of 9.85 against Kentucky and 9.925 against LSU.

Haylen Zarbowski graduated from MSD in 2022 and has been competing for the University of Michigan. During her Freshman season, she set a career best on the uneven bars with a 9.825 at Oklahoma. Zarbowski went on to compete in seven meets as a sophomore, with six appearances on uneven bars and two on the floor, setting a personal record with a score of .9775 on the floor at Michigan State.

Samara Buchanan attends Ohio State University and made her Buckeye debut on the uneven bars, recording a GA score of 9.725. She competed in three meets for Ohio State as a freshman after being a 2022 Florida State Champion on beam, vault, uneven bars, and all-around.

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Matt Rothman

Matt Rothman
Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.






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