Dec. 21—Lee County defensive back Anthony Battle was one of the 36 players chosen to represent the eastern half of North Carolina in the NCCA East-West All-Star Football Game held Sunday at Jamieson Stadium in Greensboro. Battle, a 5’7″, 145-pound senior who played varsity football for the Yellow Jackets in each of the past two seasons, was joined on the …

The NFL Week 16 schedule opens with a battle between NFC teams looking to keep their postseason hopes alive on Thursday Night Football. The Los Angeles Rams will host the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium with both teams right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. The NFL DFS player pool is headlined by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Kyren …

For just the second time this season, the Baltimore Ravens will be an underdog when they take the field. Despite heading into Week 16 with a record of 11-3, which is tied for the best in the NFL, the Ravens are a 4.5-point underdog for Monday’s game against the 49ers.  Based on comments made by several players this week, it …

Greg Auman NFC South Reporter We’ve been saying it for months: The NFC South is not a very good division, but hey, it’s a close division. With three weeks left, the Bucs and Saints are tied for first at 7-7 and the Falcons are just a game back, so half the division can say it controls its playoff destiny. The …

Florida football came out on the short end of the stick on Wednesday for the opening of the early signing period. At one point, Billy Napier’s program was among the top of the hill in the recruiting rankings, but the Gators have fallen far from their once-mighty perch. On Tuesday, On3’s 2024 industry ranking still had Florida in its top …

Getty Images If you want Ben Johnson to be your next head coach, you’re going to have to be willing to open up your checkbook. Some NFL owners have been told that the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator’s asking price is at least or around $15 million per year to be a head coach, according to CBS Sports HQ senior NFL insider Josina …

If active, will Hunter Henry continue his touchdown stretch? (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Week 15 had hits and misses on the sleeper page, like most weeks do. Curtis Samuel scored twice and easily beat his projection, and Nick Mullens did enough to justify Superflex love. Quentin Johnston was mostly ineffective, but at least he stole …

LSU got through early signing day without any changes to the staff, but that could change in the coming weeks. According to a report from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Pete Sampson, Tigers offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has a “legitimate interest” in returning to Notre Dame in the same rule. Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Gerad Parker recently left to become …

USATSI While he tried to give it a go, Steelers starting quarterback Kenny Pickett will not play in Saturday’s must-win game against the Bengals, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin informed the media Thursday.  With Pickett out, Mason Rudolph will get his first start since the 2021 season. Rudolph, 28, has a 6-5-1 career record as Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback that includes …

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! With just three weeks left to play in the season, the NFL playoff chase should get pretty wild down the stretch and I fully expect that to start tonight with the Saints heading to Los Angeles for a showdown with the Rams. At this point, both teams fully control their …

High school and NCAA transfer portal prospects signed with Tennessee on Wednesday during the early signed period. The Vols signed defensive backs Boo Carter (safety), Kaleb Beasley (cornerback), Marcus Goree Jr. (cornerback), Edrees Farooq (safety), Jermod McCoy (cornerback) and Jakobe Thomas (safety) on Wednesday. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel discussed the state of the Vols’ secondary entering 2024. “I like the …

Mason Rudolph will be the Steelers’ starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against the Bengals. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed today that Kenny Pickett has been ruled out with an ankle injury. Rudolph will start and Mitchell Trubisky will back him up. This will be the third straight game Pickett has missed since suffering a high ankle sprain. The Steelers …

Henry McKenna AFC East Reporter New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit the mark when he labeled this season “a lost year.” He was speaking about his own career and how his Achilles injury essentially ruined his 2023 season. But in turn, Rodgers’ injury derailed the Jets’ season. They lost a year, too. The Jets seemed to make things worse …

Jake Merklinger signed with Tennessee on Wednesday during the early signing period. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback is from Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia. “He’s going to have to grow really quickly,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. “He’ll get spoon-fed as we start here in January and grow into spring football. “Smart, competitive and has good fundamentals. We have …

Getty Images Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker has been enjoying a phenomenal season in 2023. As a result, the Chargers have put together a hilarious ad campaign to try and obtain more Pro Bowl votes for Dicker. The ad shows Dicker — who’s comically stylized like a lawyer — explaining why he should “kick for you,” and it includes …