Jun. 18—URBANA — Aaron Henry didn’t hesitate to inject a little friendly trash talk into his conversation with Zakhari Franklin when the veteran wide receiver took an official visit to Illinois last month. Henry made sure to let Franklin know the Illinois staff was close to landing Texas transfer Terrance Brooks. A lockdown cornerback that could go toe-to-toe every day …

USC football is preparing for its big move to the Big Ten with Washington, Oregon and UCLA. One of the really interesting questions surrounding USC’s move to the Big Ten is something which includes but also transcends USC itself. How will the arrival of all four West Coast teams (Pac-12 exiles) influence the playing style in the Big Ten football …

The NFL is having its biggest offseason event in its smallest market next year, and finding a place to stay is proving to be a very expensive proposition. Nearly every Green Bay area hotel room is already booked for the week of the 2025 NFL draft, and Airbnb prices are skyrocketing, according to Jeff Bollier of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. …

A small quantity of single-game UCF football tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday. Single-game inventory is limited to seats returned by the visiting team in section 225 and the upper level of FBC Mortgage Stadium’s south end zone. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets directly from UCF and through verified resale tickets on Ticketmaster.com. Fans interested …

When discussing the ongoing parade of quarterback contracts, one name gets mentioned — even though it shouldn’t. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy isn’t relevant to the discussion because, under the 2011 CBA, the 49ers can’t give him a new deal until the completion of his third season. (Hopefully, folks will keep that in mind before creating the impression that San Francisco …

Ohio State has not played a snap of the 2024 college football season. The Buckeyes have not even begun fall camp to prepare for their Aug. 31 season opener against Akron. Yet former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has extremely high praise for the team set to take the field this fall. “As of now, this is one of the …

NFL training camps are right around the corner, which means the NFL season is as well. With free agency and the NFL Draft behind us, the offseason is essentially over when it comes to teams finding ways to improve. Which teams are getting overhyped at this stage? And which teams aren’t being talked about enough? Below, we will attempt to …

Getty Images The Detroit Lions are tapping into the United Football League to deepen their kicking room. The defending NFC North champions have signed kicker Jake Bates to a two-year deal, Bates’ agent confirmed to ESPN. The deal is worth $1.98 million and includes $150,000 guaranteed along with a $100,000 signing bonus. On top of the Lions, the 24-year-old received …

The 2024 college football season still remains months away, but we are rapidly approaching Week 0.  Each week, things go faster and faster as football approaches. The summer tends to go fast, especially when you have football on your mind. At this point of the year, sports outlets begin releasing preseason material left and right. Some are rankings, some are …

Getty Images It’s a new era for the Los Angeles Chargers in more ways than one. This offseason, the club made a splash at the head-coaching position as they were able to lure Jim Harbaugh back into the NFL after winning a national title at Michigan. On top of a new masthead atop the coaching ranks, the roster saw a …

Jerry Jones will be helping the one-armed bandit pick his customers’ pockets. Via the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have done a sponsorship deal with Aristocrat Gaming. (I thought about including an Easter-egg video link in the word “Aristocrat” to a Bob Saget bit from YouTube, but it really is horrifying and revolting, even if that was the point.) The …

There’s been all kinds of talk in the past few months (and years) on if the Oklahoma Sooners are “SEC ready”. Brent Venables has had two years to try and get the program ready for the toughest conference in football. Two years to build up a culture and a level of discipline and toughness that deteriorated under the previous head …

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab discuss how Jayden Daniels holds the keys to the Commanders success in 2024 and beyond. View more Video Transcript What do you think the commander? One big thing is, yeah, my one big thing for the Commanders is just how J Daniels game translates to the NFL. Uh We really shouldn’t question it. …

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was …

Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab discuss if the Panthers have put enough support around Bryce Young for the team to succeed in 2024 and if Dave Canales is the answer in Carolina. View more Video Transcript My one big thing for the Carolina Panthers is did they do enough to help Bryce Young? And I think the answer …