Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey has had to address life on the NFL field and living in sprawling Southern California. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Compared to the countryside of Chatsworth, Ga. — population of 4,871 — Los Angeles might as well be another planet for rookie Ladd McConkey. He is a Southern-twanged Martian adjusting to a …

Sep 25, 2021; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Dan Mullen and Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel greet after the game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Former Mississippi State and Florida head coach Dan Mullen is serving as an analyst for ESPN during the 2024 college football season. Each week, the former …

Tight end David Njoku and left tackle Jedrick Wills did not practice with the Browns on Wednesday. Njoku injured his knee in the season opener and is likely in line to miss this week’s game against the Jaguars after being called week-to-week by head coach Kevin Stefanski earlier this week. Wills missed the loss to the Cowboys as he continues …

TEMPE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 07: Quarterback Sam Leavitt #10 of the Arizona State Sun Devils reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium on September 07, 2024 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) As the college football season heads into Week 3, the excitement is palpable for the …

Arizona Cardinals Trey McBride finished second among tight ends in targets (nine). He also finished second in: McBride played an elite role in Week 1 but PFF deemed just 56 percent of his targets as catchable. Better days are ahead for him as long as Kyler Murray starts playing better. Dominate the season with FantasyLife+, which gives you the award-winning …

Two days after Thomas Hammock had just run for 172 yards on 38 carries in an upset of Wake Forest, his Northern Illinois Huskies began preparing for a game against USF in Tampa Bay, Fla., the following week. But during a conditioning run on that fateful day, Hammock couldn’t catch his breath and something just didn’t feel right. Following a …

After his breakout game in Week 1, receiver Jameson Williams has landed on the injury report. The Lions listed Williams as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury. It’s unclear if there’s any risk of Williams missing game time at this point. But Williams was the only limited player for the first session of the week. Offensive …

There is no choice. Desperation now completely outweighs hesitation. Florida coach Billy Napier is on the verge of losing his job, and uber-talented freshman quarterback DJ Lagway can change everything. At the very least, Lagway can’t further harm the situation. “Look, let’s not get out in front of ourselves here,” Napier said Monday during his weekly press conference. “This is …

The Chargers won’t be coming back to Los Angeles after facing the Panthers this Sunday. Week Three has them heading to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers and head coach Jim Harbaugh said on Wednesday that the team will stay in Charlotte to prepare for that game. “I think it’s a great time to do it,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not the …

WEST LAFAYETTE – Purdue football quarterback Hudson Card’s season-opening performance came with a noticeable flaw. As in literally one flaw, per offensive coordinator Graham Harrell’s game film scrutiny — and it came on a completion. Card chose to throw to running back Devin Mockobee too early in one progression, passing up a bigger opportunity elsewhere. For shame. Card completed an …

While it’s still unknown if Christian McCaffrey will be able to take the field Sunday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he never considered putting his star running back on injured reserve. McCaffrey, who was a late scratch for their season-opening win against the New York Jets with a calf injury, appears to be on the cusp of …

He’s already seen off Florida State this season, but new Boston College coach Bill O’Brien has Missouri football at the top of the pile. “I mean, it’s the best team we’ve played. No question about it,” O’Brien told local media Tuesday in Chestnut Hill, Mass. “Probably the best team we played, BC-wise, in a couple years, to be honest with …

Bears receivers Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen did not practice on Wednesday, but it sounds like both receivers still have a chance to play this week when Chicago takes on Houston. Odunze has a sprained MCL and told reporters that he “kind of felt a pop in there” during the fourth quarter of the season-opening win over the Titans when …

Which version of 2024 Notre Dame football is closer to what it really is? Is it the one that handled a hostile environment at Texas A&M for a 23-13 win, or the one that was overpowered by Northern Illinois in a 16-14 upset loss? The 19th-ranked Irish (1-1) face a crossroads Saturday when they travel to West Lafayette to face …

From time to time, ESPN.com will publish an old-fashioned, continued-from-page-5 #longread. Usually, there’s a lot of good stuff tucked carefully between the phrases and clauses and descriptions and, frankly at times, filler. I’ve got no problem with a #longread. (I’ve written more than a few books.) But it can’t be long simply for the sake of being long, triggering attaboys …