At 25, James Blanchard thought he had it made. With a growing family living near the Texas Gulf Coast, he was making six figures. On the side, Blanchard had carved out enough time to pursue his passion, scouting high school players in the state.  One problem: The day job wasn’t enough to satisfy him. Blanchard wasn’t fulfilled. That job was building …

The Panthers will not have one of their key rookies when they play the Cardinals on Sunday. Carolina has ruled out Xavier Legette with a hip injury. Legette went down during last week’s loss to the Cowboys and was not able to practice this week. He leads the team with 41 catches, 439 yards, and four touchdowns. Outside linebacker Jadeveon …

SOUTH BEND – Never shy of a line, Curt Cignetti dropped one more Friday as he sat down to his final postgame news conference of the season. “It’s hard to say goodbye to your kids,” Cignetti deadpanned, “because they just watched their dad get his ass kicked.” This was Indiana’s brash, Spurrier-like head coach acting as a lightning rod for …

Giants receiver Malik Nabers (knee/foot) returned to a full practice Thursday before getting limited work again Friday. He also was limited Wednesday. Nabers has no injury designation for Sunday’s game, though. Quarterback Tommy DeVito (concussion) returned to full participation Friday and will back up Drew Lock, who had another full practice Friday with injuries to a heel and his left …

The Tulane Green Wave (9-4) will aim for a big upset when they face the Florida Gators (7-5) in the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl on Friday afternoon. Tulane was on track for a potential spot in the College Football Playoff prior to its loss to Memphis at the end of the regular season, and it was followed by a loss to …

The Cardinals added running back DeeJay Dallas (illness) and right guard Evan Brown (neck) to the practice report Friday. Neither player practiced, and both are listed as questionable. The Cardinals also list defensive lineman Roy Lopez (ankle) and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (hand) as questionable. The Cardinals ruled out left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. , who will miss the first game …

SOUTH BEND — IU football coach Curt Cignetti told reporters earlier this season he’s “definitely become more aggressive and attacking” on offense from when he started out more than 30 years ago as a grad assistant at Pittsburgh. That philosophy was nowhere to be found on Friday night in a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the first round of …

The Seahawks will have quarterback Geno Smith in the lineup against the Vikings on Sunday. Smith injured his knee in last Sunday’s loss to the Packers, but he was able to practice all of this week and he has no injury designation on the team’s final injury report ahead of Week 16. Smith has not missed a start this season. …

There was a hurdle to clear Friday in South Bend. On this stage, for too long, Notre Dame had been exposed.   The hurdle was figurative, but there was definitely a bar to get over in the minds of the Fighting Irish. If it didn’t, something was wrong. The spectacle was nice for the first ever College Football Playoff game …

The Lions are holding out hope that safety Brian Branch and left guard Graham Glasgow will be able to play against the Bears on Sunday. Both players are listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report of the week. Branch was limited in practice the last two days with a calf injury and Glasgow returned to practice on Friday …

Indiana’s Cinderella season under first-year coach Curt Cignetti came to an end Friday night, with the 10th-seeded Hoosiers falling at No. 7 seed Notre Dame in the first on-campus College Football Playoff game. While Indiana did commit some mistakes in the 27-17 loss — notably an interception at the 2-yard line that resulted in a Jeremiyah Love 98-yard touchdown — …

The Texans signed veteran tight end Irv Smith Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster Friday, the team announced. He has appeared in two games with the Texans this season, seeing action on 40 offensive snaps and nine on special teams. Smith has no stats this season. The Texans need him for depth purposes with Cade Stover out …

West Virginia football saw its 2024 season come to an end with a bowl loss and a 6-7 season, but all of Morgantown is already looking forward to the 2025 campaign and the return of a local hero. Rich Rodriguez is back as West Virginia coach after a 17-year absence, with varying levels of success at multiple stops in between. …

Steelers vs. Ravens is one of the best rivalries in the NFL and will be on display in a standalone contest on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET following Chiefs vs. Texas at 1 p.m. ET. The three longest-tenured head coaches will be on the sidelines in these matchups in Mike Tomlin (Steelers, 18 seasons), John Harbaugh (Ravens, 17 seasons) and …

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ― The keepers of this magnificent sport say they’ll learn from the first show of shows, this new and unchartered college football postseason. Let’s start by figuring out how in blue blazes Indiana got in the College Football Playoff in the first place. There will be plenty of time to lavish championship hype on Notre Dame if …