With Julio Jones in town, Alabama football assistant head coach JaMarcus Shephard is willing to step aside. Maybe even eager. Over the weekend, the legendary Alabama wide receiver could be seen walking into his old stomping grounds with the team to face Georgia. He debated giving words of wisdom to the men suited up to go to battle, but ultimately …

Robert Saleh says any perceived issues with Aaron Rodgers’ cadence and the New York Jets’ offense can take a hike. And he says there are no mixed signals, either. The coach was terse Wednesday when asked whether he and his quarterback have spoken about Rodgers’ calls at the line of scrimmage — something that has suddenly become a hot topic …

Purdy drops stunned three-word reaction to Warner’s epic pick-six originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Fred Warner’s on-field abilities are out of this world, and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy knows it. But even that knowledge couldn’t prepare Purdy for the All-Pro linebacker’s incredible pick-six in San Francisco’s 30-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium …

The Clemson Tigers picked up a commitment Wednesday in class of 2025 DL Makhi Williams-Lee (Lakeside High School, Atlanta), who announced his pledge in a social media post to X. Listed as 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, William-Lee is rated a three-star recruit from both 247Sports and On3. Rivals rates him as a four-star player. Williams-Lee committed to Clemson over offers from …

49ers open defensive tackle Davis’ practice window ahead of Week 5 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area Programming Note: Watch “49ers Now” with Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan at 4 p.m. PT today from Santa Clara, streaming live on the NBC Sports app. Watch the show later on YouTube and Facebook. The 49ers opened the practice window for …

If there is one person on the Michigan State football team who embodies courage, it’s safety Armorion Smith. Smith lost his mother this year and has since taken over custody of his four younger siblings while playing football full-time with the Spartans. For his courage, Armorion Smith has been named a nominee for the FWAA Capital One Orange Bowl Courage …

Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.comOct 2, 2024, 11:00 AM ET CloseSean Allen is a fantasy analyst for ESPN.com. He was the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hockey Writer of the Year. You can tweet him @seanard. They don’t make shot-blockers like they used to. In 2014-15, Kris Russell of the Calgary Flames rode his physical play to 147.6 …

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks will miss at least one game after he developed an infection in his right knee after undergoing a minor procedure, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. Cooks, who has been battling a knee issue since training camp, underwent a knee procedure after their 20-15 win over the New York Giants last Thursday. Cooks had the …

The Minnesota Wild intend to sign star forward Kirill Kaprizov to a long-term contract when he comes eligible on July 1, owner Craig Leopold said. That’s good, because Kaprizov will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season. The 27-year-old Russian has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $45 million contract. “He’s going to be the focus of what …

Everyone is smiles and laughs until somebody gets poked in the eye. Isn’t that how that saying goes? Well however it goes, it fits in with the Michigan State offense as they got on a roll until faced with tough competition and it hasn’t gone well. The Spartans are rebuilding with a new coach in Jonathan Smith and a new …

What 49ers rookies’ snap counts vs. Patriots says about them originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area The 49ers had a surprising eight rookies contribute on the field in their 30-13 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. This is not a common occurrence for coach Kyle Shanahan’s team, which has many veteran star players on …

Rookie Malik Nabers, who leads the NFL in receptions after four games, missed the New York Giants practice on Wednesday because of a concussion. Coach Brian Daboll said the No. 6 overall pick in the draft was still in the early stages of the concussion protocol and his status for Sunday’s game in Seattle against the Seahawks (3-1) is uncertain. …

The 2025 recruiting class is just over two months from the early signing period. While the Sooners are in the midst of their first season in the SEC, they hope to parlay that into more success on the recruiting trail. On Tuesday, Oklahoma offered four-star prospect Kaleb Burns, who is committed to Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears. With the …

Patriots Mailbag: Assessing Brissett’s play, the case for Maye and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston The Patriots have dropped three straight, and the people are getting restless. How can New England right the ship Sunday against the Dolphins? Should a quarterback change be made sooner rather than later? We tackle those questions and more in a fresh Patriots …

If the whole football thing doesn’t work out for Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams, joining the Alabama Ballet is a good back up plan. Williams’ flashy, twirling catch-and-run into the end zone to help Alabama football stun Georgia this past Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium still has football fans everywhere in a chokehold. Even the dance world has been left …