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. 🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to … THE DETROIT PISTONS Around this time last year, the Detroit Pistons had just lost their 28th straight …

Jonathan Smith has lost a member of his defensive coaching staff to another program in the Big Ten. Assistant defensive backs coach Christian Pawola is leaving Michigan State for the same position with Minnesota and PJ Fleck’s defensive staff. Pawola is a Minnesota graduate, spending 2019-2023 in various roles with Golden Gophers’ staff. At Michigan State, Pawola was a graduate …

Here’s a big pickup for the New Orleans Saints coaching staff. Nola.com’s Luke Johnson first reported that the Saints are poaching Bo Davis from the LSU Tigers, which was confirmed by multiple local outlets. Davis, 54, went to college at LSU and started his coaching career there as an assistant on Nick Saban’s staff. He’s since become one of the …

AP Images The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis and more than 20 former five-stars are in attendance. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney remembers them as recruits. MORE COMBINE: Breaking down the Big Ten stars heading to Indianapolis | SEC | ACC | Big 12 CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF …

Another important milestone of the college football offseason passed on Thursday: ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his updated SP+ rankings for the upcoming 2025 campaign. The metric merges each team’s returning production, recent recruiting and transfer portal performance, and program history to forecast the upcoming year’s results. It leads the pack of predictive rating systems, and gives us a first legitimate …

Tennessee is working to add a running back to its 2026 football recruiting class. Four-star running back Jonaz Walton will visit Tennessee on April 7. Tennessee will be his third of four recruiting visits, including Florida on March 13, Alabama on April 4 and Notre Dame on April 8. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound running back plays for Central High School in …

Tennessee is set to host another 2026 football prospect in the summer. Four-star offensive lineman Deacon Schmitt will officially visit Tennessee on June 20. Schmitt was offered a scholarship by Tennessee on Dec. 3, 2024. He scheduled a trio of visits in June, including to Oklahoma on June 6 and Nebraska on June 13. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound prospect plays for …

The nicest thing to say about the Big Ten and SEC dictating the terms of college football’s future is the two conferences want only what’s best for the sport and its athletes. The next nicest thing to say is that both conferences need to call the shots because that’s the best way to increase income for all parties. After that, …

The SEC had a bit of a down year in 2024. The SEC had three teams make the first 12-team College Football Playoff, but none of them advanced to the national championship game. The Georgia Bulldogs won the 2024 SEC championship against the Texas Longhorns, but both Georgia and Texas lost 14 players that received invitations to the 2025 NFL …

More than 300 of college football’s top players have arrived in Indianapolis for the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, where they will showcase their skills in front of NFL coaches and executives from Feb. 24-March 3. On-field drills kick off Feb. 27, with defensive linemen and linebackers getting the first shot at the televised workouts (3 p.m. ET, NFL Network). Prospects …

INDIANAPOLIS — He’s the supersized Travis Hunter — aka, the second-most versatile player in this year’s NFL draft. Only instead of being the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and best cornerback (and best receiver) prospect in this year’s class, JJ Pegues is planning to do both defensive line and fullback/tight end drills at the combine this week in hopes of solidifying …

ORLANDO, Fla. — Let the Democrats and Republicans vehemently debate the merits of President Donald Trump putting the controversial Elon Musk in charge of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, but I am here today to reach across the aisle and present a non-partisan idea I think we all can agree upon. Instead of putting Musk in charge of …

Nebraska football associate head coach Phil Snow indicated that he will have a multifaceted role as a member of Matt Rhule’s coaching staff, including helping the Huskers’ new defensive coordinator. He made that clear during his press conference on Wednesday. Defensive coordinator John Butler was appointed to the position in January and coached The Blackshirts in their victory over Boston …

SOUTH BEND — The last time Notre Dame football assistants Chris Ash and Joe Rudolph worked on the same coaching staff, Wisconsin went 22-5 and made back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances. That was back in 2010-11, when Ash was coaching defensive backs for the Badgers and Rudolph handled the tight ends. Ash served as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator for two seasons, 2011-12, …

Spring camp is just a day away for Missouri football. Mizzou begins its spring practices Friday, which will mark the start of Corey Batoon’s second season as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. Missouri fielded the 20th-ranked defense nationally last season, allowing 20.4 points per game. The Tigers added nine new players on the defensive side of the ball out of the …