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  • Steelers & Dolphins swap stars, but did either team actually get better? + NFL teams entering prove-it years

    Steelers & Dolphins swap stars, but did either team actually get better? + NFL teams entering prove-it years

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    On today’s episode of Inside Coverage, Jason Fitz, Jori Epstein, and Frank Schwab break down yesterday’s trade between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers. The crew discusses where this trade potentially makes both teams better and what timelines they seem to be operating on. Plus, they break down how the Steelers’ moves impact TJ Watt’s pending contract negotiations and if there’s any potential for him to be traded before the season begins. Later, the trio discuss which coaches are entering major prove-it years and what they’ll need to do in order to protect their jobs.

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    (2:00) – Dolphins trade Jalen Ramsey to Steelers: is this a rare no-win trade?

    (19:20) – Could T.J. Watt be next on the trade block?

    (24:35) – Coaches entering prove-it years: Brian Daboll, Mike McDaniel, Brian Callahan

    (47:15) – Breaking: Dolphins acquire TE Darren Waller

    (50:30) – Coaches entering prove-it years: Brian Schottenheimer, Shane Steichen

    The Pittsburgh Steelers traded S Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for CB Jalen Ramsey on Monday June 30. (Yahoo Sports, Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

    (Yahoo Sports, Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

    🖥️ Watch this episode on YouTube

    Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at Yahoo Sports Podcasts

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  • Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti addresses playoff expansion, need for ‘more meaningful conference games’

    Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti addresses playoff expansion, need for ‘more meaningful conference games’

    The Big Ten and SEC’s current expanded 16-team College Football Playoff proposal for the 2026 season and beyond revolves around access and the belief strength of schedule and regular-season results ultimately trump all other data points for entry.

    Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti Pettiti told Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt in an interview this week that getting closer to a professional sports model from a postseason standpoint is an obvious goal for his conference, which starts with stressing the importance of conference finish and record in the regular season.

    “I want more teams to feel like they’re chasing that opportunity to compete for a national championship,” Pettiti said Monday. “Teams can get hot late in the season. The fact they lose a game early shouldn’t disqualify them. To play more meaningful conference games as late as possible.”

    Why the Big Ten, SEC alliance turned sour — and what it means for future College Football Playoff format

    Brandon Marcello

    The Big Ten has won consecutive national championships following Michigan’s title in 2023 and Ohio State’s last fall.

    “It’s a really interesting job, when you’re playing conference games, you’re kind of stone-faced, you’re on the sideline and you can’t indicate any emotion,” Pettiti said. “When you get into these nonconference games, you’re living and dying like the people on campus are. The more we…

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  • Why Steelers insider believes team is ‘definitely better’ after massive trade for Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith

    Why Steelers insider believes team is ‘definitely better’ after massive trade for Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith

    Many questions have been swirling since the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins that included the trade of perennial Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami in exchange for former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith. 

    Why did the Steelers trade Fitzpatrick, one of the team’s best players since the Steelers acquired him via a trade with (ironically) the Dolphins six years ago? Why did the Steelers trade for players who play positions they were seemingly already deep at? Does this make the Steelers a better team than the one they were before the deal went down?

    To help find those answers, we enlisted the help of Jim Wexell, the founder of Steel City Insider and a 30-year veteran of the Steelers’ beat. While he acknowledged Fitzpatrick’s obvious attributes, Wexell feels the Steelers are “definitely better” now than they were before the trade went down. 

    “They got two very good players for a very good player,” Wexell said. “Obviously, the Dolphins wanted a little more, so they got the fifth-rounder and traded a seventh-rounder. I guess there were some money considerations, too. I have no idea how this ties into T.J. Watt. … You now don’t have a deep free safety who’s an All-Pro. You’ve got to get to the quarterback faster.” 

    Grading Steelers-Dolphins blockbuster trade: Jalen Ramsey, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jonnu Smith all dealt

    John Breech

    Despite recent reports, Wexell does not believe the Steelers will trade Watt. As far as…

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  • Michigan football lands 4-star 2026 DB Andre Clarke Jr. out of Virginia

    Michigan football lands 4-star 2026 DB Andre Clarke Jr. out of Virginia

    Michigan football: 2025 schedule and key games

    Michigan football’s schedule and key games for the 2025 season.

    Michigan football recruiting surged in late June, adding nine commits in two weeks, including four-star defensive back Andre Clarke.Clarke, a top-200 player nationally, chose Michigan over Kentucky and other major programs.

    After a relatively slow start to the month, Michigan football finished its recruiting push with an absolute flurry to end June.

    The Wolverines landed two players in the first 17 days of June, college football’s primary recruiting window, but have since added nine more commits in the previous two weeks, including Monday, June 30 when it secured a pledge from Andre Clarke Jr., a four-star defensive back from Richmond, Virginia (Hermitage High School).

    Clarke announced his commitment in the afternoon on social media. The highly regarded cornerback held 30 Division I offers per his recruiting profile on 247sports, but ultimately chose the Wolverines over Kentucky, the other primary competitor after taking official visits to SMU, Syracuse, Kentucky, Miami and U-M.

    Clark, who stands 6 feet 1 and 175 pounds, is the No. 5 player in Virginia, the No. 16 safety in the nation and thee No. 177 overall player in the class of 2026, according to 247Sports composite rankings.

    MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: Ranking 2025 games in order of difficulty

    “Clarke is a premier level playmaker in the defensive secondary with the ability to play both cornerback and safety,” writes 247sports analyst and prospect evaluator Clint Brewster. “Very desirable combination of instincts, athleticism, and tackling ability…Clarke is more thin-framed but shows more strength and toughness than his size insists.

    “(His) playmaking ability and coverage chops project him to a mid to early round NFL draft choice projection.”

    Clarke went on…

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  • Brian Branch: Lions feel invincible on defense

    Brian Branch: Lions feel invincible on defense

    The Lions fell short of their goal last season, but safety Brian Branch believes their experience in 2024 sets them up well for success in 2025.

    Branch made the Pro Bowl after playing in 16 regular season games and that availability made him an outlier on the team’s defense. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, linebacker Alex Anzalone, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and several other defensive players missed time with injuries that left the team scrambling to fill out the unit at times.

    The group still played well enough for the Lions to earn the top seed and Branch said going through those tribulations has left the unit feeling more confident about the future.

    “We went through the ups and downs,” Branch said to Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press. “We fought together in tough games. We have been in a game where it depended on us to win. So, it just makes everybody buy in. Once you have a group that has bought in and has gone through trials and tribulations, we feel invincible.”

    Branch said he feels “we’re better than last year” and the test of that will come when we find out if their stay in the playoffs lasts longer than one game this time around.

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  • BYU QB Jake Retzlaff faces lengthy suspension amid civil lawsuit, likely to leave program, per reports

    BYU QB Jake Retzlaff faces lengthy suspension amid civil lawsuit, likely to leave program, per reports

    Getty Images

    BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is expected to receive a seven-game suspension for violating the university’s Honor Code and considered likely to leave the program, according to multiple reports. Retzlaff is accused of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a civil lawsuit, filed in May, stemming from an alleged incident in November 2023 in Provo, Utah.

    The day the lawsuit was filed, BYU said in a statement it had just become aware of the legal action and would follow Title IX protocols. At the Big 12 spring meetings later that month, university officials — including football coach Kalani Sitake — said they had no update on the matter. BYU has not commented on the possibility of suspending Retzlaff. 

    According to the filing, Retzlaff and the woman — identified as Jane Doe A.G. — connected on social media and later met at Retzlaff’s residence. She reported the incident to police after undergoing a rape kit examination at a hospital. Initially, Jane Doe A.G. declined to name Retzlaff out of fear that investigators might inform him of the report. However, she eventually identified him after a Provo police officer mentioned that “someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person.”

    The lawsuit alleges that Retzlaff continued “escalating the situation” after the two kissed, and engaged in sexual acts despite the woman’s repeated refusal.

    In a response to the lawsuit filed on Friday, Retzlaff denied the allegations, stating the two had consensual sex in November 2023 and…

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  • Lions DB Brian Branch says past adversity has team feeling ‘invincible,’ ready for breakthrough in 2025 season

    Lions DB Brian Branch says past adversity has team feeling ‘invincible,’ ready for breakthrough in 2025 season

    Getty Images

    The Detroit Lions’ 2024 regular season was rather magic, but a franchise-record 15 wins and team records in points per game (33.2) and point differential (+222) weren’t enough to get the Lions out of the divisional round of the playoffs. Detroit became the second 15-win team in NFL history to lose its playoff home opener in an 45-31 upset vs. Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. For the second year in a row, the Lions dropped the ball in the playoffs, and it’s now a narrative that this team will have to dispel in 2025. 

    Lions Pro Bowl defensive back Brian Branch believes Detroit is ready to go far in the playoffs this upcoming season. The Lions have improved their win total in three straight reasons, and have the talent necessary to soon stand atop the NFL world. 

    “I feel like we’re better than last year,” Branch told the Detroit Free Press. “We’re hungry, and I feel that’s gonna separate us. Our chemistry is on a whole ‘nother level.”

    Branch also believes the adversity the Lions have faced over the past couple seasons will pay dividends in the end. 

    “We went through the ups and downs,” Branch said. “We fought together in tough games. We have been in a game where it depended on us to win. So, it just makes everybody buy in. Once you have a group that has bought in and has gone through trials and tribulations, we feel invincible.”

    While the Lions didn’t lose much in free agency, they did lose both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to coaching gigs. Both leaders were the architects of their respective sides of the ball, and it remains to be seen if new offensive coordinator John Morton and new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard can replace what they brought to…

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  • Nation’s No. 2 tight end projected to commit to the Georgia Bulldogs

    Nation’s No. 2 tight end projected to commit to the Georgia Bulldogs

    The Georgia Bulldogs could be getting yet another elite recruit. On3 has predicted five-star tight end recruit Kaiden Prothro to commit to the Bulldogs. He will choose to play college football among Georgia, Florida and Texas on July 12, but On3 believes he will choose Georgia.

    Prothro is a five-star tight end from the class of 2026. The 6-foot-5, 216-pound tight end plays football at Bowdon High School. He is ranked as the No. 2 tight end and No. 29 prospect in the nation, according to On3. He is also the No. 4 prospect from Georgia.

    Prothro earned a roster spot in the Under-Armour All-American game. The rosters included former five-star freshmen Elijah Griffin and Juan Gaston and four-star commit Zech Fort.

    Georgia has been on seven visits with Prothro, which ties with Auburn for the most of any school in the nation, according to On3. That includes an official visit with Prothro, which occurred on May 30. Prothro has visited Florida four times, including an official visit on June 13. However, Texas received an official visit from Prothro on June 20.

    Recruiting Prothro is essential for Georgia. The Bulldogs just saw four-star wide Vance Spafford flip to Miami, leaving Georgia with just four-star wide receivers Ryan Mosley, Craig Dandridge and Brady Marchese, along with four-star tight end Lincoln Keyes. Georgia pushed hard for the recruitment of five-star Mark Bowman, with On3 predicting that Bowman would land with Georgia, but Bowman eventually committed to the USC Trojans.

    However, Georgia’s on a recruiting hot streak recently, earning commitments from 12 recruits since the start of June. As a result, the Bulldogs are the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports.

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