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  • Aiyuk admits he’s taking 49ers contract negotiations ‘personal’

    Aiyuk admits he’s taking 49ers contract negotiations ‘personal’

    Aiyuk admits he’s taking 49ers contract negotiations ‘personal’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

    Football is a business, and Brandon Aiyuk is learning that quickly as he negotiates a contract extension with the 49ers.

    As the star wide receiver seeks a lucrative payday, Aiyuk revealed during a recent interview on “The Pivot” podcast how he’s handling the back-and-forth with the only NFL team he has known.

    “I’m taking it personal,” Aiyuk said. “I have a vision for what I see myself as, and [the 49ers] don’t see me as that. Or you do, but you don’t — you can’t financially do it. Whatever, whatever, whatever. I’m not sure. I just feel like it’s no hard feelings, though. If you don’t want to do it or you can’t do it, I’m sorry. There’s somebody that will.”

    Aiyuk met with the 49ers on Monday, after his episode of “The Pivot” podcast was recorded. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday that things went well between the parties, and San Francisco plans to move forward with Aiyuk on the roster this coming season.

    It remains to be seen if and when Aiyuk and the 49ers will reach an agreement, but in past contracts, the team typically extended its star players during training camp. Aiyuk reportedly is targeting a new contract in the ballpark of Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s $28 million-per-year deal, but San Francisco’s most recent offer was in the $26 million range, per the San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver.

    At the end of the day, Aiyuk told “The Pivot” podcast that he’s just looking out for himself when it comes to his potential extension, and he certainly has a strong opinion about what he’s worth.

    “[My priority is to] take care of my family and put myself in position to be the best football player that Brandon Aiyuk can be,” Aiyuk said.

    Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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  • Ohio State misses out on four-star running back

    Ohio State misses out on four-star running back

    We are in the portion of the year where college football news is a bit slow, but recruiting news is picking up. As we inch closer to National Signing Day monitoring the class of 2025 becomes more and more important. Unfortunately, a star out of the state of California made his announcement today and he pledged his commitment to another Big Ten rival.

    Jordon Davison is a four-star recruit, who recently trimmed his list down to four schools. Ohio State was among those four school, but the competition included other college football blue bloods in Alabama, Michigan and Oregon.

    Today he announced his commitment to play for the Oregon Ducks, which is not the greatest news for Buckeye fans, but it should be noted that the Ohio State recruiting class of 2025 already has two running backs committed.

    Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

    Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire

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  • Anthony Richardson’s agent posts videos of QB throwing and doing windmill dunk to dispel shoulder concerns

    Anthony Richardson’s agent posts videos of QB throwing and doing windmill dunk to dispel shoulder concerns

    During his rookie season, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson showcased his dynamic skill set. Despite only playing in parts of four games, Richardson accounted for 713 total yards and seven touchdowns, regularly creating big plays with his arm and his legs.

    Alas, his season was cut short by injuries. Richardson first suffered a concussion and had to sit out part of Week 2 and all of Week 3, then sustained a shoulder injury that necessitated season-ending surgery in Week 5.

    Throughout the offseason, there have been sporadic reports regarding Richardson’s progress in his rehabilitation, as well as multiple instances of reported soreness in his shoulder. On Friday, however, Richardson’s agent, Deiric Jackson of Legacy Sports Advisors, posted a series of videos of Richardson seemingly intended to quell concerns about any sort of lingering injury.

    The videos showed Richardson a) executing a reverse windmill dunk; b) ripping a crossing route over the middle; and c) firing a deep ball down the field. Jackson captioned the post, “5 looks good to me,” referring to Richardson’s jersey number.

    Richardson is set to be the starter under center again for a Colts offense that performed better than could have reasonably been expected with Gardner Minshew at the helm for most of the season. Head coach Shane Steichen has shown that he can get the most out of a player with a similar skill set to Richardson (Jalen Hurts), and if he can remain healthy, he should be able to make strong progress in Year 2.

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  • Meet college football’s 12 under-the-radar defensive players who already have NFL scouts buzzing

    Meet college football’s 12 under-the-radar defensive players who already have NFL scouts buzzing

    Summertime is a great chance to gain some perspective on the talent pool in college football. So every year, I take some time to ask NFL scouts how draft-eligible college players are viewed as prospects by those in the NFL space.

    In the coming weeks, I’ll share different pieces of feedback that have come from those conversations. Yesterday, we covered 12 under-the-radar draft prospects on offense generating buzz among NFL scouts. Now, here are 12 defensive players (listed alphabetically):

    Syracuse S Alijah Clark

    School measurements: 6-foot-1, 186 pounds

    A former top-150 overall recruit, Clark has been a starter for Syracuse for the last two years. At least some scouts see the Rutgers transfer coming off the board in the first few rounds of next year’s draft. He has limited ball production (with no interceptions and just five pass breakups the last two seasons) but recorded 120 total tackles during that time and helped Syracuse rank 14th nationally in pass defense in 2022.

    Pro Football Focus gave him the fourth-best pass defense grade among ACC safeties last season.

    “Really talented and gifted player,” a coach who worked at Syracuse in 2022 and 2023 told CBS Sports. “Physical and athletic. Can lose focus and attention at times, but looks the part.”

    UTSA DL Joe Evans

    Official measurements:…

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  • Sports Illustrated predicts Bears make playoffs in 2024. Read their explanation why

    Sports Illustrated predicts Bears make playoffs in 2024. Read their explanation why

    Sports Illustrated predicts Bears make playoffs in 2024. Read their explanation why originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

    On Thursday, Sports Illustrated published a list of teams they believe will make the playoffs this season, after missing the postseason last year, and the Bears made the cut. Unsurprisingly, reason No. 1 is new quarterback Caleb Williams.

    “His early dealings with the organization have been overwhelmingly positive, the Bears upgraded the offense and Shane Waldron is a really skilled designer of offenses,” wrote Connor Orr.

    Beyond Williams, the Bears have added several more playmakers, including wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back D’Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett. Of course the Bears will return nearly every starter from their defense, which developed into one of the best units in the league over the course of the 2023 season.

    The Bears also have the benefit of playing a last-place schedule, meaning they’ll play against the other last-place finishers in the conference. Several of those teams have not made the same level of personnel improvements as the Bears.

    “Peppered throughout Chicago’s schedule are plenty of winnable games and what I’d like to consider “breaks,” though I know the mere mention of any NFL game as easy would cause a coach’s blood to boil,” Orr wrote. “While the end of Williams’s first season will be brutal—with dates against Detroit (twice!), San Francisco and Green Bay—it will be the end of Williams’s first season. In theory, he’ll be better than in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.”

    Of course if the Bears make the playoffs this year, it necessarily means that one of the NFC teams who qualified for the postseason last year will be left out this winter. Orr believes the Lions and Packers will still make it into the tournament, meaning the Bears would be the third NFC North team in the playoffs. He’s got the Cowboys as the odd team out.

    “Dallas isn’t markedly better than…

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  • Phil Steele says USC has one of top three hardest schedules in 2024 football season

    Phil Steele says USC has one of top three hardest schedules in 2024 football season

    Phil Steele has made his annual list of college football’s top 25 hardest schedules. Steele utilized the “NCAA method” to rank these schedules, which compiles the records of each team’s opponents from the previous season. You can imagine that USC made the list. You would be right.

    With the 2024 season right around the corner, let’s take a look at which teams including USC come in ranked with their future schedules.

    Florida is No. 1. UCLA is No. 2. At No. 3 are the USC Trojans. USC has its work cut out from Week 1 until the end of the season. Kicking off the season in Las Vegas against the LSU Tigers, the Trojans immediately test themselves. The Trojans will battle Utah State at home before traveling to Ann Arbor for a date with reigning national champion Michigan on the road.

    Matchups against conference opponents such as Wisconsin, Washington, Nebraska, Penn State, UCLA and finally non-conference rival Notre Dame  in the season finale.

    The magazine on digital version was available June 19 this week and should hit the newsstands by July.

    Phil Steele’s Big Ten Forecast for 2024:

    1. Ohio State
    2. Oregon
    3. Penn State
    4. Michigan
    5. Iowa
    6. USC
    7. Nebraska
    8. Rutgers
    9. Wisconsin
    10. Maryland
    11. Washington
    12. Indiana
    13. Illinois
    14. UCLA
    15. Minnesota
    16. Northwestern
    17. Purdue
    17. Michigan State

    — WestCoastCFB (@WestCoastCFB) June 23, 2024

    There is a lot of excitement around the USC program heading into year three of the Lincoln Riley era. The Trojans head coach talks overhauling the roster, new coaches, NIL, recruiting, evaluating QBs and more. Story: https://t.co/IpBEEXsgiE pic.twitter.com/3S7zLN7qiT

    — Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) June 25, 2024

    Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

    Check out more NFL draft coverage with…

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  • NFL informs teams supplemental draft will not be held in 2024, per report

    NFL informs teams supplemental draft will not be held in 2024, per report

    Getty Images

    For the fourth year in a row, no one will be selected in the NFL supplemental draft. The NFL has informed teams that the supplemental draft will not take place in 2024, according to Sports Illustrated. 

    The two players eligible last year were not drafted and this event was not held in 2020, 2021 or 2022. 

    This draft serves players in a unique position, who in most cases have experienced a change in eligibility. If a player is ruled ineligible for the college season after the NFL Draft takes place, they have the chance to be part of the supplemental draft and find a team, rather than wait until the next NFL Draft. 

    Players need to be at least three years removed from high school to be eligible and can apply through the league office. 

    When the supplemental draft has been held, it goes for seven rounds. Teams are put into three groups based on their results the season prior. 

    Group one includes teams that had six or fewer wins and did not make the playoffs, the second group are teams that missed the playoffs with six or more wins. The last group is made up of the playoff teams. 

    Teams submit bids for players and the team highest in the draft order who submits for a player in the earliest round gets to select that player. If a team selects someone in the supplemental draft, it forfeits the pick in the same round of the follow year’s regular draft. 

    The last team to make a selection in the supplemental draft was the Arizona Cardinals, when they picked safety Jalen Thompson in the fifth round in 2019. 

    The supplemental draft began in 1977 and initially was for former college students. Since 1993, players who did not attend college were included. 

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  • Why high school QBs are committing earlier than ever — and then putting on their hard hats

    Why high school QBs are committing earlier than ever — and then putting on their hard hats

    LOS ANGELES, Calif. — A year ago this week, Tavien St. Clair walked into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center at Ohio State with news to share.

    The five-star quarterback from Bellafontaine (Ohio) was ready to commit to the Buckeyes, a childhood favorite team with a rich history of producing top talent at his position. Two-time Heisman Trophy finalist C.J. Stroud had been taken second overall in the NFL Draft just two months prior, and St. Clair could not wait to start mapping out a similar blueprint in Columbus. He stepped into coach Ryan Day’s office equally nervous and excited.

    “Coach Day and coach Corey Dennis had started asking about a commitment a couple months before that moment, just dropping hints here and there and wondering when I wanted to do it,” St. Clair said at the Elite 11 Finals. “My family and I were overwhelmed with joy when we finally did it. Enrolling early was a big factor in the timing. Obviously it was two full years before the start of my first college season, but it’s big for the quarterback to jump in early and recruit the guys he wants around him.”

    The results, at least for Ohio State, have been tangible — the Buckeyes hold a healthy lead atop the 247Sports Team Composite Recruiting Rankings for the 2025 class with six months remaining until the Early Signing Period. St. Clair is one of three five-star prospects in the group that also features 12 other Top247 members. 

    Ask any coach and they’ll tell you there’s no better way to kick-start a class than by landing an elite quarterback recruit. He’s a magnet for other elite players. He’s a testament to your fans, boosters and bosses that your program’s going in the right direction. And he’s usually the most vocal one in building out the class, organizing group…

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