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  • Bengals’ Tee Higgins to sign franchise tag as star wide receiver ends holdout, per report

    Bengals’ Tee Higgins to sign franchise tag as star wide receiver ends holdout, per report

    Getty Images

    Tee Higgins’ holdout with the Cincinnati Bengals appears to be reaching its end. The star wide receiver is signing his franchise tag on Saturday and is expected to be at training camp, according to ESPN. Higgins had been away from the team and did not attend mandatory minicamp as he currently seeks a contract extension. While this does end his holdout, this latest report also relays that the two sides agreeing on a long-term deal is considered a long shot. 

    The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins in late February, holding the 25-year-old from hitting the open market in free agency. Under the tag, Higgins will make $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. 

    This turn of events has become somewhat common for the Bengals in recent seasons. After Higgins was tagged, it led to a trade request, which was not granted by the team and ultimately led to him signing his tender. That is a similar circumstance to prior Bengals players like safety Jessie Bates III and offensive tackle Jonah Williams. Bates’ situation somewhat mirrored Higgins’ as he was tagged by Cincinnati in 2022, which led to speculation about a possible trade. In the end, he signed the tag and played that season before departing in free agency. As for Williams, he requested a trade last offseason, but ended up staying with the team and played out the year before also leaving in free agency earlier this offseason. 

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  • LSU hosts another 5-star QB for a visit this weekend

    LSU hosts another 5-star QB for a visit this weekend

    LSU already holds a commitment from the top quarterback and No. 1 overall player in the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood.

    While anything can happen in recruiting, Underwood’s commitment to the Tigers seems to be solid, and that has opened up co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan to turn his focus to the 2026 class.

    The Tigers hosted a pair of blue chip quarterback prospects this week in four-star Brady Hart and five-star Dia Bell, the latter of which participated in LSU’s Elite Camp on Thursday. Now, the staff is set to host another 2026 five-star.

    Faizon Brandon, the No. 9 overall player in the cycle, will be in town, according to On3’s Shea Dixon. The Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.) prospect has previously spoken highly of Sloan, per On3’s Chad Simmons.

    “I’ve built a pretty good relationship with him. Seeing what he does with quarterbacks is one of the reasons why LSU is on my radar,” Brandon said. “I like how he develops quarterbacks. I like how he works with the quarterbacks.”

    It’s going to be a busy June for Brandon, who has visits set with Alabama and Penn State and will also potentially visit North Carolina and NC State. The rising junior said he’s hoping to trim his list down to six by the end of the summer.

    Tennessee currently leads the way for Brandon on the On3 recruiting prediction machine, but LSU will hope this staff’s quarterback success convinces Brandon to come to the Bayou.

    Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

    Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

    Story originally appeared on LSU Tigers Wire

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  • How reported Lawrence Jags deal could impact Purdy 49ers extension

    How reported Lawrence Jags deal could impact Purdy 49ers extension

    How reported Lawrence Jags deal could impact Purdy 49ers extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

    The 49ers’ hopes of signing Brock Purdy to a long-term contract extension in 2025 likely became significantly more expensive Thursday after fellow quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s reported agreement with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

    Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, reportedly came to terms with the Jaguars on a five-year, $275 million extension with $200 million guaranteed, and joins Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as the NFL’s two highest-paid players with an average salary of $55 million per year.

    Prior to Lawrence’s new deal, some believed Purdy would receive an offer in the $40 million-per-year range, but the market now has gone up, and the Iowa State product should have a significant amount of leverage when he is eligible to sign a contract extension after the 2024 season.

    Purdy has one fewer year of NFL experience than Lawrence but is much more accomplished.

    The 49ers quarterback has a 17-4 regular-season record and is 4-2 in the playoffs, and he earned Pro Bowl honors in just his second NFL season. He also ranked at the top of several league metrics in 2023, including yards per attempt (9.6), yards per completion (13.9) and passer rating (113.0).

    Lawrence has a 20-30 regular-season record and is 1-1 in the playoffs, and received one Pro Bowl nod. His only league-leading stat during his three-year pro career occurred during his rookie season when he threw an NFL-high 17 interceptions.

    Lawrence’s lack of success is part of what will make negotiations between Purdy’s reps and the 49ers even more challenging, considering the two-year pro just led San Francisco to the Super Bowl.

    Of the NFL’s 10 highest-paid quarterbacks, Lawrence is one of only three with a losing record. The other two are Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert (30-32), who signed a four-year, $262.5 million extension with an average salary of $52.5 million per…

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  • Wisconsin football recruiting: Eugene Hilton Jr., son of Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton, commits to Badgers

    Wisconsin football recruiting: Eugene Hilton Jr., son of Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton, commits to Badgers

    247Sports

    Wide receiver Eugene Hilton Jr., the son of former Pro Bowl wideout T.Y. Hilton, committed to Wisconsin as the first 247Sports Composite four-star wide receiver for the Badgers since 2017. 

    The younger Hilton chose Wisconsin over offers from Georgia, Ole Miss and Missouri, among others. He took an official visit to Madison, Wisconsin, the weekend of June 7 that sold him on Luke Fickell’s program. 

    “I was already like really high on them. I think this really opened up my eyes a little bit more,” Hilton told 247Sports. “What I knew already and thought about them already, it all kind of just helped me and see the place and the people, if I do potentially go there, see the people I would be around and all of that.”

    With Hilton’s commitment, Wisconsin’s recruiting class climbed to No. 12 in the 247Sports Team Composite recruiting rankings. 

    If he follows in his father’s footsteps, he’ll be quite the recruiting coup for the Badgers. T.Y. Hilton played at FIU from 2008-11, where he was a two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection and the 2010 Sun Belt Player of the Year while amassing 3,531 yards and 24 touchdowns receiving for his career. 

    The Indianapolis Colts selected Hilton in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He earned a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team and made four straight Pro Bowls from 2014-17. He led the NFL in receiving with 1,448 yards in 2016, marking a fourth consecutive 1,000-yard receiving year. 

    He had at least 700 yards receiving in eight out of his 10 years with the Colts and finished his NFL career with 9,812 yards and 53 touchdowns…

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  • Lavonte David mulled retiring, leaving Bucs after 2023, explains how team changed his mind to stick around

    Lavonte David mulled retiring, leaving Bucs after 2023, explains how team changed his mind to stick around

    Getty Images

    Lavonte David considered leaving the one NFL team he’s played for since being drafted in 2012. When Tom Brady retired, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had more questions than answers, and the linebacker was eyeing the 2024 offseason as his potential departure. 

    Not wanting to be around during a rebuild, David said he began considering either retiring or testing free agency after the 2023 season, when his contract was expiring. How last season panned out — the Bucs finishing 9-8 and winning the NFC South title along with an upset win against last year’s defending NFC champions in the playoffs — made him rethink his future. 

    “Maybe. Or I would’ve moved on, just to be honest with you. But I’m happy I made the decision I made,” David said when discussing whether he would have retired after last season had things gone differently, via the Tampa Bay Times. 

    David and the team did not have a hard time coming to an agreement, the linebacker said, as he knew he wanted to remain in Tampa. He signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal this offseason. 

    “Honestly, that didn’t take long,” David said on his decision to keep playing. “I definitely still love the game of football. I still want to play and I still feel like I’m playing at a high level. I still feel like I can compete with the best and obviously the organization felt the same way. It was a no-brainer for me to come back. Us being competitive also played a main part in it. I’m definitely looking forward to another great season.”

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  • No reason to wait around as Notre Dame football frontloads recruiting under Marcus Freeman

    No reason to wait around as Notre Dame football frontloads recruiting under Marcus Freeman

    SOUTH BEND — Marcus Fakatou just finished up his eighth-grade year in Riverside, Calif., but that didn’t keep Notre Dame football from offering the prodigy a scholarship for the 2028 recruiting cycle.

    A defensive lineman who already stands 6 foot 7 and weighs 265 pounds, Fakatou reported the offer on social media after attending camp at Notre Dame on Monday. The offer came directly from Irish coach Marcus Freeman, who recently explained the sport-wide trend toward frontloading the recruiting process.

    “Recruiting has shifted earlier,” Freeman said on May 31. “We’re looking at ‘26s and ‘27s. That is just the nature of the recruiting cycle. It’s gone earlier and earlier.”

    June enrollees: Eight is enough: Meet the latest crop of June enrollees for Notre Dame football

    Case in point: Fakatou, who has reportedly grown 4 inches and 95 pounds over the past year alone, already has eight offers from high-level college programs. USC, BYU, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Auburn extended their offers before Notre Dame joined what promises to be a long line of suitors.

    Fakatou, who is headed to Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High School this fall, was Notre Dame’s first known offer in the 2028 recruiting class. Lutheran is the only non-Catholic school in Southern California’s prestigious six-team Trinity League, which includes Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, JSerra Catholic, Servite and Santa Margarita.

    The Irish recently welcomed their second nonbinding commitment of the 2026 recruiting class when Lake Mary, Fla., quarterback Noah Grubbs announced on June 1. At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Grubbs chose the Irish over 22 other reported offers, including Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma and Colorado.

    Notre Dame!!! The experience was awesome, thank you for hosting a great camp! Great seeing ND…

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  • 49ers’ Purdy to train with Bears top pick Williams this offseason

    49ers’ Purdy to train with Bears top pick Williams this offseason

    49ers’ Purdy to train with Bears top pick Williams this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

    After being selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has an opportunity to learn a thing or two from 2022’s Mr. Irrelevant — Brock Purdy.

    During an interview on 670 The Score’s “Parker and Spiegel” show, Purdy’s personal quarterback coach Will Hewlett revealed that the 49ers signal caller will be among several NFL players Williams will be training with as he prepares for his rookie campaign.

    “He’ll [Williams] be working with Brock Purdy, [Indianapolis Colts QB] Anthony Richardson,” Hewlett revealed. “We’ve got, let’s see, [Tennesee Titans QB] Mason Rudolph, [Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB] John Wolford. There’s a bunch of other guys coming out. I think [Buccaneers QB] Kyle Trask will be out here for a little bit. Yeah, there’s a number of pro guys that’ll be out. (h/t Yardbarker)

    Purdy has had incredible success in two NFL seasons since being drafted No. 262 overall by San Francisco in 2022, leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl berth in his second professional campaign.

    The 24-year-old broke San Francisco’s single-season passing yard record in 2023, and has proven to be among the league’s best quarterbacks when he’s at the top of his game. Purdy boasts an impressive 19-5 record as an NFL starting quarterback, throwing for 5,654 yards, 44 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 25 professional appearances.

    Williams enters the NFL with tremendous expectations placed on his shoulders, but now ironically has an opportunity to gain wisdom from a player who made the transition from college to the pros with minimal fanfare before bursting on the scene during his rookie season.

    Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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  • Georgia tops Ohio State, Michigan for best college football front-seven room entering 2024 season

    Georgia tops Ohio State, Michigan for best college football front-seven room entering 2024 season

    It wasn’t long ago that Joe Burrow (LSU, 2019) and Mac Jones (Alabama, 2020) were torching everyone in their paths with high-flying offensive attacks that were seemingly ushering in a new era in college football. Over the past three seasons, however, defense has made a comeback.

    Georgia won national championships in 2021 and 2022 with a stifling defense, and Michigan followed suit during its unbeaten 2023 campaign. As the 2024 season approaches, it appears Ohio State is trying to remake itself in the mold of those Bulldogs and Wolverines.

    With the retention of several draft-eligible defensive stars, the Buckeyes are gearing up to have their best unit yet under third-year coordinator Jim Knowles, who has already done some fine work since arriving from Oklahoma State in 2022. Getting more physical was a point of emphasis for Ohio State last season, and that quest continues with coach Ryan Day entering a critical seventh season.

    Is Ohio State’s defensive front seven the best in the country? It may be by season’s end. For now, though, the benefit of the doubt goes to the two programs that have proven their dominance in that realm more recently.

    Here’s our look at the nation’s best front sevens entering the 2024 campaign.

    1. Georgia

    It’s business as usual for the Georgia defense under coach Kirby Smart, which means the Bulldogs are going to be an issue for everyone up front. Mykel Williams is a potential first-round draft pick after two productive years on the edge. Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson have taken the journeymen approach at defensive tackle but are also destined for an NFL payday once they conclude their fifth seasons as hulking run-stuffers. 

    The Bulldogs are arguably even more loaded at linebacker with the likes of Chaz…

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