Yardbarker

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans. You can find him on Twitter/X and Threads at @ericsmithling and at Bluesky at @ericsmithling.bsky.social.

EXPERTISE:

NFL, College Football, NBA, Men's and Women's College Basketball, NHL

NBA insider rips 'immature' Lakers head coach JJ Redick following first-round exit

The Lakers boldly hired Redick, a former 15-year veteran and podcast host, as head coach in June 2024 despite him having no prior coaching experience.

Latest Bills free-agency signing is low-risk, potentially high reward

The Bills made arguably the best value signing of free agency.

UConn primed to repeat as national champs in 2026 following transfer portal addition

UConn returned to the pinnacle of women's college basketball in early April when the program won its first national title in nine years.

Mystics 2025 first-round pick's season in doubt after concerning injury

Mystics rookie guard Georgia Amoore's season looks like it might be over before it began.

Lucrative Andrew Van Ginkel extension could put this player on Vikings' back-burner

The Vikings locked linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel in for the next two seasons on Tuesday by agreeing with the six-year veteran on a one-year extension.

Stanley Cup playoffs takeaways: Controversial hit could lead to Aaron Ekblad suspension

The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs continued on Monday with two more games. Here are our takeaways as the Panthers and Stars moved closer to the second round.

Watch: Panthers stun Lightning with two goals in 11 seconds to take 3-1 series lead

In a flash, the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2-1 Game 4 lead over the Florida Panthers turned into a 3-2 deficit.

Humiliating loss should lead Heat to question everything

The Heat embarrassed themselves on Monday, losing to the Cavs, 138-83, in one of the worst blowout losses in NBA playoff history.

Brandon Nimmo joins rare company as red-hot Mets throttle Nationals

On Monday, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo joined a rare group, becoming just the second player in franchise history to record a nine-RBI game in New York's 19-5 win over the division-rival Nationals.

Post-draft landing spots for Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey

With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview, which teams make the most sense for Ramsey? Let's look at some potential destinations.

NFC draft grades: What teams earned an 'A' besides Giants?

After spending the weekend sorting through each team's draft class, Yardbarker NFL writers have so many questions.

Watch: Brutal no-call dooms Pistons as Knicks take 3-1 series lead

A controversial no-call marred the ending of Sunday's Knicks-Pistons playoff thriller, overshadowing an epic 94-93 Knicks comeback victory.

Giants, Saints don’t have time to take things slow with 2025 NFL Draft QBs

The Giants and Saints have put themselves in a difficult situation.

Watch: Cavaliers stun Heat with 18-0 run early in Game 3

The Cavs turned a nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead in four minutes.

Five best picks from Day 3 of NFL Draft: CFP star an exciting pick for Giants

The 2025 NFL Draft's final four rounds were on Saturday. While most of the best players were off the board, teams still found value with some excellent picks.

2025 NFL Draft winners and losers: Raiders score big, Shedeur Sanders' disaster

As painful as Sanders' draft wait was, just wait until he arrives in Cleveland.

Burning questions entering Day 3 of NFL Draft: All things Shedeur Sanders and more

Here are four questions we have entering the fourth round, led by the story that has overtaken the weekend.

Saints make shocking decision by drafting QB older than eight 2024 Week 1 starters

The Saints selected the third quarterback of the 2025 NFL Draft, and it wasn't who most expected. 

Five best picks from Day 2 of NFL Draft: Patriots give QB Drake Maye help with star RB

With two more rounds in the 2025 NFL Draft in the books, it's time once again to take a look at the five best picks of Friday night.

Travis Hunter is well worth what Jaguars gave up

The Jaguars had to part with significant resources to add Travis Hunter, but the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will make it well worth it.

Report: LSU women's hoops on brink of scoring rare win over SEC rival

Despite winning two of the past three women's college basketball national titles, the recent head-to-head battle between LSU and South Carolina has been one-sided in favor of the Gamecocks.

Five burning questions entering Day 2 of NFL Draft: Where does Shedeur Sanders land?

With one round down and six to go, several things remain unanswered in the 2025 NFL Draft. As we gear up for Rounds 2 and 3, here are five pressing questions for Day 2.

Five best first-round picks of 2025 NFL Draft: Bold Jags move wins the day

Here are the five picks we loved the most from Day 1.

NFL insider names team that's received significant trade interest ahead of NFL Draft first round

With quarterbacks not named Cam Ward expected to fall into the 20s, this team could have one of the most valuable picks in the first round.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis pours cold water on team drafting QB in first round

The Saints could go in any number of directions with the No. 9 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, but selecting a quarterback is appearing less likely a day before the first-round commences.