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

Creighton notches significant resume-building win with road upset at UConn

Creighton bolstered its NCAA Tournament resume with a significant conference win against UConn on Saturday.

DePaul snaps unbelievable streak of ineptitude with road win vs. Georgetown

DePaul's nightmare is over. Georgetown's just started. On Friday, the Blue Demons beat the Hoyas, 73-68, for their first Big East win in nearly two years.

Unrivaled opening night takeaways: Upstart league is a slam dunk

Let's give Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart their flowers. The league is a hit.

Watch: Skylar Diggins-Smith drains three as Lunar Owls win inaugural Unrivaled game

Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins-Smith ended Unrivaled's inaugural game with a bang.

Jimmy Butler saga takes another twist with superstar's surprising announcement

It’s still fair to wonder how much longer the Heat will be able to stomach the off-court drama.

Watch: Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon scores twice in quick succession vs. Oilers

Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon extended Colorado’s lead in its Western Conference showdown against the Oilers with two first-period goals in rapid succession.

Why AFC North playmaker and these four players need a change of scenery

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is one of several players with an uncertain future ahead of the offseason. 

Watch: Mavericks robbed of potential win vs. Pelicans with missed goaltending call

The Mavericks got a raw deal on Wednesday night when officials missed a clear goaltending late in the fourth quarter of their 119-116 loss to the Pelicans.

Ranking potential quick NFL turnarounds: Why Myles Garrett's Browns confidence could be warranted

Here's our pre-free-agency ranking of teams with 2025 top five picks by likelihood of making the playoffs next season.

With draft decision, Quinn Ewers aims to take advantage of poor QB class

As perplexing as it seems, Quinn Ewers' draft decision could be wise.

Five burning questions for NBA season's second half: Cavs remain a juggernaut? Who wins two-man MVP race? 

With teams hitting the halfway point in their 2024-25 schedules, it’s the perfect time to survey the NBA landscape.

No. 21 Ole Miss notches a program first in road win over No. 4 Alabama

Ole Miss accomplished a first on Tuesday evening. With its 74-64 win at Associated Press No. 4 Alabama (14-3, 3-1 SEC), the Rebels notched their first road win against an AP top-five team in program history.

Brian Kelly's past words come back to haunt him amid Notre Dame's playoff run

LSU head coach Brian Kelly did himself no favors when he recently backtracked previous comments about his former team, Notre Dame.

Lions' praise shows why Aaron Glenn should be a head coach in 2025

Already on multiple teams' coaching-search radars, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn received two ringing endorsements from Lions defenders that should make him an even more attractive candidate.

Top 10 2025 NFL free-agent quarterbacks: Where does Sam Darnold rank after 'MNF' clunker?

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold lost money on Monday night. With an ugly performance against the Rams, Darnold's stock entering free agency took a hit. Where does he stand among the options at the position?

Vikings-Rams takeaways: Rams rediscover Super Bowl form in wire-to-wire win

The Rams closed wild-card weekend with an emphatic 27-9 win against the Vikings, setting Los Angeles up for a road trip to the Eagles on Sunday.

Why hiring Deion Sanders is a bad idea for the Cowboys

Deion Sanders? As the Cowboys next head coach? As bad of an idea as it seems, of course Dallas is considering it.

Watch: Troy Aikman offers brutal assessment of Cowboys' HC opening

The Cowboys entered the head-coaching market on Monday, but Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman suggested the team might not like what it finds.

Laughable Mickey Loomis comments show Saints haven't reached rock bottom

If you thought the Saints were bad this season, wait for 2025. General manager Mickey Loomis spoke with reporters for the first time since the team ended the 2024 season 5-12, the franchise's worst record since 2005, when it was displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Packers-Eagles takeaways: Philly needs to solve offensive malaise

It wasn't pretty, but the Eagles escaped their home wild-card game against the Packers with a 22-10 win.

Watch: Disaster strikes for Packers on opening kick vs. Eagles

The Packers had a nightmarish start to their wild-card game against the Eagles. 

Ranking Mike Tomlin’s potential coaching destinations in 2025

Following another one-and-done playoff run from the Pittsburgh Steelers, calls are mounting for the franchise to part ways with head coach Mike Tomlin after 18 seasons.

Watch: C.J. Stroud's incredible throw leads Texans to halftime lead over Chargers

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made something out of nothing to spark Houston's 99-yard go-ahead touchdown drive against the Chargers in the first game of Super Wild Card Weekend.

Chargers-Texans takeaways: Houston's stars shine; Jim Harbaugh gets full Chargers experience

The Texans (11-7) defeated the Chargers (11-7), 32-12, after entering Saturday's wild-card game as a 2.5-point home underdog.

Watch: Clutch late baskets propel Iowa State to gritty Big 12 road win

Iowa State withstood Texas Tech's best effort to notch a tough Big 12 road win on Saturday. The Cyclones erased a 13-point first-half deficit in their 85-84 overtime win.