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

'MNF' takeaways: Chargers must get QB Justin Herbert some help

The Cardinals pulled off an upset over the Chargers on a walk-off Chad Ryland field goal in the second of two Monday night games in Week 7.

Latest roster decision shows how aimless Oklahoma is under HC Brent Venables

Oklahoma has become directionless under head coach Brent Venables. Following an ugly 35-9 home loss to South Carolina in Week 8, the low point of Venables' three-year tenure, the Sooners are going back to quarterback Jackson Arnold.

Watch: Bucs WR Mike Evans hits huge milestone on opening drive of 'MNF'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has hit the century mark.

Brandon Aiyuk's injury made the 49ers' path to contention that much harder

If the 49ers get out of their first-half slump, they'll do so without a key offensive playmaker.

NFL Week 7 worst QB performances: Daniel Jones gives Giants buyer's remorse

Quarterback play was all over the map on Sunday. Here are the worst performers at signal-caller for Week 7 of the 2024-25 NFL season.

CFB Week 8 winners, losers: Georgia's defense feasts in SEC showdown against Texas

Georgia's impressive road win against Texas headlines our Week 8 winners and losers.

Indiana proves it's legitimate with romp over Nebraska

Indiana football is no longer a punchline.

Oklahoma in bowl jeopardy after blowout home loss to South Carolina

Oklahoma wanted the SEC experience, but it actually has to play in the SEC, now.

'That's a lie': Saints star doesn't hold back on trade rumors

With New Orleans (2-5) mired in a five-game losing streak and drifting toward irrelevancy, he would undoubtedly be valuable for a contending team.

Watch: Indiana marches down field for opening-drive TD against Nebraska

This is exactly how Indiana wanted to start this game.

Tony Bennett's stunning retirement comes at brutal time for Virginia

A news conference is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m. ET, when Bennett may share more details and/or reasoning behind his sudden retirement. What's immediately clear, however, is this is a challenging time for a coaching change.

Alabama, Tennessee weaknesses will take center stage in Week 8

Both Alabama and Tennessee are championship-caliber on one side of the football — just not the ones you'd expect from either program.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' radio show comments a worrying sign for team's future

Jones' lack of personal accountability has contributed significantly to the Cowboys' Super Bowl drought.

One move each NFC South team should make before trade deadline

After six weeks of the season, most NFL teams know if they'll be buyers or sellers before the trade deadline. Here's one move each team in the NFC South should make before the Nov. 5 deadline.

'MNF' takeaways: Bills still rule the AFC East

The Bills took command of the AFC East with their 23-20 road win against the Jets on Monday night. Here are five takeaways from the Week 6 finale.

Watch: Senators win wild 15-goal game vs. Kings on Josh Norris OT goal

The Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings were involved in a barn burner on the ice Monday afternoon.

NFL Week 6's worst QB performances: Dak Prescott disaster-class sinks Cowboys against Lions

Nobody said playing quarterback in the NFL was easy. Here are five signal-callers who did it very, very poorly in Week 6.

A look at Ashton Jeanty's path to breaking Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record

To pass Sanders, Jeanty must have a monster finish to the season. Can he do it?

CFB Week 7 winners, losers: Oregon nets signature win, Ole Miss plays itself out of playoff conversation

The weekend lived up to the hype. Several of the biggest games in Week 7 went down to the wire, including Ohio State-Oregon, Ole Miss-LSU and Penn State-USC.

Watch: Guardians OF Lane Thomas hits grand slam off Tigers ace Tarik Skubal

Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas flipped Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers with a grand slam off likely AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. His home run gave Cleveland (92-69) a 5-1 lead in the win-or-go-home scenario.

ALDS takeaways: Lane Thomas plays hero for Guardians with go-ahead grand slam

The Cleveland Guardians are advancing to the ALCS after downing the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS. How did they pull off the come-from-behind series win?

Watch: Stunning sequence has South Carolina leading Alabama

A wild flurry from South Carolina saw the Gamecocks take a third-quarter lead over Alabama.

Watch: Army QB Bryson Daily scores three first-quarter rushing TDs against UAB

Daily added to his impressive 2024 season with three first-quarter rushing touchdowns against UAB on Saturday afternoon.