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

Saints need to go all-in for Raiders WR Davante Adams

It wouldn't necessarily be easy for the New Orleans Saints to trade for Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams, but they would be wise to figure out how to get it done.

Watch: Tigers score first run of 2024 postseason from unlikely source

Thanks to an unlikely source, the Tigers seized an early lead in Game 1 of their road wild-card series against the Astros.

NFC North stock up, down: Lions edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson trending toward DPOY honors

A quarter of the way through the 2024 NFL season, we're assessing who's trending up and down in each division.

NFC South stock up, down: QB soaring, but this Falcons receiver hits bottom

A quarter of the way through the 2024 NFL season, we're assessing who's trending up and down in each division. Here's the NFC South's stock report from Weeks 1-4.

Watch: Lions' Jameson Williams scores long TD in high-scoring 'MNF' showdown vs. Seahawks

"Monday Night Football" between the Lions and Seahawks turned into a track meet, and Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams lapped the competition.

'MNF' takeaways: Jared Goff throws perfect game, outduels Geno Smith in shootout

From Jared Goff's perfect game to an opportunistic Lions defense, here are five takeaways from Detroit's 42-29 win over Seattle in Week 4 of "Monday Night Football."

MLB should reconsider Pete Rose stance following his death

With the proliferation of sports betting, including MLB's own partnership with FanDuel, the league's stance on Rose is now a bit hypocritical.

NFL Week 4's worst QB performances: It's time to raise the alarm on Trevor Lawrence

Here is our rundown of the five worst quarterback performances from Week 4.

Recent Pelicans contract extension one of NBA's biggest steals

Steal artist Jose Alvarado has rubbed off on the Pelicans. On Saturday, New Orleans signed him to a team-friendly deal that was one of the league's biggest steals.

Paperweights: Ole Miss exposed in stunning home loss to Kentucky

With its loss to Kentucky, Ole Miss is still the same underperforming program it's always been since Kiffin took over.

Pirates' Paul Skenes joins pitching royalty with incredible finish to rookie season

Pirates ace Paul Skenes capped his historic rookie season on Saturday with an incredible performance against the Yankees. 

CFB Week 5 winners and losers: Alabama's Jalen Milroe becomes Heisman front-runner with unbelievable performance

Georgia-Alabama delivered on the hype. But the biggest game of the 2024 college football season wasn't the only game this weekend that left our heads spinning.  So, strap your leather helmet on and dive in, because we're tackling Week 5's winners and losers.

Watch: Ole Miss starts strong in SEC opener against Kentucky

Ole Miss steamrolled through an easy out-of-conference schedule to begin the season, and it's doing the same early in its 2024 SEC opener.

Karl-Anthony Towns reunites with HC who guided him to best NBA seasons

Reunited with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, Karl-Anthony Towns is back with the coach who helped guide him to his best seasons in the NBA.

Army continues hot start in first season as AAC member

Army continued its undefeated march to begin the 2024 season.

Tigers closing in on improbable playoff berth after comeback win over Rays

On Thursday, Detroit rallied from a 3-0 deficit against the Rays to win 4-3, its fifth victory in a row and ninth in its last 10 games. The win moved the Tigers one step closer to an improbable AL wild-card berth.

Five potential landing spots for Bryce Young to resurrect his NFL career

After only 18 NFL starts, it's far too early for the rest of the league to give up on the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

NFC South rookie grades: How has each team's top pick fared?

After three weeks of the regular season, several rookies are already making their mark in the NFL. Here's an evaluation of each NFC South team's top draft pick, accompanied by a grade based on how they've fared.

Watch: Bills' Damar Hamlin records first career interception on 'MNF'

Nearly two years after going into cardiac arrest on the field during a "Monday Night Football" game between the Bengals and Bills, Hamlin picked off Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as part of a first-half demolition.

Oklahoma HC Brent Venables makes right call with QB decision

Oklahoma freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins is in a tough spot entering his first collegiate start. That doesn't mean Sooners head coach Brent Venables erred in making a change.

'MNF' takeaways: Jayden Daniels arrives with historic game vs. Bengals

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won the battle between former LSU Heisman winners against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.

Pac-12 must get creative to solve its numbers problem

The conference's future is again in doubt two weeks after appearing to rise from the ashes with four commitments from Mountain West programs Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and Fresno State on Sept. 12.

Group of Five CFB power rankings: Which conference has the advantage entering Week 5?

With Group of Five members battling for one automatic College Football Playoff bid, overall conference strength could be a crucial tiebreaker.