Potential second-round pick Karter Knox is withdrawing from the draft and returning to Arkansas, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweets.
The 6-foot-6 wing could move into first-round consideration next June with a strong sophomore season. Knox started 24 of 36 games for the Razorbacks as a freshman but posted fairly modest stats — he averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists. He shot 46.2% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.
Knox was ranked No. 56 on ESPN’s Best Available list.
Knox, 20, was considered a top-30 prospect in the 2024 class and originally committed to Kentucky. He followed coach John Calipari to Arkansas after Calipari left the Wildcats’ program.
Knox is the younger brother of 2018 lottery pick Kevin Knox, who finished this season with Golden State.
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The Cleveland Browns aren't setting fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders up for success before he makes his debut against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Amid hamstring injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, the Browns are giving the start to Sanders, hoping to keep QB1 Joe Flacco healthy before the regular season. However, the Browns aren't making Sanders' life easy before Friday's game. Per Zack Jackson of The Athletic, Sanders has yet to receive reps with the first-team offense in practice and has mostly worked with the third team in training camp. "Through 10 days of camp, Sanders is the only one of the four Browns quarterbacks not to take snaps with the No. 1 offense," Jackson wrote. "He piloted the No. 2 offense in one drill last week against the Browns’ No. 1 defense, but the majority of his snaps in camp have come with and against the No. 3 units... "Wednesday’s joint practice should provide some clarity on the Browns’ exact thinking and availability for Friday. Sanders likely won’t take No. 1 reps in the joint session, but he’ll have that practice and a Thursday walk-through to prepare further — and potentially get the chance to play the full game in the preseason opener." Per Fred Greetham of 247 Sports, Sanders did not receive reps with the first-team offense during the joint practice on Wednesday, but did take part in four plays during an 11-on-11 period against the Panthers following Flacco's reps. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski thinks Sanders has received enough reps from the second and third team units to be ready for Friday night, arguing that the only thing different about the players on the first team is the "batteries" they're built with. "That's part of, I think it's just preseason ball, where you may have some ones going against twos," Stefanski said. "Two's going against one's. You could have, there's different guys in there at different times, but I think both sides, particularly in that first game, it's all about playing fast. "So you typically don't see a ton of looks that are unusual per se. So if you stick to your rules and you stick to what you've been taught over the last few weeks, you should be able to operate and function well." Sanders is going into his first NFL game flying blind after the Browns played a cruel joke on him this week. Frankly, there is a considerable difference in throwing to the equipment staff and players signed as undrafted free agents versus the speed that a first-team offense in the league has. The Browns aren't giving Sanders a fair fight by allowing him to practice a few reps with the first team. It's now up to Sanders to quickly respond to the differences if he wants a chance to move up the depth chart.
Over the past couple of years, the WNBA has seen a major uptick in ratings and overall fan engagement. Unfortunately, that has also come with negative attention. It may have reached a new low, as there have now been three separate incidents in which a fan has thrown a sex toy on the court. This time, it nearly hit Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham during a matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday. Cunningham had already joked about it on social media, and given her outspoken nature and reputation as a bit of an instigator, she didn't shy away from it: She also laughed it up on her Instagram story: Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, however, didn't think it was a laughing matter. Following the game, she put the fans on blast for their "stupid" behavior. "It's ridiculous. It's dumb. It's stupid," Roberts said, per Yahoo Sports. "It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is No. 1, respecting the game, all those things. I think it's really stupid." There's no place for any of this in sports, much less in women's sports. The league needs to crack down on this and take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening ever again. The WNBA is finally thriving after years of surviving, and while the fans will eventually grow to respect the product, not all publicity is good publicity.
Marshall Faulk is Colorado's new running backs coach, and the Buffaloes could not ask for someone with better experience for the job. That's, of course, because this is Faulk's first coaching gig. As a player, though, there were few better than the Pro Football Hall of Famer. In 12 seasons in the NFL, he rushed 2,836 times for 12,279 yards and 100 total touchdowns. He was a league MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champ. Faulk was the real deal, and now he has a chance to pass his experiences on to the running backs at Colorado. For him, it's more than just the opportunity to coach football, though. He gets to coach under Deion Sanders, whom he views as a major difference-maker for the game of football. "You guys know him in a different way than I know him," Faulk said in a recent media availability (h/t On3). "We’ve been friends for many years. We worked together in television. We always talk just about the game and probably more about kids coming up in the game. How do you affect and make sure they come into the game the right way? He’s one of those way makers. When you pay attention to kids that’s gonna leave this program and go to the next level, they’re gonna do it in a certain way and you’re gonna say, 'Wow, they were coached by a guy who understands how to get it done.' I identify with that." Colorado can certainly use Faulk's expertise heading into 2025. There are several players battling for the starting role after Isaiah Augustave transferred to South Carolina. Even then, he was Colorado's leading rusher last season while rushing for just 384 yards and four touchdowns, so it's not like the Buffs have a big gap that they're trying to replace. Dekalon Taylor transferred in from Incarnate Word, where he rushed for 909 yards and nine touchdowns last season, so he'll be a player to watch. Dallan Hayden, Micah Welch, Simeon Price and Charlie Offerdahl are also names to know. Faulk will have his work cut out for him, but he seems excited to make a difference both on and off the field for these young Buffaloes. "So coming here not just to win games on the field, but to win the game off the field, which is to make sure that these young men in life become what they want to become outside of football. They become the father that they want to be, the brother, the husband. Making sure that they do that, that’s the important part. That was attractive," he said.
ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick gave Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones a reality check on Wednesday. During the most recent edition of "Get Up," Riddick blasted the longtime Cowboys owner's handling of edge-rusher Micah Parsons' contract negotiations. It's the second time in as many weeks that Jones has received an unkind reality check over the Parsons situation. While the two-time first-team All-Pro has been extension-eligible since the end of the 2023 regular season, the Cowboys have strung along talks, pushing Parsons to request a trade on Aug. 1. Riddick blasted the approach, suggesting it's time Jones stops living in the past. "He may say, 'I did this kind of thing with Emmitt [Smith], we still won Super Bowls,'" Riddick said. In 1993, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back missed the first two games of the regular season due to a contract dispute. He eventually signed a four-year, $13.6 million contract on the Thursday before Week 3 and after the Cowboys had started 0-2. Smith led the league in rushing that season, and the Cowboys would go on to win their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy. Riddick made it clear to emphasize that the situation is far different from the one with Parsons. "You had Troy [Aikman], you had Michael [Irvin] ... You had an all-time team. They don't have an all-time team right now," Riddick said. "He's the one that says all the time, 'I'm all in... My clock is ticking. I need to win another championship.' This isn't the blueprint for it," the former NFL defensive back added. "You don't have that team anymore, but you're conducting business like it's back in 1993 again, and it's not," he finished. The Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl since 1995. Over the past 29 seasons, Dallas has more losing seasons (nine) than postseason wins (five). The Cowboys are often more relevant for their off-field drama than on-field accomplishments, and that's no different this season. It's a song and dance Jones has perfected, and it's one preventing Dallas from maximizing its future.
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