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Texas A&M scored a huge recruiting win on Thursday by landing five-star athlete Brandon Arrington, the top-rated athlete in the 2026 class and the No. 14 overall player in the ESPN 300 rankings. Arrington chose the Aggies over Oregon during a commitment ceremony at Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley, California.
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound standout is expected to play cornerback at the college level. He had taken official visits to Penn State, Washington, Alabama, Oregon, and Texas A&M before narrowing his final choice to the Aggies and Ducks.
Strong Bonds with Coaching Staff Made the Difference
Arrington said his relationship with Aggies assistants Jordan Peterson and Bryant Gross-Armiento played a big role in his decision.
“The relationship goes back to day one,” he told ESPN. “They’ve been locked in with me from the start. The environment feels like home. The people care about football there.”
Momentum Growing for Texas A&M’s 2026 Class
Arrington is now the highest-ranked recruit to commit to Texas A&M under second-year head coach Mike Elko. His pledge caps off a strong week for the Aggies, who also landed four-star offensive tackle Samuel Roseborough (No. 123) and four-star running back K.J. Edwards (No. 106) earlier in the week.
With Arrington on board, Texas A&M has secured four ESPN 300 commitments in J
une alone. If he signs later this year, Arrington will be the Aggies’ top recruit since five-star defensive tackle David Hicks (No. 8 overall) in 2023.
Aggies Eyeing More Big Names
Texas A&M isn’t done yet. The staff is now focused on several top targets, including No. 1 overall recruit Lamar Brown and No. 23 wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, both of whom are expected to commit in early July. Five-star defensive end Richard Wesley (No. 19) and offensive tackle John Turntine III (Top 50) also remain high on the Aggies’ wish list.
Arrington Leads a Strong Group of Defensive Backs
Arrington adds more firepower to an already strong group of defensive backs in the Aggies’ 2026 class. He joins four-star cornerbacks Victor Singleton (No. 55) and Camren Hamiel (No. 86), giving Texas A&M three of the top 15 CB prospects in the country.
Coaches and scouts see Arrington as a high-potential player thanks to his rare speed an
d athleticism. He has posted blazing track times, including 10.24 seconds in the 100 meters and 20.37 in the 200. The Aggies have compared him to former All-SEC cornerback Will Lee because of his size, length, and explosiveness.
A Track Star with NFL-Level Upside
Arrington’s high school coach, Verlaine Betofe, believes the best is yet to come.
“I tell everyone about him: If his ceiling is a 10, he’s only at a three right now,” Betofe said. “Once he gets to the next level, he’s going to explode. I think he has first-round talent.”
More Top Athletes Announcing Soon
With Arrington’s commitment wrapped up, the attention now turns to the rest of the 2026 athlete class. Four-star Joey O’Brien (No. 102) is set to commit Friday, with Clemson, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Penn State among the finalists. Athlete Jalen Lott (No. 108) is expected to announce on July 8, with Texas and USC currently in the lead.
This report used information from ESPN.
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Big Ten's College Football Playoff expansion idea is 'absurd,' ESPN host says
Rece Davis doesn't want to see the College Football Playoff expand to two dozen or more participants. The longtime host of ESPN's "College GameDay" said on Saturday, per On3's Nick Schultz, that the Big Ten Conference's idea being floated around that could grow the CFP to 24 or 28 teams is "absurd." Davis made his comments on ESPN just before No. 17 Kansas State and No. 22 Iowa State were set to battle in the opener of the 2025 college football season from Aviva Stadium in Dublin. According to a recent report by ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Big Ten's idea is in the early stages of being discussed. This proposal would eliminate conference title games and offer a sizable number of automatic bids to the four power conferences. "I’m just going to say this flat-out: I don’t believe they’re serious about this,” Davis said on "College Football Countdown," per Schultz. "I believe this is like when you go to sell your house, and you say, 'I’m going to ask $1 million more than I’m willing to settle for.' They’re trying to get something back on the other side because on its face, this is absurd. It’s absurd, on its face. So they have to be looking for something else. That’s my guess." CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello reported on Aug. 18, citing sources, that the Big Ten's CFP expansion idea isn't off to a great start and has caught stakeholders off guard. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti recently floated the two expansion models to athletic directors in that conference, per Marcello. The Southeastern Conference, the other dominant league in college football, was later informed. Others conferences weren't told about the idea until reports leaked out, according to Marcello. A CFP executive said to CBS Sports, "We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall." Per Thamel, in the 28-team model, the Big Ten and the SEC would each command seven automatic bids, while the ACC and the Big 12 would both get five. There would then be two auto bids for non-power-four conferences and also two at-large teams. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, there will be a 12-team CFP. The event also had 12 participants last season, with Ohio State winning, and before that, four teams. Over the past year or so, stakeholders have discussed potentially expanding the CFP to 16 participants. However, an agreement hasn't been reached due to different conferences wanting a different number of automatic bids versus at-large teams, according to Thamel.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
The Green Bay Packers are about to kick off their 2025 NFL regular season, so it feels like a good time for some of the players to look back at some of the key moments and experiences they’ve had in the offseason. For quarterback Jordan Love and tight end Luke Musgrave, the 2025 NFL offseason will always be one that they’ll cherish — and not just because of anything that’s football-related. Love and Musgrave both got married to their respective longtime girlfriends in the offseason. The signal-caller tied the knot with Ronika Stone in June, while Musgrave and Madi Weisner exchanged vows in July. Ronika Stone’s wedding lookback gets Green Bay tight end’s wife’s reactions Mrs. Love recently shared a post on Instagram that shows a series of snapshots from her wedding with the Packers’ signal caller. “Every detail was SPECTACULAR ,” Ronika wrote as a caption for the post. She clearly is still awed by how her wedding looked that day, with several beautiful flower arrangements adorning the special day. Ronika’s post drew plenty of comments, including one from Mrs. Musgrave, who wrote “UNREAL.” It’s great to see Packers players’ wives showing support for each other just as Love and Musgrave do on the field. For Musgrave, he is looking to have a big rebound in 2025 after only appearing in seven games and coming up with 45 receiving yards with zero touchdowns and only a couple of first downs on seven receptions and 10 targets. The Packers, who will play the Seattle Seahawks at home this Saturday for both teams’ 2025 NFL preseason finale, will face the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
3 observations from Commanders' blowout loss vs. Ravens
The Washington Commanders are finishing the preseason winless after a 30-3 loss to the local rival Baltimore Ravens at Northwest Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Here's a look at three observations from the game between the Ravens and Commanders: Commanders need Marcus Mariota The Commanders didn't have starter Jayden Daniels on the field for the finale and Marcus Mariota continues to deal with Achilles tendinitis. Both Sam Hartman and Josh Johnson struggled against the Ravens, throwing three interceptions between the two of them. Mariota is expected to be ready for Week 1 against the New York Giants, which should put the Commanders at ease if something were to happen to Daniels. No Jacory Croskey-Merritt After the Commanders traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick, the team has a wide open running back race. However, the winner of the starting job may have been revealed based on Washington's decision to sit Jacory Croskey-Merritt against the Ravens. The Commanders sat all of their starters for the game, so considering the fact Croskey-Merritt didn't see action, his spot on the team and starting lineup should be safe. Austin Ekeler also didn't play, but Croskey-Merritt's absence is a sign of good things to come for the rookie. Colson Yankoff makes best play of the day Yankoff is likely heading to the practice squad for a second straight season, but the undrafted tight end out of UCLA made one of the best plays of the day for the Commanders, hauling in a 52-yard pass from Hartman. Yankoff could find himself on the active roster at some point this season, especially if he continues to make plays like that. The Commanders struggled mightily during the contest, but the games will begin to count on Sept. 7 when the Giants come to town. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Report reveals how hard Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James
The Golden State Warriors have been linked to LeBron James on occasion over the last 18 months, but their interest in trying to trade for the Los Angeles Lakers star may be stronger than has been previously reported. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported this week that the Warriors would likely have some interest in James if the Lakers were ever to entertain a trade. To that end, the Warriors have called the Lakers on “multiple occasions” over the last 18 months to gauge the Lakers’ willingness to trade James. The report adds that there is a strong belief that James and Steph Curry very much enjoyed their time together as teammates during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is one motivator for Golden State. The Lakers, of course, have not been willing to trade James, even though there were some hints of trouble between the two sides this summer. It is fair to question whether the Warriors would have the resources to pull off such a trade even if it were plausible. It is accurate that the Warriors are likely to be linked to James in any case where he is perceived to be available. Pairing him and Curry together would likely be a result of the Warriors trying to make one last run at a championship during the twilight of Curry’s career.
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