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Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning was making headlines in college football before he even had thoughts about which school he wanted to play for.
And to be fair, nobody can really fault him for it. His bloodline and overall talent under center have transformed him into one of the best prospects in football history, and he seemed to live up to his hype in the games he played last year for Steve Sarkisian both as a starter and as a backup to Quinn Ewers.
But what if the Longhorns didn't land Manning? What if the nephew of Peyton and Eli chose somewhere other than the Forty Acres?
According to Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion, who was the wide receivers coach at Texas during the 2022 season, the team's "Plan B" was quarterback Jaden Rashada, who is now Marion's starting quarterback at Sac State after transferring over from Georgia, who defeated Texas twice throughout the 2024 season, including in the SEC Championship.
Marion was highly interested in recruiting Rashada during his lone season at Texas and believed he would be a solid backup option if the team was unable to land Manning.
"We were all in on getting Arch and that was a team effort," said Marion to CBS Sports earlier in the week. "There was a little bit of, what's the backup plan if we don't get Arch? I went to see Jaden as a potential guy we could put on the radar if we didn't get Arch."
Rashada originally committed to Arizona State before transferring to Georgia for the 2024 season. After losing the backup quarterback position to Gunner Stockton, Rashada rode the bench for Kirby Smart and never appeared under center for the Bulldogs in the season.
He now sits as the starting quarterback with Marion and Sacramento State while Manning sits primed and ready to bring Austin its first national football championship in 20 years when they kick off against the reigning national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
All is well that ends well.
More must-reads:
- Yankees have finally found their third baseman in Ryan McMahon
- Nick Saban responds to speculation about coaching return amid NFL rumors
- The 'NBA Summer League MVPs' quiz
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Two former Michigan football QBs in line to start for new team in 2025
The Michigan football QB room will look a whole lot different in 2025 than it did in 2024. Out of the five QBs the Wolverines had in 2024, only two return this upcoming season. With both Davis Warren and Jadyn Davis back in Ann Arbor, Michigan lost the trio of Jack Tuttle, Jayden Denegal, and Alex Orji. Both Denegal and Orji left for a chance to start, and according to On3's Pete Nakos, it sounds like at least one of the two is about guaranteed that chance in 2025. Denegal, the 6-foot-5 signal caller, transferred to San Diego State, where he is expected to start in Year 1 with the program. Denegal never had much of a chance in Ann Arbor, but for most of his career, he was behind J.J. McCarthy. It was telling, however, in 2024, Denegal was the only Michigan QB to not get any snaps. In his Wolverines career, Denegal went 4-for-5 for 50 yards and a touchdown -- all coming in 2023 in mop-up duty. As for Orji, he's in a battle -- like he was in 2024. The dual-threat signal caller opted to transfer to UNLV to play under offensive guru Dan Mullen. But according to Nakos, he will have to battle former Virginia QB Anthony Colandrea for the starting gig. Colandrea has the most experience and impressed during his time at UVA, throwing for 4,083 yards and 26 touchdowns. Orji began the 2024 season battling for the job, and most thought he would win it, but it was Warren who got the start. After struggling to start the year, Sherrone Moore inserted Orji into the starting lineup. But Michigan used Orji as a one-trick pony. The Wolverines showed their hands by consistently running the football and not giving Orji much time to gain any sort of consistency throwing the football. After Orji's trial as a starter ended, it was Tuttle and then Warren who started the rest of the season. In 2024, Orji threw for 150 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 269 yards and a score. It will be interesting to see how Mullen utilizes the 235-pound quarterback.
All signs point to Yankees moving on from Anthony Volpe
With the trade for Ryan McMahon now complete, it would seem New York Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman has fulfilled one of his three priorities. He can now cross third base off the list, which leaves the rotation and bullpen as his remaining priorities. However, according to one Yankees writer, Cashman might not be done with the infield. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reported this after the McMahon trade: “The Yankees may not be done adding to their infield. A team source said the Yankees are interested in adding a right-handed hitter who could play the infield.” Kirschner adds that the Yankees have had interest in Willi Castro and Amed Rosario. But the question now is, how would another player fit in the Yankees’ infield? Needless to say, Paul Goldschmidt and Jazz Chisholm Jr. aren’t going anywhere, and McMahon is just getting there. That leaves the low-hanging fruit. Anthony Volpe has been at the center of controversy all this season. His 13 errors, many of which had come at make-or-break moments, amount to the second-highest total in the game. In addition, his bat has not been able to compensate, hitting .214/.286/.407 with 14 home runs. There was always a lot to like about Volpe. He won a Gold Glove in his rookie year, his power has always been promising and his speed is nothing to scoff at. Unfortunately, his glove has become a liability and his speed has also produced very few results. Volpe has swiped just 10 bags in 17 attempts. His power is the one thing that still has some upside, but it hasn’t been enough to justify a spot in the lineup. Both Castro and Rosario have been far more productive at the plate this season than Volpe. Kirschner doesn’t clarify how serious the Yankees are in their pursuit of another infielder, but that most likely isn’t available information. Having just turned 24, Volpe could still become the type of player that was expected from him as a top prospect. However, his recent performance has weighed heavily on his team’s efforts and it may be buying him a ticket out of the Bronx — or at least a spot on the bench.
ESPN Predicts Mets-Twins Trade One Week Before Deadline
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Raiders HC Pete Carroll expands on decision to release DT Christian Wilkins
For the first time since the Las Vegas Raiders' shocking release of DT Christian Wilkins on Thursday, head coach Pete Carroll fielded questions about the move. "To make our decision, we watched our way through the whole thing," Carroll told the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vinny Bonsignore. "We're keeping really clear with what we said. I think there was no clear path to his return, and we just had to move on." Wilkins was injured in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos last season, suffering a foot injury that would put him on the IR after five games. It was not what the Raiders had hoped for after then-general manager Tom Telesco signed him to a four-year, $110 million deal in March 2024. Initially, Wilkins did have surgery, but wasn't healthy by the time organized team activities started, and his rehab proved to be a "challenging process" as described by Carroll a few months ago. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Las Vegas reportedly wanted Wilkins to undergo another foot surgery, but he declined, which led to the release of the six-year pro from Clemson. The Raiders are attempting to void $35.2 million in remaining guarantees that Wilkins was owed on his contract. The NFLPA filed a grievance against Las Vegas as a result. Wilkins was brought in to help star pass rusher Maxx Crosby create problems for opposing offenses. The Raiders got a brief look when Wilkins recorded 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, six quarterback hits and two sacks before he got injured in the second quarter. The injury was unfortunate for Las Vegas, which had counted on Wilkins to produce similar results, as he had in his last three seasons with the Dolphins, recording 17 sacks, including nine in 2023. Perhaps Raiders GM John Spytek saw this coming when the silver and black selected Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues in the 2025 NFL Draft. While there is still time to find the next player to fill the void left by Wilkins, there is a massive hole in the interior line.
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