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Illinois lost four-star running back Javari Bennett to Alabama on Monday, but later in the day coach Bret Bielema and his staff offered a different running back – Xavier Bala – from New York. Bala, a three-star recruit out of St. Anthony's, rushed for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore last year.
After a great conversation I am grateful to have earned an offer from @IlliniFootball i look forward to building with @BretBielema @wardth09 @BarryLunneyJr and the rest of the staff.@adamgorney @samspiegs @illini @IlliniOn247 @RivalsFriedman @GregBiggins @GregBiggins… pic.twitter.com/BcjqUjfZdw
— Xavier Bala (@XavierBala14) June 23, 2025
Bala already has more than 10 scholarship offers, including four from Big Ten programs Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers and Illinois, and one SEC offer (from Alabama). Bala has already visited Rutgers three times over the past 11 months and most recently visited Nebraska. The Illini have some work ahead of them if they're going to land the junior-to-be.
Bala has excellent size for a running back – 6-feet, 210 pounds – and could develop into an old-school Big Ten running back who thrives between the tackles. Don't expect Bala to commit until the 2026 calendar year, but if his progress continues, Illinois will have no shortage of competition for his services.
More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:
Three-Star Edge Rusher Flips Commitment From Oklahoma State to Illinois
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Brad Underwood, Bret Bielema, Shauna Green Feature in Chicago Cubs' 'Illini Night'
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How Oklahoma’s Young WRs Benefitted from Playing as True Freshmen
Oklahoma’s sophomore wideouts likely never would've guessed that they’d play such busy roles as true freshmen last year. Because of injuries that caused several OU wide receivers — Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony, Jaquaize Pettaway and Deion Burks — to miss several games, the Sooners had to play their youngest wideouts early and often. The Sooners return four true sophomore receivers in 2025: Jacob Jordan, Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins and Ivan Carreon. All four of them burned their redshirts last year, playing in seven or more games each. “It was like we were in training during the season,” wide receiver coach Emmett Jones said. “Everything was like training.” Thrown Into the Fire All four of them had roles for the Sooners, and each of their responsibilities varied. Jordan was the best of that group during the regular season, logging 207 yards in OU’s first 12 games. Kearney and Carreon each had big performances in the Sooners’ Armed Forces Bowl loss to Navy, registering 66 and 72 yards, respectively. Kearney also caught a 56-yard touchdown pass from Michael Hawkins Jr. in the first quarter. And Ragins played in all 13 games in 2024 and started five, ending the season with 68 receiving yards. “Those guys could only control what they could control,” Jones said. “They didn’t call the play, they didn’t throw the ball, they didn’t control the system.” READ MORE OKLAHOMA SOONERS After a Brief Stint in the Transfer Portal, David Stone is 'Glad to be Back' at Oklahoma WATCH: Oklahoma DT David Stone, OU Coaches and Players Fall Camp Interviews SEC Coaches Snub Oklahoma on Preseason All-Conference Team Just as 2024 was tumultuous for those four wideouts, it was similarly rocky for the entire offense. Between injuries in both the wide receiver room and the offensive line, OU had one of the SEC’s worst offenses, averaging just 24 points per game. After competing in a unit with little continuity last season, Carreon feels confident that he’ll be even better now that the Sooners seem to be more stable. “It really helped a lot going into this year, knowing what we're going to see every week in the SEC,” Carreon said. “Doing it when I was young, when I was a freshman… just getting thrown in the fire really helped.” Their 2025 Roles All four of them are back, but there isn’t much retention in the wide receiver room besides them. Deion Burks missed eight games in 2024 due to a soft tissue injury, but he’ll likely be a Week 1 starter for the Sooners. Other returners at the position include KJ Daniels and Jayden Gibson. OU added five wideouts — Javonnie Gibson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), Jer’Michael Carter (McNeese State), Keontez Lewis (Southern Illinois), Isaiah Sategna (Arkansas) and Josiah Martin (Cal) — from the transfer portal. The Sooners also signed Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice as part of their 2025 recruiting class. With so many players healthy and competing for playing time, it’s possible that a few — if not all — of the sophomore wide receivers see fewer snaps in 2025. But Jones believes all four of them can be playmakers for OU when they’re called upon. “You come out of high school, you’re forced to play as a true freshman in the SEC… they’re just playing confident right now,” Jones said. “They know how to play with strength, they know how to create separation and just understand what’s going on in the back end.”
Green Bay Packers: Slo-Mo Video of Malik Willis’ TD Bomb to Matthew Golden Unleashes Wild Reactions
Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden just keeps on turning heads in the offseason. On Monday, Golden grabbed attention again after making a sensational grab for a touchdown off a pass from quarterback Malik Willis. Matched up against defensive back Keisean Nixon, the former Texas Longhorns star wideout secured a deep throw from Willis and took the ball to the house for a 46-yard touchdown. Nixon couldn’t help but joke about Golden while praising the first-year downfield weapon. “He sometimes acts like he’s a vet but I try to remind him that he’s a rookie,” Nixon said (h/t Mike Spofford of the Packers’ official website). “Other than that, M.G., helluva player. You can tell why he went first round. Strong at the catch point, strong hands, strong upper body. I think he’ll have a really good year.” Green Bay Packers fans react to Golden’s touchdown score in practice The Packers shared a slo-mo video of that connection between Willias and Golden, leaving fans with all sorts of excited reactions to it. “malik is the guy ️ no one wants to admit it,” said a fan on X. Another one said: “Malik for starting QB” From a commenter: “IVE SEEN ENOUGH MALIK WILLIS 4X MVP” “Finally we might have a 1000+ yard receiver,” a social media user posted. Via a different commenter: “@eamaddennfl He ran 4.2 how tf is he a 91 speed on madden boost his speed.” Said another: “Hey 2 throwing it to 22 might be the answer.” Willis and Golden could have more magic in store for the Packers, as there’s a chance they could see action this coming Saturday’s NFL preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks at home.
Three-time NASCAR champion to retire after 2025 season
A storied NASCAR career will come to an end after 2025. Three-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion and 15-time race winner Matt Crafton will retire following the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, concluding a NASCAR career that has spanned 25 years. Crafton, 49, has spent the entirety of his NASCAR Truck Series career — save for 2004 — with ThorSport Racing. His partnership with Menards has made his No. 88 truck iconic. Following Friday's eero 250 at Richmond Raceway, Crafton has made a total of 585 Truck Series starts and 592 across the top-three series of NASCAR competition. His last Truck Series victory came at Kansas in July 2020. Crafton failed to qualify for the 2025 Truck Series playoffs and will not compete for a fourth title in his final season. 2025 marks the second consecutive year that Crafton has missed the postseason and the second time he's missed it since NASCAR instituted the playoffs in the Truck Series in 2016. Through 18 races in 2025, Crafton is 16th in the Truck Series standings with three top-10 finishes. Defending Truck Series champion and ThorSport driver Ty Majeski will take over the No. 88 in 2026.
Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Joey Ortiz Will Not Play Game 4 vs Chicago Cubs on Wednesday
For the first time since early July, the Milwaukee Brewers have lost back-to-back games, dropping both contests of a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. They lost the first game 6-4 and the second 4-1. In both games, their starting pitchers, Chad Patrick and Brandon Woodruff, failed to keep their pitch counts low and Cubs hitters off the basepaths. The second game was especially frustrating as Milwaukee’s offense forced Cubs starter Jameson Taillon to throw 30 pitches in the first inning, a frame that saw them score their only run, only to swing early and often after the opening frame, allowing Chicago’s starter to get through six innings. Taillon threw just 62 pitches between the second and sixth innings, and at one point retired 11 Brewers hitters in row. But the two games were not the only things Milwaukee lost on Tuesday. It appears they will be without their starting shortstop, Joey Ortiz, tomorrow and perhaps longer. Milwaukee Brewers Shortstop Joey Ortiz Has a Bone Bruise in His Knee Ortiz was 0-2 with a walk in the Game One of the doubleheader, but was pinch hit for later in the game by Anthony Seigler, who struck out. In Game Two, Ortiz was 1-3, but was not able to finish the game. He fouled a ball of his knee during his last at bat, prompting the Brewers to replace him Andruw Monasterio. Of course, Brewers fans’ minds immediately went to 2019 when Christian Yelich broke his knee cap when he fouled a ball off of it late in the season. Fortunately, x-rays revealed that Ortiz did not break any bones. Rather, he has a bone bruise which, in addition to some stomach issues, will keep him out of the lineup on Wednesday: Ortiz is hitting .233/.285/.329 with seven home runs and 43 RBI this season. It is likely that Monasterio will start in place of Ortiz.
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