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Miami Trending to Flip Georgia Wide Receiver Commit Vance Spafford
USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Hurricanes could be on the verge of flipping a major offensive weapon from one of college football's premier programs. Four-star wide receiver Vance Spafford, a longtime Georgia commit out of Mission Viejo High School in California, is now trending heavily toward the Canes, according to top On3 recruiting insiders.

Both Chad Simmons and Steve Wiltfong, two of the most respected voices in the recruiting industry, have placed flip predictions for Spafford to land in Coral Gables. While he has been committed to Georgia since last fall and recently took an official visit to Athens, momentum is building quickly in Miami's favor.

Spafford was expected to return to South Florida this weekend for an official visit but had to cancel due to illness. Despite not making the trip, sources close to the recruitment say Miami remains very much in the driver's seat. He has already visited Coral Gables previously and has built strong connections with the Hurricanes' coaching staff, particularly regarding how he fits into their offensive vision.

The Hurricanes aren't alone in this battle; both UCLA and Washington have hosted Spafford on official visits and are giving the West Coast standout plenty to think about. But the buzz around Miami has only grown stronger in recent weeks, especially with NIL support and a wide-open opportunity to be a difference-maker in the Canes' offense.

Spafford ranks as the No. 85 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings and is considered one of the top wideouts in the 2025 class. His polished route running, elite ball skills, and competitive edge make him a perfect fit for what Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson are building.

Though he remains committed to Georgia for now, the tea leaves are becoming harder to ignore. Miami is pushing hard, and national experts are starting to agree that the Canes are in a prime position to pull off a significant flip.

Hurricane fans, stay tuned. Vance Spafford could be the next elite playmaker to join the movement in Coral Gables.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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Dolphins prove how 'soft' they are amid reported cheap shots by Bears
NFL

Dolphins prove how 'soft' they are amid reported cheap shots by Bears

The Miami Dolphins need to make an attitude adjustment after their joint practice with the Chicago Bears at Halas Hall on Friday. Per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald, the Bears' defense came out aggressive at the practice and took multiple cheap shots at Dolphins offensive players like wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, running back De'Von Achane and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Kelly claimed the Bears' defense tackled Tagovailoa multiple times on Friday, which goes against how most joint practices are conducted, where quarterbacks are protected. Kelly thinks the Dolphins coaching staff didn't stick up for their offensive players because they were afraid they'd help perpetuate their stigma of being soft. "What you gonna do ... You gonna cry about it and say, 'Hey, you're hitting me too hard.' Like, what do you do?" Kelly said on an episode of "Dolphins in Depth" on Saturday. "But it was dirty. It was, without a doubt. Tua was hit multiple times, put on the ground multiple times practice ... What are you going to do when you know your team's reputation, you know the world, the league perceives you as soft, and here you go." Kelly didn't like how the offense responded to the Bears' bullying of the offense, accusing Miami of folding before practice ended. "Now what I didn't like is, as you know if you're a Dolphin(s) fan, they get punched in the mouth, they fold," Kelly said. "They got punched in the mouth, and you watch them fold during the 11 on 11 periods in practice." The Dolphins needed to respond with likewise energy against the Chicago defense. Miami's coaching staff should be concerned the offense didn't want to fight back after watching Tagovailoa suffer multiple hits at a joint practice. By not complaining about the cheap shots and instead deciding to fold, the Dolphins chose to continue adding to the list of evidence that head coach Mike McDaniel's teams are soft.

Packers' Josh Jacobs speaks out on Matt LaFleur’s unclear plan
NFL

Packers' Josh Jacobs speaks out on Matt LaFleur’s unclear plan

There is no denying who the alpha is in the Green Bay Packers running back room. After burning rubber for 1,329 rushing yards to go with 15 rushing touchdowns on 301 carries in the 2024 NFL season, Jacobs is expected to carry most of the load again in the Packers’ ground attack in 2025. Besides being a reliable and effective weapon on offense for the Packers, Jacobs was also durable in his first season with the team, having appeared in all of Green Bay’s 17 games in the regular season and in the lone contest in the NFL playoffs. Look for the 27-year-old former Alabama Crimson Tide star running back to be there starting in the backfield along with quarterback Jordan Love in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. But as for his availability and usage in this coming Saturday’s preseason opener at home versus the New York Jets, it won’t be surprising if he gets zero snaps at all, considering that there’s really nothing important on the line. Jacobs is ready whenever he’s called upon by the Green Bay Packers Jacobs said on Thursday that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has yet to convey a concrete plan for the Jets game. Nevertheless, he’ll be ready. Via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ official website: Jacobs is on board with whatever direction LaFleur and the coaches decide to go but said wouldn’t mind getting “a couple series” to reacclimate to tackling. “We’ll see how it’ll play out,” Jacobs said. “(LaFleur) hasn’t really told us what we’re gonna do. But I think I’ll get a couple hits, get a little feel of it and be cool.” The Packers will also play the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 2 of the preseason before meeting the Seattle Seahawks for their final assignment before the regular season starts.

Kevin Durant Takes Subtle Shot At Stephen Curry; Reveals Why Warriors Fans Hate Him: 'They Will Never Recover'
NBA

Kevin Durant Takes Subtle Shot At Stephen Curry; Reveals Why Warriors Fans Hate Him: 'They Will Never Recover'

Kevin Durant typically has no filter when interacting with fans online. But this time, while answering fan questions on X, Durant inadvertently ended up taking a shot at Stephen Curry. When a fan asked him why he thinks Warriors fans hate him, he seemingly pointed at Curry's fans. "Them finals MVPs, they will never recover," said Durant in response. One of the biggest debates for Stephen Curry's legacy had been that until 2022, he hadn't won a Finals MVP award despite winning three NBA championships before that. In 2015, Andre Iguodala received the Finals MVP award instead of Curry, and in 2017 and 2018, Kevin Durant was awarded the Finals MVP, and not Curry. Therefore, Durant seems to believe that since he won two Finals MVPs over Curry, loyal Warriors fans who love Curry started criticizing Durant. This planted the seed that developed into Warriors fans disliking Durant, despite him winning two titles with them. Let's take a look at Durant and Curry's performance in 2017 and 2018 to see if Durant was really better than Curry in those two seasons' Finals runs against the Cavaliers. In the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in five games played. He shot 55.6% from the floor and 47.4% from beyond the three-point line. In the same year, Curry averaged 26.8 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the arc. In the 2018 NBA Finals, Durant averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists as the Warriors swept the Cavaliers. He shot 52.6% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc. Meanwhile, Curry averaged 27.5 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 40.2% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the three-point line. In both seasons, it is evidently clear that Durant contributed a lot more than Curry in almost every aspect and hence was justified in being awarded the two Finals MVP awards. However, since Curry ended up not winning the Finals MVP award in four consecutive visits to the NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, his fans unfairly blamed Kevin Durant for stealing the award from him. Curry and Durant have a lot of mutual respect, but his fans evidently drove Durant out of the Warriors. According to NBA Insider Marc Spears, the Warriors fans regularly gave Curry MVP chants, and that did not sit right with Durant until very late with the Warriors. Spears hinted that these chants made Durant feel like Warriors fans did not fully embrace him. If Warriors fans did not criticize Durant as much as they did, maybe Durant could have made a return to the Warriors now instead of joining the Rockets? The world of possibilities and "what-ifs" here is endless.

Cowboys' Micah Parsons gives Giants' rookie pass-rusher the ultimate compliment
NFL

Cowboys' Micah Parsons gives Giants' rookie pass-rusher the ultimate compliment

Abdul Carter showed flashes of dominance in his preseason debut with the New York Giants on Saturday, and fellow pass-rusher Micah Parsons believes fans are going to see a lot more of that for years to come. Carter was disruptive on several plays at the line of scrimmage during the Giants' 34-25 win over the Buffalo Bills. He showed tremendous burst and appeared to get into the backfield with ease, and that was against Buffalo's first-team offense. On Sunday, Parsons shared a video on social media that showed Carter giving the Bills fits. Parsons also paid the rookie a massive compliment. "They asked me if Abdul could be a (sic) another great ! I told them he could be the best one!" Parsons wrote on X. Carter responded by telling Parsons he can't wait to see the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker "get paid what you EARNED!!" Parsons and Carter are both Penn State alumni. They each wore the No. 11, which is a famous jersey number for the Nittany Lions and has been worn by some of the best players in program history. Parsons, of course, has already established himself as one of the best defensive players in football. He is currently in a contract standoff with the Dallas Cowboys. Carter was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. If he lives up to expectations, he should be just as productive as Parsons in relatively short order.

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