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Texas Longhorns commit Dia Bell is tabbed as the third-best quarterback in the Class of 2026, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. At this week’s Elite 11 Finals, Arch Manning's possible successor is out to prove he’s better than Jared Curtis and Faizon Brandon, who have respectively pledged to Georgia and Tennessee.
“The Elite 11 is a huge thing for quarterbacks, so it is an honor for me to be in the Finals this week,” Bell told On3’s Chad Simmons earlier this week. “I have been going to camps since I was in middle school, trying to get my name out there and being in this even was always a goal for me.
“As a recruit, you want to be a top guy, so being in the Elite 11 Finals means I get to compete with the best. Being invited and being able to compete means a lot.”
247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins likens Bell to Oregon’s Dante Moore. Bell was Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season after leading American Heritage to a 9-2 mark. He passed for 2,597 yards, 29 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Bell also rushed for 561 yards and five scores.
Other Texas quarterbacks to have taken part in the Elite 11 include Vince Young (2001), Jevan Snead (2005), Garrett Gilbert (2008), Jerrod Heard (2013), Shane Buechele (2015), Sam Ehlinger (2016), Hudson Card (2019), Maalik Murphy (2021), and K.J. Lacey (2024). Quinn Ewers, who operated the Longhorns’ offense the past two seasons, also had a spot in the Elite 11 in 2021, but first headed to Ohio State.
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Journalist goes off on SMU HC Rhett Lashlee after SEC remarks
The trash-talking has already begun with the college football season rapidly approaching. When speaking at the 2025 ACC Kickoff on Tuesday, SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee had some pointed remarks toward the SEC. "The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964," Lashlee said. "That's top-heavy to me. That's not depth." Journalist and radio personality Paul Finebaum took issue with Lashlee's comments and did not hold back during an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday morning. "First of all, I think Alabama's won about 11 national championships in that period that he laid out, but that's not even the main point," Finebaum said. "If I understand correctly, he's the head coach at SMU. ... 1987, you know what happened at SMU, they shut the program down. While he's making fun of the SEC for winning national championships all over the place, SMU's the most corrupt program in the history of college football. And Rhett Lashlee has the nerve to get up there and through stones? ... That's one of the most comical, embarrassing rants I have ever heard." To be fair, Lashlee led SMU to an 11-3 record in its first season as a member of the ACC last season. The Mustangs lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship game before falling to Penn State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. As for the league as a whole, six ACC teams won at least nine games in 2024 while SMU and Clemson reached the CFP. In the SEC, eight teams won at least nine games and three of them (Texas, Georgia, Tennessee) were playoff teams. The same SEC teams do tend to be atop the league each season, but there have been three different champions dating back to 2019. Clemson is the only ACC team to win a CFP title (since 2014) while Florida State (2013) and Miami (2001) are the only other programs to win any title since 2000. Known as the "Voice of the SEC" and the host of the "Paul Finebaum Show" on the SEC Network, Finebaum has never shied away from voicing his opinion. It should be noted, though, that Alabama did not make the playoff last season while SEC newcomer Texas did. Ole Miss and Missouri did not reach the 12-team playoff, but both finished with better records than the Crimson Tide, proving the SEC was as deep as it has ever been despite not coming away with a title. The Big Ten has claimed the last two titles with Michigan (2023) and Ohio State (2024), but the SEC is still right there and recent history suggests it is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Predicting the next three commits for Notre Dame following the Fighting Irish landing elite QB Teddy Jarrard
Lakers’ Shake Milton Already Finds New Home Days After Release, Signs 2-Year Deal
Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Shake Milton has found a new home. More news: Lakers’ Luka Doncic Has Reportedly Already Agreed to Massive Contract Extension With LA Days after the Lakers waived him, Milton will take his talents overseas. The 28-year-old is signing a two-year deal with Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews shared the news via X. More news: Lakers Insider Urges Team to Make Major Change to Starting Five Milton spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Lakers after being acquired in a trade in late December from the Brooklyn Nets. Milton was reportedly in advanced talks to sign with the team as early as Thursday morning. The two sides were discussing a possible deal, and both parties came away satisfied with the talks. The former 2018 second-round pick will take his talents overseas for the first time in his professional career. Milton started his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after he was drafted and traded by the Dallas Mavericks. He has played for five other NBA teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Nets, and the Lakers. In 30 games for the purple and gold this past season, Milton averaged 3.9 points per game, 1.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.3 steals per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc in 11.5 minutes of action. He started in one game for the Lakers. Overall, in his NBA career, Milton has played in 359 games, averaging 8.1 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from 3-point range. The Lakers waived Milton in order to make room for former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart. More news: Lakers Confident in Luka Doncic Signing Massive Long-Term Extension: Report For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb sends strong message after tempers flare at training camp
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb reminded teammates to keep their cool after the team had multiple skirmishes during the first two days of training camp. Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford got involved in a brief scuffle on Tuesday. At the following practice on Wednesday, a fight broke out between safety Markquese Bell and TE Tyler Neville. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer then stopped practice and pulled the whole team together. He said the next player who threw a punch would be kicked out of practice (via Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News). "We've got to be professional," Lamb said of the incident after practice, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "I get it that we have a lot of animosity and tension between us and understanding that we want to proclaim our dominance and show like aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, but then again, to what extent?" Fighting in training camp isn't uncommon. It's an intense environment. Many are trying to prove themselves before teams trim their rosters to 53 players. However, too much brawling can threaten to tear a locker room apart. A lack of discipline was also one reason the Cowboys replaced Mike McCarthy with Schottenheimer this offseason. According to NFLPenalties.com, Dallas drew the league's sixth-most flags (128) last season. Per Archer, there were no more fights after Schottenheimer pulled the team aside. Still, the incidents raise questions about his ability to maintain control. The coach spent Wednesday morning's meeting discussing two plays where DE Sam Williams was too physical and sent to the sideline. His players must not have received the message. It's good for Dallas that Lamb seems to be echoing Schottenheimer's sentiments, but the rookie HC still must get through to his team. Rebounding from a 7-10 season could already prove challenging for the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives Dallas a 34.5% chance to make the playoffs. Infighting will make that even more difficult.
Yankees Facing Spencer Jones Decision After Triple-A Performance
The Yankees are in the middle of a mudslide that has continued after the All-Star Break. They badly need help on the defensive side of the ball, with infielders Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr, Ben Rice and outfielder Jasson Dominguez struggling in last night's 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. What they really need is help in the infield, as they have an embarrassment of riches in the outfield. Trent Grisham, Dominguez, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger make for a strong contingent of four outfielders, and that is far from their top position of need. No. 2 prospect Spencer Jones has been massively living up to his expectations for Triple-A Scranton, with Jones showing flashes of a younger version of Judge in both his power potential and physical build. On Thursday, Jones put together a performance that has analysts wondering why he's still in the minors. Jones mashed three home runs in Scranton's 10-8 loss Thursday to the Rochester Red Wings, Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Jones' performance increased his 19-game Triple-A average to .400 and OPS to 1.407. Jones, 24, has 13 home runs now in 19 games for the RailRiders, and has a 1.079 OPS, 26 home runs and 16 steals in 67 games between Double-A and Triple-A. New York Post contributor and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman tweeted that Jones is "too good for that league!" The main candidate for fewer reps, if Jones were to be called up, is Dominguez, who was formerly the Yankees' top prospect. Dominguez put one into the seats last night to break an 0-for-18 slide, but Dominguez was slashing .350/.395/.675/1.070 in July before his skid dating back to July 13. Both Dominguez and Jones have struggled versus lefties and mashed versus righties, and Jones' .212/.359/.423 slash line would be an improvement on Dominguez's .193/.277/.289 line against southpaws. Dominguez has made strides in his defense, but still has a -6 defensive runs saved on the season. After Jones' performance Thursday, which has continued to solidify his case for a call-up soon, the Yankees have a tough decision to make, especially as they approach a trade deadline that will necessitate creativity from general manager Brian Cashman.
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