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The University of Wisconsin football program still needs to find answers at the outside linebacker position for its 2026 class, as a familiar SEC school beats out the Badgers for a key target.
Ben Duncum, who plays for Austin Lake Travis in Texas, announced Wednesday his commitment to Kentucky.
Duncum’s a three-star recruit by 247Sports who has posted other Power Four offers from BYU, California, Houston, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Maryland and Utah. He took official visits to Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Kansas State and Kentucky this month.
The Badgers also saw four-star safety Messiah Tilson commit to the Wildcats earlier this month.
#AGTG 100% committed thank you to my family and coaches for being so supportive during this process I have found home ⚪️ #Committed #gocats #BBN #wildcats @UKFootball pic.twitter.com/yiQWdNobAI
— Ben Duncum 4⭐️ (@ben_duncum) June 25, 2025
Wisconsin does not have a projected outside linebacker who has announced a commitment to the program for its 2026 class as of June 25. Three-star recruit Carmelow Reed, who committed to the Badgers in the spring, flipped to Mississippi earlier this month. Four-star target McHale Blade took an official visit to Madison the weekend of May 29-June 1 but committed to Michigan.
Consensus four-star outside linebacker Jackson Samuels Ford unveiled his final four of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin on Tuesday and said he will announce his commitment Friday. Recent crystal ball predictions for the Pennsylvania native from 247Sports and On3 have him heading to the Nittany Lions.
Spring game highlights ‼️‼️
— Ben Duncum 4⭐️ (@ben_duncum) May 17, 2025
-6 sacks
-2 TFLS pic.twitter.com/km2OKO94r2
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What could Michigan football's punishment be from NCAA for sign-stealing saga?
After a two-day hearing in June from the NCAA Committee of Infractions (COI) related to its investigation into Michigan football's alleged in-person scouting violations, it looks as if the NCAA is nearing an announcement of how the organization will punish the Wolverines. According to a report from Maize Blue Review's Josh Henschke, a decision could come as early as this week. In a prior ESPN report from Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel, they wrote in an article a final resolution from the NCAA is expected before the start of the 2025 season. In that, all signs (pun intended) point to the NCAA wrapping up this investigation and deciding on what penalties to levy against Michigan football. For many who follow college football, it will be a relief to see this saga come to an end as events related to Connor Stalions and the Wolverines have remained steady in the news cycle since the middle of the 2023 fall season during Michigan's National Championship run. That being said, many are eager for the results and what it will mean for one of college football's most storied programs moving forward and whether or not there will be any implications with past accomplishments. Let's break down the hottest questions leading up to the NCAA's decision and evaluate what the most likely punishments will be for Sherrone Moore's program,. Will Michigan have any wins vacated spanning from 2021-23? Prediction: Not happening As time has worn on, and even after the NCAA officially cited Michigan for 11 violations (six of which were deemed of the Level I variety) in August of 2024, there have been no credible reports suggesting the Wolverines' past accomplishments are in any sort of danger. That includes all wins spanning from 2021-23, Big Ten titles and the 2023 National Championship. In fact, the only people who have seemed to have suggested that those accomplishments could be in danger have seemed to come from online trolls of rival fan bases. According to words from Thamel on the College Gameday Podcast in August of 2024, he is completely confident the Wolverines will not have to vacate any wins. "So the vacating thing I can say with full throated confidence,” Thamel said. “They take away wins when it involves players who aren’t eligible. And there are no players implicated in here directly by name or anything. Looking back there will be nothing. The actual likelihood of that happening considering Tennessee, considering the political climate, considering the NCAA has basically come out and said, ‘We don’t want to punish them.’ The Tennessee case that Thamel referenced when the Volunteers received an $8 million fine, vacated wins from the 2019-20 season and a six-year show-cause penalty for former head coach Jeremy Pruitt, included a situation where the NCAA deemed 16 former Tennessee players were ineligible due to the 2019 and 2020 seasons due them receiving impermissible benefits. Therefore, due to having players on the field who were deemed ineligible, the NCAA chose the route of vacating wins from the program. As Thamel pointed out in the podcast, the wiping away of wins from the NCAA usually comes when there are ineligible players involved. In this instance for Michigan football, no players have been deemed ineligible, making it extremely unlikely the NCAA would go that route in punishing the Wolverines. Will Michigan receive a future postseason ban? Prediction: Unlikely In the aforementioned quote from Thamel, he did leave the possibility of a postseason ban a little more open than he did for the vacating of wins, but explained the usual practice of the NCAA in not wanting to punish current players for past violations that they have zero affiliation with. Additionally, if Michigan's program believed any sort of postseason ban was on the table, or if there were credible reports of that possibility surfacing, the momentum on the recruiting trail likely would have stagnated. Instead, the Wolverines had a very strong summer in landing several top prospects as Moore's program has the 11th-best recruiting class in 2026, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. In essence, nobody seems worried about the future of the program and any punishments that could impact future Wolverines as it relates to the NCAA's investigation. Will Sherrone Moore be punished? Prediction: Yes...but to a lesser extent Moore is already set to serve a punishment related to the in-person scouting investigation for the deletion of 52 text messages with Stalions alleged to have happened in October of 2023, on the same day that media reports revealed that Stalions was leading an effort to capture the play calling signals of future opponents. However, the penalty for Moore, which , as of now, is a two-game suspension for Weeks 3 and 4 of the upcoming season when the Wolverines play Central Michigan and Nebraska, is a self-imposed one from the university. The NCAA, after reviewing all of the facts, could levy further punishment against Moore by adding additional games or other measures. What Moore has going in his favor is that the texts were recovered via "device imaging" and Moore subsequently produced them to enforcement staff, according to the prior mentioned ESPN report. He has been accused of committing a Level II violation, according to the draft of the notice of allegations obtained by ESPN. Level II violations, according to the NCAA's website, are "violations that provide or are intended to provide more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage; includes more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive impermissible benefit; or involves conduct that may compromise the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws." While the school faces several Level I charges, Moore himself is only reported to be facing a Level II violation. The two-game suspension seems likely to hold up and it wouldn't be surprising if the NCAA tacked on a couple more games. Beyond that, it would be shocking to see Moore receive a penalty as severe as a show-cause, but the Wolverines being without him for multiple games and practices this season seems very likely. Show causes for Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions? Prediction: Likely Some would argue that the NCAA has an axe to grind with Harbaugh. Whether that's true or not, the organization has come down harshly on the ex-Michigan coach in the past by handing him a four-year show cause order for recruiting violations that involved impermissible contact with recruits during the pandemic. In essence, that means that any college that were to hire Harbaugh over the four-year period of the order would have to justify the decision to the NCAA, while a suspension for Harbaugh would likely follow. That seemed like a harsh penalty for his program breaking recruiting contact rules during a very odd time in the world, but given the history with Harbaugh and the NCAA, it seems likely the organization would have no issue with coming down hard on him again. In the grand scheme of things, show cause orders are not going to play much of a factor for the Wolverines or Harbaugh since he is now the head coach of the LA Chargers and likely has no plans of returning to the college game anytime soon. As far as Stalions is concerned, who has been the center of attention in the investigation after it was revealed he had people he knew at games of Michigan's future opponents sending sideline signals to him, it seems unlikely he will catch any sort of break from the NCAA. Stalions claimed in April of 2024 in an interview with NCAA investigators, where segments of the interview was released in the Netflix documentary "Sign Stealer," that there were some people who attended games using tickets that he purchased and recorded parts of those games. "I've had friends send me film," Stalions said. "It's kind of like when your aunt gets you a Christmas gift that you already have. You're not going to be rude and be like, 'Oh, I already have this. I don't need that.' It's, 'Oh, thanks, appreciate it.' They feel like they're helping out when I already have the signals, I've already memorized the signals." Obtaining opposing teams' signals is not against NCAA rules in itself, but it was the way Stalions allegedly obtained some of them in what caused the NCAA to tap into the situation to see what was going on before launching an investigation. Even though Stalions maintains his innocence, it's hard to see the NCAA not ordering him a show cause based on multiple reports and all of what Stalions has been alleged to do, including being on the sidelines working for Central Michigan in a game between the Chippewas and the Spartans. Will Michigan receive a fine? Prediction: Absolutely Going back to Thamel's statements in the aforementioned podcast, a large fine for this type of situation would be the most likely outcome in terms of punishment against the university at large. "What is likely as Michigan cuts a big old check," Thamel said in the podcast. On that same podcast, Rece Davis joined Thamel in saying a hefty fine would be the most appropriate punishment for the Wolverines. "That is what the punishments should be, in my judgment,” Davis said. “I’ve said this for years. What drives this enterprise? Money. What sends the biggest message? Taking away money. So if the NCAA wants to be taken seriously consistently as an enforcement body for college sports and college football, particularly, that needs to be the direction in which they go. Fine people. They can do the show cause thing.” In addition to a fine, further recruiting restrictions—similar to what Michigan endured this summer, such as not being able to host recruits for a period of time, could be on the table as well. Final verdict The sign stealing/in-person scouting saga has been a long process that will finally wrap up in the near future. While many rival fans are hoping for Michigan's football program to receive some sort of "death penalty," after gathering information that is available and trying to get a read on the situation as a whole, it seems likely that the online trolls are going to be sorely disappointed. Michigan football is to undoubtedly get punished in some forms, but will likely be able to keep its accomplishments from 2021-23 and be in a spot as a program to move forward from this once and for all. With that being said, nobody truly knows what the NCAA is going to do until the punishment is officially handed out, so it will be interesting to follow to see what happens in the end.
Bruins' top prospect makes decision on college that will shake up the scene
Boston Bruins top prospect James Hagens has announced he will return to Boston College for his sophomore season. In a brief interview with Scott McLaughlin of Boston’s WEEI 93.7, Hagens shared that he’s in no rush to advance to the next step, acknowledging that development is a, “marathon, not a sprint.” Hagens revealed the news while participating at the Bruins’ 14th annual back-to-school celebration, alongside current Bruins Mason Lohrei and John Beecher. Few announcements will shake the college scene as much as the news of Hagens’ return. He was among the best freshmen in college last season, tracking to 37 points in 37 games. That scoring earned him a unanimous selection to Hockey East’s All-Rookie team — an accolade he shared with teammate Teddy Stiga and Boston University rival Cole Hutson. Hagens reached those heights while filling an interesting role with the Eagles, stepping in between wingers Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard after the two spent their last three years centered by San Jose Sharks prospect Will Smith. Each of Perreault, Leonard and Hagens scored fewer points than the Eagles’ top-line managed in 2023-24, but it seemed that was more the cause of a low-scoring year across Hockey East. The top unit recorded points on 36 percent of BC’s goals this season, an ever-so-slight improvement over the 34 percent contributed by Smith, Leonard and Perreault in 2024. But while Hagens faced questions of his scoring upside relative to other top draft-eligible talents in the NCAA, it was hard not to be impressed by his on-ice results. He’s long been a dynamo among his age group, with an innate ability to predict movement and put himself in position to make a play. Hagens is strong on the puck — with an ability to use finesse moves and bulky shoulders to force his way into the dangerous areas of the ice. More than that, he showed clear signs of improvement as the year went on — developing his physical presence and ability to make a difference even when he wasn’t the first man in on a play. Those signs of growth give Boston a prospect to be excited over. Hagens was lauded as the clear first overall talent in the 2025 draft class, prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 season. Much of that claim came from his command of the U.S. NTDP over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, where he served as the team’s top-line center and snappy playmaker next to electric goal-scorer Cole Eiserman. With Eiserman’s help, Hagens was able to become the fifth-highest scoring player in NTDP history, with 187 points in 118 games. He also set the scoring record at the World U17 Hockey Challenge in 2023, with 21 points in seven games, and the World U18 Championship in 2024, with 22 points in seven games. Hagens will be returning to a fresh-faced Boston College lineup next season. Both Leonard and Perreault signed their NHL entry-level contracts at the end of last season, leaving the Eagles with vacancies on both wings on their top-line. One of those spots will be occupied by Stiga, who has shown years of chemistry playing next to Hagens. The other spot will be closely contested, but could land in the hands of transfer forward Ryan Conmy or fellow Bruins draft pick William Moore. Hagens and Moore will be two of six Bruins prospects on next year’s Eagles squad, providing local fans with plenty of reasons to walk to Conte Forum when the puck drops.
Analyst’s bold take warns Commanders may have made huge offseason blunder
The Washington Commanders are currently dealing with some wide receiver issues heading into the season. An NFL analyst poured more fuel on the fire by proclaiming that Adam Peters will regret a huge call earlier this offseason. Terry McLaurin is not practicing and hasn't for months as his contract battle with the Commanders goes on. Others lower down the depth chart are coming in for increasing criticism, which leaves general manager Adam Peters with a potential problem on his hands if they cannot turn the tide before Week 1. The Commanders' wideout regeneration began by letting Dyami Brown walk in free agency. Although the former third-round pick displayed much-improved performances down the stretch and into the playoffs, it wasn't enough for Peters to give him an extended stay. NFL analyst believes Commanders could regret letting Dyami Brown walk Brown ended up signing a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars that includes $9.5 million guaranteed. He's made his presence felt over the summer, drawing praise from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen. This is the time of year he always flourished in Washington, but putting it together in a competitive setting was far more challenging. That didn't stop Brock Vereen of CBS Sports from labeling Brown as a sleeping giant ready to take over in 2025. The analyst thought his stock was low right now, but the Commanders could be kicking themselves for letting him go when it's all said and done. Stock right now is low on him because, 'Oh, Washington got rid of him. They replaced him with Deebo Samuel. He only landed a one-year deal.' This is a sleeping giant. Liam Coen knew exactly what he was doing. Dyami Brown is a versatile weapon. He can take handoffs, he can catch the ball, he can line up anywhere on the field. He even has pass attempts over his career. He can do everything and will be probably the most forgotten offensive weapon coming off of the Travis Hunter hype.Brock Vereen via SI Brown always flattered to deceive in Washington. He had every physical tool imaginable to be successful, but consistency never got close to the required standard. Peters takes sentiment out of every equation. The front-office leader didn't think the North Carolina product was worth what Jacksonville was willing to pay. And he pivoted accordingly. There probably won't be much regret around Brown's departure, regardless of whether he performs well with the Jaguars or not. He had countless chances to establish himself as a long-term option and almost always failed to deliver. If he'd done so, the Commanders would have rewarded him with a new deal. That wasn't the case. And there are still more questions than answers around Brown despite his promising start in the Florida sunshine. More Commanders news and analysis
King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record
Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason about whether he would have a chance to set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future, given his free-agent status, created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.
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