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Brian Kelly and LSU land four-star CB Havon Finney
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers have been making some moves on the 2026 recruiting trail and their latest pickup is quite a big one.
Havon Finney from Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, committed to the Tigers on Monday. Notably, Michigan, Oregon and USC were amongst the other schools high up on the list for the four-star cornerback, so this marks another important recruiting win for the Tigers.
At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Finney fits that traditional LSU mold as a lanky and tall cornerback who can lock down the outside of a defense. He's also highly ranked as a recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 7 cornerback recruit in the 2026 class.
He was originally a 2027 recruit, but he reclassified to 2026 and is joining an LSU class that's stacked. LSU can thank his primary recruiter, cornerbacks coach Corey Raymond, for facilitating this recruiting win.
"The corners coach is really cool, Corey Raymond. He’s put a lot of dudes in the league. I’ve grown to know him, and it’s been a cool experience," Finney had told Steve Wiltfong of On3 roughly a month before his commitment.
According to the national recruiting rankings from 247Sports, Kelly's 2026 class is ranked fourth in the nation behind only USC, Clemson and Notre Dame. There's still a lot of time for things to shake out, but Kelly is building one heck of a class in 2026, right after he brought in the seventh-best class in 2025.
Kelly has had a hard time winning the big game as a head coach over the years, but he's brought in some big-time talent to LSU since becoming head coach in 2022.
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Former Oregon Ducks Strength Coach Aaron Feld Leaving Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal
The Miami Hurricanes lost their strength coach on Saturday as former Oregon Ducks strength and conditioning coordinator Aaron Feld announced that he is stepping away from Miami's program. Feld was hired to work at Oregon by former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal in 2018 as one of the first hires that Cristobal made as the coach at Oregon. While with the Ducks, Feld enjoyed a bit of virality online, thanks in part to his trademark mustache. The former Oregon strength coach coined the catchphrase "Fill The Sleeves," and he also created a 45-day challenge that encouraged his followers to work on building muscle mass in their biceps and triceps. However, Feld followed Cristobal to Miami in 2022 after spending four seasons in Eugene, Oregon. Now, it appears as though Feld and Cristobal are parting ways after the Miami strength coach revealed he will no longer be working for the Hurricanes' football program. Feld announced the news with a heartfelt message that he posted onto social media: "Thank you to the University of Miami and the Hurricane Football program for a great run! I have nothing but love and respect for this football team," wrote Feld in his announcement. "This was a tough decision to have to make, but ultimately the choice was clear. At the end of the day, my wife and kids deserve more fro me than my circumstances allowed, so the only course of action was to change my circumstances. Failing as a husband and a father will never be an option." "Developing a world-class performance team at The U will always be a highlight of my career, and I am leaving the Canes football program in extremely capable hands. I have no doubt they will continue to lead the profession and have great success," Feld continued. Feld did not thank or address Cristobal in his statement, but he did leave a motivational message behind for his former players. "To the players: I love you guys. Serving you every day has made me a better husband, father, and coach. For that I will never be able to thank you enough. Remember, no individual is important than The Team. Stick together, and finish what you started," Feld wrote. Cristobal and Miami hired two assistant strength and conditioning coaches, Nick Tulloch and Houston Owens, prior to Feld's departure from the program. With Tulloch and Owens already working for Miami, it is unclear whether Cristobal will replace Feld by promoting from within or making an outside hire. Prior to working at Oregon and Miami with Cristobal, Feld was part of the Georgia Bulldogs program as the assistant director of strength and conditioning. Feld also volunteered for the Alabama Crimson Tide where he met Cristobal, who worked under Alabama coach Nick Saban for four seasons.
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.
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.
What's next for Nick Robertson and the Maple Leafs after offseason of change?
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the midst of an offseason of change, as Mitch Marner is out the door and on to the Vegas Golden Knights. That salary-cap flexibility has allowed the team to add players like Nicolas Roy (acquired for Marner in a sign-and-trade), Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli in depth roles for a team that badly needed to improve its bottom six. But where does that leave forward Nick Robertson? The 23-year-old tallied 15 goals in 69 games last year in a limited role, and as it stands right now, there’s not necessarily a clear fit for him among the team’s top 12 forwards. On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and DFO Senior Writer Matt Larkin discussed the situation with Robertson, where he fits in in Toronto if he stays, and why the fit between player and team hasn’t worked out for the best in prior years. Tyler Yaremchuk: The other name I want to throw your way is Nick Robertson. His arbitration hearing is coming up. Who knows if they’ll find a deal; who knows if they’ll find a trade. What do you make of Nick Robertson and the Leafs, are we finally going to get a finale to this saga? Matt Larkin: The irony is this is the first summer where I think I’m not predicting a trade, and then of course a trade’s going to happen because of that. I do wonder if the Leafs actually need him right now because they are crunched against the cap. Right now, after losing Mitch Marner, you have to find depth scoring for cheap wherever you can get it, and he can give you 15 goals in the bottom six. That said, I know if you trade [Robertson] somewhere else, to a weaker team that can play him on the second line, he’s going to get 20-25 goals because he can shoot the puck. Just on a contending team, he doesn’t fit in a bottom six. He’s been miscast. You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…
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