Preston Byers Articles - Page 5

A once-promising season for the Tennessee football program is on the verge of falling apart. After this past weekend’s 33-27 home loss to Oklahoma, the Volunteers may unofficially be out of College Football Playoff (CFP) contention. Last year, the first season in which 12 teams qualified for the playoff, only one three-loss team made it: […]

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant era may be coming to a close. Once touted as the NBA’s next superstar, Morant’s career has taken a few detours over the past several seasons, largely as a result of suspensions handed down to him from the league and the Grizzlies themselves. And after a latest one-game ban by […]

Terry Rozier is persona non grata in the NBA at the moment, on account of being arrested as part of a widespread federal investigation into gambling and sports betting. But that hasn’t stopped Bill Simmons from firing up the trade machine. Despite Rozier being on an unpaid leave of absence as his case makes its […]

It’s abundantly clear that two of the biggest college football programs in the country want to be in the Lane Kiffin business. After respectively firing Brian Kelly and Billy Napier, LSU and Florida are in search of a new head football coach. And both, according to reports, have a keen interest in plucking Kiffin out […]

After firing Brian Kelly, the LSU football program is without a head coach. And, if Josh Pate is correct, Oregon’s Dan Lanning will not be filling that vacancy. Since leading Oregon back-to-back double-digit win seasons in his first two years as a head coach, including a 2024 Fiesta Bowl victory, Lanning has been a popular […]

After Baylor’s 41-20 loss to Cincinnati, there has been a change made to the Bears’ coaching staff. ESPN’s Pete Thamel initially reported this morning that Baylor offensive line coach Mason Miller “is no longer with the program.” Bears head coach Dave Aranda confirmed Thamel’s report, saying that it is a “personal matter.” Dave Aranda confirms […]

After firing head football coach Brian Kelly, LSU is on the hunt for someone to lead its football program back to national title contention. Could Lane Kiffin be that man? By dismissing Kelly, who went 34-14 in parts of four seasons as head coach, LSU is making it clear to its fan base and the […]

The North Carolina football season isn’t going well, to say the least, but it is interesting. Amid a 2-4 season, which very well may end with two wins, Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick has reportedly taken a peek at the exit, an assistant coach was suspended, and the team’s general manager has been the […]

Thrust into the largest role of his young NBA career, Reed Sheppard showed that he was not ready for it in the Houston Rockets’ season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On Tuesday, Sheppard, who has become the sixth man and first true guard off the bench for Houston following Fred VanVleet’s ACL injury last […]

The Texas Tech football team could go another week without its starting quarterback. Following the Red Raiders’ first loss of the season, in which backup QB Will Hammond threw for 167 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception, TTU fans might be wondering when starter Behren Morton will be back from injury. Well, it might be this […]

Jalen Green is entering a new chapter in his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns, but there are still a lot of questions Green must answer as he joins his second team. The second overall pick in the 2021 draft, Green has dazzled at times with his scoring and athletic ability. But in a league […]

When the New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau earlier this year, they were swinging for the fences, so to speak, on his successor. Although Thibodeau led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals berth in a quarter of a century, following a six-game series loss to the Indiana Pacers, Thibodeau was relieved […]

Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh expressed his “unrelenting commitment to do what is necessary” to make the Badgers into a title contender, but he is not firing head football coach Luke Fickell to do that. In a written statement, McIntosh admitted that he has been disappointed in the Wisconsin football season, which has featured just […]

LSU football’s Brian Kelly experiment may be coming to an end sooner rather than later. After Saturday’s loss to Vanderbilt, which was the first time in 35 years that the Commodores had beaten the Tigers, it’s fair to say that there is a growing section of the LSU fan base that are ready for Kelly […]

It’s impossible to accurately blame a loss on any one person in a football game, but Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar’s mistake at the end of the first half against Alabama yesterday was about as bad as it can get. Down 16-7, Tennessee was on the Crimson Tide’s one-yard line with nine seconds left in the […]

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is indisputably among the worst in the NFL, but it’s not the team’s only point of concern. Despite ranking last or close to it in most statistical categories, not everyone thinks defense should be their top priority over the next two weeks, ahead of the trade deadline. “The Cowboys have let […]

With Cade Klubnik still recovering from an injury, we could see a new starting quarterback for Clemson today vs. SMU. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and Richard Johnson, “it’s considered likely” that Christopher Vizzina will get the start for the Tigers instead of Klubnik. Zenitz and Johnson reiterated that Klubnik, who is suffering from […]

Penn State football’s coaching search is underway, and seven-time national champion Nick Saban has given his thoughts on what the Nittany Lions need in their next head coach after firing James Franklin. With Curt Cignetti, a former Saban assistant, officially off the proverbial table after he signed a massive, eight-year extension with Indiana, Penn State’s […]

Ahead of this weekend’s highly anticipated SEC matchup between Georgia and Ole Miss, the respective head coaches have been trading text messages — well, Lane Kiffin has been sending messages to Kirby Smart, at least. Smart and Kiffin are admitted friends; the pair coached together on Nick Saban’s Alabama staff in 2014 and 2015, and […]

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is bad, and Jerry Jones knows it. Through six games, only the Baltimore Ravens have allowed more points than the Cowboys, who have surrendered the most yards, passing yards, and first downs per game in the NFL. Additionally, Dallas ranks third-worst in yards allowed per play, fourth-worst in rushing yards allowed […]

In 2011, Penn State was the talk of the college football world — just for all the wrong reasons. Toward the end of his 46th season as the Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno was fired for allegedly knowing about and covering up child sexual abuse by his longtime defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky. While it […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo may be in a bunch of trade rumors, but the Milwaukee Bucks superstar might not be destined for the Bay Area. Despite the Golden State Warriors often being named as a potential landing spot for Antetokounmpo, ESPN’s Anthony Slater has heard less-than-optimistic things about the possibility of that coming to fruition. “I’ve talked […]

It was always expected that Connor McDavid would once again become the highest-paid player in the NHL, especially after Edmonton Oilers teammate Leon Draisaitl signed an eight-year, $112 million contract a year ago. But McDavid had different ideas. As the final season of his eight-year, $100 million deal approached, McDavid participated in negotiations with the […]

Not long ago, Arch Manning was the presumed next king of football. Heisman Trophy, the NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, you name it. But the Texas football star has struggled as the Longhorns’ starter, and that’s reflected in Mel Kiper’s inaugural 2026 Big Board. Less than two months after Manning was frequently discussed as […]

James Franklin had a lot of success as the Penn State head coach, but, as Ohio State football’s Ryan Day knows, you have to deliver in the biggest moments. In parts of 12 seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin won more than 100 games, a Big Ten Conference title in 2016, made it into the College […]

The Milwaukee Bucks may have added another member of the Antetokounmpo family, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Giannis will be sticking around forever. While the Bucks signed Giannis’s youngest brother, Alex Antetokounmpo, to a two-way contract yesterday, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania said the move will have no impact on whether the two-time league MVP […]

Cam Ward is not having a ton of fun as a rookie with the Tennessee Titans. Having been drafted No. 1 overall, Ward was believed to be a game-changer coming into the NFL. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to change enough in the Titans’ games to prevent a 1-5 start and head coach Brian […]

Following the firing of Penn State football head coach James Franklin, athletic director Pat Kraft has commented publicly. Kraft, who was hired in 2022, said “he took into account where the program is and where it’s going with an aim to ‘continue to build this to a place where we are the best program in […]

In Milwaukee, it’s a family affair, and you need to look no further than the Bucks’ most recent signing. Amid persistent rumors Giannis Antetokounmpo is eyeing a trade, including to the New York Knicks, the Bucks triple-downed on their commitment to Giannis and the Antetokounmpo clan by signing his younger brother, Alex, ahead of the […]

As opening night for the 2025-26 NBA season quickly approaches, Russell Westbrook is still without a team. Westbrook, who spent last season with the Denver Nuggets, will turn 37 years old next month, and, combined with his on-ball style that has sometimes grated teammates and fans, it appears as if the former league MVP may […]

Although Curt Cignetti signed an extension less than a year ago and is under contract through the 2032 season, people sure can’t stop mentioning the Indiana football coach as James Franklin’s successor at Penn State. Cignetti, who has performed nothing short of a miracle in turning Indiana, a longtime Big Ten basement dweller, into a […]

Even the simplest of social media posts can ignite the internet, and you need to look no further than Penn State football’s X account. After the university fired head football coach James Franklin, the Nittany Lions’ football account posted, “Thank you for everything, CJF,” along with an image that says, “Thank you, Coach Franklin.” With […]

Cincinnati Bengals star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has left the game vs. the Green Bay Packers. Hendrickson, who recorded two sacks a week ago vs. the Detroit Lions, went “to the locker room early with a member of the Bengals training staff who is holding his helmet,” according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. The […]

The USC football team will be without its starting running back for a while. During the Trojans’ decisive 31-13 win over Michigan yesterday, Waymond Jordan suffered an injury severe enough to be carted off the field and ruled unable to return for the rest of the game. Now, the extent of the injury is known, […]

It pays to be petty. Northwestern football certainly knows that. After upsetting Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday, the Wildcats took to social media to gloat about the win, mocking a post on X, formerly Twitter, that then-Nittany Lions head coach made. Captioning a video, Franklin wrote, “Northwestern, Northwestern, Northwestern!! #WeAre.” Northwestern, Northwestern, Northwestern!!!#WeAre […]

Despite plenty of rumors and reports to the contrary, North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi are not in the process of buying one-way tickets out of Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels, in their first season under Belichick, have proven to be uncompetitive when facing Power-4 opponents, and it has […]

A lot of things are being said and written about the North Carolina football program and head coach Bill Belichick’s place within it. Despite promoting the Tar Heels as the 33rd NFL franchise before the beginning of the season, all hopes and expectations for UNC under Belichick have been crushed through the first six weeks […]

The Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins are both 2-0 to start the 2025-26 NHL season, and the teams could soon be linked in a trade. Although Evgeni Malkin has spent his entire NHL career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it seems as if the longtime alternate captain will not make it to the end of his […]

North Carolina football is not in a very good place. Although Bill Belichick vowed to make the Tar Heels the 33rd NFL franchise, it has gone about as poorly as reasonably could have been expected in Chapel Hill this season. UNC, which paid Belichick $10 million a year to replace Mack Brown, is 2-3 entering […]