Will Auburn’s big gamble on Hugh Freeze pay off?
-
Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn coach Hugh Freeze spoke from the front of the team meeting room before a practice this spring — his hands tucked in his orange mesh shorts pockets, pacing back and forth, his voice rising as he became more animated.
“There are five schools that have played for two national championships in the past 12 years,” he told the entire team and staff seated in the stuffy auditorium. “Five. FIVE in the country.”
He held up his left hand to show his fingers.
“FIVE,” he repeated, almost yelling now. “FIVE. And you sit in a team meeting room of one of those five schools. So some have come before you that had vision. Coaches have gone before me that have vision. Coaches and players have proven that this program can have a vision and accomplish something special. And it can be done again, but it’s going to take a culture change from what it’s been. I’m not pointing blame at anyone. I don’t know. But I still see signs of it. I can’t handle that. We must own it.”
Freeze, who was one of the most controversial hires of the offseason because of his own troubled past, is already knee-deep in trying to pull Auburn out of its own muck. Former coach Bryan Harsin didn’t last two seasons, earning him the dubious distinction of becoming the program’s shortest-tenured head coach in the past 93 years. Auburn — a program that has won five national titles but none since 2010 — was losing on the field and off it, as Harsin went 9-12 and was the focus of a weeklong university investigation into his treatment of players and staff.
Auburn and new athletic director John Cohen took a public relations gamble by hiring Freeze, whose rapid success at Ole Miss — which included beating Alabama and Nick Saban twice — was overshadowed by NCAA recruiting violations and phone calls to an escort service, which ultimately led to Freeze resigning in 2017. While coaching at Liberty in 2022, Freeze was again mired in controversy when he used Twitter to send direct messages to a sexual assault survivor who sued the university for mishandling her case and won.
Freeze said he tried for two years to fight the public backlash that accompanied the Ole Miss scandals, but realized “it just made it worse.”
“You can’t fight it because I created it,” he said.
“Yeah, I did,” he said, raising his right hand to concede guilt. “I did, but that’s not who I am. I think you can ask anybody who truly knows me and has been around me and they would say that.”
There’s no sugarcoating what a polarizing man Freeze has become in the sport. Some are aghast at the fact he’s returned to the highest level of collegiate coaching — in the same SEC West division he left in disgrace — while others have embraced his return and accepted his mistakes, eager to see if he has changed, and if he can change Auburn.
The 53-year-old Freeze will be judged at Auburn not only by how much he wins, but also how he does it. Freeze has had a blueprint for winning everywhere he’s been, but he’s never coached at a place like this at a time like this. Even on a good day, Auburn is one of the most difficult coaching jobs in the country — a pressure-packed position that’s highly scrutinized by its overzealous fan base and meddling boosters. The challenge is further exacerbated by sheer geography, which has the Alabama dynasty to the north and back-to-back national title winner Georgia to the East. Those at Auburn candidly warn the rebuild will take time following the school’s first back-to-back losing seasons since 1998 and 1999.
This is where Freeze’s story begins this spring, in the team meeting room, with everyone trying to follow the theme on the screen at the front of the room, “Flip the Script,” including the coach himself.
“WHAT IN YOUR life are you experiencing today because of the vision of someone else?” Freeze asked the roomful of players and coaches staring back at him in the meeting room.
Silence.
“Because of what someone else did for you?”
Silence.
“C’mon, somebody.”
Silence.
“We’re gonna be late to practice,” he said. “But we’re going to learn as a program to communicate.”
It’s one of the first steps, but that’s where Auburn is right now — starting from scratch while simultaneously burdened by the weight of its own history. Auburn has a new university president in Chris Roberts, who was hired in February 2022. A new athletic director in John Cohen, who was hired in November. A new $92 million facility that covers 12 acres. And Freeze, who is being paid $6.5 million to resurrect a program that for years couldn’t get out of its own way.
Two years ago, Auburn opted to pay a $21.7 million buyout to fire coach Gus Malzahn, who went 68-34 in eight seasons. It cost the school a total of $15.5 million in buyout money to fire Harsin, who was a peculiar choice to begin with, having spent nearly his entire playing and coaching career in Idaho. According to an ESPN investigative report, Auburn paid out $31.2 million in dead money between Jan. 1, 2010 and Jan. 31, 2021 — more than any other school — and that didn’t include Harsin’s payment. The persuasive power and deep pockets of the program’s boosters have influenced the trajectory of the program — “absolutely something” Freeze was aware of and weighed on his mind when he was offered the job.
“When you take a job like this, you have to get in who really matters,” Freeze said, “and the boosters do matter, but I can’t be swayed or distracted by their opinions or their expectations. I have to stay within the walls of this building.”
Throughout the 233,428-square-foot Woltosz Football Performance Center that formally opened in January are trophies and jerseys from the program’s NFL draft picks, constant reminders of what the Tigers are playing for. Auburn has won three SEC West titles, two SEC championships and played for the national title twice over the past 12 seasons.
There is no Cam Newton, though, on this roster.
Evaluating, developing and retaining talent has fallen far below the program’s standards. During a recruiting cycle that was disrupted by uncertainty surrounding Harsin’s future, Auburn signed only five ESPN 300 recruits in its 2022 class. By comparison, Alabama brought in 19 in the same class, Georgia added 16, and Texas A&M topped them all with 24. From Jan. 4, 2021 to now, a whopping 67 Auburn players entered the transfer portal. Forty-one left Georgia during that same span.
Freeze said the 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes will be critical to the program’s ability to close the gap with Alabama and Georgia.
“If we’re not in that top-10 range, they’ll probably be firing me in Year 4 or Year 5,” he said with a half-laugh, “but you know that coming in. … The administration, John Cohen has been awesome, President Roberts, I think everybody knows they’ve gotta give us a chance to get a couple top classes in here. If we don’t do that, and are able to still win it, it would be a miracle.”
Cohen said he understands it will take some time. Patience hasn’t been a part of Auburn’s recent history, though, as the previous administration was quick to move on from Harsin after a 9-12 record in just under two seasons.
“I absolutely understand the fact that our improvement is going to come in increments,” Cohen said, “and I believe we’re going to get there, but I think Hugh totally agrees with the fact that’s our goal — incremental improvement every day, every month, and if we do that, we know it’s going to show up on the football field.”
Freeze said he’s getting the right players on campus, and there’s evidence, as he has flipped several ESPN 300 prospects to commit in the No. 20 incoming freshman class according to ESPN. He’s also brought in the No. 7 incoming transfer class according to ESPN.
It has to be even better, though, to beat Alabama and Georgia.
“How anybody really closes it on those two, the challenge is tall,” Freeze said.
Freeze has been at Auburn for about six months. As new as it is, it’s also somewhat familiar, as Freeze has been hired to reconstruct programs before, dating back to 2008-2009 at “little ole’ Lambuth,” where he won 20 games in two years and elevated the program to unprecedented heights.
Then he took over at Arkansas State, which never had a winning season since entering the FBS. Freeze won 10 games and the Sun Belt there. When he was hired at Ole Miss, the Rebels hadn’t won an SEC game in two years. In his first season, Ole Miss won seven games and went to a bowl game. At Liberty, which transitioned from FCS to FBS, Freeze directed the Flames to at least eight wins and a bowl game every season.
Freeze said it’s hard to pinpoint one thing beyond recruiting that correlated to his success at each stop (among the names he signed at Ole Miss was future Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf), but it began with “a culture that breeds confidence” and extracting the most out of the players they have. Schematically, his tempo run-pass option (RPO) offense “has been a big part of” his past 10-win seasons, which at times has overshadowed strong defenses. When Freeze was first hired at Ole Miss, the RPO concepts he had implemented were fairly new, but he conceded “people have kind of caught up with that now some.”
“I’ve done them all the exact same way,” he said, “and to this point — to this point — this has worked for me. Will it here? Which is a taller task than you would argue the other four? It’s the only way I know to do it. So we’re gonna find out.”
2:32
Doering says Auburn QB battle has long way to go
After attending the Tigers’ spring game, SEC Network analyst Chris Doering joins “The Paul Finebaum Show” and says new coach Hugh Freeze is not set on a starting QB.
FOLLOWING THE TEAM meeting this spring, the Auburn Tigers filed out to practice, where improvements and inconsistencies played out in real time.
One of the tight ends was hit in the numbers and dropped the ball near the sideline. Another receiver dropped a ball. Two quarterbacks who are relatively unknown nationally — sophomore Robby Ashford (nine starts) and junior T.J. Finley (three starts and has since entered the transfer portal) were competing for the starting job, along with redshirt freshman Holden Geriner. Freeze said the competition is wide open, and he probably won’t name a starter until the summer, when Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne will join the competition.
Auburn’s passing game struggled mightily last year, ranking No. 119 in the country with 172.7 yards per game. Auburn was also No. 101 in first downs per game, and No. 98 in third down conversion percentage. Freeze isn’t going to change his high-tempo, RPO-driven offense, but he’s surrendering control of it to coordinator Philip Montgomery, who spent the past eight seasons as Tulsa’s head coach.
“Both of us want to be on the same page, and open and honest about how we’re approaching it,” Montgomery said. “The point that we got to was, he was bringing me here to be the playcaller, but also he’s always got an influence and a trump card and if there’s something he wants to run, that’s what we’re going to do. Understanding this is the first time he’s relinquished some of those duties, and that’s hard.”
Prior to taking over at Tulsa, Montgomery had Baylor’s offense flying as the Bears’ offensive coordinator. During his three seasons (2012-2014) in Waco, they averaged almost 600 yards and 50 points per game.
Defensively, Auburn has been average or subpar in most categories, a far cry from the elite level needed to win the SEC. Ron Roberts, who was the defensive coordinator at Baylor the past three seasons, took the same position at Auburn in mid-December. The 2021 Bears defense led the conference in interceptions (19), turnovers gained (27) and defensive touchdowns (three). Baylor also finished second in the Big 12 in run defense (118.4 yards per game) and scoring defense (18.3 points per game).
Auburn needed an upgrade in every one of those categories.
“If we can get in that top 10 coming out of the gate great, but the expectation is we’re at Auburn, and we need to be top 20 in the country in defense every year, and if we’re not, then we’re underachieving,” Roberts said, “so I gotta find a way to get that done.”
Freeze has experience returning to his roster. According to ESPN’s Bill Connelly, the Tigers return the third-most production in the SEC, including the top three players in receiving yards (Ja’Varrius Johnson, Koy Moore and Jarquez Hunter), and two of the three 500-yard rushers (Ashford and Hunter). Auburn also returns two players with at least 50 tackles in Cam Riley (65) and Keionte Scott (53).
Tight end Luke Deal sees a solution for a team that finished 2-6 in the SEC last season, but became more competitive in the final third of the year.
“It’s just consistency,” Deal said. “If you if you watched last year, if you watch that team, toward the end of the season, completely different ballclub and we bring that same energy earlier in the season, who knows?”
MUCH LIKE THE program he has taken over, Freeze can’t escape his past. While he desperately wants to move forward, he also uses his past transgressions as open lessons with his team.
Freeze said he’s “so sick of rehashing it,” but it’s also “the facts.”
“It’s made me better,” he said. “It’s made my wife and I better, it’s made you know, everybody around me better. I think it made me a better coach because I share the real life examples with our players and let me tell you when Coach got it wrong. Let me tell you when he got it right. Let me tell you why.”
In the span of seven years, Freeze ascended from a high school coach in Tennessee to a successful SEC West coach, where he took the Rebels to their first Sugar Bowl in 45 years. He said he “was obviously not mature enough to handle everything that came at me.”
Now he gets another shot at the big time. In some ways — from meddling boosters to the specter of the Alabama and Georgia dynasties — it will be his most difficult job yet. But with that comes a huge opportunity.
“We just always felt like this is a place that you can win big, yet they haven’t done it,” Freeze said. “I’ve got a few years left in me before I say I’ve had enough, truthfully. I don’t want to do this until I’m 75 like my buddy Nick [Saban]. … I just think for the years I have left I want the challenge of it.”
-
Sean Allen, Special to ESPN.com
The midway point of the 2024-25 NHL occurred recently, which led to a slew of content this week: Midseason grades for all 32 teams, the Panic Meter, and the Wyshynski Awards at midseason.
But which fantasy players have been the MVP at this juncture?
In this week’s edition of the Power Rankings, we have identified that player for each club. And a reminder, it’s not too late to sign up for a team!
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Jan. 10. Points percentages and paces are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 72.22%
Tom Wilson, RW. It’s honestly hard to pick one Capital for this fantasy MVP award, as it’s been such a great season. Logan Thompson, Connor McMichael, Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun … even an injury-shortened run from Alex Ovechkin has been epic so far. But Wilson is the team’s fantasy leader as of Wednesday, with one more fantasy point than Thompson, so let’s acknowledge the effort.
Next eight days: vs. PIT (Jan. 18), @ EDM (Jan. 21), @ SEA (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 70.65%
Connor Hellebuyck, G. He’s not just the Jets’ fantasy MVP, he’s easily the NHL fantasy MVP this season! Hellebuyck has a 35-point lead on Nathan MacKinnon for the most overall fantasy points and is pushing into territory we haven’t seen in the modern NHL. Carey Price has the 15-year water mark at 313.6 fantasy points in 2014-15 and Hellebuyck is on pace to beat it.
Next eight days: vs. CGY (Jan. 18), @ UTA (Jan. 20), @ COL (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 69.32%
Jack Eichel, C. Health has been a big reason why, but it’s still a shock to think that Eichel hasn’t scored more than 82 points in a season. Well, he’s going to blow the doors off that career mark this campaign as he’s well on his way to triple digits!
Next eight days: @ CAR (Jan. 17), @ CHI (Jan. 18), vs. STL (Jan. 20), @ STL (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 67.78%
Leon Draisaitl, C. Chicken or egg, we may never know, but Draisaitl is the easy pick from the Oilers even though he’s on a team with the consensus best player on the planet. His fantasy returns are through the roof and he’s dominating in the offensive categories at a per-game rate only eclipsed by two other players. No one is sad even if he was picked first overall at the draft — which he probably wasn’t.
Next eight days: @ VAN (Jan. 18), vs. WSH (Jan. 21), vs. VAN (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 64.77%
Jake Oettinger, G. It hasn’t been a straight line to get there, but here at the halfway mark, Oettinger is the top-five goaltender we drafted. That’s worthy of fantasy MVP on a team with most of the other personnel putting up totals that lag behind last season.
Next eight days: @ COL (Jan. 18), vs. DET (Jan. 19), vs. CAR (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 64.44%
Kirill Kaprizov, LW. He’s missed 10 games and still has the lead in fantasy points for the Wild, though Filip Gustavsson might catch him). Actually, if Kaprizov wasn’t so extremely dialed in, Gustavsson may have been worthy of the nod here for answering the bell as the unquestioned starter after a down season in 2023-24.
Next eight days: @ NSH (Jan. 18), @ COL (Jan. 20), vs. UTA (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 61.70%
Jacob Markstrom, G. Forget fantasy MVP, maybe just plain MVP. The Devils knew they needed a reliable goalie to change their fortunes in the standings, and Markstrom has more than filled that void. It’s a bonus for us in the fantasy game that the results have translated well and he’s (distant, admittedly) second to Connor Hellebuyck among all goalies.
Next eight days: vs. PHI (Jan. 18), vs. OTT (Jan. 19), vs. BOS (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 63.04%
Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, G. Maybe the fantasy MVP should be coach Craig Berube, who brought his defensive stylings to a team that seemed to have had an appetite for it all along. Both Stolarz and Woll have proven to be worthy of fantasy rosters — especially in leagues that allow daily lineup changes to pick the actual starter. They rank fourth and 13th respectively for fantasy points per game.
Next eight days: @ MTL (Jan. 18), vs. TB (Jan. 20), vs. CBJ (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 61.11%
Shayne Gostisbehere, D. Averaging half a point per game with the man advantage, Gostisbehere is just what the Hurricanes needed to elevate their special teams this season. He’s not just a great fantasy starter, but he’s lifted all boats for the Hurricanes by making the power play more dangerous. That’s true fantasy MVP status.
Next eight days: vs. VGK (Jan. 17), @ CHI (Jan. 20), @ DAL (Jan. 21), vs. CBJ (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 65.48%
Brandt Clarke, D. Though the sun is setting on his time in the spotlight and one could argue it’s been fading since his early season returns, Clarke did a stand-up job of filling in for Drew Doughty as the Kings power-play quarterback until the veteran returns, which for the record, is expected to be soon.
Next eight days: @ SEA (Jan. 18), vs. PIT (Jan. 20), vs. FLA (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 59.78%
Nathan MacKinnon, C. One of only two skaters averaging 3.0 fantasy points per game, MacKinnon is a fantasy MVP even relative to his starting value, which couldn’t possibly have been any higher for the top player drafted in most leagues. There are no complaints if you want to give this to Mikko Rantanen or Cale Makar, who are right there with him.
Next eight days: vs. DAL (Jan. 18), vs. MIN (Jan. 20), vs. WPG (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 59.78%
Sam Reinhart, RW. Leon Draisaitl, Alex Ovechkin, Dany Heatley … Reinhart? If he keeps up his current pace, he’ll join an exclusive group of players with consecutive 50-goal seasons in the post-lockout era. How’s that for an answer as to whether he can repeat his fantasy value from his contract season?
Next eight days: vs. ANA (Jan. 18), @ ANA (Jan. 21), @ LA (Jan. 22)
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 59.30%
Nikita Kucherov, RW. Life without Steven Stamkos has been just fine for Kucherov, as Jake Guentzel has filled the void on the power play. He joins only Nathan MacKinnon in the rarified air of earning 3.0 fantasy points per game as a skater. Brandon Hagel emerging as a fantasy lock would be another consideration here, but Kucherov is too good to pass on.
Next eight days: vs. DET (Jan. 18), @ TOR (Jan. 20), @ MTL (Jan. 21)
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 55.68%
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW. Cast aside after the terrible fantasy showing last season, Huberdeau was widely available for fantasy teams when it became clear he was having a bounce-back campaign. Rookie Dustin Wolf was an equally eligible choice here as he continues his takeover of the crease.
Next eight days: @ WPG (Jan. 18), vs. BUF (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 54.55%
Kevin Lankinen, G. Although the fantasy value is starting to fade as Thatcher Demko creeps back into the picture, Lankinen was a boon to rosters for months as his replacement. And it was a very late replacement, as he wasn’t even on the Canucks roster until after some fantasy drafts. But with Demko still not seemingly 100 percent, maybe the ride isn’t over.
Next eight days: vs. EDM (Jan. 18), vs. BUF (Jan. 21), @ EDM (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 55.56%
Zach Werenski, D. Mike Green’s 31 goals in 2008-09 still stands as the 21st century mark to beat for a defender. Werenski picked up two on Tuesday to put him on pace for 28. The results are only made better by the fact that he was a typically an 11th round draft pick in most leagues.
Next eight days: @ NYR (Jan. 18), @ NYI (Jan. 20), @ TOR (Jan. 22), @ CAR (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 54.55%
Brady Tkachuk, LW. Five-category forwards are a rare commodity, but Tkachuk checks all the boxes for fantasy production. But he’s not just checking them, he’s filling the boxes in with a permanent Sharpie and signing them. He’s top 10 in both shots on goal and hits!
Next eight days: vs. BOS (Jan. 18), @ NJ (Jan. 19), @ NYR (Jan. 21), @ BOS (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 53.26%
David Pastrnak, RW. Like … who else are we going to pick? Jeremy Swayman and Elias Lindholm are falling way short of high hopes, Charlie McAvoy — just placed on the IR — and Brad Marchand are treading water for value. Pasta hasn’t been as dominant as his recent seasons, but you probably aren’t mad you picked him for your team, which is going to have to be good enough for fantasy MVP here.
Next eight days: @ OTT (Jan. 18), vs. SJ (Jan. 20), @ NJ (Jan. 22), vs. OTT (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 54.55%
Lane Hutson, D. It took him a little bit of time, but Hutson climbed the depth chart to the top of the blue line and is reaping the rewards. He has been a top-10 fantasy defenseman for the past month with 2.3 fantasy points per game and leads all Habs in fantasy points over that span.
Next eight days: vs. TOR (Jan. 18), vs. NYR (Jan. 19), vs. TB (Jan. 21), @ DET (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 52.27%
Moritz Seider, D. With the way the offense has turned around after the coaching change, this answer might be different in a couple of weeks (Patrick Kane?), but for now, Seider returning the top-five defenseman value we hoped for is fantasy MVP-worthy.
Next eight days: @ TB (Jan. 18), @ DAL (Jan. 19), @ PHI (Jan. 21), vs. MTL (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 52.17%
Dylan Holloway, C. After getting modest chances in Edmonton with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it was far from expected that Holloway would start producing once he escaped them. Holloway ranks third on the Blues in total fantasy points and has only been improving his output as the season progresses — as in, this might not even be the ceiling yet.
Next eight days: @ UTA (Jan. 18), @ VGK (Jan. 20), vs. VGK (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 51.14%
Will Cuylle, LW. Frankly, Cuylle shouldn’t be on fantasy rosters anymore since his early-season hot streak inevitably petered out, but giving him the fantasy MVP nod here is a message to the rest of the Rangers. No one has met, let alone exceeded fantasy hopes on this roster this season. Vincent Trocheck is just starting to get to a good place, but it’s thumbs down all around after him.
Next eight days: vs. CBJ (Jan. 18), @ MTL (Jan. 19), vs. OTT (Jan. 21), vs. PHI (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 50.00%
Travis Sanheim, D. While Travis Konecny is the team leader for fantasy, he was also a popular pick at drafts. Sanheim was a bench addition defenseman in most leagues — if he was even drafted at all. Well, here he is, sandwiched between Quinn Hughes and Roman Josi for total fantasy points from the blue line at the halfway mark.
Next eight days: @ NJ (Jan. 18), vs. DET (Jan. 21), @ NYR (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 48.86%
Ian Cole, D. Cole is easily having the quietest fantasy campaign in the league. He ranks 19th in fantasy points among all defensemen, yet remains available in 60% of leagues. The fuel for his performance are his 124 blocked shots, which rank second overall to Jacob Trouba. Cole even has more fantasy points than any forward on Utah’s roster.
Next eight days: vs. STL (Jan. 18), vs. WPG (Jan. 20), @ MIN (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 47.83%
Rickard Rakell, RW. He was on radars at the start of the season, but he may not have even been in many top-five lists for Penguins with the most fantasy potential. So to have Rakell not only doing well, but leading the entire team in fantasy points — by a healthy margin — is fantastic news for those that picked him up in the early going. Heck, Rakell is 11th among all skaters in fantasy scoring!
Next eight days: @ BUF (Jan. 17), @ WSH (Jan. 18), @ LA (Jan. 20), @ ANA (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 46.59%
Anders Lee, LW. With only Lee and Noah Dobson approaching 2.0 fantasy points per game — and barely — across the Islanders’ entire roster, we don’t really have a choice but to go with Lee for the fantasy MVP, as we expected more from Dobson. But long story short, if Ilya Sorokin isn’t the fantasy MVP in an Isles season, we know things aren’t going to plan.
Next eight days: vs. SJ (Jan. 18), vs. CBJ (Jan. 20)
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 44.57%
Joey Daccord, G. Look, the Kraken are an example of playing above the sum of its parts, but it means there are no superstars here. No player averages more than 1.7 fantasy points per game, which means some shallow leagues might be better off with no Kraken on any rosters. That said, Daccord has been an above average secondary fantasy goaltender when deployed with focus.
Next eight days: vs. LA (Jan. 18), vs. BUF (Jan. 20), vs. WSH (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 46.67%
Jackson LaCombe, D. Before the season, if you had to guess the young defender that would the Ducks’ fantasy MVP at the halfway mark, LaCombe might have been your third guess. He’s playing top-pair minutes with Radko Gudas and patrolling the blue line on the power play to the tune of 1.9 fantasy points per game.
Next eight days: @ FLA (Jan. 18), vs. FLA (Jan. 21), vs. PIT (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 44.32%
Jason Zucker, LW. A prime choice in deep-league fantasy games, Zucker has a lot going for him amongst a disappointing showing from his teammates in fantasy. A freebie pickup with 1.7 fantasy points per game? Nice. Gets most of his points on the power play? Excellent. Eligible at both LW and RW for leagues that use those? Beauty!
Next eight days: vs. PIT (Jan. 17), @ SEA (Jan. 20), @ VAN (Jan. 21), @ CGY (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 42.05%
Roman Josi, D. Even though he ranks ninth among blueliners for fantasy points and is behind his pace from last season, Josi is as close to a fantasy MVP as we’ll get with this club. Maybe better days are ahead, but the Predators are a lesson in not betting too strongly on fantasy returns based on offseason moves.
Next eight days: vs. MIN (Jan. 18), vs. SJ (Jan. 21), @ SJ (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 36.17%
Jake Walman, D. An extraordinarily pleasant surprise on the Sharks’ blue line, Walman is running the power play, firing shots, scoring goals and blocking shots. He wasn’t on any preseason shortlists as a sleeper, so to be getting quality production out of him as a free-agent addition has been helpful to those who jumped on board.
Next eight days: @ NYI (Jan. 18), @ BOS (Jan. 20), @ NSH (Jan. 21), vs. NSH (Jan. 23)
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 34.44%
Alex Vlasic, D. The results are dipping of late, but Vlasic was a solid play overall this season, especially when Seth Jones was out of the lineup. Vlasic ranks second on the team in fantasy points and was even tied with Connor Bedard for the lead as recently as Dec. 27.
Next eight days: vs. VGK (Jan. 18), vs. CAR (Jan. 20)
-
Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
LSU freshman quarterback Colin Hurley was found unresponsive but breathing by LSU police and the Baton Rouge Fire Department just before 3 a.m. on Thursday following a car crash near the gates of the LSU campus, according to a crash report.
Hurley was taken out of his Dodge Charger by EMS and fire department personnel and transported to a Baton Rouge area hospital.
The cause of the crash has not been released. LSU school officials said they were unable to comment because Hurley, 17, is still a minor. Hurley’s parents were on their way to Baton Rouge.
“We are working through proper protocols with his family before we can have any comment,” LSU senior associate athletic director and chief communications officer Zach Greenwell told ESPN via text message.
Hurley, who is from Jacksonville, Florida, signed with LSU as part of the 2024 recruiting class and did not play this season as a true freshman.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway