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USC quarterback Caleb Williams will enter the 2024 NFL draft, he announced on social media Monday. The decision comes on the final day that underclassmen are allowed to declare.

Williams’ decision formalizes his status as the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. His formal entry highlights the Chicago Bears‘ offseason conundrum of keeping Justin Fields or trading him to (presumably) build around Williams.

Williams’ decision is not a huge surprise. It had been clear since USC’s disappointing 2023 season ended that he’d wait until the final day he could make a decision, similar to how C.J. Stroud waited until the final day to decide last year.

The debate surrounding Williams in scouting circles isn’t whether he’s the No. 1 pick in the draft, but rather whether he is a once-a-decade type prospect or a generational one. Williams’ use of varied arm angles, his improvisational wizardry and his ability to use his legs combine for an intriguing package.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 and put together another strong season in 2023, even as USC’s record dipped from an 11-3 playoff contender to an 8-5 Pac-12 also-ran. Williams completed 68.6% of his passes for 3,633 yards in 12 games in 2023, compared to 66.6% for 4,537 yards in 14 games the previous year.

While Williams didn’t replicate his Heisman magic and USC’s team performance dipped — much because of an apathetic defense — he maintained consistent performance, and his status as the top player and quarterback in this class is secure.

ESPN polled a half-dozen scouts and executives Monday, and none could see a scenario other than Williams going No. 1. “I’d be shocked if he wasn’t,” one veteran scout said. Another added: “He’s the best player at the most important position.”

Williams finishes his career, including his freshman year at Oklahoma when he won the starting job from Spencer Rattler, with a total of 93 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions and 10,082 yards in three seasons. He went 23-10 as a starter and appeared in 37 total games, per ESPN Stats & Information.

In his two seasons at USC, Williams also accounted for 21 rushing touchdowns. Perhaps no statistic sums up his pure talent and potential more than him executing 10 career games of being responsible for five or more touchdowns. Per ESPN Stats & Information, only Patrick Mahomes had more in the College Football Playoff era.

Williams and former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye entered the season as the projected No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft. Both of their teams had uneven seasons, but neither quarterback did anything to change that status. LSU‘s Jayden Daniels thrust himself into the fringes of that conversation with a resplendent Heisman Trophy season, as no quarterback did more to increase his stock than Daniels in 2023. One year after Alabama‘s Bryce Young and Stroud went No. 1 and No. 2, the wholesale expectation is for quarterbacks to fly off in the top two spots again. If two quarterbacks go No. 1 and No. 2, it would mark the 10th time in NFL history that quarterbacks have gone at that position.

Williams gives the 2024 draft its definitive headliner, as the Bears’ decision on the pick will loom over the league in the coming months.

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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