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What an MLB Opening Day!

All 30 teams were scheduled to be in action Thursday before rain postponed the scheduled Milwaukee BrewersNew York Mets and Atlanta BravesPhiladelphia Phillies openers to Friday.

The Los Angeles Angels and Orioles got things started with Corbin Burnes delivering a dominant debut for Baltimore. Things really heated up with eight games starting just after 4 p.m. ET — highlighted by a thrilling New York Yankees comeback win over the Houston Astros in a showdown in Texas.

The Texas Rangers raised the first World Series banner in franchise history before beating the Chicago Cubs in manager Craig Counsell’s Cubs debut. And finally, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a loud statement with a 14-run inning against the Colorado Rockies.

What did we see — and what did we learn — in the first day of games as the season gets started? We have you covered with the best moments from every game, as well as takeaways from each matchup.

Season preview: Power rankings | Predictions | Moves that rocked offseason

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Takeaways | Relive the day

Takeaways from every Opening Day game

Recap | Box score | Highlights

Everyone is discounting Boston’s chances in the AL East, and perhaps over the long haul the Red Sox simply won’t have enough pitching depth, but the lineup has a chance to be very good. Boston battled a tough pitcher in Seattle’s Luis Castillo, getting to him for four runs and three extra-base hits in five innings. Two of those came from Rafael Devers, including an impressive two-run home run to left-center off a high fastball.

The most impressive achievement of the night, however: Former Mariners farmhand Tyler O’Neill, acquired from the Cardinals in the offseason, homered for the fifth consecutive Opening Day, breaking a record he had shared with Yogi Berra, Gary Carter and Todd Hundley (oddly, three catchers). O’Neill had a huge 6.1-WAR, 34-homer season with St. Louis in 2021, but his production dropped the past two seasons as he battled injuries. It’s possible 2021 was a complete fluke, but if O’Neill hits, the Boston lineup is going to score some runs. — David Schoenfield


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Arizona Diamondbacks 16, Colorado Rockies 1

Recap | Box score | Highlights

We have a clear winner for the wildest “You can’t predict baseball” result of the day. The Diamondbacks began defense of their National League pennant with the most impressive inning of offense on Opening Day since, well, ever. Their 14-run outburst in the bottom of the third is an Opening Day record, the first inning with 10 runs on Opening Day since the Padres in 1997 and just the fifth 14-run inning in any game of the divisional era (since 1969). Arizona did it with 13 hits — none of them home runs.

It was a nice reward for a sellout crowd and for an organization that increased payroll in the offseason trying to build upon last year’s playoff success. Just a couple of days ago, the Diamondbacks agreed to a deal with free agent starter Jordan Montgomery, adding him to a rotation that also brought on Eduardo Rodriguez (although he’s on the IL to start the season). As for the Rockies, the last team to give up 14 runs in an inning was the 2009 Yankees — and they won the World Series that season. — Schoenfield


Cleveland Guardians 8, Oakland Athletics 0

Recap | Box score | Highlights

If the Cleveland Guardians are looking to trade starter Shane Bieber at a premium, they might want to check the market after his Opening Day performance against the Athletics. Bieber, who has been rumored to be on the trading block since before an injury ended his 2023 season, began the final year of his contract with the Guardians by easing his way through six innings, allowing four hits and striking out 11 in Cleveland’s 8-0 win over Oakland. On a night when the focus was on the thousands of A’s fans who chose to protest John Fisher’s ownership by partying in the parking lot rather than attending the game, Bieber — the Cy Young Award winner in the COVID-shortened 2020 season — gave the fans who did choose to enter the gates no reason to celebrate. — Tim Keown


Recap | Box score | Highlights

For a contest that ended with a pedestrian 4-3 final, the opener between the Cubs and Rangers was a wild one, beginning with a ceremony celebrating last year’s heroes and ending with a game-winning hit from one of Texas’ postseason heroes, Jonah Heim.

It was a roller coaster of a game. The early innings in the aftermath of the Texas banner ceremony featured a mini-duel between starters Nathan Eovaldi, who was pitching to contact, and Justin Steele, who mowed down Texas the first time through the order. Then Steele departed in the fifth with hamstring tightness that cropped up when he was fielding a Leody Taveras bunt.

The game opened up from there: Adolis Garcia mashed a homer he punctuated with a bat flip. Wyatt Langford collected his first career RBI and base hit. The Cubs’ Michael Busch stole a run on a two-base wild pitch by Rangers closer Jose Leclerc. New Cubs skipper Craig Counsell, matchup-maximizer extraordinaire, went deep in both his bullpen and his bench. Texas World Series hero Travis Jankowski tied the game in the ninth with a pinch-hit homer off Chicago closer Adbert Alzolay. After the game flipped to the automatic-runner phase, the Cubs left the bases full in the 10th. Christopher Morel nearly clanged a grand slam off the left-field foul pole but it faded into the second deck and he subsequently popped out.

Finally, that set the table for Heim, who drove in Josh Jung with a bases-loaded, 10th-inning, game-ending single off Drew Smyly, setting of a celebration in the middle of the field.

Whew!

What do we make of all this? If Steele’s injury isn’t serious, there wasn’t a whole lot to glean from one opening contest, dramatic as it was. Both teams are deep and have managers who can leverage that depth. Both teams have bullpens well suited to navigate tight, tense contests in the later innings. More than anything though, it was a drama-filled, exciting game that hopefully sets the tone for the season in Arlington, Chicago and across the majors. — Bradford Doolittle


Recap | Box score | Highlights

The Marlins made the playoffs last season on the strength off a 33-14 record in one-run games — one of the best such records in MLB history. Beware of regression, Miami. It looked like the Marlins might pull off a win that would have fit in with their 2023 narrative as first baseman Josh Bell — not known for his defense — threw out Pirates baserunners at home plate in both the 10th and 11th innings, but the Pirates finally scraped across a run in the 12th while the Miami offense kept failing to score.

The news to watch coming out of this game, however, was that David Bednar, the Pirates’ All-Star closer, didn’t get the save and was apparently unavailable even though he’s on the active roster. Second-year lefty Jose Hernandez instead picked up his first career save. Bednar missed time this spring with a lat injury, so let’s see if something is going on with his health. — Schoenfield


Recap | Box score | Highlights

The knock on Juan Soto in recent years — the only blemish on a generational player — has been his defense in the outfield. The numbers supported what eyes indicated: It’s been ugly.

He has insisted he’s better than that, and that he’s worked at it. On Thursday, he showed that off in a huge spot, throwing out Mauricio Dubon, the game-tying run, at home plate from right field in the ninth inning. Soto pounded his chest. He let out a scream. The play was reviewed and stood. Moments later, Clay Holmes secured the game’s final out in the Yankees’ 5-4 comeback win.

Soto had his first signature Yankee moment. And it came on defense — just as we all expected. –– Jorge Castillo


Recap | Box score | Highlights

The Giants retooled their roster as much as any team in the offseason, adding Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Jorge Soler, Jordan Hicks and Tom Murphy, plus highly touted center fielder Jung Hoo Lee from Korea. Their linchpin, however, remains ace starter Logan Webb, who has a 3.07 ERA over the past three seasons and led the majors with 216 innings last season.

Unfortunately, his 2024 begins with one of the same issues as last season: a lack of support. In 2023, despite a 3.25 ERA that ranked fourth in the NL — plus that workload — Webb finished just 11-13 because of some shaky offensive support (he had 18 games where he allowed two runs or fewer, and won just nine of them). On Thursday, the lack of support came from the bullpen. He left after six innings with a 3-2 lead, but the Padres scored four runs in the seventh inning off the Giants’ bullpen, with Jake Cronenworth delivering a key two-run double off Ryan Walker. Nice comeback for San Diego, tough loss for the Giants. — Schoenfield


Recap | Box score | Highlights

The word from the Blue Jays camp out of spring training painted the picture of a rejuvenated Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: He’s lost some weight, he’s been more joyful, he’s more confident and he put together consistently good at-bats, hitting .463 in Grapefruit League play. The hope is he can find his MVP-level stroke of 2021 after two good-not-great seasons in 2022 and 2023. His first hit of 2024: a mammoth 450-foot blast over the batter’s eye in center field at Tampa off a cutter from Zach Eflin, matching his longest home run of 2023. That will be a nice confidence boost for the young slugger, who reached the majors in 2019 but is still just 25 years old.

The Jays are trying Guerrero in the second spot in the batting order, essentially flipping spots with Bo Bichette. Indeed, you can argue that Bichette has passed Guerrero as the face of the Blue Jays (he’s certainly been more valuable via WAR the past two seasons). You can’t argue with this: The Toronto offense isn’t as deep as it was even a couple years after finishing eighth in runs in the AL last season. They need both of their young starts to deliver. — Schoenfield


Recap | Box score | Highlights

We saw Royce Lewis‘ star-crossed career on full display Thursday: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Lewis twice tore his ACL as a minor leaguer, missing all of 2021 and most of 2022 as a result. He nonetheless remained a top prospect and reached the majors for his first extended stay in 2023 — only to play just 58 games because of an oblique strain and hamstring. But when he did play, he looked like a star — hitting over .300 with power, including four grand slams in less than a month.

He began 2024 with a home run in his first at-bat, ripping a 423-foot blast to left field and then singled in his second at-bat. However, when Carlos Correa then doubled, Lewis limped into third base and was replaced by a pinch runner (and don’t blame cold weather as it was 65 degrees in Kansas City). The Twins’ lineup needs Lewis raking in the 3-hole. Let’s hope it’s not serious. –Schoenfield


Recap | Box score | Highlights

Miles Mikolas caused a bit of a stir earlier this month when he said the Dodgers were playing “checkbook baseball.” On Opening Day, he got a firsthand look at what that checkbook has provided. It got the Dodgers Mookie Betts ($365 million), who reached base three times, including a solo homer. It got them Freddie Freeman ($162 million), who reached base three times, including a two-run homer. It got them Shohei Ohtani ($700 million), who reached base three times, including a double. And it got them Tyler Glasnow ($136.6 million), who allowed three baserunners in six innings. The Dodgers have written a lot of checks lately, especially amid their $1.2 billion offseason. They’re cashing in early. — Alden Gonzalez


Recap | Box score | Highlights

All spring, the Reds said they had enough depth to cover anything that came their way. Little did they know how quickly it would be tested as they opened the season with a suspension and myriad injuries. But up stepped journeyman Nick Martini who hit two home runs to propel Cincinnati to an easy win over Washington. Martini came into the game with 354 career at-bats — and just eight career home runs — but he was the Opening Day spark for a team who has playoff aspirations. On the mound, the Reds got a solid debut from newcomer Frankie Montas who shut out the Nationals over six innings while giving up just four hits without issuing a walk. That Opening Day combination of power and pitching is exactly what the organization drew up this offseason when they added veterans to a young and talented group of prospects. Cincinnati should be in the NL Central race all year. — Jesse Rogers


Recap | Box score | Highlights

Can the Tigers contend in the AL Central? It has been a long standing question as they’ve been in an extended rebuilding phase — but if they get performances on the mound like they did today, they’ll be in good shape. Tarik Skubal and three relievers shut down the one strength the White Sox have: a veteran lineup that has produced in the past. It also helps to have Javy Baez producing. He batted eighth for Detroit on Opening Day — singling to right on an 0-2 pitch from left-hander Garrett Crochet in the third inning and eventually scoring the lone run of the game.

Meanwhile, Crochet was the lone bright spot for the White Sox. In his first career start he struck out eight over six innings, but unfortunately for Chicago, he had no help at the plate. — Rogers


Recap | Box score | Highlights

Corbin Burnes allowed a first-inning home run to Mike Trout but was otherwise absolutely dominant in his Orioles debut. That was the only hit he allowed in his six innings as he struck out 11 of the 19 batters he faced, with seven of those K’s coming with his curveball. The Angels had no chance. With Kyle Bradish and John Means starting the season on the IL, the Orioles are looking for their big offseason acquisition to get off to a hot start — unlike last season with the Brewers, when Burnes uncharacteristically struggled early on with his control and had a so-so 3.97 ERA through his first 10 starts. Even without Bradish and Means, the Orioles have a chance to get off to a blazing start: Of their first 36 games, only six are against teams that made the playoffs last season, and those six are home games against the Brewers and Twins. — Schoenfield

Opening Day sights, sounds and moments

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From Ohtani’s two-way return to becoming the villains of baseball: Five questions facing Dodgers in spring training

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From Ohtani's two-way return to becoming the villains of baseball: Five questions facing Dodgers in spring training

PECOTA, the popular projection system by Baseball Prospectus, released its estimated win totals for the 2025 season earlier this week. And though you probably won’t be surprised to learn which team sits on top, it’s important to note by how much.

The Los Angeles Dodgers project for a whopping 104 victories in 2025, according to PECOTA, 12 more than the second-place Atlanta Braves. In thousands of simulated seasons, the Dodgers made the playoffs 99.6% of the time. Their chances of winning the World Series — and becoming the first repeat champions in more than 20 years — sit at 21.5%, nearly three times more than anybody else’s. And if you’re waiting for this run of dominance to subside, have some patience — ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel has ranked the Dodgers’ farm system first in the industry heading into the season.

“It’s a great time to be a Dodger,” Mookie Betts said during the team’s annual fan event at Dodger Stadium last weekend, attended by a capacity crowd of 25,000.

It’s also a busy time.

The Dodgers played into late October while defeating the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series and will begin the season more than a week early, opening up against the Chicago Cubs in Japan on March 18. Their spring training is nigh. Dodgers pitchers and catchers will undergo their physical exams in Glendale, Arizona, on Monday. The first official workout will follow the next morning, at which point throngs of fans, both domestic and international, will crowd the backfields of Camelback Ranch to catch an up-close look at one of the most talented teams in baseball history.

The Dodgers, division champs 11 out of the past 12 years, are about as certain to make the playoffs as any team has ever been. But they face some fascinating questions heading into the start of camp.

Below is a look through the five most compelling.


1. What will Shohei Ohtani‘s return to hitting and pitching look like?

It’s important to remember what Ohtani is setting out to do this season. It’s not merely that he’ll return to being the second two-way star in baseball history — and the first since Babe Ruth, who didn’t juggle pitching and hitting for as long as Ohtani already has. It’s that he will be doing so coming off an entire season spent rehabbing a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, and mere months removed from surgery to his non-throwing shoulder after sustaining a torn labrum during the World Series.

At a time when the sport is more specialized, more skilled and more difficult than ever, what Ohtani is attempting is virtually impossible for everybody on the planet except him. Trying to project how his 2025 season will play out, then, seems foolish. And yet Ohtani has defied expectations so often, the sentiment among his teammates is that he will be just as great as he always is.

“I think Shohei’s going to be Shohei,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said last weekend. “I just don’t see how he’s not.”

Freeman recalled the World Series workout at Yankee Stadium on the afternoon of Oct. 27. A day earlier, Ohtani had suffered a gruesome left shoulder injury while attempting to steal a base. And yet he was able to reach his ailing arm over his head, which Freeman never recalled someone having the strength to do after popping a shoulder out of place. “How is this man doing this?” Freeman thought.

Ohtani went on to play in the next three games, helping lead the Dodgers to their first full-season championship in four decades. Three weeks later, he won his third unanimous MVP in four years — after the first 50/50 season. Then he began preparing as both a pitcher and a hitter again.

Ohtani is already hitting, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has seen videos of him producing exit velocities in the triple digits. He has also been playing catch for the better part of two months, but the Dodgers won’t get a true sense for his pitching timeline until spring training begins and bullpen sessions follow.

Ohtani is expected to hit at the start of the season, but in all likelihood he won’t be part of the rotation until May. The Dodgers want him peaking as a pitcher by season’s end and don’t want to have to shut him down at midseason to get him there. So far, Ohtani said Saturday, “things are pretty smooth.” But there’s no telling how this will actually go. This is unprecedented territory, riddled with unique quirks (an example: Ohtani can’t venture out on a rehab assignment to face hitters in April, as any other rehabbing pitcher would, because he’s too valuable to the Dodgers’ lineup).

And yet greatness is expected nonetheless.

“I don’t know about 50/50 because I truly don’t know how he’s going to go about stealing bases while he’s pitching,” Freeman said. “But maybe he steals 50 bases before he starts pitching in May or whenever. I wouldn’t put anything past him.”


2. How will Betts handle shortstop?

Yes, the Dodgers are planning on Betts being their every-day shortstop this season. No, there really isn’t any precedent for something like this. Not for a player of this caliber. Not for moving to shortstop, the most demanding position outside of catcher, in the back half of one’s career. But Betts, like Ohtani, is an unprecedented athlete, and the Dodgers have expressed confidence that he can make an incredibly challenging transition if given an entire offseason to work at it.

And Betts sure has worked. He has communicated on a near-daily basis with Chris Woodward, the former Texas Rangers manager and new Dodgers infield coach, at times recruiting him to take ground balls on random fields throughout Los Angeles because Dodger Stadium is undergoing a major renovation. Shortly after the fan event last weekend, he reported to the team’s spring training facility, nearly two weeks before he was scheduled to arrive.

Said Betts: “I feel like I’m just a completely new person over there.”

Betts, a six-time Gold Glove Award winner in right field, has longed to return to his roots in the middle infield basically since he joined the Dodgers. Second base seemed like the natural fit, until Gavin Lux‘s throwing issues last spring prompted a last-minute pivot to shortstop. Betts started 61 games there before a broken wrist kept him out nearly two months and pushed him back to right field upon his return. At season’s end, Betts and the Dodgers sat down and determined he’d make another run at it.

Betts committed nine errors at shortstop last season, though eight were the result of errant throws. Dodgers coaches said he mastered aspects they believe to be the most difficult at the position — getting off the ball, exhibiting range and fielding tough hops. The problem was getting his elite arm to translate from the outfield to the infield, most of which is a matter of footwork and (basically) reps, of which he will now get plenty.

If Betts’ shortstop transition doesn’t go well, the Dodgers can pivot to Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas or the newly signed Hyeseong Kim, moving Betts to second base. But they’re going to give him every chance to stick at the position, at least in 2025.

“He is very confident about it,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said earlier this offseason. “And I will happily take the side of betting on Mookie and let any fool that wants to take the other side.”


3. How will Roki Sasaki’s transition to MLB work?

Friedman referred to the dynamic with Sasaki, the pitching phenom he’d spent years chasing, as a “partnership.” The Dodgers have pledged to do whatever it takes to help Sasaki achieve his goal of becoming the first Japanese-born pitcher to win a Cy Young Award and, most importantly, stay healthy.

Sasaki, 23, is already an elite pitcher with an exceedingly high ceiling. But evaluators throughout baseball have expressed workload concerns, especially coming off a season in which his fastball exhibited a drop in velocity. Sasaki totaled just 202 innings with the Chiba Lotte Marines over the past two years. He is supremely athletic, but he is also wiry, and he has been throwing in the triple digits since high school. His right arm is special, but it is also vulnerable — a major test for a Dodgers team that has struggled mightily to keep young arms healthy in recent years.

The thought from several scouts during Sasaki’s posting process was that whichever team acquired him would start him late, given he might not throw more than about 150 innings in 2025. But the Dodgers won’t do that. Friedman said during Sasaki’s introductory press conference last month that he would “hit the ground running” in spring training and added that he will begin the season in the rotation if he’s ready, with no designated innings limit.

“Our goal is to start him,” Friedman said. “He’s going to go and start the season and we will continue to work with him in between starts.”

The Dodgers will spend a good portion of spring working with Sasaki to rekindle his four-seam-fastball velocity, part of which will consist of a more thorough examination of how his delivery might have been altered to account for prior injuries. They’ll also begin to tweak his pitch mix in an effort to play up his wipeout splitter, perhaps by helping Sasaki introduce more cutters and two-seamers.

But one of the Dodgers’ biggest tasks will be mapping out a rotation loaded with stars but riddled with injury concerns, including Sasaki, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow (whose modest 134 innings total in 2024 was the most in his nine-year career), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who missed three months with a strained rotator cuff last season), Tony Gonsolin (who is coming off Tommy John surgery), Dustin May (who made a combined 26 starts from 2021 to 2024) and Blake Snell (who has thrown less than 160 innings in four of his past five full seasons).


4. They’re done adding players … right?

Snell was the first impact player to join the Dodgers this offseason. He thought they were done adding with every subsequent move — after Michael Conforto, after Teoscar Hernández, after Kim, after Sasaki, after Tanner Scott, after Kirby Yates. At some point, Snell will be right — but perhaps not yet.

A “Kiké!” chant broke out at one point during DodgerFest, and the expectation is the Dodgers will eventually bring back Enrique Hernández, the effervescent, ever-popular super-utility player who has a knack for coming through in October. If they do — and they keep Chris Taylor, who’s in the last year of a four-year, $60 million deal — then only one position player spot will be up for grabs in spring training.

It would seemingly come down to a competition between Kim and two young-but-established outfielders in Andy Pages and James Outman, the winner essentially determining how much time Edman will spend between center field and second base.

At full strength, the rotation might not eventually have room for anybody. Not with Clayton Kershaw also expected back. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Saturday that they’ve been waiting for Kershaw, 36, to get into his throwing program and thus have a better feel for how his body is holding up in the wake of November surgery on his left foot and left knee.

Gomes added that he expects “more conversations at an in-depth level here shortly” with Kershaw. The same can be said about Hernández, though in that case the two sides still have a financial gap to bridge. The timing is worth considering here, too. The Dodgers’ 40-man roster is currently full, and the team doesn’t want to subject anyone on it to waivers. Starting Monday, they can place rehabbing pitchers such as Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Emmet Sheehan and Brusdar Graterol on the 60-day injured list, which opens space on the 40-man roster. Kershaw and Hernández might be added thereafter.

If they are, the roster will feature six MVP Awards, five Cy Youngs, 16 Silver Sluggers, nine Gold Gloves and 45 All-Star appearances.

“Incredible,” Glasnow said. “It’s like ‘The Avengers.'”


5. How will they handle being the villains of MLB?

Betts spoke at DodgerFest last year, near the end of an offseason that saw Ohtani and Yamamoto sign contracts totaling more than $1 billion, and said every game against the 2024 Dodgers would qualify as “the other team’s World Series.” His point was the Dodgers needed to be ready for a season in which basically the entire sport would be aiming for them. He wasn’t wrong.

But what about now?

The Dodgers have since won the World Series and signed practically every player they’ve wanted. Their luxury tax payroll projects to about $380 million, according to Spotrac, roughly $80 million more than the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. The only other teams to even reach $290 million are the New York Mets and Yankees. That doesn’t account for the fact that the Dodgers’ best and most popular player, Ohtani, deferred 97% of his contract. Or that arguably their biggest offseason acquisition, Sasaki, will make the major league minimum this season.

It has all worked to make the Dodgers the proverbial villains of their sport, a reality Roberts believes his team needs to “embrace.”

“Who wouldn’t want to be the focus and do what our organization is doing for the city, the fans?” said Roberts, who is entering the final year of his contract and still looking to sign an extension. “To be quite frank, we draw more than anyone as far as any venue in the world. And so when you’re drawing 4 million fans a year, the way you reciprocate is by investing in players. And that’s what we’ve done.”

Roberts noted that none of the new players the Dodgers brought in have won a championship. Their desire for one, he hopes, will help fuel a team that might otherwise be prone to stagnation. Most of all, it’s the outsized expectations that will help the Dodgers maintain their edge.

Alex Vesia, one of the Dodgers’ primary relievers, believes the heightened pressure will once again bring them closer as a team, a trait that helped them overcome the grind of last October. But that won’t play out until much later, when the games matter and the adversity hits.

At this point, the overwhelming sentiment around the Dodgers is simply gratitude.

“Fans come out here and support us,” Freeman said. “They spend their hard-earned money to come and watch us play. And for them to spend that much money, and for them to see ownership take the product and put it back into the team, it’s awesome. It’s awesome to be a part of that. It’s awesome to be a part of an organization that goes out there, year in and year out, to try and put the best team as possible to go out there and win the championship.”

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Sources: Syracuse OC Nixon gets multiyear deal

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Sources: Syracuse OC Nixon gets multiyear deal

After calling plays for the nation’s top passing offense in 2024, Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon has agreed to a new multiyear contract to stay with the Orange, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

The new deal includes a significant raise that puts him near the top of the ACC in coordinator salary, per sources.

Nixon proved a key hire for first-year Syracuse coach Fran Brown, as transfer quarterback Kyle McCord broke the ACC’s single-season passing record. The Orange went 10-3 and won the Holiday Bowl, the school’s first bowl win since 2018. Syracuse finished with 370 yards passing per game, putting it ahead of Ole Miss and Miami.

Syracuse’s offense finished No. 7 nationally in total offense and No. 8 in third-down conversion percentage. They averaged 34.1 points, which was No. 21 nationally.

Nixon interviewed with the Houston Texans for their offensive coordinator job this season and also interviewed for multiple college head coaching jobs. He’s the former offensive coordinator at Baylor under Matt Rhule and has worked for five different NFL teams.

He came to Syracuse from the New York Giants, where he worked as the running backs coach.

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OSU’s Day 2nd-highest-paid coach behind Smart

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OSU's Day 2nd-highest-paid coach behind Smart

After leading Ohio State to the national title, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day has agreed to a new contract that is set to make him the country’s second-highest-paid head coach.

Ohio State announced in a statement Thursday morning that Day and the school have agreed to a new seven-year deal. The school said that the deal will be valued at “$12.5 million in total annual compensation” (which will be his base salary) for the entire deal.

The contract includes performance bonuses that are the similar to Day’s prior deal, per sources. For example, Day earned a $1 million bonus for Ohio State winning the national title in 2024.

The deal has Day on target to be the country’s second-highest-paid coach behind Georgia‘s Kirby Smart, who made $13.2 million last year including bonuses. Day is one of three active college football coaches to win a national title (Smart and Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney are the others). Swinney is the country’s third-highest-paid coach at $11.1 million.

The Buckeyes won five games over top-five teams in 2024 on the way to the title, a record for a college football team in one season. It marked a remarkable resuscitation after a stunning loss to Michigan to end the regular season, a game in which the Buckeyes were nearly three-touchdown favorites.

Day is 70-10 over his six seasons at Ohio State. His 87.5% winning percentage is the highest in the sport and the third highest in college football history. He has reached the College Football Playoff in four of those seasons and has not lost more than two games in a season.

Day thanked Ohio State president Ted Carter and athletic director Ross Bjork in the statement, adding: “My family and I are incredibly grateful to be a part of the Ohio State community, this football program and Buckeye Nation. I want to thank my assistant coaches and the entire staff for the tireless effort they put in to keep Ohio State positioned as one of the elite programs in the country … on and off the field.

“And I especially want to thank and commend all the young men, and their families, who are a part of this football program. This is a team of tough and determined individuals who drive our culture of respect, commitment and love.”

The contract marks the biggest move in the tenure of athletic director Ross Bjork, who joined the school in January 2024 from Texas A&M.

“Ryan has not only kept Buckeye football as the preeminent program, but he also guides young men into leaders, instilling values that extend far beyond the game,” Bjork said. “Stability at the head coaching position is crucial in today’s evolving college football landscape, and this new contract guarantees continued momentum in recruiting, player development, and overall program success.”

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