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  • Paolo Uggetti, ESPNApr 19, 2024, 07:00 AM ET

MILLER MOSS WAS driving back to Los Angeles from San Diego on Dec. 28 when his phone rang. It was Lincoln Riley.

The 12 hours before that call couldn’t have gone much better for Moss. After spending three years as USC’s backup quarterback — two in Caleb Williams‘ shadow — and only attempting 59 passes, Moss was finally given the chance to take center stage with the NFL-bound Williams opting out of the 2023 DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. Moss didn’t just make the most of his first-ever college start — he made history. The Los Angeles native threw for 372 yards on 33 attempts and a USC bowl-record six touchdowns while leading the Trojans to a 42-28 season-ending win.

“I really just wanted to play freely going into that game,” Moss told ESPN last month. “I didn’t want to have any regrets. Whatever happened, I wanted to go out there and let it rip.”

Adopting that mindset wasn’t easy for Moss. The season was not technically over yet and, in the lead-up to the bowl game, there were already plenty of rumors about which quarterback USC would be taking in the transfer portal to replace Williams.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult to filter that out and just focus on the game,” Moss said. “And I told Lincoln and Kliff [Kingsbury] that.”

Just a few weeks before, Riley had stood in front of a microphone after early signing day and told the assembled media that the program would potentially be looking to add not just one, but two quarterbacks from the transfer portal. After the Holiday Bowl, however, Riley’s outlook on USC’s quarterback room appeared to change. That’s when he called Moss.

“He was like, ‘Hey, great job. I just want to let you know we’re not going to take an older transfer,'” Moss said. “I think Lincoln really wanted to see me play and then was going to make a decision because I think he wanted to see if what happened in the game confirmed his practice evaluation.”

Moss is well aware Riley’s call did not mean the quarterback position at USC is automatically his, but it came with some validation Moss had been waiting for his whole college career.

Moss had many doubts during his first three years in college. He had conversations about transferring to a program where he could play right away. But in the end, he would always decide to remain at USC. In the age of the portal, Moss’s story is a rarity. He stayed and developed, and it paid off.

Ahead of USC’s spring game, Moss — who still has two years of eligibility left — is still relishing the Holiday Bowl performance while trying to ensure it is only the beginning of his time as the Trojans’ starter. “It was one of the greatest feelings of my life, but I felt like I had lived that moment so many times in my head already,” Moss said. “I had visualized that moment in my head of me being able to show the world that I can do this.”

TWELVE YEARS AGO, a 10-year-old Miller Moss found himself in a peculiar place: inside the Oct. 15 issue of “The New Yorker.”

The article by Ben McGrath, titled “Head Start,” focused on longtime quarterback guru Steve Clarkson and the development of football players — specifically quarterbacks — from very young ages. Though Miller’s family was not athletically inclined, Miller had taken a great interest in football from a young age, and he started playing in Clarkson’s spring football league for toddlers.

Miller’s father, Eric Moss, is quoted in the piece discussing how his son’s upbringing wasn’t immediately focused on sports but rather on using his interests outside the sport to create a more holistic approach to development.

“I really think a lot of this is an accident,” Eric said in the story. “Whatever you put in front of him he kind of likes.”

Eric knew from an early age his son gravitated toward activities that stimulated his brain. At the time of the New Yorker piece, Eric already had Miller involved in writing camps, math competitions and chess. Miller also drew football plays on his laptop, just for fun. In Miller’s elementary school yearbook, which included the typical “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question, Miller had said “Secretary of State.” By high school, the answer had evolved to “President.”

“I think he is an unusual kid for a football player and an unusual football player for a kid,” Eric said in an interview with ESPN last month. “I think he’s a tactician and a strategist, but he is also self-effacing and has the ability to bring people together.”

As Miller’s mom, Emily Kovner Moss, explains, the family was not oriented around creating and protecting a high-level athlete. Growing up, Miller would become fixated on certain things — Greek mythology, space travel, drawing or basketball — and his parents wouldn’t pull him away to focus on football.

“He would be pretty obsessive about things and really pursue them,” Emily said. “We have so many books on Greek gods and goddesses and airplanes and rocket ships from those days.”

In the end, though, football was what stuck — more specifically, the dream of being USC’s starting quarterback. Though Miller’s upbringing didn’t occur in an environment where there was pressure to perform, he still cared every time he went out on the football field. Or, in the case of his first few years at USC, when he had to stand and watch from the sidelines. “There were obviously moments that were frustrating,” Eric said.

“There were people that told me ‘What are you doing?'” Miller said. “Even people on our own team being like, ‘Hey man, you could play, go play other places.'”

During the shortened 2021 season, he threw 13 passes. The year after, 14. All of them came in garbage time.

“I expressed that to my family: This sucks. It’s not fun,” Miller said. “It’s difficult watching film of opponents and I’m thinking, I know I can do this. It definitely tested my patience.”

The 2022 Pac-12 championship game was rock bottom. Needing a win to all but guarantee a spot in the College Football Playoff, USC was trailing Utah in the second half and Williams had hurt a hamstring but stayed in the game. According to Miller, coaches told him to get warmed up. But the moment never came. Williams stayed on the field, and after scoring 17 points in the first half, the Trojans’ offense only scored seven points in the second half and lost to the Utes 47-24.

“Caleb is a hell of a competitor and earned the right to stay in the game, and I can’t say that if I was him in that position, I wouldn’t have done the same thing,” Miller said. “But that awkward back and forth of ‘Am I going to go in or not?’ was frustrating. It was disheartening because I walked away from that questioning Lincoln’s belief in me.” Miller communicated his frustrations to Riley and asked about his position on the team. If the coaching staff didn’t trust him, he needed to know so he could move on with his college career elsewhere.

“I always wanted him to know as his mom that you always have a choice, you are never stuck somewhere,” Emily said. “I always wanted him to know that he had agency. And of course, when you’re emotionally connected to something, it’s more difficult to exercise that agency. At the same time, when you have an emotional connection, you’re more invested and you work that much harder and it means that much more.”

It wasn’t just about football. Miller’s entire life is at USC. He likes being a college student. USC is connected to not just his football career, but his education and dreams beyond the sport. That made it easier to push away the idea of transferring.

“What was hard about it is that he loves USC,” Emily said. “He’s so dedicated to it, dedicated to it in every way, athletically, academically, socially. Like it’s in his soul.” Miller has already earned a bachelor’s degree in law, history and culture with a minor in business finance, and he is currently pursuing his master’s degree in social entrepreneurship.

“Him staying at USC this whole time has been painted as an allegiance to the program and school, which is true,” Eric said. “But I also think it has something to do with his sense of himself … He is genuinely connected on campus, it’s not just a means to an end. He has his friends on campus, his girlfriend, the football guys and, this may sound odd, but he’s actually a college student in a community that’s bigger than the football team.”

That’s why when Riley assured Miller that the Pac-12 championship situation was not a reflection on him or his talents, it was easy to believe the coach. That was enough to convince him to commit to another year at USC. In 2023, Williams would still be under center, but Miller Moss’ opportunity was getting closer.

LAST YEAR, MOSS’ season took on a different tone. He knew that he would spend most of his time on the sidelines. But he knew he was only a few months away from getting his shot. He didn’t even give the transfer portal a thought.

“Coming into USC, I was probably pretty naive thinking I’d play a lot,” Moss said. “I think one thing that I had to learn early on in college is there’s a bunch of different paths to success.”

Despite the low points and the lack of playing time, Moss remained engaged and established himself as an emotional leader who competed in practice and invested in the younger wide receivers. Getting a start in the Holiday Bowl was, in some ways, a culmination of Moss’ journey. But after 60 minutes and six touchdowns, it became a showcase that vindicated Moss’s patience and jumpstarted the next part of his career.

“It was a magical night. It was more than I could have dreamed of,” Emily said. “The battle was fought for so long and he had really earned it, and that made it all the more fulfilling, But it’s part of a journey that has had ebbs and flows, so it’s not the end of something, it’s the continuation.”

Since the Holiday Bowl, USC did add a quarterback in the first transfer portal window, but it was not a multiyear starter with experience. Instead, they added UNLV’s Jayden Maiava — a rising sophomore with plenty of potential coming off a 3,000-yard season. Riley has remained consistent in saying that the position is up for grabs.

“After the way Miller played in the bowl game, and not just the way he played that night, but the way he handled those six weeks of practice, we felt extremely confident in him and we really felt like there was not much of a need to really pursue anybody that was older,” Riley said. “We’re going to let those two guys duke it out.”

Moss hasn’t let that deter him. He spent the offseason watching documentaries about successful sports teams such as the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick New England Patriots and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, and he has tried to soak up knowledge about leading a team. He has organized team outings and throwing sessions down in Huntington Beach, too. The foundation Moss built as a backup and the work he has done since has been noticed by his teammates.

“I feel like his talent has always been there,” sophomore wide receiver Zachariah Branch said. “He has a good arm, great confidence and he can read the scheme of defenses as well, but his leadership definitely has grown.”

Even if it appears that Moss’ transition from backup to leader happened overnight, he and those around him know that it hasn’t.

“These are always roles he’s always been attracted to, and that he’s always had in schools, in the classroom on teams,” Emily said. “So it’s not like, oh, all of a sudden I am the leader of this team. This is a 22-year project in the making, whether it’s in an athletic forum, an academic one, an artistic one.”

Football might be at the forefront of Moss’ mind at this moment. But as Eric puts it — almost echoing the quotes he once gave to “The New Yorker” — the past three years have shown this journey is about a lot more than that. Maybe “Secretary of State” and “President” have been replaced with “NFL quarterback,” but Moss’ experience at USC so far has been as instructive to his career as any time on the field going forward will be.

“If you’re the SC quarterback, everyone has an opinion on you,” Eric said. “To persevere in that context, he’s demonstrated he can do that. And that inner confidence, I think, is a real quality for Miller that will help him in lots of ways when football is history and he’s doing something else.” The experience he’s gone through has not only allowed Miller to stick to his plan in the face of adversity, but it’s also made him more well-prepared than ever to step into the demanding role this season will ask of him.

“In my mind,” Moss said, “I’ve lived every day of the past two years preparing for this.”

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Isles win draft lottery for first time since ’09

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May 6, 2025

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Isles win draft lottery for first time since '09

  • Greg WyshynskiMay 5, 2025, 08:09 PM ET

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      Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The New York Islanders won the NHL draft lottery on Monday night, moving up 10 spots to make the league’s first live televised drawing a memorable one.

“It was dramatic,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told ESPN after the drawing. “It worked the way it was supposed to in terms of the process. But the result was unpredictable.”

The Islanders had a 3.5% chance of securing the first pick entering the draft, the 10th-best odds out of the 16 teams in the lottery. It’s the fifth time in franchise history that the Islanders will select first, and the first time since they picked center John Tavares in 2009. Other first overall picks for New York were forward Billy Harris (1972), defenseman Denis Potvin (1973) and goalie Rick DiPietro (2000).

“The hockey gods smiled on us. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for Islander fans, for our ownership, for the entire Islander organization,” Islanders director of pro scouting Ken Morrow said.

The Islanders’ jump from 10th to first is the biggest involving a team winning the No. 1 selection. It comes after the last-place team won the lottery to retain the first pick in four of the past five years.

Boston College forward James Hagens, a Long Island native, is one of the top prospects available in the 2025 NHL draft, scheduled for L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27-28.

Two drawings were held, the first to determine the No. 1 pick followed by the No. 2 selection. Only the bottom 11 teams in the standings were eligible to land the first pick due to a rule restricting teams to moving up no more than 10 spots in the draft order. Each drawing selected a four-number combination that had been assigned to a team before the draft, with balls drawn at 30-second increments. There were 1,001 possible combinations.

The San Jose Sharks entered the day with the best odds, 18.5%, to win the lottery and a 25.5% chance of landing the No. 1 choice for the second straight season, having selected center Macklin Celebrini first in 2024. Celebrini joined Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson and Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf as finalists for the Calder Trophy for NHL rookie of the year, as announced on Monday.

The Sharks settled for the second pick in 2025 after the Utah Hockey Club won the second lottery draw, moving up from 14th to No. 4 overall. The Chicago Blackhawks had the second-best chances to win the lottery and will pick third. The Nashville Predators had no lottery luck — despite having the third-best odds, they drop to the fifth pick.

The drama was amplified in this season’s lottery as the NHL televised the drawing live from the NHL Network studios for the first time in the event’s 30-year history. Previously, the drawing was held in a sequestered room at the facility, with deputy commissioner Bill Daly revealing each draft position by flipping over a stack of cards on television.

“It’s basically the same thing that I do when we’d pretape it and Bill would reveal it. For me, it’s the same. It’s a little different for Bill. He doesn’t have to flip the cards over now,” Bettman said.

The NHL decided to make the drawing live because it drew more fan bases into the excitement of the first overall pick than the previous format. Before the Islanders won the lottery, seven teams still had a shot at the first overall selection: The Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Islanders each had two balls that would win them the lottery, while the Sharks, Seattle Kraken and Buffalo Sabres each had one.

“It gave those teams and those fan bases hope going into that final. To me, that was what this was all about: To keep hope alive all the way until the end,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s chief content officer, said.

There was plenty of drama before the final ball was drawn, too. The NHL partnered with SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT) to create real-time odds adjustments after every ball was selected. When No. 7 was selected as the first ball in the first drawing, the Sharks’ odds spiked to 20.6%, while the Calgary Flames were eliminated. When No. 11 was taken second, the Sharks went up to 24.3% while four other teams were eliminated. When No. 12 was selected third, that’s when things took a turn: The Sharks’ chances dropped to 9.1%, the Predators and New York Rangers were eliminated and suddenly both the Penguins (9th) and the Islanders (10th) had an 18.2% chance at the first overall pick.

“This was the idea from the beginning. If we’re going to do this, we have to know after the first ball what the percentages are and who’s out. We need to know after the second ball and the third. We need to know going into the last ball what every team needs,” Mayer said.

“I said, ‘Can somebody way smarter than me figure this out?’ And that’s what they end up doing.”

At last year’s draft lottery, the NHL did a very rough run-through of what a live lottery draw might look like. Mayer sent that video to Bettman and Daly before the live broadcast as a way to present the run of show, with MLB Network employees having stood in for the commissioner and deputy commissioner.

Were there any concerns? “Steve said a hundred percent guaranteed, no problem. And his track record on putting on events, outdoor games, All-Star Games and the draft is impeccable. So we rely on his assurance,” Bettman said.

The NHL was pleased with the event after its completion, both in creating a more dramatic viewing experience and in the technology working. Bettman said there would be a debriefing among the league’s staffers but anticipated the format would return next season. That’s when the drama will really get amplified, when 17-year-old phenom Gavin McKenna of Medicine Hat in the Western Hockey League is expected to be the first pick.

“All the lotteries are important, and they all get the same treatment, in terms of how seriously we treat them,” Bettman said. “We can be a little lighthearted talking about how this [live drawing] came about, but in the final analysis, we had to get comfortable that this was a process with unquestionable integrity.”

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Maple Leafs’ Stolarz injured, exits in 2nd period

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May 6, 2025

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Maple Leafs' Stolarz injured, exits in 2nd period

  • Kristen ShiltonMay 5, 2025, 10:23 PM ET

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      Kristen Shilton is a national NHL reporter for ESPN.

TORONTO — Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz exited midway through the second period of Game 1 of his team’s second-round Eastern Conference series matchup against the Florida Panthers on Monday after taking an elbow to the head from forward Sam Bennett.

There was no penalty called on the play. Stolarz was replaced by backup Joseph Woll. He had made eight saves on nine shots before leaving while Toronto raced out to a 4-1 lead over its Atlantic Division rival.

On the game broadcast, during the third period, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that a source said Stolarz had vomited on the bench before exiting for the locker room. The team made the official announcement that he wouldn’t return during the second intermission.

Stolarz started all six playoff games for Toronto against the Ottawa Senators in their first-round series victory, recording a 4-2 record with a .902 save percentage and a 2.21 goals-against average.

The 31-year-old veteran, who was the Panthers’ backup last season for Sergei Bobrovsky on their run to a Stanley Cup victory, was the Maple Leafs’ backbone in net throughout the regular season. He sat out some time after a midseason knee surgery but was an impressive 21-8-3 with .926 save percentage and a 2.14 GAA.

Woll took over starting duties when Stolarz was out during the regular season. He posted a 27-14-1 record with a.909 save percentage and a 2.73 GAA.

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Five-star QB Jared Curtis to Georgia: How he fits and what’s next

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May 5, 2025

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Five-star QB Jared Curtis to Georgia: How he fits and what's next

  • Eli Lederman

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    Eli Lederman

    ESPN Staff Writer

      Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

  • Tom Luginbill

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    Tom Luginbill

    ESPN Analyst

    • Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com
    • Coached in four professional football leagues
    • Graduated from Eastern Kentucky and Marshall

May 5, 2025, 06:11 PM ET

Five-star quarterback Jared Curtis, the No. 5 prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300, announced his commitment to the Georgia Bulldogs over the Oregon Ducks Monday, capping the most consequential recruitment to date in the 2026 cycle.

Curtis, who decommitted from Georgia this past October, is the No. 1 overall quarterback in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer from Nashville took trips to both Georgia and Oregon earlier this spring. Sources told ESPN that Curtis held in-home visits with offensive coordinators Mike Bobo (Georgia) and Will Stein (Oregon) last week and had conversations with both programs on Sunday afternoon prior to making his decision.

Curtis’ return to the Bulldogs’ 2026 class marks a crucial recruiting victory for coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs’ staff. Curtis now lands as the highest-ranked of four ESPN 300 pledges in the program’s incoming class, a collection of talent that will surely grow this summer as Georgia contends for a 10th consecutive top-three signing class. If he signs later this year, Curtis will arrive as the program’s third highest-ranked quarterback pledge in the ESPN recruiting era, trailing only Justin Fields (No. 1 overall in 2018) and Matt Stafford (No. 5 in 2006).

With his pledge, Curtis cements his place as the potential quarterback of the future in Athens behind expected starter Gunner Stockton, redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi and 2025 signees Ryan Montgomery and Hezekiah Millender. Oregon, meanwhile, returns to the quarterback market in search of a 2026 passer after missing out on a coveted target in Curtis.

Here’s what you need to know about the most consequential commitment in 2026 cycle this spring as the busy recruiting season of late-May and June enters the horizon:

What makes Curtis so good?

Curtis has supreme arm talent, ideal measurables and a competitive temperament. He has ideal measurables and good speed given his size and is a better athlete than he gets credit for. What we like best is his natural arm power, velocity, and ability to change arm angles. He’s a flexible thrower who can make off-platform throws look easy because he can find alternative ways to get the ball out without losing power or strength. He’s a crafty runner who can extend plays and get out of trouble.

If there is a concern, it would be the level of competition he faces at Nashville Christian, a 2A private school. He has yet to be truly challenged against elite competition throughout his high school career to this point. He is always the best player on the field. That being said, he has a winning mentality, likes to compete, and has abilities that can’t be coached. — Tom Luginbill

Who does he compare to?

When looking at current college players, Curtis, while much bigger, compares most to LSU Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier. Their skillsets are eerily similar. They are both gunslingers, have live arms and things don’t have to be perfect for them to still make a play. Both players play the game with supreme confidence and make players around them better.

In Athens, Curtis can play like Stetson Bennett did in his last two seasons in college. Like Bennett, Curtis can use his legs, acumen, resourcefulness, and accuracy to lead this team. Unlike Bennett, Curtis is bigger and has a stronger arm. — Luginbill

What does the team’s QB roster look like now?

Curtis joins a QB room with highly rated prospects with limited experience on the field. Gunner Stockton was the fifth-rated dual-threat QB in the 2022 class and filled in admirably late last year for an injured Carson Beck.

In all likelihood, Stockton will be the starter in Athens over the next two seasons. However, Ryan Puglisi is uber-talented and will also push for the starting job in 2025 and UGA signed two QBs in the 2025 class. The reality is that this decision, if Curtis signs in December, will likely lead to at least one or more players entering the transfer portal. — Luginbill

What’s next for Oregon and Georgia’s recruiting classes?

Round 2 between the Bulldogs and Ducks comes May 13 when five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell announces his commitment. No. 3 in the 2026 ESPN 300, Cantwell will visit both programs in the closing stages of his recruitment, and he certainly won’t be the last elite prospect the two powerhouses battle over, either.

Curtis’ commitment gives Smart and Co. a cornerstone pledge in the 2026 cycle. With the No. 1 overall passer in hand, Georgia will work to build around him. Top running back prospect Derrek Cooper (No. 7 in the 2026 ESPN) and four-star rusher Savion Hiter (No. 27) are a pair of priority targets at another position of need, as is in-state rusher Jae Lamar (No. 129). Five-star end Kaiden Prothro (No. 19 overall) could be the next piece in Georgia’s stellar tight end pipeline, and five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 12) will be on campus for an official visit later this month.

On defense, the Bulldogs remain firmly in the mix for top linebacker Tyler Atkinson (No. 13) and No. 1 athlete Brandon Arrington (No. 14), as well as top-50 defensive backs Jireh Edwards (No. 30), Justice Fitzpatrick (No. 42) and Chauncey Kennon (No. 49).

Oregon whiffed on Curtis, but with multiple years of eligibility for third-year passers Dante Moore and Austin Novosad — paired with the arrival of four-star freshman Akili Smith Jr. — the Ducks don’t have to sign a quarterback in the 2026 class.

Oregon has been in contact with five-star Houston quarterback pledge Keisean Henderson (No. 16 overall) this spring. But the Ducks’ top non-Curtis quarterback target is four-star passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50), who intends to take a mission trip following his senior year and would not join Oregon until 2027. Given the program’s lack of an immediate need at the position, Lyons — the nation’s No. 5 quarterback prospect — could be an especially good fit in 2026.

Other top targets for the Ducks this cycle include: Iheanacho, Atkinson, Arrington, defensive end Richard Wesley (No. 18), safety Jett Washington (No. 22) and tight end Mark Bowman (No. 24). — Eli Lederman

How does this affect the QB dominoes?

As noted, Oregon doesn’t have to sign a QB in this cycle, but with Curtis off the board, the Ducks should still be a major player across the seven months between now and the early signing period.

That could hold significant ramifications for Houston if the Ducks up their efforts to flip Henderson. It could also impact USC and BYU if Oregon turns its full attention to Lyons this summer. The Ducks could look toward other quarterbacks across the country, too.

Alongside Oregon, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss and South Carolina stand among the top programs still active in the quarterback market this spring.

However, as of May 5, only four of the 18 quarterbacks ranked inside the 2026 ESPN 300 remain uncommitted. With Curtis now committed, expect the recruitments of those remaining quarterbacks to pick up steam in the coming months.

Lyons is set for June officials with BYU, USC and Oregon. Ole Miss remains the front-runner for Duckworth, who also holds heavy interest from Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina. Bowe Bentley (No. 264) will get to Georgia, LSU and Oklahoma later this spring, while former Purdue pledge Oscar Rios (No. 193) will take official trips to Virginia Tech, Utah, Arizona and Colorado after an April visit to Oklahoma State. — Lederman

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