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The Stanley Cup Final ended in a thrilling Game 7, with the Florida Panthers beating the Edmonton Oilers, 2-1.

The Panthers, who lost to Vegas in the Cup Final last season, won the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.

More: Playoff schedule
Cup Final preview
Conn Smythe Watch
Burning questions
Wyshynski’s bracket
Cup contender comps

Stanley Cup Final

Path to Stanley Cup Final:

Panthers: defeated Lightning 4-1; defeated Bruins 4-2; defeated Rangers 4-2
Oilers: defeated Kings 4-1; defeated Canucks 4-3; defeated Stars 4-2

Leading scorers in playoffs:

Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk (22 points)
Oilers: Connor McDavid (42 points)

Schedule: (Panthers win 4-3)

Game 1: FLA 3, EDM 0 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: FLA 4, EDM 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: FLA 4, EDM 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: EDM 8, FLA 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: EDM 5, FLA 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: EDM 5, FLA 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 7: FLA 2, EDM 1 | Recap

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2:13

Panthers avoid collapse to capture first Stanley Cup in Game 7 thriller

The Panthers fend off the Oilers in Game 7 with a 2-1 victory to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship.

Conference finals

Eastern Conference

Path to conference finals:

Rangers: defeated Capitals 4-0; defeated Hurricanes 4-2
Panthers: defeated Lightning 4-1; defeated Bruins 4-2

Leading scorers in playoffs:

Rangers: Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck (14 points)
Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov (13 points)

Schedule: (Panthers win 4-2)

Keys to the offseason for the Rangers

Game 1: FLA 3, NYR 0 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NYR 2, FLA 1 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3: NYR 5, FLA 4 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4: FLA 3, NYR 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5: FLA 3, NYR 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: FLA 2, NYR 1 | Recap | Replay

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0:42

Vladimir Tarasenko’s goal pads Panthers’ lead in the 3rd period

Vladimir Tarasenko sneaks the puck past Igor Shesterkin to pad the Panthers’ lead in the third period.


Western Conference

Path to conference finals:

Stars: defeated Golden Knights 4-3; defeated Avalanche 4-2
Oilers: defeated Kings 4-1; defeated Canucks 4-3

Leading scorers in playoffs:

Stars: Miro Heiskanen (13 points), Jason Robertson (12 points)
Oilers: Leon Draisaitl (24 points), Connor McDavid (21 points)

Schedule: (Oilers win 4-2)

Game 1: EDM 3, DAL 2 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2: DAL 3, EDM 1 Recap | Replay
Game 3: DAL 5, EDM 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: EDM 5, DAL 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: EDM 3, DAL 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: EDM 2, DAL 1 | Recap

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0:42

Connor McDavid’s power-play goal opens the scoring in Game 6

Connor McDavid makes a brilliant move and backhands the puck into the net to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead.

Second round

Atlantic Division

Path to Round 2:

Panthers: defeated Lightning 4-1
Bruins: defeated Maple Leafs 4-3

Leading scorers in Round 1:

Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk, Carter Verhaeghe (9 points)
Bruins: Brad Marchand (8 points)

Schedule: (FLA wins 4-2)

Keys to the offseason for the Bruins

Game 1: BOS 5, FLA 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: FLA 6, BOS 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: FLA 6, BOS 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: FLA 3, BOS 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: BOS 2, FLA 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: FLA 2, BOS 1 | Recap

Consensus pick: Panthers

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0:53

Gustav Forsling scores late winner to secure series win over Bruins

The Panthers knock off the Bruins with a late goal from Gustav Forsling to reach the Eastern Conference finals.


Metropolitan Division

Path to Round 2:

Rangers: defeated Capitals 4-0
Hurricanes: defeated Islanders 4-1

Leading scorers in Round 1:

Rangers: Mika Zibanejad (7 points)
Hurricanes: Seth Jarvis (7 points)

Schedule: (NYR win 4-2)

Keys to the offseason for the Hurricanes

Game 1: NYR 4, CAR 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NYR 4, CAR 3 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3: NYR 3, CAR 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4: CAR 4, NYR 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: CAR 4, NYR 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: NYR 5, CAR 3 | Recap

Consensus pick: Rangers

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0:34

Chris Kreider completes natural hat trick to give the Rangers the lead

Chris Kreider tallies his third goal of the period to give the Rangers their first lead of the game.


Central Division

Path to Round 2:

Stars: defeated Golden Knights 4-3
Avalanche: defeated Jets 4-1

Leading scorers in Round 1:

Stars: Wyatt Johnston (7 points)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar (9 points)

Schedule: (DAL wins 4-2)

Keys to the offseason for Avalanche

Game 1: COL 4, DAL 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 2: DAL 5, COL 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: DAL 4, COL 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: DAL 5, COL 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: COL 5, DAL 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: DAL 2, COL 1 (2OT) | Recap

Consensus pick: Stars

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1:06

Matt Duchene’s 2OT heroics send Stars to Western Conference finals

Matt Duchene roofs a game-winning 2OT goal to send Dallas to the Western Conference finals.


Pacific Division

Path to Round 2:

Canucks: defeated Predators 4-2
Oilers: defeated Kings 4-1

Leading scorers in Round 1:

Canucks: Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller (6 points)
Oilers: Connor McDavid (12 points)

Schedule: (EDM wins 4-3)

Keys to the offseason for Canucks

Game 1: VAN 5, EDM 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: EDM 4, VAN 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3: VAN 4, EDM 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: EDM 3, VAN 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: VAN 3, EDM 2 | Recap
Game 6: EDM 5, VAN 1 | Recap
Game 7: EDM 3, VAN 2 | Recap | Replay

Consensus pick: Oilers

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0:45

Evan Bouchard doubles Oilers’ lead

Evan Bouchard’s shot hits the post and goes in for the Oilers’ second goal of the game.

First round

Atlantic Division

Regular-season records:

Panthers: 52-24-6, 110 points
Lightning: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Panthers: Sam Reinhart, 94 points (57 G, 37 A)
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov, 144 points (44 G, 100 A)

Consensus pick: Panthers

Schedule: (FLA wins 4-1)

Keys to the offseason for the Lightning

Game 1: FLA 3, TB 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: FLA 3, TB 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 3: FLA 5, TB 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: TB 6, FLA 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: FLA 6, TB 1 | Recap | Replay

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0:46

Aleksander Barkov with a shorthand Panthers goal

Aleksander Barkov rips a shot into the net and puts the Panthers up 2 against the Lightning.


Regular-season records:

Bruins: 47-20-15, 109 points
Maple Leafs: 46-26-10, 102 points

Leading scorers:

Bruins: David Pastrnak, 110 points (47 G, 63 A)
Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews, 107 points (69 G, 38 A)

Consensus pick: Bruins

Schedule: (BOS wins 4-3)

Keys to the offseason for the Maple Leafs

Game 1: BOS 5, TOR 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: TOR 3, BOS 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: BOS 4, TOR 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: BOS 3, TOR 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: TOR 2, BOS 1 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 6: TOR 2, BOS 1 | Recap
Game 7: BOS 2, TOR 1 (OT) | Recap

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1:11

David Pastrnak’s OT winner sends TD Garden into a frenzy in Game 7

David Pastrnak sends the Bruins faithful home happy with a spectacular game-winning goal in overtime to close out the Maple Leasfs in Game 7.


Metropolitan Division

Regular-season records:

Rangers: 55-23-4, 114 points
Capitals: 40-31-11, 91 points

Leading scorers:

Rangers: Artemi Panarin, 120 points (49 G, 71 A)
Capitals: Dylan Strome, 67 points (27 G, 40 A)

Consensus pick: Rangers

Schedule: (NYR wins 4-0)

Keys to the offseason for the Capitals

Game 1: NYR 4, WSH 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NYR 4, WSH 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: NYR 3, WSH 1 | Recap
Game 4: NYR 4, WSH 2 | Recap | Replay

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0:32

Jack Roslovic seals Rangers sweep with empty-net goal

Jack Roslovic caps off the Rangers’ night with an empty-net goal to make it 4-2, sealing the 4-0 sweep vs. the Capitals.


Regular-season records:

Hurricanes: 52-23-7, 111 points
Islanders: 39-27-16, 94 points

Leading scorers:

Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho, 89 points (36 G, 53 A)
Islanders: Mathew Barzal, 80 points (23 G, 57 A)

Consensus pick: Canes

Schedule: (CAR wins 4-1)

Keys to the offseason for the Islanders

Game 1: CAR 3, NYI 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: CAR 5, NYI 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: CAR 3, NYI 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: NYI 3, CAR 2 (2OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5: CAR 6, NYI 3 | Recap

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1:40

Hurricanes score 2 goals in 8 seconds to go ahead

Jack Drury and Stefan Noesen score eight seconds apart in the third period and the Hurricanes take a lead.


Central Division

Regular-season records:

Stars: 52-21-9, 113 points
Golden Knights: 45-29-8, 98 points

Leading scorers:

Stars: Jason Robertson, 80 points (29 G, 51 A)
Golden Knights: Jonathan Marchessault, 69 points (42 G, 27 A)

Consensus pick: Stars

Schedule: (Stars win 4-3)

Game 1: VGK 4, DAL 3 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: VGK 3, DAL 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: DAL 3, VGK 2 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 4: DAL 4, VGK 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: DAL 3, VGK 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 6: VGK 2, DAL 0 | Recap
Game 7: DAL 2, VGK 1 | Recap

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0:34

Radek Faksa scores 44 seconds into 3rd period

Radek Faksa scores quickly in the third period to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.


Regular-season records:

Jets: 52-24-6, 110 points
Avalanche: 50-25-7, 107 points

Leading scorers:

Jets: Mark Scheifele, 72 points (25 G, 47 A)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon, 140 points (51 G, 89 A)

Consensus pick: Avs

Schedule: (COL wins 4-1)

Keys to the offseason for the Jets

Game 1: WPG 7, COL 6 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: COL 5, WPG 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: COL 6, WPG 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: COL 5, WPG 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: COL 6, WPG 3 | Recap | Replay

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1:22

Mikko Rantanen scores back-to-back goals in third period

Mikko Rananen scores back-to-back goals to give the Avalanche a 5-3 lead in the third period vs. the Jets.


Pacific Division

Regular-season records:

Canucks: 50-23-9, 109 points
Predators: 47-30-5, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Canucks: J.T. Miller, 103 points (37 G, 66 A)
Predators: Filip Forsberg, 94 points (48 G, 46 A)

Consensus pick: Canucks

Schedule: (VAN wins 4-2)

Keys to the offseason for the Predators

Game 1: VAN 4, NSH 2 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: NSH 4, VAN 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 3: VAN 2, NSH 1 | Recap
Game 4: VAN 4, NSH 3 (OT) | Recap | Replay
Game 5: NSH 2, VAN 1 | Recap
Game 6: VAN 1, NSH 0 | Recap

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0:55

Canucks lockup series on lone goal from Pius Suter in final minutes

Pius Suter scores a goal in the third period to give the Canucks a 1-0 win and series victory vs. the Predators.


Regular-season records:

Oilers: 49-27-6, 104 points
Kings: 44-27-11, 99 points

Leading scorers:

Oilers: Connor McDavid, 132 points (32 G, 100 A)
Kings: Adrian Kempe, 75 points (28 G, 47 A)

Consensus pick: Oilers

Schedule: (EDM wins 4-1)

Keys to the offseason for the Kings

Game 1: EDM 7, LA 4 | Recap | Replay
Game 2: LA 5, EDM 4 (OT) | Recap
Game 3: EDM 6, LA 1 | Recap | Replay
Game 4: EDM 1, LA 0 | Recap | Replay
Game 5: EDM 4 LA 3 | Recap

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1:07

Zach Hyman makes it 4-2 Oilers to end 2nd period

Zach Hyman scores in the second period to give the Oilers a 4-2 lead heading into the third period vs. the Kings.

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Stanton won’t blame ailing elbows on torpedo bats

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Stanton won't blame ailing elbows on torpedo bats

NEW YORK — Giancarlo Stanton, one of the first known adopters of the torpedo bat, declined Tuesday to say whether he believes using it last season caused the tendon ailments in both elbows that forced him to begin this season on the injured list.

Last month, Stanton alluded to “bat adjustments” he made last season as a possible reason for the epicondylitis, commonly known as tennis elbow, he’s dealing with.

“You’re not going to get the story you’re looking for,” Stanton said. “So, if that’s what you guys want, that ain’t going to happen.”

Stanton said he will continue using the torpedo bat when he returns from injury. The 35-year-old New York Yankees slugger, who has undergone multiple rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections to treat his elbows, shared during spring training that season-ending surgery on both elbows was a possibility. But he has progressed enough to recently begin hitting off a Trajekt — a pitching robot that simulates any pitcher’s windup, arm angle and arsenal. However, he still wouldn’t define his return as “close.”

He said he will first have to go on a minor league rehab assignment at an unknown date for an unknown period. It won’t start in the next week, he added.

“This is very unique,” Stanton said. “I definitely haven’t missed a full spring before. So, it just depends on my timing, really, how fast I get to feel comfortable in the box versus live pitching.”

While the craze of the torpedo bat (also known as the bowling pin bat) has swept the baseball world since it was revealed Saturday — while the Yankees were blasting nine home runs against the Milwaukee Brewers — that a few members of the Yankees were using one, the modified bat already had quietly spread throughout the majors in 2024. Both Stanton and former Yankees catcher Jose Trevino, now with the Cincinnati Reds, were among players who used the bats last season after being introduced to the concept by Aaron Leanhardt, an MIT-educated physicist and former minor league hitting coordinator for the organization.

Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells were among the Yankees who used torpedo bats during their season-opening sweep of the Brewers.

Stanton explained he has changed bats before. He said he has usually adjusted the length. Sometimes, he opts for lighter bats at the end of the long season. In the past, when knuckleballers were more common in the majors, he’d opt for heavier lumber.

Last year, he said he simply chose his usual bat but with a different barrel after experimenting with a few models.

“I mean, it makes a lot of sense,” Stanton said. “But it’s, like, why hasn’t anyone thought of it in 100-plus years? So, it’s explained simply and then you try it and as long as it’s comfortable in your hands [it works]. We’re creatures of habit, so the bat’s got to feel kind of like a glove or an extension of your arm.”

Stanton went on to lead the majors with an average bat velocity of 81.2 mph — nearly 3 mph ahead of the competition. He had a rebound, but not spectacular, regular season in which he batted .233 with 27 home runs and a .773 OPS before clubbing seven home runs in 14 playoff games.

“It’s not like [it was] unreal all of a sudden for me,” Stanton said.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone described the torpedo bats “as the evolution of equipment” comparable to getting fitted for new golf clubs. He said the organization is not pushing players to use them and insisted the science is more complicated than just picking a bat with a different barrel.

“There’s a lot more to it than, ‘I’ll take the torpedo bat on the shelf over there — 34 [inches], 32 [ounces],'” Boone said. “Our guys are way more invested in it than that. And really personalized, really work with our players in creating this stuff. But it’s equipment evolving.”

As players around the majors order torpedo bats in droves after the Yankees’ barrage over the weekend — they clubbed a record-tying 13 homers in two games against the Brewers — Boone alluded to the notion that, though everyone is aware of the concept, not every organization can optimize its usage.

“You’re trying to just, where you can on the margins, move the needle a little bit,” Boone said. “And that’s really all you’re going to do. I don’t think this is some revelation to where we’re going to be; it’s not related to the weekend that we had, for example. Like, I don’t think it’s that. Maybe in some cases, for some players, it may help them incrementally. That’s how I view it.”

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Rangers’ Eovaldi gets season’s 1st complete game

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Rangers' Eovaldi gets season's 1st complete game

CINCINNATI — Nathan Eovaldi pitched a four-hitter for the majors’ first complete game of the season, and the Texas Rangers blanked the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 on Tuesday night.

Eovaldi struck out eight and walked none in his fifth career complete game. The right-hander threw 99 pitches, 70 for strikes.

It was Eovaldi’s first shutout since April 29, 2023, against the Yankees and just the third of his career. He became the first Ranger with multiple career shutouts with no walks in the past 30 seasons, according to ESPN Research.

“I feel like, by the fifth or sixth inning, that my pitch count was down, and I feel like we had a really good game plan going into it,” Eovaldi said in his on-field postgame interview on Victory+. “I thought [Texas catcher Kyle Higashioka] called a great game. We were on the same page throughout the entire game.”

In the first inning, Wyatt Langford homered for Texas against Carson Spiers (0-1), and that proved to be all Eovaldi needed. A day after Cincinnati collected 14 hits in a 14-3 victory in the series opener, Eovaldi (1-0) silenced the lineup.

“We needed it, these bats are still quiet,” Texas manager Bruce Bochy said of his starter’s outing. “It took a well-pitched game like that. What a game.”

The Reds put the tying run on second with two out in the ninth, but Eovaldi retired Elly De La Cruz on a grounder to first.

“He’s as good as I have seen as far as a pitcher performing under pressure,” Bochy said. “He is so good. He’s a pro out there. He wants to be out there.”

Eovaldi retired his first 12 batters, including five straight strikeouts during one stretch. Gavin Lux hit a leadoff single in the fifth for Cincinnati’s first baserunner.

“I think it was the first-pitch strikes,” Eovaldi said, when asked what made him so efficient. “But also, the off-speed pitches. I was able to get some quick outs, and I didn’t really have many deep counts. … And not walking guys helps.”

Spiers gave up three hits in six innings in his season debut. He struck out five and walked two for the Reds, who fell to 2-3.

The Rangers moved to 4-2, and Langford has been at the center of it all. He now has two home runs in six games to begin the season. In 2024, it took him until the 29th game of the season to homer for the first time. Langford hit 16 homers in 134 games last season during his rookie year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Source: USC flips Ducks’ Topui, No. 3 DT in 2026

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Source: USC flips Ducks' Topui, No. 3 DT in 2026

USC secured the commitment of former Oregon defensive tackle pledge Tomuhini Topui on Tuesday, a source told ESPN, handing the Trojans their latest recruiting victory in the 2026 cycle over the Big Ten rival Ducks.

Topui, ESPN’s No. 3 defensive tackle and No. 72 overall recruit in the 2026 class, spent five and half months committed to Oregon before pulling his pledge from the program on March 27. Topui attended USC’s initial spring camp practice that afternoon, and seven days later the 6-foot-4, 295-pound defender gave the Trojans his pledge to become the sixth ESPN 300 defender in the program’s 2026 class.

Topui’s commitment gives USC its 10th ESPN 300 pledge this cycle — more than any other program nationally — and pulls a fourth top-100 recruit into the impressive defensive class the Trojans are building this spring. Alongside Topui, USC’s defensive class includes in-state cornerbacks R.J. Sermons (No. 26 in ESPN Junior 300) and Brandon Lockhart (No. 77); four-star outside linebacker Xavier Griffin (No. 27) out of Gainesville, Georgia; and two more defensive line pledges between Jaimeon Winfield (No. 143) and Simote Katoanga (No. 174).

The Trojans are working to reestablish their local recruiting presence in the 2026 class under newly hired general manager Chad Bowden. Topui not only gives the Trojans their 11th in-state commit in the cycle, but his pledge represents a potentially important step toward revamping the program’s pipeline to perennial local powerhouse Mater Dei High School, too.

Topui will enter his senior season this fall at Mater Dei, the program that has produced a long line of USC stars including Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley and Amon-Ra St. Brown. However, if Topui ultimately signs with the program later this year, he’ll mark the Trojans’ first Mater Dei signee since the 2022 cycle, when USC pulled three top-300 prospects — Domani Jackson, Raleek Brown and C.J. Williams — from the high school program based in Santa Ana, California.

Topui’s flip to the Trojans also adds another layer to a recruiting rivalry rekindling between USC and Oregon in the 2026 cycle.

Tuesday’s commitment comes less than two months after coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans flipped four-star Oregon quarterback pledge Jonas Williams, ESPN’s No. 2 dual-threat quarterback in 2026. USC is expected to continue targeting several Ducks commits this spring, including four-star offensive tackle Kodi Greene, another top prospect out of Mater Dei.

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