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CONCORD, N.C. — Shane van Gisbergen completed a Saturday qualifying sweep by winning the pole for both the Xfinity Series and Cup Series races.

Van Gisbergen is racing for the Xfinity Series title but will run his 10th Cup Series race of the season Sunday when he competes on the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The New Zealander is not one of the 12 drivers trying to advance in the Cup Series championship race. But he beat all the contenders in a Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing to take the top starting spot for Sunday’s playoff elimination race.

Tyler Reddick, the regular season champion and a title contender, qualified second in a Toyota for 23XI Racing. AJ Allmendinger, who is the reigning winner of The Roval Cup race and a perfect 4 for 4 at the track in the Xfinity Series, qualified third for Kaulig.

Allmendinger is also not racing for the Cup Series title, but he is in the Xfinity Series playoffs. That race was scheduled for later Saturday.

Joey Logano, who is below the elimination cut line headed into Sunday’s race, qualified fourth in a Ford for Team Penske. The field of 12 will be cut by four drivers Sunday and Logano, teammate Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Briscoe are all facing elimination.

Cindric qualified fifth in a Ford. He was followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in Chevrolets, then Brad Keselowski in an RFK Ford and Bubba Wallace in a 23XI Toyota. Keselowski was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round and Wallace didn’t make the field.

William Byron, the only playoff driver of the 12 already locked into the round of eight, qualified 10th for Hendrick.

Christopher Bell, in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, will start 12th and lock himself into the next playoff round once he takes the green flag. Suarez was 13th in a Chevrolet, reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney was 14th in a Ford, Alex Bowman was 17th in a Chevrolet and Denny Hamlin was 18th in a Toyota.

Briscoe at 25th was the lowest-qualifying playoff driver.

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Badgers QB Edwards exits with lower-body injury

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Badgers QB Edwards exits with lower-body injury

Wisconsin starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., a transfer from Maryland, was ruled out of Thursday’s 17-0 home win over Miami (Ohio) after leaving in the first half because of a lower-body injury.

Edwards was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter after he handed off the ball and then started running. His left leg buckled and he fell to the turf. Edwards, 6-foot-3, 228 pounds, went into Wisconsin’s injury tent before walking to the locker room.

He was not in uniform on the Badgers’ sideline during the second half, and was replaced by Danny O’Neil, a transfer from San Diego State.

When asked about Edwards’ status after the game, Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell told the Big Ten Network: “Don’t know anything as of now, but he’s out here with us. That’s a good sign.”

Wisconsin made a significant offseason push for Edwards, who started 11 games for Maryland last fall and finished second in the Big Ten in passing yards average (261.9 ypg) and fourth in completions (273). He earned 2023 Music City Bowl MVP honors in leading Maryland to a win over Auburn.

Edwards began his college career at Wake Forest before transferring to Maryland in 2022.

In 2024, the Badgers lost quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami, because of a torn ACL against Alabama in Week 3.

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LSU’s Haulcy to serve first-half ban for ’24 fight

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LSU's Haulcy to serve first-half ban for '24 fight

LSU starting safety A.J. Haulcy will be suspended for the first half of Saturday’s game at No. 4 Clemson, the NCAA told ESPN on Thursday.

Haulcy, who transferred to LSU in May and was considered one of the top defensive players available in the portal, was suspended for a fight in his final regular-season game last year while playing for Houston.

The news came as a surprise to No. 9 LSU, as team officials were not informed of the suspension until Wednesday, sources told ESPN. The suspension leaves LSU without a key member of its secondary in a road game against Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, one of the country’s top quarterbacks.

Haulcy was ejected for his role in a fracas late in Houston’s 30-18 loss to BYU in November.

A few factors might have led to some of the ambiguity and confusion around the suspension. Haulcy was initially ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct, a penalty that wouldn’t generally yield a suspension. However, officials clarified after the game that Haulcy was ejected for fighting, which does result in a suspension.

Houston’s coaching staff was made aware of the classification of his ejection and the first-half suspension in December 2024 in a formal letter from the NCAA. According to sources, Haulcy says he was not informed.

Haulcy’s transfer to LSU in May also appears to have caused some communication issues on the suspension, though NCAA rules are clear that a suspension follows a player after a transfer and there is no appeal process.

Clemson finished No. 15 in the country in pass offense last season and returns Klubnik and a majority of its offensive weapons. LSU’s secondary was a weak spot last year, as the Tigers finished No. 76 nationally in pass defense.

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Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

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Source: 5-star Keys flips from LSU to Tennessee

Five-star pass catcher Tristen Keys, ESPN’s No. 2 wide receiver in the 2026 class, flipped his commitment from LSU to Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, a source told ESPN.

Keys, who is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, is the No. 10 prospect in the 2026 ESPN 300. He is the second-ranked member of the Vols’ 2026 class, trailing only five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, ESPN’s No. 8 recruit this cycle.

Keys, who is from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, had verbally committed to the Tigers since March 19. However, he maintained an open recruitment throughout the summer, speaking with multiple programs during official visits to Auburn, Miami, Tennessee and Texas A&M. With Keys’ flip, LSU has lost a five-star wide receiver pledge in consecutive cycles, after Dakorien Moore‘s decommitment in 2025.

Keys headlines a stacked pass-catching class that the Vols are building around Brandon, ESPN’s No. 3 pocket passer prospect. Keys joins Salesi Moa (No. 35 overall), Tyreek King (No. 52) and Joel Wyatt (No. 66) as the program’s fourth top-100 wide receiver pledge in 2026. Tennessee ranked 15th in ESPN’s class rankings for the cycle prior to Keys’ flip.

Keys caught 58 passes for 1,275 yards and 14 touchdowns in his junior season last fall, guiding Hattiesburg (Miss.) High School to Mississippi’s 6A state title game. He later participated in the Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl earlier this year.

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