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.
Four-star wide receiver C.J. Wiley decommitted from Florida State on Sunday afternoon, marking the latest blow to the Seminoles’ 2025 class amid the program’s 1-7 start this fall.
Wiley, No. 187 in the 2025 ESPN 300, is the fifth ESPN 300 prospect to pull his pledge from Florida State since the start of the regular season. His exit comes less than 24 hours after the Seminoles’ disastrous 2024 campaign continued in Week 9 with a 36-14 loss to Miami on Saturday that saw Florida State tally just 248 yards of total offense.
Wiley is ESPN’s 23rd-ranked wide receiver in 2025 and was the No. 3 prospect in the Seminoles’ incoming class prior to his decommitment. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound pass catcher marked a major addition for Florida State when Wiley committed to the program over LSU and Georgia on Jan. 24 after hauling in 68 passes for 1,473 yards and 14 touchdowns in his junior season last fall. Yet Wiley’s commitment ultimately lasted all of four months, and he now reopens his recruitment as one of the nation’s top uncommitted wide receivers little more than a month out from the start of the early signing period on Dec. 4.
Wiley’s decommitment continues the string of high-profile departures from Florida State’s 2025 class this fall. The exodus began in September when four-star defenders Javion Hilson (No. 76 in ESPN 300)) and Myron Charles (No. 178) pulled their pledges. The early weeks of October saw four-star pass catchers Malik Clark (No. 176 in ESPN 300) and Daylan McCutcheon (No. 145) leave the Seminoles’ 2025 class, and with Wiley’s decommitment Florida State has now lost pledges from three of ESPN’s top 25 wide receiver prospects in the current cycle in the span of just 26 days.
Charles and McCutcheon flipped immediately to Texas following their respective decommitments. Clark is now the second-ranked member of South Carolina’s 2025 class.
Florida State’s incoming class dropped to No. 37 in ESPN’s latest team rankings for the 2025 cycle earlier this week. Roughly six weeks from the start of the early signing period, the Seminoles now hold only five commitments from ESPN 300 prospects, headlined by five-star offensive tackle Solomon Thomas (No. 13 in the ESPN 300).
Florida State enters Week 10 sitting 1-6 in ACC play and hosts North Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.