Every NHL team’s biggest prospect pipeline need — and the draft prospects who could fill them
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Rachel Doerrie
With the 2025 NHL draft coming up on June 27 and 28, it is time to evaluate what each team needs.
This is the part where we mention the caveat that teams should never draft for position, and instead should always take the best player available, especially in the first three rounds. Some teams have more pressing positional needs than others but drafting by position or size can lead to significant regret.
Some teams that have been contenders for years (think the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights) have thinner prospect pools and need everything; they’ve generally been trading away picks and prospects to stay on top. Others who have kept their picks but have not drafted in the top 10 lack high-end skill (Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers to name three). Then there are teams that have an abundance of skill at one position but lack elite talent at another.
Only one prospect pool is truly balanced in large part because their scouting mantra over the past five years has been to take the best player available, regardless of position.
What does each team need and who could fill those needs in the upcoming draft?
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd (WPG), 3rd, 3rd (TOR), 4th (DET), 5th, 5th (EDM), 6th, 7th
The Ducks have been the league’s best developer of defenders for more than a decade. There is a long list of defensemen drafted by Anaheim that have become top-four defenders, including Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Shea Theodore, Josh Manson, Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Montour.
More recently, the Ducks have brought along the likes of Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov and Olen Zelweger, who have shown legitimate promise in the NHL. However, Anaheim is currently missing a big defenseman with mobility to complement the offensive gifts of their top young defenders. Stian Solberg brings a competitive mean streak and is mobile, but his puck-moving abilities need to develop to NHL level.
Players in the current draft class that fit the mold include Radim Mrtka, Blake Fiddler and Carter Amico.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd (CAR), 2nd (STL), 3rd, 4th (PHI), 5th, 6th, 7th
Up and down the prospect pool, the Bruins need high-end skill. There isn’t a player in the pipeline with the level of skill that projects to be a difference-maker at the NHL level. This will hinder the Bruins as they retool back into being a top contender.
More specifically, the Bruins need a dual-threat center who can create offense through playmaking and be a shooting threat. They need defenders with good puck-moving ability and excellent mobility.
Given the Bruins’ run of success over the last 20 years, it is no surprise that their prospect pool lacks high-end talent. However, they’ve had success with selections outside the top 10, including with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jake DeBrusk. Players who would inject skill into the prospect pool include Roger McQueen, Caleb Desnoyers and Anton Frondell up front, and Sascha Boumedienne and Luka Radivojevic on defense, all of whom could be available for them to select in the upcoming draft at No. 7 overall.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 4th (MIN), 5th, 6th, 7th, 7th (NSH), 7th (WSH)
The Sabres have a deep prospect pool filled with skill. What they are missing — and it isn’t much — is a big forward with skill who can develop into a power forward.
This pipeline has many soft-skill, smaller players like Konsta Helenius, Brody Ziemer, Noah Ostlund and Isak Rosen to add to smaller NHL players like Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn. Some of those players are two-way forwards who have hard-skill attributes, but none of them are capable of physically imposing themselves.
Buffalo needs a power forward who blends soft and hard skill to win puck battles, and can be a net-front presence and a physical presence in general. Players in the draft class that fit the description include Brady Martin, Porter Martone and Bill Zonnon. If the Sabres favor hard skill over the size, Carter Bear and Viktor Eklund would fit nicely as well.
2025 draft picks: 1st (FLA), 1st (NJ), 2nd (COL), 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th
Calgary picks twice in the first round, with a fantastic opportunity to add a skilled play driver to the prospect pool.
2024 first-rounder Zayne Parekh is the most skilled offensive defenseman outside the NHL, and the Flames have a few other solid prospects like Matvei Gridin and Andrew Basha. They need a skilled, dual-threat forward who can drive offense, as many of their forward prospects are complementary players. Samuel Honzek and Aydar Suniev are excellent examples of skilled forwards who should play complementary roles alongside play drivers.
The aging of their current center group should have the Flames looking forward to adding players at the position, but it isn’t a pressing issue that would force passing on a play-driving winger. There should be plenty of options for the Flames in the draft, including Benjamin Kindel, Carter Bear, Cullen Potter and Cole Reschny.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 3rd (TB), 4th, 6th, 6th (TB), 7th
The Hurricanes have drafted well, and their modus operandi has been adding skill, regardless of position. You will often see the Canes in the “winners” column of any draft analyst who uses analytics as a key component of player evaluation, because they are excellent at extracting value throughout the draft.
Having said that, if the Canes are short on a specific position, they could use some centers in the pipeline. Many of their high-end projected players are defenders (Dominik Badinka, Alexander Nikishin, Scott Morrow) or wingers (Bradly Nadeau, Nikita Artamonov, Felix Unger Sorum). All of those players are projected to be middle- or top-of-the-lineup contributors in the next few years. However, the Canes lack a center prospect who projects in the same category.
Given where they are selecting and their draft philosophy, some players who may intrigue them are Jack Murtagh, William Moore, Cameron Schmidt (though he’s a winger), Ivan Ryabkin, Jack Nesbitt and Milton Gastrin.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (TOR), 2nd, 2nd (DAL), 3rd, 4th, 4th (NYR), 6th, 7th
It is no secret the Blackhawks have some serious talent in the pipeline, but the majority of it is on defense. After opting for Artyom Levshunov over Ivan Demidov, and drafting Kevin Korchinski, Sam Rinzel and Ethan Del Mastro, Chicago has depth on the blue line for the foreseeable future.
However, they lack a star-caliber forward to complement the franchise’s most important piece, Connor Bedard. It is imperative the Blackhawks add a forward with a top-line projection who can produce and facilitate offense. Ideally, this player can drive play on their own, potentially allowing Chicago to spread the riches in the top six. There needs to be a serious injection of talent at the top of the lineup to get the rebuild moving more quickly.
Given the draft capital and position — their first pick is No. 3 overall — they should absolutely be targeting Michael Misa, Porter Martone or James Hagens with their first pick, and look at players like Shane Vansaghi, Benjamin Kindel, Nathan Behm and Ryker Lee with their other selections in the top 64.
2025 draft picks: 4th (VAN), 7th
After trading Calum Ritchie at the deadline, the Avalanche lack upside in their prospect pool. Outside of Mikhail Gulyayev, there is a real lack of players who have a chance to play impactful roles, and zero forward prospects with top-six projections.
Given the contention window and the all-in mentality, it is no surprise the Avalanche lack high-end skill in their prospect pipeline. However, the Avalanche are going to need players who can play impactful minutes to complement the supreme talent at the top of their roster.
The Avalanche have two total selections in the upcoming draft, and without maneuvering to add draft capital in the first three rounds, will be hard-pressed to find the type of upside they need in their prospect pool.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (MIN), 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 7th (VGK)
The Blue Jackets took a major step forward this season, and some of their younger players had a key role in that development. The Blue Jackets are set up the middle, provided Cayden Lindstrom remains healthy and develops into a second-line player. They have tremendous young talent on the wings, and offensive firepower on the blue line.
But after trading David Jiricek this past season, the Blue Jackets are without a prospect in the pipeline that projects to be a top-four defender that eats minutes against the opposition’s best players. Charlie Elick has a longshot projection to be a No. 4, but is most likely to be a depth defender who plays on the penalty kill.
Columbus could fill this need in the form of Logan Hensler, Kashawn Aitcheson, Cameron Reid, Blake Fiddler and/or Sascha Boumedienne given their two first-round selections in the upcoming draft.
2025 draft picks: 3rd, 5th, 5th (NJ), 6th, 7th
Given where the Stars are — and their knack for drafting and developing players outside of the top 20 — it isn’t terribly concerning that their prospect pool lacks a high-end center. Wyatt Johnston and Roope Hintz should be their top two centers for the foreseeable future. However, the Stars lack any center depth in the prospect pipeline and would benefit from bolstering that position.
Mavrik Bourque and Emil Hemming are their best remaining prospects at forward. Both are wingers, and Bourque ages out of the prospect pool after this season. Lian Bischel, Christian Kyrou and Aram Minnetian represent legitimate upside on defense, making the need for a center more pronounced.
Given their lack of draft capital, it will be difficult to acquire the type of player their prospect pool needs without draft pick acquisition.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd (NYR), 4th (TB), 5th, 6th, 7th, 7th (STL)
The Red Wings have a ton of young prospects, but the majority of their high-end prospects are defenders. Both Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper can no longer be considered prospects, and the Red Wings lack a single player in their pipeline with a top-line projection.
Nate Danielson and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard are projected to become middle-six forwards while Axel Sandin-Pelikka and Andrew Gibson are expected to join an excellent young blue line. Trey Augustine projects to be a starting goaltender in the NHL, leaving the Red Wings with projectable players everywhere except the top of their forward lineup.
The Red Wings need players who can produce offense and drive play. Players that would be a welcome addition to the pipeline include Carter Bear, Jake O’Brien, Lynden Lakovic, and Cole Reschny. If the likes of Viktor Eklund or Roger McQueen were to fall out of the top 10, the Red Wings should be thrilled to get either of them.
2025 draft picks: 3rd (STL), 6th, 7th
The Oilers have three picks in the entire draft and none in the top 64.
It is no surprise that a team in their contention window lacks skill in their prospect pool because it means they’ve drafted late, traded their picks away or traded their high-end prospects. The Oilers have done all three, and lack high-end skill outside of Matthew Savoie.
Sam O’Reilly and Beau Akey represent the best chance to become middle-of-the-lineup players for Edmonton, who desperately need a skilled winger to flank Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. They’re going to have to trade up or swing for the fences with the likes of LJ Mooney, Shamar Moses, Filip Ekberg and Gustav Hillstrom.
2025 draft picks: 4th, 4th (CGY), 5th, 5th (SJ), 6th, 7th
When a team has recently won the Stanley Cup and made multiple deep playoff runs over the past few years, it’s likely to have a barren prospect cupboard.
That is the case with the Florida Panthers who need … well, everything. There isn’t a single position of strength in the pipeline, nor is there a single player projected to be an impact player at any position.
Justin Sourdif, Jack Devine and Gracyn Sawchyn have the best chance to become NHL forwards, while Marek Alscher and Tobias Bjornfot have a chance to become depth NHL defenders.
Gone is goaltender Spencer Knight, and the Panthers have no goaltenders projected to play NHL games in their system. There is no need to be picky, and given they are without a draft selection in the first three rounds, the Panthers need to swing on skill and upside with their late-round picks.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 7th (PHI)
The Kings are without a single prospect on defense that is projected to become an NHL player, after graduating Brandt Clarke. However, forwards Liam Greentree, Koehn Ziemmer, and Kenny Connors have NHL projections to varying degrees. Greentree is most likely to be a middle-six forward, with the other two projected to become depth NHL players.
In goal, the Kings are overflowing with talent between Carter George, Hampton Slukynsky and Erik Portillo. In fact, there is a strong argument that the Kings have the best goaltending pipeline in the NHL.
The Kings need defensemen in the pipeline, and are well equipped to add a few in the upcoming draft. Top-90 targets include Blake Fiddler, Sascha Boumedienne, Carter Amico, Kurban Limatov and Alex Huang.
2025 draft picks: 2nd, 4th (TOR), 5th (CBJ), 6th
It is very weird to look at a prospect pool and get the initial impression that a playoff team doesn’t have any holes. But that’s what happens when you’ve got the best drafted-to-signed NHL contract ratio over the past five years.
The Wild are stocked with high-end prospects at every position, from goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to defensemen David Jiricek and Zeev Buium to forwards Danila Yurov, Ryder Ritchie, Charlie Stramel and Hunter Haight. There is no shortage of talent in the Wild prospect pool, and they are set up to have excellent depth for years.
Their drafting mantra is one that many fanbases wishes their team had: take the best player available. There is no “high-floor, low-ceiling” nonsense, or worries about a smaller, skilled player. The Wild have one pick in the first three rounds this year but expect them to continue to extract value in the later rounds.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (CGY), 2nd, 2nd (PIT), 3rd, 3rd (NJ), 3rd (VAN), 4th, 4th (BOS), 5th, 6th, 7th
The Canadiens’ rebuild process through the draft has been no joke. Taking chances on smaller players like Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson has been nothing short of brilliant. Add Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage and Filip Mesar to the mix, and the Habs have a lot of quality skaters in the pipeline.
Jacob Fowler is one of the top goalie prospects in the sport, and projects to be an NHL starter, perhaps best suited for a platoon role. On defense, the club is hoping David Reinbacher remains healthy and develops into a top-four minutes-eater they saw when they selected him early in 2023.
To round out the Canadiens’ roster, they need some hard skill. A player who can complement their soft-skilled scorers and win puck battles, score at the net front and be a physical presence on the wall. They have that with Kaiden Guhle on the back end, and if Owen Beck and Joshua Roy can make the jump, they will be solid, bottom-six players.
Having someone in the top-six who can bring the physicality and produce 65-70 points per season would add a dimension. Juraj Slafkovsky has some of those traits in his game, but a player like Brady Martin or Caleb Desnoyers would be the perfect fit. If Roger McQueen happens to slide the way Lane Hutson did, he would fit this mold nicely.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (TB), 1st (VGK), 2nd, 2nd (TB), 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th (COL)
Barry Trotz has pulled no punches in his assessment of the draft, and thank goodness, because the Predators need skill. They have lacked a true, top-line scoring center to play with Filip Forsberg for years. There are scoring wingers and two-way centers in the pipeline, but there are no point-producing centers.
With a top-five pick, the Predators are primed to add an elite center. Any one of Hagens, Misa or Frondell would be a great selection for the Preds. Should they opt to swing for the home run if Misa is unavailable, McQueen makes sense, but there are understandable reservations with his injury history.
Regardless of who the Preds select at No. 5, there will be a center with top-six projection available to them. Misa, the best center in the draft, followed by Hagens, a 70-plus point, two-way center and Frondell, who projects to be a top-line center, should all get significant consideration.
After trading Yaroslav Askarov to San Jose, the Preds lack a goaltender in their pipeline, and can take one of Joshua Ravensbergen or Jack Ivankovic with one of their four other selections in the first two rounds.
2025 draft picks: 2nd, 2nd (EDM), 3rd (VGK), 4th, 6th, 6th (SJ)
The Devils have quality top-six centers locked up, and Nico Hischier found himself in the Selke Trophy conversation this season. However, both he and Jack Hughes are on the smaller side, and have accrued a fair injury history. Given their immense talent, the former first overall picks will lead the Devils for foreseeable future.
The Devils’ brass seems to like size, and would do well to add a big center to the mix. Without a first-round pick, they will be hard-pressed to add an impact center, but many middle-six centers have come from the second and third rounds.
The Devils are loaded on defense to the point where some of those players may be used as trade chips to acquire pieces that can help the Devils contend. Tyler Brennan and Mikhail Yegorov both have NHL potential, and provide options at the goalie position.
Targeting size, regardless of forward position, wouldn’t be a surprise, and some players who fit that mold include William Horcoff, Jakob Ihs-Wozniak, Eddie Genborg and Vaclav Nestrasil.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th
The Isles hit the jackpot in winning the draft lottery in the year that a defender is the consensus top pick. The need for a No. 1 defenseman is pressing, and Matthew Schaefer is that guy. He should be the first overall pick and will go a long way to slotting everyone on the Isles’ blue line into a better spot.
The Isles have quality forward talent, with Calum Ritchie and Cole Eiserman projected to be top-six forwards while Danny Nelson and Quinn Finley project to become depth NHLers.
On defense, it is a lot thinner with only Calle Odelius and Jesse Pulkkinen projected to play NHL games. The Isles need to bolster the defensive pipeline, as it is an area of weakness.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (SEA), 4th (ANA), 4th (COL), 5th (MIN), 6th, 6th (SEA), 7th
The Rangers are a bit of an enigma in terms of their direction. They have young players and aging players; they have a blue line that needs help and everything outside of their goaltender Igor Shesterkin seems to be in flux.
The Rangers should use their first-round pick this year, and hope that next year’s pick, owned by Pittsburgh, is a lot lower because they’ve made the playoffs. It isn’t that the Rangers lack talent, it is that there is a concerning pattern of inability to develop that talent to its full potential (Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Vitali Kravtsov, Llias Andersson, Nils Lundkvist, Zac Jones). Gabe Perreault, EJ Emery, and Drew Fortescue are the only players in the system with confident NHL projections, and none of them play center.
The Rangers could use more mobile defenders and someone like Radim Mrtka or Kashawn Aitcheson fits their drafting style. If they opt for a center, they’d need to hope one of Jake O’Brien or Caleb Desnoyers falls to them at 12.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 3rd (FLA), 4th (SJ), 5th, 6th, 7th
The Senators took a major step this season in large part because their top-of-the-lineup players were excellent and they got decent goaltending. When the Sens have drafted for skill, as with Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson, they have hit home runs. When they’ve drafted for toughness, it has not gone nearly as well.
The Sens’ prospect pipeline has a lot of size, a lot of truculence and serious tenacity. It lacks high-end skill, and players projected to be offensive producers above the 60-point plateau. The Sens own the 21st overall pick in the draft, and can use that to draft a forward with some offensive creativity. Players that fit the description include Kindel, Potter, Reschny, Cootes and Schmidt, Lakovic and Carbonneau. Should they opt for defenders, Logan Hensler and Cameron Reid would fit nicely.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (COL), 1st (EDM), 2nd, 2nd (ANA), 2nd (CGY), 2nd (CBJ), 3rd, 5th, 5th (CAR), 6th
The Flyers need high-end skill in every area of their prospect pool and having three first-round picks allows them to swing for the fences on players. Philly should be targeting players with significant upside, even if they fall into the boom/bust category.
There is a need for skill at the center position. Oliver Bonk brings skill on the blue line, and should slide into the top four in the next couple of years. However, the Flyers lack a prospect with point-per-game potential up front, and finding Matvei Michkov a center should be a priority.
There are many players the Flyers can target with their first pick, and Martone, McQueen, Frondell, Eklund and Desnoyers should all get significant consideration. With their other picks in the 20s, the Flyers can take players who slide, or go after Ryabkin, Potter, Kindel, Cootes and Nesbitt. There is a significant opportunity to add speed, skill and elite offensive creativity to their prospect pipeline, and the Flyers need to make good on it.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (NYR), 2nd (WSH), 3rd, 3rd (MIN), 3rd (OTT), 4th, 5th (CHI), 5th (NYR), 6th, 7th
The Penguins have two first-ballot Hall of Fame centers still playing at a high level in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. However, there is an extreme need for elite talent at the top of the lineup to drive play and produce offense.
Tanner Howe and Rutger McGroarty are projected to be middle-six forwards with 60- to 65-point ceilings. Melvin Fernstrom and Tristan Broz have depth NHL projections.
On defense, Owen Pickering and Harrison Brunicke have top-four projections, and Joel Blomqvist has potential to be a legitimate NHL starter in goal.
The good news for the Penguins is there is plenty of high-end talent available for them to select in the first few rounds. Eklund, McQueen, Lakovic and O’Brien all make sense for the Pens given their upside. Later in the draft, Luca Romano, Viktor Klingsell, LJ Mooney and Filip Ekberg would fit their draft style.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 1st (DAL), 2nd, 2nd (OTT), 3rd (COL), 4th (STL), 4th (WPG), 5th (COL), 7th (NJ)
With so many highly touted prospects in the pipeline, it is somewhat incredible the Sharks need defenders. Outside of Sam Dickinson and Mattias Havelid, the Sharks lack talent on the back end. Both Havelid and Dickinson play an offensive playstyle rather than two-way, which creates a need in the pipeline.
The Sharks are expected to draft a forward with their top selection, although they must be hoping the Isles pass on Matthew Schaefer at No. 1. Barring that, which seems unlikely, the Sharks have three more picks in the first two rounds after second overall. Two-way or defensive defenders they can target include Fiddler, Henry Brzustewicz, and Simon (Haoxi) Wang. Defenders who can complement Dickinson and Havelid, move the puck effectively and defend in transition are exactly what the Sharks need to continue their rebuild.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 2nd (TOR), 4th, 4th (DAL), 5th, 7th
The Kraken have two young centers in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, and a few budding forward prospects with top-six NHL projections in Berkly Catton and Eduard Sale. In the middle six, at least two of Carson Rehkopf, Jagger Firkus, Jani Nyman and Julius Miettinen should provide varying levels of offensive production.
In goal, the Kraken have Niklas Kokko and Kim Saarinen, who have modest NHL projections. With depth up front and talent in goal, the Kraken have a defensive need. Outside of Caden Price and Lukas Dragicevic, the Kraken lack prospects with NHL projections.
Jackson Smith makes sense for them in the first round, as a two-way defender with a top-four projection. In the second round, Charlie Tretheway and Brzustewicz make sense as both have NHL projections.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 5th, 6th
The Blues have done a great job of stocking the cupboard with talent, albeit talent that is projected to be less impactful. They have a few forward prospects projected to be middle-six players, like Otto Stenberg, Dalibor Dvorsky, and Adam Jecho. On defense, Adam Jiricek, Colin Ralph, Theo Lindstein and Michael Buchinger all have decent NHL projections.
The Blues lack truly elite talent in their prospect pool. Dvorsky has the highest upside, but his path to becoming a first-line point producer is not as confident. The Blues need a top-line forward or an elite defender in their pipeline, someone who can be a difference-maker.
The Blues own their first-round pick, but don’t have another until the fifth round this year. There are likely to be some highly skilled players available at No. 19, including Kindel, Schmidt, Ryabkin and Potter for the Blues to select.
2025 draft picks: 2nd (LA), 4th (EDM), 5th, 7th, 7th (MIN), 7th (SJ), 7th (UTA)
The Lightning have traded a lot of picks recently, and Isaac Howard, who was a first-round selection, does not intend to sign with them. That’s a tough bounce for a team that has not drafted in the first round very much over the past five years.
From top to bottom, the Lightning pipeline needs skill and players with NHL projections. They lack both and need to find diamonds in the rough to complement their aging skilled players. At every position, the Lightning need to add players with legitimate NHL potential — meaning there is no need to be picky on position.
The acquisition of Conor Geekie last offseason helped, and he is clearly the best young player in the organization. Given a lack of draft capital in the first few rounds, the Lightning will need to be judicious in their approach.
2025 draft picks: 2nd (FLA), 3rd (EDM), 5th, 5th (PIT), 6th, 7th
When you don’t draft a lot, and you trade your best prospects away, you’re going to lack skill in the pipeline. After trading Fraser Minten, the only remaining forward prospect for Toronto with a top-six projection is Easton Cowan, and he projects to be a second-line player.
The Leafs have an abundance of goaltending prospects, and drafted Ben Danford in 2024. There are few defensive prospects that project to be NHL players, but the prospect pool lacks high-end skilled forwards.
It’s going to be tough to fill that gap, given the lack of draft capital, and will require the Leafs to take some swings. Players who may be available that have reasonable upside include Adam Benak, Luca Romano, LJ Mooney and Filip Ekberg; should they trade into the top 40, Cameron Schmidt, Jacob Ihs-Wozniak and Nathan Behm could be options.
Utah Mammoth
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th
The Utah Mammoth had quite a successful season, and now, with the luck of the lottery that evaded them in Arizona, moved from outside the top 10 to 4th overall.
With many highly drafted players, the Mammoth’s prospect pool and lineup is loaded with talent. Young players like Logan Cooley and Dylan Guenther are having a huge impact offensively at the NHL level. The Mammoth have many smaller forwards, but lack a top-six forward with size and skill. The type of player who physically imposes himself, wins pucks, is a nuisance at the net and will create open ice for the likes of Keller, Guenther, Logan Cooley and Tij Iginla (when ready).
With the No. 4 pick, there are a few options including Desnoyers, Martone and McQueen, and some have whispered Brady Martin’s name, though he would be considered a reach at that spot.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd, 3rd (SJ), 4th (OTT), 5th, 6th, 7th
If you tune into Vancouver radio, or listen to their President of Hockey Operations speak, you know exactly what the organization lacks from the NHL lineup to the prospect pool: a center. Whether Jim Rutherford is talking about it or one of the 17 different radio shows/podcasts, it is no secret.
After not drafting a center in 2022, passing on Zach Benson in 2023, and not drafting until the third round of 2024, it is no surprise their prospect pool has a few quality defenders and zero centers with top-six upside.
Armed with their selections in the first two rounds this year, it is highly likely the Canucks target a center to address a significant area of need. They are more likely to target certainty (high-floor, low-risk) than swing for the fences, given the lack of depth in the organization. Players who fit that and could be available to them include O’Brien, Cootes, Nesbitt, Moore, McKinney and Horcoff.
2025 draft picks: 2nd, 3rd (WSH), 4th, 5th, 6th, 6th (WSH)
It should come as no surprise that Vegas needs something in their prospect pool given their modus operandi of trading their drafted prospects. Almost every first-round selection has been traded by the Golden Knights, and no one expects that to change. There is a joke in NHL circles that if you’re drafted by Vegas in the first round, you’re probably not going to play in Vegas, so don’t get too comfortable.
Vegas doesn’t have a first-round selection this year, but they do have picks in rounds two though six. They have a pressing need for a defender, but the reality is, they have a pressing need for high-end talent if they want to continue to use their players as trade chips at the deadline.
The Knights are likely to target players with value around the league, meaning Tretheway, Brzustewicz, Radivojevic, Amico and Limatov will have value on defense. If Schmidt were to fall out of the first round, he may be someone Vegas targets as well.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 2nd (BOS), 3rd (CAR), 4th, 5th
It’s one heck of a year to need a goaltender in your prospect pool — and that is exactly what the Capitals need. The Caps have a pick in each of the first five rounds, and given the goaltending talent available in this draft, they could come away with a potential future starter.
With Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren signed for the new few years, there isn’t a pressing need for immediate help. However, there is no depth behind them, and no prospects with legitimate NHL projections. With projected NHL players at other positions like Cole Hutson, Terik Parascak, and Andrew Cristall in junior hockey, and Ryan Leonard, Hendrix Lapierre, Ryan Chesley, and Ivan Miroshnichenko playing professionally, the Caps have excellent young talent.
Joshua Ravensbergen, Jack Ivankovic and Alexei Medvedev all have legitimate NHL projections, with the first two having NHL starting goalie projections.
2025 draft picks: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th
The Jets have a habit of retaining their top talent, convincing the likes of Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Connor Hellebuyck to stay put via long-term deals. Nikolaj Ehlers is yet to decide his future, but the Jets have reinforcements in the prospect pipeline at forward, via Brad Lambert, Brayden Yager, Kevin He and Colby Barlow.
The defense is much thinner, with Elias Salomonsson and Alfons Freij as the only prospects with any NHL projection, and they are modest ones at best. The Jets need to add defenders to the prospect pipeline, and have their first-round pick to do so. Defenders like Boumedienne, Tretheway and Fiddler could be around when the Jets make their pick, and make sense for their current pipeline.
The Jets don’t need immediate help, and these defenders are two or three years from having meaningful impact in the NHL, buying them time to develop.
Week 1 is finally here and there’s plenty to know about ahead of this weekend. Top 25 matchups will be played, and many freshmen will have the chance to show if they can shine under the bright lights for the first time.
All eyes will be on No. 1 Texas-No. 3 Ohio State as the Longhorns travel to the Horseshoe Saturday. What can we expect to see from Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in Week 1? No. 9 LSU travels to No. 4 Clemson in a tough road matchup to start off the season. While Brian Kelly and LSU have yet to win a Week 1 matchup the past three seasons, will this be the game that changes that? As we look forward to a jam-packed weekend, we take a look back at some of the best quotes of the offseason.
Our reporters break down what to know entering Week 1.
Jump to:
Expectations for Arch and Jeremiah
LSU-Clemson | Freshmen to watch
Offseason quotes
Texas-Ohio State preview
What do we need to see from Arch Manning Week 1?
We can expect Manning to take some deep shots, especially to receiver Ryan Wingo, who Manning has raved about all offseason. The Longhorns weren’t great at stretching the field last season with Quinn Ewers, but whenever Manning got in, he looked to make big plays. Texas’ offensive staffers said this spring they keep reminding Manning that he just needs to keep the offense moving forward and to take the easy throws when he can, especially while breaking in four new starters on the offensive line. Similarly, Manning, who has open-field speed, has been reminded by everyone — including his grandfather, Archie, who liked to run around a little bit — to get down or get out of bounds, and not to drop his shoulder and try to run anyone over. Manning doesn’t have to be “superhuman” or “do anything that is extraordinary,” Steve Sarkisian said on Monday. But a solid performance on the road at No. 3 Ohio State to open the season would set the Longhorns on a national championship trajectory. — Dave Wilson
What can we expect from Jeremiah Smith in his sophomore debut?
Smith noted during Big Ten media days last month that with a year of experience behind him, he expects to play even faster this season. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of college football, considering Smith put together one of the greatest true freshman seasons in college football history, capped with his game-clinching reception that lifted Ohio State to a national championship. The Longhorns were one of the only teams to keep Smith in check last year, holding him to just one catch for three yards. Of course, the attention on Smith allowed Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka to thrive, combining for 12 receptions in the 28-14 Buckeyes win. Still, Smith said he has been waiting for this opportunity to face Texas again. How new quarterback Julian Sayin performs could dictate the quality of Smith’s opportunities. Either way, Smith is primed to put on a show on the big Week 1 stage. — Jake Trotter
What each team needs to capitalize on to win
LSU: Four starters from last year’s starting offensive line were selected in the 2025 NFL draft, but that doesn’t mean LSU was elite up front. The Tigers ranked last in the SEC in rushing offense and mustered just 1.5 yards before contact on dropbacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt. This year’s unit will need to improve dramatically on that clip if LSU wants to contend for a playoff berth and that starts with the opener against Clemson. Clemson’s defensive front, manned by Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, is stout, and new coordinator Tom Allen will have his sights set on making LSU one-dimensional. The key to getting the ground game going will be a youth movement in the backfield led by Caden Durham and five-star freshman Harlem Berry. — David Hale
Clemson: As Hale mentioned, Clemson needs to dominate up front — as much as that sounds like a cliché. LSU coach Brian Kelly said he planned to rotate as many as eight offensive linemen in the opener, which is a nod to team depth, but may not be conducive in the type of environment they will be playing in. Clemson is eager to show that it has vastly improved in its front seven under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who brings a far more aggressive approach with his scheme. That aggressiveness was missing a year ago, as Clemson struggled to stop the run and consistently get after the quarterback with its best pass rushers. Clemson ranked No. 85 against the run a season ago while Penn State, where Allen coached, ranked No. 9. The same can be said on offense, where a veteran offensive line must help Clemson get the ground game going. Cade Klubnik was more effective as a passer last season because the Tigers had balance in their ground game. Converted receiver Adam Randall gets the nod at running back, and true freshman Gideon Davidson is expected to play. — Andrea Adelson
Five freshmen to watch in Week 1
Bryce Underwood, QB, Michigan, No. 1 in 2025 ESPN 300
Underwood shook the recruiting world with his late-cycle flip from LSU to the in-state Wolverines last November. Ten months later, ESPN’s top 2025 recruit is set to be the program’s Week 1 starter when No. 14 Michigan hosts New Mexico on Saturday.
Underwood’s elite arm talent, pocket awareness and mobility has impressed the Wolverines’ coaching staff since he arrived on campus in January, as has his accelerated knowledge of the game. The young quarterback will get his first chance to flash that talent alongside fellow Michigan newcomers in running back Justice Haynes (Alabama transfer) and wide receiver Donaven McCulley (Indiana) in Week 1 before Underwood and the Wolverines stare down a much stiffer challenge against an experienced, Brent Venables-led Oklahoma defense on Sept. 6.
Elijah Griffin, DT, Georgia, No. 3 in 2025 ESPN 300
For the first time since 2021, the Bulldogs landed the state of Georgia’s top-ranked prospect in the 2025 cycle, and Griffin already appears poised to be a Day 1 contributor for the No. 5 Bulldogs.
Like many of the elite defensive line talents before him at Georgia, Griffin possesses top-end traits — speed, physicality and SEC-ready size at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds — that have had onlookers drawing comparisons to former Bulldog Jalen Carter throughout the spring and summer. Griffin’s maturity and ability to pick up the defense has also stood out as he vies for snaps along a revamped Georgia defensive line that returns multiple starters from a year ago. Whether or not he starts against Marshall on Saturday, Griffin is expected to play early and often in a significant role within coordinator Glenn Schumann’s defense this fall.
Dakorien Moore, WR, Oregon, No. 4 in 2025 ESPN 300
Moore has been one of the nation’s most productive high school playmakers in recent seasons, and his elite speed and playmaking talent are expected to earn him early opportunities this fall as he steps into an unsettled Ducks wide receiver group.
Missing top 2024 pass catchers Tez Johnson (NFL), Traeshon Holden (NFL) and Evan Stewart (injury), No. 7 Oregon is screaming for fresh downfield producers in 2025. The Ducks have plenty of experienced options between Florida State transfer Malik Benson and returners Justius Lowe, Gary Bryant Jr. and Kyler Kasper, but none offer the brand of electricity Moore presents. One of ESPN’s highest-rated wide receiver prospects since 2006, Moore should be an asset for first-year starting quarterback Dante Moore as soon as Oregon takes the field against Montana State on Saturday.
Demetres Samuel Jr., DB/WR, Syracuse, No. 223 in 2025 ESPN 300
Samuel reclassified into the 2025 class to enter college a year early. At just 17 years old, the 6-1, 195-pound freshman is set to feature prominently for the Orange this fall starting with Syracuse’s Week 1 matchup with No. 24 Tennessee on Saturday in Atlanta.
A speedy tackler from Palm Bay, Florida, Samuel has legit two-way potential, and the Orange intends to make the most of it in 2025. Syracuse coach Fran Brown announced earlier this month that Samuel will start at cornerback against Tennessee while also taking snaps at wide receiver, where the Orange are replacing their top two pass catchers from a year ago. With Travis Hunter in the NFL, Samuel stands as one of the most intriguing two-way talents across college football.
Jayvan Boggs, WR, Florida State, No. 284 in 2025 ESPN 300
Boggs joins the Seminoles after hauling in 99 receptions for 2,133 yards and 24 touchdowns in a wildly productive senior season at Florida’s Cocoa High School last fall. Listed as a starter in Florida State’s Week 1 depth chart, he has an opportunity to pick up where he left off in 2025.
Boggs combines a thick build with sudden route running and knack for yards after the catch. Alongside transfers Gavin Blackwell (North Carolina), Duce Robinson (USC) and Squirrel White (Tennessee), he’s positioned to emerge as a reliable downfield option from the jump within a new group of Seminoles pass catchers around Boston College transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, starting with Florida State’s Week 1 meeting with No. 8 Alabama (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). — Eli Lederman
Notable offseason quotes
“I depend on Depends. … I’m making a joke out of it, but it is real. It is real. It is real. If you see a port-a-potty on the sideline, it is real, I’m just telling you. You’re going to see one at practice, on the sideline [in games].” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders, joking about his cancer recovery.
“But since we’re in Vegas, it seems like the right time to say it, our theme for this team is double down.” — Oregon coach Dan Lanning, on expectations coming off last year’s undefeated regular season.
“We figured we would just adopt SEC scheduling philosophy, you know? Some people don’t like it. I’m more focused on those nine conference games. Not only do we want to play nine conference games, OK, and have the [revised] playoff format [with automatic qualifiers], we want to have play-in games to decide who plays in those playoffs.” — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on criticism of the Hoosiers’ light nonconference schedule.
“The recent NCAA ruling to not punish players that weren’t involved is correct. However, this ruling also proves that the NCAA as an enforcement arm no longer exists.” — Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, on the sanctions against rival Michigan.
“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” — Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos to On3 in June about the opener vs. Alabama.
“I’m 21 so I can do shots at a bar.” — Texas quarterback Arch Manning, joking after being asked about how he has to carry himself in public.
“They can have their opinion. We’re going to handle all that on Aug. 30.” — Clemson DE T.J. Parker on the battle over the stadium nickname “Death Valley” between Clemson and LSU.
“I still have the [Catholics versus Convicts] shirt. I do. It’s well documented that’s as intense if not the most intense rivalry that at that time it felt like the national championship went through South Bend or Coral Gables. Intensity was high, physicality, the edge that game was played with was next level.” — Miami coach Mario Cristobal on the Notre Dame rivalry. Cristobal played in the game and will now coach in it as Miami opens vs the Irish.
“Be delusional … It means no cap on the jar, no limitations, dreaming big. With the College Football Playoff where it is, as Indiana showed last year, anybody can get there. If we’re delusional enough to know we can do that, we can get there … Take the cap off the jar. Limitless.” — Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, speaking at Big Ten media days.
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Ryan McGee
Let’s start with a personal memory, shall we?
Saturday, Sept. 10, 1983. Night had fallen and traffic was moving slowly as our aircraft carrier Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale was sitting in line attempting to leave Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium. My mother had a white-knuckled grip on the polished wooden steering wheel. I was riding shotgun, dressed head-to-toe in North Carolina State red and white. My little brother was in the backseat, donned in East Carolina purple and gold. He loved the Pirates because our father was an alum and had pitched for the East Carolina Teachers College baseball team back in the day. But I loved the Wolfpack because we were living in Raleigh in the Jimmy Valvano era and, did I mention it was 1983?
ECU had just defeated State for the first time in six years and did so by stopping the Pack on fourth down deep in Pirates territory in the waning seconds, preserving a 22-16 victory in front of 57,700 fans, at the time the largest crowd to ever witness a college football game in the state of North Carolina.
My brother was very happy. I was not. Mom, flying solo because Dad was away officiating another game in another town, had to physically separate us as we walked through the gravel parking lot to the car. Now we all watched as no one was bothering to separate a pair of bourbon-soaked gentlemen throwing hands in that same parking lot right beside our car. They were also dressed in opposing colors. When the guy in red had enough, he got back into his car and power-locked the doors. So the guy in purple walked around behind the car, ripped the license plate off with his bare hands and threw it like a frisbee into the dark pine trees that lined the lot.
“Just so you know, that’s what you two looked like walking to the car,” Mom said to us, our preteen faces still flushed. “If you’re still doing that when you’re their age, don’t come home.”
My brother mouthed silently at me from the backseat: “Go Pirates.”
I responded in kind, perhaps even with a middle finger extended: “Go Pack.”
Looking at East Carolina-NC State this weekend and thinking of all the Down East NC houses divided. Ex. Here’s Dad pitching for ECU in the 1960s and me in my Wolfpack gear in the 1980s (holding a bass). pic.twitter.com/LRBKQEyySU
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) August 27, 2025
Army-Navy, the Iron Bowl, The Game, the Big Game and more Cups than you would find at a Bed Bath & Beyond going out of business sale. College football, far more any other sport, is built atop a foundation of rivalries. But while we as a helmeted nation tend to focus on the biggest brand-name showdowns — the ones that determine conference titles, steer national championship pushes and have long held down prime network time slots on late November weekends — they aren’t always the most fun or even the most furiously fought football fracases on the calendar.
That’s why my personal favorite rivalries are the ones that set fire to their particular corner of the map with a crazed college football intensity but are games that people who live outside that immediate area might not fully understand or appreciate.
The contests when towns, counties, particular pages of state atlases and individual homes are divided by laundry. When autumn Saturday evenings aren’t just a football game, but rather a fistfight at a family reunion. And who doesn’t want to watch that?
It’s Akron and Kent State, stars of the Bottom 10 Cinematic Universe, located only 10 miles apart, who have a snafu in the snow every November over the possession of a Wagon Wheel. It’s North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State, Bison vs. Jackrabbits, in a contest that almost always has huge FCS national title implications and also almost always ends with postgame finger-pointing that will last for the next 364 days. It’s basically the entire Sun Belt Conference, where divisions still exist, teams still ride buses to games, bad blood has flowed through reluctantly shared veins of the likes of Georgia Southern vs. App State and where soon-to-be member Louisiana Tech is resuming the Rivalry in Dixie against Southern Miss. Football feuds that reach back through years gone by in lower divisions and long-abandoned small college conferences.
Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan for the Victory Cannon. Kansas vs. Missouri, a rivalry that next weekend will be reinstated as the Border Showdown, formerly called the Border War, a title with roots back to an actual border war between the two territories. Montana vs. Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild. Even the big brand likes of Clemson vs. Georgia, stadiums only 80 miles apart, and the game we just watched in Ireland to open the 2025 season, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, aka Farmageddon.
Why do I so relish these raucous regional rivalries? Because as you are now aware, I grew up right in the middle of one — maybe the best example there is. East Carolina versus North Carolina State, who will meet for the 34th time Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Will the nation be riveted? No. But will my neighborhood of that nation be hotter than a bottle of Texas Pete? Oh, hell yes.
“I call them cookout games because if there is ever an argument at the family cookout, then it’s probably about a game like this one.” That’s how it was once explained to me by Ruffin McNeill, a Lumberton, North Carolina, native and former all-star ECU defender who became the coach at his alma mater in 2010 and led the Pirates to four bowls in six years before he was controversially dismissed. Now Ruff is a special assistant at … wait for it … NC State. “To me, it’s what makes college football the best sport in the world. When you look at your brother or your cousin and you say, ‘You know I love you, but for a few hours this weekend I’m not going to love you as much as I usually do.'”
That’s how a lot of North Carolina families will be rolling Thursday night, especially those who reside between the state capital and the Outer Banks, what we call Down East. From Nags Head to New Bern and Scotland Neck to Smithfield, one giant barrel of red and white and purple and gold, all swirled together in the same living room. And man, do those colors clash.
“So, I’m from Texas, right? We have a lot of really intense rivalries that mean a lot inside the state of Texas but that people outside of Texas don’t really understand,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this year. He was East Carolina’s offensive coordinator for five years, 2010 to 2014, coaching under McNeill. “When NC State came to our place in 2010, I remember in pregame, it was already so tense. I said, ‘Oh man, this is how this is?’ Ruff said, ‘Yes, it is. Now imagine what it’s going to be like when we go there. Buckle up.'”
BACK TO THE memory banks.
Jan. 1, 1992. The final Peach Bowl was played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It was a drizzly day, but that didn’t prevent nearly 60,000 people from attending the last college football game played at the home of the Braves, soon to be replaced by the Georgia Dome. Both ECU and NC State were in the Top 25. After nearly two decades of annual contests, they hadn’t played since 1987. Why? Because after another win in Raleigh, Pirates fans stormed NC State’s home field and pillaged the goalposts. By this time Valvano was NCSU’s athletic director and, angered by the damage done to his football stadium, he immediately discontinued the series. So, when it came time for the Peach Bowl to send out its invites, the powers-that-be wisely made phone calls to two schools located only 80 miles apart and only a day’s drive down I-85 to their stadium.
There, in the stands, sitting with my family and surrounded by ECU fans, I began openly gloating about State’s imminent victory. After all, the Pack led by 17 points with less than nine minutes remaining. It was over, right? Wrong. Pirates quarterback Jeff Blake, amid chants of “We … believe!” and a sea of foam yellow buccaneer swords, orchestrated a comeback that made him not merely an East Carolina football legend, but the forever Pirates football deity.
I was so bitter about that day for so long that it pained me the first time I finally interviewed Blake, and he was such a genuinely nice guy.
“Everywhere I go, it’s about the ’92 Peach Bowl,” he said to me for a 2014 story about bowl games. Blake threw for more than 21,000 yards over 14 NFL seasons and is now director of the IMG QB Academy in Florida. “If I had won a Super Bowl ring, it would still be second in [Greenville, NC] to people wanting to see my Peach Bowl watch. At a big school, those moments might not mean so much. For the rest of us, those are the moments.”
ECU vs. NCSU has provided so many of those moments.
That game that Lincoln Riley spoke of in 2010 began with a 21-0 ECU lead in the first quarter, but Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson led a comeback of his own, sending the game into OT. But in that extra frame, Wilson was intercepted to secure the victory for the Pirates. It was a revenge game for their last meeting two years earlier, when it was NC State who celebrated at the end of the series’ first-ever overtime contest.
In 2022, ECU had a chance to tie and win the game late but missed a PAT and field goal as time expired, preserving NCSU’s 1-point win. And, oh yeah, there’s their last meeting, only eight months ago in the Military Bowl, where a sellout crowd in Annapolis got a red-hot game and a bloody ref as the result of a fight at the end of the game, à la those drunk dudes in the parking lot in ’83.
Speaking of, I failed to mention this when I shared that story, but those guys totally knew each other. They looked similar. Had the same nose. One even called the other by name. So, it should come as no surprise that the prize awarded for winning this game is directly based on that kind of kinship. The Victory Barrel, which wasn’t introduced until 2007 but has been retroactively marked to represent every result since the series began in 1970, was rolled out with a backstory about two ultracompetitive brothers who grew up on an Eastern North Carolina farm but attended the two different schools. Eventually, they donated the pork barrel that they had once kept in a barn, whittled with the results of their own hometown competitions, for the schools to keep track of their football games.
“Those games are the ones where you look at the other guy and you know that guy, or you at least recognize that guy, because that guy either lives in your neighborhood, or hell, he might be your brother,” explained Jerry Kill when asked about the intensity of overlooked rivalries. Now he’s a special consultant at Vanderbilt. Prior to that, he was the coach at New Mexico State, one half of the Rio Grande Rivalry versus New Mexico, aka the Game When The Diego Pavia Logo Urination Video (ahem) Leaked, which holds its115th edition later this season. “If you like western movies, you know how it works. This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
North Carolina has never been big enough for all its college football teams. Tobacco Road has long belonged to what used to be called the Big Four. Beginning at the western edge of the middle region of the state, aka the Piedmont, with Wake Forest, then moving east into the Triangle, with Duke and UNC in the middle and NC State on the eastern flank. But as Appalachian State began to gather steam, it challenged from the mountains after East Carolina did the same from the coast. Both have always coveted the power conference ACC membership of the Big Four, but both have also proudly owned the little brother chip on their shoulder pads. All while Wake and State have done the same, as they’ve had to watch the nation become obsessed with the Blue Devils and Tar Heels during hoops season.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who made headlines this summer at ACC media days when asked about ECU and replied, “I want to beat the s— out of that team,” has never shied away from the perceived “haves vs. have-nots” syndrome when it comes to UNC. See: When he also made headlines in 2022 saying, as paraphrased by a TV crew, that NC State is blue collar and UNC is elitist. On the flipside, ECU coach Blake Harrell recently suggested that his entire roster was making less NIL money than Pack QB CJ Bailey.
“Whatever you need to motivate yourself, you do it,” Torry Holt said, laughing, prior to his induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. The former NC State All-America wide receiver grew up in Gibsonville, North Carolina, just off Tobacco Road. He even picked tobacco as a kid. He also went 1-1 versus East Carolina during his four years with the Pack, highlighted by a backbreaking 68-yard TD catch to open the second half in Raleigh in 1997 that paved the way to a 37-24 win. “The important thing for me is that the last time I played them, we won. We lost the first one. But you don’t want to lose the last one. That was the last time I played them and the last time I will ever play them.”
He laughed again. “So … scoreboard.”
ONE MORE FROM the memory bank. It’s all you need to know about ECU vs. NCSU, and it easily applies to all those other underappreciated pigskin passion plays throughout this great college football nation.
It was spring 1997 and I was a young feature producer for ESPN. My primary beat was NASCAR, and I was covering a race at my hometown Rockingham Speedway. That’s when the governor of North Governor, Jim Hunt, who was an NC State graduate and former NCSU student body president, wandered into the media center during a rain delay, making small talk. He said to us, “You guys are with ESPN? Well, I have a story for you. Our state legislature is introducing a bill to try and mandate that East Carolina plays State every year. Y’all ever been to one of those games?”
I told him that, yes, I had, growing up in Raleigh in the 1980s. My camera operator said he had been a Wolfpack athlete, a swimmer. What we know now is that the bill never passed, but it did lead to more frequent Tobacco Road bookings for the Pirates.
That ’97 day in rainy Rockingham, Hunt sighed. “If that bill passes, then y’all know what I’m going to have to do?”
We looked at the governor, quizzically. He winked. Then he joked. At least I think it was a joke.
“We’re going to need to hire a lot more state troopers for Down East. Or wrestling referees.”
Leave it to Deion Sanders to come up with an idea for the College Football Playoff that nobody has really mentioned yet: Pay the players for making the tournament, and pay them more when their teams win.
If they do that, then “now it’s equality, now it’s even and every player is making the same amount of money,” the Colorado coach said.
Sanders and former Alabama coach Nick Saban talked to The Associated Press as part of their unveiling of a new Aflac commercial that rolls out this week with a storyboard ripped from today’s headlines: It opens with Sanders complaining: “This game has gotten out of control. All the money. All the unpredictability.”
He is talking about health insurance, of course, and the commissioner he wants to see run it isn’t Saban, but that kooky duck who wears the same powder-blue sportscoat as the two football legends.
It’s an endorsement that Sanders says hits home some two years after his diagnosis with bladder cancer, from which he says he is fully recovered.
“I’ve been walking with my coaches over a mile” after practice, he said ahead of Friday night’s season opener against Georgia Tech. “Exercising, lifting.”
Saban will be back on the set with ESPN in his second year of “retirement” after leaving the Crimson Tide, where he won six national titles. He insists he wants to help college sports find its footing, but not via a commissioner job that was floated last year with his name coming up as the ideal fit.
“I don’t want to be in that briar patch of being a commissioner, but I do want to do everything I can to make it right,” he said.
He and Sanders agreed that there needs to be more structure around the deals players sign. Since July 1, schools have been able to start paying up to $20.5 million each to their athletes over the next year under the House settlement alongside third-party NIL deals that have turned some players into millionaires.
Saban said he believes that forgotten amid all the hype about name, image and likeness deals — deals Sanders says are a joke because “there are only three or four guys who you might know their NIL, and the rest you’re just giving money to” — is what happens to the vast majority of these players after they leave school.
“For years and years and years as coaches, and when we were players, we learned this, we’re trying to create value for our future,” Saban said. “That’s why we’re going to college. It’s not just to see how much money we can make while we’re in college. It’s, how does that impact your future as far as our ability to create value for ourselves?”
Currently, conferences whose schools advance to the 12-team playoff receive $4 million for making the bracket, with payments increasing for every round they win.
Saban said Sanders’ idea about spreading the wealth with an NFL-style playoff bonus structure for players (winners of the Super Bowl got $171,000 last year) sounded like a good idea to him. He also had no love for proposals coming out of the Big Ten that would give that league and the Southeastern Conference multiple automatic bids.
“The NFC East has the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants, they have the biggest fan bases of anyone and they have to play their way in,” Saban said. “Everyone should play their way in. One year, a conference might get five teams in, another it might get three. But there’s no [scenario] in any competitive venue where you get a guaranteed playoff spot.”
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