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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — When Tyson Helton evaluates a quarterback, the Western Kentucky head coach channels the Old West.

“There’s not one damn great quarterback who don’t walk up there like John Wayne,” Helton said, his southern drawl stretching the Western star’s name out an extra syllable.

To illustrate, Helton stands up from the chair in his office and shows his preferred quarterback look — a deliberate head turn to bark concise instructions and intentional pointing to check plays. He wants a player completely unaffected by the moment.

Helton then parodies what he hates seeing, shaking his leg like he’s got bees in his boxers, flailing his arms dramatically and whipping his head around as if he’s expecting Myles Garrett to rush off the edge.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s Brandon Doughty here at Western, Sam Darnold at USC or Bailey Zappe or Austin Reed here,” Helton said, rattling off quarterbacks he has coached. “All the good ones, when they walk to the line of scrimmage, it’s damn John Wayne standing up there.”

In a college football environment that’s been labeled the wild, wild west for years, Helton has stayed relevant by exuding John Wayne-like calm in the head coaching chair. He’s defied the sport’s gravity — power leagues poaching, the portal churn and limited NIL — by finding gunslingers who can stay calm and spin the ball through all the headwinds.

The proof is on Helton’s résumé: Western Kentucky is one of 11 FBS college football programs to play in a bowl in each of the past six years, and it’s the only non-power league school to have a player picked in the first three rounds of the NFL draft in the past four years.

That kind of sustained success has made the Hilltoppers both an anomaly and a target. In an era when programs outside the power leagues have essentially turned into talent incubators for top-end conferences — including WKU losing 10 players to power schools and close to 70 percent of its production this year alone — Helton has kept Western Kentucky consistent during an era where inconsistency has become an expectation.

Helton has adapted unsentimentally to college football’s seismic changes with the same flatlined vibes he seeks in a quarterback. “The minute you changed it to the portal and NIL, it became a transactional business,” he said. “Right?”

He also has a simple transaction plan that’s kept WKU ahead even as it brings in 60 new scholarship players this year: relentlessly seek a quarterback who can be the program’s engine.

Helton’s next quarterback, FCS transfer Maverick McIvor, grew up enamored with John Wayne and has deep ties to the actor. Wayne directed a movie, “The Alamo,” on a ranch owned by McIvor’s family.

“If you have a quarterback, you have a chance,” Helton said. “And that’s the No. 1 piece that’s so important in today’s game.”

Helton has leaned in on early acceptance of college football as a year-to-year business. He tells players in the preseason that he, his staff and all the players will be evaluating their options at the end of the year. So he asks only for a year of dedication in the foxhole. He sums up the modern ethos this way: “You’re going to have to look at people — hey, this is not going to work out,” Helton said. “The same way they’re going to look at you and say, ‘Hey coach, I’m going to have to move on.'”

Then he adjusts accordingly. Lose one quarterback who breaks the NCAA record for touchdowns and passing yards in a season? Helton will find another quarterback to lead the country in passing yards, as he did when the Hilltoppers transitioned from Zappe to Reed in 2021 and 2022.

A star offensive coordinator leaves for a Power Five gig? Helton will promote an unknown off-field assistant without a hitch. After Zach Kittley spent a year as the WKU offensive coordinator, he left for the same job at Texas Tech, then became the head coach at Florida Atlantic. His anonymous replacement, Ben Arbuckle, would also do the job for a year and is now the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma.

Now that the portal has become mainstream, Helton said he’s seeing more value in high school recruiting and is making a shift back there. Last June, WKU barely did any high school official visits, but that’s changed. He’s got visits in three straight weeks this month. He needs to zig before others zag.

“At a place like Western Kentucky,” Helton said, “the mindset is always to stay cutting edge and stay ahead of the game.”

When last season’s primary starter, Caden Veltkamp, left to play for Kittley at FAU, Helton executed the package deal maneuver he helped popularize. Helton helped usher the coordinator-quarterback package deal into the mainstream when he plucked Kittley and Zappe from Houston Christian in December of 2020.

This spin on the carousel, he snared Abilene Christian offensive coordinator Rick Bowie and McIvor, who was the No. 4 passer in the FCS last year for ACU.

They come with big expectations and goals, as Helton tells Bowie the same message he once relayed to Kittley: If you do your job, you should be “one-and-done here” and go call plays at a power school.

They are bringing the right perspective.

“You want to be like John Wayne, kicking the saloon doors open,” McIvor said of playing the position. “That’s why Coach Helton says that. It’s relatable. It’s so fitting.”

That mindset will help Helton confront his next and biggest challenge — replacing nearly 70 percent of his production from last year. He lost all four defensive linemen to Indiana, Auburn, Florida State and Wake Forest, as well as two quarterbacks — Veltcamp to FAU and injured quarterback TJ Finley to Tulane.

Without them, Western Kentucky ranks No. 125 nationally in returning production rankings, per ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

“I love it,” Helton said. “I love the challenge of it. [But] do I want to be in this position? I do not.”

He jokes that WKU should come up with a graphic to show recruits how much money former Hilltoppers have gone on to make elsewhere. It’s estimated that they made more than $3 million in the last cycle. Western Kentucky has about $1 million to spend on its entire roster, per Helton, which is a fraction of what individual players make in the power conferences. “We’ve got a knife in a gun fight,” Helton said with a laugh.

Still, Western Kentucky is one of only four non-power conference teams to reach a bowl in six straight seasons, dating back to the beginning of Helton’s tenure. The Hilltoppers join Louisiana, Liberty and Marshall in that pint-sized fraternity of consistency as college football undergoes a tsunami of changes, from the portal to NIL to transfer rules — all of which Helton embraces.

“When everyone was pushing back,” he said in reference to NIL, “it was a way for me to say, ‘Hey, I know the players are going to take full advantage of this. I know we can pick what we need to win that fits us.'”

The transaction most likely to become the bellwether to Western Kentucky’s success in 2025 is the acquisition of McIvor from Abilene. McIvor threw for 8,012 yards and 63 touchdowns in three years there, including 506 yards in an overtime loss to Texas Tech to open the 2024 season.

That outburst put both him and Bowie on the radars of big schools, and they ended up at WKU together. McIvor picked WKU over schools like Wake Forest and Tulane.

McIvor will turn 25 before WKU opens against Sam Houston in Week 0, and he brings both a name out of “Friday Night Lights” and a demeanor that fits Helton’s belief in a Wayne-like line of scrimmage.

McIvor said there’s a ranch in his family called Quien Sabe in Midland County, Texas, where Wayne interacted with his relatives frequently over the years. Such lore meant that McIvor grew up a huge John Wayne fan, and he even has a picture of the famous actor in his apartment.

He loved that Helton references Wayne as a model for quarterback comportment. And he’s not shy about what he’s aiming to achieve.

“The perfect script would be, first and foremost, winning a championship in Conference USA,” McIvor said. “I want that under our belt and throw for right next to 6,000 yards, complete 75 percent of my passes and less than five interceptions.”

How has Helton, 47, built WKU to where those types of numbers are an expectation? The background starts with growing up in a football family, as he played quarterback in college for his father, Kim Helton, at the University of Houston.

Along his path, he has worked for everyone from June Jones at Hawaii to Jeff Brohm at WKU and his older brother, Clay Helton, at USC. He’s picked and chosen from systems, melding his coordinators’ strengths with his core beliefs.

The results of all that tinkering has yielded an incubator to tailor his background with the beliefs of the coordinators and, of course, tying them with the skill set of the quarterback and surrounding talent.

Over the past four years, with four different coordinators and three different quarterbacks, Western Kentucky has finished, on average, 10th nationally in passing offense. When asked to explain his success in that realm, Helton points to a never-ending search to find the next great quarterback.

“I look at pretty much every Division I quarterback every single year,” he said. “I watch them through the season. I know who the backups are. We recruit these guys out of high school.

“I track the FCS guys. I track the Division II guys. I have a recruiting staff that helps me with all that. I am constantly watching those guys.”

What does Helton value in quarterbacks to see what others have missed? “Forget about arm strength,” Helton said, stressing the importance of pre-snap manipulation. “The anticipation with the accuracy piece is unstoppable.”

Scouting quarterbacks doubles as a way to scout coordinators and playcallers. Watching McIvor introduced him to Bowie, who came from the Dana Holgorsen tree before calling plays at Valdosta State and Abilene Christian.

Bowie says the Air Raid is like a steak: Everyone seasons and garnishes it differently. Helton’s flavor will be a form of what they call the Pro-Raid, marrying Air Raid passing with a pro-style run game. That’s been built from five offensive coordinators in the past six years all bringing different concepts to poach, borrow and evolve WKU’s wide-open scheme.

“It’s more about space and numbers than just throwing the football,” Bowie said. “I see it blending. There’s a strong Air Raid component to it, but not being reckless, and doing what’s best to win the game.”

McIvor has been around long enough that he committed to Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, a pledge made back in December of 2018. He jokes that he hopes the more apt word to describe him is mature, rather than old. His experience made the opportunity at WKU what he called a “no-brainer,” as he calls it “the best decision I ever made” before even throwing a pass there.

There’s been an urgency to accompany this final year. But McIvor plans to approach it the steady way his coach wants him to approach the line of scrimmage.

“This is my job, I’m going to be the best I can be at it,” he said. “I think if I have the year that I have planned and, in my mind, I believe I can be a draft pick. And that’s my goal.”

And if McIvor achieves it, that would mean the pinball numbers and accompanying wins would continue for Helton, as he defies attrition and keeps hunting high-flying offenses one John Wayne behind center at a time.

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NHL free agency tracker: Updated list of the summer signings

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July 4, 2025

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NHL free agency tracker: Updated list of the summer signings

There has been no shortage of excitement already this NHL offseason. Following the Florida Panthers‘ second consecutive Stanley Cup championship — and seemingly never-ending celebration — the annual period of roster modification has begun.

The 2025 NHL draft included 224 prospects finding new homes, and the weekend included trades for Noah Dobson, Charlie Coyle and John Gibson. On Monday, a slew of re-signings, and the trade of Mitch Marner, took several big names off the free agent big board.

Below you will find our continuously updated free agency tracker for 2025, featuring a list of every player signed, including average annual value of the contract in most cases. Analysis of the biggest deals can be found here.

Note that the newest deals are on top, denoted by date.

Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers

July 3

The Hurricanes have signed the most coveted free agent left on the board; former Jet Nikolaj Ehlers is heading to Carolina via a six-year, $8.5 million AAV contract.

The Sharks are building an elite young core of skilled players, but the front office is also surrounding them with veterans to show the youngsters the ropes. That latter trend continued Thursday, with San Jose agreeing to terms on a two-year, $6.5 million AAV pact with defenseman Dmitry Orlov.

Deal details

July 2

One of the most legendary old guys without a Stanley Cup, Brent Burns is joining the Avalanche on a one-year contract to try to fill that gap on his résumé.

Deal details | Signing grade

Perhaps acknowledging that they will no longer be in the Nikolaj Ehlers business, the Jets added a seasoned middle-six winger instead in Gustav Nyquist, who is agreeing to a one-year, $3.25 million pact.

Defenseman Alexander Alexeyev has switched sides in the Capitals-Penguins rivalry! He’ll patrol the blue line in Pittsburgh next season, thanks to a one-year, $775,000 deal.

The Pius Suter Derby is over. The veteran forward will be plying his trade for the Blues, inking a two-year, $4 million AAV pact with the club.

Deal details

The big addition for the Golden Knights this offseason was Mitch Marner, but they’re making depth moves too, including signing defenseman Kaedan Korczak to a four-year, $3.25 million AAV contract.

Winnipeg: Cold in the winter. Detroit: Slightly less cold in the winter. Mason Appleton is about to find out after signing a two-year, $2.9 million AAV contract.

The Devils saw enough out of Cody Glass during the 2024-25 season to re-sign him. His new deal is for two years, $2.5 million AAV.

Salmon Arm, British Columbia, native Curtis Lazar is headed back to Western Canada, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Oilers.

Veteran winger Anthony Mantha has made the rounds in recent seasons, and his next NHL home is in Pittsburgh, inking a one-year, $2.5 million pact.

July 1

After a brief stint for an American-based team, Andrew Mangiapane is back in Western Canada, inking a two-year, $3.6 million AAV deal with the Oilers.

Deal details

Forward Justin Brazeau has chosen the Penguins as his next NHL destination, inking a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.

The Devils continued adding to their forward depth, adding veteran scoring winger Evgenii Dadonov via a one-year, $1 million deal.

The July 1 goalie rush continues. The Mammoth are the latest team to make an addition in the crease, inking Stanley Cup champion Vitek Vanecek via a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

Offensive defenseman John Klingberg is headed to San Jose, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4 million pact with the Sharks.

One of the top remaining free agents available, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has landed with the Ducks on a three-year deal.

Deal details | Signing grade

Veteran bottom-six forward Lars Eller has chosen the Senators as his next team, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.25 million deal.

The Penguins have extended their business relationships with Philip Tomasino (one year, $1.75 million) and Connor Dewar (one year, $1.1 million).

As part of the effort to retake the title of Florida’s best hockey team, the Lightning have inked Pontus Holmberg to a two-year, $1.55 million AAV contract.

The Wild have added Nico Sturm. The former Panther has signed a two-year, $2 million AAV contract.

The Sabres have entered the chat! The club’s first big deal of the day is inking goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.

The Kraken add to their goaltending depth, adding former Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray on a one-year, $1 million contract.

The Islanders had themselves a great draft weekend, and they continue the momentum in free agency, adding veteran forward Jonathan Drouin on a two-year, $4 million AAV deal.

Deal details

The Stars are on the board. Hours after announcing the official hiring of Glen Gulutzan as the club’s new head coach, the Stars have brought back forward Radek Faksa on a two-year, $3 million AAV contract.

Earlier on Tuesday the Kings lost defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Rangers. To help fill that blue-line gap, they signed Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million AAV) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million AAV). They also signed goaltender Anton Forsberg for two years, $2.25 million AAV.

Deal details

Defenseman Nick Perbix has thus far only known NHL life as a member of the Lightning. He’ll head to Nashville next, agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million AAV deal with the Predators.

The Panthers have gone to the veteran defenseman well again, signing Jeff Petry to a one-year, $775,000 contract.

Deal details

Fresh off a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, defenseman Nate Schmidt is joining the Mammoth by way of a three-year, $3.5 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade

The NHL career of James van Riemsdyk will continue, as he has agreed to terms with the Red Wings on a one-year, $1 million deal. Separately, the Wings added Jacob Bernard-Docker on a one-year, $875,000 contract.

Deal details

The Bruins add to their depth, agreeing to terms with Sean Kuraly on a two-year, $1.85 million AAV pact.

Another key member of the Panthers’ championship roster is returning. Veteran forward Tomas Nosek has agreed to a one-year deal.

After completing the 2024-25 season with the Jets, veteran forward Brandon Tanev is sticking in the Central Division, but heading to Utah by way of a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal.

Take another goalie’s name off the big board! Kaapo Kahkonen has agreed to terms with the Canadiens on a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. In a separate deal, the club also signed forward Sammy Blais.

The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey, defenseman Scott Perunovich has signed a one-year deal with the Mammoth.

In need of some backup goaltending depth, the Islanders agreed to terms with “Big Save” Dave Rittich on a one-year deal.

Diminutive, versatile forward Kailer Yamamoto is the latest player added by the Mammoth, by way of a one-year, $775,000 pact.

Veteran center Nick Bjugstad has made his decision: He’s joining the Blues by way of a two-year contract.

Veteran defenseman Ryan Lindgren finished the 2024-25 season with the Avalanche, and he’ll head northwest for his next NHL home, agreeing to terms on a four-year, $4.5 million AAV contract.

Signing grade

The Senators haven’t been able to lure any new free agents to the club yet, but their re-signing game remains strong. After re-upping with Claude Giroux, the Sens also continued their business relationship with Nick Cousins via a one-year, $825,000 pact.

Sure to be a fan favorite in Beantown, veteran forward Tanner Jeannot has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Bruins, with a $3.4 million AAV.

A sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, winger Michael Pezzetta is going from Montreal to Toronto via a two-year, $787,500 AAV contract.

Connor Brown impressed a lot of viewers with inspired play during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. Now, he’ll bring that energy to the Devils, who have signed him to a four-year, $3 million AAV contract.

The defenseman market is one key player smaller, as the Rangers have agreed to terms with Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $7 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade

One of the top goaltending options available is off the board, with Dan Vladar joining the Flyers via a two-year, $3.35 million AAV contract.

Deal details

Veteran feisty forward Corey Perry is switching sides in the Oilers-Kings rivalry, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with salary and bonuses worth $3.5 million. Separately, the Kings also signed veteran forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal with a $2.5 million AAV.

Deal details | Signing grade

One of the top available free agents has made a decision … and he’ll be re-signing. Brock Boeser is back with the Canucks by way of a seven-year, $7.3 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade

Parker Kelly will continue his career with the Avalanche, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with a $1.7 million AAV.

Veteran forward Colin Blackwell will be returning to the Stars, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.

Christian Dvorak has moved on from the Canadiens, agreeing to a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers.

Deal details

Noah Juulsen, welcome to Philly! The Flyers have inked the 28-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $900,000 deal.

Defenseman Ryan Johnson is sticking with the Sabres, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.

The top-rated goaltender slated to hit free agency this offseason will not make it to market; Jake Allen is back with the Devils via a five-year contract with a $1.8 million AAV.

Deal details | Signing grade

Veteran offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be back with the Islanders for 2025-26, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

June 30

The Red Wings will be continuing their relationship with veteran forward Patrick Kane, inking a one-year, $3 million extension.

Deal details | Signing grade

The band is getting back together. After re-upping with Sam Bennett last week, the Panthers re-signed both Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand on Monday.

Deal details | Signing grade

Rumors of a Mitch Marner trade popped up during draft weekend, and they came to fruition Monday, as the Maple Leafs inked Marner to an eight-year, $12 million average annual value extension, then traded him to the Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy.

Deal details | Trade grades

The Oilers will not be allowing one of their promising young players to leave via offer sheet, as they signed restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade

Veteran defenseman Ivan Provorov would have been one of the most sought-after blueliners on the free agent market. Instead, he’ll be back with the Blue Jackets for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV deal.

Deal details | Signing grade

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Harris, horse breeder, philanthropist, dies at 81

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July 4, 2025

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Harris, horse breeder, philanthropist, dies at 81

  • Associated Press

Jul 3, 2025, 11:02 PM ET

COALINGA, Calif. — John C. Harris, a breeder of thoroughbreds whose Harris Farms foaled and raised 2014 Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome and 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow, died. He was 81.

He died Wednesday, according to Harris Farms. No cause of death or location was provided.

Harris didn’t breed either California Chrome, a two-time Horse of the Year, or Tiznow, but both spent their early years at his Coalinga farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley near Fresno. Both horses were elected to the sport’s Hall of Fame.

California Chrome was the first California-bred to win the Derby since 1962. The colt went on to win the Preakness, but had his Triple Crown bid derailed in the Belmont.

Harris Farms stood many leading California sires, including Unusual Heat, Cee’s Tizzy, Lucky Pulpit, Eclipse Award winner Acclamation and Smiling Tiger.

Harris was born on his family’s farm on July 14, 1943. He graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1965 with a degree in animal production. He served for two years in the Army.

He became the sole shareholder and CEO of Harris Farms in 1981 following the death of his father, Jack, and led the ranch for decades, including Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, Harris Ranch Beef Co., Harris Feeding Co., Harris Farms Thoroughbred Division and Harris Fresh.

Harris was also known for his philanthropic efforts, supporting his alma mater as well as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Fresno State. He donated horses to a program at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga that gives horses and prisoners a new start through its vocational training program.

“Mr. Harris’ foresight, courage and willingness to invest his energy and assets in making our sport be better and rise higher in the eyes of the general public was a thing of pure beauty,” the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club said in a statement. “We owe him a great debt for dedicating his life to the marvelous animals we all love.”

Harris served as chairman of the California Horse Racing Board for three years and was a longtime board member and former president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association. He served on the board of the Thoroughbred Owners of California and was a member of the California Racing Hall of Fame.

“No one understood and appreciated the intersection of agriculture and Thoroughbred breeding and racing more than John, who was a farmer at heart,” Tom Rooney, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, said in a statement. “His presence was felt from his native California, to the farms and sales rings he frequented in central Kentucky, and all the way to Washington, D.C., where he helped shape and support the industry’s federal policies.”

Harris was involved in horse breeding and racing for more than 50 years.

He gave trainer Carla Gaines her first horse in 1989 and she went on to train numerous stakes winners for Harris Farms.

“His contributions to the thoroughbred industry in our state cannot be overstated and his support was unwavering,” Santa Anita Park said in a statement. “The green and white Harris Farms silks were omnipresent in Santa Anita’s winner’s circle and the legacy of the man they represent will be everlasting.”

Harris is survived by his wife, Cookie.

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Nats slugger Wood commits to Home Run Derby

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13 hours ago

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July 3, 2025

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Nats slugger Wood commits to Home Run Derby

  • ESPN News Services

Jul 3, 2025, 03:14 PM ET

Washington Nationals slugger James Wood will bring his massive power to the big stage, becoming the third player to commit to the July 14 Home Run Derby in Atlanta.

Wood, 22, has delivered 22 home runs in 86 games during his first full major league season. He was acquired by the Nationals in 2022 as part of the package of top prospects Washington received in the trade that sent Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres.

Wood announced the commitment on Instagram, with a video montage of himself, along with video clips of former Atlanta Braves star Hank Aaron hitting his record 714th home run in 1974. The video included the words, “Derby bound.”

Wood has 12 homers that have been hit harder than 110 mph. It’s the second most in the league behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani‘s 13. Wood also has four dingers that have been launched longer than 445 feet.

The Seattle Mariners‘ Cal Raleigh and the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. also have committed to the event, with five more participants still to be named.

Raleigh, who would become the first catcher to win the event, has a major-league-best 33 home runs. Acuna has nine home runs in 36 games after returning from a torn left ACL that also limited him to 49 games last season.

Defending champion Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers already has said he will not defend his Home Run Derby crown.

Field Level Media and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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