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The 2025 MLB draft starts Sunday, so let’s project how the first round could play out this weekend with my mock draft 3.0.

The drama starts right at the top this year, as the Washington Nationals have a difficult decision to make with the No. 1 pick a week after firing their general manager.

In a year without a slam-dunk top player, Oklahoma high school star Ethan Holliday (yes, the son of former major leaguer Matt) and a group of college left-handers (LSU’s Kade Anderson, Tennessee’s Liam Doyle and Florida State’s Jamie Arnold) rank among the top prospects in the class.

Which direction will the Nationals go — and how will the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners follow with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks?

This is my next-to-last mock draft of the 2025 draft cycle, with an updated 3.1 version coming hours before Round 1 begins Sunday. And remember, this is the order in which I think the players will come off the board, while my draft rankings are the order in which I’d pick the players.

More coverage: Mock draft 2.0 | Big question for all 30 teams

Watch: Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN


1. Washington Nationals

Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Rank: 1

There is a lot of uncertainty at this pick after the firing of GM Mike Rizzo. The effect, if you believe the buzz in the industry, is that Anderson is now a little more likely to be the pick. I think it stands at about a 55% chance it will be Anderson, 35% for Ethan Holliday and 10% for Eli Willits/others.

Willits and maybe Liam Doyle seem to be the leading cut-rate options rather than prep ace Seth Hernandez, which may be another effect of interim GM Mike DeBartolo rather than Rizzo being at the helm.


2. Los Angeles Angels

Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Rank: 6

Doyle has been tied here for a while, and with good reason: He would probably take a below-slot deal and he is a strong candidate to be first player to the big leagues in this entire class. Given his dominating fastball, he could get big league hitters out right now, and the Angels may be aggressive and let him do just that, then see if they can make him a long-term starter.

Kade Anderson seems like the top guy on the Angels’ board, though, and thus would probably be the pick here if he doesn’t go No. 1. In this scenario, I think this decision will come down to Doyle, Jamie Arnold or bigger cut versus slot in Ike Irish. I give Doyle the slight edge.

The Angels love Daniel Pierce but likely can’t land him. Keep an eye on Mason Pike and Sam Horn as the starter targets along with basically any college arm with reliever risk at later picks: Brian Curley, Cade Obermueller, Chase Shores, Tanner Franklin, A.J. Russell, Lucas Kelly and Mason Morris.

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Liam Doyle’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Tennessee’s Liam Doyle one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.


3. Seattle Mariners

Seth Hernandez, RHP, Corona HS (CA)
Rank: 4

The tide seems to be turning with the Mariners now good with taking Hernandez here, despite the spotty outcomes of prep righties in the draft, after canvassing a wide group of players.

Jamie Arnold would be the runner-up and I think Kade Anderson is the top player on their board, so those three are the main targets. Ike Irish, Aiva Arquette, Liam Doyle and JoJo Parker seem to be the secondary options, I believe in that order.

Keep an eye on Lucas Kelly, Josh Flores and Jake Munroe at later picks.


Ethan Holliday, 3B, Stillwater HS (OK)
Rank: 2

It has been long rumored, maybe since the night of the draft lottery at the MLB winter meetings, that Holliday wouldn’t get past this pick, both because of team preference and his father Matt’s history in Colorado.

If Holliday doesn’t go No. 1 to the Nationals, this is very likely his landing spot — and I wouldn’t be surprised if he got the biggest bonus in this draft and the biggest bonus in this draft era to engineer this outcome for the Rockies.

If Holliday does go No. 1 overall, Kade Anderson and Jamie Arnold are believed to be the other main options here, likely in that order. If all three of those players go ahead of the Rockies, I think it would be Kyson Witherspoon or possibly Aiva Arquette as the pick.

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Ethan Holliday’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Ethan Holliday one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.


Eli Willits, SS, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK)
Rank: 3

I think the Cardinals’ board looks quite similar to mine, with Kade Anderson and Ethan Holliday in the top two spots, then Willits third. I think he’ll be the pick here in this scenario, but the other primary options would be a near coin flip with Jamie Arnold, or a slight cut with Ike Irish.


Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
Rank: 9

It sounds like the Pirates will take Seth Hernandez here, if he doesn’t go No. 3 to the Mariners. As a secondary plan, I think Pittsburgh is leaning toward a college hitter. Arquette has been mentioned here for months, with Ike Irish as the alternative, and pitcher Jamie Arnold another target if he gets here.


JoJo Parker, SS, Purvis HS (MS)
Rank: 7

I think Miami is looking to land Eli Willits and has Parker as a backup option with Jamie Arnold as a target if he slips. I’ll lean Parker over Arnold here but I think, in this scenario, those two players go in these next two picks in some order. Billy Carlson, Ike Irish and Andrew Fischer seem like the other backup options.

Keep an eye on Mason Pike, Will Rhine and Hunter Allen at later picks.


Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Rank: 5

Arnold entered the year as the top prospect on my board but was hit a little harder than expected, so the takes from teams vary a bit more than you’d expect. Like I said above, I think JoJo Parker and Arnold go back-to-back in this scenario, but Arnold has a real chance to go No. 2 or No. 3. Ike Irish and Kyson Witherspoon are secondary options.

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Jamie Arnold’s MLB draft profile

Kiley McDaniel explains what makes Florida State’s Jamie Arnold one of the top prospects in this year’s MLB draft.


Ike Irish, RF, Auburn
Rank: 11

Irish is going to go around here, but I’ll admit I’m not sure who the Reds go with here in the event Seth Hernandez and Liam Doyle aren’t available.

Steele Hall, Billy Carlson and Kyson Witherspoon are the other leading options connected here while Josh Hammond is a longer shot and JoJo Parker is connected but also off the board in this scenario.

Keep an eye on Evan Hankins at a later pick.


Billy Carlson, SS, Corona HS (CA)
Rank: 8

Carlson is in play to varying degrees at most picks starting around No. 5, with a floor around No. 12 and hot spots from 8 to 10, so this is right around what he should be expecting.

The White Sox may be the highest on JoJo Parker and his brother Jacob, but I don’t think they can get JoJo down to their pick. Steele Hall, Josh Hammond and Gavin Fien are also tied here in a very prep hitter-heavy mix, with prep LHP Kruz Schoolcraft a long shot/later overpay possibility.

Keep an eye on Gavin Turley and Mason Ligenza at later picks.


11. Athletics

Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Rank: 10

Like the Reds, I have some names tied to the A’s pick, but this is about the point where the draft is much harder to predict. I think the A’s are leaning toward pitching, and Witherspoon’s floor is right around here so he represents a nice value.

I do think this is likely to be a college player, and Brendan Summerhill, Wehiwa Aloy and Gavin Fien (the A’s drafted his older brother Dylan last year) have been mentioned here all spring.

Keep an eye on Jase Mitchell, Micah Bucknam and Tanner Franklin at later picks.


Steele Hall, SS, Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL)
Rank: 13

I think this is where Billy Carlson definitely stops if he slides. Hall seems like the next target, with Gavin Fien also mentioned, so it seems likely to be a prep position player.

Keep an eye on Talon Haley, Mason Pike, Josh Owens and Micah Bucknam at later picks.


Brendan Summerhill, CF, Arizona
Rank: 14

I think this pick feels like a lefty hitter from the college ranks (like last year’s pick James Tibbs). Whether that is Summerhill, this spot being the floor for Ike Irish, and a possible high point for Andrew Fischer or Charles Davalan.

Keep an eye on Will Rhine and Taitn Gray at later picks.


Jaden Fauske, RF, Nazareth Academy HS (IL)
Rank: 31

The Rays still have two extra picks on top of the allotted three on Day 1, even after trading one away for reliever Bryan Baker on Thursday. I think their primary targets here are Billy Carlson and Steele Hall, but they both aren’t available in this scenario, so the Rays may try another Xavier Isaac gambit: taking a guy they really like who likely won’t be available by their next pick and isn’t expected to go this high, then banking some savings and spreading it around to other picks.

I have the Rays tied to a number of prep position players for later picks and it seems like this strategy would land them at least one more of those than they’d get if they played this pick straight, maybe with Josh Hammond or similarly named prospects Gavin Fien or Gavin Kilen, three other players the Rays have interest in.

Keep an eye on Dean Moss, Matthew Fisher, Taitn Gray, Sean Gamble, Landon Harmon, Brady Ebel and Brisen Tweedy at later picks.


Gavin Fien, 3B, Great Oak HS (CA)
Rank: 12

Fien has a good chance to land here, as long rumored. I think he’s underrated due to uneven spring after he was one of the better hitters on the summer circuit. Xavier Neyens and Gavin Kilen (who the Red Sox almost signed out of high school) have also been connected here.


Gavin Kilen, SS, Tennessee
Rank: 20

We’re now pretty securely in the realm of making educated guesses based on a team’s history and what other teams think they’ll do. Minnesota likes this sort of player, a medium-tools, medium-framed college infielder with a strong performance record (Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, Kyle DeBarge, Tanner Schobel, Kaelen Culpepper just in the top three rounds of the past three drafts).

I think this is about where Gage Wood comes into play, a little lower than some fans may expect, due to some concerns about his shoulder issue earlier this spring and a possible relief fit long term. Caden Bodine, Tyler Bremner and Marek Houston are also mentioned here.


Josh Hammond, 3B, Wesleyan Christian HS (NC)
Rank: 17

The Cubs lean toward exit velos/athleticism when it comes to high schoolers and Hammond is one of the better examples in the class. This is right about the middle of his range, along with Xavier Neyens, a similar, left-handed version of Hammond who is also connected to the Cubs. Arkansas teammates Wehiwa Aloy and Gage Wood are also mentioned here along with Tyler Bremner.

Keep an eye on Cooper Flemming, Josh Flores and Jake Munroe at later picks.


Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
Rank: 23

Rumors are picking up that Bodine will be the pick here (if available) to then set up some prep picks afterward. Josh Hammond, Tate Southisene and Slater de Brun are the leading targets from that group at this pick and the next one.


Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
Rank: 15

After Thursday’s trade for another comp pick, giving Baltimore three total, this pick is a little more likely to be a slot-or-below college player as the O’s likely collect high school players down the board unless they can float a premium talent to this pick.

Aloy fits the Orioles’ tendencies and is a nice value here. I think they’re targeting Jaden Fauske, Dax Kilby, Tate Southisene and Xavier Neyens at those comp picks and then Mason Ligenza, Will Rhine and Ethan Rogers after that.


Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
Rank: 22

I have the Brew Crew tied to three shortstops here: Daniel Pierce, Coy James and Houston. James seems like he’ll go in the comp round and would be the curveball pick of the first round, like Milwaukee pulled last year in taking Braylon Payne. This is about the middle of the ranges for Pierce and Houston.


Jace LaViolette, CF, Texas A&M
Rank: 21

Houston is tied to mostly power-over-hit prospects with standout athletic testing here like Xavier Neyens, Tate Southisene and Wehiwa Aloy. Charles Davalan and Slater de Brun are two players who don’t fit in that bucket that the Astros are also on.

Keep an eye on Jase Mitchell, Matt Ferrara, Matt Miura, C.J. Hughes, Josh Flores and Tyler Finkbeiner at later picks.


Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Rank: 18

Bremner is in the mix for some teams picking ahead of here, but I think this is his likely stopping point. Gage Wood, Marek Houston, Tate Southisene, Josh Hammond and Daniel Pierce also get mentioned here.

Keep an eye on Ty Peeples, Jaiden LoRe and Micah Bucknam at later picks.


Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
Rank: 16

This would be the floor for Josh Hammond if he got this far and seems like it will be a solid landing spot for Wood, likely paired with a high school player at Kansas City’s next pick at No. 28.


Daniel Pierce, SS, Mill Creek HS (GA)
Rank: 19

I think Detroit takes a high school prospect with at least one if not both of its first two picks, here and No. 34 overall. Coy James could also be a surprise pick here, just like Milwaukee’s first-round pick, but I think it’s more likely one of them takes James in the comp round.

Jaden Fauske (gone in this scenario), Aaron Watson, Dax Kilby, Kayson Cunningham, Slater de Brun, Tate Southisene and Cooper Flemming are tied to Detroit’s first two picks from the high school side. Andrew Fischer, Anthony Eyanson and J.B. Middleton are college players tied to these two picks.


Quentin Young, 3B, Oaks Christian HS (CA)
Rank: 36

The Padres love to swing for upside and are tied to names who fit that this year, with Young the most extreme version. He has 80-grade power projection and an infield fit, but big questions about his contact ability.

Kruz Schoolcraft, Kayson Cunningham, Dax Kilby, Josh Owens and Slater de Brun is my best guess at the order they have their other primary high school targets ranked. Anthony Eyanson, A.J. Russell and Ethan Conrad are college players still available here that the Pads have some interest in picking.

Keep an eye on Will Rhine, Angel Laya, Dixon Williams and Josh Tate at later picks.


Matthew Fisher, RHP, Evansville Memorial HS (IN)
Rank: 44

This one would be another curveball, but the Phillies likely can’t get Fisher to their second pick and would be set up for an overslot move at their next pick(s), similar to what they did last year. Andrew Fischer is also mentioned here. Alec Blair (a top 100 basketball recruit in the country) and Sean Gamble are among the prep position players they could target to move down the board.


Tate Southisene, SS, Basic HS (NV)
Rank: 37

The Guardians are hard to read here and could be going underslot with a college player, like Kane Kepley, Devin Taylor or Andrew Fischer, to set up a spending bonanza down the board with their extra picks. Aaron Watson and Dax Kilby are other prep targets who won’t make it to their next picks.

Keep an eye on Miguel Sime Jr., Jase Mitchell, Cade Crossland and Luke Hill at later picks.


28. Kansas City Royals

Aaron Watson, RHP, Trinity Christian HS (FL)
Rank: 32

Watson is one of many prep arms tied to the Royals, like Matthew Fisher (if still on the board), and Watson should go in the next few picks if he isn’t the pick here. Anthony Eyanson is also a hot name here. Tate Southisene, Angel Cervantes and Malachi Witherspoon are also connected to the Royals.


29. Arizona Diamondbacks

Slater de Brun, CF, Summit HS (OR)
Rank: 34

Tate Southisene (picked 27th in this scenario), de Brun and Kayson Cunningham are the primary targets here, particularly if the Diamondbacks take a college player with their first pick, and Arizona should get one of them here.

He’ll be a tough sign, but keep an eye on Ryan Mitchell at a later pick — or possibly even here if their board blows up.


30. Baltimore Orioles

Xavier Neyens, 3B, Mount Vernon HS (WA)
Rank: 26

Neyens is a threat to go in the teens or early 20s, but the Orioles’ bonus pool muscle should be able to enable them to float him down to this pick.


31. Baltimore Orioles

Andrew Fischer, 3B, Tennessee
Rank: 24

Fischer could go much higher, but should find a home right around here if he’s still on the board.


32. Milwaukee Brewers

Kayson Cunningham, SS, Johnson HS (TX)
Rank: 25

This is great value for the Brewers, which is what they do more often than almost any other team. There are some spots above here, like Detroit, Philly, Arizona and San Diego, that Cunningham could go, with a floor around here, so Milwaukee might need to go overslot to get Cunningham down here.

Jaden Fauske (gone in this scenario), Coy James, Charles Davalan, Devin Taylor and Cooper Flemming are all mentioned with the Brewers at this pick. The Brewers are tied to a number of players down the board: Blaine Bullard, Luke Hill, Brady Ebel, Remo Indomenico, C.J. Hughes, Tyler Finkbeiner and Brisen Tweedy.


33. Boston Red Sox

Marcus Phillips, RHP, Tennessee
Rank: 40

Dax Kilby, Michael Oliveto and Xavier Neyens could all land here as well.

Keep an eye on Kaleb Wing and Peter Mershon at later picks.


34. Detroit Tigers

Coy James, SS, Davie County HS (NC)
Rank: 69

I think this is the most likely landing spot for James. Dax Kilby, Cooper Flemming, Anthony Eyanson and J.B. Middleton are all left from the list mentioned at their earlier pick.

Keep an eye on Jake Munroe, Caleb Leys, Jaiden LoRe and Ethan Rogers at later picks.


35. Seattle Mariners

Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
Rank: 48

Root is in play at a bunch of spots in the 20s and 30s and likely goes by 40 if he lasts past this pick. Max Belyeu and Patrick Forbes are also mentioned here. If the Mariners want to take three pitchers with their first three picks, there’s a shot Malachi Witherspoon is still there in the second round.


36. Minnesota Twins

Devin Taylor, LF, Indiana
Rank: 39

Taylor’s floor seems to be the Mets’ two picks after this, so this is a nice value for Minnesota. Michael Oliveto and Charles Davalan are other targets still on the board, while Xavier Neyens and Jaden Fauske are gone in this scenario.

Keep an eye on a potential overpay at a later pick in Ty Peeples.


37. Baltimore Orioles

Dax Kilby, SS, Newnan HS (GA)
Rank: 28

I think the bulk of potential targets in the comp and second rounds was part of the Orioles’ motivation to add this pick from the Rays. Kilby’s floor is in a couple of picks, so this is another nice value.

Keep an eye on Landyn Vidourek at a later pick.


Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
Rank: 33

Forbes has interest all through the 20s and 30s and likely goes by the end of the comp round. Devin Taylor, Zach Root and Marcus Phillips aren’t available but also fit here. J.B. Middleton would seem to be the runner-up.

Keep an eye on Tanner Franklin, Josh Flores and Wyatt Vincent at later picks.


J.B. Middleton, RHP, Southern Miss
Rank: 42

This would be the floor for Andrew Fischer and likely Dax Kilby. Max Belyeu, Michael Oliveto and A.J. Russell are some other targets who are possibilities here, as are collegiates who go right after this in Anthony Eyanson, Charles Davalan and Malachi Witherspoon.

Keep an eye on Ethan Rogers, Matt Ferrara and Sam Horn at later picks.


Cam Cannarella, CF, Clemson
Rank: 27

There’s a rumor that if both are on the board, the Dodgers will take Jack Bauer and Quentin Young at these two picks — literally the two highest ceiling players in the draft. For entertainment’s sake, I hope that happens.

Because Young was picked earlier in this projection (as were L.A. targets Coy James, Marcus Phillips, Aaron Watson and J.B. Middleton), Cannarella fits and has been mentioned here much of the spring. Max Belyeu and Charles Davalan will go soon if they aren’t taken here. Kruz Schoolcraft is another high upside prep player the Dodgers are on.

Keep an eye on James Ellwanger, Shane Sdao and Mason Ligenza as targets at later picks.


41. Los Angeles Dodgers: Kruz Schoolcraft, LHP, Sunset HS (OR)
42. Tampa Bay Rays: Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
43. Miami Marlins: Charles Davalan, LF, Arkansas
44. Chicago White Sox: Ethan Conrad, RF, Wake Forest
45. Colorado Rockies: Sean Gamble, 2B, IMG Academy HS (FL)
46. Miami Marlins: Josh Owens, SS, Providence Academy HS (TN)
47. Los Angeles Angels: Max Belyeu, RF, Texas
48. Athletics: Alex Lodise, SS, Florida State
49. Washington Nationals: J.D. Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt
50. Pittsburgh Pirates: Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina
51. Cincinnati Reds: Taitn Gray, C, Grimes Community HS (IA)
52. Texas Rangers: Michael Oliveto, C, Hauppauge HS (NY)
53. Tampa Bay Rays: Dean Moss, CF, IMG Academy HS (FL)
54. Minnesota Twins: Brandon Compton, LF, Arizona State
55. St. Louis Cardinals: Cooper Flemming, SS, Aliso Niguel HS (CA)
56. Chicago Cubs: Josiah Hartshorn, LF, Orange Lutheran HS (CA)
57. Seattle Mariners: Malachi Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
58. Baltimore Orioles: Mason Neville, CF, Oregon
59. Milwaukee Brewers: Chase Shores, RHP, LSU
60. Atlanta Braves: Kane Kepley, CF, North Carolina
61. Kansas City Royals: Riley Quick, RHP, Alabama
62. Detroit Tigers: Mitch Voit, 2B, Michigan
63. Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Blair, CF, De La Salle HS (CA)
64. Cleveland Guardians: Jordan Yost, SS, Sickles HS (FL)
65. Los Angeles Dodgers: Aidan West, SS, Long Reach HS (MD)
66. Cleveland Guardians: Cade Obermueller, LHP, Iowa
67. Tampa Bay Rays: A.J. Russell, RHP, Tennessee
68. Milwaukee Brewers: Dean Curley, 3B, Tennessee
69. Baltimore Orioles: Korbyn Dickerson, CF, Indiana
70. Cleveland Guardians: Aiden Stillman, LHP, Trinity Prep HS (FL)
71. Kansas City Royals: Angel Cervantes, RHP, Warren HS (CA)
72. St. Louis Cardinals: Briggs McKenzie, LHP, Corinth Holders HS (NC)
73. Pittsburgh Pirates: Ethan Petry, 1B, South Carolina
74. Colorado Rockies: James Quinn-Irons, CF, George Mason
75. Boston Red Sox: Jake Cook, CF, Southern Miss

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Book excerpt: Does the future of college football need a commissioner?

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Book excerpt: Does the future of college football need a commissioner?

Editor’s note: On Sept. 2, ESPN writer Bill Connelly’s book “Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football” will be released. This edited excerpt looks at whether the sport needs central leadership like professional leagues.

In 1920, professional baseball was in crisis. The Black Sox scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox — star outfielder “Shoeless Joe” Jackson; co-aces Eddie Cicotte and Lefty Williams; four other starters (first baseman Chick Gandil, shortstop Swede Risberg, third baseman Buck Weaver, and outfielder Happy Felsch); and a key backup infielder (Fred McMullin) — were indicted and accused of throwing the 1919 World Series, had, along with allegations of other fixed games, shaken the sport to its core. Baseball had been governed by a National Commission consisting of three parties with extreme self-interest: National League president John Heydler, American League president Ban Johnson, and Garry Herrmann, president of the Cincinnati Reds team that had beaten the White Sox in the World Series. Its leadership proved lacking in this moment, and its questionable independence severely damaged perceptions. Herrmann resigned from the commission in 1920, and the commissioners couldn’t agree on a new third member.

In early October 1920, days before the start of that season’s World Series between the Brooklyn Robins and Cleveland Indians, leaders of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates proposed a tribunal of, in the words of the New York Times, “three of America’s biggest men, with absolute power over both major and minor leagues.” A letter sent to every major and minor baseball club said, “If baseball is to continue to exist as our national game (and it will) it must be with the recognition on the part of club owners and players that the game itself belongs to the American people, and not to either owners or players.”

The letter stated that “the present deplorable condition in baseball has been brought about by the lack of complete supervisory control of professional baseball,” that “the only cure for such condition is by having at the head of baseball men in no wise connected with baseball who are so prominent and representative among the American people that not a breath of suspicion could be ever reflected.” It concluded, “The practical operation of this agreement would be the selection of three men of such unquestionable reputation and standing in fields other than baseball that the mere knowledge of their control of baseball, in itself, would insure that the public interests would first be served, and that, therefore, as a natural sequence, all existing evils would disappear.” This tribunal would have the power to punish players, strip owners of their franchises, “establish a proper relationship between minor leagues and major leagues,” you name it.

This proposal, first discussed by Cubs shareholder A.D. Lasker, became known as the Lasker Plan. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a number of clubs — particularly, those in the American League still loyal to the strong-willed Johnson — initially balked at the idea, to the point where the National League considered beginning an entirely new league with a few insurrectionist AL clubs, including the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. But all necessary parties eventually came to the table, and figures as grand as former president William Howard Taft, General John J. Pershing and former treasury secretary William G. McAdoo were under discussion for the tribunal.

The search pretty quickly began to revolve around a single figure: Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. A known baseball fan and an occasional showman on the bench, the 54-year-old Landis was known primarily for his antitrust judgment against Standard Oil, issuing the corporation a $29.2 million fine in 1907, equivalent to almost $1 billion today. (The U.S. Court of Appeals would eventually strike down the verdict.) He was regarded as tough but thoughtful, a grand figure but a supporter of the everyman. He would go on to serve as the sport’s first commissioner, a one-man tribunal, until his death in 1944.

Landis proved ruthless and uncompromising when he felt he needed to be. Despite all of the indicted “Black Sox” being acquitted in a criminal trial, Landis still banned them from baseball for life, stating, “Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player that throws a ball game; no player that undertakes or promises to throw a ball game; no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing ball games are planned and discussed and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever play professional baseball.” For better or worse, he stuck to that decision through the years despite both legal and emotional appeals.

Landis wasn’t a ruthless traditionalist, however. The All-Star Game was created under his watch in the early 1930s and proved to be a big hit, and while he didn’t seem to approve of the development of farm systems, in which minor league clubs developed affiliations with major league clubs to develop and promote their talent through the ranks, he also didn’t stop it, choosing only to step in on a case-by-case basis. He was far from infallible — you can certainly find inconsistency in some of his decisions, and Lord knows baseball didn’t exactly speed toward integration under his watch. (Jackie Robinson’s major league debut came two and a half years after Landis’ death. He might not have stopped that from happening had he still been in charge, but he certainly wasn’t pushing owners to become more progressive in this regard.) But he provided as steady a hand as possible, and both the trust in and popularity of baseball grew under his watch.

Absolute power? A dictatorial hand over the sport you’ve loved since childhood? Man, sign me up. That sounds amazing. Sure, I’ve never issued a billion-dollar fine to anyone, and my strongest bona fides regarding my general incorruptibility probably stem from the time I went on “The Paul Finebaum Show” and proclaimed that Cincinnati should have ranked higher than the SEC’s Texas A&M in the 2020 College Football Playoff rankings. But that qualifies as speaking truth to power, right?

In 2017, while at SB Nation, I indeed decided to run for college football commissioner. Granted, there was no such election and no such position, but it felt like a good use of time all the same. “College football needs someone to make long-term decisions,” I wrote. “College football needs someone who can reflect the interest of programs at every level: Alabama, Alabama-Birmingham, North Alabama, and all.”

There was an explosion of commish talk in 2016, thanks to a number of issues like College Football Playoff selections, conference schedules (mainly that some conferences play eight conference games and others play nine), and high school satellite camps, an issue that was all the rage for a few months and then vanished from consciousness altogether, to the point where I don’t even feel the need to define it here. “There needs to be somebody that looks out for what’s best for the game,” Alabama‘s Nick Saban said at the time, “not what’s best for the Big Ten or what’s best for the SEC or what’s best for Jim Harbaugh, but what’s best for the game of college football — the integrity of the game, the coaches, the players, and the people that play it. That’s bigger than all of this.” (Harbaugh was at the center of the satellite camp issue that I’m still not going to explain further.) But even with Saban’s high-visibility comments, nothing came of it. Nothing ever comes of it.

Through the decades the only thing everyone has seemingly agreed on in this sport is the need for a commissioner figure.

“Charley Trippi, one of the all-time greats in college and professional football … said college football today needs a national commissioner to direct the game on a national basis. Trippi … charged that the National Collegiate Athletic Association is ‘controlled by the Big Ten.’ He said he felt no conference in the nation should have any kind of monopoly in the game.” — Macon News, 1958

“You don’t think we need a commissioner and a set of rules to make things even? We’re the only sport in America that doesn’t have the same set of rules for everybody that plays … Everybody goes to their own neighborhood and makes their own little rules.” — Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, 2016

“I think there’s a perception with the public that perhaps college football doesn’t have its act together because there are so many different entities pulling in different directions.” — former Baylor head coach Grant Teaff, 1994

“… If you’re biased by a specific conference or if you’re impacted by making all your decisions based on revenue and earnings, then we’re never going to get to a good place.” — Penn State head coach James Franklin, 2024

“What this business needs is a commissioner who has the best interest of the game in mind. There needs to be somebody who creates a structure in which people just don’t cannibalize each other. … The NCAA president doesn’t have any legal authority to do much, in his defense, because they’ve given away that authority over the course of the last 60 years.” — West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, 2011

“I think we need to have a … commissioner. I think football should be separate from the other sports. Just because our school is leaving to go to the Big Ten in football … our softball team should be playing Arizona in softball. Our basketball team should be playing Arizona in basketball. … And they’ll say, well, how do you do that? Well, Notre Dame’s independent in football, and they’re in a conference in everything else. I think we should all be independent in football. You can have a 64-team conference that’s in the Power 5, and you can have a 64-team conference that’s in the Group of 5, and we separate, and we play each other. You can have the West Coast teams, and every year we play seven games against the West Coast teams and then we play the East — we play Syracuse, Boston College, Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia — and then the next year you play against the South while you still play your seven teams. You play a seven-game schedule, you play four against another conference opponent, division opponent, and you can always play against one Mountain West team every year so we can still keep those rivalries going. … But I think if you went together collectively, as a group, and said there’s 132 teams and we all share the same TV contract, so that the Mountain West doesn’t have one and the Sun Belt doesn’t have another and the SEC another, that we all go together, that’s a lot of games, and there’s a lot of people in the TV world that would go through it. … But I think if we still do the same and take all that money … that money now needs to be shared with the student-athletes, and there needs to be revenue sharing, and the players should get paid, and you get rid of [NIL], and the schools should be paying the players because the players are what the product is. And the fact that they don’t get paid is really the biggest travesty. Not that I’ve thought about it.” — UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, 2023

Kelly’s spiel, spoken at a pace faster than his fastest old Oregon offense at a press conference before UCLA’s LA Bowl appearance, made waves. In a way, he was basically calling for a College Football Association of sorts, an all-of-FBS league that could negotiate a huge television contract to be divvied out in a fair manner. In a perfect world, maybe that’s what would exist. But as with any other “In a perfect world …” construct, the real world prevailed instead.

The waves continued after Kelly’s comments. In January 2024, Nick Saban retired in part because he was frustrated with all the different demands of the NIL era. In February, Saban told ESPN’s Chris Low, “If my voice can bring about some meaningful change, I want to help any way I can, because I love the players, and I love college football. What we have now is not college football — not college football as we know it. You hear somebody use the word ‘student-athlete.’ That doesn’t exist.” A company man until the end, Saban suggested that either SEC commissioner Greg Sankey or Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne might make a good commissioner for the sport. (“They would be more qualified than I am. They’re in it every day and know all the issues.”) In December 2024, Penn State head coach James Franklin expressed frustration with the state of the college football calendar and the fact that his backup quarterback, Beau Pribula, felt he needed to hop into the transfer portal before the Nittany Lions’ College Football Playoff journey began to make sure he had a solid home for the winter semester. His solution? “Let’s get a commissioner of college football that is waking up every single morning and going to bed every single night making decisions that’s in the best interest of college football. I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice if we made that decision.”

Did anything come of that? Of course not. But that just means I’m still a candidate, right?

Back in 2017, my campaign platform consisted of nine pillars intended to maximize both the athlete’s experience and the fan’s enjoyment of the sport:

  1. A student-athlete bill of rights to ensure proper health care options, guaranteed undergraduate scholarships, and freer transfer rules.

  2. A modernized definition of amateurism that allowed players to profit off of their name, image, and likeness.

  3. The return of the EA Sports video game. (Hey, you have to throw some red meat to the base, right?)

  4. A fairer recruiting landscape that allowed players easier releases from their letters of intent if a coach left and explored changes to signing periods and regulations surrounding official visits and other recruiting rules.

  5. A system of promotion and relegation that incorporates actual merit into the sport’s power structure. (This one’s always on my mind.)

  6. An expanded playoff.

  7. Ditching unequal conference divisions in favor of a system of permanent rivalries and a larger rotation of opponents.

  8. Increasing creativity and flexibility in nonconference scheduling. (One idea: a “BracketBuster Saturday” in November in which everyone in FBS gets paired off based on in-season results.)

  9. Changes in clock rules that stemmed the recent increases in average game times, which had reached nearly three and a half hours per game.

It’s been about eight years since I put that list together, and damned if I haven’t gotten a lot of what I wanted: We’ve seen either partial or complete success for items No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. That’s a hell of a success rate, especially considering how hard it is to actually institute change in this sport at times. But it feels like a lot of the forces I was responding to at the time — mainly, massive disorganization within the sport and an ever-increasing imbalance between haves and have-nots — have only gotten worse since 2017. Why? BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE NO COMMISSIONER! Any change that could have produced progressive outcomes only made the imbalance worse because when no one’s in charge, that really means that the most powerful and self-interested figures in the sport are in charge. And their only goal is to reinforce the power structure.

“I can’t tell you how many times I heard [former Big Ten commissioner] Jim Delany say two things,” former Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said. “One: ‘You didn’t bring the Rose Bowl, or the Orange Bowl, or the Sugar Bowl, or the Fiesta Bowl, so [you get] whatever we decide you are worthy of.’ He also used to say, ‘The world cares more about 6-6 Michigan than 12-0 Utah, and until you realize and understand that and accept that …’ and I got it. But we always seemed to find a way to work together for the good of the cause, the good of the overall enterprise. Great, you started the Rose Bowl, but was it all bad that TCU beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl [in 2011]? That Utah beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl [in 2009]? Did the enterprise come crumbling down? No. We’re trying to look at the good of the cause and what’s best for the second most popular sport out there, and what I always had in the back of my mind trying to protect was how we could make sure that people give a damn about college football.”

For somewhere between 10 and 30 years, Delany was the sport’s most powerful figure. He kick-started multiple runs of conference realignment, and the Big Ten’s creation of the Big Ten Network turned out to be a game-changer. But college football’s most powerful figure was also doing everything he could to keep other conferences’ ambitions in check, to almost limit the sport’s potential growth in other areas of the country.

“When people talk about wanting a commissioner, what they’re really asking for is someone whose job it is to look out for the betterment of the sport as a whole,” said NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach. “I know it sounds really pollyannaish and idealistic, but you don’t have someone whose job it is to look out for the greater good. So you have competing interests. You have an NCAA president who has certain motivations and goals — and major college football is not even under their purview. And then you have all these different commissioners, and it makes a lot of sense that we ended up in a position where conferences started hiring outside of college sports. They hired businesspeople, they hired media executives, and then those people believe that their goal is to advance the interest only of their conference because that’s how those jobs work.”

“Lately, it seems like we’ve morphed into, ‘I’ve gotta feed the beast,'” said Thompson. “‘I’ve got 18 schools, 16 schools …’ In 2023, there were five autonomous conferences with an average membership of 13 schools each. Now we’ve got four autonomous conferences with an average membership of 17. We’ve gone to that consolidation, and a commissioner is paid to protect his 14, 16, 18 school interests. But, man, it just doesn’t seem like we care as much about how we just keep this thing going, how we keep 80,000 people, 50,000 people, hell, even 30,000 people coming to games.”

Now, professional sports have proven rather definitively that you can be disorganized and inequality-friendly with a commissioner atop the organizational chart. Just look at the last 35 years for most of Europe’s biggest soccer leagues or large swaths of Major League Baseball’s history — baseball had all the inequality a fan of capitalism could possibly crave, especially in the 1990s. And, hey, having an occasional tyrant like David Stern in charge didn’t stop the NBA from basically being ruled by three teams for decades — from 1980 to 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls won 17 of 23 titles. Even in the NFL, all the parity measures in the world couldn’t stop the teams that employed either Tom Brady (New England, then Tampa Bay) or Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City) from winning 10 of 24 Super Bowls from 2001 to 2024.

It’s also not hard to see how a dictatorial figure like the Landis-style commissioner I dream of becoming could get corrupted. (I wouldn’t, of course — you can trust me — but others might.)

You can obviously manage things quite poorly with a commissioner in charge. But the only thing worse might be not having one. Professional organizations have commissioners, and at its highest level college football is now a professional organization of sorts. But a quote from Notre Dame president Father John J. Cavanaugh from the late 1940s still rings impressively true: “The type of reformers I refer to are those who play with the question for public consumption, who seem to say that an indefinable something has to be done in a way nobody knows how, at a time nobody knows when, in places nobody knows where, to accomplish nobody knows what. I wonder if there are not grounds to suspect that the reformers … protest too much, that their zeal may be an excuse for their own negligence in reforming themselves.”


Of course, there’s no place for a commissioner in college football’s structure. There’s no National College Football Office for him or her to occupy. England has spent the last few years working toward an “independent football regulator” (IFR) to oversee soccer as a whole in the country — in a lot of the same ways we’re talking about here — and it might create an intriguing model to follow. Or it might prove to totally lack independence from either partisan government or financial influence. We’ll see.

The creation of the College Football Playoff as an entity might have produced an opportunity for a leadership structure of sorts — imagine a situation in which schools must opt in to CFP membership (which features a set of rules and protocols you must follow) to compete for the CFP title — but it doesn’t appear we’re anywhere close to that at the moment. Among other things, expanding the CFP’s governance potential would again require a vote from Sankey and Petitti to strip themselves of power. “It could come through the CFP,” Auerbach said. “They already have a governance structure. In theory, they could build that out and add all of the bureaucratic pieces they would need to truly govern the sport. But you would need the people who are powerful now to be willing to give up some of that power for the collective good of the sport — you would need to have a willingness from the SEC and Big Ten commissioners, or those schools in their leagues, to give up power to have a collective, centralized, powerful figure. … It’s just hard to imagine that that would happen.”

“I think any governance system probably has to shift power away from the presidents,” said Extra Points’ Matt Brown, “… That could be a centralized commissioner. That could be a different board.” Right now, however, it’s nothing. And without anyone atop the pyramid, any change that could be good for the sport just exacerbates the haves-versus-have-nots divide that already exists.

Writing about the possibility of interleague play in Major League Baseball in the early 1970s, Roger Angell wrote, “The plan is startling and perhaps imperfect, but it is surely worth hopeful scrutiny at the top levels of baseball. I am convinced, however, that traditionalists need have no fear that it will be adopted. Any amalgamation would require all the owners to subdue their differences, to delegate real authority, to accept change, and to admit that they share an equal responsibility for everything that happens to their game. And that, to judge by their past record and by their performance in the strike, is exactly what they will never do.” He was right and wrong: it did come into existence, but it took 25 years to do so. We’ve been talking about a college football commissioner for far longer than that, and there doesn’t yet appear to be much of an appetite for subduing differences or delegating real authority. And it’s hard to imagine that changing without some sort of Black Sox-level emergency.

Then again, we can only envision what we know to envision. “Our imagination is bound by our experiences,” The Athletic’s Ralph Russo said. “And that’s making it hard to see where all this could possibly go. I feel like there’s a conclusion here that nothing in our collective experience could have brought us to. There’s just something, some other event, that is going to influence college football, probably an outside event. I say that because the history of college football is riddled with outside events totally influencing the power structure. It’s demographic movement — where the population goes within the United States. It’s wars. It’s segregation and desegregation. All of these things. So is the next thing something that completely disrupts the university system? Is it something that disrupts the U.S. government?”

At best, a commissioner figure could for the first time give the sport a vision to follow and a steadying hand for guidance. At worst, he or she would reinforce the divides and inequality that have already been established, furrowing his or her brow and talking about how great and deep college football is and how hard it is to satisfy everyone before simply giving the SEC and Big Ten whatever they want.

Regardless, I’m keeping my hat in the ring. CONNELLY 2025 (or 2036, or 2048, whatever it ends up being).

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Sarkisian’s advice for Manning: ‘Just go be you’

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Sarkisian's advice for Manning: 'Just go be you'

As the No. 1 Longhorns head to Columbus to face No. 3 Ohio State in what coach Steve Sarkisian called an “epic matchup,” all eyes are on Texas’ new starting quarterback, Arch Manning.

Manning, the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite according to ESPN BET, has made just two starts in two years — against UL Monroe and Mississippi State last season — and this will be his first start on the road or against a ranked team.

With all the noise, Sarkisian said his message to Manning has been just to be himself.

“We’re not asking any superhuman efforts of you to do anything that is extraordinary,” Sarkisian said Monday about what he told Manning. “Just go be you. What you’ve done is good enough to get us to this point and to get him to this point in this juncture of his career. Now go play the way he’s capable of playing to the style that he’s comfortable doing it.”

Manning threw for 939 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions in spot duty last season, also rushing for 108 yards and four touchdowns. His best performance was off the bench against UTSA last year, when he replaced Quinn Ewers and threw for 223 yards and four touchdowns on 9-of-12 passing while adding a 67-yard touchdown run — the longest by a Texas quarterback since Vince Young in 2005.

Now that he’s got the job full time, he said he won’t take the opportunity for granted.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Manning said Monday. “I spent two years not playing, so I might as well go have some fun.”

The game marks just the second time since the AP poll debuted in 1950 that two top-3 teams will meet in their season opener, according to ESPN Research. The last time was 2017, when No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Florida State 24-7 and went on to win the national championship.

It’s also a rematch of last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal, when the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl.

Sarkisian said these are two different teams from the end of last season.

“If you look at last year’s game, 26 players got drafted off of the two teams,” Sarkisian said. “If you include free agents, 32 players that were playing in that game a year ago are now in the NFL.”

The Longhorns return nine starters and 30 players from last year, but they still are the preseason No. 1. Sarkisian said both teams’ rankings are a testament to their quality, and he touted Ryan Day’s 70-10 head-coaching record.

“They’re not a gimmick team at all,” Sarkisian said of the Buckeyes. “I don’t mean to offend anybody, but the things that they do are sound and so you have to beat them.”

But the Buckeyes have two new coordinators and, like Texas, are breaking in a new starting quarterback, sophomore Julian Sayin in their case.

“He’s a natural passer; he’s got a quick release,” Sarkisian said of Sayin. “He’s a better athlete than you think, and he can run. So we definitely need to be alert to that. … This is going to be one of those where, when you go into the ring with somebody, what’s the plan? As the rounds go on, you’ve got to have to be able to adjust.”

The Longhorns have won their past 11 true road games, which Sarkisian said is a result of their process, focus and game-day routine. But neither he nor Manning has ever been to Ohio Stadium. Manning said he knows he’s got a talented team around him and doesn’t feel any pressure going into such a hostile environment.

“I always have to remind myself, it’s not all about me; it’s the whole team,” Manning said. “It’s going to be a fun one.”

Manning said he doesn’t feel a target on his back as he steps into the role of full-time starter.

“I think that’s all of us at Texas, and I think we kind of try to shift the narrative,” Manning said. “We’re going for everyone else. Target’s not on our back, but we got the red dot on everyone else.”

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Wolverines go with freshman Underwood as QB1

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Wolverines go with freshman Underwood as QB1

True freshman Bryce Underwood has been named Michigan‘s starting quarterback, coach Sherrone Moore said Monday.

“He’s earned the opportunity,” Moore said. “It was not given to him.”

Other Michigan quarterbacks were informed Sunday that Underwood will start, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Moore said sophomore Jadyn Davis, who appeared in one game last season, had a strong camp and will serve as the backup to Underwood as the No. 14 Wolverines open the season Saturday against New Mexico before traveling to Oklahoma on Sept. 6 to face the No. 18 Sooners.

Underwood, from nearby Belleville, Michigan, was ESPN’s No. 1 overall recruit in this year’s signing class, flipping his commitment from LSU last November.

He beat out Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and Davis for the starting job. Davis Warren is still recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in last season’s bowl win.

The 6-foot-4, 228-pound Underwood won two state championships with Belleville and won 38 straight games in high school.

“Just did the things the right way and used his skill and never tried to do too much,” Moore said. “For a young guy, he was very mature beyond his years, and he’s only 18 years old. He’s going to make mistakes, but that’s what we’re here for, coaches and players. We’re all going to support him.”

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