Dan Lanning? Shedeur Sanders? Greg Sankey? Who is the new face of college football?
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
Only two of last year’s top 10 Heisman Trophy vote getters are back on the field this season. Only four of the 26 consensus All-Americans from one year ago have returned.
Nick Saban, he of the seven national championships, seven of the past 10 SEC titles and the “a’ight” that has always carried the weight of Thor’s hammer, is off the sidelines for the first time since 1970, now on the road with ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
So in this season of transition, of confusion, of a perpetually shapeshifting college football atlas, who now stands alone as the beacon of the sport? Who sits atop the game’s highest peak, as the person who rightfully surveys their football domain? Whom do we now select as CFB’s chosen one, the human best equipped to represent and perhaps speak on behalf of every team, school, conference and even the future of this increasingly complicated world?
Who is the Face of College Football? And yes, that title is capitalized on purpose.
“Well, it’s not me,” Saban said in July during SEC media days, his first official gig through the looking glass and on the other end of the endless questions to the endless conga line of coaches who marched to the podium. As he said it, the look on his face was that of happiness and relief, with a dash of confessed confusion. “Now I get to express my opinions, which I’ve certainly not had an issue with in the past. Maybe this is an even bigger platform now. We’ll see. But does that effect change? I’m not sure I had that strong of an effect when I was coaching, but your chances are better to become that person when you are one who is actually in the arena.”
OK, GOAT, let’s peer into that arena, holding our flashlight in one hand and our college gridiron hopes in the other, seeking that perfectly procured pigskin prophet to lead us through the 2024 darkness.
The nine-year veteran
We’ve already established that the vast majority of last year’s stars have moved on. That’s nothing new in a sport where every player’s time on the roster comes with an expiration date. But what is still new is the way that date slides. A timeline that used to be altered only by injuries, redshirts and mandated one-year sit-outs after transferring is now augmented by greyshirts, blueshirts, greenshirts, the instant gratification model of the transfer portal and that little global pandemic we all endured a few years ago. Yes, there are still college athletes on rosters today who were on rosters when COVID-19 arrived.
Miami tight end Cam McCormick actually was on a college football roster a full four years before the world went into lockdown, redshirted by Oregon for his freshman year of 2016. The Bend, Oregon, native appeared in all 13 games for the Ducks in 2017 but suffered a devastating left leg break that shredded the ligaments in the leg. Over the next three years, he underwent three surgeries, which carried him through the 2020 season, including having a screw installed in his ankle that malfunctioned, caused another fracture and sidelined him again. He returned in 2021, only to be taken down by an Achilles injury after two games. He played in 13 games in 2022 before transferring to Miami to be reunited with his former Oregon coach, Mario Cristobal.
After the redshirt, medical waivers, COVID eligibility waiver and, finally, one last NCAA waiver granted for this season, Cam McCormick, the 26-year-old who has already earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees, will be playing his ninth season of college football, the first — and likely last — time we’ll ever see such a thing.
So does that make him the face of this craziest of college football eras?
“I like that idea because of what it represents,” Cristobal said ahead of Miami’s season opener at Florida this weekend. “There are people who seem to want to criticize his situation, just as they like to criticize everything about college football right now. But in Cam’s case — and in the case of all these kids who have overcome so much and worked so hard or made very difficult decisions that they know could really impact their lives and the lives of their families — we could do a lot worse than to give Cam that job.”
The superstar
As long as college football has been played, there have been those whose faces and names have represented the sport, from Red Grange and Doug Flutie to Herschel Walker and Tim Tebow. Their names become transcendent, even though their actual time on campus is transient. In recent decades, thanks to the rise of freshmen (who weren’t even allowed on varsity rosters until 1972) and the relaxing of the unwritten agreement among Heisman voters that the youngest players couldn’t win the sport’s most prestigious award, not to mention the recent nitrous boost of NIL advertising superstardom, household names have garnered more attention than ever. They’re on billboards on the way to said houses and part of video games on the TVs inside those houses.
So who best represents those names-in-neon national stars? The veteran quarterbacks of the SEC? Quinn Ewers of Texas? Carson Beck of Georgia? Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss?
“Yeah, I will take that job, but only after I feel like I have really earned it — and I haven’t yet,” Alabama returning QB Jalen Milroe said when asked about the Face of College Football gig earlier this summer, before adding with a smile, “But I’m close.”
But when Cristobal made his comment about people being unfairly critical about all aspects of college football, it might as well have been a Mad Libs sentence with a blank line at the end where written in Sharpie is the name: SHEDEUR SANDERS (again, caps on purpose).
Sanders is a transfer student, coming to Colorado with his coach/father — Deion? Ever heard of him? — after an award-winning two seasons at FCS and HBCU Jackson State. He helms a team that is riding the realignment wave, as the Buffaloes move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. He electrified the nation one year ago, slinging 27 touchdown passes and only three interceptions even while running for his life — Colorado surrendered 56 sacks, the most of any power conference team. But he also became the tip of the lightning rod for a nation divided about the Buffs, who ruled college football after a 3-0 start, then crashed back into the Rockies as they lost eight of their last nine games.
Shedeur makes bold predictions. He has no issue setting fire to his social media timelines. His NIL valuations have him nearing the $5 million mark, tops in the sport, and he has rolled up to practice in a $350,000 Rolls Royce, a $175,000 Mercedes-Maybach and most recently in Colorado’s first known $110,000 Tesla Cyberbeast supertruck. To many of the grey-haired college football fan set, it feels like way too much, like it always did back in the day with his father, Coach Prime. To the younger crowd, it feels much more normal, like, just the way the world is now.
“Are you asking, do I want the pressure of this job?” the 22-year-old said in reply to the idea of being the Face of College Football. “Pressure has been a part of my life my whole life, certainly my whole football life. Just as it was and is for my father. I already know what the expectations come with. The goal is to remain level-headed. To stay grounded.
“You can’t be the face of anything if you don’t perform and take advantage of the opportunity you have been given, that you have earned. That’s power. But power can be lost. By losing.”
The power broker
Ah, power. With the greatest respect to Saban, the real power in collegiate athletics might not belong to anyone in the arena, but rather to the ones who operate that arena. The maestros who ultimately determine the construction and governance of the rosters, staffs and money that flow through those arenas, and even how the games on the arena floors and stadium fields are scheduled and played.
This potential Face of the Sport wears no eye black. It isn’t encased in a helmet. It’s not even under a ballcap. It’s framed by a tailored suit, and instead of speaking into a headset to send in a play, it’s leaning into a microphone, either in front of the assembled national media or at a special hearing of a Congressional committee, saying stuff like:
“We as leaders are responsible for navigating what really are for us in college sports uncharted waters of change.”
“We’ve been incredibly successful, and I understand why so many from outside of the campus and conference realm are interested in coming in and being a part of it, but that responsibility lies with us to bring people into the solution, not to cede authority to external actors.”
“It’s time to update your expectations for what college athletics can be.”
Greg Sankey said all of that and more as he glided his way through the hotel ballrooms of Dallas at SEC media days. This is the man who has had his hand on the steering wheel (purposeful motorsports metaphor, he loves racing) of the Southeastern Conference since 2015. All he has done since is expand the league to include Texas and Oklahoma, and steer all of college football through the 2020 pandemic, all while also serving on the NCAA committees assembled to determine the future of college sports and the governing body itself, which yes, includes traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with elected officials who operate at an intensity that makes his SEC head coaches look calm and reasonable by comparison.
So … Mr. Commissioner, you want the job?
“Well, first I don’t know if anyone wants this face to be the face of anything,” the 59-year-old replied, chuckling, as he sat beside Saban, who also laughed. “But I think the job of people in my position is to create the best world possible for those who should truly be the face of the sport, and that would be the competitors.”
And that brings us back into the arena …
The coach
Saban’s ring collection is now stored at his house, which leaves only three active FBS head coaches with national championship jewelry. North Carolina‘s Mack Brown, who won his natty in 2005, and two men who have earned two titles each in the College Football Playoff era and will begin their roads toward a third this weekend against each other, Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney (2016 and 2018) and Georgia‘s Kirby Smart (2021 and ’22).
Both are relatively young but still veterans. Both are outspoken. Both are already arguably the faces of their conferences, the ACC and SEC. OK, fellas, who wants it?
“I think when there’s something you philosophically believe in that helps or hurts the game, it’s my job to make the game better and keep the game around for my kids and my kids’ kids,” Smart said. “I think football’s a really good game, and if you don’t do things that you believe in, then why are you coaching?
“Nick taught me that, to look at things through a lens of what’s best for the game of football and maybe not what’s best for you. I’m a big believer in leaving the game better than you found it.”
All right, Coach Smart! Folks, I think we have a willing candidate!
“Nobody replaces Nick.”
Aw, dammit.
“The spot he was at was so far ahead of everybody else, the mantle fits him and not any of us,” Smart said. “There’s a group of college coaches who are experienced and have won games and done a great job, but there’s none of them in Nick’s stratosphere.”
OK, fair enough … Dabo?
“I’ve got a job to do, and my job is those players and serving them and my staff. Hopefully, I can do my job in a way that can be a good example to people,” said the man who admits he has worked to step back from the spotlight so that others can have it. And so as not to get burned.
“There was a time I answered every question that anybody ever asked me. I never went into press conferences with pre-planned answers. I’m just available. I would answer any question anybody asked me about anything. But as we had success, it became a point where they only wanted to ask me a question to attach their agenda, and it’s just not worth it. It’s a distraction for my team. So you have to be guarded. I wish I could always speak exactly how I want to, but you have to be guarded. That’s just the world we live in now.”
Perhaps Swinney and Smart, even at only 54 and 48 years of age, are too tied to the way the game used to be, too busy wrestling with what it is now, to free up the time it takes to be the Face. In that case, we need to go younger.
How about 38? How about a guy who spent a season working for Saban as a graduate assistant at Alabama, where he won a ring, then spent four years under Smart, winning another title as defensive coordinator? And how about a guy who has been at his current job for only two years, but is already 22-5, has installed an SEC-type recruiting mentality on the West Coast, seems to have mastered the transfer portal and is one of if not the headliner of the Pac-12’s migration into the Big Ten?
Hey, Dan Lanning, head coach of the always trendy Oregon Ducks, do you have anything big and philosophical you’d like to add?
“The game right now is as fun as it has ever been to watch,” Lanning said. “We’re seeing a lot of different teams in a position to compete at the end of the season now, and that’s only going to improve with the expanded College Football Playoff. The sport, to me, is in as good a shape as ever, but with so much change, that’s probably tainted a lot of peoples’ view. We start playing games and I think it will remind everyone that this sport is as great as it’s ever been.”
I mean, dang, y’all. Those sound like words that would come from a fresh, new Face of College Football to me. Whaddya say, Lanning?
“No!!! Sounds like a job for Kirby. Lane Kiffin for entertainment.”
Speaking of entertainment, maybe the Duck is available?
Facing the truth of The Face
No one really wants the gig. At least, that’s what they claim. But when one looks back through the history of the Face of College Football, it is a yearbook of people who all said the same thing, that they weren’t looking for the job, but the job found them. Even when that has been true, it was only to a point.
Grange, Flutie, Walker and Tebow. Jim Brown. Roger Staubach. Peyton Manning. Walter Camp. Knute Rockne. Woody Hayes. Jimmy Johnson. Lou Holtz. Saban.
Natural leaders naturally lead. The position finds them, even if they say they don’t want it. Because the reality is that deep down, they really do. In the end, we can try as hard as we might to assign the task and title from the outside, but becoming the Face of College Football, as with any face, is something we grow into.
“No one wants extra work, especially in these jobs as coaches and players and administrators,” Saban said earlier this summer. “But if you truly love something, if you really want it to be something that other people will love like you do even after you’re gone, then you take on that work. Because it has to be done.”
ESPN reporter David Hale contributed to this report.
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Sean Allen
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Victoria Matiash
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Victoria Matiash
Fantasy Hockey
- ESPN.com Fantasy Contributor since 2010
- Part-time anchor at NEWSTALK1010
Another week, another No. 1 landing spot for the Winnipeg Jets in the ESPN NHL Power Rankings. But who finishes 2-32?
Plus, it’s another fantasy hockey takeover week, with Sean Allen and Victoria Matiash identifying one player per team who is off to a slow start (relative to his teammates or expectations) and advising fantasy managers whether to have patience or panic at this time.
And as a reminder, it’s not too late to join ESPN Fantasy Hockey. Sign up for free and start playing today!
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list here.
Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Nov. 8. Points percentages are through Thursday’s games.
Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: 88.24%
Cole Perfetti, LW (28.9% rostered in ESPN Fantasy leagues): As difficult as it is to find fault with anything Jets-related these days, Perfetti isn’t quite meeting 2024-25 fantasy expectations yet. But the 22-year-old remains cemented on the Jets’ second scoring line and power play, and he has pitched in enough multipoint showings to merit another look in deeper leagues. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ FLA (Nov. 16), vs. FLA (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: 73.33%
Brent Burns, D (69.5%): The writing had been on the wall, faintly sketched with a carpenter’s pencil, but now it’s been retraced in ink. Shayne Gostisbehere has the power play on lock, and Burns doesn’t put up the points without it now. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. OTT (Nov. 16), vs. STL (Nov. 17), @ PHI (Nov. 20), @ NJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: 67.65%
Gustav Forsling, D (68.8%): Playoff heroics can inflate rostership numbers even this far into the future, but Forsling isn’t a must-have fantasy contributor. You can find a defenseman with a higher ceiling among your league’s free agents. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. WPG (Nov. 16), @ WPG (Nov. 19), @ CHI (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: 78.13%
Marc-Andre Fleury, G (51.8%): As long as Filip Gustavsson continues to perform dependably well, the veteran No. 2 isn’t going to play much. There are other lesser-rostered backups in the league — Jake Allen and Jonathan Quick come to mind — who offer more fantasy punch than Fleury. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DAL (Nov. 16), @ STL (Nov. 19), @ EDM (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: 70.00%
Matt Roy, D (45.6%): After a breakout fantasy campaign with the Kings last season, cut Roy some slack. He has had only a handful of games to get used to his new teammates, and the minutes are there to get the job done. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ COL (Nov. 15), @ VGK (Nov. 17), @ UTA (Nov. 18), vs. COL (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: 70.00%
Mika Zibanejad, C (95.6%): Zibanejad has had slow starts before — 1.78 FPPG in 2021-22 and 1.93 FPPG last season — yet still finished over 2.00 FPPG. His current 1.58 FPPG isn’t alarming. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ SEA (Nov. 17), @ VAN (Nov. 19), @ CGY (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: 68.75%
Brayden McNabb, D (52.3%): Returning to his selfless ways — highlighted by five blocked shots against the Ducks Wednesday — McNabb is already working back into his fantasy managers’ good graces. While hardly a prolific producer, the veteran should start pitching in a few more points, too. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ UTA (Nov. 15), vs. WSH (Nov. 17), @ TOR (Nov. 20), @ OTT (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: 65.00%
Luke Hughes, D (39.1%): He did an admirable job filling in for an injured Dougie Hamilton as a rookie last season, but unless that situation arises again, it looks as though Hughes is out of the limelight for this campaign. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ TB (Nov. 16), vs. CAR (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: 66.67%
Roope Hintz, C (79.8%): Some bad puck luck, illustrated by his 6.7% shooting percentage through six recent contests (career: 16.5%), is partially to blame for Hintz’s current skid. But the perennial 30-plus goal scorer is bound to get back on track soon, especially once Peter DeBoer inevitably juggles his lines again. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ MIN (Nov. 16), vs. ANA (Nov. 18), vs. SJ (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: 63.33%
Filip Hronek, D (51.9%): He’s averaging approximately a single shot and blocked shot per game. Unlike last season, the compensatory scoring isn’t there to make up for those shortcomings. Hronek appears far more valuable to the Canucks as Quinn Hughes‘ defensive partner than to his fantasy managers. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. CHI (Nov. 16), vs. NSH (Nov. 17), vs. NYR (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: 58.33%
Quinton Byfield, RW (43.2%): The lack of a single power-play point is one concern, along with his removal from the top unit. Through the fantasy lens, so is Byfield’s third-line role. If all remains as is, we might be in for another season of inconsistent fantasy returns. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DET (Nov. 16), vs. BUF (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: 61.11%
Matthew Knies, LW (42.4%): He has been making hay while the sun shines, so to speak, as he gets first power-play unit access while Auston Matthews is out. The confidence boost should carry over to when Matthews returns, and they are linemates again. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. EDM (Nov. 16), vs. VGK (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: 55.88%
Jeff Skinner, C (45.0%): Afforded the opportunity to compete alongside just about every Oiler up front, including two of the best centers in the biz, the veteran winger has nonetheless failed to offer much of a productive presence. Now Skinner appears relegated to Edmonton’s fourth line. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ TOR (Nov. 16), @ MTL (Nov. 18), @ OTT (Nov. 19), vs. MIN (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: 56.67%
Jake Guentzel, LW (98.8%): Guentzel’s overall output is fantastic already, but with just two power-play points so far, he has yet to add his usual production with the man advantage. If he does, his already strong fantasy profile could get a big boost. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NJ (Nov. 16), @ PIT (Nov. 19), @ CBJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: 52.94%
Devon Toews, D (66.7%): While it has taken the defender time to warm up after a delayed start to 2024-25, Toews now appears back in his groove: blocking shots, contributing to the score sheet and skating more minutes than nearly everyone else. Cale Makar‘s partner hasn’t averaged 0.58 points per game throughout his career by accident. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. WSH (Nov. 15), @ PHI (Nov. 18), @ WSH (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: 53.13%
Linus Ullmark, G (84.8%): The Senators are showing signs of competing, and we know Ullmark is capable of being among the best. Patience might already be paying off with some of his recent road outings against tough division rivals. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ CAR (Nov. 16), vs. EDM (Nov. 19), vs. VGK (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: 55.88%
Nazem Kadri, C (78.4%): While no one is scoring much for the Flames these days, including their No. 1 center, this too shall pass. Perhaps it’ll play out like last season, when Kadri collected two points in October before erupting for 13 in November, then maintained that scoring pace for the duration of the season. Also, he shoots the puck a lot. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NSH (Nov. 15), vs. NYI (Nov. 19), vs. NYR (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: 50.00%
Charlie McAvoy, D (89.9%): The Bruins’ offense might be slower this season, but McAvoy’s 1.64 FPPG is still too low. Give him time. Not enough has changed to drop him far from his 2.29 FPPG average over the past three seasons. Verdict: Patience
Next seven days: vs. STL (Nov. 16), vs. CBJ (Nov. 18), vs. UTA (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: 53.13%
Barrett Hayton, C (17.5%): According to analysis by Evolving Hockey, the third-line center (for now) should be scoring more goals in accordance with the quality of his shots. That offers some comfort in light of his current skid. While Hayton certainly needs to play more minutes and shoot on net more often, he doesn’t merit giving up entirely in deeper fantasy leagues. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. VGK (Nov. 15), vs. WSH (Nov. 18), @ BOS (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: 52.94%
Brock Nelson, C (76.9%): The Isles’ collective offense isn’t weaker than it has been for several years. Nelson has averaged 2.03 FPPG across the past three seasons. He’ll come around. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ SEA (Nov. 16), @ CGY (Nov. 19), @ DET (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: 50.00%
Patrick Kane, RW (66.3%): If the Red Wings’ power play were in the dumps, maybe we could preach patience for Kane. But it’s not, and it might be time to move on from Kane in fantasy. He is getting all the opportunities required and is just not producing. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ ANA (Nov. 15), @ LA (Nov. 16), @ SJ (Nov. 18), vs. NYI (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: 50.00%
Dylan Cozens, C (49.3%): It is time to move off Cozens. He had that banner 2022-23 but is now matching the reduced fantasy production that lasted all of last season. Even an uptick in performance might not be enough to get to fantasy relevance from his current 1.41 FPPG. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ PHI (Nov. 16), @ LA (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: 50.00%
Adam Larsson, D (60.5%): Despite the relative drought, the top-pair defenseman still blocks a sufficient number of shots to merit rostering in deeper standard leagues. Plus, he’ll soon fall back into his usual (however relatively modest) scoring groove. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: vs. NYI (Nov. 16), vs. NYR (Nov. 17), vs. NSH (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: 44.12%
Jordan Binnington, G (55.1%): After winning the season opener against Seattle, the Blues’ No. 1 has yet to beat anyone outside of the Atlantic Division. Shouldering a 4-7-0 record, .887 save percentage and 3.26 goals-against average, Binnington has cost his fantasy managers a total net loss of 1.8 points. Yes, negative points. There are likely brighter days ahead for the banged-up Blues, but when? Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ BOS (Nov. 16), @ CAR (Nov. 17), vs. MIN (Nov. 19), vs. SJ (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: 47.06%
Joel Farabee, LW (50.7%): Farabee, Tyson Foerster, Scott Laughton; Take your pick of Flyers who were just picking up some fantasy momentum in their career but have been buried on the depth chart by the new core group. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. BUF (Nov. 16), vs. COL (Nov. 18), vs. CAR (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: 38.24%
Teuvo Teravainen, RW (41.4%): The Blackhawks’ offseason acquisition has one goal and zero assists in his past 11 games, and he isn’t shooting with any consistency. Even back on a scoring line with Connor Bedard, Teravainen can’t be counted on to contribute regularly enough. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ VAN (Nov. 16), vs. ANA (Nov. 19), vs. FLA (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: 41.67%
Erik Karlsson, D (94.1%): It’s been a season and a quarter now, so what we see from Karlsson as a Penguin might be what we get. He’s not the sole source of offense, so downgraded fantasy output is just the new normal. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ CBJ (Nov. 15), vs. SJ (Nov. 16), vs. TB (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: 40.00%
Ivan Provorov, D (19.2%): No one on the Blue Jackets is underperforming in a big way, but even 20% rostership is too high for Provorov. If he’s not on the first pair, you can safely pretend he’s not there. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. PIT (Nov. 15), @ MTL (Nov. 16), @ BOS (Nov. 18), vs. TB (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: 38.24%
Gustav Nyquist, RW (16.6%): Once replaced by Steven Stamkos on the Predators’ top line, Nyquist lost most of his fantasy charm. It’s no coincidence the winger was at his most productive when skating alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: @ CGY (Nov. 15), @ VAN (Nov. 17), @ SEA (Nov. 20)
Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: 40.00%
Lukas Dostal, G (60.7%): The Ducks allow the most shots against (35.5 per game) while scoring the fewest goals (2.20 per game). Plus, a healthy John Gibson is back to share Anaheim’s crease. Dostal’s successful fantasy run was fun while it lasted. It’s time to move on. Verdict: Panic.
Next seven days: vs. DET (Nov. 15), @ DAL (Nov. 18), @ CHI (Nov. 19)
Previous ranking: 32
Points percentage: 36.11%
William Eklund, LW (56.2%): The sophomore is playing a ton of minutes, pitching in assists and now skating on a scoring line with Mikael Granlund. Which is a good thing. Yes, we’d all like to see him shoot more. Verdict: Patience.
Next seven days: @ PIT (Nov. 16), vs. DET (Nov. 18), @ DAL (Nov. 20), @ STL (Nov. 21)
Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: 35.29%
Sam Montembeault, G (22.3%): The Habs don’t look like they’ll win enough for Monty to shine in redraft leagues, but if you drafted him for a keeper league, there are positive signs for the future. Verdict: Patience, at least for the long term.
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (Nov. 16), vs. EDM (Nov. 18)
LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.
Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York Yankees‘ Aaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.
Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.
Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.
Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.
Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.
Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.
He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.
Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.
Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.
A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.
Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.
Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.
Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.
Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.
The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.
Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.
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Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.
Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.
O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.
Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.
In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”
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