‘So clutch’: Altuve again puts Astros on WS brink
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Houston Astros are on the verge of reaching the World Series, again, because of Jose Altuve.
Altuve clubbed a three-run homer off Texas Rangers reliever Jose Leclerc in the top of the ninth inning, and after barely holding a lead through the bottom of the ninth, Houston — which had lost the first two games of the American League Championship Series — completed a sweep of three games here Friday night.
Houston needs only to win Game 6 or Game 7 to capture the best-of-seven series and advance to the World Series for the fifth time in the past seven seasons.
“That’s one of the craziest games I ever played in,” Altuve said on the field after the game, and he wasn’t exaggerating. In the last three innings were two lead-changing homers, three ejections (one including Houston manager Dusty Baker), a brief delay as Baker refused to leave the Astros dugout, and a leaping catch in the bottom of the ninth inning by a fielder making his first-ever appearance on defense in a postseason game.
“That was a huge, huge victory,” Baker said. “That will go down in history.”
Added Rangers manager Bruce Bochy: “It’s just a tough one, no getting around it. It’s part of the game and what you have to deal with. And good clubs deal with it in the right way, and these guys, they’ll put this behind them.”
It had appeared the Rangers would win this emotional game, after coming back against a future Hall of Famer. The Astros took a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning, and with ace Justin Verlander on the mound and the best Houston relievers fully rested, they were well-positioned to close out the game. But that lead evaporated in the span of three pitches: Corey Seager doubled, Evan Carter singled and Adolis Garcia attacked a fastball, blasting a three-run homer so far that Garcia stood at home plate to admire his work, before slowly moving up the first base line and slamming his bat in celebration.
Verlander bent over at the waist, stunned, and after the half-inning ended, he greeted catcher Martin Maldonado with a look of self-loathing and a sweep of his hand, imitating how his fastball had errantly cut inside when he meant for it to go outside.
The Rangers’ lead was still 4-2 when Garcia came to the plate in the eighth inning; following a Carter walk, Bryan Abreu hit Garcia with a pitch; Garcia immediately turned and confronted Maldonado. According to Maldonado, Garcia said to him, “Why like that?”
“Like what?” Maldonado responded. Both benches emptied, with the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez and others trying to hold Garcia. The umpires met and decided to eject Garcia and Abreu, and when Baker heard the news, he threw his hat, screaming incredulously, and he, too, was ejected. Briefly, Baker refused to leave the Houston bench. Crew chief James Hoye turned to home plate umpire Marvin Hudson and said, “He won’t leave.”
Baker did finally leave, after his hat was retrieved for him, and it was his bench coach, Joe Espada, who officially inserted two pinch-hitters, with both waiting near the on-deck circle as Leclerc warmed up for the ninth.
Leclerc had entered the game in the top of the eighth inning, to get one out. And he had to wait through the Garcia incident, through the umpires’ meeting, through Baker’s ejection and dugout sit-in. A lot of time had passed before Leclerc went out to throw the ninth, and later, Bochy spoke with frustration about how long it took to get action resumed.
“I was concerned about that delay,” Bochy said. “I really was. It was a long one. It was taking too long, to be honest. The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there. Who knows what intentions are, but it’s not the first time it’s happened, and couldn’t get the game going again.”
Leclerc said later, “I’m not used to waiting around that long to pitch again, but it’s no excuse. I needed to execute my pitches and do a better job.”
Maldonado suggested after the game that perhaps the Astros had been alighted by the eighth-inning scrum. As Diaz and Singleton prepared to hit in the top of the ninth inning, Altuve grabbed an iPad to watch video of his previous plate appearances against Leclerc, just a reminder of Leclerc’s delivery, how he released the ball, how he had pitched him in the past. In Altuve’s 101st postseason game, there was no need for conversation, any prep.
But Diaz singled and then Singleton, batting for the first time in almost three weeks, calmly waited through six pitches, never swinging and taking a walk. Altuve watched this and said later that the composed plate appearances by the two bench players really helped to calm him, to settle him.
Before the game, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman had marveled at Altuve’s strength, and his standing on some of the all-time postseason leaderships. In the team’s testing, Altuve has the highest jump, the highest pound-for-pound leg press, and he focuses in the offseason on maintaining his core, partly through disciplined eating habits. Bregman confessed that he enjoys soda. Altuve? Never. Through that ethic, Altuve entered this game with 25 career homers in the postseason, second-most all-time to Manny Ramirez’s 29 in the playoffs and World Series. When it comes to the postseason, 5-foot-6 Jose Altuve has a longstanding habit of attacking anything close to the strike zone.
“He’s got a slow heartbeat, and he loves big moments. Number one, he wants to be up there. Number two, he’s got a high concentration level, because that’s what it takes in big moments like that … I mean, this dude is one of the baddest dudes I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some great.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker on Jose Altuve
With an 0-1 count, Leclerc threw him a changeup that was low and inside, and Altuve swung. Leclerc wasn’t sure if Altuve’s fly to left field would be long enough to clear the fence, because he didn’t think Altuve had hit the ball especially hard. But watching from second base, Diaz felt immediately that Altuve’s drive to left would clear the fence, because of the relaxed way Altuve followed through, which told him: Altuve knew it was gone.
The second baseman bounced around the bases, as the Astros’ dugout erupted in chaotic celebration. When he got back to the dugout, Altuve made eye contact with hitting coach Alex Cintron in the dugout. “Wow,” Cintron said. “You are unbelievable.”
During this postseason, Altuve has made a point of downplaying his own performance, deflecting inquiries about his hits and place in postseason history like a deft hockey goalie. But in the joyous Houston dugout, among the other players, Altuve’s guard dropped in his response to Cintron.
“I’ve got 26 homers for a reason,” Altuve said, a humblebrag reference to his postseason homers. “So clutch,” said Bregman.
“He’s got a slow heartbeat, and he loves big moments.” Baker said, “Number one, he wants to be up there. Number two, he’s got a high concentration level, because that’s what it takes in big moments like that … I mean, this dude is one of the baddest dudes I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen some great.”
The Astros had the lead, but in this game, a lead meant nothing. Texas opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, and another single. Marcus Semien smashed a line drive toward shortstop, and Grae Kessinger – who had made his first postseason appearance ever in the top of the ninth inning as a pinch-runner for Singleton and was playing shortstop — leapt into the air and snared the ball.
That was all that was needed to bail out Ryan Pressly, who coaxed Seager into a fly out before striking out rooking Carter, and with that, the Astros collectively exhaled, tumbling out of the dugout. Near second base, Altuve embraced Kessinger, and as all of the Astros came off the field, there was Baker waiting to greet them, hatless, all of them one step closer to becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
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David Schoenfield
Welcome to the original … the amazing … the astonishing … ESPN still-too-early All-Star selections — full of wonderful surprises and fun debates for all ages.
A lot can change in the month before the 2025 All-Star announcements, but we’re deep enough into the season that we can make some educated guesses on what the rosters will look like — or should look like — for this year’s Midsummer Classic in Atlanta on July 15.
The usual rules apply: 32 players per team, broken down into 20 position players and 12 pitchers (at least three relievers), with one representative from each MLB club. Players will be considered for the position they’re listed at on the official All-Star ballot.
Let’s dive into baseball’s most power-packed league.
National League
Top starter debates
First base: Freddie Freeman vs. Pete Alonso
It looks as if Freeman — whom I’ve referred to as the new David Ortiz — will keep hitting until he retires or until his legs eventually give out. Freeman’s numbers were down a bit last season as he dealt with injuries and the health scare to his son, but he’s raking once again and leads the NL in batting average (.354), is tied for first in doubles (20, with Alonso and Brendan Donovan), ranks second in OPS (1.024) and third in OPS+ (189). At 35 years old, he’s as good as ever — maybe better.
Alonso had a couple of soft All-Star selections the past two years, making it last season despite a sub-.800 OPS in the first half and in 2023, despite hitting just .211 (albeit with 26 home runs). This season is shaping up as his best all-around campaign at the plate, even if he’ll fall short of the 53 home runs he hit as a rookie in 2019. He has cut down his strikeout rate, is hitting around .300 and leads the NL with 61 RBIs thanks to a .356 average with runners in scoring position.
This is a coin flip, especially because Freeman spent time on the injured list early this season. Both have also been incredible in high-leverage situations, with Freeman hitting .211/.448/.368 and Alonso even better at .346/.486/.615. That does it for me. Alonso gets the nod.
Third outfielder: James Wood vs. Kyle Tucker vs. Fernando Tatis Jr.
The first outfield selection is easy: Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is making a strong case for NL MVP thanks to his spectacular defense, baserunning and surprising power at the plate (he leads the NL in Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs WAR) and could have an incredible 10-WAR season. The last NL player to do that: Barry Bonds in 2004. I don’t know whether Crow-Armstrong can keep hitting this well, considering his chase rate (third worst in the majors), but pitchers haven’t exploited that aggressiveness yet.
Corbin Carroll gets the second nod. No arguments there. The next three are right there with Carroll — all worthy starters. Tucker is having another superb all-around season, hitting for power, getting on base and stealing bases to earn a fourth straight All-Star selection. Tatis has slowed down after a hot April (1.011 OPS) but adds Gold Glove defense in right field.
My nod, however, goes to Wood. The sophomore sensation is hitting .270/.366/.533 with 16 home runs, getting the ball in the air more often than last season (although with much more growth potential in that area) and displaying elite numbers all over his Baseball Savant page. Physically, the 22-year-old resembles Aaron Judge — and it’s perhaps a little premature to point this out, but Judge hit .308/.419/.486 at age 22 … in High-A.
Second base: Ketel Marte vs. Brendan Donovan vs. Brice Turang vs. Nico Hoerner
Can we shift a couple of these players to the AL? These four are bunched closely in WAR, although they got there in different ways. Marte, last year’s starter, is having another monster offensive season, but he missed a month because of a hamstring strain. Donovan is hitting over .300 with a bunch of doubles and adds flexibility by filling in at left field and shortstop. Turang and Hoerner are defensive wizards without much power but add enough offensive value by getting on base and stealing bases.
My vote goes to Marte. He’s the best player of the group, and only the injury holds him back in the debate. He’s hitting .294/.418/.603 with 12 home runs in 39 games and has more walks than strikeouts, ranking in the 90th-plus percentile in walk rate and lowest strikeout rate. What a fantastic player — often overlooked. Donovan makes it as the backup, while Turang and Hoerner draw the short straw and are left off my hypothetical team.
Starters
Here’s my NL starting lineup:
C: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers
1B: Pete Alonso, New York Mets
2B: Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
3B: Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
SS: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
OF: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
OF: Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
OF: James Wood, Washington Nationals
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Smith is an easy call at catcher. He’s one of 11 Dodgers catchers to make an All-Star team in franchise history. Can any team match that many All-Stars at one position?
Machado and Lindor are the clear leaders at their positions, and Ohtani is matching his offensive prowess from 2024, minus a few stolen bases. Skenes is only 4-6 and his strikeout rate has dipped more than 6 percentage points from last season, but he has a 1.88 ERA and is in line to start for the second time in his two seasons in the majors.
Reserves
C: Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies
1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers
2B: Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
3B: Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants
SS: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
SS: Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
OF: Kyle Tucker, Chicago Cubs
OF: Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
OF Juan Soto, New York Mets
OF: Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins
DH: Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Believe it or not, the lowly Rockies have two reasonable All-Star candidates in Goodman and reliever Jake Bird. Bird has been good for 35 innings, but let’s go with Goodman as the backup catcher, given the lack of a strong candidate because players such as William Contreras and J.T. Realmuto are having down seasons and others such as Carson Kelly and Drake Baldwin are excelling but in part-time roles.
Betts and De La Cruz get the nod at shortstop over Trea Turner, Geraldo Perdomo, Masyn Winn and CJ Abrams in a deep group of candidates. Betts isn’t having his best season, but he’s one of the game’s marquee players and the others haven’t outplayed him enough to kick him off this roster. The backup DH slot is down to Schwarber, Marcell Ozuna and Seiya Suzuki — with all three putting up nice numbers, but Schwarber’s are a little nicer.
And, yes, we managed to squeeze Soto onto the team, especially as he heats up with another three-hit game Sunday (and three walks), raising his OPS to .820. Stowers represents the Marlins, pushing out a third second baseman or Jackson Merrill, who might have made it if he hadn’t missed a month on the IL.
Pitchers
SP: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies
SP: MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
SP: Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
SP: Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants
SP: Kodai Senga, New York Mets
SP: Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves
SP: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
RP: Robert Suarez, San Diego Padres
RP: Edwin Diaz, New York Mets
RP: Randy Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants
Peralta makes it as our Brewers rep but is a worthy selection with a 2.69 ERA. He makes it over Reds teammates Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott.
The game is at Truist Park in Atlanta, so it would be nice to get more Braves on the team — but Sale is the only one I squeezed onto the roster. Ozuna, Austin Riley and Spencer Schwellenbach still have time to play their way onto the team, but the last time the Braves had just one All-Star rep was 2017, when Ender Inciarte was the only selection. It would be a far cry from two seasons ago, when the Braves had eight All-Stars.
American League
Top starter debates
Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Jeremy Peña vs. Jacob Wilson
Here are their current stats:
Witt: .291/.349/.492, 8 HR, 135 OPS+, 3.4 bWAR, 3.5 fWAR
Peña: .316/.373/.480, 9 HR, 139 OPS+, 3.9 bWAR, 3.2 fWAR
Wilson: .372/.408/.528, 8 HR, 163 OPS+, 2.8 bWAR, 3.3 fWAR
Peña has been terrific in helping keep afloat Houston’s offense, which lost Tucker and Alex Bregman in the offseason and has been without a productive Yordan Alvarez. Peña has dropped his strikeout rate for a third straight season, and Baseball-Reference, which gives him the highest WAR among the three, loves his defense.
Wilson debuted last season with the A’s but still has rookie status, which puts him on a potential track for some historic rookie numbers. The last rookie to hit .350? Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. The only rookie since 1900 to hit .370? George Watkins in the juiced ball season of 1930 when he hit .373 (and even then, he had just 424 plate appearances, so wouldn’t qualify under current standards). Highest average for a rookie shortstop? Johnny Pesky at .331 in 1942. With eight home runs, Wilson is even hitting for more power than expected. His defense, however, isn’t on par with Witt or Peña.
Witt’s home run numbers are down from last season, but he leads the majors with 22 doubles. With the weather heating up, some of those doubles should turn into home runs. His defense remains spectacular, and he leads the AL in stolen bases. He’s a true star, and though there’s time for Peña or Wilson to pass him, Witt should be starting his first All-Star Game in 2025 — the first of many.
Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal vs. Kris Bubic
Skubal is making a strong push to defend his 2024 AL Cy Young Award, while Bubic has put up a surprisingly dominant first half for the Royals. The numbers:
Skubal: 6-2, 2.16 ERA, 83.1 IP, 61 H, 7 BB, 105 SO, 3.1 bWAR, 3.4 fWAR
Bubic: 5.3, 1.43 ERA, 75.1 IP, 53 H, 22 BB, 79 SO, 3.5 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR
Bubic — who pitched in 27 games for the Royals last season, all in relief — is a 27-year-old lefty, a former first-round pick out of Stanford who had Tommy John surgery in 2023. His fastball isn’t overpowering at 92-93 mph, but he has added more spin than before his surgery to improve its whiff rate and his changeup is one of the best in the game (batters are hitting .100 against it). Though maintaining a 1.43 ERA isn’t likely, he has been really good and not just lucky.
Sticking with my “He’s done it before” analysis, however, Skubal is the pick — and it’s hard to argue that he’s not the best starter in the majors. That strikeout-to-walk ratio is incredible, plus he seems to be heating up, allowing just one run over his past three starts.
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Paul Goldschmidt vs. Jonathan Aranda vs. Spencer Torkelson
Meh. Guerrero has made four straight All-Star appearances, including three starts, but he has benefited from subpar competition. First base in the AL has been consistently lacking in stars for a long time.
Anyway, the numbers … and, no, I didn’t have Goldschmidt on my Bingo card either:
Guerrero: .273/.380/.417, 8 HR, 29 RBIs, 1.7 bWAR, 1.4 fWAR
Goldschmidt: .312/.369/.464, 7 HR, 29 RBIs, 1.7 bWAR, 1.6 fWAR
Aranda: .320/.406/.490, 7 HR, 34 RBIs, 2.3 bWAR, 1.7 fWAR
Torkelson: .237/.342/.500 15 HR, 45 RBIs, 1.4 bWAR, 1.5 fWAR
Aranda has the best slash line, although he started only 50 of the Rays’ first 64 games because he wasn’t playing against lefties earlier in the season. He has no track record of hitting like this, but his Statcast metrics are impressive, including a 94th percentile hard-hit rate. Goldschmidt was hitting over .340 just a week ago, so he has been in a slump, but coming off the worst season of his career, he has been a pleasant surprise for the Yankees. Torkelson has the best power numbers of the group but is the worst defender and has slowed down after a hot start.
I’ll stick with Guerrero as the starter. Nobody else has done quite enough, although any of the four could separate from the pack with a hot June. I’ll make Aranda the backup, a nod to his nice start.
Starters
My AL starting lineup:
C: Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
2B: Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
3B: Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
OF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
OF: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
OF: Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
DH: Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
SP: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
Raleigh is the landslide choice at catcher, and let’s hope the fans vote him in as the starter. He leads the majors in home runs and is on pace for one of the greatest offensive seasons for a catcher. Torres gets the nod in a very weak group at second base, probably the weakest position in either league. Alex Bregman was battling Ramirez for starting honors at third base until Bregman’s injury.
The AL outfield is also pretty weak, with Judge the one easy choice and Kwan a distant second choice. The third starter is up for grabs. Julio Rodriguez is the selection going by WAR, but his offensive numbers are still way down from his first two seasons in the majors. Devers gets the nod at DH because, despite the slow start and controversy over playing first base, he’s putting up the best OPS of his career.
Reserves
C: Logan O’Hoppe, Los Angeles Angels
1B: Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays
2B: Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
3B: Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros
3B: Maikel Garcia, Kansas City Royals
SS: Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros
SS: Jacob Wilson, Athletics
OF: Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners
OF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
OF: Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
DH: Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
O’Hoppe is our Angels rep, and Lowe joins teammate Aranda on the All-Star roster. Paredes has quietly had a nice season for the Astros, although Junior Caminero is coming on strong for the Rays, and Bregman will merit consideration if he can make it back soon from his hamstring injury. Greene has had a weird season for the Tigers with a ton of strikeouts, but he has been a mainstay in a better-than-expected Detroit lineup.
Bellinger is one of many other outfield candidates. Any of the three Red Sox outfielders — Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela — could make it (Rafaela on the strength of his defense), and the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler is heating up after a slow start. O’Hearn makes it as the only Orioles rep, and Alvarez’s injury opens a DH slot. Garcia was my final choice, quietly having a nice season for the Royals, hitting over .300 while also starting games at second base and in the outfield.
Pitchers
SP: Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals
SP: Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
SP: Max Fried, New York Yankees
SP: Hunter Brown, Houston Astros
SP: Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
SP: Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees
SP: Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
SP: Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox
RP: Josh Hader, Houston Astros
RP: Andres Munoz, Seattle Mariners
RP: Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins
Look at all those lefties! Besides Skubal, five of the eight other AL starters are left-handed. Brown and Fried have sub-2.00 ERAs and could merit consideration for starting as well — this is a very deep group of AL starters. Nathan Eovaldi is left off only because he’s on the injured list, but he’s not expected to be out long and was as good as anyone with a 1.56 ERA. It’s great to see deGrom back, and even though he’s not as dominant as in his peak Mets days, he still has a 2.12 ERA. Valdez gets the nod over Tyler Mahle and Joe Ryan, and Smith makes it as the White Sox rep.
For the relievers, Hader didn’t make the All-Star Game last year, but he’s dominating again, going 17-for-17 in save chances. Munoz had a 0.00 ERA until May 30. Duran is 4-1 with 10 saves and a 1.19 ERA, part of a Twins bullpen that has been the best in the majors. Though they didn’t make the cut, Tigers relievers Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest have been great in late-game duties for Detroit.
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Eli Lederman
Four-star offensive tackle Micah “Champ” Smith, No. 46 in the 2026 ESPN 300, has committed to UCLA, he told ESPN on Saturday, landing as the Bruins’ highest-ranked pledge under coach DeShaun Foster.
Smith, a 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman from Vero Beach, Florida, is the nation’s seventh-ranked offensive tackle prospect in the current cycle. He chose UCLA over finalists Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee following spring visits with each program.
Smith told ESPN that his relationship with Bruins offensive line coach Andy Kwon, who joined the program this offseason, and the development track he was presented on his May official visit helped drive his pledge to UCLA. Upon his commitment, Smith has formally closed his recruitment and will no longer take visits to other schools this summer.
“My relationship with [Kwon] was a huge factor,” he told ESPN. “That’s the person that’s going to develop you. The culture of the program, that connection with the O-line coach and the opportunity to play when I get there were all big for me.”
The Bruins’ first ESPN 300 pledge in 2026, Smith represents a monumental addition to the program’s second recruiting class under Foster, the 45-year-old coach who took charge of UCLA in February 2024.
If Smith signs with the Bruins later this year, he’ll join UCLA as its highest-ranked signee since quarterback Dante Moore (No. 2 overall) in 2023 and the program’s highest-rated offensive line addition since former second-team All-American Xavier Su’a-Filo arrived as the nation’s No. 34 overall prospect in the 2009 class.
Smith cemented himself as the starting right tackle at Florida’s Vero Beach High School in 2023. He played both ways as a junior last fall, operating primarily at right tackle and recording 22 tackles (6.5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks on the defensive line. In January, Smith was among the first class of high school juniors invited to the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game.
Smith lands as the Bruins’ ninth overall pledge and first offensive line addition in the 2026 class.
“I just felt it when I went there — it felt like home to me,” Smith said of his official visit to UCLA. “I was never certain of when I was going to commit. But when I felt right about it, I knew I was going to be ready to make that the time to do it. It felt right.”
Following Smith’s decision, six of the nation’s top 10 offensive tackles recruits are now off the board, led by Miami pledge Jackson Cantwell (No. 3 overall) and fellow five-star Keenyi Pepe (No. 17), who committed to USC on May 1. Five-star offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 12) narrowed his finalists to Auburn, LSU, Oregon and Penn State on Friday and will visit each program this month ahead of his Aug. 5 commitment date.
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Adam Rittenberg
Michigan wrapped up a two-day hearing Saturday before the NCAA’s committee on infractions, which is examining potential punishments for impermissible scouting and sign-stealing, orchestrated by former football staff member Connor Stalions.
A Michigan spokesman told ESPN that the school would not be commenting until there is a final resolution to the case, which likely wouldn’t come until later this summer or fall. Infractions decisions usually take three months, although that could vary depending on the complexity of the case, according to the spokesman.
The school faces 11 violations, six of them Level I, the most serious tier from the NCAA. Most of the violations concern the scouting and sign-stealing operation overseen by Stalions, who was seen entering NCAA headquarters for the infraction committee hearings, according to Sports Illustrated. Stalions resigned from his position as football analyst in November 2023, several days after news of the investigation went public. Michigan administrators and attorneys also attended the hearings.
The NCAA already has punished former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause penalty and a one-year suspension for violations in a separate investigation into illegal recruiting during the COVID-19 period. The Big Ten took the unusual step of suspending Harbaugh for Michigan’s final three regular-season games in 2023 for violating its sportsmanship policy because of the sign-stealing scandal. Michigan went on to win the national championship that season.
Harbaugh, now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, did not attend this week’s hearing but could face additional penalties. Other former Michigan assistant coaches could face penalties, but the focus will be on punishment for the current program and its coaches, including head coach Sherrone Moore.
Michigan is expected to suspend Moore in Weeks 3 and 4 of the 2025 season, part of self-imposed penalties, after he deleted a thread of 52 text messages with Stalions. The NCAA has since obtained those messages, which Moore later said he looked forward to being released. Still, he could face additional penalties from the infractions committee and be considered a repeat offender; he served a one-game suspension in 2023 for his role in the COVID-19 recruiting violations probe.
Michigan also could be labeled a repeat offender and receive additional penalties, including recruiting restrictions or a postseason ban.
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