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Wisconsin Badgers land former 4-star SEC wide receiver in transfer portal

Wisconsin Badgers land former 4-star SEC wide receiver in transfer portal

Wisconsin Badgers land former 4-star SEC wide receiver in transfer portal

The Wisconsin Badgers have reportedly added another weapon to its new-look offense.

Wisconsin Badgers on SI has confirmed that former Kentucky and Hawaii wide receiver Dekel Crowdus has committed to Wisconsin.

He has signed with the program, first reported by 247Sports.

 

Crowdus then announced Wednesday via Instagram his commitment.

He joins a Wisconsin receiving corp that saw two potential contributors depart during the spring transfer portal period.

Mark Hamper, who came to Madison from Idaho in the offseason, now is at California. Quincy Burroughs also left the program, though he has not declared where his next collegiate destination is.

Crowdus could provide another upperclassmen target for the Badgers’ new “NFL-style” offense under coordinator Jeff Grimes that tries to stress defenses by throwing downfield.

Vinny Anthony II, Chris Brooks Jr. and Ohio State transfer Jayden Ballard all made plays during Wisconsin’s spring practices that ended last month.

Redshirt sophomore Trech Kekahuna missed the majority of spring ball due to injury, though wide receivers coach Jordan Reid praised Tyrell Henry for his performance in Kekahuna’s absence.

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College Football

Notre Dame scheduling update could spell end of historic USC rivalry

The annual Notre Dame-USC rivalry game could be on life support.

On Tuesday, the Fighting Irish announced a 12-year regular-season series with Clemson, which will run from the 2027-2038 seasons.

That coincides with the last game between Notre Dame and USC, which is set for 2026. In February, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen spoke with The Athletic about the rivalry dating back to 1926.

Cohen noted that the Trojans are in the expanded Big Ten conference and arguably the nation’s best after winning the past two national titles.

However, they might not have an appetite for an out-of-conference yearly game against the Fighting Irish.

“We’re now playing in a conference where we fly back and forth across the country every other week,” Cohen reasoned.

(Gee, maybe USC should have considered that before it torched the Pac-12.) “So we remain in conversations with Notre Dame about the series,” Cohen continued.

“I think we’re clear to each other [that] we’re going to continue to evaluate what’s best, and it’s my job to evaluate what’s best for our student-athletes and our program.”

Except for the 2020 season, which was altered by COVID-19, Notre Dame and USC have played every season since the end of World War II. It makes more sense for the Trojans to want to discontinue the rivalry. In the series’ 95-game history, the Irish lead, 52-38-5.

They’ve also won six of the last seven meetings, including the past two by a combined score of 97-55. Notre Dame and Clemson don’t have nearly as rich a history. The programs have met eight times, with the first in 1977.

They’ve played each other six times over the last 10 seasons, with the Irish going 2-4 during that span.

While it would be disappointing for the Notre Dame-USC rivalry to be put on hold following the 100th anniversary of their first meeting, it makes sense why the Irish would gravitate toward the Tigers despite them being a tougher matchup. Clemson is an ACC power and made the CFP last season after winning its conference.

Meanwhile, USC has never made the CFP and has more losing seasons (two) than 10-win seasons (one) since 2018.

With the strength of schedule a significant factor in the College Football Playoff committee’s evaluation of the country’s top teams, Notre Dame should benefit more from playing Clemson, regardless of whether it wins or loses (barring a blowout). It’s a shame that the budding Notre Dame-Clemson series could come at the expense of perhaps college football’s best out-of-conference rivalry.

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NFL

Shedeur Sanders reportedly made big admission about Giants coaches

For an article published on Tuesday, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post attempted to pour cold water over stories that previously claimed Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders bombed a predraft visit with Giants head coach Brian Daboll.

It appears Sanders did himself no favors via his chats with the Giants leading up to the draft.

“While the Giants worked out Shedeur Sanders the week before the draft, Sanders sensed much earlier that New York probably wasn’t in the cards for him.

Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn’t hit it off with Giants coaches,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday morning.

Before the Giants traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25, draft analyst and league insider Todd McShay of The Ringer revealed that Sanders allegedly wasn’t prepared for a meeting with Daboll, “got called out on it” and “didn’t like that.” Per McShay, Daboll “didn’t appreciate [Sanders] not liking it.”

That said, Schwartz more recently insisted that any story claiming “Sanders was unprepared for an install test Daboll gave him and then balked at Daboll’s criticism” is “untrue or overhyped.”

It was said before the draft that Daboll “warmed to” Dart during the club’s evaluations of prospects, and general manager Joe Schoen later “shifted his preference to Dart.”

According to Fowler, Dart “checked all the boxes” for Daboll and Schoen as of the Monday meetings of draft week.

Meanwhile, Sanders’ reported handling of the predraft process caused him to fall to the fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at pick No. 144.

Dart is expected to spend at least a significant portion of his rookie season sitting behind veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, but Sanders should be given a chance to win the Cleveland starting job.

Regardless of whatever did or didn’t happen between Sanders and unnamed “Giants coaches,” the Big Blue staff is now hoping Dart will look like the better long-term option for the club come January.

If such a scenario doesn’t play out, Giants co-owner John Mara could blow things up when the league’s next hiring cycle gets underway.

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NFL

Chicago Bears TE Cole Kmet listed as trade candidate for New England Patriots

When the Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the first question that immediately came to mind was what the Bears’ plans for veteran Cole Kmet would be.

Kmet, 26, is in the middle of a four-year, $50 million contract, a deal that suggests he should be the unquestioned TE1 on the roster.

But that isn’t the case anymore, especially not with new coach Ben Johnson, who is bringing an innovative offense to Chicago that will feature players with a more dynamic skill set as playmakers than Kmet can provide.

As a result, Kmet’s short and long-term future with the Bears is a question worth asking, and he was recently listed among 10 players who should be on the trade block now that the 2025 draft is in the rear-view mirror.

One team mentioned as a possible suitor for the former Golden Domer?

The New England Patriots. “Kmet has three years left on his contract with cap hits of $11.6 million in each season,” Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox wrote. “Chicago might not want to pay that much for a No. 2 tight end.

The New England Patriots should be interested in Kmet if he becomes available.

They need to put pass-catchers around second-year quarterback Drake Maye, and Kmet could be a long-term option for them at tight end.”

Most of the post-draft discussion surrounding Kmet has been focused on how Johnson plans to deploy two tight ends in his offense, and Kmet’s ability to be on the field as an extra blocker or short-yardage target will certainly offer some value.

But his average traits as a receiver has his upside capped, and if a team like the Patriots is willing to cough up a quality draft pick for Kmet and his pricey contract, the Bears would be foolish not to listen. Indeed, Kmet offers off-field value that would be hard to replace.

He’s one of the hardest workers on the Bears and is good for the culture reboot that Johnson is trying to create.

Perhaps his intangibles will keep him around for the duration of his contract, but if Loveland proves quickly as a rookie that he can’t come off the field, Kmet’s time in Chicago could come to an end sooner than expected.

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NFL

Texans news: Houston claims 2025 UDFA from Seahawks

The Houston Texans are finalizing their offseason roster with rookie camp set to begin soon.

On Wednesday, the front office made another acquisition of an undrafted free agent who was previously signed with the Seattle Seahawks.

Reports indicate that Jackson Woodard, a linebacker who played for the UNLV Rebels, is signing as an UDFA with the Texans, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

Woodard is the fourth linebacker Houston has signed this offseason.

“The Texans claimed LB Jackson Woodard off waivers from Seattle.” Woodard played college football for five years before ultimately taking his talents to the NFL.

He spent his first three seasons playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks before transferring to UNLV for his final two. The 22-year-old linebacker had the best season of his collegiate career in the 2024-25 campaign, as he recorded 135 combined tackles (69 solo), 17 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a defensive touchdown.

With eight other linebackers already on the roster, Woodard will have his work cut out for him.

The Texans are expected to have Henry To’oTo’o and Al-Shaair Azeez serve as the starting inside linebackers next season.

The front office also added EJ Speed and Nick Niemann in free agency to compete for backup roles with Christian Harris and Hansen, and Jamal Hill.

Woodard is the second UDFA linebacker signing the Texans have made, as the team also acquired KC Ossai after the draft.

It’s more likely that Woodard competes for a spot on special teams, however, there is a possibility he ends up being cut or placed on the practice squad before the start of the regular season. The Texans finished last season with a 10-7 record, which was enough to clinch the AFC South.

Although they did make it out of the Wild Card round after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 32-12, Houston was ultimately eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs in a 23-14 divisional round loss.

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