Will Wade’s second tenure as LSU’s coach is off to an inauspicious beginning as the Tigers enter his fourth week on the job without a single public commitment for their 2026-27 roster. LSU is the only high-major team that did not have a player in the fold as of Monday, which leaves Wade and his staff with significant work to do at a point when many of the sport’s top free agents have already announced their destinations.

Of the top 100 transfers in the CBS Sports/247Sports rankings, 76 are off the board. The Tigers are in the mix for No. 4 ranked transfer Allen Graves from Santa Clara and No. 32 ranked transfer Paul McNeil from NC State, but there is competition for both. Duke is among those recruiting Graves, who has also declared for the NBA Draft.

Though Wade and McNeil have a preexisting relationship from this past season at NC State, North Carolina has also been in contact with McNeil, who has not ruled out a return to NC State. 

It’s no surprise to see that Wade isn’t stocking up on former NC State players after he was critical of the Wolfpack’s 2025-26 roster amid a 20-14 campaign defined by late-season struggles and a First Four exit from the NCAA Tournament. But it is surprising to see the Tigers without a single commitment as Wade approaches one month on the job.

College basketball transfer portal movement tracker: Grades for every top commitment from 2026 cycle

Cameron Salerno

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Acquiring talent has never been a problem for Wade, who is now in his sixth head coaching tenure at just 43 years old. This roster construction will be different though. It will require a high-wire act to assemble a competitive team from the narrowing amount of top-level talent ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for players to enter the transfer portal. 

Here are the updated progress reports for all the high-major coaches in new jobs.

A lot of work left

LSU (Will Wade)

We are talking about Will Wade here. Typically, talent acquisition would be the least of your worries with Wade at the helm. But so far, it’s been quiet in terms of actual commitments. It will be interesting to see what Wade has up his sleeve in the weeks ahead.

Early grade: F

Georgia Tech (Scott Cross)

Troy transfer Victor Valdes is following Cross to Georgia Tech after leading the Trojans in scoring (14.8) and assists (4.2) last season. The 6-7 guard is the only proven transfer in the fold thus far. But the Yellow Jackets also landed a commitment from Kayden Allen, the No. 50 prospect in the Class of 2026. The New York wing is one of Georgia Tech’s 10 highest-ranked commits of the 247Sports era and is the type of player Cross couldn’t land at Troy. Those are nice pieces, but there is still work to do if the Yellow Jackets are going to get out of the ACC cellar in Cross’ first year.

Early grade: C

NC State (Justin Gainey)

A couple of important backcourt pieces are on the way as highly productive mid-major transfers Preston Edmead (Hofstra) and Christian Hammond (Santa Clara) enter after playing key roles on NCAA Tournament teams. The rest of the Wolfpack roster is a work in progress, but Gainey and his staff have been working the portal aggressively. If Wolfpack fans need a lift, just go check out how Will Wade’s roster build is going at LSU.

Early grade: C

North Carolina (Michael Malone)

All eyes are on Henri Veesaar, the star big man who might be a preseason All-American if he returns to college basketball. If Veessaar stays with the Tar Heels, this grade will quickly rise. Keeping the 7-footer and potentially adding a high-octane guard like Utah transfer Terrence Brown Jr. would constitute major positive developments for a UNC roster construction that thus far is highlighted by the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas, a big-bodied point guard with NBA upside.

Early grade: B-

Getting there

Providence (Bryan Hodgson)

In our first edition of first-year coach progress reports, I sang Hodgson’s praises for his strong early work and then noted that Providence “still needs some size and another knockdown perimeter shooter.” Well, since then, the Friars have checked both boxes. The addition of Buffalo transfer Ryan Sabol — one of the nation’s premier 3-point shooters — supplied the shooter while the commitment of Northwestern transfer center Arrinten Page brought the size. This roster is officially rounding into form.

Early grade: A

Cincinnati (Jerrod Calhoun)

Cincinnati could still use a natural point guard and some proven rim protection. But Calhoun has already landed three top-200 transfers in Wake Forest shooting guard Myles Colvin (No. 76), George Mason big Riley Allenspach (No. 114) and Towson scoring forward Tyler Tejada (No. 163). All three bring unique skill sets and comprise a strong backbone for Calhoun’s first squad. There are just a couple pieces left to fill.

Early grade: B

Syracuse (Gerry McNamara)

Syracuse‘s backcourt is coming together nicely. The offensive firepower of transfers Aiden Tobiason (Temple) and Gavin Doty (Siena) brings promise, and McNeese transfer Garwey Dual will bring plenty of defense. Hiring Carmelo Anthony’s former Syracuse teammate surely didn’t hurt with the Orange’s case to retain Kiyan Anthony. The rising sophomore was a top-40 prospect in last year’s freshman class and still has untapped potential after an uneven debut campaign. 

Early grade: B

Boston College (Luke Murray)

Boston College‘s rebuild has taken shape over the past several days. Most notably, Murray landed the No. 100 ranked transfer in Money Williams from Montana.  The strong-bodied guard is a bucket-getter, but he’s got the ability to create for others and should have little problem transitioning to the ACC after three standout seasons in the Big Sky. This won’t be an easy turnaround for Murray to execute, but landing a player like Williams was a smart use of BC’s resources. Slovenian wing Zak Smreakar is also a fascinating pickup worth keeping an eye on after he joined the likes of A.J. Dybantsa, Christian Anderson Jr., Mikel Brown Jr. and Hannes Steinbach on last year’s FIBA U19 all-tournament team.

Early grade: B+

Arizona State (Randy Bennett)

If No. 9 ranked transfer Paulius Murauskas opted to follow Bennett from Saint Mary’s to Arizona State, it would simplify this roster build in a significant way. But Murauskas is highly coveted and, understandably, exploring other potential options. In the meantime, transfers additions Joel Foxwell (Portland) and Emmanuel Innocenti (Gonzaga) will give the longtime Saint Mary’s coach a WCC flavor on his first roster. Foxwell led the WCC in assists, and Innocenti is a top-200 transfer who will bring experience and versatility on the wing.

Grade: C+

Almost done

We have a pretty good idea of what these teams will look like in the 2026-27 season.

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Butler (Ronald Nored)

Nored is not relying exclusively on the transfer portal as he seeks to revitalize his alma mater. He’s got a couple of potential starters returning in point guard Jalen Jackson and big man Drayton Jones. From a traditional recruiting perspective, four-star prospect and former LSU commit Herly Brutus committed to the Bulldogs last week. Then, there’s the commitment of 6-6 Serbian forward Asim Djulovic, who is putting up impressive stats as a 20-year-old in the Adriatic League. Last but not least, Nored’s portal haul includes:

• Eduardo Klafke, a two-year role player at Ole Miss who is a career 44.6% 3-point shooter.
• Samis Calderon, a toolsy 6-8 forward who appeared in 16 games as a reserve during his freshman season at Kansas.
• Treyson Anderson, a stretch big who averaged 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks for a North Dakota State team that won the Summit League.
• Jordan Ellerbee: coming off a standout freshman season at FGCU in which he averaged 13.1 points while showing promise as a pick-and-roll scorer

It’s a well-balanced roster with players from a variety of sources and archetypes, but to this point, it lacks the high-end pop that is likely needed for a big Year 1 breakthrough.

Early grade: B

Creighton (Alan Huss)

The internal handoff from Greg McDermott to Huss has led to more retention than what you get during a normal coaching change. Rotation-caliber pieces Jasen Green, Austin Swartz, Isaac Traudt, Hudson Greer and Jackson McAndrew are all returning. There are plenty of high-major programs not undergoing a coaching change that don’t have that much retention. As for additions, the Bluejays have made some nice ones. 

Providence transfer Oswin Erhunmwunse will bring the rim protection that Creighton sorely missed this past season following the departure of program staple Ryan Kalkbrenner. South Florida flamethrower Wes Enis will help replace the 3-point shooting of Josh Dix. Meanwhile, San Diego State transfer BJ Davis is a veteran floor general and strong perimeter defender. Between Huss’ coaching acumen and the quality of this roster, look for Creighton to get back in the NCAA Tournament picture next season.

Early grade: A-

Kansas State (Casey Alexander)

Kansas State’s midseason firing of Jerome Tang and March 13 hiring of Alexander from Belmont gave the Wildcats a jump start on roster assembly. In terms of numbers, the Wildcats are nearing the finish line. 

In terms of the actual talent that will be required to field a competitive team in the Big 12, there’s still a long way to go. Barring a seismic addition, this team will likely hope to follow the 2024-25 Vanderbilt model. Here is what that looks like: an unfamiliar coach takes over a struggling program, puts together a seemingly underwhelming roster and then proceeds to surge past lackluster preseason expectations. It’s a narrow path.

Early grade: C

Matt Fitzpatrick had faced American fans cheering against him before: several times at the Ryder Cup (he’s played in four of them) and once in a 2023 playoff versus Jordan Spieth at the RBC Heritage.

This was again the setting on Sunday, at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island, S.C., as the 31-year-old Englishman dueled with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler.

And, just like three years ago, Fitzpatrick had the last laugh against an American fan favorite.

Despite the home crowd cheering heavily for Scheffler — and “USA!” chants on the property — Fitzpatrick beat Scheffler with a birdie on the first playoff hole to win for the second time in the last month. When Fitzpatrick rolled in his birdie putt on the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, the crowd went eerily quiet.

But Fitzpatrick had little issue with the home crowd cheering against him.

“It didn’t get out of line in terms of no one was shouting on backswings or anything like that, which was great. I’m all for it,” Fitzpatrick said. “They’re supporting Scottie; that’s great. You want golf to have an atmosphere in my opinion. I grew up watching football. I’m paid so much money to be out there in front of those crowds, having them chanting at you every week, it’s great feeling.

“However, there’s no better feeling than coming out on top against that — there isn’t a better feeling. To describe it in my terms, it’s kind of winning away against your biggest rival. Nothing to do with Scottie or the players; it’s the fans that have sort of spurred me on there. It was nice to obviously win, but it never crossed the line. It was just loud. Just loud.”

Fitzpatrick started the day with a three-shot lead over Scheffler, who was the next closest competitor. But after Fitzpatrick made birdies on 1 and 3 he made par on the next 14. Scheffler made a late charge with birdies on 15 and 16, and they stepped to the signature 18th hole with Fitzpatrick leading by one. Both players missed the green with their approach, but Scheffler got up and down while Fitzpatrick could not, forcing the playoff.

Back in the 18th fairway in the playoff, Fitzpatrick stuck a 4-iron to 13 feet away. Scheffler missed the green with his approach, and Fitzpatrick rolled in the birdie to win.

“I pulled it a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said. “We had the commentary booth in the background, that was like our target, so that was probably right half of the green, right edge maybe. But it was such a great number for 4-iron.”

After his second-place finish to Rory McIlroy at the Masters, Scheffler has now been runner-up in back-to-back weeks.

It was just the latest victory in what’s been a strong spring for Fitzpatrick, who has moved up to No. 3 in the world behind only Scheffler and McIlroy. Fitzpatrick was the runner-up at the Players Championship last month, and he followed that with a win at the Valspar. He tied for 18th at the Masters.

Fitzpatrick had the last laugh on the course — stealing the victory away from Scheffler and the American-dominated crowd — but also had the last jab in his winner’s press conference. He was asked if it was strange it became USA vs. Europe even in a non-Ryder Cup year.

“No. Americans are incredibly patriotic, and I think that was amazing,” he said. He added with a wry smile, “I guess the only issue is they just have shorter memories because we won in October.”

De Vera was a late call-up to Saturday’s matchday squad after the late withdrawal of Carys Cox, so there was little time for nerves.

“Being in Cardiff Arms, knowing that my family’s there, knowing that my friends are there, I would be doing a real disservice to myself if I put too much pressure and not enjoy it,” she said.

“The spectacle of the first cap was probably something that I needed to remind myself, it was a real achievement and I’m really grateful to be given that opportunity.”

De Vera is hopeful of being involved again on Saturday when Wales travel to Ashton Gate to take on world champions England.

“To be trusted with that opportunity on Saturday, to really go for it, has given me a lot of confidence,” she said.

“I’m so excited because although the score didn’t reflect, it was a harsh score, I feel that we are on an upwards trajectory together as seniors, Under-20s and 18s.”

Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with captain Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo)

Mumbai Indians’ emphatic 99-run win over Gujarat Titans was defined by Tilak Varma’s brilliance, but skipper Hardik Pandya made it clear that a key tactical call with the ball also played a decisive role. One of the biggest talking points was the decision to hand the new ball to Jasprit Bumrah, a move that paid off instantly as he struck with the very first delivery to remove Sai Sudharsan. It was also a significant moment for Bumrah personally, as this was his first wicket of the season, coming in his sixth match. Addressing the long-standing question around why Bumrah does not usually bowl the first over, Hardik offered a clear explanation. “I’ve seen a lot of people go, why Jassie has never bowled. But if you see, it’s been 138 [151] appearances and I think 8 or 9 times Jasprit has bowled the first over. So I don’t think it’s a Hardik Pandya problem.” He emphasised that Bumrah’s role is defined by impact rather than convention. “It’s just that Jasprit Bumrah is so special that you use him wherever it’s required for the team, not when you start. But yeah, today was something we realized, that we really want to make an impact with the new ball, and no one’s better than him.” That early breakthrough set the tone for MI’s dominance, as GT never recovered from the blow and were eventually bowled out for 100. Hardik also highlighted how crucial the win was for the group, especially given their struggles this season and the challenge of playing in Ahmedabad. “It’s always challenging to go away and win. Ahmedabad has been something which is very tough for us as the Mumbai Indians. And yeah, we just played good cricket. It feels very special because it was much needed.” The MI captain was equally vocal about the turning point with the bat, revealing how his message to Tilak Varma during the strategic break was simple and direct. “I realized the kind of talent Tilak has, he really does not need to worry about a lot. The only message I kept telling him was that you’re gonna just watch the ball and hit the ball irrespective of what. I genuinely believe the kind of ball striking from his bat is something really special.” Hardik admitted the intensity of the moment, saying, “A couple of times I went so loud that I kind of got dizzy. But it was much needed for the group, for Tilak, and for Mumbai Indians.” He reserved special praise for the younger players who stepped up in a must-win game. “Really amazing by the youngsters. Mumbai Indians needed that as a group. The debutant Krish, coming and bowling right areas, showing the right intent. Ashwani coming and bowling, really amazing, taking 4-fers. He changed the momentum for us. Special mention to Naman as well.” For Hardik, this was more than just a win. It felt like a shift in momentum.

John Korir defended his men’s title at the 2026 Boston Marathon as the Kenyan shattered the course record to become only the fifth man to dip under two hours and two minutes over the distance.

Korir was second at the half-way stage in 1:01:50, seven seconds behind Lemi Berhanu, but the defending champion made a push for the lead after 20 miles and grabbed control of the elite men’s race, surging clear of his rivals to eventually clock a time of 02:01:52 – more than a minute better than the previous best in Boston. Only Kelvin Kiptum, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele and Sisay Lemma have ever run quicker.

In the women’s race, Sharon Lokedi again proved untouchable as the Kenyan defended her title. Lokedi finished fast to power away from a bunched field and win by a distance, though outside of the course record time set in 2025.

Earlier, Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:30:51, beating out Catherine Debrunner by over two minutes to add a second title to her breakthrough success in 2024. The great Marcel Hug, meanwhile, won the men’s wheelchair race, dominating the field to win by more than six minutes in 1:16:06 in a ninth triumph in the city.

Here are the results for the elite races at the 130th edition of the Boston Marathon:

Elite men’s race

1. John Korir 2:01:52

2. Alphonce Simbu 2:02:47

3. Benson Kipruto 2:02:50

4. Hailemaryam Kiros 2:03:42

5. Zouhair Talbi 2:03:45

6 Tebello Ramakongoana 2:04:14

7 Charles Hicks 2:04:35

8 Richard Ringer 2:04:47

9 Alex Masai 2:05:32

10 Milkesa Mengesha 2:05:35

Elite women’s race

1 Sharon Lokedi 2:18:51

2 Loice Chemnung 2:19:35

3 Mary Ngugi-Cooper 2:20:07

4 Mercy Chelangat 2:20:30

5 Jess McClain 2:20:49

6 Irine Cheptai 2:20:54

7 Workenesh Edesa 2:21:52

8 Annie Frisbie 2:22:00

9 Emily Sisson 2:22:39

10 Carrie Ellwood 2:22:53

Elite men’s wheelchair race

1. Hug, Marcel 1:03:05

2. Romanchuk, Daniel 1:09:03

3. Plat, Jetze 1:10:00

4. Xingchuan, Luo 1:10:31

5. Watanabe, Sho 01:11:06

6. Smith, Johnboy 1:11:53

7. Hokinoue, Kota 1:12:05

8. Jimenez-Vergara, Miguel 1:13:11

9. Schipper, Geert 1:13:32

10. Weir, David 1:14:24

Elite women’s wheelchair race

1. Rainbow-Cooper, Eden 51:21

2. Debrunner, Catherine 00:52:13

3. Mcfadden, Tatyana 00:54:30

4. Schär, Manuela 00:55:09

5. De Souza, Vanessa 00:56:36

6. De Rozario, Madison 00:56:36

7. Eachus, Patricia 00:56:37

8. Perry, Emelia 00:59:37

9. Elshorbagy, Hoda 01:00:08

10. Dawes, Christie 01:00:25

Leicester are on the verge of back-to-back relegations from the Premier League to League One.

The Foxes celebrated their memorable top-flight title win just 10 years ago, but will drop to the third tier if they fail to beat Hull on Tuesday evening.

Here, the Press Association takes look at a rollercoaster last decade for the midlands club.

2015-16

Leicester were crowned Premier League champions under Claudio Ranieri – after finishing 10 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal – to guarantee their spot in the Champions League for the first time.

2016-17

Leicester soon crashed back down to earth and sacked Ranieri in February 2017, while they made it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League before finishing a lowly 14th in the English top flight.

2017-18

Following a run of just one win from their opening eight matches, new boss Craig Shakespeare departed and Claude Puel was put in charge as they achieved a ninth-placed finish.

2018-19

Leicester were 12th when they sacked Puel, but Brendan Rodgers’ appointment helped them finish ninth in a season which would be remembered for a helicopter crash that killed Foxes owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others on October 27.

2019-20

City completed their best season since winning the league as they finished fifth and went on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, defeating Southampton 9-0 along the way – which still stands as the joint-highest margin of victory in Premier League history.

2020-21

Leicester hit new highs and lifted the FA Cup for the first time with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea. But it could have been a season of much more for the club, whose Europa League journey ended in the last-16 phase and they missed out on a top-four finish.

2021-22

Leicester defeated Manchester City to win the Community Shield and they reached a first-ever continental semi-final in the Conference League but their European dream came to an end against Jose Mourinho’s eventual winners, Roma.

2022-23

The 2022-23 season is where Leicester’s real decline started as they suffered relegation from the top flight after a run of five defeats in six games dropped them into the relegation zone and saw Rodgers depart. Dean Smith’s appointment did little to save them from the Championship.

2023-24

Leicester’s stay in the second tier was short-lived and they secured promotion straight back to the Premier League by lifting the Championship trophy for a record eighth time as Jamie Vardy bagged 20 goals.

2024-25

Their season in the top flight was a massive disappointment and the Leicester fans never warmed to new boss Steve Cooper, who was sacked after just 12 games to be replaced by Ruud van Nistelrooy. But the Foxes suffered 15 defeats from 16 league games and were relegated in 18th place.

2025-26

Leicester had an encouraging start under Marti Cifuentes but things soon unravelled and the manager departed in January to be replaced by Gary Rowett. The following month they were deducted six points before a run of one win from 18 matches left them on the verge of League One, just 10 years after winning the Premier League.

Manchester United have a huge decision to make over Michael Carrick at the end of the season with both Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra now having their say

Manchester United icons Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra have backed Michael Carrick for the permanent head coach role at Old Trafford. Evra has also accused United’s owners of turning the club into Chelsea amid their high turnover of managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

The Reds are yet to confirm who will lead them into next season, with several big-name managers linked since Ruben Amorim was sacked in January. Luis Enrique, Carlo Ancelotti and Thomas Tuchel have been among those mooted for the hot seat at M16.

Current interim head coach and former Reds midfielder Carrick has also been mentioned amid his excellent work in temporary charge so far. The 44-year-old has put United to within a maximum of six more points to qualify for the Champions League. Carrick’s side currently sit third with just five games left to play.

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And some of his former teammates have told Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Presents podcast that the ex-Middlesbrough boss should be given the job on a permanent basis.

Giggs, who made a club record 963 appearances for United, has explained why Carrick’s work should not be minimised. The 52-year-old also pointed out how the appointments to his coaching staff have been a huge help.

He said: “The hardest thing to do as a manager is win games. He’s winning games. It’s hard at this time of the season to really stamp your own philosophy, your own principles of play. We all know you need a pre-season. You might need a couple of pre-seasons to bring in your own players and identify how you want to play.

“I think there’s a lot to be said about him being a brilliant footballer, great bloke, but actually he’s a football guy as well, you’ve seen that on the pitch, he’s a clever guy. Even the staff that he’s got in, I thought it was a great move, getting a bit of experience. People who know the club and the players will respect.

“You’ve got obviously Johnny [Evans] who’s been in the dressing room recently, Steve Holland, someone who’s looking out from in, and just brings a little bit of experience and maybe something different that people within the club don’t see.”

When asked about his own experience of being an interim manager at the club in 2014 after David Moyes was sacked, he added: “I think every manager that goes into a role now is like an interim because you don’t get time. I think 20 or 30 years ago, you’re looking at the long-term, you’re buying players in.

“You can’t do that anymore, you’ve got to look at the short term and long term, and I think Michael will do that. I think another sign of a good manager is the team that he leaves behind.

“Ruben Amorim took a lot of stick for the way that he played. I didn’t enjoy watching it, but actually, I think some of his signings have been good, and I think we’re now seeing that now, so, even though his legacy probably isn’t great with results and performances, actually, he’s left the club in a pretty good place.”

Evra, meanwhile, believes talk of Carrick taking over on a permanent basis should be shelved until the end of the season, but struggles to see why anyone else would get the job over him.

The 44-year-old said: “I don’t know why they think too much about the future. The present is for Carra [Carrick] to get the top four spots. That’s the goal.

“We keep saying experience or whatever, but look at [Mikel] Arteta and Arsenal. They gave him five years, and he still didn’t win. We try with big names like [Jose] Mourinho and [Louis] van Gaal. We try with [Ruben] Amorim.

“So that’s why, for me, saying Carra should get the job, this is not the question of the day. This is not the question of the moment. Carra is doing a good job, so let’s be behind him. Then at the end of the season, if he doesn’t qualify, then I will understand if some people say, ‘OK, we need a new manager,’ but I don’t know if he will work.

“Personally, I couldn’t believe with the first game against City and the way we played, it doesn’t matter about the result. I was like, ‘wow, all the players are passionate.’ So why don’t we have someone from the house? He knows the club. He’s really calm.”

Evra then compared the turnover of managers at United in recent years to that of Chelsea.

He added: “We will have to start from zero. I just feel we’ve become like Chelsea. This is not United.

“Normally we need consistency and we we try with Amorim and to be honest, I was in shock. Yes, the results weren’t there, but I was thinking, ‘they will give him more time.’ Then they bring in Carra and he is doing miracles.”

The 2026 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, and we’re gearing up for our coverage of the players expected to be selected from the West.

We begin with a look at the region’s Top 25 defensive prospects, ranked by their projected selection rounds or free agency (UDFA).

I have provided summary evaluations for the Top 10 best prospects and projections for the rest.

This year’s Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, and runs from April 23–25. It will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes.

Coverage starts at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, and continues at 4 p.m. on Friday, and at noon on Saturday. Streaming is available on NFL+, ESPN App, Hulu, and Disney+

Let’s get on to the list!

writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).

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The Minnesota Vikings opted to tender linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., a restricted free agent, last month, and about six weeks later, the man has locked in his fourth season in Minnesota.

Minnesota got one linebacker move done early.

Pace Jr. won’t be going anywhere, signing his tender this week and adding depth to Minnesota’s 2026 linebacking corps.

Pace Jr. Still Matters in Minnesota’s Linebacker Mix

He’s the single, somewhat young LB in Minnesota.

Officially Back for Year No. 4

It’s draft week, and Pace Jr. back in the fold means the Vikings don’t urgently need an extra off-ball linebacker, though one couldn’t hurt.

NBC Sports‘ Josh Alper wrote Monday, “Linebacker Ivan Pace has signed a contract with the Vikings for the 2026 season. Pace’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln said that Pace has signed the restricted free agent tender the team used on him earlier this offseason.”

“The Vikings tendered Pace at the right of first refusal level, which would have given them a chance to match any outside offer sheet without entitling them to any compensation if Pace moved on. Pace is now set to make $3.52 million for the coming season.”

It’s worth noting that Monday’s development was the expected outcome, making the news a formality for most Vikings fans.

Career So Far

Eric Wilson’s rise to late-career stardom did Pace Jr. no favors last offseason. As Wilson gained traction, Brian Flores increasingly relied on him, rapidly shifting the depth chart and significantly reducing Pace Jr.’s snaps, quickly leading to his demotion.

Pace’s early struggles with missed tackles in 2025 created an opening, which Wilson capitalized on with steady, reliable play. Consequently, the team’s defensive rotation solidified. While Pace’s opportunities didn’t vanish entirely, they were less consistent.

The ripple effect was evident in the numbers. Pace’s Pro Football Focus grade plummeted to 42.3 in 2025, a stark contrast to the 77.1 mark he posted after starting 27 games across 2023 and 2024. Such a steep decline made Pace Jr.’s future in Minnesota feel up in the air heading into the 2025 offseason.

Despite this, Minnesota retained the advantage. As a restricted free agent, it’s easy to keep such players, and that’s what the Vikings did with Pace Jr., evidently betting on a resurgence.

The easiest way to think of Pace Jr. so far? Fantastic in 2023 as a rookie, decent in 2024, and forgettable in 2025.

Our Kyle Joudry wrote about Pace Jr. on Monday, “What has been discouraging is that Pace hasn’t fully been able to build off of that early promise. As a sophomore, Pace functioned alongside Blake Cashman as the LB2. Still a starter, Pace started taking a smaller bite of the pie, limited to a smaller percentage of the defense’s snaps.”

“With a cap charge sitting at $3,520,000, Ivan Pace operates in a middle-class range for NFL linebackers, albeit on the lower end. Essentially any path forward is possible, meaning an extension or a trade could occur. Or, perhaps, the Vikings let him function in a prove-it year to see if he can reclaim some former magic while demonstrating improvement.”

The Vikings’ LBs before the Draft

With Pace Jr. back in the mix, the Vikings don’t have to panic about ILBs in the draft. Here’s the group:

• Blake Cashman
• Eric Wilson
• Ivan Pace Jr.
• Jacob Roberts
• Josh Ross

Wilson and Cashman will be 30 or older during the 2026 regular season. Pace Jr. will turn 26 shortly before Christmas. Minnesota picking an off-ball linebacker somewhere early in the draft cannot be ruled out, but having Cashman, Wilson, and Pace Jr. around doesn’t mandate it.

The Flores defense will just flow much better if Pace Jr. can turn the clock back to 2023.

Getting Rid of Kobe King and Austin Keys

Still, the Vikings, under former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who has since been fired, made some curious ILB decisions down the stretch of 2025. The club drafted King from Penn State in Round 6 last year. Out of the blue, it released him in October. He stayed in the Twin Cities for about six months altogether. King remains with the New York Jets after New York grabbed him from the waiver wire.

On Keys, the Vikings scooped him from undrafted free agency — like Pace Jr. — and he contributed on special teams. But like King, the Vikings cut him on New Year’s Eve, and he was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals the next day.

Before too long, probably from the draft or undrafted free agency, Minnesota will need a couple of depth linebackers to replace King or Keys, making the case for dropping in the first place all the more confusing.

Flores’s defense ranked third in the NFL last year per DVOA.