Nick Fuentes reacted publicly on X after Candace Owens claimed Charlie Kirk had a “third eye” and said they had discussed astral projection.
Owens made the remarks during a livestream on February 5, 2026, titled An Open Letter to Erika Kirk. In the broadcast, she discussed conversations she said she had with Kirk about supernatural experiences, including what she described as his “third eye,” sleep paralysis, and astral projection.
After clips from the livestream circulated online, Fuentes responded later that month. On February 25, 2026, the fan-run X account Fuentes Updates posted a summary of his reaction. The post stated:
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“Once Candace Owens said she can astral project, Nick started getting freaked out 😳 ‘IS SHE IN HERE RIGHT NOW???’”
The quoted remark was presented as Fuentes’ immediate response to Owens’ claim that she could astral project. No additional written explanation was included in the post cited. His reaction focused specifically on her assertion about astral projection rather than the broader set of claims discussed in the livestream.
Candace Owen’s YouTube podcast served as the backdrop to the exchange. During that episode, she described past discussions with Charlie Kirk that she said involved paranormal and metaphysical topics.
Those comments drew attention on social media in the weeks that followed, including the February 25, 2026, post referencing Fuentes’ reaction.
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Candace Owens’ claims about a “third eye” and astral projection
In the February 5, 2026, livestream titled An Open Letter to Erika Kirk, Owens detailed conversations she said she had with Kirk regarding what she described as unusual childhood experiences and metaphysical subjects.
She stated:
“Charlie and I spoke a lot about his third eye. That’s why that sentence caught my attention in the article. He spoke about the street lamps that would go off when he would run, about the special school that he had to go to.”
Candace Owens added that they discussed the testing they both underwent during childhood. Owens further said:
“We spoke about the fact that we could both astral project. You know all of this, of course, you have his phone.”
She also referenced sleep paralysis and similar experiences, stating:
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“When we learned that not everybody does that naturally. Sleep paralysis, you name it. We had conversations about it.”
Third eye must mean something totally different
In addition to her livestream statements, Candace Owens had previously made similar remarks in an earlier podcast episode published on October 8, 2025. In that episode, she described what she called a vivid dream involving Kirk, stating that he appeared to her and told her he had been betrayed. She said:
“I had a vivid dream this weekend and Charlie came to me and he told me that he was betrayed.”
Candace Ownes further added:
“You don’t have to believe that, but I do believe that… I also felt in the dream that it is soon going to be revealed… that there is nothing and no one that is going to stop the truth from coming out and it is going to have international consequences.”
She concluded that statement by adding:
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“Take that to the bank. Quote me on that. Women tend to have a stronger intuition about people, I would say.”
Charlie Kirk’s passing on September 10, 2025, marked a widely noted moment within conservative political media. Since then, public discussion surrounding his life and work has continued, with Candace Owens’ recent claims and the reaction that followed becoming part of that broader conversation.
Twenty-four hours of UEFA Champions League play-off second legs can do strange things to a football fan’s nervous system. Across 24 and 25 February 2026, the new knockout phase play-offs delivered exactly what they promised: jeopardy for the giants, a platform for disruptors, and eight ties that ranged from serene to seismic.
Former finalists Borussia Dortmund and Juventus were among the biggest casualties. Meanwhile, heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atlético de Madrid survived stern examinations. And then there was Bodø/Glimt, who did not just qualify, they announced themselves.
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Here is how the chaos unfolded.
The Results at a Glance
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Atlético Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge (7-4 agg)
Newcastle 3-2 Qarabağ (9-3 agg)
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Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos (2-0 agg)
Inter 1-2 Bodø/Glimt (2-5 agg)
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Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (4-3 agg)
Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray (5-7 agg, aet)
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PSG 2-2 Monaco (5-4 agg)
Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (3-1 agg)
Teams That Cruised Through
Newcastle’s Goal Avalanche
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Newcastle United effectively ended their tie in the first leg, but even with a 6-1 cushion against Qarabağ FK, they kept attacking. Early goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton settled nerves before Sven Botman’s header restored calm after a brief Qarabağ rally.
Nine goals across two legs tells its own story. It was not flawless, but it was emphatic.
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Leverkusen’s Professional Job
If Newcastle were fireworks, Bayer Leverkusen were cold efficiency. A 0-0 second leg against Olympiacos protected their 2-0 first-leg advantage.
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No drama, no panic, just structure and control. Sometimes the most impressive performances are the quiet ones.
Heavyweights Who Managed the Storm
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Atlético’s Firepower When It Mattered
After a wild 3-3 first leg, Atlético turned the return into an Alexander Sørloth showcase. His hat-trick powered a 4-1 win over Club Brugge, sealing a 7-4 aggregate triumph.
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It was not entirely comfortable, but when Atlético needed authority, they found it.
Real Madrid’s Familiar Authority
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Benfica briefly rattled the Bernabéu through Rafa Silva, but Madrid responded with composure. Aurélien Tchouaméni’s equaliser restored control before Vinícius Júnior finished the job in a 2-1 win on the night, 3-1 on aggregate.
Madrid did not dazzle. They imposed. There is a difference, and it is why they endure.
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PSG survive the derby
A European derby against AS Monaco was never going to be routine. PSG advanced 5-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in Paris, aided by another Monaco red card across the two legs.
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It was tense, emotional, occasionally messy, but PSG’s title defence remains intact.
Teams That Struggled, and Fell
Juventus: The Comeback That Wasn’t
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Few nights capture football’s cruelty like Juventus’ 3-2 win over Galatasaray. Down 5-2 from the first leg, Juve forced extra time despite playing with 10 men for much of the match.
At 5-5 on aggregate, belief was roaring. Then extra time struck back. Victor Osimhen and Barış Yılmaz delivered the decisive blows, ending Juve’s campaign 7-5 on aggregate.
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They won the night. They lost the tie.
Dortmund’s Collapse in Bergamo
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Carrying a two-goal lead into Italy, Dortmund seemed safe. But Atalanta turned the tie into a storm. Gianluca Scamacca’s early strike ignited belief, and momentum never truly settled.
Karim Adeyemi’s equaliser appeared to force extra time, only for a stoppage-time penalty, converted by Lazar Samardžić after a red card to Ramy Bensebaini, to complete a 4-3 aggregate comeback.
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The Outperformers
Bodø/Glimt: No Fairy Tale, Just Quality
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Every Champions League season has one result that demands a second look. Bodø/Glimt eliminating Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate is that result.
After a 3-1 home win, they travelled to San Siro and won again, 2-1. Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen struck early; Inter never truly regained control.
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This was not a smash-and-grab. It was sustained superiority. Over two legs, they scored five against last season’s finalists and looked tactically fearless doing it.
Who Crashed Out Unexpectedly?
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Borussia Dortmund – surrendered a two-goal first-leg lead.
Juventus – forced extra time with 10 men, only to fall.
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Inter – last year’s finalists, beaten convincingly.
Club Brugge and Olympiacos – competitive, but ultimately overpowered.
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The format promised a trapdoor for complacency. It delivered.
What It All Sets Up
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With the play-offs complete, eight more teams join the seeded top eight in the Round of 16. The draw takes place in Nyon on Friday, 27 February 2026 (12:00 CET), and each play-off winner already knows their two possible opponents.
If the play-offs were this volatile, the next phase promises something even more dangerous: familiarity mixed with unfinished business.
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And in this competition, that combination rarely ends quietly.
Once the dust settles – whenever it is done drifting, and wherever it ultimately lies – this week may be regarded as one of the most fascinating in boxing history.
Matchroom chief Hearn has said he expects the signing of Benn, by White’s new entity Zuffa Boxing, to be a mere, singular chess move in what may be a decade-long promotional feud. Yet that feud may not be a simple 1 vs 1, after Wednesday’s report that Hearn’s fellow promoter Frank Warren is claiming $1bn in lost income from Zuffa Boxing’s owners.
Saudi official Turki Alalshikh brought Hearn and Warren together over the last couple of years, despite the Britons’ longstanding grudge, as the trio worked on numerous high-profile events; now Hearn and Warren may need to band together to thwart what Alalshikh is building, given he is working with White at Zuffa Boxing.
This has been a complex saga already, and within it, there is a feeling that boxing civil war has broken out. Here’s what has happened so far, why, and what could come next…
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A betrayal by Conor Benn?
On Friday night, Zuffa Boxing’s X account shared a post announcing Benn’s signing. It was scarcely believable. The account carries a blue tick – not gold – so there was some reason to question the post’s legitimacy. Even after that, the images of Benn and White together just looked… wrong, somehow, as if they could be AI. Of course this wasn’t the case, but it’s a testament to the surreality of the moment. And so The Independent approached Benn and his manager for comment, as well as sending other relevant parties the “is this real??” text. At least one figure had been caught off guard.
The main reason the news was so shocking was Benn’s relationship with Hearn; Matchroom had stuck by Benn during a three-year saga in which he couldn’t box on home soil after failing two drug tests. Hearn claimed he had even lent Benn “hundreds of thousands of pounds” during that time, in which the welterweight said he was as mentally low as someone could be.
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Conor Benn (right) with his now-former promoter Eddie Hearn (Getty Images)
Furthermore, Hearn claimed Benn wouldn’t even afford him a phone call to discuss the Zuffa move. “I made a mistake, because I misjudged the character,” Hearn told iFL TV late on Friday, the devastation and regret clear in his voice. “I’m not gonna hang him out to dry […] but when I received the email from his lawyer, I texted him and said: ‘For everything I’ve done for you, I think I deserve a call.’ And he said ‘no’, and I was like: ‘Man… f***… I can’t believe it.’”
Another interesting element is Benn’s long-standing desire to fight for the WBC title, considering Zuffa Boxing intends to move away from the traditional belt system. Even with that in mind, Benn was calling for a shot at new WBC champion Ryan Garcia within two days of joining Zuffa.
Thursday brought a surprise then, in the news that Benn will fight Regis Prograis in April, live on Netflix (on Tyson Fury’s undercard), and at a 150lb catchweight. The Netflix factor means Benn’s sole contracted fight with Zuffa may not even air on the promotion’s main broadcast platform, Paramount+.
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Benn at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, before Ryan Garcia’s title win (Getty Images for Thomas J. Henry)
Benn will also fight Prograis in London, despite Zuffa’s essence as an American brand and Benn’s apparent wish to box in the US. And for as much as Benn is reported to be earning regardless, there would have been a tax benefit to competing Stateside. But “it’s worth taking the tax hit to be on the Fury undercard”, argued Oriana Morrison, a sports accountant and tax strategist, while speaking to The Independent. “People are far more likely to watch something with Fury in it than without him. Benn will get that payout in the long run with Zuffa, Netflix, and Fury’s audience’s eyes on him.”
The next major number to be reported this week was $1bn, as The Telegraphsaid Warren is claiming that amount in lost income from Zuffa Boxing’s owners: TKO and Sela.
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Here, it is worth explaining that TKO is a combat-sports brand – the parent company of WWE and the UFC, the latter of whom’s president is Dana White – and Sela is a Saudi events company. The faces of Zuffa Boxing are White and Alalshikh.
Boxing promoter Frank Warren (left) with Saudi official Turki Alalshikh (Getty Images)
Per The Telegraph, Warren’s company Queensberry is claiming that TKO and Sela breached contracts they had signed with him, going behind his back to form a partnership of their own. Queensberry is reportedly seeking up to $1bn (£740m) in compensation, for income that the promotion claims it would have earned if the contracts had been honoured. Legal letters have reportedly been sent, and it is thought the case could end up with a formal claim being made in the High Court if there is no resolution.
Queensberry is said to have claimed that, in September 2023, it signed an exclusivity agreement with Sela, giving the Saudi firm access to Queensberry’s insight into boxing. Queensberry is also believed to be claiming it signed a separate contract with TKO, allowing the brand access to Queensberry’s online data, including details of the Sela contract. The Telegraph reported that Warren did not sign any contracts with Alalshikh personally.
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The Independent approached Queensberry, TKO and Sela for comment, and a spokesperson for Sela said: “We are disappointed by the unfounded claims brought by Queensberry and Frank Warren. We reject them in their entirety and are confident that the facts will fully vindicate our position.” Meanwhile, Warren told the BBC: “It’s just a difference of opinion over the contracts that we signed, so that will just take its course. I can’t make any comment on it. It is what it is.”
A bizarre response on X
Matters then became even more complicated. Later on Wednesday, the magazine The Ring – owned by Alalshikh – posted a controversial tweet, alleging the circulation of “rumours” about Queensberry’s business affairs. The Independent has approached Queensberry for comment on the post.
What next?
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Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have been linked for the best part of a decade (Getty)
Last weekend, in the wake of the Benn news, boxing insider Dan Rafael tweeted: “If you think s*** happened today just wait. Ain’t seen nothing yet.” It’s unclear whether he was referring to the then-impending report of Warren’s alleged lawsuit, or whether something else is coming. But what could be bigger right now?
Should Zuffa sign Fury, that too would be a seismic acquisition from a talent perspective, though the British star is older like Usyk. Still, the end of a partnership with Warren would feel significant.
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Perhaps the only signing that would blow up boxing’s corner of the internet would be Anthony Joshua, another of Hearn’s key names – his most-important of all, actually. Although “AJ” and Benn have both spent their entire professional careers with Hearn, the promoter was quick to contrast the British boxers, saying: “You can’t mention those in the same breath, for many reasons. Joshua is a different breed of class and loyalty.”
Hypothetically, if Zuffa were to sign Fury and Joshua and make that long-awaited super-fight – without Warren and Hearn involved – that would constitute genuinely shocking news. Or maybe the next big development won’t pertain to the signing of a boxer, but to something more relevant to the sport’s wider landscape. At this point, it feels fair to say that nothing is impossible. A new era has begun: an era of boxing civil war.
Cody Rhodes began the promotion of Elimination Chamber: Chicago by appearing on live television outside WWE. However, Rhodes made a botch that didn’t go unnoticed.
Stephanie Vaquer is one of the biggest stars in WWE today even though she only joined the company in 2024. Vaquer is the reigning Women’s World Champion and will defend her title against Liv Morgan at WrestleMania 42.
Thanks for the submission!
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Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up, Cody Rhodes fell victim to La Primera’s surname. The American Nightmare mispronounced Vaquer’s last name, just like other stars such as Nikki Bella, Naomi, Michael Cole and Wade Barrett.
“I mean, we’re officially on the road to WrestleMania. WrestleMania in Las Vegas, which will be the biggest it’s ever been. This one, all the marbles, all the chips. It’s been unpredictable. Right now, we just have Roman Reigns versus (CM) Punk. Liv Morgan versus Stephanie Vaquer (he says Vakor). The big, big, big, big time main event for the other night. It’s up in the air. You’ll see it at the Elimination Chamber,” Rhodes said. [H/T TJR Wrestling]
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Watch the video below around the 4:37 mark.
Cody Rhodes will be competing at Elimination Chamber: Chicago. He is set to battle LA Knight, Jey Uso, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Randy Orton for a shot at Drew McIntyre and the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.
Cody Rhodes opens up about using ‘Raheem’ line on SmackDown
In an interview with Jonathan Hood on Under The Hood, Cody Rhodes finally opened up about his viral promo acknowledging “Raheem” as his nickname or middle name, whichever it is. The meme has been going around social media for years, but it was the first time Rhodes acknowledged it on WWE television.
Rhodes revealed that he was hesitant to use the line before his wife, Brandi Rhodes, encouraged him to use it.
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“I had told her that I might say it. I felt bad because I told her and then she said, ‘Oh, you have to say it. It’s funny.’ I didn’t wanna come at Roman or Punk in an adversarial way. I’m not wrestling either of you. You guys are wrestling each other and it’s awesome. I wanted to come at it with a little bit of levity because I knew others were gonna come at it from a different perspective, and I thought that was funny,” Rhodes said. [H/T WrestlingNews.co]
The American Nightmare also didn’t mind some backlash online for embracing the joke since he did some “field testing” beforehand.
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J&K’s Auqib Nabi (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
Hubballi: Auqib Nabi — a name that has echoed across the Indian domestic circuit over the past couple of seasons — is one the Karnataka camp will want to forget in a hurry.The 29-year-old seamer from Baramulla ripped through Karnataka’s formidable batting line-up on Thursday, pushing Jammu & Kashmir to the brink of a historic maiden Ranji Trophy title. Nabi, however, played down his heroics, insisting that his approach was based on keeping things simple, even if his bowling proved anything but.
India Playing XI drama: How three players are fighting for two spots | Sanju Samson IN?
With pronounced swing, late movement and the ability to hit the seam consistently with a strong wrist position, Nabi kept Karnataka’s leading run-getters under relentless pressure on Day 3 of the final.Coming into the title contest with 55 wickets this season — including 21 across the quarterfinal and semifinal — Nabi is two wicket short to surpass Uttarakhand spinner Mayank Mishra (59 wickets) to become the leading wicket taker of the competition.Outlining his approach, Nabi said the J&K attack operated with a collective plan.“In our team, all of us follow the same plan, sticking to a particular line and length. Even if the batters try to go after us, we continue to bowl in the same channel,” he explained.Much of the build-up to the final centred on Nabi’s anticipated contest with KL Rahul, and the seamer acknowledged the attention surrounding the duel.“I was confident because I have been taking wickets. I went in with a positive frame of mind and just wanted to keep it simple. Before the match, I got a lot of messages about getting Rahul out, but I just wanted to bowl in a good channel and not focus on the batter,” he said.Nabi emphasised the importance of wrist position in generating movement, a technical aspect that has become central to his success.“Wrist position is very important. If you have a straight wrist, everything else becomes easier. The ball moves with the wrist, so a straight wrist is very important for a fast bowler,” he said.With the visitors now within touching distance of their first Ranji Trophy triumph, anticipation is building. Prominent personalities from J&K are expected to arrive in Hubballi on Friday on what could be the eve of a historic moment.For Nabi, the possibility of lifting the trophy represents the fulfilment of a long-held ambition.“When I represented J&K for the first time, it was my dream to win a trophy, especially in red-ball cricket. Growing up, I always knew we hadn’t won a trophy, so this means a lot,” he said.
LAWRENCE, Kansas — When Big 12 schedule-makers unveiled the slate in September, Kelvin Sampson’s eyes gravitated toward the trial by fire that Houston just exited: Feb. 16 at No. 4 Iowa State, Feb. 21 vs. No. 2 Arizona and Feb. 23 at No. 14 Kansas.
“Spurs on Monday, Oklahoma City on Saturday, turn around and play Marcus Sasser’s [Detroit] Pistons,” Sampson says with a twinkle in his eye to perhaps hide the frustration in his soul.
Houston had Iowa State dead to rights in the second half before the Cyclones’ role players like Nate Heise and Jamarion Batemon hit some gigantic treys to rally Iowa State to a 70-67 victory. Five days later, Houston had Arizona right in its crosshairs before petering out down the stretch to one of the National Championship frontrunners. Some 48 hours after that, Houston had to walk into Allen Fieldhouse to play Kansas. The Jayhawks, fresh off a frustrating home loss to Cincinnati, used an 11-0 burst at the end of the first half and a 16-3 surge early in the second half to run away with a 69-56 win.
Houston got Hilton Magic’d, Zona’d and Big Monday’d in a week-long stretch. For the first time since 2017, Houston has lost three games in a row, and yet, Sampson walked into Monday’s postgame press conference itching to preach positivity.
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“We’re not gonna go jump off with the bridge ’cause we lost this game,” Sampson says. “I knew what we were walking into, but I was really, really proud of our guys.”
Maybe that’s a public front — Sampson is never cool with Ls — but there’s some truth laced into the sermon. There is such a thing as schedule losses in hoops, and catching an irritated Kansas on Big Monday (a spot that Bill Self entered a mind-boggling 40-0) looks like a schedule loss if there ever was one.
Houston’s starting backcourt of Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Kingston Flemings combined for 28 points on 35 shots, by far the worst performance of the season for the best trio of guards that you can find in college basketball. Sampson did note that Sharp was nicked up after a bad fall against Arizona, and Uzan is fighting an ankle injury.
“I took Milos and Emanuel out for a reason; they had nothing, they were dead,” Sampson said. “Sharp guarded his butt off. I think he played 35 minutes on Saturday. Milos played 38 minutes [against Arizona]. That was why I took them all out with eight minutes to go. They just had no legs. But that’s the schedule we had to play.”
The three-game slide all but knocks Houston out of the Big 12 Championship chase. The Cougars trail Arizona by two games in the loss column with three to play. The Cougars have a 0.1% chance of earning the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, per CBB Analytics.
But is it time for panic about Houston’s hopes in March? As usual, it’s complicated.
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Potential hot spots emerging
Just 27% of Houston’s offensive shots come at the rim. This Cougars team is more jump-shot reliant than any other high-major team in college basketball, so when you play a third game in eight days, and the legs are gone, nights like Monday can emerge.
Seventeen of Houston’s 66 (26%) shots against Kansas came at the rim. The Cougars took 39 jumpers and shot just 23% on ’em, the second-worst showing this year according to Synergy.
Sampson pointed to dead legs, and the eye test and data unequivocally back up those claims. Houston missed short on a ton of jumpers.
You can win with a jump-shot heavy diet like this when you offensive rebound at a very high level. Houston preaches offensive rebounding as well as anybody in the country, and big man JoJo Tugler owns the No. 1 offensive rebounding rate in Big 12 play. Tugler is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He’s revered for his defense, but his consistent first-half foul trouble is hurting Houston’s offense in a real way. The Cougars need his offensive rebounding in the worst way, serving as a “get out of jail free” card when jumpers are coming up short.
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Tugler sat out the final 10 minutes of the first half with two fouls. At that point, Houston had five offensive rebounds. For the final 10 minutes, Houston corralled just one offensive rebound.
Houston’s offensive rebounding percentage when Tugler is on the floor, per hoop-explorer: 23.6% (No. 3 in America)
Houston’s offensive rebounding percentage when Tugler is off the floor, per hoop-explorer: 18.8% (No. 83 in America)
“JoJo is a lot like those old gunslingers like Daryle Lamonica, Kenny Stabler, Jim Plunkett, Sonny Jurgensen, Billy Kilmer or Johnny Unitas,” Sampson says. “Dudes got two little bars in front of their face. They go play and throw three or four interceptions and six or seven touchdowns. But if you try to take away their interceptions and make them be more pinpoint or not nearly as aggressive, they’re probably not gonna throw touchdown passes, either. It’s probably a bad analogy. But it’s hard to get JoJo to not play aggressive. A lot of his fouls are probably unnecessary. Believe it or not, since this freshman year, he’s gotten a lot better.”
Sampson is right. Tugler is “only” averaging 5.5 fouls per 40 minutes this season. That’s the best mark of his career. But the constant foul trouble for Houston’s best defender and best offensive rebounder has become a burr in Sampson’s saddle.
“We’re a much, much better team, and he’s on the floor,” Sampson said. “When you go back and look at the game when we beat Duke [in the 2025 Final Four], he was the best friend on the floor last five minutes. He’s really important to us.”
The shot diet for Houston is not changing, largely because of the personnel. Houston does not have a backdown threat who can hunt mismatches in the mid-post area. The Cougars have been one of the worst post-up offenses in college basketball this season, so Sampson has largely ditched it from Houston’s offensive arsenal.
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This team is going to take a ton of jumpers from here on out. A jumper from Sharp, Uzan or Flemings is a better shot than a Tugler post-up at this point, but it makes the offensive rebounding and Tugler’s availability even that much more vital down the home stretch.
Reason for optimism
There are three pretty simple reasons to be bullish on Houston in March:
Sampson is the coach.
This backcourt is unbelievable.
Houston plays ridiculously hard.
Enough said.
“I think these three games, even though we’re disappointed, we lost them, it’s not the end of the world,” Sampson said. “I don’t know if anybody had to play three straight games like this. We just ran out of steam.”
Having been dismissed for three consecutive ducks, Abhishek Sharma returns to form with a half-century off 26 balls in India’s T20 World Cup Super 8s match against Zimbabwe.
Welcome to Bag Spy, a GOLF series devoted to understanding the crucial equipment choices that define a player’s bag. With the help of players and/or their expert fitters, we dig deep beyond the photos to examine setups, specs and the thinking behind them. In this installment, GOLF Associate Equipment Editor Jack Hirsh takes you inside Tony Finau’s bag and new equipment setup for 2026
Ping Tour Rep Dylan Goodwin said Finau is a “man of few words” when it comes to his equipment. When it works, it works and he doesn’t need to question it too much. If it doesn’t, he tries something else.
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Ping’s Kenton Oates said the Tour team built Finau a total of just five clubs one season, which was likely the fewest of any player on the Ping staff.
“It maybe puts a little more pressure on us as a staff when he does come in to get it right, because you know he doesn’t want to be testing during the year,” Oates told GOLF. “If he is testing product throughout the year, then it’s probably frustrating to him, since that’s really something he doesn’t want to do. So we just got to make sure that we get everything down at the beginning of the year.”
He prefers to do most of his club work in the offseason.
For someone who isn’t a tinkerer, Tony Finau does carry a lot of clubs.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
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“He’ll usually come in here two or three times from like November 1 till that first event of the year, whether it be Hawaii or in the desert or wherever he starts up,” Oates said. “But once we get going in the season, he doesn’t make a lot of changes at all.”
That doesn’t stop Finau from having one of the more unique bags on the PGA Tour with his heavy swingweights, huge grips and a new Ping prototype putter. He’s also made a few more tweaks this year and he’s started to see some progress after recording just one top-10 in 2025.
One of those tweaks, switching to Ping Prototype Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset putter, has paid off in a big way. Finau ranked 155th in Strokes Gained: Putting after his first two events but has rallied up to 58th. That’s after finishing 111th in the category last year. He led the field in putting at Pebble Beach during an 18th-place finish.
Keep reading below to dive into one of the more unique setups on the PGA Tour.
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Breaking down every club in Tony Finau’s bag
Ball
Titleist Pro V1 Left Dot
Finau marks his golf balls with either his wife’s or children’s initials.
Andrew Redington/Getty Images
For Finau, the golf bag starts and ends with golf ball and for much of his professional career, that golf ball has been Titleist’s Pro V1 Left Dot.
Finau is one of the most well-known Left Dot players, which is a Customized Performance Option (CPO) version of the standard Pro V1. Compared to the retail version, the Left Dot is lower flying and lower-spinning, but has the same, softer feel that Pro V1 players prefer.
“I think equipment starts with the golf ball, not with the clubs, not with the woods, not with any other piece of equipment. It starts with the golf ball. I’ve always been a believer in that,” Finau told Titleist. “The Left Dot golf ball is right for me because I’ve always put a lot of spin on the golf ball … and right away, it caught my eye because of the ball flight. I think if you can control your ball flight, you can control the distance. And it’s been such a reliable ball flight for me from the first time that I hit it … I can count on the golf ball in crosswinds, into the wind, downwind. I know how far the golf ball is going to go.”
He also has an interesting tradition of marking his golf balls with his children’s and wife’s initials. He told Titleist he’ll usually start with his son, Sage, and change out depending on how the round is going.
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“It’s a cool way to keep my kids involved, and they’re always with me on the golf course,” he said.
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Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls
The Greatest Combination of Speed, Spin and Feel
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Why Play Pro V1?
Pro V1 is recommended to players who are looking for mid-trajectory flight, very low long game spin and maximum short game spin, with softer feel.
Comparison to Pro V1x
Due to its unique dimple pattern, Pro V1 has a lower flight than Pro V1x. A softer gradient core produces a softer feel and slightly less spin than Pro V1x.
Specs Ping G440 LST Loft: 9.0˚ @ 7.75˚ Trajectory 2.0 Setting: Big Minus (—) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black Velocore+ 7-X Length: 45.25″ Tipping: 1″ CG Shifter: 35 g, neutral Hot Melt: 5 g, toe Swingweight: D8+
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Finau has already made a mid-season tweak, going from a 7.5˚ Ping G440 LST to 9˚ head in the Big Minus setting. Finau is a high-spin player, but with the lower-lofted head, he was seeing his misshits drop to 2200 while good strikes were around 2500.
Those are not atypical numbers on the PGA Tour, but Finau has plenty of speed in the tank, so he values control. While he typically cruises around 180 mph ball speed, Oates describes him as having one of the biggest governors on the PGA Tour.
“If you brought him to the range, in three golf swings, he could have 200 mph of ball speed,” he said.
Because of that range, Finau is more comfortable with the 9˚ head that produces a spin range around 2700 and 2400 on misses to help him stay in control.
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That was also the driving factor behind a move to the Fujikura Ventus Black with VeloCore+ last season.
“He wasn’t happy with his driving, and he had started testing a few different shafts, and he ended up liking the stability of the Velo+,” Oates said. “So he went into that at Travelers last year.”
You’ll also notice Finau prefers a rather beefy D8+ swing weight for his driver and that actually carries over to his irons two, with them sitting at D6+. The reason was mainly feel-based and has to do with a change Finau made with his grips a few years ago. We’ll get into that change below, but basically, Finau made his grips lighter, which raised the swingweight.
“He liked that feeling,” Oates said. “Then we walked through kind of what that would look like downrange from a ball-flight standpoint. Obviously, the heavier the clubhead, the easier it is to fade it. It’s a little bit easier to release because you have more mass down there. So he mentally liked that as well.”
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PING G440 LST Custom Driver
The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight.
HIGHLY FORGIVING
Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.
FASTER FACE
Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.
SOUND DESIGN
New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face.
Finau used more shallow-faced 3-woods for much of his career until a few years ago, when he realized he wasn’t using 3-wood off the deck much. That was when he was first drawn to Callaway Triple Diamond T fairway wood shapes and he’s used one since.
“With the height he can hit it and the distance he can hit it, he really likes a deep 3-wood, and that head is just a little bit deeper than anything we had,” Oates said.
Uniquely, the Triple Diamond T Fairway Woods are specifically designed for Jon Rahm, who also prefers a deeper-faced 3-wood, along with a beveled sole to help him get it through the turf. Both Rahm and Finau are still playing the Paradym Ai-Smoke Model that’s now two-seasons old.
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Ping has started working on a deeper-faced club for that spot in the bag, their Ping Mini Proto, which debuted at the Sony Open. Finau has been testing it, but at this time, he’s got a very unrelatable problem.
I think the thing that we struggle with there is it might just go a little bit too far right right now,” Oates said. “But we’ll continue to work on that.”
Utility Iron
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Specs Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-105 X Hybrid
Probably the most famous club in Finau’s bag and with the return of Brooks Koepka on the PGA Tour, one of just a handful of Nike clubs left in pro golf.
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Finau has had this Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron since 2016, his lone year on staff with the Swoosh before they exited the hard goods business. But it actually disappeared from the bag for a few seasons before jumping back in during the 2020 season.
Ping has plenty of options to replace this club, including their current iDi driving iron, which is in the bag of Viktor Hovland, but that club, and many before, might be too forgiving for Finau, Oates said.
“The thing we run into with our crossovers and clubs in that space is they’re a little bit more forgiving and they go a little bit higher, which is great for the everyday player,” Oates said. “Unfortunately, Tony doesn’t really need the extra help with the height.”
Oates isn’t sure how many Vapor Fly Pro heads Finau has left, but he brings in four or five every year to have the specs checked. Safe to say, until he finds a better option, this club isn’t going anywhere.
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Irons
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Specs Ping Blueprint T 4-PW Shafts: KBS $-Taper 130 X Lofts: 22.25/26/29/32.5/37/41/45 Lies: 61/61.5/62/62.5/63/63.5/64 Length: 36.88″ 7-iron Swingweight: D6-D7+
This is actually a spot where Finau has done some tinkering.
For nearly his entire career, Finau has played the Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 TX shaft in his irons, but during his offseason at the end of last year — unbeknownst to Oates or the Ping Tour team — Finau did some testing on his own and switched to the KBS $-Taper 130 X.
That’s actually why there is loads of lead tape on his clubs now, because with the new shaft, the clubs swing-weighed lighter.
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“KBS shafts in general are slightly counterbalanced compared to most every other iron shaft,” Oates said. “So whoever installed those did a great job and they got it back to swing weight — so they had to add the lead tape.”
Had Ping made the change, Oates said they simply could have changed the weight screws in the toe of the club to bring them back to D6+, but the lead tape accomplished the same thing.
Finau has almost exclusively played a full set of muscle-back irons for his whole career with the exception of 2024, when he played the Blueprint S cavity-back iron. While he finished second in Strokes Gained: Approach that season, Finau looked at specific yardages and saw he was actually better with the original Blueprints (he was fifth in Approach in 2023) and switched to the Blueprint T blades he has now.
Unlike the modern trend on the PGA Tour, Finau plays that same blade through the entire bag.
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“Tony Finau’s ability to hit a properly-hit 5-iron — where he’s not hung back, he’s just down on top of it, thumping it and sending it up to the clouds — is one of the biggest gifts that he has. He can launch and spin a 4- and 5-iron like nobody in the world,” Oates said. “Not a lot of players from 230 can hit a 4-iron spinning at 5200 and have it get there. And then when it does get there, it’s going to land close to the hole and stop.”
You may notice his lie angles are fairly standard, if not slightly upright, despite his distinctive low hands address position. His irons aren’t flatter on account of both his 6’4″ height and his preference to see the club upright.
“I think a little bit of his visual, like he’s a player that’s put the club down like that and wants to see the toe where it is, which is a little upright,” Oates said, before adding that it also helps him with a left start line. “He’s always played his best golf when he starts it a little left of his target and cuts it back. So I think the upright lie angle just forces it over to the left a little bit.”
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PING Blueprint T Custom Irons
For the accomplished golfer who relies on control and precision, Blueprint T delivers a single-piece, 8620 carbon steel forging that puts a premium on workability, trajectory control and superb feel.
SHORTER HEEL-FACE
Allows the hosel transition to blend smoothly into the top rail, creating a clean, distraction-free appearance at address. The narrow soles enable consistent turf interaction from all conditions.
MOI BOOSTED
Save for the slight MOI boost from tungsten toe screw and tip weights, it’s a purely forged iron, concentrating mass through the impact zone to ensure a pleasing sound and feel with the workability to take on any shot.
Jockey Tip: The lofts match the Blueprint S and i230 irons to allow golfers to create blended sets within PING’s precision iron offerings.
Like many on the Ping staff, Finau has made a quick and easy transition into the new S259 wedges for his gap and sand wedge, but he remains using a Titleist Vokey T-Grind for his lob wedge, having recently updated to the new Vokey SM11.
“Those middle two wedges in s259, they look a little cleaner,” Oates said. “They capture the ball visually a little bit better with that cleaner transition in the hosel. They feel, if anything, probably a little softer than s159, and they just have the same great performance: low launch, high spin.”
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onsett Loft: 3˚ Lie: 70˚ Length: 35″ Toe Hang: 5˚ Grip: SuperStroke 2.0 Pistol
For most of his career, Finau has stuck with more traditional Anser-style blade shapes, with his preferred head being a wide-body Anser 2D.
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But last summer, he started experimenting with mallets and landed on a Ping PLD Milled Ally Blue Onset putter. That switch was short-lived, but it sent Finau down the rabbit hole that eventually led him to try the head shape again at the Farmers’ Insurance Open this year. This time, it was Ping’s prototype Scottsdale Tec platform.
He actually tested two models that week.
Tony Finau made a really surprising change to a Ping Scottsdale Tec Ally Blue Onset putter.
Not only does it make Finau the latest player to move to a low torque putter, but it also moves him away from the milled face of his previous PLD Anser 2D.
“Tony gravitated towards the Ally Blue Onset again and the Ketsch 4, which has a hosel he had used in the past on a blade putter,” Goodwin said. “After going back and forth between the putters, the Ally Blue Onset ultimately matched better to his stroke and delivered the face at impact more consistently. As a result, his start line improved, and he liked the contrast between the white finish of the head and the black sight line, which he found easier to line up with.”
Finau’s T11 at Torrey Pines was his best finish since a T5 at the 2025 Genesis, so clearly he was onto something.
Two weeks later, at Pebble Beach, he led the field in putting, gaining more than eight shots on the greens for the week, the first time in his career.
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What makes the switch more interesting is that not only is this the first non-blade to get some staying power in Finau’s bag, it’s also the first putter with a non-milled face.
However, the putters sounded the same to him, so he didn’t mind the softer feel of the insert. Clearly, it’s been working thus far.
Grips: Lamkin UTX Midsize (+4 wraps + 3 RH)
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
As we mentioned before, Finau is one of the few pros using mid-sized grips, but he builds them up even further with an additional four wraps of tape across the hole grip and three more for the right hand.
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But that tape job pales in comparison to what gripping his clubs was like 2-3 years ago when he had an aggressive build up of wraps every inch until there were maybe 10 wraps at the bottom end of the grip. This results in a grip that essentially had no taper.
Relief came for Ping’s builders when Finau decided to switch to a midsize grip and use fewer wraps. That led to heavier swing weights since Finau’s previous grip was so heavy that Ping needed to add a ton of weight to the head to keep it from feeling counterbalanced.
A little over a decade ago, Cristiano Ronaldo did not want to contemplate life after football.
Those close to him warned he was living on a treadmill, and that when he retired, he might collapse unless he had built something to sustain him. He listened, and business became a way to continue to be relevant but also to give his family, who had put their own ambitions on hold, projects aligned with their passions.
The first step was symbolic. In 2016, Ronaldo partnered with a hotel group to open a property in Madeira.
Gradually, he began not only investing his wages but enjoying the process, the meetings, the strategy.
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He still harboured dreams of making a Hollywood film, but discovered a similar satisfaction in building companies – applying the same discipline he had devoted to his body.
On the pitch, that obsession turned him into the most prolific goalscorer in history after the age of 30. Off it, it was shaping a second career.
According to the 2025 Forbes ranking, Ronaldo generated almost £210m on and off the field. Of that, just over £50m came from his non-football business interests – a very diverse portfolio.
He has increasingly channelled his activity through his investment and lifestyle companies, with holdings in a water brand, healthy-living app and a recovery products company, as well as underwear, fragrances and footwear.
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As well as ownership stakes, he has high-profile partnerships with leading brands, has opened gyms across Portugal and Spain, and launched a range of watches.
And the portfolio keeps expanding.
Ronaldo co-founded a hair-transplant clinic group now operating in Spain, Portugal, Oman and Italy. One of its clients was his mother Dolores Aveiro.
What began with that first hotel in Funchal evolved into a joint venture launched in December 2015 and initially valued at more than £65m. There are now properties in Lisbon, Madrid, New York and Marrakech.
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In December 2024, at the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards, Ronaldo said if he ever owned a club, he knew how to fix structural flaws he saw in some of Europe’s giants.
And now he has taken a 25% stake in Almeria, who are owned by Al Khereiji – key to his move to Al-Nassr following his exit from Manchester United.
The treadmill was always going to stop one day, but he now has something to replace it.
The 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches kicks off Thursday with the first round at the Champion Course at PGA National. Here’s everything you need to know to watch the tournament on Thursday, including full Cognizant Classic TV coverage, streaming details and Round 1 tee times.
How to watch Cognizant Classic on Thursday
Last season, Shane Lowry didn’t end his winless drought, but he did perform well on the PGA Tour. He earned two runner-up finishes amid 12 top-25 finishes. One of those top-25s came at last year’s Cognizant Classic, where he finished T11.
In two starts so far this season, Lowry has continued his steady stretch of play with a T8 at the AT&T Pebble Pro-Am and a T24 at last week’s Genesis Invititional.
Now the 2019 Open champion turns his attention back to PGA National’s Champion Course, where he hopes to secure his first Tour victory since winning the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Rory McIlroy.
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Lowry’s tournament begins on Thursday at 7:21 a.m. ET.
You can watch the first round of the Cognizant Classic on TV via Golf Channel beginning at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive streaming coverage starting Thursday at 6:45 a.m. ET, as well as featured group and featured hole coverage all day long.
Below you will find everything you need to know to watch the first round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
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Get ESPN+
With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.
How to watch on TV Thursday
Golf Channel will provide first-round TV coverage of the 2026 Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches on Thursday from 2-6 p.m. ET.
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How to stream online Thursday
You can stream the first round of the 2026 Cognizant Classic via PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, which will offer streaming coverage starting at 6:45 a.m. ET on Thursday in addition to featured group and hole coverage.
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The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to select Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. However, the New York Jets are rumored to be interested in trading up and potentially selecting Mendoza in the draft.
The Hoosiers quarterback was asked by sports show host Jake Asman, who said he wished Mendoza was selected by the Jets. Mendoza replied:
Thanks for the submission!
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“We’ll see what happens!”
•
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NFL fans reacted to Mendoza’s comments on potentially being drafted by the Jets.
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“Not even the Raiders can screw up this pick.”
Not even the Raiders can screw up this pick.
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“Jesus wouldn’t do that to him. He’s a man of god lol.”
Jesus wouldn’t do that to him. He’s a man of god lol
“I wish we would get him. He’s a nice kid. He’s gonna make an awesome quarterback in the NFL.”
I wish we would get him. He’s a nice kid. He’s gonna make an awesome quarterback in the NFL.
“Don’t jinx my Hoosier like that! He deserves better than to be a Jet.”
Don’t jinx my Hoosier like that! He deserves better than to be a Jet
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“He’s just doing that to make you happy. He knows where he’s headed.”
He’s just doing that to make you happy. He knows where he’s headed
It’s highly unlikely the Raiders will give up the chance to draft the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, but if they do, it will need a considerable offer from the Jets.
Raiders coach Klint Kubiak wants to select a “winner” in NFL draft
Fernando Mendoza helped the Hoosiers to a 16-0 record, leading them to their first championship. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said the team wants “winners” like Mendoza.
“Excited to keep learning about him and it’s not just me, it’s our entire coaching staff,” Kubiak said. “I want all of our coaches to get involved, especially at that position. I want everybody’s input, but obviously he’s been successful. He had a lot of success last year. He won a national championship and that’s what you want. You want a winner.”
While Mendoza helped the Hoosiers to the National Championship, Kubiak is coming off a Super Bowl-winning campaign with the Seattle Seahawks as their offensive coordinator in 2025.