Back in the 2020 season, the Vikings opted to keep things modest for Justin Jefferson to begin his NFL career. The Vikings rookie at WR was tasked with filling Stefon Diggs’ cleats. Best to bring the young lad along slowly.

But then reality hit.

Bisi Johnson had been working as the WR2 behind Adam Thielen until injury ruined the chance at being able to do so. Jefferson got tossed into that Week 3 Tennessee Titans game. Fireworks went off and Jefferson has never looked back.

Right now, the Vikings don’t have a young star in the building who is likely to get to that Jefferson level. By definition, being a historic talent is exceedingly rare. But what of the enthusiasm for corner Charles Demmings? Can the young corner continue with his early momentum? Johnson couldn’t slow down Jefferson for long; maybe Demmings can do something similar.

Vikings Rookie Charles Demmings Keeps Hype Going

Mr. Demmings stands at 6’1″ and weighs roughly 195 pounds. He thrives in press and offers 4.4 wheels. Getting him in the 5th Round was possible due to playing at a small school.

Check out what Jeff Diamond had to say in the former GM’s analysis for Vikings Territory: “This fifth-round pick is making an impact with his physical coverage skills at training camp, He comes out of small school Stephen F. Austin but I’m impressed that he’s not intimidated in his first NFL camp which we saw when he put a big hit on vet WR Jauan Jennings in practice this week.”

Diamond’s sense of the depth chart: “Demmings could push vet free agent signee James Pierre for the third corner or at least become the fourth corner who gets play time in certain defensive schemes and in the event of injury to the other corners.”

A final insight from the former GM: “He’s a 4.4 guy with good size at 6-1, 193 pounds who can run with wide receivers and should be able to play the run. Demmings will get good battle testing trying to cover the Vikings talented WR corps in camp and he’ll be worth watching when he plays a lot in preseason games. He should be another special teams standout. There have been a lot of late-round corners who wound up being great players. Perhaps Demmings can be such a player.”

Perhaps, indeed.

An NFL corner cannot have thin skin. Making a mistake is exceedingly obvious, so much so that even casual fans can see the gaffe in real time. Whoever is out at corner therefore needs to be a high-compete player who doesn’t lose confidence after losing a rep.

Demmings still has a long way to go before arriving at that spot, but he’s been raising eyebrows. The clip directly above features Thor Nystrom offering his early assessment of Demmings, noting that the rookie is getting some run with the first-team defense. That’s not a small detail, folks.

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Getting worked in among the starters isn’t reason to throw a celebratory parade. Nevertheless, that’s a good update since it suggests that he’s not buried on the depth chart. The CB4 gets work with the 1s, not the CB10.

The Vikings haven’t had a true CB1 since Xavier Rhodes. Back in 2017, Rhodes could get tasked with lining up across from the other side’s WR1 and win the day. That’s of immense value since it helps to tilt the numbers advantage back towards the defense.

Charles Demmings is a long way off from proving to be that player. In fact, he’s very unlikely to get there. Most 1st-Round corners don’t get to a similar level of Rhodes, who was an All Pro and Defensive Player of the Year candidate. What’s not uncertain, though, is that getting that guy — a true island corner — is of immense value.

Adding somebody such as James Pierre means inserting a hurdle into the competition. The plan involves the young fella developing slowly while the elder statesman gets the job done in the immediate. Pierre is basically a roadblock in front of the rookie’s playing time. Does Demmings slow down at all as he speeds toward Week 1? Or, perhaps, does Demmings keep gathering speed as he bursts through the corners ahead of him?

Demmings, 23, gets back to work later today at Vikings training camp.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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Trainer Jason Warren believes Palm Angel has been a victim of her early two-year-old form.

Palm Angel is slated to make her twelfth start in the Drummond Golf Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield Heath on Saturday.

In her eleven prior starts, Palm Angel has recorded two wins, which are the only times the now four-year-old mare has finished in the placings.

On debut, Palm Angel won the Listed Merson Cooper Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield, and two starts later, she captured the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m), also at Caulfield.

Warren is not disappointed that the then filly secured crucial Black Type for her future stud career, but Palm Angel has faced the consequences since.

In eight runs since her Blue Diamond Prelude victory, Palm Angel’s closest performance to a placing was fourth in a three-year-old fillies benchmark 78 grade race when she was assigned 60.5kg before Jackson Radley’s 3kg claim.

For Saturday’s race, Palm Angel is back in a benchmark 74 race with 61.5kg, which will be offset by Jackson Radley’s 2kg claim.

“She’s carried a lot of weight ever since her early days, but I’m happy with how she’s going and her work has been good,” Warren said.

“I’m hopeful that she can bounce back on Saturday.”

“She probably gets into the race OK at the weights after the claim for what she has been getting.”

At her most recent race on July 18, Palm Angel finished sixth over 1400m at Flemington.

“I thought her run last start from a difficult barrier was a good run,” Warren commented.

“Jackson had to go too far back from a wide gate, and she was good to the line.”

“I think she’s been looking for a little bit further now and it has been a little bit of time between drinks for her.”

“What we don’t want is any more rain for her.”

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Ashish Yadav opened India’s medal account at the World Athletics U20 Championships with a silver medal in the men’s javelin throw, while national senior record holder Pooja Singh booked her place in the women’s high jump final.

Yadav produced a best throw of 74.09m in his third attempt to finish second in the men’s javelin final on Friday. His compatriot T Dharanidharan ended the competition in sixth place with a best effort of 72.35m.

Yadav’s silver-winning throw was 40cm short of his personal best of 74.49m, which he had recorded at the Indian Open Throws Competition in Patiala in March.

At 19, Yadav became only the second Indian after two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra to win a silver medal in the men’s javelin at the World Athletics U20 Championships.

Chopra had won gold at the 2016 edition in Poland, where he also set the world junior record of 86.48m, which still stands.

Heymans produces winning throw in final attempt

South Africa’s Jan-Hendrik Heymans claimed the gold medal after producing the competition’s decisive throw of 80.50m in his sixth and final attempt. The effort also became the U20 world-leading mark for the season.

Dominica’s Addison James took the bronze medal with a throw of 73.89m.

Ashfaq finishes eighth in 400m final

Mohommed Ashfaq, who had set a new U20 national record in the men’s 400m first-round heats a day earlier with a timing of 45.81 seconds, finished eighth in the final.

The Indian clocked 46.20 seconds in the medal race.

American Jayden Deleon won the 400m gold in a championships record of 44.47 seconds. His compatriot Quincy Wilson took silver after stopping the clock at 44.62 seconds, while South Africa’s Leendert Koekemoer completed the podium with a time of 44.96 seconds.

Pooja Singh reaches high jump final

Pooja Singh advanced to the women’s high jump final after clearing 1.79m during the qualification round on day three of the championships.

A total of 14 athletes across the two qualification groups cleared the 1.79m mark and were subsequently awarded places in the final.

Two Indians through to men’s long jump final

India will also have two representatives in the men’s long jump final after Shahnavaz Khan and Jithin Arjuna successfully negotiated the qualification round.

Shahnavaz finished fourth in Qualification Group A and fifth overall after registering a 7.73m jump in his third and final attempt.

Jithin also secured his place in the final, finishing 12th overall and taking the last available qualifying spot. He recorded 7.57m in his third and final attempt.

Italy’s Daniele Inzoli was the only athlete from the two qualification groups to clear the automatic qualification distance of 8m. He produced a jump of 8.15m.

Poonam misses women’s javelin final

There was disappointment for Poonam in the women’s javelin throw qualification round as she failed to make the final.

She finished eighth in her qualification group and 13th overall, with her best effort of the day measuring 48.81m.

Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray have spring aspirations for their mare Mating Call, who is set to kick off her campaign at Morphettville.

Clarken is looking forward to seeing Mating Call compete over six furlongs again in the Group 3 Behemoth Stakes (1200m) this Saturday.

The mare’s only previous experience at 1200m was a winning debut at Balaklava nine months ago.

After her debut, Clarken and MacGillivray took Mating Call to Melbourne for the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, where she finished sixth. She then followed this with a third in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes and a fifth in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

“I’m really interested to see her at six furlongs,” Clarken said. “We’ve only seen her the once and that was the day she won her first start at Balaklava and the way she won was just ridiculous. She then ran really well over in Melbourne and that was her first prep. Now she’s furnished into a four-year-old mare and she look fantastic. We’re excited to see where she gets to.”

Mating Call is nominated for the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington in October, though Clarken believes a start in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) is unlikely.

Regarding the Cox Plate nomination, Clarken stated, “You have to do these things because you just don’t know as they can come out of left field at this time of year. You have to dream, but I’m not sure 2400 metres of the Caulfield Cup would be her go. She probably gets too much up on the steel, she’s not relaxed, for that sort of trip right at the moment. I’m not saying it’s never going to happen, but right at the moment it might be a stretch too far for her.”

Mating Call recently finished second in a jump-out at Murray Bridge and had a gallop between races at Morphettville last Saturday.

“She appears to have come up really well,” Clarken commented. “She’s had a jump-out and then she had a good gallop at Morphettville just to get her away from Murray Bridge and get a few shakes and shivers out of the way. It served its purpose. Her time on the tracker was very good. After Saturday, she’ll go over the border, that’s the idea. You have to get them going to start with, this is in our backyard and a good starting point for her, and then we can work out where to go from there.”

For the upcoming Behemoth Stakes, consider checking out the betting sites offering comprehensive racing odds.

Somebody needs to fire up Chumbawamba. J.J. McCarthy gets knocked down but then gets up again. It’s an admirable trait that’s going to serve him well no matter how this thing goes.

Per the word from various onlookers, Mr. McCarthy was better at Friday’s practice. By no means does that result in him being the favorite to be the starter for Week 1. Rather, the updates function as a reminder that this thing is still going and that the competition is real.

J.J. McCarthy Better than Kyler Murray on Friday

Consider what Will Ragatz had to say.

The veteran writer’s social media update: “Vikings just wrapped another padded practice. Not a very riveting one, to be honest. Lot of special teams work early on and run game focus. I’d give the QB edge to McCarthy, who looked sharp. But there weren’t many eye-popping throws from either guy. Murray continues to get more of the reps with the starters.”

Some onlookers are going want better than just being “sharp,” but Kevin O’Connell may not being among them.

Whoever starts at quarterback needs to function as a point guard, as Kirk Cousins used to say. Be a good distributor who puts the ball into the playmakers’ hands. Doing so will lead to points getting put on the board. Do that across enough possessions and wins will follow.

For the Vikings, “sharp” is exactly what’s needed. For the Vikings, “sharp” was exactly what was missing.

However, many will think that McCarthy needs to be Hercules to overcome Kyler Murray. Quite possibly, that perspective will prove true since the veteran has accomplished a decent amount.

What’s worth remembering is simply that the competition is ongoing. We haven’t yet arrived at the preseason games and nor have the Baltimore Ravens travelled to Eagan for joint practices. Those are going to be crucial pieces of the puzzle for evaluating who is capable of elevating the team. Seeing one prove far better — sharper? — in these settings will mean a lot.

Consider another perspective. Judd Zulgad of SKOR North offers his two cents:

“J.J. McCarthy had the better day today than Kyler,” Zulgad explains. Note that the reporter does say that Murray continued to get more work even though he “had a very average day.” Zulgad is among those who thinks that Murray is going to win the competition.

As I’ve said a few times, McCarthy isn’t a static entity. Rather, he’s dynamic, getting better or worse as the days go. So, too, is Murray seeing his game change. Hopefully, both are getting better. Who is going to be better in a month, two months, and so on? In theory, the younger of the two should have more room for growth, but that’s not a locked-in outcome.

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J.J. McCarthy is still only 23. Kyler Murray just arrived at his 29th birthday. The battle continues.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Eya Laure and Alas Pilipinas women during a game  in the 2026 SEA V Cup Leg 2. –SAVA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Alas Pilipinas Women stayed in the medal hunt in the SEA V Cup Leg 2 after ending a seven-year losing streak to defending champion Vietnam, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, on Saturday at Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand.

The Philippines finally got over the hump against Vietnam, a team it had not beaten since the 2019 edition of the tournament and in previous AVC Women’s Cup tournaments.

The victory also kept alive the Filipinos’ hopes of returning to the podium after their four-straight bronze medal streak ended last week in Hanoi.

READ: Alas Pilipinas swept by Thailand in SEA V Cup Leg 2 opener

Eya Laure played her best game of the tournament so far, dazzling with 22 points from 19 kills, two blocks and an ace.

The Choco Mucho star came to the rescue after the Philippines blew a 19-13 lead in the fourth set, with Pham Quynh Huong delivering big hits to tie the game at 22.

Bella Belen stopped the bleeding with a clutch kill before Laure sent the Philippines to match point, 24-22, with an off-the-block hit.

Alas Pilipinas women’s Eya Laure in action in the 2026 SEA V Cup Leg 2. –SAVA PHOTO

Laure then found the perfect timing to block Tran Thi Thanh Thuy for the game winner, giving the Philippines a 1-1 record and a chance to return to the podium with a win over Indonesia on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Interestingly, Laure was a rookie when the Philippines beat Vietnam in the 2019 SEA V Cup, formerly known as ASEAN Grand Prix, in two legs in Thailand and Laguna. Current Alas seniors Jia De Guzman and Dawn Catindig were also part of that team.

Leg 1 Best Opposite Hitter Alyssa Solomon delivered 17 points, while her National University teammate Belen had 16, highlighted by three blocks. De Guzman also helped spread the offense as the Philippines snapped an eight-game losing streak to Vietnam in the SEA V Cup.

Thea Gagate also stepped up with six kill blocks to finish with 10 points, while Dell Palomata had four blocks to finish with nine points, with the team tallying 15 kill blocks.

The Filipino spikers held as many as an 18-9 lead in the third set, with Belen, Laure, Solomon and Gagate delivering the goods. But Thuy cut the deficit to three, 23-20, before Laure and Belen closed out the set to give the Philippines a 2-1 match advantage.

Thuy topscored with 25 points. Huong had 14, while Tran Thi Bich Thuy added 12 only to drop to 0-2 in the tournament before facing Leg 1 champion Thailand on Sunday.

Despite widespread calls for his resignation, Gianni Infantino lives to see another day. In a press release, the FIFA board have “reaffirmed their full support for Gianni Infantino”, following what they describe as a “constructive and positive meeting in Rabat”.

USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava was eligible to enter the NFL Draft last year, but he wisely decided to return to school. His statistical numbers were definitely there, and he might have indeed been a mid-round pick, had he entered the 2026 draft.

However, the Honolulu, Hawaii native opted-in to the Alamo Bowl last season, for a game that almost all of his key teammates opted-out of.

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Maiava committed to play, performed very well in the postseason game, and then returned for another season with the Trojans.

Right now, he’s solidly projected to a be a day two selection, and he’s on pretty much everybody’s top ten QB list for the 2027 draft. He’s got prototypical size and throws a great deep ball, but he’s still pretty turnover prone.

Not to mention he also needs to work on improving how he works through his progressions.

At Big Ten Media Days, Maiava discussed how he can level up this season (and with that augment his draft stock)

“I think just being able to be a product of any environment,” Maiava said, to a group of reporters, from his podium at Big Ten Media Days.

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“I can’t be a product of just one environment. I got to be a product of all environments. So I think being able to adapt to the environment and just get to know the receivers at a deeper level so we can play at a high level and play fast.”

USC loses two all-world wide outs from last season, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, so the receiver room is rebuilding this season. Maiava will have to help bring them along.

The Polynesian UNLV transfer discussed his ambition to continue: “just building that chemistry with those guys and everything we got to do to put the offense in the best position to score points.”

He then added:

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“I mean there’s a lot of room for improvement for everybody, across the board including me…constant wanting to learn, that constant wanting to get better, having that mindset of never being satisfied, fundamentally wise, my craft, decision-making, it’s kind of the whole thing.”

USC has a long illustrious history at the quarterback position, and many of these Trojan legends come by, from time to time, to visit the facilities.

Maiava name-checked three that he’s gotten to meet and know: Sam Darnold (who now has all-time legendary meme status), Caleb Williams, and Matt Leinart. He then articulated the experience of hanging out with them.

“The cool thing about USC is a lot of different quarterbacks; they come back and visit quite often,” Maiava said from his podium in the Hilton Chicago ballroom.

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“I’ve been blessed to just cross paths with them and share a conversation with them.

“That’s really cool for me. Just the whole experience of being the quarterback at USC, it’s tough to beat. They’re legends. Love sitting down and talking to those guys.”

Maiava threw for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdown passes, as well as 157 yards on the ground. If he can build on that, he could really be something.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: USC QB Jayden Maiava on how he can become the finished product