Folks, it’s hard not to feel enthusiastic about what sophomore tight end Gavin Bartholomew is doing at training camp.

The Vikings’ lost-and-found pass catcher missed all of his rookie year due to a back injury. The 6th-Round selection thus got off to a modest beginning to his career. Many would have seen this setback function as the death knell but that doesn’t appear to be the case for Mr. Bartholomew. Reports keep insisting that the Pittsburgh alumnus is playing well.

Gavin Bartholomew
The Vikings’ Lost-and-Found Tight End

On social media — generally a dreadful place — Lindsey Young offers her assessment of players who have been doing excellent. Consider how she frames things from a post earlier today: “Today is the players’ day off, but here are some of the first- and second-year Vikings who have stood out to me at training camp so far.”

Sitting atop the pile is Gavin Bartholomew.

Note, that’s not necessarily to say that Young is insisting Bartholomew has been the team’s best player. Rather, it’s simply the first name on the list. The point, folks, is that Young is adding her voice to a chorus of people who believe that the young tight end has looked really good.

Will Ragatz sent praise to the tight end, writing on August 4th, “One guy who keeps standing out and making plays: second-year TE Gavin Bartholomew, who missed all of last season with a back injury.”

Alec Lewis offered his two cents on July 29th: “Semi-random Vikings camp takeaway, but I thought TE Gavin Bartholomew looked really good. Made two impressive over the middle catches. Moved well. First time really seeing him out there after back injury happened last year.”

— READ MORE: Christian Darrisaw’s Claim Would Be a Boost for Vikings —
— READ MORE: Vikings Draftee Lands Gig to Catch Passes for Lions —
— READ MORE: Young Vikings Trenchman Breaks into Starting Lineup —

In these brief snippets, there’s a pattern emerging.

Vikings writers are observing training camp. Pretty consistently, these writers step away having noticed the promise that Mr. Bartholomew has been showing. A touch basic, perhaps, but there’s something to be said for multiple people all arriving at the same conclusion. Better yet, they’re doing so across multiple days, suggesting that the kid has been playing well consistently rather than just having a single sizzling day (that’s what coaches want to see).

The Old Testament book of Proverbs insists that there’s safety in the counsel of many. Many are pointing toward promise from Bartholomew, so people would be wise to take note.

In all likelihood, the Vikings feel confident about the high-end talent at tight end.

Veterans T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver are very likely to secure the top pair of positions. Minnesota’s hope is to have an impact pass catcher and blocker within those two.

Where things get more fascinating is the TE3 (and potential TE4) spot(s). Ben Yurosek held down the third spot last year but that was within the context of Bartholomew missing his entire rookie season. Note, as well, that Bryson Nesbit is back after spending 2025 on Minnesota’s practice squad. Nolan Teasley turned up the competitive heat a bit more by adding Marshall Lang.

The Vikings, in other words, are seeing four players battle for what is a maximum of two open positions. Quite possibly, there will be just a single slot due to FB Max Bredeson being capable of lining up as a tight end.

Gavin Bartholomew, 23, stands at 6’5″ and is close to 250 pounds. He’s doing what he needs to do in order to position himself for a spot on the final roster.

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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India (Batting XI, fielding XI): Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, KL Rahul(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar.

Sri Lanka XI (Batting XI, fielding XI): Nishan Madushka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sonal Dinusha(c), Anjala Bandara(w), Nipun Dhananjaya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asanka Manoj, Isitha Wijesundera, Ramesh Mendis, Dilum Sudeera, Keshara Nuwantha, Ravindu Rasantha.

Which teams from the West have been ranked the most in the Preseason Coaches Poll in the last 16 years?

Here is a list of those appearances since 2010, with a breakdown by program at the bottom.

Early rankings can be fleeting and deceiving, so we’ve also included the final rankings each year for context.

Oregon has the most preseason Coaches Poll rankings in the span, with 15 appearances in the last 16 years, followed by USC with 14,  and Stanford with nine.

First Published: Aug 07 2026 | 11:48 AM IST

The absence of power steering has long been a quirk that separates driving in IndyCar from other racing series. IndyCar is the only major racing series that doesn’t have power steering, adding a level of physicality to the turns that drivers complete at high speeds.

The series itself markets not having power steering, with actor Tanner Buchanan saying, “Have you ever driven a car with no power steering? Probably not, because it’s too damn hard,” while narrating a preseason promo that has aired throughout the year.

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But with IndyCar unveiling the Dallara IR28 car in July, it came with the news that unique characteristic of driving an Indy car could change. IndyCar VP of competition and race engineering Mike O’Gara said the new chassis is “future-proof” for several additions the series may make down the line, including power steering – which O’Gara referred to as “power assist.”

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See photos of IndyCar’s new car, set to debut in 2028

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See photos of IndyCar’s new car, set to debut in 2028

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See photos of IndyCar’s new car, set to debut in 2028

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See photos of IndyCar’s new car, set to debut in 2028

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See photos of IndyCar’s new car, set to debut in 2028

IndyCar’s first set of tests for the car, including the validation tests done by Alexander Rossi and Alex Palou, won’t feature power steering. But the series plans to test the system at some point before deciding whether it should debut with the new car in 2028.

“I think we need to test it at a few different places to see if it’s needed and where it’s needed,” O’Gara said. “Is it a road course only thing? Do we require it everywhere or only certain track types? So that’s gonna come with track testing as we run.”

Why IndyCar could introduce power steering

The most obvious upside to adding power steering is the limit to hand injuries in the series. Mick Schumacher (left wrist), Rossi (left middle finger) and Romain Grosjean (right hand) are drivers who are known to have broken bones while driving this year alone. The toll of steering without any assist makes these injuries a common occurrence in IndyCar.

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“From a safety aspect, I’ve broken bones in my hand a number of times over my career from wheel-to-wheel contact,” Will Power told IndyStar. “I think it would help that.”

The force of the steering wheel in the current car, the DW12, leads to injuries in the cockpit. Power – who lobbied for adding power steering in a preseason driver meeting – even mentioned that his Andretti Global teammate Kyle Kirkwood utilizes a slower steering ratio at tight street and road courses, which has led to Kirkwood having wrist issues.

“I think the power steering would be nice in terms of safety,” Felix Rosenqvist said. “We’ve had a lot of people breaking hands, fingers, wrists. I’ve been one of those, probably had two or three hand injuries in my career, which some of them are still there with me today. If you can avoid that, I think it would be nice.”

Palou is against adding power steering, but the four-time champion understands the safety reasons why the series may add some sort of assist to the steering wheel.

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“I think it’s a little bit dependent on the driver having hand issues, like having injuries when they crash,” Palou said after his first test of the IR28. “If it wasn’t because of that, I wouldn’t even consider it. I just like the feel of the raw Indy car, no power steering, having to work a lot for it and having to fight quite a lot with the car. Honestly, I would stay like this, but I understand that we might go a different direction.”

If IndyCar decides to move forward with its version of power steering, it’s expected to reshape the racing and what it means to be an IndyCar driver.

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Chip Ganassi driver Alex Palou tests the new IR28 Indy car

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Chip Ganassi driver Alex Palou tests the new IR28 Indy car

How power steering would change racing

Most motorsports series require drivers to have elite stamina and endurance due to the length of races. But IndyCar drivers have also become known for their upper body strength because of what it takes to turn the steering wheel. Drivers who enter IndyCar in their teens or early 20s gain substantial muscle mass as they become veterans in the series.

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“I’ve always been against (power steering) because primarily, I was always just a purist,” Graham Rahal told IndyStar. “And for me, I always felt like IndyCar was the raw form of motorsport. There was no driver aid, there was none of that stuff. It was sort of man and machine.”

Adding power steering would alter how drivers train to be in IndyCar and which drivers are physically capable of doing it. Palou appreciates that he and others have had to bulk up to make it to IndyCar and become great.

“If you look at a lot of upper bodies of drivers, you can see that the shoulders and arms are bigger than other series,” Palou said. “I think it actually looks cool, so hopefully we can keep it this way.”

If IndyCar does add power steering, O’Gara said it won’t be a hydraulic power steering system like what’s used in Formula One, but it’ll resemble the electric power steering used in sportscar championships like IMSA and WEC. Electric power steering tends to be lighter than hydraulic, although hydraulic typically has stronger feedback to bumps and other handling issues.

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The system would also be something that can be tuned up or down depending on driver preference. After workshopping how much they do or don’t like the power steering system, drivers and teams would be allowed to individualize their steering setup.

“I don’t think any of this is final, but you will have the ability to turn it off,” said Rossi, who seemed rather indifferent on the idea of adding power steering. “So it can be driver preference. If at a certain track, it’s super heavy, when you get 40 laps into a race or the last stint or whatever, you can have the aids. But on the (IMS) oval here, you might not want any at all; you can have it off. So it’s something that’ll be driver adjustable, team adjustable, and it can be really user dependent.”

Power thinks the addition of power steering would lead to faster racing, and IndyCar has emphasized breaking track records as a goal for the IR28. The two-time IndyCar champion thinks using less force would make getting around tracks easier on a lap-by-lap basis, and he wants to see IndyCar give it a try as it continues to test the IR28 over the next year and a half.

“You would be able to run a much faster steering ratio, which makes the car feel more nimble,” Power said. “Your corrections are quicker. They’re all things you just have to try. … You just need to put it on the car, test it, try it.”

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As O’Gara mentioned, the power assist system could only be activated at certain tracks or track types, and not something that exists for every race. While many drivers seemed alright with IndyCar potentially adding the system for only certain courses, Rahal thinks power steering should either exist everywhere IndyCar goes or not at all.

“I think it’s too complicated,” Rahal said of altering power steering guidelines depending on tracks or track types. “I could be wrong, but I feel like that complicates things a lot. So I’m not so sure that that would work, that’s all I would say. I would think it’s better to just keep it consistent across the board.”

There are several gains and drawbacks to including power steering in the IR28, and IndyCar must spend its time leading up to 2028 making the right decision for safety and the overall racing product. As far as drivers go, there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on whether the series needs power steering. Some feel it would take away from a crucial aspect of IndyCar racing, but others are campaigning for it to be introduced in 2028.

“You can say it’s the heaviest thing in the world, I don’t think anybody watching the races on TV would agree with you,” Rosenqvist said of IndyCar’s current marketing of the series not having power steering. “They probably think they could go right in and turn the wheel themselves. How much is it worth having that physicality for how much you’re paying with it in terms of injuries and also some drivers actually not being able to drive the car physically?”

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Depending on whether and how IndyCar decides to implement the system, power steering could fundamentally change IndyCar racing both on track and by the physical requirements it takes to join the series.

Zion Brown is IndyStar’s motorsports reporter. Follow him at@z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Should IndyCar add power steering to its new car? What veteran drivers think

Carl Froch has refused to wear the crown as Britain’s all-time greatest fighter, believing that one of his fellow countrymen crafted a more revered legacy.

Many would agree that Froch, while a Hall of Famer, is not in the conversation for UK supremacy across all weight classes.

Instead, the two legends that most frequently get mentioned are Joe Calzaghe and Lennox Lewis, who defeated every fighter they faced in a professional ring.

Before retiring with a record of 46-0 in 2008, Calzaghe had made the most consecutive world title defences (21) of any super-middleweight in history.

Among those he defeated at 168lbs were Mikkel Kessler, who was unbeaten at the time, and Jeff Lacy, a knockout artist who was thought to be one of American boxing’s next breakout stars.

Calzaghe then moved up to 175lbs and outpointed a still-serviceable version of Bernard Hopkins, before doing the same against a more faded Roy Jones Jr.

Arguably the greatest achievement for Lewis, meanwhile, came when he dethroned Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight crown in 1999.

Either side of that fight, ‘The Lion’ suffered shock defeats to Oliver McCall and Hasim Rahman, before ultimately ending his career with stoppage victories over both men.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Froch admitted that Lewis remains the greatest British fighter of all time.

“I can’t take Lennox Lewis’ crown. [Calzaghe makes it] very, very tight, even closer than [between] Lewis and myself, but I’ll still give that one to Lennox Lewis.”

While Froch defeated the likes of Kessler, Lucian Bute and Jermain Taylor in impressive fashion, there is no victory that compares with Lewis’ over Holyfield.

A long-awaited clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is nearing an announcement, but according to reports, it will now most likely take place in the United States. WBC cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew has had his say on the choice of location.

Talk of a fight between Fury and Joshua had got the domestic juices flowing throughout 2026, with Brits keen to see two of their most accomplished heavyweights collide in what could well be a career finale for both men.

The initial assumption that the event would take place at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium appears to have been incorrect, with reports that the bill will be staged in the USA angering some UK fight fans.

Still, it seems as though their meeting will finally happen. However, Bellew empathised with the fans, admitting that he cannot understand the reasoning behind the decision to stage the show stateside, as he explained on the Fight Your Corner podcast.

“I would understand if it was going to Saudi, because they’re paying for the fight. What I don’t like and what I don’t understand is why it’s going to the US. Why take a British fight and put it in America? Because no one cares in America.

“I know I went a bit far when I said that ‘American boxing has been dead since Evander Holyfield,’ but I was talking about the heavyweight division. The American boxing public don’t care about Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. So, why should the fight go there?”

At present, it appears that New York’s Madison Square Garden is the frontrunner as the potential venue.

First Published: Aug 07 2026 | 11:53 AM IST