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  • Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in preseason Top 25 football poll; Penn State 18th

    Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in preseason Top 25 football poll; Penn State 18th

    Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in the AP Top 25, giving the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in the preseason rankings for just the second time ever. Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top 5.

    The Southeastern Conference gets bragging rights with nine ranked teams, but the Big Ten isn’t far behind with eight.

    Penn State is ranked 18th going into its first season with coach Matt Campbell, who was hired in December following a 7-6 season that cost James Franklin his job in October. Penn State is one of four teams in the Top 25 with new coaches.

    ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    Indiana finished the 2025 season at No. 1 in the rankings after a historic 16-0 run and national championship game victory. This season, Ohio State enters with the best odds (+600) to win it all. Notre Dame (+650), Texas (+650), Indiana (+800) and Oregon (+800) round out the top five.

    The Top 25 voters are more than 60 journalists covering college football for AP members and other news organizations. They’re urged to base their votes on head-to-head results, not reputation, preseason speculation or regional bias.

    Conference breakdown

    SEC (9): No. 3 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Mississippi, No. 10 Oklahoma, No. 11 LSU, No. 13 Alabama, No. 20 Tennessee, No. 25 Missouri

    Big Ten (8): No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 Indiana, No. T-14 USC, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, No. 22 Iowa

    Big 12 (4): No. 12 Texas Tech, No. T-14 BYU, No. 21 Utah, No. 23 Houston

    ACC (3): No. 7 Miami, No. 19 SMU, No. 24 Louisville

    Independent (1): No. 4 Notre Dame

    Big Ten media day: Matt Campbell explains why Penn State was the right fit, keeping Terry Smith on staff, and more

    SEC has 9 ranked teams to Big Ten’s 8

    Having Ohio State and Oregon enter the season Nos. 1 and 2 ahead of sixth-ranked defending conference and national champion Indiana is a flex for the Big Ten, which already is riding the momentum of winning the last three national titles.

    Having five of the top 10 teams, and seven of the top 13, bolsters the SEC’s contention that it has greater depth. The SEC has nine ranked teams compared to the Big Ten’s eight.

    The debate goes on over conference supremacy and will only heat up when the Big Ten and SEC square off in the first heavyweight games of the season Sept. 12. That’s when No. 10 Oklahoma visits No. 16 Michigan and No. 1 Ohio State goes to No. 5 Texas. Both are rematches of games won by the home team last year — OU 24-13 and Ohio State 14-7.

    Texas quarterback Arch Manning is expected to be a Heisman Trophy candidate this season.Stephen Spillman

    Longhorns, No. 1 in last year’s preseason poll, look to bounce back

    The Longhorns entered the 2025 season at No. 1 after receiving 25 first-place votes — two more than No. 2 Penn State. But after a Week 1 loss to Ohio State, Texas found itself fighting upstream to maintain its top-ranked status. An October loss to a struggling Florida team didn’t help either, knocking Texas out of the rankings altogether.

    The Longhorns, despite gutting out a few impressive wins, ultimately fell short of the 12-team College Football Playoff after Georgia handed them a third loss.

    Eyes will be on quarterback Arch Manning, who the Longhorns hope makes the expected jump from year one to year two as a full-time starter. Manning, a favorite for the Heisman Trophy this year, will have to lead a team facing plenty of expectations once again.

    Buckeyes are an early favorite

    It’s the first time the Buckeyes have topped the list since the 2015 preseason.

    Ohio State ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the entire regular season last year, only dropping after a Big Ten Championship game defeat from Indiana. With a 12-1 record, Ohio State still earned the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes ultimately went on to drop 24-14 to eventual runners-up, Miami, in the Cotton Bowl.Gallery

    This season appears promising with quarterback and receiver duo Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning to the offense. Veteran defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is expected to anchor the defense. Notre Dame and Texas are tied for the second best odds at +650. Indiana (+800) and Oregon (+800) round out the top five.

  • The inaugural JAB Classic brought a bevy of basketball stars for a showcase to foster unity

    The inaugural JAB Classic brought a bevy of basketball stars for a showcase to foster unity

    Philadelphia natives Marcus Morris Sr. and Markieff Morris showed out in front of a home crowd on Sunday.

    The Morris twins, who put together long careers in the NBA, starred for a team representing Chuck Ellis Workouts in the inaugural JAB Classic Championship — the culmination of a three-day pro-am basketball tournament at the Palestra.

    The final saw their Philly-based team defeat Texas’s Trusted Vision, 106-77. Zid Powell, a former standout at Rocktop Academy while attending Overbrook High, was named the game’s most valuable player.

    Chris DiJulia’s funeral celebrated an indomitable spirit … and Philadelphia’s amazing basketball family | Opinion

    After the final whistle, Chuck Ellis Workouts was awarded a $1 million championship bonus check.

    “I already knew what time it was, man,” Marcus Morris Sr. said after being presented the check. “I already knew. Just show some love. Just show some respect, man. You know what time it is. I’m taking [the check] to the crib, and we know what it is — a million.”

    In 2024, Marcus Morris, then a member of the Sixers, received a key to the city for his philanthropic work. Marcus and Markieff helped found the Family Over Everything Foundation, a program that provides assistance to local children in single-parent households and other underserved communities. For the Morris twins, playing in the JAB Classic was another way to give back to Philadelphia.

    Chuck Ellis Workouts shows off their prize after beating Trusted Vision to win the JAB Classic and the $1 million grand prize at the Palestra on Sunday.Steven M. Falk / For The Inquirer

    “It’s amazing to have people come out,” said Marcus Morris. “Been playing in the NBA for 15 years. And even when I’m not playing, they still come to show love, man. It’s always about Philly.”

    Markieff Morris added: “Felt good, had the city come out. We need more of it.”

    The JAB Classic was centered around fostering unity. JAB founder Jared Armstrong thought to bring the inaugural tournament to Penn after years of campus turmoil following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 70,000 people.

    Jared Armstrong wants to create unity through basketball. The JAB Classic is his answer.

    Armstrong, who plays professionally in Israel, has helped fund the renovation of 17 total basketball courts between Israel and Philadelphia. The tournament, which ran from Friday through Sunday, will help fund a new court in the city. The location has yet to be announced.

    “I just think [combating] the rise of hate [is the goal],” Armstrong told The Inquirer last week. “Whether it’s racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia — it’s going to start with the next generation and really educating them.”

    Jared Armstrong, who plays professionally in Israel, started the JAB Classic, he says, as a way to grow the sport both overseas and here in Philly. Jared Armstrong

    The Morris twins were far from the only high-level talent that graced the Palestra’s court. In total, over 35 current and former NBA players were featured on the classic’s eight teams. Other notable names included 76ers forward Dominick Barlow, two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook, former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell, and former Villanova standout Omari Spellman.

    On Friday, Philadelphia rapper Kur performed between Games 3 and 4. Then, during halftime of Sunday’s championship matchup, prominent Chicago emcee G Herbo performed a medley of his hits.

    Despite the evident star power, the JAB Classic failed to pack the Palestra. Sunday’s championship round, the best attended of the tournament’s three days, filled roughly a quarter of the arena. Marcus Morris hopes to help bring in more fans if the event is held again.

    “Next year we want to get [ahead] of it a little bit earlier,” he said. “So we can get more people to come out.”

    Still, the fans who did show up on Sunday made themselves heard.

    In the second half, when Chuck Ellis Workouts began to run away with the lead, a crowd formed on the baseline. One player that fed off the section was Chuck Ellis Workouts guard Josh Sharkey, a graduate of Archbishop Carroll.

    “Man, they gave us a lot of energy today,” Sharkey said. “You know, we [were] trying to promote it and get people in here, and they gave us a lot of energy. So it was good to come out and give them a show in front of the city and to win the money here.”

    “We [had] a very well put-together team,” added Sharkey, who also played in last week’s Danny Rumph Classic. “Shout-out to the [Morris] twins. Shout-out to Chuck [Ellis] for putting us together. And we had a goal, and we had no egos on the team.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of college sports right here!
  • Chris DiJulia’s funeral celebrated an indomitable spirit … and Philadelphia’s amazing basketball family

    Chris DiJulia’s funeral celebrated an indomitable spirit … and Philadelphia’s amazing basketball family

    Chris DiJulia never played a minute and he never coached a game, but at 11 a.m. Wednesday, he was the king of Philadelphia basketball.

    More than 600 people crowded into St. Denis Catholic Church in Haverford for an 80-minute celebration of 56 years of life well-lived. DiJulia, a fixture at St. Joe’s basketball games, had cerebral palsy, and so spent his life in a wheelchair, and died July 27 of natural causes related to his condition. A few people have ever lived a fuller life; the DiJulias prayed Chris would live to be 5, much less 56.

    As was the case for so many of the Phillies games Chris attended, it was standing room only for his memorial service Wednesday; more than 100 folks leaning against the walls and watching from the knave. They came from Chicago, Atlanta, Buffalo. It was streamed online, and it got views from as far away as Alaska. There were more college basketball coaches at the funeral than there were at LeBron and Kobe’s high school games.

    The event was more than a home-going for a man of unequaled strength and unmatched faith. It was a testament to the close-knit family of Philly college hoops.

    There is nothing like it, not anywhere in the world. It is a club, a cult, and, as the kids say now, a vibe. It goes beyond just the Big Five, beyond just the City Six (hello, Drexel), beyond men’s basketball. It is D-I and D-II and D-III and junior college. It is all of it.

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    It took his daddy’s breath away.

    “Chris was unique,” said Don DiJulia, the retired athletic director at St. Joseph’s University. “But having all this happen, to even think there would be 600 people at 11 o’clock on a Wednesday … couldn’t even think that.”

    Legendary Temple coach John Chaney would have been there too, but he predeceased Chris by five years. How can you be sure? Because Chaney famously once said that Chris was the only person from St. Joe’s that Chaney liked.

    St. Denis was the site on Wednesday, and Wednesday will be remembered as a quintessential Philly hoops moment, even though there were no refs and no clock.

    More than anything, Philly basketball is its sites and its moments. It is the Palestra, the best place to shoot on God’s green earth, and Lynn Greer leading Temple back from 16 down to beat St. Joe’s in double OT there in 2002.

    It also is the DAK at Drexel and Gola/Glaser at La Salle, and it has been the smoky Philadelphia Civic Center, where I covered La Salle’s men years ago, and, of course, St. Joe’s Alumni Fieldhouse/Hagan Arena, where the DiJulias watched their Hawks play and soar and crash. All of these places can be deafening and intimidating and, by city requirement, always over-warm.

    On Wednesday, it was a gray stone Catholic church. For once, Chris was the star.

    DiJulia was the son of retired St. Joseph’s University athletic director Don DiJulia, and, despite his disability, for more than five decades Chris was everywhere basketball was played, loud and critical and present. Family and friends overfilled the pews, crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with giants from the media and, more than anything else, with Big Five royalty.

    You’ve probably been to funerals where there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, but most of the tears shed at St. Denis were tears of laughter and of joy. Chris was known best for his wry wit. In their eulogies, Chris’ siblings and parents proved again and again that wit is genetic.

    Chris loved the local pro teams and he was nuts about golf, so more than half the assemblage, to honor his fandom, wore jerseys instead of mourning clothes. The best: A shamrock-green Tug McGraw No. 45 and a pinstriped Richie Ashburn No. 1. Chris suffered and celebrated the maddening Phillies, and he so adored baseball that the service began with the national anthem and included a seventh-inning stretch complete with God Bless America.

    Chris DiJulia, with his parents and siblings.provided by Kath DiJulia Cloran

    It was in his blood

    But as much as Chris loved the pros he was of college hoops, especially Philly college hoops. It was in his blood. Don played basketball (and baseball) at St. Joe’s, and he coached college basketball before he directed college programs.

    Don played for Jack Ramsey’s 26-1 team in 1965. He is a charter member of the Philadelphia basketball aristocracy. Chris is a legacy member.

    Membership can be earned.

    The first sporting event I attended after I arrived in Philly in February 1995 was a 30-point Penn men’s win over Brown at the Palestra, but that didn’t earn membership. It takes decades as a fan, years as a media member.

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    I fast-tracked.

    I married in.

    My wife, Dr. Shelly Bowers Hayes, scored more than 1,100 points as Penn’s point guard until 1995. We met playing pickup on the Palestra floor that March, started dating a year later, and we’ve coached our kids the last six years (mostly, she coaches).

    I’ve done this job for 31 years. I’ve belonged to lots of clubs and organizations and associations. There’s no community like the community of Philly college hoops. Proved again for 80 minutes of joy, and a little pain, at St. Denis on Wednesday.

    This year Philly has hosted the NFL playoffs, the men’s NCAA Tournament, the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs, the Unrivaled women’s 3-on-3 league, the PGA Championship, the FIFA World Cup, and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

    Wednesday’s sellout was the most deserving of them all.

  • Jared Armstrong wants to create unity through basketball. The JAB Classic is his answer.

    Jared Armstrong wants to create unity through basketball. The JAB Classic is his answer.

    The JAB Classic, a three-day pro-am basketball tournament, is looking to use sports as a way to foster unity.

    JAB’s founder, Philadelphia native Jared Armstrong, brought the tournament to Penn following years of campus turmoil in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza, which killed more than 70,000 Palestinian civilians.

    “I just think [combating] the rise of hate,” Armstrong said. “Whether it’s racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia — it’s going to start with the next generation and really educating them. It’s more than just basketball for me.”

    Penn, which was jolted into the national spotlight that year following the resignation of university president Liz Magill over backlash from her congressional testimony on antisemitism, saw a multitude of high-profile antisemitic incidents in the aftermath. In 2023, Penn Hillel was vandalized, a swastika was drawn inside of Weitzman School of Design, and a wall near a Jewish fraternity house was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.

    Jared Armstrong had to flee his dream job playing basketball in Israel | From 2023

    Eighty-five percent of respondents from a 2025 Penn Hillel survey of Jewish students marked that they had “experienced, heard about, or witnessed” antisemitism at Penn.

    Meanwhile, members of the Penn community who participated in pro-Palestinian protests received direct threats of violence, and an off-campus residence of pro-Palestinian students was controversially raided by Penn police officers, who said it was in connection to an alleged act of vandalism.

    “This mission is really focused on college campuses,” Armstrong said. “We actually have an idea to just take it not to just Penn, but other campuses. That brings the mixture of the message. You know, sports, culture, entertainment all in one. So kids can understand the importance organically, not being forced to sit in the classroom.”

    The eight-team tournament will tip off Friday and run through Sunday. Nine total games will be played over the weekend with Sunday boasting the Classic’s championship. Each team includes former and current NBA talent. Notable names participating include 76ers forward Dominick Barlow, two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook, two-time All-Star Victor Oladipo, and Philadelphia natives Markieff and Marcus Morris.

    In 2023, Jared Armstrong started the JAB Camp, a basketball program that uses sports to teach children about prejudice.Jared Armstrong

    The first-place team will take home $1 million, though Armstrong noted he hopes the event’s mission will entice players to participate.

    “Most athletes experience hate, whether it’s on or off the court,” Armstrong said. “We’re some of the most influential people in the world. I think every person in this tournament dealt with some sort of racism, and it’s not something new to us.”

    Additionally, the tournament will feature two musical performances. On Friday, Philadelphia rapper KUR will perform between games three and four. On Sunday, prominent Chicago rapper G Herbo will take the Palestra’s court.

    ‘Supporting all kids’

    Armstrong, a professional basketball player in Israel’s second division who played collegiately at Slippery Rock, was living in Ashkelon on Oct. 7, 2023, eight miles north of Gaza and the closest major city to the Gaza Strip.

    With his life in danger and Hamas-led attacks getting closer to his residence, Armstrong fled to Tel Aviv alongside his teammates. Armstrong later returned home to Philadelphia.

    When it was safe to go back to Israel to play, Armstrong witnessed the disarray the community was in. Looking to make a difference, he launched Jared Armstrong Basketball (JAB) Camp, a program that uses sports to teach children about prejudice. Additionally, Armstrong and JAB began renovating basketball courts in Israel and Philadelphia. To this day, 17 courts have been renovated, and this weekend’s classic will help fund another court in Philadelphia.

    Jared Armstrong played professional basketball in Israel.Courtesy of Jared Armstrong

    In the future, Armstrong is hoping to bring his mission to Gaza.

    “[Palestinian children] are going through struggles that kids in Israel during the war are going through,” Armstrong said. “I’m big on supporting all kids. Regardless of your skin color, where you’re from. Like I said, just keep trying to inspire them, giving them some sort of hope, some sort of sanity, and just trying to give them some sort of peace.”

    In the meantime, Armstrong is focused on helping heal the divide on Penn’s campus. A key figure in bringing JAB to the Palestra was Rev. Charles L. “Chaz” Howard, Penn’s university chaplain and vice president of social equity and community. Howard regularly holds interfaith dialogue on campus, focused on squashing prejudice.

    Jared Armstrong has renovated basketball courts in Israel and Philadelphia.Jared Armstrong

    “Penn is no island,” Howard said. “And the world has been a hard place the last several years.”

    Howard believes events like the JAB Classic can help “stitch back together some of the brokenness” the community has felt in recent years. The timing also worked out. Many incoming freshmen and their families are in the city, with first-year student move-in slated for next week.

    “I think what [Armstrong is] doing by using something like basketball as a dialogical space is brilliant,” Howard said. “It’s so simple, but it’s also brilliant. … And I’m a basketball man. So this is really exciting to me personally.”

  • Archbishop Wood’s Caleb Lundy becomes Drexel basketball’s highest-ranked commitment

    Archbishop Wood’s Caleb Lundy becomes Drexel basketball’s highest-ranked commitment

    Caleb Lundy announced his verbal pledge to Drexel on social media Thursday.

    The Archbishop Wood guard and Warminster Township native is ranked as a four-star recruit and the fourth-best rising senior in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports.

    Lundy chose Drexel over Temple, La Salle, and St. Joseph’s, among others.

    Lundy has the highest composite rating of any Drexel recruit in the 247Sports database, which dates back to 2000. His four-star ranking bests former players Mate Okros, T.J. Bickerstaff, and former NBA guard Damion Lee, all of whom were three-star recruits.

    Lundy, a 6-foot-4 guard, earned first-team all-Catholic League and second-team all-state honors as a junior at Wood. He was the Vikings’ leading scorer last season, averaging 17.1 points and 4.7 assists.

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    Lundy and Marist signee Brady MacAdams led Wood to a 12-1 regular-season finish in the Catholic League and a semifinal appearance in the PCL tournament. The Vikings have not won a league championship since 2021.

    Lundy is the first player to commit to Zach Spiker’s 2027 recruiting class. The Dragons have also extended an offer to Imhotep Charter forward Zaahir Muhammad-Gray, a rising senior and four-star recruit who has yet to make his commitment.

    Lundy’s verbal pledge will not be official until he signs an aid agreement with the school. The early signing period for the class of 2027 begins on Nov. 11.

    Archbishop Wood’s Caleb Lundy (left) averaged 17.1 points and 4.7 assists last season.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Lundy is the third player from Wood to commit to Drexel under Spiker, who is entering his 11th season as the Dragons head coach.

    Josh Reed was part of Spiker’s 2024 recruiting class, and former Wood guard Justin Moore spent two seasons in University City after joining the Dragons in 2022.

    Lundy comes from an athletic family. His father, Mikal Lundy, played running back at Kent State in 2000 and 2001. Caleb’s uncle, Wali Lundy, was a running back at Virginia. He spent one season with the Houston Texans after being selected in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft.

  • Big man Luigi Suigo has arrived at Villanova. His journey to the 2027 NBA draft is underway.

    Big man Luigi Suigo has arrived at Villanova. His journey to the 2027 NBA draft is underway.

    Luigi Suigo has only been on campus for a few weeks, but he’s already had his Villanova rite of passage.

    Assistant coach Ricky Harris took Suigo to Campus Corner, the longtime pizza shop on Lancaster Ave., and Suigo, a 7-foot-3, 19-year-old from Italy, was overwhelmed by all the menu options.

    Harris asked: “Have you ever had a cheesesteak?”

    Suigo didn’t know what it was, he said, but let Harris lead the way. The cheesesteak was “crazy good,” Suigo said, though he said Villanova general manager Baker Dunleavy playfully cautioned against having too many of them.

    “Maybe I’ll have them in secret,” said Suigo, who goes by “Gigi.”

    He better get them in while he can. Suigo’s stay on the Main Line is not expected to be long. The freshman big man, who played professionally last season with Serbia’s Mega Basket, is expected to join the short list of modern Villanova players who are on campus for one season before being selected in the NBA draft.

    Cam Whitmore did it in 2023, but before that was Tim Thomas all the way back in 1996. Suigo arriving at Villanova has rivaled the excitement of those players and even Jalen Brunson, who was a McDonald’s All-American before he played at Villanova for three seasons.

    Suigo went through the draft process this offseason and participated in the NBA draft combine before ultimately deciding to remove his name from the field and sign to play at Villanova. He likely is the highest-paid Villanova player in the nascent era of paying players. (Villanova, like all schools, does not publicly disclose the terms of player contracts, but it’s not hard to guesstimate that Suigo is making more than $3 million this season.)

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    This makes Villanova seemingly a temporary stopping point for Suigo, but it is a rather critical one. Suigo was projected to be selected in the later stages of the first round of the 2026 NBA draft, though there was no guarantee. He is a talented big man with a versatile skill set whose shooting range stretches beyond the three-point line, but there are elements of his game that need to improve if he’s going to be worthy of the “Italian Wemby” nickname.

    That process already has started. Since arriving at Villanova at the end of July following a delay in his visa paperwork, Suigo has been working on conditioning. Suigo, who wants to be a lottery pick in next year’s draft, averaged 18.8 minutes in 26 games last season with Mega Basket. Working on his physique is a big part of what he’s doing right now on campus.

    It is a bit of a lonely time on an empty campus, Suigo said, but he’s in the gym most days running and dunking on the court, pedaling on the bike, jumping, and doing “everything to get me back in shape.”

    Besides his body, Suigo said he wants to expand the things he’s already good at, but also add an improved face-up element to his game from the perimeter. The NBA draft process also taught him about having a strong mindset, he said.

    “Even in workouts with NBA teams, they’re just trying to see if you’re weak and you give up, or if you’re strong even if you’re dead tired,” Suigo said. “You just keep going. I learned to be tougher, stronger with my mind before even my body.”

    Kevin Willard said in June that with some more development, the “sky is the limit” for Suigo, whose addition near the end of the offseason catapulted Villanova into discussion for a preseason top 25 ranking. With Suigo in tow, the Wildcats have a formidable front court and a versatile roster that can play big or small.

    “I think he maybe would have gotten drafted late in the first round, but he doesn’t want that,” Willard said. “He wants to make sure when he gets drafted he’s going to play. The big thing is I think he needs to get Americanized a little bit, to American basketball. I think that’s why college will be really good for him. Get in shape a little bit, just kind of get used to American basketball.”

    Kevin Willard accomplished most of his goals in Villanova’s roster rebuild. Then came Luigi Suigo.

    Willard flew overseas to see Suigo at least twice. Willard first went to see him with Dunleavy in Belgrade, Serbia, before he signed, and Suigo said Willard visited him again this summer in Italy.

    Suigo is from Tradate, in the province of Varese, in the Lombardy region of the country, and this is his first time living outside of Europe, but he said he’s not worried about the distance from home. He has lived away from Tradate before. Suigo described himself as a guy who can meet new people easily, who likes to play video games or go bowling, but also a guy who likes to sleep and recover from basketball and doesn’t mind being alone.

    Plus, he said, “I have my guys here.”

    Luigi Suigo says guard Tyler Perkins is “a machine.”Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    He’s still getting to know his new teammates, but Suigo has been impressed by returning leading scorer Tyler Perkins.

    “Perk, he’s a machine, man,” Suigo said. “He’s that type of guy that works every day without saying nothing and he’s never tired. He just keeps working. I’m trying to be like him and be more tough.”

    Suigo, who will open his college basketball career in his home country when Villanova takes on Notre Dame in Rome on Nov. 1, said he expects to get along well with Willard, who he called “a good man and a good coach from what I’ve seen.”

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    The visits from Willard are part of the reason why Suigo was sold that Villanova is the place to help him get to where he wants to go next. There’s money, sure, but it’s “the people, man,” Suigo said.

    “I like to be around these people,” he said. “I think they were more honest with me and it’s just a feeling. You have to feel it. When you make new friends or meet new people, you have to have a feeling for those types of people. I think they’re the right people to push me through everything and try to get me better, and also the type of people you can have dinner with and have fun.

    “I love it over here.”

  • Temple quarterback competition ‘not even close’ to being decided

    Temple quarterback competition ‘not even close’ to being decided

    With just 25 days until Temple football’s season opener against Rhode Island, coach K.C. Keeler and his staff seem to have a pretty good idea of the starting lineup they’ll be rolling out at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 5.

    But there is one glaring decision remaining — quarterback.

    Here are observations from Temple’s Monday morning practice.

    Temple quarterback Ajani Sheppard takes part in drills during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    QB competition update

    The quarterback competition between the transfer duo of Jaxon Smolik (Penn State) and Ajani Sheppard (Washington State) continued Monday morning.

    Smolik, who got snaps in four games as a junior, found seniors Peter Clarke and Colin Chase multiple times, each for big gains.

    Smolik also hit Clarke and Ryder Kusch through the middle on slant routes while finding Chase streaking down the sideline twice on big plays.

    Temple coach K.C. Keeler is content to take his time making a decision on a starting quarterback.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Keeler declined to give any indication about who might be in the lead for the starting job.

    “We’re not even close,” Keeler said. “I thought they both took a step forward today. I just look at last year and Evan [Simon] didn’t establish himself until later but looked strong. I’d also say Evan was going up against a defense that had some wider windows in practice than what these guys are seeing now, and I think the defense has played really sound, which has affected these guys.”

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    Last year, Simon and Gevani McCoy competed into the season opener against UMass, when Simon threw for six touchdowns and claimed the starting job.

    “Yeah, I’m not going to overthink it,” Keeler said when asked if he’d be OK with a similar competition this year. “I’m just going to let it play out. Everyone would obviously prefer to have a guy, but at this time I think we let it play and see how it goes.”

    Depth chart shakedown

    Aside from quarterback, Keeler said “everything is kind of shaking out where you would’ve wanted it to” with the rest of the roster.

    “There are positions like with the defensive line where we have 10 good guys and we’re going to play 10 guys on the defensive line, same thing with linebackers,“ he said.

    And if the Owls continue to line up the way they have in practice, a skill-position core of wide receivers Chase, JoJo Bermudez, and Jayce Freeman, tight end Clarke, and running back Sam Brown looks promising.

    Temple linebacker Uyi Igiehon (55) takes part in drills during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    Giakoby Hills, Eric King, Grayson Mains, Jackson Pruitt and Kevin Terry figure to start on the offensive line. Terry was thrust into the starting right tackle position following an injury to Luke Watson this week.

    Keeler and offensive line coach Al Johnson have been vocal about having multiple players switching off and on throughout the game on the line.

    “I absolutely [think we can have a rotation],” Johnson said following Saturday’s practice. “If you earn the right to play, you’re going to play. If we have seven guys that earn the right to play and help Temple football win football games, we’re going to play seven guys.”

    K.C. Keeler has no timetable for Temple’s QB battle as fall camp opens

    With Watson, that number could jump to nine, though John Stone and Zach Aamland seem like the players who could rotate in the most at center and right guard/tackle, respectively.

    On the defensive line, Keeler plans on having 10 players rotate in and out, a group that would likely be headlined by Cam Jones, Davier Bishop and Joseph Auzenne. Kevin Hornbeak Jr., Troy Cunningham, Kaleb Artis, Russell Sykes IV, and Lamar Fairfax are expected to see regular playing time on a unit that could be kept fresh in games.

    Temple players look on during practice at Edberg-Olson Hall on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer

    On the edge and in the linebacker core, Jaylon Joseph and JaMair Diaz headline the outside and Curly Ordonez and Eric Stuart hold down the middle and weak-side linebacker spots, with Tyree Alualu, Jayvant Brown, Wesley Brown, Willy Love, and Aiden Britton likely to see meaningful time.

    In the defensive backfield, Denzel Chavis and Adrian Laing will hold down the cornerback spots and Saboor Karriem and Avery Powell will take safety duties, with Jaeden Gould, Kolin Dinkins and Josiah Jackson in the conversation as well.

  • New coach Rick Santos shares insight into Penn’s changes, starting QB, and what’s ahead

    New coach Rick Santos shares insight into Penn’s changes, starting QB, and what’s ahead

    Rick Santos has already implemented changes to Penn football as the new head coach.

    While fans won’t see those changes until the Quakers’ season kicks off on Sept. 19 against Bucknell, Santos gave a glimpse inside his program during the Ivy League’s media day on Monday.

    Santos, who led New Hampshire to three FCS playoff appearances in five seasons, was hired in December to succeed longtime Quakers coach Ray Priore. He is taking over a program that finished 3-4 in Ivy League play last season and has not won a conference title since 2016.

    “I don’t think there was a ton of hurdles [taking over the program],” Santos said. “I just think it was an opportunity for growth for all of us to work as hard as we could to get this thing [going] and lay the foundation that we feel like is going to be sturdy for championships to come.”

    Senior guard Luke Sacchetti added: “The overall buy-in is greater than I’ve ever seen rolling into a season. It felt like every day of spring ball was like a new game. Guys were really fighting and battling, whereas some years it felt like we might have just been lulled to sleep. So I’m really excited to see what we can do in the regular season.”

    Here are other notable takeaways from Ivy media day.

    Penn’s starting QB

    Santos confirmed that junior Karson Siqueiros-Lasky will start at quarterback this season.

    Siqueiros-Lasky lacks experience in the quarterback room, but the junior, who was named a captain, backed up starter Liam O’Brien last season. Due to Ivy League rules, O’Brien was forced to transfer for his final year of eligibility following his graduation from Penn. He will play at Cincinnati this season.

    Penn lost significant talent to NCAA transfer portal, including this offensive trio

    Siqueiros-Lasky has not started a game in college. He was primarily a pocket passer at Seminole High School in Sanford, Fla.

    “I thought it was a really good battle during the spring between Karson Siqueiros-Lasky and [sophomore] Shane Throgmartin,” Santos said. “Those guys battled back and forth. I think by the end of it … Karson really took a stronghold on the position. He finished with a really strong spring scrimmage that we had. Right now, he’s the clear-cut No. 1 going into it.”

    Another name at quarterback that Santos briefly mentioned is freshman Miles Teodecki — the highest-rated Penn recruit since 2000. Teodecki originally signed with Kansas State before mutually parting ways with the Big 12 program. The Quakers could see the freshman get time under center this season.

    ‘Cause chaos’

    Santos brought his codefensive coordinators and cornerbacks coach with him from New Hampshire. Penn will run a similar defensive scheme to the one the Wildcats employed the past few years: a 4-2-5.

    The scheme, which sees five defensive backs on the field at once, also plays to the Quakers’ strengths in the secondary. Santos noted that the team will look to lean on the “defensive backfield” spearheaded by senior safety Josh Narcisse and play “a lot of man-to-man.”

    Last season, the Quakers gave up 377.4 yards per game — the second most in the Ivy League.

    ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    “We’ll take advantage of some of the experience that we have coming back,” Narcisse said. “Overall, when you look at our defense, without getting into the technicals, what you’ll see is a violent defense. We’re going to communicate every single snap before the play, during the play, and we’re going to swarm to the ball. We’re going to tackle well. We’re going to be efficient, and we’re going to limit all explosive plays. We’re going to cause chaos in the trenches.”

    Yale’s Abu Kamara named captain

    Delaware County’s Abu Kamara, now a senior defensive back at Yale, starred on both sides of the field at Interboro High.

    During his final campaign with the Buccaneers, Kamara rushed for 2,832 yards and scored 40 total touchdowns. Defensively, he accounted for 70 tackles and 11 interceptions.

    His career at Yale followed suit. Last season, Kamara recorded 76 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions. For his efforts, he was named a unanimous All-Ivy selection and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award — which is given annually to the best defensive player at the FCS level.

    This offseason, Kamara was named a captain for the Bulldogs. However, he is not looking to let the new title change how he approaches his role on the team.

    “I want to still be that same player,” Kamara said. “Still be that same person that people can come up to and ask questions and be comfortable around. I don’t want there to be some sort of barrier just because I’m of a certain status now. I still want to be known as Abu Kamara, the Yale football player, the funny, charismatic guy on the football team.”

    In 2024, when Yale traveled to Penn, the Interboro faithful packed Franklin Field to cheer on Kamara — who finished his day with seven tackles, a sack, and two turnovers. Bucs fans will get the chance to do the same come Oct. 23, when the Bulldogs face Penn at Franklin Field.

  • ‘Proud moment’: Drue Nicholas competes on his home course at the U.S. Amateur Championship

    ‘Proud moment’: Drue Nicholas competes on his home course at the U.S. Amateur Championship

    As Drue Nicholas approached the tee box of hole No. 1 at Merion Golf Club early Monday morning, he felt jittery.

    “[I was] just shaky,” Nicholas said. “It’s like I had a lot of caffeine, but I didn’t have any caffeine.”

    The Egg Harbor Township native took the first drive of the U.S. Amateur Championship at his home club, marking the return of the nation’s premier amateur tournament to Merion for the first time since 2005.

    Nicholas overcame some early-round nerves to shoot a 71, leaving him tied for 46th at 1-over in the 312-player field Monday afternoon, with many of them still on the course.

    Nicholas was a four-time all-Coastal Athletic Association golfer at Drexel before graduating in 2025. He won the Philadelphia Open in July and qualified for the U.S. Amateur with a two-under round during U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying at Llanerch Country Club in Haverford Township.

    The U.S. Amateur Championship comes to Merion Golf Club. Here’s your guide to the week.

    That qualification opened the door for the Merion member to compete at his home course in his second U.S. Amateur. He finished stroke play 9-over par in the 2025 tournament at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.

    Nicholas became a member at Merion in April and estimated he’s played the course 20 times since joining.

    He had some trouble through the front nine, with bogeys on Nos. 1 and 6 and a double bogey on hole No. 5, but back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12, plus an early birdie on No. 3, kept him in contention to make the 64-player match play bracket on Wednesday.

    “The back five here are obviously very difficult, but I think I plotted my way around them pretty well,” Nicholas said. “I was thinking they’re hard, but if you hit it in the fairway, there are opportunities. Once I got through the first six holes — granted, I was 3-over and a little disappointed — but I knew I could do something on the back stretch.”

    Nicholas had a sizable crowd cheering him on Monday that included family, friends, former Drexel teammates, and Merion members.

    After he tapped in a putt on the 18th green to finish his round, he took a moment to pose for a photo with the group that had come out to support him.

    Caleb Taylor, Nicholas’ former teammate and roommate at Drexel, said seeing Nicholas compete on this course was a “proud moment.”

    “Everybody that loves golf knows Drue,” Taylor said. “He really embraces the golf culture of Philadelphia. As a former Drexel teammate of his, we’re proud as teammates and alumni. He represents Drexel really well. He represents amazingly. He’s a great guy.”

    Nicholas will spend Tuesday fighting to make the match play cut at Philadelphia Country Club, which is cohosting the qualifying stroke play with Merion. He’s much less familiar with the course at Philadelphia Country Club, but playing a round away from his home course may relieve some pressure.

    While the cut line for match play will be set after Tuesday’s rounds, Nicholas is hoping he could make it with a 1-under round at Philadelphia Country Club on Tuesday.

    “If I miss out shooting even, I can sleep at night,” Nicholas said.

    Philly roundup

    Joshua Ryan missed out on the Philadelphia Open championship in a playoff with Nicholas, but the Norristown native got off to a hot start at Philadelphia Country Club on Monday.

    Ryan shot a 67 with six birdies and sat two strokes back of the lead. Ryan, a former golfer at Liberty University, will try to shield his place in the match play bracket at Merion on Tuesday.

    “It’s going to be a different test tomorrow,” Ryan said. “You could very easily shoot a high number over there. I’m just going to keep playing. It’s nice to have a little bit of a cushion, but we’ll see where the field sits at the end of the day and just keep playing good golf.”

    Downingtown’s Nicholas Gross finished his round at Merion 3-over, and Newtown Square’s Hunter Stetson was 6-over at Philadelphia Country Club.

    Charlie Barrickman, 18, of West Chester, tees off on the sixth hole during the U.S. Amateur Championship at Merion Golf Club.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Some players, including three locals, were delayed by a thunderstorm that led to play being suspended at 5:02 p.m. Players were able to return to the course shortly before 6 p.m.

    At Merion, Charlie Barrickman (West Chester) and Michael Lugiano (Jackson Township) both finished the day at 1-over.

    Patrick Isztwan (Huntingdon Valley) shot 8-over in his opening round at Philadelphia Country Club.

  • ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

    STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State football coach Matt Campbell said the theme for these next few weeks is “preparation for the journey” as his squad works toward a Week 1 matchup vs. Marshall on Sept. 5 (3:30 p.m., FS1).

    “We’ve grown,” Campbell said Friday at the team’s local media day. “It was great to see Practice 1 and 2 because there was great growth between Practice 1 and Practice 2, and we’re going to have to not miss a day as we continue. There’s a sense of urgency.”

    Besides Penn State’s continued preparation, here are three other takeaways from Friday’s availability:

    Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser doubles as Penn State’s tight ends coach.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer

    Tight end takeover

    Campbell said 12- and even 13-personnel, meaning two or three tight ends on the field, is going to be prevalent in new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s scheme, mostly because Campbell and Mouser want to design plays that highlight the team’s strengths.

    Tight end will be a focal point. Iowa State transfer Benjamin Brahmer was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end last season, fellow Cyclones transfer Gabe Burkle is “the guy that cleans up the mess,” according to Mouser, and returnee Andrew Rappleyea began to break out at the end of 2025. Brahmer and Burkle were named to the Mackey Award watchlist earlier this week.

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    With that comes high expectations for the group, especially considering Mouser is also their position coach.

    “We think we’re the smartest on the offense, pretty much, so we always know what we’re doing, and if we do mess up, it’s our fault,” said Brahmer, a senior. “Or if anybody messes up, [Mouser] thinks it’s the tight ends’ fault because we’re kind of the central piece of that offense.”

    The idea of playing 12- and 13-personnel excites Rappleyea, who said the tight ends and wide receivers jokingly argue when Mouser calls for more tight ends during practice.

    “I think that [Mouser] realizes the way it is,” said Rappleyea, a junior. “The game’s evolving, and if you have big guys that can get open, we’re not going to complain about having two of us on the field instead of three receivers.”

    Consistency is key

    In any normal year, Campbell likely would have a general depth chart in his head for the season. But this is not a normal year, and Campbell is making every player earn their Week 1 spot.

    “Everybody’s either on a new team, at a new place, got new coaches, and everybody’s going in with kind of the same starting lines,” said Campbell, who’s entering his first season as the Nittany Lions’ coach after a decade in the same role at Iowa State. “You got to go earn it. To be honest with you, on a good team, some great teams that I’ve been a part of, championship ball, you kind of got to earn it because there’s enough good depth.”

    Penn State ranked No. 17 in preseason coaches’ poll

    Ultimately, Campbell emphasized that the players who separate themselves will be the consistent ones, particularly among the wide receivers. The Nittany Lions have developed a reputation for poor wide receiver play in recent years, but Iowa State transfers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen received high praise from Campbell on Friday, alongside returnee Koby Howard, a sophomore.

    “I think [Sowell and Eskildsen] give you proven reps that these guys can do it. Can they do it at the consistency now that the great ones look like?” Campbell said. “I think then you look the rest of the way, and you see a guy like Koby. You saw what he could do. I think the same thing I would say about Kobe, and it’s his challenge, and he and I talked about it, is consistency. Can you be the best version of you every day?”

    Wide receiver Koby Howard is back with Penn State.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer

    Versatile defense

    Campbell has made it known that he believes the defense under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn can be “multiple” in scheme and features Nittany Lions who can play different positions.

    He name-checked junior safety Marcus Neal Jr., senior cornerback Zion Tracy, and redshirt junior linebacker Tony Rojas, but they aren’t the only ones adding versatility.

    Sophomore defensive end Yvan Kemajou said Lynn’s scheme gives “a lot of freedom to the D-line and linebackers.”

    “I feel like we’re very multiple. I like that,” Kemajou said. “So it’s just great learning his scheme, just learning his style of playing defense, and it’s been great.”

    Why did Iowa State players follow Matt Campbell to Penn State?

    Senior linebacker Caleb Bacon, another Iowa State transfer, can play at different spots and has been working out at defensive end to start fall camp. He doesn’t necessarily have a position preference and is more focused on doing what he can to help Penn State.

    “If we need edge rushers, if we need linebackers, I think I’m really just ready for whatever,” Bacon said. “Kind of knowing this scheme, it all really helps. And playing strict linebacker in spring ball, and now transitioning a little bit of a mixed role, I think has been super beneficial for my football IQ and just knowledge of the defense in general.”