The definitive guide to all college football coaching candidates; Dak Prescott reflects on Marshawn Kneeland

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Good morning and Happy Friday, sports fans! It’s Austin Nivison taking you into the weekend. The Broncos and Raiders didn’t give us the prettiest football game last night, but hey, football is football. Beyond the gridiron, LeBron James is back on the court, the college coaching carousel is in full swing and MLB free agency is underway.

Let’s get to all that and much more.

🏈 Five things to know Friday

1. The Broncos picked up an ugly 10-7 win over the Raiders. Luckily for Denver, the NFL doesn’t take style points into account. The Broncos’ offense was horrific as Bo Nix threw for just 150 yards and one touchdown while turning the ball over twice. On the other hand, the defense was dominant once again, coming up with six sacks and an interception against Geno Smith, who got battered late. No matter how it looked, the Broncos are 8-2, tops in the NFL, and fighting for a division crown.
2. LeBron James has been cleared for basketball activities. The Lakers superstar, now in his 23rd season, has yet to play in 2025-26 due to a sciatica issue. But the good news for James and the Lakers is that he seems to be getting healthier. James has been cleared to resume basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks. In the meantime, everything else seems to coming together for the Lakers, who are just a game back of the first-place Thunder.
3. The Padres have announced Craig Stammen as their next manager. A former MLB pitcher, Stammen is now the 24th manager in Padres history. Since retiring in 2022, Stammen has worked in player development as a special assistant. Can Stammen elevate a San Diego club that won 90 games but lost in the Wild Card series while also navigating roster turnover this winter?
4. Antonio Brown has been extradited to the United States as he faces an attempted murder charge. Five months after Brown was originally charged with attempted murder, he was extradited from Dubai. The former All-Pro receiver was involved in a May 16 altercation in Miami in which he allegedly fired gunshots at another individual.
5. It was a tragic day for the Cowboys. In some more serious and devastating news, Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland died at the age of 24, and his cause of death was determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Just a few days before his death, Kneeland scored his first NFL touchdown on a punt block return against the Cardinals. Last night, Dak Prescott spoke briefly about what he and the team are going through.

🏈 Do not miss this: Meet the CFB coaching candidates

This year’s college football coaching carousel is already spinning at warp speed, and there’s no sign of slowing down with a month left in the season. With 12 FBS jobs already open, our team of experts broke down the best candidates to fill those vacancies — all 88 of them.

Falling into the “moonshots” category are Marcus Freeman, Dabo Swinney and Mike Elko. In the case of Elko, he has Texas A&M rolling in just his second season, but might the allure of Penn State be enough to pull him away? Don’t count on it, says Chris Hummer.

• Hummer: “Elko is in the midst of the best season in modern Texas A&M history. The Penn graduate has been linked with Penn State. Is regional sway really enough to pull Elko away from football-crazed College Station, where he is already building a national championship contender? That feels unlikely.”

One job that won’t open up is Wisconsin. Badgers AD Chris McIntosh announced Luke Fickell is staying put despite his 15-19 record.

🏀 Big early-season shake-ups in our NBA Power Rankings

Another week of quality hoops means another edition of our NBA Power Rankings. Yes, the Lakers are on fire. Yes, Luka Dončić is cooking. But Los Angeles wasn’t the biggest riser this week.

That honor belongs to the Trail Blazers and Bulls, both of whom jumped up 18 spots. When it comes to the Bulls, our own Brad Botkin says that Josh Giddey has the team playing well above expectations.

• Botkin: “Chicago erased a 24-point deficit to stun the 76ers on Tuesday and has opened the season at 6-1, tops in the East, with a deep and balanced attack on both ends and Josh Giddey making a strong early case for his first All-Star selection.”

I have connections, so I’ll give you a little peek at some of the top 10 as long as you promise to check out the full rankings:

6. Bulls
7. Knicks
8. Pistons
9. Cavaliers
10. 76ers

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 No. 19 Kansas at No. 25 North Carolina (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Red Wings, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Rockets at Spurs, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ NWSL quarterfinals: Orlando Pride vs. Seattle Reign, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 Houston at UCF, 8 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Northwestern at No. 19 USC, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Tulane at Memphis, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Warriors at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on Prime Video

Saturday

⚽ Fulham at Everton, 10 a.m. on USA Network
🏀 No. 15 Alabama at No. 5 St. John’s (M), 12 p.m. on FS1
🏈 No. 2 Indiana at Penn State, 12 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State, 12 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech, 12 p.m. on ABC
⚽ NWSL quarterfinals: Washington Spirit vs. Racing Louisville, 12 p.m on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Arsenal at Sunderland, 12:30 p.m. on USA Network
🏈 No. 1 Ohio State at Purdue, 1 p.m. on Big Ten Network
⚽ Wolverhampton at Chelsea, 3 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Syracuse at No. 18 Miami, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Auburn at No. 16 Vanderbilt, 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 No. 23 Washington at Wisconsin, 4:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 14 Arkansas at No. 22 Michigan State (M), 7 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Wake Forest at No. 14 Virginia, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Cal at No. 15 Louisville, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 LSU at No. 4 Alabama, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Navy at No. 10 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Lakers at Hawks, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Oklahoma at No. 21 Gonzaga (M), 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Suns at Clippers, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

⚽ AFC Bournemouth at Aston Villa, 9 a.m. on USA Network
🏈 Falcons vs. Colts, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
⚽ Liverpool at Manchester City, 11:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ NWSL quarterfinals: Kansas City Current vs. Gotham FC, 12:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Giants at Bears, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bills at Dolphins, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Ravens at Vikings, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Browns at Jets, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Patriots at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Saints at Panthers, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Jaguars at Texans, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏒 Blackhawks at Red Wings, 1 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 No. 18 USC vs. No. 9 NC State (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ NWSL quarterfinals: Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Cardinals at Seahawks, 4:05 on CBS
🏈 Rams at 49ers, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Lions at Commanders, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Florida State at No. 1 UConn (W), 4:30 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Steelers at Chargers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC