RALPH D. RUSSO
FILE - Kentucky quarterback Will Levis looks for a receiver against during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Oct. 29, 2021. The quarterback with the active and entertaining TikTok account has become an intriguing NFL prospect. That combination of personality and athletic potential has never been more valuable in college athletics. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Kentucky QB Levis balances NIL gains with long-term goals

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 30, 2022 01:22 PM EDT
ATLANTA (AP) — Heading into last season, the most notable moment of Will Levis'

FILE - Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher speaks to reporters in Cleveland on March 12, 2020. With sports betting now legal in more than half the states and generating millions in revenue for once-apprehensive professional sports leagues, college conferences are starting to explore ways to cash in, too. The MAC was the first to jump in, selling the rights to its data and statistics to a company called Genius Sports, which will in turn sell it to sportsbooks. Steinbrecher said it is impossible to ignore the changing reality. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
College sports eye gambling money amid safeguard concerns

By Ralph D. Russo May. 26, 2022 02:23 AM EDT
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The NCAA stance against gambling on sports by its athletes

Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson celebrates being selected by the Detroit Lions as the second pick in the NFL football draft Thursday, April 28, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher )
Breaking down players selected in 1st round of NFL draft

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 28, 2022 08:54 PM EDT
The players chosen in the first round Thursday of the NFL draft: 1)

NFL draft: Breaking down top defensive players available

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 24, 2022 02:54 PM EDT
Top defensive players available in the NFL draft, scheduled for April 28-30:

NFL draft: Breaking down top offensive players available

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 24, 2022 02:33 PM EDT
Top offensive players available in the NFL draft, scheduled for April 28-30:

Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean is greeted by a large crowd of fans as he and his teammates return to the Georgia campus, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Athens, Ga., after defeating Alabama in the College Football Championship NCAA college football game. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Number of early NFL draft entrants hits nine-year low at 73

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 21, 2022 11:56 AM EST
The NFL announced Friday that 73 underclassmen have been granted special eligibility

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2019, file photo, the Pac-12 logo is displayed on the field at Sun Devil Stadium during an NCAA college football game between Arizona State and Kent State in Tempe, Ariz. The Pac-12 hired sports entertainment executive George Kliavkoff to be the conference's next commissioner on Thursday, May 13, 2021, replacing Larry Scott with a person with a similar resume short on college sports experience. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso, File)
Pac-12 picks MGM executive Kliavkoff as next commissioner

By Ralph D. Russo May. 13, 2021 05:34 PM EDT
The Pac-12 hired George Kliavkoff to be the conference's next commissioner

Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace catches a pass at NFL pro day, Thursday, April 1, 2021, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
NFL Draft: Nixon, Hufanga, Book among possible Day 3 steals

By Ralph D. Russo May. 01, 2021 02:07 AM EDT
Two days down, yet the NFL Draft is only half done and there are still plenty

FILE - Alabama defensive lineman Christian Barmore (58) celebrates a sack against Western Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala., in this Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, file photo. Cleveland Browns veteran defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson's surprise release last week due to salary-cap concerns has created an unexpected hole up front. Alabama's Christian Barmore could fill it. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
NFL Draft: Irish LB; Big 12's best; 'Bama DT still on board

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 30, 2021 08:00 AM EDT
One of the best linebackers in college football, the top defensive tackles in

FILE - Florida tight end Kyle Pitts (84) breaks free from a Missouri defender as he runs a pass pattern during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Gainesville, Fla., in this Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, file photo. Pitts is a possible first round pick in the NFL Draft, April 29-May 1, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
NFL draft: Players selected in the first round

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2021 11:38 PM EDT
Players selected in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

FILE - BYU quarterback Zach Wilson (1) celebrates an overtime win against Tennessee with fans in an NCAA college football game in Knoxville, Tenn., in this Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, file photo. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are expected to be the top two picks selected in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 29, 20212, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
NFL Draft: Players selected in the first round

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 29, 2021 09:05 PM EDT
Players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

NFL draft: Breaking down top defensive players available

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 22, 2021 01:01 PM EDT
Top defensive players available in the NFL draft, scheduled for April 29 to May

NFL draft: Breaking down top offensive players available

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 22, 2021 01:01 PM EDT
Top offensive players available in the NFL draft, scheduled for April 29 to May

Northwestern University Athletic Director Jim Phillips poses outside his home in Wilmette, Ill., in this Oct. 9, 2008, photo. The Atlantic Coast Conference is finalizing a deal to make Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips the league's next commissioner. Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press they expected an agreement to be reached with Phillips and the conference soon. (John J. Kim/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
ACC hires Northwestern AD Phillips as new commissioner

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 14, 2020 11:19 AM EST
The Atlantic Coast Conference hired Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips

FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2020, file photo, Detroit Lions linebacker Jamie Collins signals touchdown as Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley tries to stop short of the end zone to control the final minutes of the clock in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Atlanta. Against a conceding opponent, whose only hope was to take advantage of a ballcarrier's natural inclination to find the end zone, Penn State and the Falcons inadvertently took the bait and ended up losing games they pretty much had wrapped up. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)
Do Not Score! How to avoid touchdowns defenses celebrate

By Ralph D. Russo Oct. 30, 2020 02:06 AM EDT
When the defense is celebrating having allowed a touchdown, something has most

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren addresses the media in Indianapolis after it was announced that the remainder of the Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament had been canceled. Warren, the first black commissioner of a Power Five conference, is creating a coalition to give the league's athletes a platform to voice their concerns about racism. Warren announced Monday, June 1, 2020, the formation of the Big Ten Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition, with athletes, coaches, athletic director and university chancellors and presidents. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Big Ten Commissioner Warren creates anti-racism coalition

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 01, 2020 09:06 PM EDT
The Big Ten's Kevin Warren, the first black commissioner of a Power Five

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm (11) passes in the first half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game against Baylor in New Orleans, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
Pick-Six: Most intriguing players left after Day 2 of draft

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 25, 2020 02:53 AM EDT
The quarterbacks are waiting. After four quarterbacks went

FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2019, file photo, Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa (94) plays against Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich. Patrick Queen of LSU and Epenesa are potential picks by the Baltimore Ravens if GM Eric DeCosta chooses to address the linebacker position early in the draft. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Pick-Six: Intriguing players available on Day 2 of NFL draft

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 24, 2020 02:37 AM EDT
Six wide receivers were taken in the first round of the NFL draft and another

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2019, file photo, Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (4) scores on a pass reception against Arkansas during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The Denver Broncos selected Jeudy in the first round of the NFL draft. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
NFL Draft: Player profiles for first-round selections

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 23, 2020 10:48 PM EDT
Players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night (x

NFL Draft: Ohio State's Young top defensive player in draft

By Ralph D. Russo Apr. 20, 2020 11:30 AM EDT
Top defensive players available in the NFL draft (x-entered draft with college