NFL

Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks out for season with torn right ACL

What a bummer for Brooks. The rookie running back suffered the same injury in 2023 with Texas, and now he’ll face an even tougher road to recovery.

The Panthers, too, obviously take a hit with this diagnosis. Brooks is on a four-year rookie deal, and Carolina will mostly miss out on the first two seasons of the contract. There’s also no guarantee the second-round pick is effective upon return. This situation stinks all the way around.

If there’s one silver lining, Carolina recently signed lead back Chuba Hubbard to a pricey four-year extension, giving the franchise stability at the position. Brooks tallied just 22 rushing yards as a rookie, so the Panthers will clearly be hoping for more in 2026 and beyond, even with the emergent Hubbard locked up.

Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr. out for several weeks with knee injury

Winfield Jr. was arguably the best safety in the NFL last season, but let’s just say — to be nice — that hasn’t been the case this year. The 26-year-old has been lost in coverage over and over again for the first-place Buccaneers, leading to a mediocre overall team performance on defense. The safety does have 60 tackles and two sacks on the season, so hopefully his play improves in the event he’s able to return in 2024.

Kaevon Merriweather will see increased snaps during Winfield Jr.’s absence.

NCAAF

Heisman Trophy ballot:

1. Travis Hunter, Colorado CB
2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
3. Abdul Carter, Penn State EDGE

NCAAB

Indiana 82, Minnesota 67

Indiana plays big, starting Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo in the frontcourt, but it paid off in this win. The Hoosiers outrebounded Minnesota, 35-22, and were all over the Golden Gophers defensively.

Five-star freshman Bryson Tucker has struggled with efficiency in the early going this season, but he flashed his talent last night. 16 points and six rebounds for Tucker.

Dawson Garcia is an All-Big Ten caliber player, capable of hurting opposing defenses from inside and out, but the forward alone isn’t enough for 6-5 Minnesota to be competitive in the conference. Garcia finished this loss 9-of-15 with 22 points.

Hofstra 80, Norfolk State 67

I didn’t agree with Norfolk State being favored by 4.5 points in this contest. 8-3 Hofstra, led by Cruz Davis, was an easy bet.

VCU 66, Pennsylvania 47

I still think Max Shulga — one of my favorite players in the country to watch — is VCU’s alpha dog, but Joe Bamisile has proven to be an excellent second banana. A sixth man last season, the senior guard has upped his aggression this year for a resurgent VCU team. Bamisile recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds last night.