NCAAF

2026 five-star QB Jared Curtis commits to Vanderbilt

There was rampant speculation that Curtis, previously committed to Georgia, would flip to the Commodores. Thus, the news of this pledge isn’t stunning, but it represents a seismic shift in the upper level of college football.

For years — decades, even — the top talent was consolidated among three to seven or so programs. Those teams, stacked with the best of the best, were the main contenders to win the national championship. College football was a blue-chip driven sport, and the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Georgia and several others rostered most of the elite players. Top-end talent still matters — perhaps as much as ever — but the best recruits and future first-round draft picks are more spread out. Vanderbilt is landing the nation’s top recruit. Indiana is ranked in the top two. You get the picture.

Speaking of the Commodores, Curtis is without a doubt the best prospect to sign with the program. The No. 1 player for 2026, Curtis is good enough to start Day 1 for Vanderbilt, should Diego Pavia not return.

Regardless of Curtis’ initial place on the depth chart, this is another example of the balance of power shifting in college football. Sure, there’ll still be dominant teams, and those squads will probably be mostly high-prestige programs. But the paradigm is different now. There’s a place at the table for the likes of Vanderbilt. If the sport’s climate remains unchanged — and that’s a massive if — the Commodores might hang around for a meal. Maybe even for dessert, too.

MLB

Angels sign SP Alek Manoah to one-year, $1.95 million contract

There are reclamation projects, and then there’s Manoah. The 27-year-old was a phenom in 2021 and 2022 with the Blue Jays, going 25-9 with a sub-3.00 across the two campaigns. Those seasons cemented him as one of the game’s most promising young starters.

The bottom, however, fell out after that. The right-hander turned in consecutive lost years in 2023 and 2024, leading him to the Braves organization. Manoah didn’t pitch for Atlanta in the majors last season, allowing for a potential reset with the Angels.

Manoah’s erratic (to put it simply) performance lends Los Angeles to risk by signing him, but this is an affordable one-year gamble. It behooves the Angels to spend anyway, and there are worse bets than Manoah. If Los Angeles secures 20 or so decent starts from the righty, I doubt it’ll have many complaints.

Grade: A-