CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals added playmaking defensive end Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M with the 17th overall pick Thursday night at the NFL draft.
The Bengals had the 25th-ranked scoring defense in the NFL last season and hope Stewart’s size and speed will help.
“He’s physical,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He has good dimensions. He has good speed. He has the effort. There’s tremendous traits here.”
Stewart had only 4.5 total sacks across three seasons in college but at 6-foot-5 and 267 pounds is seen as having the versatility and skills to make an impact against both the run and the pass. Stewart missed 26.9% of his tackles last year, but the Bengals are showing confidence in their ability to develop him.
“It’s more a vision for how would you utilize him,” defensive coordinator Al Golden said. “We’re going to utilize him to his strengths. That’s what’s really important. We’re not going to ask him to do anything that he hasn’t already done. We want to take his traits and develop him. This is an ascending player.”
Following the retirement of defensive end Sam Hubbard, the Bengals needed a reliable option at defensive end against the run. Stewart has the frame as well as the strength to contribute in that area in 2025.
“If you can get an edge that’s in that range and can also run like he does, then it just gives you flexibility along the front,” Golden said. “You don’t necessarily have to sub every time you want to get into a different package. There are very few guys at this level that can do that, and he’s one of them.”
How much opportunity Stewart will receive as a pass rusher will likely come down to what the front office decides to do with All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Before the draft, director of player personnel Duke Tobin declined to give an update on where Hendrickson fits into the team’s plans in 2025.
If Hendrickson remains on the roster this season, Stewart will compete with 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy as well as veteran Joseph Ossai for snaps at defensive end. If the Bengals end up trading Hendrickson, then Stewart could end up as a starter.
Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract regardless, and Murphy and Stewart now look like the Bengals’ defensive end duo of the future.
“It’s not a story about anybody else,” Taylor said. “I don’t think you can ever have enough D-linemen, especially in this league and this division. It doesn’t speak to anybody else that’s on this football team. It’s just adding a great weapon to our defense that we can utilize and keep guys fresh.”
The Bengals still have pressing needs at guard, linebacker and safety with five more picks over the final two days of the draft.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders got to see what life was like last season without Josh Jacobs — and it wasn’t pleasant.
Las Vegas took a big step toward addressing the league’s worst rushing offense by selecting Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in Thursday night’s NFL draft.
Jeanty was the runner-up to Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns rushing.
“It’s one of those deals where it meets the need and the best player being together,” Raiders general manager John Spytek said. “I feel like that’s the perfect storm. It’s just too much to ignore at that point.”
Las Vegas averaged just 79.8 yards rushing per game last season after letting Jacobs leave in free agency for Green Bay, where he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns. While playing for the Raiders in 2022, Jacobs led the league with 1,653 yards on the ground.
Jeanty is the highest-drafted player ever out of Boise State. He also is the highest-drafted running back since Penn State’s Saquon Barkley went second in 2018 to the New York Giants.
Barkley led the league with 2,005 yards rushing this past season with Philadelphia. That ignited the conversation on whether the once highly-valued running backs position was experiencing a renaissance as the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
Now Jeanty has the chance to show that the Raiders were correct in making running back such a high priority. He is the second highest-drafted back in franchise history, behind Darren McFadden (4th in 2008), and just the fifth selected by the team in the first round since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” said Jeanty, whose football roots date to a Navy base in Italy. “I want to show everybody that the position is valuable when you take an exceptional running back in the first round.”
Jeanty is the gem of a deep running backs class, and the Raiders could have passed on him with the idea of drafting another player at his position later while addressing a different need with such a high selection. The Los Angeles Chargers selected North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton with the 22nd pick, the only other running back to go in the first round.
Jeanty also could be a generational player the Raiders found too difficult to pass up.
“It’s something we obviously considered,” Spytek said of drafting another position. “You have to consider when it’s that a deep class of running backs, but we felt he’s that good of a person and that good of a player where it warranted the pick. There’s also no guarantees that if we pass on Ashton that any of those guys you really like in the next rung are going to be there.”
He could remind Raiders coach Pete Carroll of Marshawn Lynch, whom he coached in Seattle. Jeanty often went with his own version of “Beast Mode” at Boise State and was the only player, according to Pro Football Focus, to rush for more than 1,000 yards last season on plays that included a broken tackle.
“Marshawn’s one of those backs I’ve looked up to,” Jeanty said. “Breaking tackles and making plays down the field, there are some similarities.”
Carroll said Lynch called to say he was thrilled with the pick.
“There is similarity in his ability to make plays when it doesn’t look like there’s anything there,” Carroll said. “Marshawn did that throughout his career. He found a physical way to bank off people and bounce and keep alive, and Ashton is really a player who shows that kind of style. There’s a special makeup in there with Ashton.”
Carroll has emphasized since his introductory news conference in January about the importance of competing, and he had a basketball shooting competition when Jeanty visited the Raiders facility. A competition that Jeanty won.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Cam Ward went from zero-star recruit to No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. Travis Hunter cost Jacksonville a premium. Jaxson Dart was selected before Shedeur Sanders.
While Ward, Hunter and Abdul Carter went 1-2-3 as expected, Sanders wasn’t picked at all in the first round.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course, but I feel like with God, anything’s possible, everything’s possible,” Sanders told family and friends at his draft party. “I don’t think this happened for no reason. All this is, of course, fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance, we all know this shouldn’t have happened, but we understand we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We’re going to be happy regardless.”
Sanders was passed over by every team that had a need for a potential franchise quarterback, even though some draft analysts had him rated higher than Ward. The New York Giants had two opportunities to take Sanders — who starred at Colorado under his father, coach Deion Sanders — and went with Penn State edge rusher Carter with the No. 3 pick, bolstering an already strong pass rush.
The Giants then moved back into the first round and selected Dart at No. 25, hoping he could end up providing what another Mississippi quarterback — Eli Manning — did for the franchise.
After the Tennessee Titans selected Ward first overall, the Jaguars moved up from No. 5 to select the Heisman Trophy winner with the second pick. Hunter, a playmaking wide receiver and cornerback at Colorado, wants to become the first full-time, two-way player in the NFL since Chuck Bednarik did it with the Philadelphia Eagles more than 60 years ago.
The Jaguars gave the Cleveland Browns a ton to give Hunter that opportunity.
“I’m super excited to go home,” said Hunter, whose hometown is Boynton Beach, Florida. “It means a lot that they gave up so much. It means they believe in me.”
The New England Patriots took LSU left tackle Will Campbell with the fourth pick, giving quarterback Drake Maye more protection.
Campbell broke down in tears on stage, saying: “I’m gonna fight and die to protect him.”
Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham went fifth to Cleveland. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was picked at No. 6 by the Las Vegas Raiders.
The New York Jets selected Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou with the seventh pick. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan went to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 8 pick.
The New Orleans Saints chose Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9. Michigan’s Colston Loveland became the first tight end off the board when the Chicago Bears selected him at No. 10.
The Titans explored their options with the first pick before it became clear a few weeks ago that Ward would be their man.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced Ward’s name to kick off the draft, which for the first time was held next to historic Lambeau Field. The NFL’s smallest market is hosting the league’s biggest offseason event as thousands of fans from across the country traveled to Titletown for the festivities.
Goodell rode a bicycle onto the draft stage and was followed by former Packers stars Clay Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones, as well as rap megastar and Green Bay superfan Lil Wayne.
As usual, fans booed Goodell when he opened the extravaganza.
Titans fans cheered inside the draft theater after hearing Ward’s name called. An overlooked high school player out of Texas, Ward began his college career at Incarnate Word, an FCS school in San Antonio. He played two seasons at Washington State after transferring there in 2022 and then set school records in his only season at Miami, finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
“Everything that I went through, not a lot of people went through the process from high school to this point can make it to this level and continue to have the same work ethic since day one, but I had God by my side and if you have that, the rest takes care of itself,” Ward said.
The Titans are coming off a three-win season and have missed the playoffs three straight years. Ward is the fourth quarterback Tennessee has drafted in the first round over the past two decades, joining Marcus Mariota (No. 2, 2015), Jake Locker (No. 8, 2011) and Vince Young (No. 3, 2006).
Mariota is the only QB drafted by Tennessee in that span who led the team to a playoff win. That was back in 2017.
Will Levis, the 33rd overall pick in 2023, is 5-16 as a starter in his two seasons with the Titans.
Ward led the country with 39 touchdown passes and finished second with 4,313 yards passing while leading the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record. Ward also had only seven interceptions and completed 67.2% of his passes.
The Browns got Jacksonville’s first-round pick (No. 5), picks Nos. 36 and 126, and a first-rounder in 2026 to trade down and clear the way for the Jaguars to pick Hunter. The Jags also received fourth- and sixth-round picks in this draft.
Hunter wore a neon pink blazer and flashed a big smile after Jacksonville selected him, even though he hadn’t spoken to the team since the scouting combine. He caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns while making 35 tackles, breaking up 11 passes and picking off four.
The San Francisco 49ers took Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams with the 11th pick. Alabama guard Tyler Booker went to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12.
Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 13th pick. The Indianapolis Colts snagged Penn State tight end at No. 14 and Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker went 15th to the Atlanta Falcons.
Mississippi defensive tackle Walter Nolen was picked by the Arizona Cardinals at No. 16 and Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart went to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17.
The Seattle Seahawks took North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel with the 18th pick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka at No. 19.
Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 20th pick. After the Pittsburgh Steelers chose Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon 21st, North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton went to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 22.
The Packers made their rowdy fans happy, taking Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden with the 23rd pick. Golden became the first wideout selected by Green Bay in the first round since Javon Walker in 2002.
Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 24th pick. After Dart went to New York, the Falcons moved back into the first round and grabbed Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 26.
Georgia safety Malaki Starks went to the Baltimore Ravens with the 27th pick and the Detroit Lions took Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams 28th.
The Washington Commanders picked Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at No. 29 and Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston went 30th to the Buffalo Bills.
Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell was picked by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who moved up one spot to No. 31.
The Kansas City Chiefs finished off the first round by taking Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who could provide Patrick Mahomes some much-needed protection.
The first round featured four trades and ended with Michigan cornerback Will Johnson and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe still in the green room.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Patrick Surtain II has a new partner in the defensive backfield, with the Denver Broncos selecting Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with the 20th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
“We weren’t expecting him to be there,” general manager George Paton said. “He was pretty high up on our board. What we liked about him is he’s a playmaker, he’s a football player, he’s a fun watch.”
Coach Sean Payton praised Barron’s skills and football IQ and said another thing that impressed him was this: After Barron spoke with team owner Greg Penner following his selection, he asked to be put on speaker phone so he could thank everyone in the organization.
“And I’ve never had that happen,” Payton said.
A ballhawk and sure tackler for the Longhorns, Barron lined up outside, in the slot and in the box as a dime linebacker, and his versatility is expected to allow him to make an impact as a rookie.
Barron has elite speed, running the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, and he won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2024 after picking off five passes and breaking up 11 more.
In Denver he’ll team up with Surtain, the Broncos’ 2021 first-round pick who is coming off his best season — he was honored as the NFL’s defensive player of the year — and rising third-year cornerback Riley Moss.
“I bring a lot of versatility to the defense,” Barron said. “I’m going to learn from the vets. I can’t wait to learn from Patrick Surtain. I can’t wait to learn from (Denver defensive coordinator Vance) Joseph. I mean, it’s going to be amazing.”
The Broncos could even give the 5-foot-11, 194-pound Barron a look at safety. If so, he’s certain he’d fare well.
“Oh, definitely,” Barron said. “It would be a tremendous thing for me, just learning from those vets there.”
Barron said he was recently introduced to Surtain through his financial advisor but hadn’t had time to return Surtain’s message in the leadup to the draft.
“So, he’s probably going to make me carry his pads for not hitting him back,” Barron said with a laugh.
For the first time in a decade, the Broncos didn’t have to spend their draft preparation poring over quarterback prospects. Bo Nix’s successful rookie season in 2024 allowed Payton and Paton to focus their energies elsewhere.
The Broncos got off to a good start with their roster reshaping in free agency, signing safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw from the San Francisco 49ers and adding tight end Evan Engram from Jacksonville and special teams ace Trent Sherfield from Detroit.
That allowed them to focus on adding the best player on their board, which they did in Barron.
“I can do a lot of things once I learn and soak it in, soak the game in and understand it,” Barron said. “But I’m very smart and I’m willing to do whatever to contribute and make myself a value and a key piece.
“And again, I can’t wait to learn from Patrick Surtain, to be a part of the DB culture and the things that he’s doing and the things that they got going on down there.”
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — The New Orleans Saints selected Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.
Banks joined New Orleans one day after general manager Mickey Loomis said the Saints would not be picking up a fifth-year option on right tackle Trevor Penning, a 2022 late first-rounder who now enters his final season under contract.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Banks, who won the 2024 Outland Trophy as the top lineman in college football, will be expected to compete right away for a starting role — if not at tackle then possibly at guard.
“I’ll play whatever, man,” Banks said, noting that he would expect to be comfortable on either side of the line despite playing left tackle for the Longhorns.
“If I’m (one of) the best five (linemen) on the field and I get an opportunity to go out there and start and to earn that right, then I’m going to play wherever they put me.”
This is the second year in a row the Saints have used their first-round choice on an offensive tackle after taking Taliese Fuaga, who started at left tackle as a rookie last season. The Saints also have used their top draft pick on an offensive lineman four times since 2019, when they selected center Erik McCoy early in the second round.
“This is a trenches game. The game is won up front in a lot of ways,” Saints first-year coach Kellen Moore said after the first round ended late Thursday night. “We’re building a strength in that offensive line.”
New Orleans selected interior lineman Cesar Ruiz in the first round in 2020. Penning was New Orleans’ second of two first-round picks in 2022.
But Banks is the first player to be chosen by the Saints under Moore, who is coming off a Super Bowl championship with Philadelphia as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.
Banks met Moore at the NFL combine in February and found him to be “a great guy.”
“He kind of lets his players be who they are,” Banks said. “He wants to understand you, wants to understand where you come from and things like that. So, definitely a good meeting with him at the combine.”
Banks described himself as a smart, physical, and fast-thinking player with quick feet who can play “in any scheme or any type of offense.”
He also demonstrated toughness and a commitment to his team when he played through an ankle injury in last season’s College Football Playoff, helping the Longhorns advance to the semifinals.
“I was able to battle through the pain and kind of just tough it out for my team, just because I knew how much I meant as a cornerstone lineman for them,” Banks said.
The Saints also entered the draft with one second-round selection (40th overall), two in the third round (71st and 93rd), two in the fourth (112th and 131st), one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
The second round begins Friday night, when the Saints will hope to draft some instant contributors as they try to bounce back from a 5-12 record, their worst since going 3-13 in 2005.
“We feel like we’re going to be able to help this team in a lot of ways with the guys that are still on that (draft) board,” Moore said.
New Orleans also is trying to end a four-year playoff drought that began after the retirement of record-setting quarterback Drew Brees.
“I went to UT when they were trying to turn that program around,” Banks noted. “The biggest thing for me is buying into the coach’s culture.
“I just do what I can and my part for the team — not try to worry about what somebody else is doing, but worry about what I can do to help the team win,” Banks added.
Banks has a baby boy named Khalil who wound up getting some air time when the Saints called Banks at his draft party in Houston to inform him that he was their pick. As the camera panned to Khalil, seated nearby on his mother’s lap, he spit up.
“The first thing I did was check (social media), and that’s all I saw,” Banks said with a laugh. “It was so hilarious.”
DENVER (AP) — Tyler Seguin scored at 5:31 of overtime after Dallas killed a late double-minor penalty, and the Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 on Wednesday night in a contest that featured the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series with its second straight overtime victory. The Stars have led for only 1:02 in regulation so far.
Game 4 is Saturday night in Denver.
Seguin knocked the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood off a feed from Mason Marchment. It was Marchment who was sent off for four minutes in the final minute of regulation for a high-stick that caught Brock Nelson in the face.
“We did a lot of really good things,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “Our penalty killing has been one of the best in the league the last three years. We felt confident into the overtime that we could get the job done. And if we did, I think there was a good feeling that we were going to win the game.
“Knowing Mason and how he was feeling about that penalty, you couldn’t have written a better script for how it ended.”
Seguin had his second career OT playoff goal. His first was in 2012 with Boston.
“Good feeling,” Seguin said. “There’s so much more tonight than that goal. It’s the penalty kill, it’s the details of the game of what the guys did. … I was just the beneficiary of it. Collectively, just a great road win by the guys.”
Stars defenseman Esa Lindell made a key play in overtime when he deflected a shot by Artturi Lehkonen down low.
Jamie Benn tied it midway through the third period for Dallas. Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots.
Valeri Nichushkin scored in the first period for Colorado, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves.
The late score spoiled the return of Landeskog, who was greeted with cheers and chants by the amped-up crowd in his first NHL appearance since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. Landeskog has been sidelined because of a chronically injured right knee.
It was some 1,032 days since his last Avalanche game. He became the fifth player in NHL history — a minimum of 700 games played — to return to his team after 1,000 or more days without a contest, according to NHL Stats.
Landeskog played more than 13 minutes and had a team-leading six hits.
“Felt great in all areas tonight in terms of being back,” Landeskog said. “Very special night regardless of the outcome.”
The Avalanche finished 0 for 6 on the power play. Asked what needed to better with the skater advantage, Avalanche coach Jared Bednar simply said, “everything.”
DENVER (AP) — Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog played out this moment Wednesday night in his mind again and again while working his back.
His return was everything he envisioned, too. The start, anyway, with all the cheers and that big early check to show, without a doubt, that he was indeed up to speed in his first NHL game in nearly three years.
It just didn’t have the storybook finish.
Tyler Seguin scored 5:31 into overtime and the Dallas Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 to spoil Landeskog’s return. Colorado trails 2-1 in the first-round series, with Game 4 on Saturday night in Denver.
“We’ve got work to do as a team and that’s what we’ll do,” Landeskog said. “Nonetheless, it felt great in all areas tonight, in terms of just being back. … Very special night, regardless of the outcome and looking forward to Saturday already.”
Landeskog started alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. He played 13 minutes and led the team with six hits. His first one, though, made an immediate impression as he hit Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, who’s his good friend and former teammate.
It was an emotional lead-up to the game for Landeskog, too. There were the ovations by the crowd, and chants of “Landy, Landy, Landy.” There were signs all over the arena, including one held up by his kids that read, “So proud of you Daddy!”
“That was as close as I got to losing it during warmup, when I looked over at that and seeing their big, smiling faces,” Landeskog said about his family. “They’ve probably been thinking that I’ve been lying this whole time that I play hockey.
“They were 1 and 2 when I last played and now they’re 5 and 4. They’re growing up. We’ve got another one on the way coming this summer. It just puts it in perspective how much time has passed. It’s very special.”
The team showed a video tribute of him as well, with Landeskog tapping his heart in appreciation.
Landeskog made his first NHL appearance since June 26, 2022, when he and the Avalanche beat Tampa Bay to capture the Stanley Cup. He was sidelined because of a chronically injured right knee.
The gap between his games with the Avalanche? Some 1,032 days.
He became the fifth player in NHL history — among those with a minimum of 700 games played — to return to his team after 1,000 or more days without a contest, according to NHL Stats. The last one to do so was longtime Avalanche forward and Hall of Famer Peter Forsberg.
Landeskog’s presence on the ice figured to provide a big boost not only for his teammates but the capacity crowd. His No. 92 sweater is a frequent sight around the arena.
The noise in the building was loud, the energy was electric — until the end.
“Everyone is rooting for him. It’s a great comeback story,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Wednesday morning. “I trust in Gabe’s preparation, and what I’m seeing with my own eyes that he’s getting close and ready to play. I think he feels really good about where he’s at.”
Landeskog’s injury goes back to the 2020 “bubble” season when he was accidentally sliced above the knee by the skate of teammate Cale Makar in a playoff game against Dallas. Landeskog eventually underwent a cartilage transplant procedure on May 10, 2023, and has been on long-term injured reserve.
He was activated Monday before Game 2 in Dallas and skated in pregame warmups, but didn’t play.
Stars forward Matt Duchene was teammates with Landeskog and they remain good friends.
“We’ve been rooting for him to come back,” said Duchene, who was the third overall pick by Colorado in 2009. “Obviously, it makes our job harder having a guy like that out there, but on the friends side, the human side and the fellow athlete side, I think everyone’s happy to see the progress he’s made. … I’m just really happy that he’s gotten to this point.”
It doesn’t mean the Stars will take it easy on Landeskog.
“It’s remarkable he’s coming back, if he’s coming back, as a friend,” said Rantanen, a 2015 first-round pick by Colorado before being traded in January to Carolina and on to Dallas in March. “As an opponent, obviously, no mercy.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Regardless of what jersey he wears, I love him. He’s a good friend of mine,” Landeskog said of Rantanen. “But in this series, we’re not friends when we’re playing.”
The 32-year-old Landeskog recently went through a two-game conditioning stint with the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. He’s practiced with the Avalanche leading up to their opener in the NHL playoffs.
“It’s exciting to have him back in the room and back with us,” Makar said. “Thought he played really well so hopefully he continues that way. He’s definitely big to have back in the room.”
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA Division II football playoffs will expand from 28 to 32 teams beginning this season to accommodate the format change that will award 16 conferences automatic bids.
According to Division II policy, bracket expansion must be considered when automatic qualifiers make up more than 50% of the field. That prompted the expansion to 32 teams, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Division II football schools in January approved a proposal that requires all conferences be represented in the championship bracket. Division II football was the only team sport across all three divisions that did not use automatic qualification.
The playoff schedule will remain the same, except that the four No. 1 seeds will no longer receive first-round byes. The championship game is Dec. 20 in McKinney, Texas.
WACO, Texas (AP) — A former Baylor athletic official has received a show-cause penalty from the NCAA after he placed nearly 3,000 impermissible daily fantasy bets on professional and college games over a five-year period, including 113 that involved Baylor teams and student-athletes.
The NCAA says Sam Hancock, a former director of resource development at the Big 12 school, placed 2,950 impermissible bets totaling $45,979 on three different sports betting platforms from July 2019 through September 2024.
According to the NCAA case summary posted this month, Hancock acknowledged that he engaged in sports betting before his employment at Baylor and continued to do so after being hired, despite receiving rules education from the school and knowing that his conduct violated NCAA rules.
NCAA rules that went into effect last October allow sports betting violations that do not compromise the integrity of collegiate contests and/or involve lack of institutional oversight to be processed at different levels for the involved individual and school.
The case originated last August 31, when Baylor received notification that Hancock participated in impermissible sports betting activity through the daily fantasy betting website PrizePicks. The school self-reported the violations to NCAA enforcement staff after interviewing Hancock, who confirmed that he had placed impermissible bets.
Under the show-cause order that goes through April 9, 2027, any NCAA institution employing Hancock would have to require him to seek and participate in gambling counseling, and attend the annual NCAA regional rules seminal at his own expense. He would also have to be suspended for two weeks during the first year of his employment within the show-case period, when he could not participate in any athletics activities.
(NEW YORK) -- The country's electric vehicle market has an affordability problem.
Enter Slate, a new company backed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and two investment funds. On Thursday, company executives unveiled an inexpensive, spartan electric truck that comes at a critical time for U.S. consumers and the industry.
Priced below $30,000, the truck, which will be built in an undisclosed location in the Midwest, could sway more price-conscious Americans to buy an EV. Plus, the $7,500 federal tax credit drops the starting price to under $20,000, according to Chris Barman, Slate's CEO.
"This is a radically affordable and customizable vehicle," Barman told ABC News ahead of the truck's global debut. "We only put the essentials, the basics, in the vehicle. We wanted to strike a good balance with price and range."
The truck's range is 150 miles and jumps to 240 miles if a customer chooses to purchase the extended battery pack. Barman, an industry veteran, described the philosophy of the truck as "plug and play," saying customers can opt for a basic version or pay more for luxuries like power windows and an exterior color. The truck, which can also be transformed into an SUV, rolls off the line in a standard gray hue.
"It's all about value and keeping the price low," Barman noted. "There's no radio or infotainment system. Customers can bring in a Bluetooth speaker. Manual windows that you crank by hand was a cost-saving measure. But there is heat and air conditioning."
Barman estimates that adding back popular features would raise the price by about $10,000. The vehicle may not have a "native" navigation system but it does come equipped with standard safety tech: a backup camera, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, a forward-facing camera and auto high-beam headlights.
For $50, interested buyers can place a reservation on the Slate website. Production begins in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to Barman.
Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver, said he's "really excited" to see the truck in person.
"It's a bare-bones, stripped-down EV for people who wouldn't necessarily be able to buy one," he told ABC News. "For some EV buyers, price is more important. If your commute is pretty short and you have charging at home, you can use an EV that doesn't have a lot of range."
He added, "Hopefully it does what the [Ford] Maverick did for the small pickup truck segment -- opening up an entirely new segment that no one had really filled."
The high MSRPs of electric cars and SUVs, even with federal and state credits, have prevented a large chunk of Americans from owning one. Even some of the cheapest models currently available -- the Hyundai Kona, Toyota bZ4x, Fiat 500e, Chevy Equinox EV and Nissan Leaf and Nissan Ariya -- cost more than $30,000. Earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk reaffirmed that his company was on track to build a low-cost vehicle, with production starting at the end of June.
"There are a lot of people -- way more than we talk about -- who just need an affordable car," Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, told ABC News. "Why does someone buy a 10-year-old car? It's affordable and gets you from A and B. People overestimate the technology lower-income individuals need."
The average transaction price of a new EV in March was $59,205 before incentives and discounts, according to Cox Automotive. To move inventory, dealers across the country are offering competitive deals on new models, including luxury brands.
"Recent tariffs on imported EV batteries and components from China, which accounted for approximately $1.9 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries in 2024, could further increase transaction prices, as these tariffs could raise the cost of imported materials by up to 82%," Cox analysts noted in their analysis.
Keating noted that Slate could become the "Spirit Airlines" of the auto industry and its low-cost strategy may work -- if federal tax incentives stick around.
"We're struggling with affordability for vehicles and this is a solid opportunity for Slate to grab some market share off the bat," she said. "Don't hold breath though that the EV credit will stick around for long. Everyone assumes it will go away."
Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power, said it's unclear if consumers will accept an austere vehicle when many are willing to pay up for driver assistance systems and luxe interiors.
"Will consumers give up all the screens and creature comforts and tech? We're getting really close to finding out that answer," he told ABC News. "Everyone wants to talk about affordability and yet we continue to move further away from it. Monthly payments continue to trend higher because of interest rates but also because trade-in values of cars continue to go down."
He went on, "The pressure to have an affordable vehicle will only increase as the number of affordable vehicles likely decreases because of tariffs."
Jominy pointed out that Slate executives chose a two-seat, single cab design, a questionable move when SUVs dominate the nation's roads and driveways.
"Single cab pickup sales are under 1% ... and SUVs outsell regular cab pickups 100 to 1," he said. "If you have the ability to launch as an SUV, just do the SUV."
Barman argued that Slate fills a gaping hole in the U.S. auto market.
"It's all about value and keeping the price low," she said. "It's feasible to produce a low-cost EV."
TYLER –State Senator Bryan Hughes of Mineola is leading the charge at the Capitol when it comes to pro-life. Filing two of three bills up for vote this session according to our news partner KETK.
He filed Senate Bill 31, the Life of the Mother Act, as a way to clarify some of the exceptions under the state’s current abortion law. Especially for some doctors who were confused and scared to treat their patients.
The bill was first heard in the state affairs committee at the end of March. After valuable feedback, Hughes went to work with the Texas Medical Association to clear up the confusion on who would be charged and when they would face consequences. The amendments also took out the word “Life-threatening” when referring to medical emergencies. The amended bill also adds required education for lawyers and doctors to better understand Texas abortion laws. After getting a unanimous green light, the amended bill will now make its way to the Senate floor to be discussed and voted on before the 89th Legislative Session ends on June 2nd. Continue reading Amended Life of the Mother Act unanimously passes committee
MOFFETT – According to our news partner KETK, an Angelina County resident was found dead after a vehicle drove through his house Thursday morning. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call where a Chevrolet pickup drove through a residence in the Moffett area. Police say the vehicle left the roadway, striking a tree then smashing into the victim’s home.
Police discovered the body of 70 year-old Robert Bole after being struck by the truck inside the residence.
Displaced Palestinians crowd with outstretched hands and containers to receive hot meals distributed by aid organizations at the Jabalia Refugee Camp in northern Gaza City, Gaza on April 24, 2025. The ongoing blockade and military assaults by Israel have deepened the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands in urgent need of food assistance. (Photo by Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(GAZA) -- Israeli authorities have blocked supplies -- including food, medicine and fuel -- from entering the Gaza Strip for more than 50 days.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main UN agency operating in Gaza, said they have run out of flour supplies in the region as of April 24 in a situational update. UNRWA has described the current state on the ground as the worst humanitarian crisis since the war began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after a Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel left more than 1,200 Israelis dead.
With the blockade of supplies in place, Gaza's population of approximately 2.1 million people faces a crisis of starvation, disease and despair.
"Food, safe water, shelter, and medical care have become increasingly scarce," UNRWA said in the update, stating prices for basic goods are soaring while bakeries shut down, and hospitals run out of critical medicine and generator fuel.
Children are bearing the brunt of this man-made disaster, aid agencies said.
"My son suffers from malnutrition," Mona Al-Raqab, mother to 5-year-old Osama Al-Raqab, told ABC News. "There's nothing available. No eggs, no milk, no food supplies. Meat, poultry -- the things that give us strength and energy to keep going."
Roseline Bolline, a spokesperson for UNICEF, said Osama's story is becoming common in Gaza given the current state on the ground.
"He is not the only case. There are thousands of children in his situation suffering very badly," Bolline told ABC News. "This is a horrible, horrific and unbearable -- to watch a child suffer like that."
Hospital admissions for acute malnutrition have surged in recent months, Bolline said.
"In February, there were 2,027 children admitted for acute malnutrition. In March, that number jumped to 3,669. This is an incredible increase," she said. "Families are going hungry, suffering to provide food for their children. The prices of products have doubled, and many key types of food have disappeared from markets. We are extremely concerned," Bolline added.
"Food prices have increased by between 29% to as much as 1,400% above pre-ceasefire levels, with many essential items like dairy, eggs, fruits and meat no longer available on the market," the UN secretary general spokesperson said at a press briefing Thursday in New York.
The situation inside Gaza's hospitals is also dire, according to humanitarian agencies.
The blockade has prevented critical medical supplies and fuel to power hospital generators from entering Gaza while the Israel Defense Forces have continued bombing areas across the strip since the collapse of the ceasefire in mid-March.
Fifty people were killed, and 152 people were injured over a 24-hour period from April 23 to April 24 in Gaza, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said in a release Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised "pressure on Hamas will continue" in remarks at a Holocaust Remembrance Day rally in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.
Dr. Ahmed Al Farra, head of the pediatric and obstetrics department at Nasser Hospital in Gaza, said the blockade is hurting civilians the most.
"We are talking about pregnant women and children," he said. "We are facing a lot of suffering from malnutrition in both categories. According to the World Health Organization, Gaza is currently at the fifth degree of starvation — the worst on the global scale."
Al Farra described a cascade of medical crises stemming from the lack of access to nutrition and healthcare.
"We are talking about the shortage of milk -- normal formula and special formula. Pregnant women are delivering premature, underweight babies. This is catastrophic," Al Farra said. "People are surviving on expired canned goods that often cause food poisoning. You can't live on that for a year and a half."
Despite the conditions, UNRWA staff -- numbering around 12,000 local Palestinian workers in Gaza -- continue to provide essential services.
They deliver 2,600 cubic meters of water and collect 220 tons of waste daily, according to an UNRWA situational update on April 24.
Six out of 22 UNRWA health centers are operational in Gaza as of April 20, the update from the organization said.
Medical teams are also working in 39 medical points across the strip, the organization added.
UNRWA insists that "nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people" and calls for a renewed ceasefire, the dignified release of the remaining hostages, and unimpeded access for humanitarian and commercial supplies.
Netanyahu and his government say the blockade is part of a strategy to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages being held in Gaza.
Fifty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, with 24 of them believed to still be alive. The other 34 are confirmed dead, but their bodies remain in Gaza.
The UN has called for the end of the blockade.
"Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns that the total blockage of aid and any other supplies -- now nearing two months -- has led to the depletion of essentials such as fresh food and tents and to the near-exhaustion of other critical supplies for Palestinian civilians," the UN secretary general spokesperson said at a press briefing on Thursday.
"Children are going hungry. Patients remain untreated. People are dying. It is time to lift those restrictions immediately," the spokesperson added.
DALLAS, Texas (KETK) – With the 12th pick in the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have selected offensive guard Tyler Booker from the University of Alabama.
2025 Dallas Cowboys draft preview
The Cowboys are coming off of a disappointing 2024 season where they finished with a 7-10 record and parted ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after the season. Booker will hopefully help rebuild the Cowboys offensive line, which has become a shell of its former self after losing multiple key pieces over the past few seasons.
During his time at Alabama, Booker played in a total of 38 games over three seasons and was named team captain prior to his senior season. While at Alabama, he was named to the First-Team All-SEC in 2023 and 2024 and the All-American First Team in 2024.
The Cowboys’ next pick will be in the second round at number 44 and the team will likely look to continue to upgrade their offense, which was rather stagnant last season.
Black smoke streamed from the Sistine Chapel's chimney to signal that cardinals failed to select a new Pope in their first round of voting in Rome, Italy on April 18, 2005. (Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
(ROME) -- There have been 266 popes in the Catholic Church's roughly 2,000-year history, which spans three millennia. With the death of Pope Francis, a series of formal events was immediately set into motion to elect the Church's next Supreme Pontiff.
That storied process is a mix of tradition, pageantry and practical necessity, one that has undergone many changes over the centuries but that has remained largely the same in modern history.
It begins, and ends, with what's known as the conclave.
With all eyes now on the Vatican, here's a look at the conclave and its role in electing the next head of the Catholic Church.
What is the conclave?
Simply put, a conclave is the assembly of cardinals that elects a pope. The word itself comes from the Latin "com" and "clavis," meaning "together" and "key," respectively – highlighting the absolute, behind-closed-doors secrecy with which the cardinals conduct their discussions and balloting.
The conclave assembles during the interregnum, which is the time period that begins upon the pontiff's passing and ends with the election of his successor, and generally convenes between 15 and 20 days after the pope's death. The same period of time, during which the papacy is vacant, is also known as the sede vacante, Latin for "vacant seat."
A pope’s body usually lies in state for three to five days to allow sufficient time for mourners to pay their respects. The funeral mass and burial must take place between the fourth and sixth day after the pope’s death. Out of respect for the late pope, formal decisions and conversations about the conclave do not begin until after the funeral, but it is safe to say that behind the scenes the cardinal electors and those who quietly would like to be pope have already started to discuss what type of pope the cardinals think best for the role.
What's a cardinal?
Cardinals are the highest-ranking clergy of the Catholic Church, after the pope. Originally, cardinals were the princes of the papal court. They often came from the powerful families of the Papal States. They wear red as a sign of their willingness to shed their blood for the pope and the Church.
Only the pope can make a clergy member a cardinal and, once appointed, they typically hold that title and position for life. As cardinals, they serve as advisors to the pope regardless of where they reside and often hold elevated positions within the Vatican.
Any member of Catholic clergy can be a cardinal but the appointment is traditionally reserved for high-ranking clergy such as bishops and archbishops. The pope reserves the right to make any member of the church a cardinal, including laity. Francis expanded the College of Cardinals beyond the large dioceses and archdioceses to create geographic and cultural diversity and to better represent the makeup of the laity and where the church is growing.
Selecting a pope as part of the conclave is considered a cardinal's highest duty. Those who do so are known as cardinal electors.
How many cardinals are in the conclave?
It varies. While all cardinals are summoned to the Vatican upon the pope's death, only those under the age of 80 are eligible to participate in the conclave. Those aged 80 and older can decline the summons if they wish, since they aren't allowed to be conclave members.
There are currently 252 cardinals worldwide. The preparatory meetings they have daily during the interregnum are collectively known as the General Congregation. Of the total number of cardinals, 135 are eligible to enter the conclave as cardinal electors. This will be the largest number of cardinals to participate in a conclave.
Who's in charge of the Vatican during the sede vacante?
The camerlengo, or chamberlain, of the Church runs things during the conclave, including overseeing the conclave itself.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, 77, the senior Vatican official who announced Pope Francis' death on Monday, April 21, will serve as the interim manager of the Vatican until a new pope is elected, according to Church officials. Pope Francis appointed Farrell as camerlengo in 2019.
Who's eligible to be elected pope?
Canon law says any unmarried, baptized male Catholic, clergy or not, is eligible to be pope. That said, only cardinals have been elected for the last 600-plus years, so being considered for the position in this case is very much the result of whom you know.
All likely or potential papal candidates are collectively known as "papabile." Politics and personalities aside, one of the paramount considerations when determining papabile is a candidate's age.
The ideal papal candidate is between 60 and 70 years old, with the ideal time in office considered to be from 10 to 12 years. If too young a pope is elected, he could end up overseeing and influencing church doctrine for decades, since only death or resignation would end their time in the office. Conversely, if too old a candidate is elected they may have little time to make an impact.
John Paul II, at 58, was young when elected and Francis, at 76, was considered old.
How secret are the conclave's discussions?
In a word? Very. Balloting takes place in the Sistine Chapel amid a level of security that wouldn't be out of place in a government situation room. Recording technology of any kind is forbidden, with technicians checking to ensure there are no secretly installed bugs or other like devices inside the Sistine Chapel or adjacent areas. Any handwritten notes cardinals may take during the proceedings are burned after each morning and afternoon session, along with that session's ballots.
During the conclave, the cardinals reside in private rooms in the Domus Marthae Sanctae, aka Saint Martha's House – essentially a hotel in the Vatican with dining facilities that typically houses visiting clergy and laity. Conclave members are sworn to absolute secrecy and have minimal contact with the outside world: Televisions, radios, phones, cameras, computers, newspapers and magazines are banned, and no written or verbal correspondence with anyone outside the conclave is allowed. Likewise, the Sistine Chapel, Domus Marthae Sanctae and other areas are off limits during the conclave to everyone other than cardinals and those people who have specific business there, such as service staff, support personnel and physicians.
Also, don't expect a cardinal to share any inside scoop after balloting is complete and the new pope is elected. That expectation of secrecy continues indefinitely, with only the pope himself possessing the authority to make exceptions.
What is the actual voting process like?
Though wreathed in centuries of elaborate ceremony and tradition, the balloting process itself is straightforward. Each conclave member writes his choice on a paper ballot slip, folds it once in half and carries it held aloft between two fingers as he walks to the altar and deposits it in an special urn placed there that is used only for that purpose. In order to make the balloting secret, conclave members are instructed to write their votes “as far as possible in handwriting that cannot be identified as his.”
Any conclave member who cannot make it in person to the Sistine Chapel due to illness or infirmity will cast their ballot from their room in the Domus Marthae Sanctae, where they're collected, placed in a lockbox and carried to the Sistine Chapel.
The votes are then counted by three scrutineers who affirm what is written on each ballot and then announce it to the conclave, so the cardinals can record the votes themselves. If the number of ballots cast is different than the number of cardinal electors, those ballots are discarded and burned and a new vote taken.
The candidate who first secures two-thirds of the votes is elected pope.
How long does it take to elect a pope?
A pope could be elected as soon as the first ballot, or the process could continue indefinitely. That said, since 1831 no conclave has lasted more than four days.
Up to four rounds of voting can typically take place in a day. If no clear choice has emerged after three days, balloting is suspended for 24 hours to allow cardinal electors time to reflect. Another seven rounds of balloting then takes place, followed by another break, and so on.
If no pope is elected after 33 or 34 votes – generally about 13 days – then a new rule introduced by Pope Benedict XVI decrees that the two leading candidates as determined by previous ballots engage in a runoff vote. The candidates themselves, if members of the conclave, cannot vote in the runoff but are present for it. Whichever candidate receives the necessary two-thirds majority of the votes is the new pope.
How does the conclave signal that they've elected a new pope?
Of all the ceremonies associated with electing a new pope, the one most familiar to the general public is the smoke that emanates from a stovepipe chimney atop the Sistine Chapel after every round of balloting.
Black smoke – fumata nera in Italian – indicates an inconclusive vote, while white smoke – fumata bianca – will signify that a new pope has been elected. Along with the white smoke, the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica will ring to proclaim the event to the world.
However, that ceremonial smoke isn't created by the burning of the ballots, as commonly believed – that's done in a stove that dates back to the 1922 conclave and is set up for the occasion in the Sistine Chapel. The smoke that wafts from the chimney is created using chemical pellets that are burned in another stove that's connected to the stovepipe chimney, which is temporarily erected atop the Sistine Chapel just for that purpose.
When is the pope's identity publicly revealed?
Assuming the elected cardinal accepts the office, the new pope's identity is revealed within an hour of the final ballot.
Before he's presented to the public, the new pope is also asked by what name he will be known. While popes have the option of keeping their baptismal name, every pope for the last 470 years has chosen to change his name, usually to honor a predecessor and to signal their intention to emulate his example. Pope Francis was a notable exception, instead choosing his name to honor St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century cleric now celebrated in the church as the patron saint of animals and the environment.
The new pope is then attired in temporary vestments prepared in various sizes for the occasion and awaits his formal introduction by the senior cardinal deacon, who stands on the balcony on the facade of St. Peter's Basilica, overlooking St. Peter's Square, and declares in Latin: "Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam" – "I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope."
The new pope then emerges onto the balcony to present himself to the world and deliver his first blessing to the crowd gathered below in St. Peter's Square.
Although the elected pope immediately has full authority and jurisdiction, a ceremonial mass to install the new pope is held about a week after his election, either in St. Peter’s Square or St. Peter's Basilica, with cardinals, bishops and other international dignitaries present. Up until the middle of the last century the installation was a coronation with a three-tiered crown.
When does the conclave end?
As soon as the new pontiff has assented to his election, the conclave is over, though the assembled cardinals will remain at the Vatican until the attendant ceremonies are over. In 2013, Francis asked the cardinals to stay in the conclave for an extra day to pray with him.
ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.
