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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama football 2025 season preview, predictions: Abduall Sanders Jr.
A new face to the program this fall, Abduall Sanders Jr. enters his first collegiate season with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2025. Part of Alabama's 2025 recruiting class, Sanders is yet another name on the Crimson Tide's roster out of national powerhouse Mater Dei High School in California, the same program that has produced other defensive standouts such as Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown. As for Sanders in particular however, the talented freshman's role in 2025 is likely an unknown, as the linebacker has multiple names sitting ahead of him on the depth chart. Even despite this, could Sanders still make an impact this season? Here is everything you need to know about Alabama inside linebacker Abduall Sanders Jr. entering the season. Abduall Sanders Jr. player information Abduall Sanders Jr. career stats Sanders is currently entering his first season of college football. The linebacker has yet to compile any collegiate stats. Abduall Sanders Jr. 2024 stats Last season, Sanders was a senior at the prep level where he attended Mater Dei High School in California. Across 13 games, Sanders compiled 50 tackles, six TFL, three sacks, and two interceptions. Abduall Sanders Jr. recruiting ranking Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Sanders was considered as the nation's No. 312 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, as well as the No. 33 linebacker nationally. A four-star prospect, Sanders also committed to the Crimson Tide in March 2024, and was considered the No. 27 player in the state of California where he attended Mater Dei High School. Abduall Sanders Jr. 2025 season outlook It is likely an unknown as to how much time Sanders could see defensively this season. As to why, that is because Alabama has three names cemented at the top of the depth chart at inside linebacker in Deontae Lawson, Justin Jefferson, and Nikhai Hill-Green, along with a few others, including Sanders, behind that trio. Because of this, playing time could be hard to come by for Sanders this fall, but the freshman could still be a special teams option, in addition to a reserve inside linebacker. Overall, expect Sanders to see some action this season, but for the true freshman to likely be a depth option. Abduall Sanders Jr. 2025 season prediction Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Alabama football 2025 season preview, predictions: Chuck McDonald III
One of the newest faces to the program this season, could Chuck McDonald III make an impact for the Alabama Crimson Tide in year one? A summer enrollee, McDonald comes to Alabama this season as a member of the Crimson Tide's 2025 recruiting class where he was considered among the highest-rated names of the group overall. However, now being part of a loaded Alabama cornerback room, just how much action could McDonald see this upcoming season, and if so, in what role could that come? Here is everything you need to know about Chuck McDonald III entering his freshman season at Alabama this fall. Chuck McDonald III player information Chuck McDonald III career stats McDonald will be entering his first season of college football in 2025. The freshman has yet to compile any stats at the collegiate level. Chuck McDonald III 2024 stats While the freshman has yet to compile any stats at the collegiate level, McDonald is however coming off a solid year at the high school level. As a senior at national powerhouse Mater Dei High School in California, McDonald posted 32 tackles with one TFL and a forced fumble across 12 games. Chuck McDonald III recruiting ranking According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, McDonald was considered the nation's No. 51 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, as well as the No. 7 cornerback nationally. A four-star prospect who committed to Alabama in June 2024, McDonald was also considered the No. 4 player in the state of California where he attended Mater Dei High School. Chuck McDonald III 2025 season outlook A talented freshman, it is likely currently an unknown as to what McDonald's particular role will be as a freshman. At cornerback, Alabama has two starters already cemented at the position in Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown, as the duo both return from a year ago. In addition to those two, Alabama has added an experienced backup option in Cam Calhoun as well, while the next reserve corner will likely be either McDonald or fellow freshman Dijon Lee Jr.. As a result, expect McDonald to likely see a limited amount of action defensively this fall, while also playing a role potentially on special teams. Chuck McDonald III 2025 season prediction Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Iowa women's basketball newcomer Addie Deal shares WNBA model
As another session of summer practice wrapped up in Iowa City, freshman Iowa women's basketball guard Addie Deal spoke to reporters about her comfort level with the high expectations set for her, her recruitment to the Hawkeyes, and who she models her game after. The five-star guard recruit out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., has competed on some of the grandest AAU basketball stages, in the McDonald's All-American Game, the Mamba League, Nike Nationals, USA Basketball minicamp and many other high-profile youth basketball programs. After getting her first taste of what it's like to be an Iowa Hawkeye, Deal was asked who in particular she models her game after the most. The 6-foot-tall freshman phenom said that her game is curated off the skillset shown by New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, as Deal idolized the now four-time WNBA All-Star and played for the same AAU program. "I played for Sabrina Ionescu's team. She was always a role model of mine looking up to her. So, I would say Sabrina," Deal said. As the Hawkeyes continue their summer practices in preparation for the 2025-26 season, Deal and the rest of the Iowa roster will continue to formulate a clearer picture of who will be leading the charge come early November. Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
Los Angeles Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Local professional golfer Brian Campbell earns second PGA Tour win
Brian Campbell certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Campbell, who was born in Newport Beach and grew up in Irvine, earned his second PGA Tour victory Sunday in a sudden-death playoff at the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill. Campbell, 32, won on the first playoff hole against Emiliano Grillo of Argentina after shooting 4-under-par 67 on Sunday for a tournament total of -18. Both of Campbell's victories on tour have come this season, as he also won the Mexico Open in February. That victory also went to a playoff, with Campbell making a birdie on the second hole to outlast Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa. Campbell, who attended Mater Dei High School, said during his post-tournament press conference Sunday that finding himself in a playoff situation once again felt familiar, following his victory in Mexico. '[I'm] just so over the moon to be in that position, and to come back and finish it off,' he said. 'A lot of nerves, that's for sure, but I can't believe we're here. What a special event.' The playoff hole Sunday was the par-four 18th, and he only needed a par to secure the win and the $1,512,000 first-place check. Campbell is now ranked 28th in the PGA Tour FedExCup standings. 'After your first win, I'd say there was a lot of expectations that came about,' he said. 'Unfortunately, I dealt with a lot of random sicknesses that hit me and pulled me out of a few tournaments I really wanted to play. I just really had to trust what I had been doing before, and now we're here. It's just wild.' Campbell grew up playing at Mesa Verde Country Club in Costa Mesa where his parents, Don and Kim, were members. He first played on the PGA Tour in 2017, but has spent much of his time since then on the Korn Ferry Tour, returning to the PGA Tour this season after regaining his card. The John Deere Classic win had extra significance to him, as he attended college in the same state, at the University of Illinois. 'The awe of this tournament, it really is spectacular,' he said. 'The finishing hole is one of the coolest finishing holes that we play out here. A lot can happen, birdies can be made, tournaments can be won. It's just so fun to be here.' Next up for Campell? The Genesis Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, scheduled for July 10 to 14. 'I think we're headed to Scotland tonight,' Campbell said Sunday. '[I've] gotta celebrate in Scotland, I guess.'
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania There are 156 golfers in this week's U.S. Open, but only two of them understand the beauty of the Navesink River and the aggravation of Route 35 traffic. A pair of New Jersey lifers. Chris Gotterup hails from Little Silver and attended Christian Brothers Academy. Ryan McCormick was raised in Middletown and went to Mater Dei High School. They aren't the sole New Jerseyans in the field this week at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs, but they are the only ones who didn't split at the first opportunity. Gotterup earned All-America honors at Rutgers, while McCormick became the Big East individual champion at St. John's. 'I know he takes great pride in that, and I take great pride in it,' Gotterup said of their local bona fides. 'There are good players who grow up in Jersey and go away to college. We're two of the only guys who have toughed it out and climbed through the ranks in a place where you wouldn't think you could do it.' Gotterup, 25, is making his second appearance at the U.S. Open after also qualifying in 2022. This is the first U.S. Open for McCormick, 33. More: 'It better not be easier when you're done': 5 things I learned from Gil Hanse on Oakmont 'It speaks to how quality the golf is in New Jersey and especially in Monmouth County,' McCormick said. 'It's awesome that we're both out here playing still.' Oakmont is an iconic venue, one of the most demanding in the country. When they tee off Thursday, however, don't expect guys who have played through tough conditions for much of their lives to be intimidated. 'I like to describe myself as someone who is gritty, and I know Ryan would say the same thing,' Gotterup said. 'That's just part of our New Jersey roots.' More: What would an 18 handicap shoot at Oakmont? Pros weigh in, and their answers are hilarious Chris Gotterup: 'Still earning my place' Golf is a funny game. In 2024, Gotterup was in good position to qualify for the U.S. Open, but he three-putted the final hole and missed the cutoff by one stroke. This year, at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, he rallied with a six-under final round to punch a ticket. 'It was looking like for a long time that I wasn't going to be here,' he said. 'I turned on the jets at the end, and it ended up being enough.' He'll need those jets at Oakmont, where he's grouped with Joakim Langergren and Mason Howell. They tee off at 8:46 a.m. Thursday and 2:31 p.m. Friday. 'In a perfect world, you'd be out here for two straight weeks trying to learn every little nuance that you could,' Gotterup said after a couple of practice rounds on the course. 'There are some holes where it breaks your brain; if you're in the rough and you hit it 40 yards short of the green, it's going to get there. It's a mental challenge more than anything.' It doesn't hurt that he won a PGA Tour event last year, shooting 22 under par at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina. 'That honestly feels like a long time ago,' Gotterup said. 'I feel like I'm still earning my place out here.' He's done that since graduating CBA. At Rutgers, he developed from an average college golfer into a star, and as a postgraduate at the University of Oklahoma he won the Fred Haskins Award as the most outstanding Division I golfer in 2022. At a time when the professionalization of college football and basketball is casting a cloud over the future of other intercollegiate sports, Gotterup can attest to the virtues of his time on campus. 'There were so many stepping stones for me that, even if I was good enough at Rutgers to turn pro, I would not be in the same position I am now,' he said. 'I needed those years of getting the crap beat out of me and coach yelling at me and teachers telling me, that I wasn't trying hard enough in school. There are all these pieces that built up to get my feet underneath me to the point where I can finally kick some (butt).' His biggest piece of advice for the current crop of high school golf standouts? 'Go somewhere where you're going to be comfortable and you're going to play -- for me, that was Rutgers,' he said. 'And it's important to not get burnt out. Do other stuff, play basketball. You don't need to act like a tour pro at 17.' Ryan McCormick: 'You're in the right spot' It's been a roller-coaster couple of years for McCormick, who lives in Florida now but spends his summers in Jersey. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2023 but took his lumps. 'It was difficult and I learned a lot and I got my butt kicked – and I played well a few weeks out of the year,' he said of the PGA Tour. 'But in our business, there is really no long-term security unless you win.' He ended up on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. 'Every time you advance in anything, but especially in golf, you play against better competition and better courses, you find out about yourself and how good your game is really, and what you need to do to get better,' he said. 'As frustrating as last year was, I learned a lot, and I'm a lot better for it now. I'm probably the best version of myself with my golf game that I've been in my life.' It all came together June 2, when McCormick punched his ticket to Oakmont by winning his U.S. Open qualifier by a whopping five strokes. McCormick is a huge Seton Hall basketball fan – his family has owned season tickets since the 1990s – and he drew an analogy that hardwood aficionados will appreciate. 'It was like Darius Lane or Jeremy Hazell,' he said, referencing former Pirate sharpshooters. 'When they get hot, you just keep feeding them. I hit it really well.' In Oakmont, he's grouped with Trevor Cone and amateur Zachary Pollo. Their tee times are 2:20 Thursday and 8:35 a.m. Friday. 'I've been trying to qualify for the U.S. Open since I was 15,' McCormick said. 'I've always watched every day. It's my favorite golf event.' Part of his typical pre-event preparation is playing a video-game version of the course on PGA Tour 2K. Anything to gain a little extra insight. 'I always try to do my research on the golf course that I'm playing,' McCormick said. 'I've been spending time looking at the past US Opens there, watching the final rounds of the last three of them. You never know what you might pick up on that might help you out there. 'I know they've changed the course, But as far as venues go, this is probably one of the top U.S. Opens you'd want play – you think of Winged Foot, Pebble Beach and Oakmont. So to qualify in a year when it's at such a historic venue is exciting.' If he does something notable this week, you may see replays of a strange clip from April, when he played a round in Georgia with tape over his mouth to control frustrated outbursts. 'It really went all over the world through all different types of news outlets,' McCormick said. 'It was an unbelievable thing that I had no idea was going to get so much attention.' McCormick said the idea was to enhance his focus. 'I've never been afraid to try anything that will help me,' he said. 'It was an exercise that I had in an old book of mine – go play with earplugs in, go play without talking, go hit some shots with a blindfold. Eliminating the senses. I took that to the extreme obviously. The feedback was out of control. But the golfers really understood, and I'm glad for the most part people found it funny.' McCormick's U.S. Open debut marks a full-circle moment for his family. His father Mark McCormick, the longtime head pro at Suburban Golf Club in Union, qualified at age 49 in 2012. It's in the blood, for sure. 'When we moved to Middletown, my dad put this small green in the backyard,' Ryan said. 'My brother (also named Mark) would sometimes practice with me and make up leaderboards for all four majors. I remember us doing the 'U.S. Open' a lot. Now I'll be on the real leaderboard and he won't have to create a fake leaderboard for me to compete on.' Dream big. That's Ryan McCormick's advice anyone growing up in the Garden State who might have a future in golf. 'I always believed in myself, but there were plenty of times as a junior and even in high school when I got my butt kicked, and I just kept working,' he said. 'Just know that between Chris and I and Max Greyserman (a Short Hills native who also qualified), it shows that if your dreams are to play on the PGA Tour, you're in the right spot. Just keep working on it.' Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@
