Latest news with #Ott
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Trio of Oklahoma Sooners make preseason All-SEC Team
With the conclusion of the 2025 edition of SEC Media Days, the league unveiled its All-SEC Team ahead of the season. Week 1 will begin in six weeks, with fall camps the only thing separating us now from the 2025 college football season. Three Oklahoma Sooners made the team, although none of them were selected for the first team. Senior running back Jaydn Ott, a spring transfer portal window transfer from California, was selected to the second team. On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive end R Mason Thomas, who represented OU at SEC Media Days, also made the second team. Redshirt junior long-snapper Ben Anderson made the third team, giving Oklahoma some special teams recognition on the all-conference team. Ott was a breakout star in 2023 for Cal before an injury-plagued 2024 season. Head coach Brent Venables and general manager Jim Nagy liked what they saw in Ott, making him a priority in the spring portal. His arrival gives the Sooners a dynamic, proven threat at running back. Thomas has been a Sooner since 2022, but he dealt with injuries until his breakout year in 2024. He led Oklahoma in sacks and was a closer for OU in games against Tulane, Auburn, and Alabama, helping seal those wins in the fourth quarter. He decided to stay in school under Venables' tutelage for one more year instead of jumping to the NFL. Anderson has also been at Oklahoma since 2022, and this year will be his third straight season starting as OU's long-snapper following his initial redshirt season. Plenty of Sooners should feel like they were snubbed from the All-SEC team, especially on defense, where OU has game-wreckers at every level. They'll hope to show the SEC what they got wrong once the season begins. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Resource written to help autistic workers, jobseekers
People with autism are often framed by what society thinks they are unable to do, rather than what they are good at. It is the reason why about a-third of people with autism are unemployed, and nearly half are "overqualified" and "underchallenged" in their work. University of Otago management lecturer and researcher Dr Dana Ott has come up with a solution — the Autism Employment Playbook (AEP), which provides real-world-ready practical resources to help people with autism into meaningful and sustained employment. "It's a resource for autistic jobseekers and employees, for organisations, for disability employment service providers and anybody else who is engaged in supporting autistic jobseekers. Dr Ott said she spent more than a year working alongside two University of Queensland researchers to create the AEP, which was based on people working with disability employment services providers in Australia. The research was inspired by concerning statistics which showed very low levels of employment of neurodivergent people, she said. One study from 2018 showed autistic individuals in Australia faced an unemployment rate of 31%-34%, which was significantly higher than other disabilities and the general population. Another study from 2019 revealed more than half the autistic population had never had a paid job. And of those who did, 54% were seeking a more challenging role and 45% felt overqualified in their role. She said a 2022 survey by Diversity Works NZ showed a third of neurodivergent respondents reported their condition had negatively impacted their career advancement, and more than 60% of neurodivergent employees said their employers did not know about their condition because they were actively concealing it. "About five years ago, I started doing some initial research looking at neurodiversity in organisations, and I was quite shocked about just how bad the statistics were around employment opportunities, active employment, as well as what is referred to as underemployment of people with autism. "There are people in jobs where they're definitely overqualified — they have the skills to make a bigger contribution, but they are being underemployed within organisations. "And so from there, I've worked with collaborators in Australia, and we've looked at opportunities to gain a better understanding of why that's happening, and to educate employers and organisations about how we can address or make organisations more neuroinclusive. "On a broader level, I hope the launch of the AEP will help combat misinformation about autism that persists in the community. "There's a great need to stop focusing on what we think autistic people can't do, and show what they are good at — like problem-solving, attention to detail and innovative thinking." Dr Ott said the resource was already being used by the Australian Disability Employment Services and now she aimed to get similar organisations in New Zealand to pick it up, too. "It would be great if it was a resource that becomes more widely available to organisations here, but also I think to individuals as well." She plans to reach out to organisations and human resources individuals to share the research about neurodiversity and make them aware of the simple things that could be done to make organisations more neuroinclusive.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Can Jaydn Ott put together a resurgent season for the Oklahoma Sooners?
The Oklahoma Sooners will be leaning heavily on quarterback John Mateer to lead them back to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019. And more than that, it's about getting the Sooners' offense back on track after struggling through the 2024 season. But Mateer won't, nay can't, have it all in his plate. As much as football can often be defined by how well a quarterback plays, it takes so much more for a team to have success. For Oklahoma's offense to be good in 2025, it's going to take a good ground game. In 2024, the Sooners averaged just 3.9 yards per carry and 155.2 rushing yards per game, which was 11th in the SEC. General manager Jim Nagy made a splash in the transfer portal by bringing in former 1,300-yard running back Jaydn Ott from Cal. After an injury-laden season in 2024, Ott's looking for a bounce-back performance before he enters the NFL draft in 2025. Now healthy, Ott will be a difference maker for the Oklahoma Sooners. With so much attention being placed on Mateer and what he'll be able to do, Ott's presence may mean just as much. Because of Mateer's ability to run the ball, teams will have to key in on him in the read-option game. At the mesh point, the quarterback must decide whether to keep the ball or hand it to the running back, based on how the defense is reacting. Because teams know Mateer can beat them with his legs, there will be better running lanes for Ott. And that's where he can create big plays. He'll be a direct beneficiary of Mateer's dual-threat ability and the amount of attention he's received this offseason. However, there will also be an inverse effect. As Ott gets going, he'll open things up for Mateer in both the read-option game and the passing game. Teams will also have to respect Ott's ability to create big plays on the ground. In 2023, Ott had 16 runs of 15 yards or more and 32 runs of 10 yards or more. By comparison, Gavin Sawchuk, Jovantae Barnes, Taylor Tatum, and Xavier Robinson combined for 31 runs of 10 yards or more and 14 runs of 15 yards or more. Ott is an electric player who is going to have a huge impact on the Sooners' offense. Mateer is what is driving a lot of the Oklahoma optimism that's palpable at SEC media days. Jaydn Ott has a chance to have a big year in Ben Arbuckle's offense and with Mateer standing next to him in the backfield. So much of college football has shifted to aerial attacks to lead the way for their offenses. But with the defense that the Sooners deploy, Oklahoma will want to be able to run the ball to milk the clock and keep their defense fresh. Ott's ability to carry a heavy portion of the workload and his experience are just what the doctor ordered for an offense that hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2022. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Ott Tanak can stake World claim, says his leading Northern Ireland engineer Jamie McMillan
Tanak triumphed on a gruelling Acropolis Rally Greece recently to end his, and Hyundai Motorsport's, eight-month-long wait for a Rally1 victory. The Estonian kept his cool in extreme conditions at the 'Rally of the Gods' to finish with a 32.8-second lead over the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 of eight-time champion Sebastien Ogier, despite his i20 N Rally1 being struck down with transmission problems right at the death. The result has significantly boosted his title credentials and moves him to within 12 points of Elfyn Evans and three adrift of Ogier who has only signed up for a partial programme. Crucial to the result was the work of Tanak's mechanics during service halts, with these operations orchestrated by the 37-year-old's top engineer — Ballyclare's Jamie McMillan. McMillan feels the manner of the Acropolis performance fuels Tanak's victory hopes going to his home fixture next week. 'For Ott to win in Greece in the fashion he did, in such a positive way, and swing the odds a little bit back in our favour in the World Rally Championship fight is really great,' he said. 'It is definitely nice to get a victory for the team because it has been a long and super busy first six months and, ultimately, having a victory to celebrate in Greece is a big boost. 'The morale is an improvement on where it has been, and our attention has already turned to Estonia. 'We are trying to get the car in as good a window as possible for his home event.' He added: 'Ott is fast and usually competitive in Estonia, although the high-speed gravel roads are going to be a challenge with the updated 'Evo' car and we are going to have to work hard to pull the package together, to make it work, if we want him to fight for the victory there. 'If we can, then we have Estonia to look forward to and then Finland where the roads are similar.' McMillan hopes Tanak's run of bad luck in the first half of the campaign is now at an end and those who feed into the No.8 car can pull out all the stops to keep him in the title fight until the final round in November. 'We are not in too bad a position now and hopefully we can take advantage of Seb's absence in Estonia and take some good points and close the gap on Elfyn,' he added. 'If we do that, then the rest of the season should be really interesting — especially as Ott's pace has just always been there.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Phoenix Suns Head Coach Shares Candid Thoughts About Being In Role for the First Time
Phoenix Suns Head Coach Shares Candid Thoughts About Being In Role for the First Time originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Phoenix Suns are amid an offseason of significant changes at nearly every level of their organization. They missed out on the NBA Playoffs after going 36-46 and finished as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference. As a result, the Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer with four years and $40 million remaining on his contract. Advertisement Shortly after, owner Mat Ishbia moved James Jones from the general manager position to an advisory position to insert Brian Gregory, vice president of player programming and a personal friend of Ishbia's. The two were part of the Michigan State National Championship team in 2000. Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia sits courtside against the Indiana Pacers at Footprint J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Phoenix Suns head coach shares candid thoughts on upcoming first year With Gregory in place at the helm of the front office, they decided on their next head coach when they hired former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott. Like Ishbia and Gregory, Ott also attended Michigan State University for a time while getting his master's degree. Advertisement Reporters had the opportunity to speak with Ott regarding filling out the rest of the coaching staff ahead of his first year as an NBA head coach. "I know we're building something unique here. I want those guys around me that I can lean on because I don't know what this is exactly going to be," per AZ Central's Duane Rankin. "I don't know all these steps in it," "Guys who have been in different programs and even myself. "So I've tried to broaden my scope a little bit, but also the piece of engraining yourself with the guys and how we're going to build this environment, have a feel for what exactly that vibe and environment should feel like on a day-to-day basis is really important." Advertisement Gregory has been active, attempting to give Ott the best team possible as he prepares for his rookie season as a head coach. Not having Kevin Durant is significant, but they've assembled some young talent to put alongside Devin Booker in hopes of contending for a playoff spot in the West. It remains to be seen whether any big names choose to be a part of what the Suns are building, but this team could surprise fans come the start of the season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
