Latest news with #Saints
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Countdown to Kickoff: Kelvin Banks Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 71
Banks was a draft target to fortify the New Orleans front line There are 71 days left until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2025 regular season. The Saints will start their 59th year of NFL existence at home against the Arizona Cardinals and with a new head coach in Kellen Moore. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. is one of the new faces on this year's squad. The Saints' first round choice out of Texas, Banks will be wearing the same No. 71 that was Ryan Ramczyk used while playing at such a high level since 2017. Banks has big shoes to fill, and he is the Saints Player of the Day in our countdown. At Summer Creek High School in Texas, Banks was a five-star recruit pursued by several national NCAA powers. After originally committing to Oregon, Banks switched his decision to Texas. An immediate starter at left tackle for the Longhorns, Banks started every game as a freshman in 2022 and earned 2nd Team All-Big 12 recognition. He'd follow that up with 1st Team All-Big 12 and 2nd Team All-American accolades the following year. In 2024, Banks was viewed as one of the most dominant blockers in the nation. He capped off his collegiate career by starting every game for his three years with the Longhorns. In 2024, Banks was a 1st Team All-SEC selection as well as a unanimous 1st Team All-American. He was also awarded the Outland Trophy, annually given to the best lineman in college football. With the ninth overall choice in the 2025 NFL draft, Banks was selected by the New Orleans Saints. He was the third tackle chosen of eight that came off the board in Round 1 this spring. Banks is expected to step right in as the starting left tackle for New Orleans and was a fixture at the spot throughout OTA sessions and minicamp. Kelvin Banks Jr. is the third offensive tackle drafted as a Round 1 pick by New Orleans in the last three years, joining Taliese Fuaga (2024) and Trevor Penning (2022). The Saints have now spent a first or second round pick on an offensive lineman six times in the last nine years since 2017. Ramczyk (2017) is now retired, but the other five are projected to be the Saints starting offensive line in the 2025 campaign. With Banks projected to be the left tackle, Fuaga will move over to right tackle, where he was a collegiate All-American. Penning will move inside to left guard alongside center Erik McCoy and right guard Cesar Ruiz. The Saints are betting that Kelvin Banks Jr. will be the final piece for what they hope is a dominant line this season.
USA Today
17 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
72 days till the Arizona Cardinals' 2025 season opener: Who has worn No. 72?
With 72 days till the Cardinals open the season against the Saints, we look at the players who have worn No. 72. We are counting down to the start of the 2025 regular season for the Arizona Cardinals and are now less than 11 weeks away. They will open the season on the road against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 7. That is 72 days away. As we count down the remaining days of the offseason, let's look at who has worn that number uniform over the years for the Cardinals. Who has worn No. 72? Cardinals players to wear No. 72 No. 72 belongs to a starter on the offensive line — center Hjalte Froholdt. He has worn it since 2023. It has been a while before him since someone good wore it. There is no question who the best No. 72 was. It was Dierdorf, a Hall of Famer. Saddler was solid when the Cardinals first came to Arizona. But no one will be better than Dierdorf was. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Otago Daily Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Club semifinal time
Michael Minty previews today's Dunedin golf Senior A Metropolitan semifinals. Last year's finalists are on a collision course to meet again in the 2025 edition of the Senior Metropolitan pennant series final. St Clair Saints and Otago Bombers will host Otago B52s and Chisholm Links today respectively, finishing 1st and 2nd on the ladder with clear air back to the chasing pack. At St Clair Golf Club St Clair Saints v Otago B52s 1. Parker Aluesi v Brian Helton 2. Logan Clarke v Lachlan Coutts 3. Jake Bleach v Lewis Harper 4. Connor Howes v George Prendergast 5. Albie Reed v Andrew Hobbs 6. Tony Giles v Isaac Hobbs This year has been a coming of age for the St Clair Saints, with the introduction of new young faces which resulted in a remarkable season with 10 wins from 10 games — a statistic that is a rare feat in Senior A pennants. The Otago B52s comfortably finished 4th in the end despite a mixed-bag season with different line ups week to week. Despite this they have had some positive individual performances, and veterans like Brian Helton and Andrew Hobbs will spearhead their chances against a red-hot Saints side. However, they will have to be at their absolute best in their matches against Parker Aluesi and Albie Reed respectively, with St Clair looking particularly strong from 1-6, while Connor Howes (Saints) jumps into a provincial rep match with Southland's George Prendergast. With the target being 3.5 games, it is hard to see the B52s upsetting the form side of the competition. A good result for them might be scraping a couple of games — we expect to see the Saints comfortably through to the big dance. Prediction: 5-1 Saints. At Otago Golf Club Otago Bombers v Chisholm Links 1. Callum Judkins v John McIntee 2. Luke Murdoch v Kai Koni 3. Ryan Rosevear v Mike Weastell 4. Ben Patston v Mackenzie Gibson 5. Duncan Croudis v Luke Worthington 6. Brandon Hodgson v Jason Pegler This match looks an absolute ripper on paper. The visiting Chisholm Links have been building nicely, and playing at Balmacewen holds no fears, particularly if the weather cuts up rough. The Bombers have had one of their better round robins — only to be overshadowed by an outstandingly rare season from the Saints, who inflicted both their two losses. On paper, you could make a case for every match going either way, with maybe a couple of matches equally favouring both sides. If the match goes down to the wire, the Links have former Balmacewen member John McIntee up against Callum Judkins at No 1. McIntee has been in fine fettle and will be hard to beat, while Duncan Croudis and Luke Murdoch perhaps look the Bombers' best chances. The battles at 3, 4 and 6 could be anyone's and are likely to go at least 17 holes, so expect a half or 2. With that being said, we see this heading to extra holes, and as usual the home side finishing the better. Prediction: 3-3 (Bombers in play-off)
Daily Record
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
St Mirren step up pre-season preparation with first friendly against Dumbarton
The Buddies will face the Sons in the first of three friendlies ahead of their Premier Sports Cup opener against Arbroath. St Mirren will get their first taste of match action tomorrow with a trip across the Erskine Bridge to face Dumbarton. The Buddies take on the League Two outfit as Stephen Robinson and his players warm up for the 2025-26 Premiership campaign. It will also be the first chance for the black-and-white army to see how some of the new recruits look. Stevie Farrell's Dumbarton — taken over by Canadian Mario Lapointe after entering administration towards the end of last season when they were relegated from League One — announced the signings of three young Saints. Full-back Thomas Falconer, midfielder Carrick McEvoy and forward Theo McCormick have joined the West Dunbartonshire club on loan. Meanwhile, former Buddies keeper Shay Kelly has put pen to paper at The Rock following a successful loan spell last term. The Paisley club's front door has also been busy so far this summer with six signings confirmed —four of them being new faces. Highly-rated Morton keeper Ryan Mullen, 24, arrived on a two-year deal today. Former Aberdeen wing-back Jayden Richardson joined after leaving National League South outfit Boreham Wood with midfielder Liam Donnelly coming in from Kilmarnock. Jamaican international Richard King has also signed for Saints but will not be in the squad due to being on Concacaf Gold Cup duty with the Reggae Boyz. Killian Phillips and Roland Idowu made their loan deals from Crystal Palace and Shrewsbury Town, respectively, permanent. Since returning to the training ground on Thursday, June 19, the players have been hard at work on their fitness, strength and conditioning. Lead sports scientist Gary McColl put the squad under the microscope as he assessed each player's current level. Speaking about the pre-season programme, he told club media: 'We like to get the boys in and do a bit of testing, a bit of profiling, to see where they are. 'We will do things like measuring body composition, we will have them in the gym and doing different strength tests and some jumping tests for power outputs.' Skipper Mark O'Hara has been one of the players undergoing this close examination and admitted that, while having a few weeks off is nice, it is also important to stay in shape. He added: '[One of] the fitness tests we did was a timed mile run challenge. It is a fit group, there is no place for slacking, and you need to make sure that you are working hard over the summer to be in tip-top shape.' Next up for the Buddies will be a flight out of Scotland to their warm-weather Spanish training camp in Murcia. They will take on Sky Bet League Two side MK Dons at the Pinatar Arena before returning home to visit Championship Airdrieonians on Tuesday, July 8. Meanwhile, striker Owen Oseni, 22, today completed a move to Sky Bet League One side Plymouth Argyle. He signed a three-year deal for a rumoured £60,000 fee. Saints have add-ons and sell-on clauses included in the terms.
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Saints veteran eager to see training camp QB competition play out
'When you see two talented guys just competing, it's truly fun to see' All eyes are on the New Orleans Saints quarterback battle this summer, and that includes the big guys up front charged with keeping the passers clean. Veteran right guard Cesar Ruiz spoke about the competition brewing between second-year backup Spencer Rattler and rookie draft pick Tyler Shough on NFL Network's Good Morning Football program Friday morning, and he's already feeling energized by what the two young guns have shown him. "Two different quarterbacks, right?" Ruiz began. "Everybody has their superpower, everybody is good at their thing. Spencer has something, and I'm like, 'Hey, he got that.' Tyler will come in there, and I'm like, 'Hey... This is just talent.' When you see two talented guys just competing, it's truly fun to see." Ruiz acknowledged that, just because the Saints drafted Shough highly at No. 40 overall, it doesn't mean they have to play him if they have a better option. He remembers coming in off the bench to start his rookie season as the No. 24 pick. He remembers seeing a lot of quarterbacks start for New Orleans in his five-year career, too: Derek Carr (27 games) Andy Dalton (14), Drew Brees (12), Jameis Winston (10), Taysom Hill (9), Spencer Rattler (6), and Trevor Siemian (4), plus Ian Book (1) and Jake Haener (1). He continued, via Nick Shook: "That quarterback competition right now is great to see. It's great because it's two young guys who are both gonna leave their footprint somehow, someway in the NFL, and they're both extremely talented. It's just great to see those two compete and learn and just grow. Both of them are competing. Both of them are progressing. I just love seeing the progress of both of them." Like it or not, there isn't a more important position in pro sports than quarterback. No single player more greatly impacts the game than the passer, and the Saints will go as far as Shough or Rattler can take them. It says a lot that, whether the questions were presented this way or not, Ruiz spoke about this as a two-horse race. The Saints also have third-year pro Jake Haener and undrafted rookie QB Hunter Dekkers on the training camp roster, but neither of them are expected to threaten the two guys at the top of the depth chart. Barring a big surprise it'll be either Rattler or Shough leading the huddle in September. And as far as Ruiz is concerned? He trusts his coaches to make the right choice based off how those guys compete later this summer.
