The Sportsletter - Prime's Big Steal

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 16, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

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Good Morning,

The early National Signing Day period started with a bang as Deion Sanders and Jackson State made history. A night of buzzer-beaters stole the show in the NBA, and we take a look at the NFL MVP race. All that and more in today's edition.

Letter Rip!

BREAKING NEWS 🚨

The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired head coach Urban Meyer after 13 games. Read More

CFB

Coach Prime Steals Signing Day

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Deion Sanders & Jackson State Shock Football World With No. 1 Recruit CB Travis Hunter

College football’s early signing began Wednesday and runs through Friday, but it didn’t take long for the nation’s top recruit to shock the world. Five-star cornerback Travis Hunter — who had verbally committed to Florida State — flipped his decision to HBCU Jackson State and head coach Deion Sanders. Coach Prime is an iconic name at the helm, and he appeared to be the catalyst and preferred for the nation’s top corner to choose JSU. It’s the first time an FCS school will sign a five-star prospect since rankings began in 2006.

Elsewhere, the power-5 programs who won the day included Georgia (3) and Alabama (2), but Texas A&M (1) brought in 16 top-300 recruits. Head coach Jimbo Fisher is on pace for his fourth straight top-10 class, but holding the top spot after Day 1 was a big shock.

Top Recruiting Classes (Top-300 Recruits)

1. Texas A&M (16)

2. Alabama (17)

3. Georgia (14)

4. Texas (16)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (11)

6. Notre Dame (14)

7. Penn State (12)

8. Michigan (7)

9. North Carolina (10)

10. Missouri (7)

Additional Storylines

24/7 Sports: Live Early Signing Day Commitment Tracker

Sporting News: Early Signing Period Winners & Losers: Texas, Texas A&M Load Up

CBS Sports: In All-Time Stunner, Deion Sanders Steals No. 1 Prospect From Florida State

NBA

Buzzer-Beaters in Bunches 👀

Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images

Pelicans & Lakers Hit Game-Winners in Must-See Night of NBA Action

Buzzer-beaters, beware! A full boat of NBA games on Wednesday night brought plenty of drama, but two games finished with must-see moments. Here’s a mid-week collection of game-winners, top performances and noteworthy storylines.

NBA Buzzer-Beaters

Graham 3/4 Heave Saves Pelicans: The best finish of the night took place in Oklahoma City where the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a game-tying 3 with less than two seconds left. But Devonte Graham took the inbounds and hoisted a 65-footer shot for a magical Pelicans’ win (113-110).

Reaves Splashes Winner for Lakers: The Lakers and Mavericks went into overtime before the clocked ticked down. Heading toward a second OT, the Lakers dished the ball between LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook until it found the hands of Austin Reaves — who? — for the dagger (107-104).

Top Performers

G. Hayward (CHA): 41 points, 5 rebounds

A. Edwards (MIN): 38 points, 5 rebounds

B. Ingram (NO): 34 points, 8 rebounds

N. Jokic (DEN): 27 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists

More Highlights

Jazz Win 8th Straight: Utah extended their league-best win streak to eight games with a second-half pull-away against the Clippers (124-103). Rudy Gobert had a big night with 20 points and 17 boards.

Surging Cavs Claim 5th in a Row: The surprise team of the NBA’s early season is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs punched the Rockets by 35 (124-89) for their fifth straight win. They’re 8-2 in their last 10 and 18-12 overall.

NFL

The MVP Race is Heating Up 🔥

Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Muddled NFL Standings Result in 2-Horse Race Among Quarterbacks

The NFL season enters its final month, and that means the MVP race is heating up. No team has a runaway MVP candidate since no team has run away with the outright best record. Three teams sit at 10-3, and the quarterbacks of those three teams are also 1-2-3 in the race. But believe it or not, it’s a 44-year-old and a 38-year-old out in front. Both have already won three MVPs, which would make pro sports history (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) as the first duo of three-time winners to finish 1-2.

Titans RB Derrick Henry would’ve certainly been in the running had he not suffered a foot injury in the midst of a historic season. Instead, we’ve got five quarterbacks in the driver’s seat with four games to play.

NFL MVP Watch

1. QB Tom Brady (Buccaneers)

4,134 passing yards, 38 total TDs, 10 INTs

2. QB Aaron Rodgers (Packers)

3,219 passing yards, 30 total TDs, 4 INTs

3. QB Kyler Murray (Cardinals)

3,049 total yards, 24 total TDs, 9 INTs

4. QB Matthew Stafford (Rams)

3,898 passing yards, 33 TDs, 9 INTs

5. QB Josh Allen (Bills)

4,055 total yards, 32 total TDs, 11 INTs

Honorable Mentions

QB Justin Herbert (Chargers)

4,090 total yards, 32 total TDs, 11 INTs

RB Jonathan Taylor (Colts)

1,684 total yards, 16 total TDs

QB Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

3,642 passing yards, 27 total TDs, 12 INTs

Additional Storylines

ESPN: NFL MVP Betting Watch: Is It Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers?

CBS Sports: NFL MVP Watch: Tom Brady Extends His Lead Over Aaron Rodgers

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THE STORYLINES

🏈  NFL COVID-19 Tracker

Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and more than 90 players have hit the NFL’s COVID-19 list. Here’s an up-to-date look at each team’s COVID-19 situation. (CBS Sports)

🏒  NHL Power Rankings

It's certainly been a tumultuous start to the week, given a slew of additional game postponements due to COVID-19, but the Power Rankings march on. (ESPN)

🏀  The Uniqueness of Steph Curry

People are drawn to Curry in a way we don’t often see with sports stars. It’s a different sort of fandom — the usual awe, yes, but mixed with a dose of kinship. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

Michele Tafoya Reportedly Done With NFL Sunday Night Football Sideline Reporting

(Yahoo! Sports)

NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson to Race Full 2022 IndyCar Schedule, Including Indy 500

(USA Today)

Barcelona’s Sergio Aguero Announces Retirement From Football Due to Heart Condition

(ESPN)

Former Jaguars Kicker Josh Lambo Alleges Head Coach Urban Meyer Kicked Him in Practice

(Bleacher Report)

Florida QB Emory Jones to Enter Transfer Portal Following Bowl Game

(CBS Sports)

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