Draft Wire

July 16, 2026, 10:04 a.m. ET Christopher Vizzina, the projected heir to Cade Klubnik at Clemson, didn't come to the ACC Kickoff event. It was a peculiar development given how Clemson has brought their QB1 to every ACC Media Days since 2019. Vizzina, a four-star recruit coming out of high school, could make enough of a name for himself this season that he later finds himself a highly coveted QB prospect in next April's draft.

July 15, 2026, 9:49 a.m. ET Wednesday brings the start of 2026 ACC Media Days, or as it's officially called, 2026 ACC Kickoff. The second of the major College Football Talking Season events this summer transpires July 15–17 at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown. ACC Network will be broadcasting from it all three days beginning at 9 a.m. ET. The Miami Hurricanes, last year's national runner-up, are far and away the favorites to win the league.

July 12, 2026, 9:49 a.m. ET College football talking season got going last week at The Star in Frisco, Texas, as Big 12 Media Days transpired. One of the higher rated draft prospects in attendance was AJ Holmes, DT, Texas Tech. The Big 12's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Holmes played alongside three position group mates last season in Lubbock who were selected during the early rounds of this past April's draft. Edge rusher David Bailey was the second overall pick by the New York Jets.

July 12, 2026, 9:48 a.m. ET Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker is the winner of the Big 12 Preseseason Newcomer of the Year award. Very big things are expected from the redshirt sophomore, who was one of the top draft prospects to appear at The Star in Frisco, Texas, for Big 12 Media Days this past week. Oklahoma St. is starting over, with a new head coach in Eric Morris, as the Mike Gundy era finally ran its course in 2025.

July 10, 2026, 1:21 p.m. ET It's yet another honor for former Indiana University and current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The #1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft (the Big Ten's first top overall pick since 1996, when the St. Louis Rams took Orlando Pace) was just named the 2025-26 Big Ten Conference Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year. The Miami native is the sixth winner of the Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year award to come from IU.

Updated July 8, 2026, 11:04 a.m. ET The opening of NFL training camps is so close that we can measure the wait in days now, not weeks. Football preview season is almost here! So with that in mind, here is our 2027 NFL mock draft, covering the entire first round. Click the player's name, where highlighted, for a link to a feature on that specific prospect. If you thought the hype for him last football talking season was massive, well, get ready, because even more hoopla is coming this summer. 2.

July 6, 2026, 8:32 a.m. ET The Illinois Fighting Illini saw three of their players get drafted in 2026, and we could see another trio get selected in 2027. Indeed Bret Bielema is leading a program in Champaign that's developing into a major NFL Draft pipeline. Actually, we might see more than three Illini get selected next April. At this point, it's all wide open. Let's take a closer look at who has the most potential and why.

July 6, 2026, 8:31 a.m. ET Two months from now, the Northwestern Wildcats will open their season, at home against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Three months from now, NU will play their first game ever in their soon to be iconic new stadium. New Ryan Field, the most expensive college football only stadium in history, opens for business October 2nd against Penn State. So there is no time like the present to discuss and analyze the biggest playmakers on this team.

July 3, 2026, 4:15 p.m. ET We know that next April's draft will be on the national mall in Washington D.C. It will, in all likelihood, draw much better than the Great American State Fair is doing right now, in the same location. As we learned in May, Minneapolis is hosting the draft in 2028. As for 2029, it is Cincinnati that has the "inside track" for hosting the event. That's according to both Sports Business Journal and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

July 3, 2026, 4:00 p.m. ET It's a major transition year for star running back Kenneth Walker III, as he left the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to join the Kansas City Chiefs. And when he exited the Pacific Northwest, he left on top, earning the MVP award in Super Bowl LX.