A huge TNF game between the Jaguars and Jets | Plus, what’s next for the Mets after signing Carlos Correa?

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you’re well.

Let’s get right to it.

Good morning to everyone but especially to…

COLORADO, ALABAMA, OREGON AND ALL THE OTHER NATIONAL SIGNING DAY WINNERS

The No. 1 overall recruit in 2021 is changing schools on National Signing Day again. This time, it’s not as surprising.

Travis Hunter, who made waves last year when he flipped from Florida State to Jackson State is following head coach Deion Sanders to Colorado. Hunter, who played both cornerback and wide receiver as a freshman, is also following his quarterback (and Deion’s son), Shedeur Sanders

Elsehwere, Alabama reeled in the country’s top 2023 recruiting class. Nick Saban and company were among the biggest winners from Wednesday’s action.

• Huffman: “Of the 27 recruits landed in total, 26 are rated four-stars or higher with just one three-star joining the group. They held on to Caleb Downs, the No. 1 safety in the nation, landed the No. 1 EDGE in the country in Keon Keeley and flipped the No. 1 offensive tackle nationally from Iowa, Kadyn Proctor.”

Turning our focus from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon also had a great day, rallying to secure the following haul…

This was huge for Dan Lanning and company after star quarterback Dante Moore flipped his commitment from Oregon to UCLA.

You can relive all of our coverage here.

Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for…

RYAN TANNEHILL AND THE TENNESSEE TITANS

One month ago, the Titans were 7-3, cruising to a third straight AFC South crown and looking every bit like a contender to make a deep playoff run. Fast-forward to now and they’re 7-7, one game ahead of the Jaguars in the division and looking like they’ll have to try to hold on without their starting quarterback. According to reports, Ryan Tannehill is “most likely” done for the season due to the right ankle injury he suffered Sunday against the Chargers.

• Tannehill suffered the injury on Tennessee’s first offensive drive of the eventual 17-14 loss. He was carted off the field but returned after missing just one series. It’s the same ankle Tannehill hurt in Week 6.
• Malik Willis, a rookie third-round pick out of Liberty, would take over for Tannehill. Willis has played in seven games this season, including two starts. In the two starts, he completed just 11 of 26 passes (42.3 percent) for 135 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards.
• The Titans signed Joshua Dobbs off the Lions‘ practice squad.

The Titans face the Texans — who Willis beat in his first start — this week, but then get the Cowboys and Jaguars. Tannehill’s injury continues a rough stretch for the Titans, whose four-game losing streak is their longest since 2016. They fired GM Jon Robinson a few weeks ago, and it’s worth wondering if Tannehill has played his last game as a Titan with major change potentially upcoming. 

Not so honorable mentions

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Twenty months ago, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson went first and second overall, respectively, in the 2021 NFL Draft. Tonight, they meet for the second time, with major playoff implications on the line and their careers seemingly headed in different directions.

The Jaguars looked doomed for another postseason-less campaign just a month ago but have won three of four since their bye week. Lawrence has been terrific over that span with an NFL-best 11 passing touchdowns and the league’s fifth-best passer rating. Wilson, meanwhile, is only starting because Mike White (ribs) hasn’t been cleared to return. Wilson has the league’s worst completion percentage and second-worst passer rating.

While Lawrence vs. Wilson gets the headlines, Lawrence will really be facing the Jets‘ defense, which presents a tough test, Jared Dubin writes in his game preview.

• Dubin: “New York has forced three-and-outs on the league’s sixth-greatest share of drives, and punts on the seventh-greatest share. The Jets do not allow big plays (third-lowest share of plays resulting in 10-plus-yard gains) and frequently create negative plays (sixth-largest share of plays resulting in a gain of zero yards or a loss). He’ll have to navigate this challenge without his blindside protector, and do so while traveling to an expectedly frigid North Jersey in what could be rainy conditions.”

For Jared’s pick, click here, and for our betting preview, click here.

What Carlos Correa signing means for Mets ⚾

On Tuesday night, we went to bed with Carlos Correa‘s status with the Giants in limbo due to a medical issue. When we woke up Wednesday morning, he had agreed to a deal with the Mets in one of the most stunning free agent sagas in recent memory. New York gave him a 12-year, $315 million deal roughly one week after he had agreed to a 13-year, $350 million deal with San Francisco. Yes, I’m still wrapping my head around it. It’s a disaster for the Giants, but we’ll get to that in a bit because…

This is another amazing addition for the Mets. Here’s a quick rundown of their other big moves this offseason:

Yes, that’s a ton of money. The Mets’ competitive balance tax payroll is up to $376 million, largest in MLB history. Owner Steve Cohen is showing he’s willing to pay the big bucks to win.

As for Correa, sure he’s yet another star on a team full of them, but the Mets shouldn’t be done, writes Mike Axisa.

• Axisa: “There’s still some room to improve and, earlier this week, the Mets were rumored to have interest in White Sox closer Liam Hendriks. If they don’t want to go the trade route, free agency still offers lefties Andrew Chafin and Taylor Rogers, and righty Craig Kimbrel. … Point is, expect the Mets to keep chipping away at that bullpen and improve the roster as much as possible. You don’t commit nearly $400 million to payroll only to enter the season with question marks in middle relief.”

As for the Giants — who have now missed on Aaron Judge and, somehow, on Correa — Mike has thoughts on where they go from here.

Frank Martin’s journey trying to turn around UMass 🏀

Frank Martin is a name you should know if you’ve followed college basketball over the past couple of decades. He coached the winningest team in Kansas State history in 2009-10. He led South Carolina to its only Final Four in 2017-18. And now he finds himself hoping to restore the once-proud history at UMass. The Minutemen are long removed from their days under John Calipari and have made just one NCAA Tournament in the 21st century.

Matt Norlander’s feature on Martin is must-read stuff. It details Martin’s relationship (or, rather, lack thereof) with his father and his dedication to his family, among other things. Here’s one of my favorite parts:

• Norlander: “There’s a dichotomy to Frank Martin that a lot of people don’t see. He’s got the most intimidating stare in college sports, but when you get to know him, he’s acutely aware of his emotions and of those around him. Easy (and inaccurate) as it is to diagram him as this brutish two-dimensional character because of his look and volume, Martin is a lot more than a good coach with a drill sergeant’s power of articulation.”

You can read the story here.

Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris dies at 72 🏈

Franco Harris, the legendary Steelers and Penn State running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer, has died. He was 72.

• Harris was a four-time Super Bowl champion and a nine-time Pro Bowler. His 11,950 career rushing yards are still a Steelers record. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.
• Harris is best known for the Immaculate Reception, one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. Late in an AFC divisional round game against the Raiders, Terry Bradshaw‘s pass bounced off Steelers running back John “Frenchy” Fuqua or Raiders safety Jack Tatum (or both), and Harris grabbed the ball just before it hit the ground and ran in for the game-winning score.
• The 50-year anniversary of that game is Friday, and the Steelers play the Raiders on Saturday. The Steelers were scheduled to retire Harris’ No. 32 at halftime.

What we’re watching Thursday 📺

🏈 Jaguars at Jets, 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video
🏀 Wizards at Jazz, 9 p.m. ET on NBA TV