Eli Lederman

Oklahoma City

National recruiting + college football reporter @ESPN. "Young sportswriting talent," per @Poynter. Tips to [email protected].

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Articles

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Scores, Stats and Highlights

1 week ago | espn.in | Bill Connelly |Eli Lederman |Max Olson |Pete Thamel

Hour 1: Secret PhrasesEvan was on the call for the Boca Raton Bowl last night. Did he get all 9 secret phrases into the broadcast? Also, it is an underachievement if the Steelers don’t win at least 1 playoff game? Plus, the QB Stock Market is heating up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sources - QB Drew Pyne leaves Missouri, enters transfer portal - ESPN

3 weeks ago | espn.co.uk | Max Olson |Adam Rittenberg |Eli Lederman

Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne has entered the portal as a graduate transfer, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Pyne is looking to move to his fourth school after stints at Notre Dame, Arizona State and Missouri. He'll be a sixth-year senior this fall. Pyne joined Missouri last year as a backup for senior starter Brady Cook. He earned one start, leading the Tigers to a 30-23 comeback win over Oklahoma while Cook was sidelined by ankle and wrist injuries.
Zion Elee, Terps commit and No. 1 DE in '26, nixes other visits - ESPN

1 month ago | espn.com | Eli Lederman

Zion Elee, the five-star Maryland commit and ESPN's No. 1 defensive player in the 2026 class, has shut down his recruitment and canceled all remaining official visits to other schools, he told ESPN on Friday.
Do spring games hurt more than they help? A look at the changes being made

1 month ago | espn.co.uk | Bill Connelly |Eli Lederman

As spring football ramps up throughout the month of March, questions loom as many programs have opted out of playing a spring game in front of fans. Currently, 19 Power 4 programs have canceled their spring games this year. Some schools have opted instead for a spring showcase or an alumni game. What's behind this trend? Has the portal played a part? Did the number of games played last season with the new College Football Playoff format make coaches question putting on the event?
Power struggles, US senators and the chaotic pursuit of a legend: How North Carolina landed Bill Belichick

1 month ago | espn.co.uk | David Hale |Andrea Adelson |Chris Low |Eli Lederman

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- By the time Bill Belichick arrived for the news conference announcing his hire as the next North Carolina football coach, more than 200 people had crammed into a room inside Kenan Memorial Stadium. There was a palpable mix of jubilation and astonishment among longtime Tar Heels fans and boosters still amazed that their school had done something that, days earlier, might have seemed unfathomable.
Big 12 spring football preview -- Key storylines, players to watch

1 month ago | espn.co.uk | Andrea Adelson |David Hale |Bill Connelly |Eli Lederman

There's no conference quite as unpredictable as the Big 12. Two seasons ago, TCU was coming off a 5-7 season, was picked to finish seventh in the league, then went undefeated in the regular season and beat Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl before losing to Georgia in the national title game, finishing 13-2. The next season, they finished 5-7 again.
Zahir Mathis' signing day pledge gives Maryland record class

2 months ago | espn.co.uk | Eli Lederman |Adam Rittenberg

Four-star defensive end Zahir Mathis, the last uncommitted top-100 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, announced his pledge to Maryland and signed with the program Wednesday afternoon. Mathis, a 6-foot-6 edge rusher from Philadelphia, is ESPN's No. 60 overall recruit and the fifth-ranked defensive end in the cycle. He initially committed to Ohio State early last year before pulling his pledge from the Buckeyes and reopening his recruitment in November.
Five-star OT Ty Haywood caps strong Michigan recruiting class

2 months ago | espn.co.uk | Eli Lederman |Adam Rittenberg

Five-star offensive tackle Ty Haywood -- the top remaining uncommitted prospect in the 2025 class -- signed with Michigan on Wednesday morning, capping a torrid finish to the recruiting cycle for coach Sherrone Moore and the Wolverines in the early hours of national signing day. Haywood, a one-time Alabama commit, is ESPN's No. 16 overall recruit and third-ranked offensive tackle prospect in the 2025 class.
Zahir Mathis' signing day pledge gives Maryland record class - ESPN

2 months ago | espn.com | Eli Lederman

Defensive end Zahir Mathis is now the top-ranked member in the 2025 recruiting class that the Terrapins and coach Mike Locksley are set to close this week.
Georgia lands commitment from 2026 4-star safety Zech Fort

2 months ago | espn.co.uk | Eli Lederman |Mark Schlabach

Four-star safety Zech Fort, ESPN's No. 39 overall in ESPN Junior 300, committed to Georgia on Thursday, landing as the top-ranked member in the Bulldogs' 2026 recruiting class. Fort ranks as ESPN's No. 5 safety in the 2026 cycle. Originally from Bellflower, California, Fort is a multi-year captain at Florida's IMG Academy, where he completed his junior season this past fall.