There are going to be a lot of changes for the UNC basketball roster next season. While it’s up in the air if some standouts will be back or not, what we do know is that 5-star playmaker Caleb Wilson is Chapel Hill-bound and he can’t wait to make a difference for the program.

Wilson was one of the best players in the country for the 2025 class, with Hubert Davis and Co. able to win a massive recruiting battle to land him. Not long after the loss to Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament, Tar Heels fans shifted their focus to next season. And you know what, Wilson is also focused on making sure he doesn’t let anyone down:

North Carolina 5-star signee Caleb Wilson had a strong message for UNC fans

With just three simple words, Wilson has plenty of people excited about what’s to come in the future. He’s the textbook definition of an elite prospect. This recruiting cycle, he was ranked five stars, the No. 3 power forward in the country and the No. six player nationally per the 247Sports Composite.

It indeed was not easy for the Tar Heels to earn his signature. Throughout his recruitment, the Atlanta, Ga. product picked up 27 offers. He chose UNC over Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, UCF, Kentucky, Stanford and many others.

Throughout his process, Wilson developed a close bond with head man Hubert Davis, who played a big role in the youngster deciding he wants to don Tar Heel blue in college. Wilson has all of the tools to be a tremendous playmaker for this team.

People can’t wait to see what he’ll get done in the ACC. His latest post has even more members of the UNC faithful counting down the days for next season to get here, as Wilson will be ready to live up to the hype.

The Ohio State Buckeyes narrowly edged the Oregon Ducks in the recruitment for one of the top wide receivers in the 2026 class.

With the closeness of the recruitment, a flip is always possible. But four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has publicly reassured the Buckeyes that won’t happen with him.

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“I’m shutting down,” Dixon-Wyatt told Rivals’ Adam Gorney.

According to the 247 Sports rankings, Dixon-Wyatt is the No. 5 receiver in the 2026 recruiting class. He’s also the No. 60 overall recruit.

Dixon-Wyatt is the third-highest ranked commit for Ohio State in the 2026 class based on the 247 Sports rankings.

Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach Ryan Day© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite how committed he is to Ohio State, Dixon-Wyatt described how close the Buckeyes and Ducks were before he made his decision.

“It was really busy,” Dixon-Wyatt told Gorney. “A lot of phone calls, a lot of conversations, just trying to get the business done and where I feel happy.

“It was 1A, 1B, they were both at the top but Ohio State really stood out with the production and all that other stuff. The recent history of the wide receivers coming out was a big deal.

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“I was on my phone for a couple hours (after the decision) and I saw the whole social media thing blow up and they were kind of surprised. I feel like I made the best decision for me.”

Dixon-Wyatt isn’t as highly rated in the 247 Sports composite rankings, but he is still considered a four-star prospect. In those rankings, Dixon-Wyatt is the No. 13 receiver and No. 109 overall recruit.

Related: Ohio State Receives Potentially Bad News on Star Playmaker

Suffering losses on the recruiting trail is an inevitable destiny for every college football head coach. Some sting more than others, but the best program can’t go perfectly with their offer-to-commit ratio. However, some rough patches can cause some concern as to whether there’s a trend or a bigger issue at hand.

Oregon was red hot last year in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. Their NIL advantage with Nike lining the wallets of anyone who would listen was a real factor. Other programs caught up, and the money is generally close enough to make relationships and location a bigger part of the equation for prospects.

Losing Jared Curtis, Jackson Cantwell, Havon Finney Jr., and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has caused a bit of a drought for Dan Lanning’s Ducks. Each had their own reason to pick Georgia, Miami, LSU, and Ohio State. At the end of the day, the Ducks are the least-proven program in the most obscure location of those spots.

It might’ve been that simple, and Lanning is hoping it is. Thankfully, Lanning heard a reinforcing message from five-star commit Kendre Harrison after his recent visit last weekend.

Harrison discussed his recruitment with 247Sports, highlighting how the Ducks continue to engage with him even though he is already committed to the program. He specifically mentioned tight ends coach Drew Mehringer during his visit as someone who stood out to him.

“Unbelievable. Even though I am committed, the staff still recruits me hard as if I am not. Everything is amazing. Like everybody, everyone on the staff was with me and my family. My mom, she just had the biggest smile on her face. She’s my biggest supporter, and while we were down there, she just feels like I am safe around the staff. That’s what really stands out. Coach Drew Mehringer is my main man and my dog.

You see a bunch of kids and they commit a bunch of times, or they commit to a school and take visits. I feel like when you say that you’re committed, you got to say that and then after that back it up. I feel like I’ve made that commitment and since I decided to make it early, I was really strong on my decision.”

The nation’s second-ranked tight end and top-20 player overall, Harrison has been locked in with Oregon since November. That’s the type of person and player Oregon must continue to prioritize recruiting so they can keep a deep roster and pipeline of talent.

Future Ohio State quarterback Tavien St. Clair plays with expected poise and helps new teammate Braylon Newcomb set a school receiving record on opening night against Sidney.

Sidney, OH – Tavien St. Clair’s quarterback future is secure at Ohio State. So much so that when he speaks with head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chip Kelly, they deliver a simple message.

“Just don’t even worry about the Ohio State stuff,” he said. “Just go play ball. And I felt like I did that tonight.”

On opening night of the high school football season, the five-star recruit and Rivals.com national No. 1 player in the class of 2025 had fun being a high school kid. He led his team to a 48-21 victory over historic rival Sidney, he accumulated the kind of numbers you would expect – 17 for 32, 290 yards, four touchdown passes, 71 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns – and he found a new favorite receiver.

Braylon Newcomb.

He’s a 5-foot-9, 175-pound package of speed, change-of-direction quickness and soft hands. Newcomb is also the new Bellefontaine record holder for receiving yards in a game. He caught 13 passes from St. Clair for 235 yards and three touchdowns, surpassing Tyson Shirk’s record of 214 yards set in the 1990s.

And he did it in his first game as a Chieftain in the 117th meeting of a series that began in 1899.

St. Clair was surprised and, at the same time, not surprised by Newcomb’s numbers.

“I know what our offense is capable of doing,” he said. “But I am shocked – the first night of the season to start it off with a record is insane.”

St. Clair entered the offseason knowing last year’s top targets Riley Neer (113 receptions, 1,873 yards, 21 touchdowns) and C.J. Wilson (69 receptions, 761 yards, nine touchdowns) wouldn’t be back. Neer is a preferred walk-on at Ohio. Newcomb showed on opening night that the offense won’t be left up to only what St. Clair can create.

“He’s a dynamic playmaker, but more importantly, he’s a really great kid, great teammate, fun to be around, uplifting,” Bellefontaine coach Jason Brown said of Newcomb. “He’s helped us become better because he’s really locked in and works hard.”

Newcomb was a playmaker the past two seasons at Centerville and even played quarterback as a sophomore when the starter was injured. His dad is from Logan County, and so he moved to Bellefontaine last spring. He worked out with St. Clair this summer and developed some obvious chemistry.

“That’s all the hard work and stuff that we put into the summer,” Newcomb said. “Our goal is to always give everyone the reps, but I’m going to do whatever it takes to win for this team. I love them. I’m gonna die for them on this field.”

St. Clair and Newcomb set an early tone that created a rhythm Sidney’s defense could do little to disrupt. The Yellow Jackets tried with exotic blitzes from the corners, the second level, you name it.

“Try to get pressure on him,” Sidney coach Dave Taynor said. “The reality was we felt like we could, and we did, create pressure on him. I would rather create pressure on him than just … we’re gonna play ball. St. Clair ran around and extended plays, did what he should do, and has the ability to do.”

On the Chieftains’ fifth play, St. Clair threw a dart to Newcomb on the right sideline. Then Newcomb did the rest, tip-toeing the sideline and flying over the pylon for a 6-0 lead three minutes into the game.

On the next scoring drive, one that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Stolly, Newcomb caught four passes, including a 12-yard sideline toe-tapper.

The Chieftains took a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter when Newcomb made an acrobatic twisting catch in the end zone, while being popped hard by a defender, for a 34-yard touchdown.

Touchdown No. 3 came late in the third quarter on a 16-yarder for a 48-14 lead and was his last catch of the game.

By the way, Newcomb played several series at cornerback. And he returned kickoffs 40-plus yards to midfield twice. His occasional breaks on the sideline were well-deserved.

“His speed, his quickness and just how he moves his feet is just different compared to the guys that I’m used to seeing,” St. Clair said. “He’s really electric. You put the ball in his hands, and he can make things out of nothing.”

And once St. Clair began to recognize Sidney’s pressure tactics, he began to step up and hurt the Jackets with his running. His first touchdown run was for five yards and a 27-14 halftime lead. His second was for 24 yards and a 34-14 lead almost two minutes into the second half.

“He was mature, he did a good job driving the bus for us,” Brown said. “There were some pretty exotic blitzes coming from Sidney, and he did a good job dialing in the second half on protections. He’s dialed in on the intricacies and being able to understand how to protect himself with his offensive line.”

Sidney’s offense showed promise in the first half after falling behind 20-0. Quarterback Ethan New moved to an H-back position and receiver Julius Spradling, who played some quarterback last year, became a Wildcat runner. He reversed field and went 46 yards on the first snap. Four plays later and three runs himself later, he scored from the 1-yard line.

After a three-and-out for the Chieftains, Spradling went to work again with a 33-yard pass to Tank Fleming and a 19-yard run to the 25. New, who threw for 210 yards, was back in the shotgun a couple plays later and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Fleming to cut the deficit to 20-14.

But the Yellow Jackets couldn’t be as creative in the second half. Spradling spent the final 24 minutes on the bench with a leg muscle strain.

“We did some things that we can build on from the first half,” Taynor said. “We did some things in the second half of just trying to do a little too much instead of staying on process. But we’ve got an opportunity to grow.”

Taynor has no worries that his team will remain confident after a fifth straight loss to Bellefontaine.

“We played against a team that has a No. 1 player in the country,” Taynor said. “He made some plays. We made some plays and had opportunity to make more. So I’m not at all concerned about anything like that.”

But future Bellefontaine opponents have much to be concerned about. They’ve all seen St. Clair the past three years. They have scrimmage film and a record-setting night of film of what Newcomb can do.

They will see that blitzing St. Clair from every angle might not work. And they will see an inexperienced yet capable defense that learned a lot trying to contain Spradling and Fleming’s speed and explosiveness. Fleming caught nine passes for 161 yards.

“No doubt those are dudes,” Brown said. “They’re dynamic, they’re good playmakers, so you take­ your hat off to them. And those are great teachable moments for us.”

And moments, like the ones Newcomb had in his debut, just might keep coming. No one was happier after the game than he was.

“I love the people here,” he said. “They’re loud, they’re supportive, not to mention my teammates. They care a lot, and I care for them. I would never regret moving up here. I love it, and I couldn’t thank them enough for accepting me.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — What is Caleb Downs’ mindset when he intercepts a pass? What is it when he’s returning a punt? How about when he’s carrying the ball out of the backfield?

The answer is simple.

“Score,” he said.

Ohio State football has a safety with the mentality of an offensive playmaker. Perhaps that’s because he could be one.

Coach Ryan Day mentioned this offseason that Downs might get snaps at running back this year, and it’s evident that wasn’t some gimmick.

“I definitely take that as serious,” Downs said before mentioning 10 snaps per game as the ideal amount.

Ohio State has expectations unlike many in college football. At the core of potentially reaching that mountain top for the first time in a decade is the transfer from Alabama.

That’s because — outside of friend and Colorado defensive back Travis Hunter — Ohio State may have a player unlike any in the sport.

“Physically, he can do it all,” OSU safeties coach Matt Guerrieri said. “He can cover. He can go drop down in the box and go play physical. He can play deep. He can play man. He can play zone. He can blitz. He’s versatile from that standpoint, but mentally is what’s his separator.

“He’s unique. His preparation level is unmatched. He sees it from a coach’s lens. He’s got to have one of the best football minds in the entire world. He’s a special, special guy.”

How Ohio State landed Caleb Downs

Downs led Alabama with 107 tackles last year en route to SEC freshman of the year honors, but he elected to leave the Crimson Tide after the retirement of Nick Saban.

A barrage of coaches looking to add the dynamic safety to their respective rosters awaited.

“It was like recruiting on steroids,” the former five-star prospect said.

Ohio State’s pitch featured plenty that appealed to him.

It included national title aspirations, a clear vision for using him in coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense and obvious NIL opportunities (Downs already has deals with American Eagle and Rhoback).

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Downs said. “If you know how to handle it and you rely on the things that are stable in your life, it can be handled pretty well.”

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What Ohio State is getting in Caleb Downs

Guerrieri says one of his first projects with Downs was to watch each of his snaps from last season. When videos appear, the screen usually features an overlay showing what the defensive calls were on a given play.

Guerrieri didn’t have that with Downs’ plays coming from another program. Instead, they could only see the time, score, down and distance.

It didn’t matter.

“The play would come up, and he could tell me the defensive call and what happened on the play before the film even started,” Guerrieri said. “That’s from a year ago. That’s pretty special.”

That isn’t the result of photogenic memory.

“It’s just instincts for the game,” Downs said. “The more that you’re around the game and the more that you watch, the more that you’re able to remember the game instead of reacting to the game when it’s happening.”

Signing a player, and mind, of Downs’ caliber has obvious benefits.

Add that to a roster flooded with blue-chip talent, and it becomes clear why expectations for Ohio State’s defense extend beyond being among the best units in 2024.

“We can be one of the most elite defenses to ever play in this game,” Downs said.