The Rams never found a way to consistently deploy speedy receiver Tutu Atwell. But they apparently can’t quit him.
On Thursday, the Rams traded second-year running back Jarquez Hunter to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Atwell, the team announced. ESPN first reported the trade.
Hunter, 24, was a 2025 fourth-round draft pick from Auburn. He played in five games as a rookie, all on special teams. On a Super Bowl-favorite team that includes Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and Ronnie Rivers, who is also a special teams ace, Hunter was not going to play unless there were a series of injuries.
Rams running back Jarquez Hunter carries the ball during a preseason win over the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 22.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Atwell, who will turn 27 in October, was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Louisville. He was sidelined much of his rookie season because of a shoulder injury, and was subsequently used sparingly the next three seasons. In 2024, he caught a career-best 42 passes for 562 yards.
Before the 2025 season, the Rams signed Atwell to a one-year, $10-million contract. But with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams getting the majority of targets, Atwell caught only six passes for 192 yards, 88 coming on a winning touchdown pass play against the Indianapolis Colts.
In March, Atwell signed a one-year, $1.4-million contract with the Dolphins, according to Sportrac.com.
Atwell joins a receiver corps that includes Nacua, Adams, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, rookie CJ Daniels and Xavier Smith, who was the punt returner last season.
When talking about the Gerhardt brothers, Hudson, a quarterback, and Bailen, a receiver, first-year Village Christian coach Rand Holdren says there’s never a boring moment when the two are together.
“I want to send them off to their room,” he joked about the brothers bickering with each other.
What brothers don’t occasionally raise their voices, and fight over food, gifts and clothes?
In Village Christian’s 34-0 win over Huntington Park last week, Hudson, a senior, completed 11 of 13 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Bailen, a junior, caught four passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. Of course, if Bailen ever drops a pass, big brother might give him a nasty look.
Holdren left Maranatha to take over the Village Christian program.
“The first day of spring practice, we had nine kids,” he said. “I quickly realized why they called me.”
He’s up to 25 players and hoping the Gerhardt brothers will continue to be entertaining in games and in huddles.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Under coach Sean McVay, the Rams’ final preseason games routinely are showcases for players vying for spots on the practice squad, not the roster.
But Thursday night’s game against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium will offer another look at perhaps one of the most important players for the Rams’ future:
Simpson, the 13th pick in the NFL draft, has been competing with fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett to back up Matthew Stafford, though Bennett took the vast majority of second-team reps during training camp and preseason workouts.
“I’ve seen good stuff,” McVay said this week of Bennett and Simpson. “I think the hard part is there have been up and down days. I think our defense does a good job of being able to give a lot of challenging looks.”
Simpson will play against the Chargers, McVay said, and also aimed to provide Matthew Caldwell, an undrafted free agent from Texas, his first opportunity. McVay said he had not made a determination about Bennett.
Bennett started against the Kansas City Chiefs but played only two series, one that resulted in a field goal. Simpson came on and completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns.
Against the New Orleans Saints, Bennett played the first half and completed 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards. He also rushed for two touchdowns. Simpson completed eight of 12 passes for 73 yards in the second half.
“What I have seen in both the games is the guys have good command,” McVay said, adding, “We feel fortunate that you got two guys that we believe in, feel really good about. One of those guys will be the backup in Australia.”
Other things to watch Thursday:
Who is not on the field
The season opener against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia is looming, so McVay will hold out nearly all players assured of a roster spot, other than perhaps kicking-game specialists.
If they are not in uniform on the sideline, they will be on the 53-man roster.
Receiver Tyler Scott trying to catch on
With Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, Xavier Smith and rookie CJ Daniels, the Rams are set at receiver.
But Scott, who played for the Chicago Bears in 2023 and 2024, has made an impression that could land him on the practice squad if he is cut and clears waivers.
Against the Saints, Scott caught a key fourth-down pass from Bennett and just missed coming down with a deep pass.
Will Wesley Bailey stand out again?
Bailey, an undrafted free-agent outside linebacker, played very well in the first two games, but is trying to find a spot in a position group that includes Myles Garrett, Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart and Desjuan Johnson.
Bailey had a sack, three quarterback hits and also forced a fumble against the Saints.
If Bailey, at 6 feet 5 inches and 265 pounds, shines against the Chargers and does not make the roster, he seems like a longshot to clear waivers.
Special teams
Kicker Harrison Mevis has made all four of his preseason field-goal attempts.
Punter Ethan Evans appears ready for a standout performance in a contract year.
Still, Robinson had some positive takeaways from that portion of his career to share during a video he posted to Instagram on Monday announcing his retirement from the NFL after 11 seasons.
“I learned a lot about football from Coach [Sean] McVay and Cooper Kupp and the guys I was around to be able to then use for the rest of my career,” Robinson said.
The video, titled “No More Sundays,” was posted on Robinson’s 33rd birthday. It shows Robinson watching film from every stop during his football career — from his days as “a kid in Detroit trying to be like Randy Moss” to his final NFL season with his hometown Lions in 2024. It and ends with him turning off the projector and literally hanging up his cleats.
Robinson played three seasons at Penn State and led the Big Ten Conference in receptions and receiving yards in 2012 and 2013 and receiving touchdowns in 2012. The 6-foot-3 player was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 draft and made the Pro Bowl in his second season.
During the first game of his fourth year with Jacksonville, Robinson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and missed the rest of the season. He signed with the Chicago Bears before the 2018 season and had four productive years there, which led to his contract with the Rams.
Robinson was expected to be an upgrade over veteran receiver Robert Woods, who was subsequently traded to the Tennessee Titans soon after the Robinson deal, but wasn’t able to achieve his previous levels of success. He wasn’t able to establish a rapport with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who did not throw passes during offseason workouts or part of training camp because of a right elbow condition.
A foot injury caused Robinson to miss the final seven games of the season. He finished the year with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns. During the offseason, the Rams traded Robinson and a seventh-round draft pick (No. 251 overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers for that team’s seventh-round pick (No. 234 overall). The Rams were on the hook for about $10 million of Robinson’s salary.
“I did get injured, so I didn’t have a full season in L.A.,” Robinson said. “But I think I learned a lot about myself, being able to just kind of persevere, go through adversity and being able to mentally grow up. I can say that my career wouldn’t be what it was if I didn’t have a lot of those learning moments.”
Robinson finishes his career with 565 receptions for 7,058 yards and 43 touchdowns. He and former NFL cornerback Prince Amukamara started the “Press Release” football podcast last year. In addition, Robinson has hosted several youth football programs over the years.
“Football gave me more than I ever could’ve imagined,” Robinson wrote on Instagram. “It challenged me, shaped me, humbled me, and rewarded me in ways I’ll carry for the rest of my life. I came, I saw, I conquered and I leave with nothing but gratitude.
“The memories, the relationships, the victories, the lessons, they’ll stay with me forever! Thank you for every moment, every cheer, every lesson, and every opportunity.”
Former James Madison linebacker Trent Hendrick — who went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft and participated in rookie minicamps with the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs but never signed with a team — committed to UCLA football Sunday, reuniting with coach Bob Chesney and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler in Westwood.
The former JMU linebacker exhausted his eligibility after the conclusion of the 2025 season, but Hendrick, along with 15 other football players, was granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday by a Louisiana judge to play a fifth season of college football and enter the transfer portal.
Hendrick had 106 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles last season at James Madison under Chensey’s direction. His play earned him Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
James Madison’s Trent Hendrick tackles Washington State’s Maxwell Woods on Nov. 22 in Harrisonburg, Va.
(Brien Aho / Getty Images)
The restraining order follows a Colorado court ruling on July 31 that granted athletes who began their collegiate careers in the 2022-23 season a fifth year of eligibility for the upcoming season. Although the Colorado ruling stated players would not be allowed to enter the transfer portal, and a federal appeal court granted the NCAA a temporary stay on the Colorado court order Friday, pausing the nationwide injunction.
It is unclear whether the Louisiana ruling covering Hendrick’s transfer will be contested.
While Hendrick reportedly considered multiple schools, including local Virginia Tech — the alma mater of his agent Zach Hoban — and Tosh Lupoi-led California, the middle linebacker opted for comfort with scheme and familiarity with the coaching staff at UCLA.
Hendrick represents a significant addition to Hitschler’s defense and should immediately fortify the center of the Bruins’ front seven.
UCLA’s run defense ranked 18th worst in the nation last season, conceding 190.4 yards per game, while JMU’s unit ranked fifth best, allowing just 85.1 yards per contest. Integral to the Dukes’ run-stopping was Hendrick, who not only captained the defense, but spearheaded the run support.
Oklahoma transfer linebacker Sammy Omosigho has handled middle linebacker duties since the start of the spring, but with the addition of Hendrick, Omosigho could slide back to the weakside linebacker slot — a position he is familiar with in his three years in Norman, Okla.
There Omosigho can elevate the team’s run stopping and use his athleticism to cover the middle of the defense sideline-to-sideline.
The addition of Hendrick could make fifth-year linebacker Jalen Woods the odd-man out in the starting defense, pushing the St. John Bosco High product to the second team alongside JMU transfer Drew Spinogatti and senior returner Donavyn Pellot.
Jason Grant made a diving catch in the end zone with eight seconds left to lift Crenshaw past host Palisades 34-29 on Friday night in a battle of likely City Section Open Division playoff teams.
Danniel Flowers escaped the pocket, rolled to his right and lofted a pass to Grant, who saved the day for the Cougars after it looked like Palisades would pull off the upset against the team that lost in the section championship game last fall. Flowers ran for the two-point conversion.
“I ran an outside go route and I had to stretch out but I got my knees down,” Grant said. “We’ve been working all summer and the hard work paid off.”
Grant gave a shout-out to interim coach Terrence Whitehead, who guide the Cougars to the finals last fall in the absence of longtime coach Robert Garrett, who was put on administrative leave just before the start of the 2025 season.
“I love him,” Grant said. “He trusted me enough to put me in.”
After the kickoff, Palisades had one last chance from its own 26-yard line with two seconds left but Kyion Rattler intercepted Robert Holohan’s desperation pass at the Cougars’ 35.
Joshua Jones scores Crenshaw’s first touchdown in Friday night’s 34-29 season-opening win at Palisades.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Flowers, who was injured on a sack earlier in the fourth quarter but returned to lead his team on the game-winning drive, threw touchdown passes of 46 yards to Rattler in the second quarter and 23 yards to Jovan Clark with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter that gave Crenshaw a 29-26 lead.
Playing on campus for the first time since the 2024 playoffs, Palisades regained the lead on Holohan’s 33-yard strike to Malachi Ross with 2:48 left for the 29-26 lead. The Dolphins thought they recovered a fumble at the Crenshaw 20 on the ensuing kickoff but the officials awarded the visitors the ball and tacked on a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that allowed the Cougars to start their final drive at their own 35.
“I had to come back in,” Flowers said of his late-game heroics. “I saw the D-end coming out so I just had to wait for a teammate to get open. We knew we’d win if we played four quarters. When we got down we kept our composure.”
Joshua Jones ran for 124 yards and one touchdown in 24 carries, De’Andre Kirkpatrick ran for a one-yard touchdown and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to keep Crenshaw close.
“We for sure want to go back to the finals and win,” Flowers added. “Defense wins games, but our offense won this one.”
Making his first varsity start, Holohan threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as the Dolphins established themselves as early Open Division contenders. They lost to Garfield in the Open Division quarterfinals last season, playing every game on the road as a consequence of the Palisades fire.
The teams were meeting for the first time since 1984 when both played in the Crosstown League.
Cleveland High football coach Mario Guzman loves the Nigerian connection of Oluwafemi Okelola and Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi, both running backs.
Spelling their names might be the biggest challenge.
They should be major offensive contributors, joining quarterback Domenik Fuentes to fuel the Cavaliers’ attack.
Last season, Odebunmi rushed for 1,139 yards and 11 touchdowns. Okelola had 111 yards rushing and made 83 tackles and had two interceptions on defense.
The Cavaliers open their season on Friday against Narbonne.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Ninth and final in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Gabriel Goroyan, Westlake kicker.
Gabriel Goroyan, a senior kicker at Westlake High with a 4.77 grade-point average, revealed stunning news during an interview.
“I’m OK with being normal,” he said.
That goes against everything previously known about kickers. They’re almost always surfer dudes with the fearless spirit of a pole vaulter and the willingness to experiment. If anyone were going to volunteer for a mission to Mars, it would be a kicker.
“I would like to think I’m not one of the weirder personalities,” Goroyan said.
He is like most kickers — a former soccer player. He began in eighth grade when he was still playing soccer but beginning to like kicking.
For the first time I have found a kicker who says he’s normal. Gabriel Goroyan of Westlake. But he does use his left foot to kick. Starts summer No. 1. pic.twitter.com/wz0d6CB9YF
At a camp, when he made a 54-yard field goal in a competition, that’s the moment he realized, “I can do this.”
“I started taking it more serious,” he said. “I was hungry for that No. 1 spot.”
He enters his senior season as No. 1 at his position in the Southland and committed to Stanford. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder makes booming kickoffs, was 50 of 51 on PATs last season and made seven field goals. He also averaged 40.3 yards on punts. He kicks balls with his left foot, which requires long snappers to make an adjustment and change blocking schemes because most kickers use their right foot.
He’s never received a grade other than A on his report card at Westlake. His father is Armenian and his mother Bulgarian. He has an 8 handicap in golf and can drive a ball 300 yards from the tee, so if you need a ringer for a charity tournament, Goroyan will play the role.
He has figured out the mental requirements needed to deal with the highs and lows of being a kicker.
“A lot of it is staying calm and not getting too hyped up and too energized,” he said. “l feel a good kicker is able to come back from a miss and a lot of it is being yourself. You have to know not to overthink things and be able to go back to your normal mental state and not get trapped in a cycle of you’re not good enough. A lot of it is trusting yourself.”
He stands on the sideline waiting for his moment. You’ll never see him asking coach Rick Clausen to put him in for a field goal.
“I let them tell me,” he said.
It’s all about preparation and routine. His soccer background has provided him the tools to succeed.
“Train like a sprinter,” he said. ”That’s where the leg speed comes from. It’s not about having to squat 500 pounds but more being able to run and have fast legs. That’s where the power comes.”
As for dealing with pressure, Goroyan said camp competitions such as “last man standing,” where you have to make a kick to stay in the competition, provides preparation for a game-winning field-goal attempt that he has yet to experience.
He’s already demonstrated that he’s different — otherwise known as normal. When he made that 54-yard field goal, the longest of his career, in eighth grade, he did not scream.
“I gave a quiet clap and ran to get my ball,” he said.
Kickers to watch
Noah Ahari, Chino Hills, 6-2, 155, Sr. Made nine of 10 field goals last season
Peter Batsaras, Cypress, 5-10, 170, Sr. A summer of success sets the stage for big senior season
Ayden Brannum, Fontana, 6-3, 190, Sr. Averaged 48 yards on punts and made 47-yard field goal
Colin Elia, Temecula Valley, 6-0, 160, Sr. Made 10 of 11 field goals as a junior
Gabriel Goroyan, Westlake, 5-11, 180, Sr. Stanford commit has worked relentlessly on mastering his technique
Jackson Hauducoeur, Upland, 5-6, 140, Sr. All-CIF kicker made eight of 10 field goals
Ethan Miller, San Clemente, 6-2, 175, Jr. Made nine fields, cool under pressure
Jerry Shifman, Mater Dei, 5-10, 165, Jr. Had nine field goals, with a long of 43 yards
Carter Sobel, Sierra Canyon, 5-9, 160, Sr. Strong on kickoffs and made nine field goals
Caleb Sylvia, Mission Viejo, 5-10, 190, Sr. Had 49-yard field goal last season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It did not take long for Ty Simpson to acclimate to the NFL.
In his pro debut, the Rams rookie quarterback passed for two touchdowns and made no major errors in a 20-12 preseason victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I definitely felt more comfortable than I ever have in a game,” said Simpson, who completed 21 of 25 attempts for 190 yards.
It was a much-awaited first game for Simpson after the Rams shocked fans and much of the NFL by picking him so high in the draft after he started only 15 games for Alabama.
Fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett played the first two series — the first against many Chiefs starters — and led a field-goal drive on the second one before Simpson came on with 11 seconds left in the first quarter.
Simpson’s first series ended with him bobbling a high snap, and then making a smart decision to throw the ball out of bounds. From that point on, offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase called play-action bootlegs and other rollouts that enabled Simpson to find receivers, many of them wide open.
“Once that first drive kind of got done, I was like, ‘All right, well yeah, this is just like playing in the backyard,’” Simpson said.
Simpson’s parents and brother were in attendance, and he credited family, coaches and teammates for helping him relax and excel. He finished two second-half drives with short touchdown passes to running back Dean Connors.
“I thought Ty had great command all day,” coach Sean McVay said. “It was a great step in the right direction for him.”
During training camp and recent practices, Bennett took first-team snaps when starter Matthew Stafford was held out. He took second-team snaps when Stafford practiced.
So he appeared to enter the game as the presumptive frontrunner to back up the reigning NFL most valuable player.
Rams quarterback Ty Simpson celebrates after a touchdown against the Chiefs on Saturday.
(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
Does Simpson’ performance change anything?
“We’re going to continue to evaluate it like anything else,” McVay said.
Simpson is not getting caught up in whether there is a true competition.
“That’s a head-man decision and executive decision,” he said. “I just know that I’m happy to be here and I’m working to make sure that I do anything the team needs me to do.”
Other takeaways from the Rams’ preseason victory:
Stetson Bennett steady in start
Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett passes in the first quarter against the Chiefs on Saturday.
(David Eulitt / Getty Images)
Bennett, a fourth-year pro making his seventh preseason start, completed four of six passes for 38 yards and led a field-goal drive before giving way to Simpson.
The first series ended when the Chiefs broke up a third-down pass.
During the second series, Bennett completed four passes during a 13-play, 73-yard field-goal drive that stalled at the six-yard line after the Chiefs broke up his third-down pass to rookie tight end Max Klare in the end zone.
“Stetson did a nice job,” McVay said. “He came in and did a nice job orchestrating a nice drive on the second series.”
Offensive lineman Keagen Trost injured
If the Super Bowl-favorite Rams have a potential weakness, it’s offensive line depth.
They selected former Missouri standout Keagen Trost in the third round with the hope that he could provide versatility. And with left tackle Alaric Jackson possibly facing a suspension if the NFL determines that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy, Trost could be counted on immediately.
Trost started at right tackle, but he left after two series because of a hamstring injury he apparently sustained as part of the protection unit for a Rams field-goal attempt.
“He was pretty bummed,” McVay said, adding that Trost would undergo tests to determine the severity of the issue.
Receiver Mario Williams also sustained a hamstring injury on a kickoff return, McVay said.
Tight end Max Klare the go-to receiver
Chiefs wide receiver Nikko Remigio is tackled by Rams safety Alex Cook during the first half Saturday.
(Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
Max Klare, a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State, was targeted eight times, and caught seven passes for 37 yards.
Klare is part of a loaded position group that includes veterans Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and second-year pro Terrance Ferguson.
But Klare showed skills that could help the Rams this season and beyond.
Receiver CJ Daniels, who made multiple plays during training camp, caught two passes for 18 yards.
Defense holds Chiefs to field goals
Outside linebacker Desjuan Johnson, a rotational player last season, was the most notable member of a defense that played a few series against quarterback Justin Fields and the rest of the game against Garrett Nussmeier and Chris Oladokun.
Johnson sacked Nussmeier in the third quarter. Rookie lineman Tim Keenan also had a sack.
Safety Nick Andersen had a team-best nine tackles for the Rams.
Harrison Mevis picks up where he left off
In his first game under new special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, Harrison Mevis kicked field goals of 25 and 40 yards.
Ethan Evans averaged nearly 61 yards for four punts.
HOUSTON — Amar Johnson saw a flicker of playing time at running back for the Chargers last season.
Thursday, he made a case for a bit more.
Johnson scored two touchdowns in the preseason opener at Houston and turned a short pass into a 55-yard gain.
It’s easy to put too much stock in a preseason performance, seeing as most starters are watching from the sidelines, but Johnson made the most of his opportunity in a 27-7 victory over the Texans.
Chargers running back Amar Johnson runs past Houston Texans cornerback Brandon Codrington after a catch during a preseason game on Thursday.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
He scored on a seven-yard run in the first half and from a yard out in the second. The short touchdown was set up by his quick catch and dash down the sideline, when he was caught from behind just before he could cross the goal line.
The Chargers, who used a first-round pick on running back Omarion Hampton last year, have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Melvin Gordon in 2017.
Hampton, who like most starters didn’t play Thursday, showed flashes of promise last season but also battled injuries.
Running backs Jaret Patterson and Greg Desrosiers Jr. also turned in solid performances for the Chargers.
Passing grades
Chargers quarterback Trey Lance passes against the Texans on Thursday.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
There’s some jostling over the job of backing up quarterback Justin Herbert, featuring a replay of last summer’s competition between Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei.
“Both have really acquitted themselves well, and the next piece is in the games and how they play,” coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters this week. “That’s something we’ll all see. I imagine, from what I’ve seen in practice, it’s going to be pretty close. They’re both good.”
Lance got the start and played deep into the third quarter, completing 12 of 20 passes for 164 yards with an interception. He ran for 27 yards in three carries.
Uiagalelei, who played at St. John Bosco High, entered with three minutes to play in the third quarter and completed six of nine passes for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Front and center
Around this time last year, the Chargers were reeling along the offensive line, having lost left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending knee injury. Early in the season, they also lost bookend tackle Joe Alt. In short, the offensive line was a mess.
Now those players are back, and it’s all about making smaller tweaks along a solid line. The question mark is at left guard, with five candidates in the mix: Kayode Awosika, Branson Taylor, Jake Slaughter, Trey Pipkins III and Trevor Penning.
Slaughter, a rookie second-round pick, started at center Thursday and moved to left guard and appeared to play well. That he can play center in addition to guard is particularly valuable, as he can provide reliable depth behind starting center Tyler Biadasz.
Drop-portunity
Chargers wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith had four catches in the first half Thursday but couldn’t pull in this pass against Texans cornerback Collin Wright.
(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
KeAndre Lambert-Smith had four of the Chargers’ nine receptions in the first half, but a fifth would have been really impressive.
He got a two-step lead on rookie corner Collin Wright on a long pass from Lance, yet couldn’t cash in. Wright mistimed his jump, and the ball hit Lambert-Smith square in the hands before falling to the turf. The top three receiver spots are locked down by Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston and Tre’ Harris, but there’s room for another wideout and maybe two. A rookie to watch is the speedy Brenen Thompson, who doubles as a returner.
Double vanilla
Teams are always circumspect about doing anything too exotic during the preseason, lest they give regular-season opponents something to study. That goes double for the Chargers, seeing as all three of their preseason opponents — Houston, San Francisco and the Rams — will face them again. It’s a bit of a balancing act, though, because it’s got to be tempting to get a look at the offense of coordinator Mike McDaniel outside the structure of a practice.
Regardless, look for the Chargers to be bland, bland, bland as they evaluate the back end of their roster and decide who to keep and who to cut.
Third in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Austin Miller, Bellflower receiver.
Dozens of college football recruiters traveling in their rental cars to powerhouse St. John Bosco have learned there’s a new must-stop place on the way to Bellflower.
“Don’t come through Bellflower and not come through Bellflower,” is the motto of Bellflower High, where the emergence of 6-foot-5, 200-pound sophomore receiver Austin Miller is proving to be as attractive as a stop at In-N-Out.
“Bosco is a great program, but we don’t take a backseat to anyone,” said the 15-year-old Austin , whose father, Keith, is the head coach. “We’re here to put Bellflower on the map.”
Videographers covering Bellflower games know Austin is capable of dong something spectacular at any moment because of his speed, size, athleticism and jumping ability. He caught 35 passes for 609 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. He rushed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had four sacks and 35 tackles.
Imagine the highlight films coming this season with added strength and a maturing body.
He’s been fed hundreds of footballs from a Jugs machine to develop hands that don’t drop passes. He has the size and physicality of a tight end, which creates mismatches with smaller cornerbacks. He has no sympathy.
“As a receiver being bigger than everybody, you play to your advantage,” he said.
Because he has been playing multiple sports since he was young, versatility is his superpower, allowing him to catch passes, block, sack quarterbacks from the edge or play any position his father needs him to play.
Just hearing him describe the importance of blocking as a receiver shows the effect having a coach as a father has had on him.
“My dad taught me staying low, driving through your hips and making sure you block for your teammates like they block for you,” he said. “For receivers, sometimes you watch the play instead of doing your job. The biggest thing is putting your man in the dirt. Being bigger receiver, taking contact and delivering contact is a big thing for me.”
Austin is one of those rare teenagers who looks and acts like someone destined to reach the highest level possible because of his physical gifts and mental outlook. He committed to Ohio State in June even though he has three seasons left of high school football. His goals are high, and he feels the Buckeyes are the perfect landing place to fulfill his dreams.
Austin Miller, a 15-year-old sophomore receiver, is helping bring attention to Bellflower’s football program.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
His parents wanted nothing to do with the flavor of the month, holdbacks. It has become so common that most assume a top freshman or sophomore are holdbacks, which means repeating a grade or two to look for a competitive advantage in high school.
Austin welcomes competition of any and all ages, seeing it as a worthy challenge and a path that will only make him better. He certainly more than held his own as a 14-year-old playing against some 19-year-olds.
To understand his journey, you have to go back years and visualize the scene from his days as an 11-year-old.
“We’d wake up, go to football practice, go to basketball practice, go to baseball practice, then work out more,” he said.
Keith Miller wanted the chance to become a head coach after being an assistant to his brother, Jason, who’s coached at Bellflower, Verbum Dei and Leuzinger among his stops. With Austin and his talented friends serving as the early believers, Miller is trying to build a program from the ground up.
“The college coaches say they respect what we are doing,” Austin said. “We don’t take a back seat to any school.”
There’s also a little bit of pride in father and son proving that talent isn’t just found at top private schools. When a public school kid gains similar attention, it makes him a community hero for life.
Austin is certainly headed on that path. He’s embraced the idea that you can be the youngest on a field and still be one of the best through hard work, dedication, preparation and a belief in yourself.
Friday: Luke Gazzaniga, Santa Margarita tight end.
Receivers to watch
Nico Bland, Orange Lutheran, 6-1, 185, Sr.: Arizona State commit led Lancers with 57 catches
Charles Davis, Westlake, 6-5, 205, Sr.: Cal commit has size and speed
First in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Chris Fields III, Carson quarterback.
If you want to motivate quarterback Chris Fields III, doubt his skills. He’ll respond like an underdog boxer delivering a knockout punch. Just when you least expect him to step forward, he’ll find a way to produce.
Last season for Carson High, he was one of the best multidimensional quarterbacks in the Southland, passing for 2,031 yards and 29 touchdowns while rushing for 958 yards and 13 touchdowns in leading the Colts to the City Section Open Division championship.
He’s 6 feet 1, which some consider a roadblock to playing at the highest level, but it’s Fields’ intangibles that separate him.
He has spent most of the summer in the weight room, making himself a 205-pound, Marvel-like character capable of super strength.
“Goals don’t get accomplished skipping days,” he said of his training routine.
Every morning, he engages in deep stretching exercises. At night, there are ice baths. Taking care of his body for a season that could reach 14 games is one of his most important priorities.
He trusts his faith and his mother, who has raised him as a single parent. She’s so heavily involved in his football activities that she watches and breaks down film with him and comes to practices to support him.
“She could put on shoulder pads and a helmet and tear up a defense any day,” Fields said. “I’ve been through everything with mom.”
He remembers the days when the family struggled to pay for food and a place to stay.
“We came from the bottom,” Fields said. “We were heavily impoverished. If my mom has nowhere to sleep and she’s having to work multiple jobs while going to school to provide for me and my sister, I should be able to pay her back by doing well.”
So whatever anyone thinks, Fields’ drive is to make his mom proud, whether it’s in the classroom, on the field or by being respectful to strangers.
“If you’re at our games, you’re going to hear her in the crowd,” Fields said.
One of Fields’ strengths is to improvise. He understands how to make split-second decisions, and many involve whether to stay in the pocket or take off and run with his speed.
“When I determine that I’m going to run, it usually comes from pre-snap read knowing where my guys are,” he said. “If I feel the rush, I try to hang in there, try to extend the play but will do whatever is needed. I feel my legs are just as valuable as my arm.”
And his arm is pretty good — like, throwing a spiral 67 yards good.
He’s tough with the kind of leadership skills that inspire teammates to rally around him.
It’s another season of quality quarterbacks with the class of 2029 particularly strong after terrific freshman seasons by such players as Thaddeus Breaux of L.A. Hamilton, Ford Green of Westlake, Marcus Washington of Cajon, Jonah Tuaniga of Long Beach Millikan and Steven Moore of La Sierra. Add Evan McCalister of Valencia, Ezrah Brown of Orange Lutheran and Jeremy Mellalieu of Chaminade and you have the makings of a stellar sophomore class.
Fields said he understands the college recruiting grind. Everyone has their own idea of what kind of quarterback fits their offense.
“With schools who don’t typically have mobile quarterbacks, I always encounter, ‘I have to see the person,’” he said. “But I’ve never heard, ‘You’re too small.’ It’s all a perception. It comes down to whether they like you or not. I really want to play at the highest level of college football. If God has other plans, I’m willing to be humble and walk that path.”
During the summer, Fields committed to Georgetown, where academics and athletics can lead to a great future.
Wednesday: Gardena Serra running back AJ McBean.
Quarterbacks to watch
Thaddeus Breaux, L.A. Hamilton, 6-5, 225, So.: Has physical skills to be national prospect
Brady Edmunds, Huntington Beach, 6-5, 225, Sr.: Ohio State commit has been three-year starter
Chris Fields III, Carson, 6-1, 200, Sr.: City player of the year committed to Georgetown
Jack Hurst, Laguna Beach, 6-4, 190, Sr.: Passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns as a junior
Jaden Jefferson, Corona Centennial, 5-10, 170, Sr.: Hawaii commit is dangerous passing or running
Koa Malau’ulu, St. John Bosco, 6-2, 180, Jr.: Will have blockers needed to have MVP season
Ryan Rakowski, Palos Verdes, 6-0, 180, Sr.: Nevada commit is one of the most accurate passers
Russell Sekona, Mater Dei, 6-3, 230, Jr.: Big adjustment moving to Trinity League
Taylor Lee, Oxnard Pacifica, 6-2, 185, Sr.: Record-setting junior season for Portland State commit
Dane Weber, Chaparral, 6-1, 210, Sr.: California commit passed for 3,645 yards and 41 touchdowns and ran for 14 touchdowns
Former NFL quarterback Derek Carr has joined UCLA’s coaching staff as a special advisor to coach Bob Chesney.
The Bruins announced the hiring Monday of the 35-year-old Carr, who is volunteering in his first major coaching role.
The longtime Raiders starter will help Chesney and the Bruins’ offensive staff with game planning and strategy, and he will work with UCLA‘s quarterbacks.
“His experience, leadership and football knowledge will be an incredible resource for our coaching staff and student-athletes,” Chesney said in a statement. “What stands out most is his passion for the game and his commitment to developing young people. Derek will have a tremendous impact on our players and is a great addition to our program.”
Chesney and his staff are in their first season in Westwood after he was hired away from James Madison last December. Carr’s connection to the job was through Bruins general manager Darrick Yray, an offensive assistant and an assistant director of football operations at Fresno State during Carr’s prolific career with the Bulldogs.
“I’ve known Darrick for a long time and have great respect for the work he’s done throughout his career,” Carr said in a statement. “The opportunity to help coach Chesney, the staff and the quarterbacks at UCLA was one that really excited me. I’m looking forward to sharing my experiences and helping support the program in any way I can.”
Carr is 22nd in NFL history after passing for 41,245 yards during his 11-season career with the Raiders and the New Orleans Saints. He is the Raiders’ career leader in yards passing, completions and passing touchdowns.
Carr was a four-time Pro Bowl selection in Oakland and Las Vegas. After two subsequent seasons as the Saints’ starter, Carr retired from the NFL in May 2025 because of a serious right shoulder injury.
Carr’s No. 4 is retired at Fresno State after he passed for 12,842 yards and 113 touchdowns, leading the nation in both categories in 2013 while winning the Sammy Baugh Trophy.
At UCLA, Carr will work with presumptive starter Nico Iamaleava, the Tennessee transfer and Long Beach native who passed for 1,928 yards and 13 touchdowns last season for the Bruins. Iamaleava’s younger brother, Madden, is expected to be their backup quarterback in his second season in the program.
Even before this high-profile addition to his staff, Chesney was already building early momentum in his significant rebuilding project at a program that has foundered over the past decade.
Chip Kelly produced six mediocre seasons before he bolted from Westwood in February 2024, leaving the Bruins in the lurch after that winter’s coaching cycle had largely ended. Former UCLA star DeShaun Foster took over on short notice, but was fired three games into his second season last fall before the Bruins finished 3-9.
As an aspiring young quarterback at Muleshoe High in the early 2000s, Lincoln Riley attended a football camp at Texas Christian University, run by a coach known even then as a mastermind of defense, a man whose ideas and 4-2-5 scheme would one day be disseminated across college football.
Gary Patterson had just been elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach at TCU, a job he would occupy for the next two decades. Around the same time, his staff saw something in Riley. They talked briefly about giving him a shot at safety on Patterson’s vaunted TCU defense.
“Needless to say,” Riley told The Oklahoman in 2018, “it didn’t turn out.”
But a quarter-century after first crossing paths at that camp, it’s now the young quarterback giving the old ball coach a chance to prove himself.
When USC announced it was hiring Patterson as Riley’s defensive coordinator in January, ears perked up across college football. On one hand, Patterson, 66, is a freshly minted College Football Hall of Famer and one of the great defensive minds of the modern era. On the other hand, he hasn’t led a college football team since 2021, when he was forced out at TCU, and a lot has changed in the sport since. Not to mention it’s been more than 25 years since Patterson last served as a coordinator.
Those were fair concerns, considering all that’s riding on Riley getting it right with Patterson, his third defensive coordinator in five seasons. But after seven months with him on the job, you won’t find anyone at USC — players, coaches or administrators alike — with an ounce of distress over Patterson’s stamina.
“I think I would have had more reservations had I not known him,” Riley said. “But that fire still burns very, very hot.”
That much was obvious in the spring when Patterson jumped into the middle of a tackling circuit to teach proper technique, and ended up running through the whole drill. He even delivered a blow at the end.
“He knocked the guy back,” said safeties coach Paul Gonzales, who coached with Patterson for a decade at TCU. “For a 60-year old guy, he still got some pop.”
USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson watches practice in March.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Riley is betting big on that translating to the Trojans’ defense this fall. Over his four seasons as USC’s coach, there’s no mistaking what’s held Riley back from reaching the same heights at USC as he had at Oklahoma. The Trojans finished 124th, 104th, 87th and 65th in yards allowed per play during those years.
At TCU, Patterson’s defenses finished No. 1 in yards allowed five times during a 10-year stretch. Yet in the second half of his tenure at TCU, there was a noticeable decline, as his defenses finished in the top 25 of that same category just twice.
It was during that time that Riley’s offense went toe-to-toe with Patterson’s defense on numerous occasions. Riley, who was in his first head coaching job at Oklahoma, got the better of Patterson in each of their four meetings, piling up at least 498 total yards each time out.
“There was never anyone who was more of a pain to gameplan for or try to move the ball against than this guy,” Riley said.
During his five years away from coaching, Patterson said he actually spent more time studying the game than he had at TCU, where he was often consumed with other responsibilities. After consulting briefly at Texas and Baylor, Patterson took a job with an Amazon college football show, he says, primarily for the subscription service that came with it. Every Sunday morning, he’d watch whatever college game he wanted, just to stay fresh.
When he did return to coaching, Patterson didn’t just want to install the same scheme he used at TCU. So he closely studied Ohio State and Indiana’s defenses, which gave up a combined 32 touchdowns last season — seven fewer than USC’s defense (39). He took cues on how both clamped down better than anyone else in the red zone, where they each allowed opponents to convert touchdowns just 37% of the time.
“All I did was do football,” Patterson said. “I mean, it’s like getting married. I mean, it’s like I got nothing else. I wasn’t doing anything else.”
Those habits haven’t changed at USC. When other assistants took time for vacation this summer, Patterson stayed in the facility. He wanted to hone in on how to install his defense for a second time this fall. So he came in every day before 7 a.m., in a mostly empty office — just to beat the traffic.
“You want to change things, it’s a full-time job,” Patterson said. “It’s not one of those things that you do 70 or 80% of your time.”
It also gave him time to get to know his new players, each of whom have been summarily stunned by their veteran coach’s vitality.
“I don’t know how old he is, but he‘s out there like he’s 30,” linebacker Desman Stephens said. “He‘s still being active with us. He’s showing us drills. Like, if he want it done right, he gonna show you the exact way how to do it.”
So far, at USC, Patterson has had his hands on just about every detail of the defense. Which is precisely what Riley envisioned after watching him coach at TCU — and why he wasn’t worried about the game passing Patterson by.
“He was such a hands-on head coach,” Riley said. “He wasn’t a head coach just kind of doing a practice schedule, doing the speech, getting out early. He didn’t just straight CEO this thing, right? He was still calling defense, still game planning. He was very involved in every aspect of that program through all those years.”
USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson fist bumps linebacker Desman Stephens during practice on Aug. 5.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
He won’t have to do that at USC. And Patterson seems perfectly fine with that.
But while others still wonder if he can make a successful return to college football, with a scheme that hasn’t been tested since 2021, Patterson is pretty confident his decades of experience count for something, too.
“It’s an advantage for me compared to somebody that’s 30 years old and doesn’t have kids, never been married, doesn’t know what it’s like to grow somebody up and raise a family and do things,” Patterson said.
“This is, I think, my 45th season. … “There’s not a lot of guys in this profession of the age where you can go back to all the things that I’ve learned through all the years.”
When Tim Tanner Jr. talks, people listen. When he says he’s going to do something, believe him.
As a junior last season, the 6-foot-1 Sylmar High quarterback in his rookie passed for 2,343 yards and 31 touchdowns and ran for 661 yards and nine touchdowns. If you like quarterbacks who improvise, Tanner is your guy. Then, in basketball, after breaking his collarbone, he returned to play in 16 games (Sylmar went 15-1 with him in the lineup) to average 20 points and help the Spartans reach the Division V state championship game.
This season, he intends to be busier than ever with football, basketball and he hopes a return to baseball, the sport he played since he was 4 until high school. He’s a pitcher and plans to join the team but baseball coach Ray Rivera has never seen him pitch.
“He told me get through football, get through basketball, then we’ll talk,” Tanner said.
The maturity Tanner has achieved in recent years through dealing with adversity has enabled him to be selected a captain for the football team, so he knows he has to keep his composure and show others how to respond in a time of need. He’s growing up after once being academically ineligible.
He has so much sports equipment in his room at home that he could hold his own backyard games. “Footballs everywhere, cleats everywhere, basketballs, jerseys,” he said.
He’s going to need lots of skills in trying to balance his sports commitments with academics. But the coaches know they have someone passionate about succeeding.
It is said that defending a championship is harder than winning one.
That ls the challenge facing the JSerra High flag football team this fall after the skilled girls from San Juan Capistrano completed a perfect season with a last-second goal line stand to secure their 25-20 triumph over defending champion Orange Lutheran in the Southern Section Division 1 final last November.
The Lions defeated their Trinity League rivals three times on the way to a 28-0 record in 2025 and are the preseason favorites to repeat under the guidance of Brian Ong, the reigning section coach of the year, and USA Flag junior national team members Kate Meier (quarterback) and Tessa Russell (receiver/safety).
Also returning is All-American quarterback Ava Van Heerde, who rotated with Meier last season to give opposing defenses fits attempting to solve their contrasting but equally effective styles. Meier passed for 3,729 yards and 58 touchdowns as a freshman while Van Heerde (also a rising star in softball) threw for 3,460 yards and 44 touchdowns as a sophomore. They will miss throwing to their favorite target as leading receiver and Division 1 player of the year Ava Irwin has transferred to Sierra Canyon for its program launch.
Orange Lutheran’s only three losses last season were to JSerra and if the Lancers are to be title contenders again they must overcome the absence of All-CIF quarterback Makena Cook (who threw for 7,083 yards and 112 touchdowns) and receiver Happy Dubois (129 receptions for 1,747 yards and 21 touchdowns), who are joining Irwin at Sierra Canyon. The Lancers also have a new coach, Dennis Hester, after Kristen Sherman announced in March that she was leaving to be an assistant under her husband, Rod Sherman, at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Mater Dei went 0-6 in Trinity League action one year ago but has picked up two key transfers in junior quarterback Tymane Allen (who threw for 4,925 yards and 56 touchdowns for Cypress) and senior receiver/safety Allyson Schmida (who caught 74 passes for 744 yards at Crean Lutheran).
JSerra High’s Brian Ong was the Southern Section Division 1 coach of the year last fall when the Lions went unbeaten.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Back for the Monarchs is dual-threat quarterback Kendra Hansen, who had 25 touchdown passes and 20 touchdown runs as a sophomore.
Huntington Beach won 25 of 27 games last year, reaching the Division 1 semifinals, and despite the graduation of All-Southern Section receiver Taylor Savage the Oilers are equipped for another deep playoff run behind quarterback Roxie Shaia (6,692 yards and 89 touchdowns), receiver Shelby Nguyen (96 catches for 1,020 yards and 21 touchdowns) and linebacker Mia Aish (133 flag pulls and eight interceptions).
Trying to dethrone the Sunset League champions will be Newport Harbor, which has quarterback Scarlett Guyser (3,371 yards and 42 touchdowns) and receiver Skylie Cid (105 catches for 1,161 yards and 11 touchdowns). Division 2 champion Corona del Mar, which brings back every starter but one, including player of the year Addison Stern and receivers Mia Balabanian and AnnaSofia Dickens.
Dos Pueblos went 24-3 and fell to JSerra in the Division 1 semifinals last season. The Chargers return All-Channel League defensive back Brooklyn Hedricks (203 flag pulls, 18 deflections and 14 interceptions) and receiver Ruby Streatfeild (104 catches for 1,101 yards and 18 touchdowns), who helped power the LA Chargers Conquer club team to the NFL Girls Flag National Championship in Westfield, Ind. in July.
Thanks to its high-profile transfers, Sierra Canyon could be the team to beat in the San Fernando Valley. The Trailblazers will play in the Mission League along with Harvard-Westlake, which has hired professional flag player and prominent club coach Asha Prithiraj to guide the Wolverines through their inaugural season.
All-Southern Section quarterback Makena Cook transferred to Sierra Canyon after leading Orange Lutheran to the Division 1 final last season.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
In addition to new programs emerging in 2026 are new rules, like teams having an extra timeout each half (matching the three per half in tackle football), tighter ball-stripping restrictions, a definition for illegal hurdling and teams giving up a safety putting the ball in play via scrimmage kick from the 20-yard line. The most significant change gives a trailing team that has just scored the option to try a fourth-and-20 pass from its own 20-yard line. Should the play result in a first down, the trailing team keeps possession. If it fails, the opponent takes over at the spot the play ended.
The Northern League appears to have supplanted the Marine League as the best in the City Section after Marshall and Eagle Rock faced each other for the Open Division title and Franklin made the Division I semifinals last fall.
Marshall won 20-0 behind three-year starting quarterback Jaylin Macias, whose departure gives her backup, Diana Sandoval, an opportunity to run coach Shane Gerard’s offense. The Barristers will be tested by 23-game winner Wilson and Eagle Rock, which returns quarterback Nylah Moore (51 touchdown passes as a junior last year) and adds Nylah’s freshman sister Cinzia.
Thirty-two Southern California teams (separated into two divisions) will participate in the fourth annual Chargers x Oakley Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.
Friday’s pool play matchups include Sierra Canyon-Long Beach Poly; JSerra-Camarillo; Newport Harbor-Aliso Niguel; Huntington Beach-Redondo Union; Oxnard-Orange Lutheran; Woodbridge-Ventura; Dos Pueblos-Classical Academy; Cypress-Agoura; Warren-St. Margaret’s;and Westlake-Torrey Pines.
Corona del Mar High’s AnnaSofia Dickens runs the ball against Westlake in last season’s Southern Section Division 2 final at El Modena.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Teams to Watch this season
JSerra, Huntington Beach, Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran, Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar, Trabuco Hills, Dos Pueblos, Camarillo, Santa Margarita, Lakewood St. Joseph, Westlake, Anaheim Canyon, Upland, San Marcos, Mater Dei, Etiwanda, Ventura, Downey, Newbury Park.
Players to Watch this season
Ava Irwin, WR/DB Sierra Canyon Makena Cook, QB, Sierra Canyon Kate Meier, QB, JSerra Tessa Russell, WR/DB, JSerra Addison Stern, QB, Corona del Mar Olivia Elsokary, WR/DB, Westlake Ava Van Heerde, QB, JSerra Scarlett Guyser, QB/DB, Newport Harbor Happy Dubois, WR/DB, Sierra Canyon Brooklyn Hedricks, WR/DB, Dos Pueblos London Lefler, QB/WR/DB Newbury Park Skylie Cid, RB, Newport Harbor Roxie Shaia, QB, Huntington Beach Mia Balabanian, Corona del Mar Tymane Allen, QB, Mater Dei Mia Aish, LB, Huntington Beach Madeline Garcia, QB, Downey Sadie Olivares, WR/DB, Edison Leah Vanderveen, WR/S, Mission Viejo Nylah Moore, QB, Eagle Rock AnnaSofia Dickens, WR/LB, Corona del Mar
Quarterback Nylah Moore will try to pass Eagle Rock back to the City Section Open Division flag football championship game.
That is, the Carolina Panthers undrafted rookie quarterback is an NFL star in early August after exactly one preseason game.
Sure, Thursday’s Pro Football Hall of Fame game between the Panthers and Arizona Cardinals was nothing more than a meaningless exhibition in which few, if any, actual starters played.
But NFL fans have been starving for any kind of action for almost six months, and King provided plenty of that during Carolina’s thrilling 33-30 victory in Canton, Ohio — especially on the final play of the game.
Even if his NFL career ends up going nowhere (more on that in a minute), the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year out of Georgia Tech will always have this spectacular, game-winning run for his highlight reel:
After former USC quarterback Kedon Slovis connected with receiver Bryson Green for a one-yard touchdown pass to give Arizona a 30-27 lead, King had 1 minute, 55 seconds remaining in regulation to lead the Panthers to a comeback win.
He completed four passes for 24 yards and also scrambled for 26 yards to help Carolina get to the Arizona five-yard line with two seconds left on the clock. Haynes took the shotgun snap at the 10 and dropped back to the 14 before shooting up the middle, pump faking around the seven and diving into the end zone for the game-winning score.
A massive end zone celebration ensued.
“I’ll tell you what, I couldn’t breathe,” King said afterward. “But it was amazing, just going out there and being able to celebrate with the guys that you’ve been OTAs, all training camp with, and busting your butt, and to finally go out there and celebrate with them and just showcase your talent is very fun.”
Franchise quarterback Bryce Young did not play. Veteran backup Kenny Pickett started the game and played three series before King took over. The 25-year-old rookie completed 21 of 34 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 39 yards with one touchdown on three carries.
“Haynes did a fantastic job,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said after the game, “just keeping the play alive, doing whatever he had to do, run it, throw it.”
After playing sparingly for three years at Texas A&M, King established himself as a dual threat at Georgia Tech over the last three seasons. During that time, King completed 67.6% of his passes for 7,907 yards with 55 touchdowns and 24 interceptions (including 16 during his first season with the Yellow Jackets). He also rushed for 2,277 yards and 36 touchdowns.
King performed well at the NFL scouting combine earlier this year, running the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.46 seconds. Questions about his age and passing ability may have led teams to skip King during the draft in April, but the Panthers snatched him up in free agency immediately afterward.
Kurt Warner and Warren Moon were undrafted quarterbacks who eventually landed in the Hall of Fame. Tony Romo and Jeff Garcia did pretty well for themselves as well. Will King be able to beat the odds like those guys?
His chances of making Carolina’s 53-man roster improved greatly last month when veteran backup quarterback Will Grier announced his retirement, which bumped King up to No. 3 on the depth chart.
More performances like he had Thursday night certainly won’t hurt King’s cause either. Take a look at his run during the final drive:
Again, it’s only preseason … but, man, he was awesome.
Another halfback, Ray Williams, also starred and went to Washington State. Kevin Williams won the state 100-yard dash in 1975. Moore was a two-time City player of the year. White would win the state 330-yard hurdles championship and become a Heisman Trophy winner.
Former San Fernando High football coach Bill Marsh.
(San Fernando HS)
“I had sleepless nights worrying about keeping these guys from being envious or jealous of one another,” Marsh said in 1999.
Marsh, who grew up in Pacoima and played at San Fernando before becoming a coach, P.E. teacher and businessman, died on Monday in Porter Ranch, according to current San Fernando football coach Charles Burnley. Marsh was 79.
“He was a great man,” said Al Coney, who played for Marsh in 1976.
Burnley got into trouble while attending another high school when Marsh intervened to get him another chance.
“He saved my life,” Burnley said.
Those championship San Fernando teams kept running off big plays and using their speed while relying on lots of talent from Pacoima. They were the days when kids went to their neighborhood schools, and Marsh took advantage with a run-oriented offense that left defenses unable to stop the Tigers. In one game against Reseda, the Tigers rushed for 529 yards, with Kevin Williams running for 180 yards, White 152, Raymond Williams 110 and Moore 82.
“It was very hard to stop because Kenny Moore ran the offense like a college quarterback. He learned to read the defensive end,” said receiver DeWayne Jett. “We probably had the top talent in the Valley all at once.”
Five of the offensive players made it to the NFL — Jett, White, both Williamses and Moore.
The 1975 team was ranked No. 1 in the nation to start the season. Sportswriters tasked with selecting City player of the year ended up making White, Moore and Kevin Williams tri-players of the year, which certainly made Marsh happy trying to spread the fame.
Jett almost went to Monroe because of the Vikings’ passing attack, but he remembers Marsh confronting him. “I’m hearing you’re going to Monroe. You’re not going. You’re gold and black.”
LeRoy Irvin, a cornerback and special teams player who made two Pro Bowls with the Rams in the 1980s, has died, the team said Thursday. He was 68.
Irvin holds the Rams record for most non-offensive touchdowns (11 — five interception returns, four punt returns, one fumble recovery return and one blocked field goal return). He also is tied with Janoris Jenkins and Ed Meador for most pick-sixes in team history.
“We mourn the loss of Rams Legend LeRoy Irvin,” the team wrote on social media. “We extend our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
No further details were provided. Freelance sports journalist Eric Geller reported that Irvin died Wednesday after a long battle with throat cancer.
Born Sept. 15, 1957 in Fort Dix, N.J., Irvin played running back at Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Ga. He told Sports Collectors Daily in 2023 that he patterned his running style after O.J. Simpson’s.
“That parlayed into my pro career,” Irvin said. “When I moved to defensive back in college, I always prided myself on being a great runner, which led to me being a great punt returner.”
As a senior at Kansas in 1979, Irvin led the Big Eight Conference with 27 punt returns for 321 yards and two touchdowns. He also intercepted five passes that season. In four years with the Jayhawks, Irvin had 42 punt returns for 454 yards and two touchdowns to go with 10 interceptions.
Selected by the Rams in the third round of the 1980 draft, Irvin played in L.A. for 10 seasons before spending his final season with the Detroit Lions in 1990.
In an NFL record that still stands, Irvin recorded 207 punt return yards during a 37-35 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 11, 1981. Two of his six punt returns that day went for touchdowns, of 75 and 84 yards.
Irvin finished his career with 35 interceptions for 676 yards, and 147 punt returns for 1,457 yards. After retirement, he worked as a coach, broadcaster and businessman.
“Devastated to hear about the passing of my brother, teammate, and Rams legend Leroy Irvin,” his former Rams teammate and business partner Eric Dickerson wrote on Instagram.
“Leroy wasn’t just a lockdown corner and a fierce competitor on the field; he was a true friend and a great man who always brought incredible energy. Rest in peace, my brother. Sending my thoughts and prayers to the Irvin family and all of Rams Nation.”
