Category: Sports

The first-ever World team for the NBA All-Star Game is already looking loaded. And the fate of LeBron James’ record streak of All-Star selections will now be decided by coaches, or perhaps even Commissioner Adam Silver.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama were among those announced Monday as starters — an inexact term this year — for next month’s All-Star Game at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home arena in Inglewood, California. They’re likely heading to the World team, which will take on two teams of U.S. players as part of yet another new format for the midseason showcase.

The NBA announced 10 starters, five from each conference. Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Boston’s Jaylen Brown all are presumably headed to the U.S. squads that will play in the three-team, round-robin tournament on Feb. 15 — all 12-minute mini-games, with the top two teams advancing to a 12-minute championship game.

“It’s still as special as the first one was, honestly,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the All-Star nod. “I grew up watching All-Star games as a kid, dreaming about playing in them. To be able to play in them will always have that same feeling. All the players that I looked up to, that I imitated my game after, played in those games, played on that stage. And for me to be able do so, it’s a blessing and an honor.”

Starters were selected through a weighted formula, with fan voting counting for 50% of a player’s ranking, the votes of a 100-member panel of broadcasters and reporters counting for 25% and voting by NBA players themselves counting for the remaining 25%.

The U.S. vs. the World concept was talked about for years before finally becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan earlier this season, after trying yet again to figure out the latest way to spark renewed interest in the game.

It seemed like the right time to try a game with national pride at stake, given that it’ll happen this year around the midway point of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The NBA’s All-Star events, like the Olympics in the U.S., will all be broadcast on NBC’s family of networks.

What is the format?

There will be three teams of at least eight players. Games will be one standard NBA quarter, or 12 minutes long.

Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winner of that game will play Team C in Game 2. The loser of Game 1 will play Team C in Game 3.

The teams with the best two records will play in the championship game. If all three teams are 1-1, point differential would be the tiebreaker.

Where things stand

The league typically has 10 starters picked by the weighted formula voting, then 14 reserves by the coaches, and that’s also the case this year.

It’s just different.

In a standard All-Star Game — two teams, 12 players per side — the old voting formula works out perfectly. But this is three teams, with eight players per side. That means at least 15 players will “start” a game in the All-Star tournament.

Therefore, it’s guaranteed that some players who weren’t announced as starters Monday will be starting on Feb. 15.

And it is possible that some rosters may have more than eight players, if the NBA needs to keep adding in order to get to 16 on the U.S. side or eight on the World side.

LeBron’s status

James, for the first time in 22 years, wasn’t among the group selected as a starter.

His record run of 20 consecutive All-Star Game appearances — not selections, that streak continued — ended last season when he bowed out of another mini-tournament format citing foot and ankle injuries. He could still make it as a reserve, with those 14 spots to be decided by a polling of NBA head coaches.

And he also could get an invite as an injury replacement if one is needed, with Silver picking those players when necessary.

James is in his record-setting 23rd season. His record streak of 1,297 consecutive regular-season games with at least 10 points ended in December, and he has already missed 17 games — meaning he’ll probably have to play in every Lakers game for the rest of the season to be eligible for most postseason awards like All-NBA honors. James has been an All-NBA selection in 21 of his first 22 seasons, including a second-teamer last season.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones insists there’s no real secret to the Hoosiers defensive success.

They prepare hard, follow coaches’ instructions, stick to the fundamentals and trust one another to do their jobs. It’s as old-school as it gets, hardly a surprise in coach Curt Cignetti’s program.

But No. 1 Indiana is here, one win away from playing for its first national championship because the players remain motivated to prove something to themselves — and to the college football world.

“You’re always chasing that perfect game as a defense and for us that chip will always be there,” Jones said Tuesday. “A lot of these guys had chips (on their shoulders) before they got to Indiana and so did I. So having that chip is what got us here, and I don’t think it’s ever going to go away.”

These Hoosiers have been trying to show their values to a wider audience for years.

Jones grew up in central Ohio but didn’t get much attention from his home state Buckeyes. Linebacker Aiden Fisher landed at James Madison as a zero-star recruit. Defensive end Mikail Kamara joined him with the Dukes after receiving several other scholarship offers from smaller schools, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds grew weary of hearing constant questions about his 5-foot-9 frame.

And even though Stephen Daley suffered a right leg injury that will keep him out of Friday night’s Peach Bowl against No. 5 Oregon, he didn’t let anyone deter his journey from 230-pound, two-way star to all-conference defensive linemen. Yes, the guy his local fans once compared to Derrick Henry because he qualified for the Virginia state track and field championships in the 100-meter dash, as the anchor of the 4×100-meter relay and, yes, in the discus, started his career at Kent State and created one of the sport’s most unusual one-year transitions — going from the 0-12 Golden Flashes in 2024 to the top-ranked and still unbeaten 14-0 Hoosiers this year.

Together, they’ve formed one of the nation’s stingiest defenses — one still trying to demonstrate its stifling performance in October’s 30-20 win at Oregon was no fluke. The Ducks (13-1) understand the challenge.

“Obviously, they have great players,” Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq said. “Second to that, they have great schemes. So, I mean, when you look at the stunts they do, the same pressures, all those things, just even players winning their one-on-ones on the edges, the edges do a great job.”

Current and former coaches have often praised Indiana’s defense for its uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time on almost every play. That’s by design.

But the Ducks defense also has something to prove after losing twice in the past 13 months.

In last January’s Rose Bowl rematch against Ohio State, the Buckeyes jumped out to a 34-0 lead and avenged their only loss of the season with a 41-21 rout over No. 1 and previously unbeaten Oregon, the Big Ten champs.

Then in October, Oregon took advantage of a Pick-6 thrown by Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, to tie the score at 20 in the fourth quarter — only to watch Mendoza march the Hoosiers right down the field for the tiebreaking touchdown on Indiana’s next series.

Oregon certainly would like to steal a page out of Ohio State’s playbook in this rematch with the Big Ten champs.

The Ducks (13-1) certainly have the bodies to get the job done.

Nearly half of Oregon’s defensive starters are projected to be NFL draft picks. They also might have the most frustrated player on the field in Atlanta — second team Associated Press All-American safety Dillon Thieneman, a transfer from Purdue who grew up in suburban Indianapolis.

Not only did he endure this year’s only loss, Thieneman also was on the field when Indiana dealt Purdue its most lopsided loss in school history, 66-0, in the 2024 regular-season finale. Naturally, he hasn’t forgotten.

“Props to them for what they’ve done. I definitely have my own kind of feelings about the (Oregon) game and that team and stuff,” he said before cracking a smile. “I know a few guys on that team. Just coming from Purdue, I think you know how I feel about them, don’t need to say it.”

But this game won’t be decided simply by who wants it more, especially with the stakes so high.

Instead, it will come down to matchups, game plans and, of course, the most basic element of all in football — execution. It’s a message that seems tailor made for the blunt-talking Cignetti, who uses short phrases and quick quips to make his point.

Implementing that message is up to the Hoosiers as they try to defy history one more time.

“They’ve improved drastically. So for me, I’m scouting a whole new team,” Fisher said. “To me, it’s two teams seeing each other for the first time, in my mind. You treat it like that. You prepare for it like that. I can speak for a lot of guys with that, our coaches, too. We’re treating it like it’s the biggest game of the year because it’s the next one and you’ve got to prepare for it like that.”

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky fired the Southeastern Conference’s longest-tenured coach, ending Mark Stoops’ tenure in his 13th season with the Wildcats after back-to-back losing records Monday morning.

By Monday night, athletic director Mitch Barnhart announced the hiring of Stoops’ replacement in Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, 36, coming home to Kentucky where his father once played. This will be Stein’s first head coaching job.

“Will Stein brings an outstanding track record of developing elite quarterbacks and leading some of the most dynamic and successful offenses in college football,” Barnhart said.

Kentucky became the sixth SEC program to change coaches this season, joining Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, LSU and Mississippi.

Stoops had been tied with N.C. State coach Dave Doeren for the fifth longest-tenured coach at a Bowl Subdivision program. He trailed only Kirk Ferentz with 27 seasons at Iowa, Kyle Whittingham with 21 at Utah, Troy Calhoun with 19 at Air Force and Dabo Swinney with 18 at Clemson.

Stoops signed an extension in November 2022 taking him through June 2031 and paying him $9 million for the 2025 season. That made him the fifth-highest paid coach in the SEC.

But Kentucky went 5-7 and missed becoming bowl eligible when shutout 41-0 by in-state rival Louisville in its season finale.

Kentucky had faced paying Stoops a $37.6 million buyout within 60 days of his firing, though reportedly Stoops has agreed to a change in the payment schedule. Stoops made clear he wouldn’t leave on his own after the loss to Louisville.

“Zero percent chance I walk away,” Stoops said Saturday, adding the decision was not his to make. “I’m going to be here as far as I’m concerned.”

He was one of only 17 head coaches who coached at least 13 seasons at an SEC school since the league debuted in 1933. He was Kentucky’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 82-80, though 10 wins were vacated by the NCAA.

Stoops coached Kentucky to seven bowl games, a Top 10 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 and a school-record 16-game winning streak against nonconference competition. He led the Wildcats to their first home win over Florida since 1986.

After going 2-10 in his debut season, Stoops put together consecutive 5-7 seasons before winning the TaxSlayer Bowl to finish 7-6 in 2016. That was the first of eight straight bowl berths with Stoops’ best season coming in 2018 at 10-3 and a Citrus Bowl berth.

Kentucky had only three more winning seasons after that, including 2021 with games vacated by the NCAA leaving the Wildcats officially with an 0-3 record. The last were back-to-back 7-6 seasons in 2022 and 2023, and he appeared to challenge fans to “pony up” to help bring players to the Wildcats.

“I just encourage them to donate more, because that’s what those dudes are doing,” Stoops said in October 2023. “I can promise you Georgia, they bought some pretty good players. You’re allowed to these days.”

Barnhart made clear Monday morning that money will be invested.

“We will continue to make the necessary investments to recruit an elite head coach, players, and support staff,” Barnhart said. “That includes fully funding revenue-sharing and NIL opportunities, providing state-of-the-art facilities, and ensuring our student-athletes have every resource to thrive.”

Stoops went 4-8 in 2024 with a 1-7 record in the SEC for his worst mark since his debut season at Kentucky. He lost top recruiter Vince Marrow, who had been with him since 2013, to in-state rival Louisville in June.

Trying to turn around the Wildcats, Stoops turned heavily to the transfer portal for this season, bringing in 27 players. That didn’t help as Kentucky started 3-5, losing its first five SEC games and couldn’t score a point losing to Louisville.

“It is critically important that we are competitive and successful in football,” Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said. “That is our goal. It is our focus. We intend to be successful.”

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Lane Kiffin called his past six years at Ole Miss “the best six years” of his life, and then tried to explain why he felt compelled to leave Oxford, Mississippi, behind and take over an LSU football program that he’s always admired from afar.

“Having watched this place for a long time, having been on the other sideline in this stadium, this place is different, and that’s why we’re here,” Kiffin said. “LSU is the best job in football. When you take the history, tradition, passion and the great players in the state of Louisiana … when you’re in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, there is nothing like it.”

Kiffin was flown in on a private plane on Sunday night with LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry.

Monday afternoon, he was standing on a podium before a festive crowd of LSU dignitaries in a premium club lounge with a panoramic view of Tiger Stadium, where massive video boards were lit up with his name and likeness.

“I felt like everybody that I talked to outside of the state that I was in (Mississippi) all basically said the same thing,” Kiffin said, acknowledging that he also had received a “unique, great call” from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry during LSU’s courtship.

“They all said, ‘Man, you are going to regret it if you don’t take a shot and you don’t go to LSU. It’s the best job in America with the best resources,’” Kiffin said.

Ausberry said Kiffin’s name was the first on everyone’s lips when LSU’s search committed first met to discuss candidates.

Kiffin, meanwhile, said he liked the fact that Ausberry told him: “I’m going to leave you alone and let you coach the team.”

Kiffin now has a seven-year contract paying him about $13 million annually, making him, for the time being, the second-highest-paid coach in college football. Kiffin said he received similar offers from Ole Miss and Florida, but that LSU’s plan for raising money for paying players impressed him the most.

Just three days earlier, Kiffin was walking off a football field with triumphant Ole Miss players after an Egg Bowl victory at Mississippi State that secured the first 11-win regular season in Rebels history. Kiffin wanted to continue coaching the Rebels in the College Football Playoff, and made his case to do so during more than a day of protracted negotiations with Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter over the weekend.

Kiffin said that while he felt most people across the country agreed that he should be able to coach in the postseason, he also respected Carter’s stance, because Carter would still have to live in Oxford when the season was done. Even after Kiffin had moved on to the Rebels’ historical rivals in neighboring Louisiana.

Kiffin said he was torn, and that making his decision to leave Ole Miss was excruciating and extremely difficult. He said he felt grateful to the people of Oxford, as well as his Rebels players and assistant coaches, for both his coaching success and quality of life he enjoyed while he was there.

“It was amazing,” Kiffin said. “It will forever be a major part of my story.”

Kiffin also recounted his unsettling drive to the Oxford airport with his son, Knox, on Sunday night.

“People trying to run us off the road, man, and the things they said to us,” Kiffin said. “But that’s the SEC. I’ve been around it long enough to know that, and it’s just the passion of the SEC. I’m not upset at those reactions by fans, by people. I think that people get really upset when you leave somewhere because they feel hurt because you’re doing a really good job.”

Kiffin said his past 48 hours had been very challenging, and “in a lot of ways sucked. It’s the only way I can describe it. It sucked for a lot of people.”

He also couldn’t help but think, when he was greeted by jubilant fans outside the airport in Baton Rouge, that he hadn’t “done anything yet.”

Kiffin, 50, is starting his sixth head coaching job. He’s been fired from a couple. He was criticized — and also said he regretted — not spending more than one year at Tennessee before seizing a chance to coach Southern California.

But he appreciated the enthusiasm for his arrival, and when he rode past Tiger Stadium, all lit up on Sunday night, he called his old friend and former LSU coach Ed Orgeron.

He recounted with a grin that he told Orgeron, “This place just makes me want to talk like you right now.”

And then Kiffin mimicked himself a night earlier, summoning a low, raspy voice and a Cajun accent, like Orgeron, as he shouted: “Go Tigers!”

Kiffin said Orgeron told him, “Coach, you’re at the best place in America.”

And Kiffin responded, “I feel that.”

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida hired Tulane’s Jon Sumrall as football coach Sunday, settling for its second choice after Lane Kiffin picked LSU over the Gators.

Sumrall finalized a six-year, $44.7 million contract that comes with incentives, according to a person familiar with the search. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details were not released. The deal averages $7.45 million annually.

The 43-year-old Sumrall will remain with the 22nd-ranked Green Wave for the American Conference title game next week and through the College Football Playoff if Tulane makes the 12-team field.

The Gators also agreed to terms with longtime NFL executive Dave Caldwell as their general manager. Caldwell won a Super Bowl during his five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and built a roster that made the AFC title game in eight years (2013-20) with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also spent time with Atlanta, Indianapolis and Carolina.

Caldwell is expected to help manage Florida’s salary cap and evaluate talent — essentially taking some things off Sumrall’s plate as college football moves closer to adopting NFL-style front offices.

Sumrall played linebacker at Kentucky (2002-04) and returned to his alma mater for a three-year stint before becoming Troy’s head coach in 2022. He won consecutive Sun Belt championships in two seasons with the Trojans and then enjoyed similar success at Tulane.

Sumrall is 19-7 in two years in New Orleans and led the Green Wave to the American championship game both seasons. So he has made four league title games in four years as a head coach. The Gators are hoping he’s Urban Meyer 2.0 and not Billy Napier 2.0.

“Not many coaches win big at two different non-Power programs, and even fewer do it as quickly as Jon has done it,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “He joins rare company — coaches like Urban Meyer, Brian Kelly and Willie Fritz — who’ve delivered immediate success at multiple stops. Jon’s track record of rapid turnarounds speaks directly to his leadership and the culture he establishes.”

Sumrall had been considered a possibility at Auburn, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Florida made a late push when Kiffin’s interest in the Gators waned. Florida fans are likely to view him as a consolation prize, another gamble from a Group of Five conference.

Sumrall replaces Napier, who was fired in mid-October and went 22-23 over four seasons in Gainesville. Napier was nicknamed “Sun Belt Billy” because he often looked in over his head in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.

Going back to Louisiana for another G5 coach? And a defensive guy to boot? That’s a bold move for Stricklin, who is sure to draw the ire of the Florida faithful for failing to land Kiffin.

He was roundly booed at a championship celebration to honor men’s basketball coach Todd Golden and his title-winning team in April. Now, the fan base is calling for his job.

A website titled FireScottStricklin.com documents Stricklin’s shortcomings, and some fans organized a rally Sunday outside Florida Field to promote Stricklin’s “immediate removal.”

But Stricklin seemingly has the support of the Board of Trustees, which gave him a three-year contract extension in June and allowed him to conduct a coaching search that included roughly 10 interviews without interference.

There were rumors and reports about boosters getting involved and straining relationships with Kiffin and his camp. But Stricklin made it clear he was the only one making the hire. Kiffin chose LSU after a public tug-of-war involving all three schools.

Kiffin’s family members took scouting trips to Gainesville and Baton Rouge, and he met with administrators and fundraisers on several occasions. The trip to Gainesville was underwhelming, according to people familiar with the search, and high school football in the area left plenty to be desired.

Florida even turned to Heisman Trophy winners Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel during its pursuit of Kiffin, who eventually slowed communication with UF officials to the point where the Gators decided they had to move on in a crowded market.

Now, Sumrall will be counted on to lead a downtrodden program back to prominence in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference.

Tulane’s numbers are far from gaudy: The Green Wave rank 39th in the country in total offense and 64th in total defense. Sumrall is expected to hire outside coordinators to help him rebuild in Gainesville.

The Gators (4-8) clearly have talent and ended a dismal season with one of their best performances, a 40-21 victory against rival Florida State in the Swamp in which running back Jadan Baugh ran for a career-high 266 yards and two touchdowns and DJ Lagway threw for three scores.

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Lane Kiffin left his one-loss Ole Miss team to become the coach at LSU on Sunday, taking over a program that has won national titles under three of its previous four coaches while saying he would have stayed to coach the Rebels in the postseason had he been allowed to.

The move comes two days after No. 6 Mississippi’s victory over Mississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl rivalry game that all but guaranteed the Rebels a playoff berth when the bracket is announced Dec. 7.

“I was hoping to complete a historic six season run with this year’s team by leading Ole Miss through the playoffs, capitalizing on the team’s incredible success and their commitment to finish strong,” Kiffin wrote in a social media post. He said Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter denied his request “despite the team also asking him to allow me to keep coaching them so they could better maintain their high level of performance.”

“Unfortunately, that means Friday’s Egg Bowl was my last game coaching the Rebels,” he added.

Mississippi promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to succeed Kiffin. A former college player at Delta State in Mississippi, Golding is in his third season on the Rebels’ staff after serving five years as a top defensive assistant at Alabama.

“Coach Kiffin and I met yesterday, and he informed us that he is accepting the head coaching position at another school,” Carter said. “For our program to begin preparing for its future – both the short and long term, he will be stepping away from the team immediately.”

LSU trumpeted its new hire, with athletic director Verge Ausberry calling Kiffin the best coach in the country.

“Lane is a proven winner who has thrived in an era of college athletics that requires coaches to adapt and innovate,” he said. “His passion, creativity and authenticity make him the ideal leader to guide LSU into the future and consistently position us among the sport’s elite.”

Kiffin’s decision played out for days, contributing to an already-busy hiring cycle that saw several moves earlier Sunday, including three in the SEC alone. While players have transferred away from playoff-bound teams, a coach leaving a team that is 11-1 and all but certain to make the playoff is something new.

Kiffin and Carter had agreed last week that a decision had to be made this weekend as negotiations dragged on. Carter could not afford to wait until after critical recruiting periods in December and transfer periods in January had passed before starting his coaching search. The CFP begins on Dec. 19, the semifinals don’t occur until Jan. 8-9 and the final is Jan. 19.

Kiffin is considered one of the top offensive coaches in college football. He went 55-19 in six seasons at Ole Miss, success that made him a target of several major programs seeking new coaches. Kiffin also was pursued by Florida, which fired coach Billy Napier a week before LSU cut ties with Brian Kelly.

The lure of LSU

While LSU offered Kiffin a raise over his current $9 million annual salary, the decision presumably was about more than money.

LSU has a championship brand in multiple sports; state-of-the-art facilities; a rabid, regional fan following; and a legendary, historic home football venue in Tiger Stadium (nicknamed Death Valley), which towers over the banks of the Mississippi River and holds 102,000 spectators — 38,000 more than Mississippi’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

The lone football coach of LSU’s past four who did not win a national championship was Kelly. He was fired in late October during his fourth season, a seismic development that also led then-athletic director Scott Woodward to resign under pressure from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

Ausberry — a Louisiana native, former Tigers football player and long-time LSU administrator — led a search for a new coach that focused primarily on Kiffin. LSU offered Kiffin a seven-year contract with an average annual salary of around $13 million and pledged to ensure the football program has ample financial backing to pay players.

Kiffin has overseen one of the most successful stints in Ole Miss history, arguably exceeded by only Johnny Vaught, whose 25 seasons at Ole Miss included a six-year period from 1957 through 1962 during which his teams went a combined 57-6.

LSU is 247-84 with three national championships since the 2000 season, which was Nick Saban’s first with the Tigers. Saban won his national title at LSU in the 2003 season and went 48-16 in five years before leaving to coach in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins. Les Miles, hired in 2005, went 114-34 with a national title in 2007. Ed Orgeron, who succeeded Miles during the 2016 season, went 51-20, highlighted by his 15-0, national-title winning campaign in 2019. Kelly, who was in the midst of a 10-year contract worth about $100 million at LSU, went 34-14 with the Tigers.

Kiffin’s rise

Kiffin, son of the late NFL and college defensive coach Monte Kiffin, played quarterback in college at Fresno State. He got his first head-coaching job at any level in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders in 2007, but was fired just four games into his second season.

His took first college head-coaching job at Tennessee in 2009 and left after one season to take over at Southern California, where he was fired five games into his fourth season. He returned to coaching in 2017 with Florida Atlantic, spending three seasons there before Ole Miss lured him to Oxford in 2020.

Kiffin has said he adopted the mantra of striving to “do things better than they’ve ever been done before,” from one of his mentors, Pete Carroll, under whom Kiffin served as an assistant at USC from 2001 to 2006.

“I am incredibly honored to have the opportunity to lead the storied LSU football program,” Kiffin said. “From national championships to iconic players, LSU is synonymous with excellence and is among the most powerful brands in all of sports.”

No coach has ever won multiple national championships at LSU. Kiffin will be the next to try.

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This story has been updated to correct the school Golding attended to Delta State.

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Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, along with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, tight end Jason Witten and running back Frank Gore made it to the semifinal stage in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The five newcomers are among the 26 modern era candidates who advanced to this stage in voting conducted by the full 50-member selection committee for the class of 2026.

The selection committee will next reduce the list to 15 finalists, who will be voted on before the Super Bowl in February.

Four players have already guaranteed themselves spots in the final 15 after making it down to the final seven players in the 2025 class, with Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri taking those spots.

The other returning finalists are Eli Manning, Fred Taylor, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshall Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson.

Offensive lineman Lomas Brown and defensive lineman Kevin Williams were the other two candidates who reached the semifinal stage for the first time. The other semifinalists are Hines Ward, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, Vince Wilfork and Robert Mathis.

In addition to the 15 modern era finalists, the selection committee will consider three seniors, one coach and one contributor for the class of 2026. Between four and eight new members will be elected in the second year of this current format.

Only four people got in last year for the smallest class in 20 years.

Brees and Fitzgerald are the top new candidates this year.

Brees is second all time to Tom Brady with 80,358 yards passing and 571 touchdown passes. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the San Diego Chargers before signing as a free agent with the Saints in 2006, where his career took off as he helped lift a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

Brees delivered to New Orleans its first Super Bowl title following the 2009 season, when he won MVP of the game after beating Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Brees made the Pro Bowl 13 times in his career, won AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, was an All-Pro in 2006 and was a second-team All-Pro four times.

Fitzgerald spent his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals after being drafted third overall in 2004. His 1,432 catches and 17,492 yards receiving in 17 seasons rank second all time to Jerry Rice.

Fitzgerald topped 1,000 yards receiving nine times — tied for the fourth most ever — and helped the Cardinals reach their only Super Bowl following the 2008 season. Fitzgerald set single-season records that postseason with 546 yards receiving and seven TD catches, including a go-ahead 64-yard score with 2:37 to play in the Super Bowl before Pittsburgh rallied for a 27-23 win over Arizona.

Rivers ranks seventh all time with 63,440 yards passing in a career spent mostly with the Chargers. He made eight Pro Bowls and won the 2013 AP Comeback Player of the Year.

Witten was one of the most prolific tight ends ever with his 1,228 catches and 13,046 yards ranking second best all time. Witten was a two-time All-Pro for Dallas and was a second-team All-Pro two other times.

Gore ranks third all time with 16,000 yards rushing with nine 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl honors.

Kuechly’s career was brief but impactful. The first-round pick by Carolina in 2012 was an All-Pro five times, with seven Pro Bowl nods and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Over his eight-year career, Kuechly led all linebackers in the NFL in tackles (1,090), takeaways (26), interceptions (18) and passes defensed (66).

Vinatieri was one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, making the game-winning field goals in the first two Super Bowl victories during New England’s dynasty.

He helped launch the run with one of the game’s greatest kicks — a 45-yarder in the snow to force overtime in the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round. He made the game-winning kick in OT to win that game and then hit a 48-yarder on the final play of a 20-17 win in the Super Bowl against the Rams.

Vinatieri is the NFL’s career leader in points (2,673) and made field goals (599) over a 24-year career with New England and Indianapolis. He also leads all players with 56 field goals and 238 points in the postseason.

Holt was a key part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” helping the team win the Super Bowl in his rookie season in 1999 and getting back there two years later. Holt led the NFL in yards receiving in 2000 and in catches and yards in 2003 when he made his only All-Pro team.

Holt finished his career with 920 catches for 13,382 yards and 74 TDs.

Anderson was considered one of the top right tackles in his era after being a first-round pick by Cincinnati in 1996. He spent nearly his entire career with the Bengals and made three straight All-Pro teams from 2004-06.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL