Draft Day
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
On April 24th, the NFL world flocked to Lambeau Field where over 100,000 fans from across the 32 NFL teams showed out to see who the newest additions to NFL rosters would be as the home of the Packers hosted the 2025 NFL Draft.
The first couple of picks were as expected in the sense of which players were going with which pick, but there was a little shakeup with who would be taking those players.
The night began with Miami QB Cam Ward going first overall to the Tennessee Titans.
Ward has an incredible story of climbing from FCS Incarnate Word to Washington State before finishing his college career for the Hurricanes in Coral Gables.
Ward took the ACC by storm leading all of FBS with 39 touchdowns, and I think could see even more success in the NFL in a pro system.
Not many were shocked to see Travis Hunter go off the board with the second pick, but there was a “Draft Day”-like trade made as the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to pick up the second overall selection from the Cleveland Browns.
The Jags and first year Head Coach Liam Coen get what many have called “the Unicorn” of football as Hunter is expected to continue to play both offense as a wide receiver and contribute as a defensive back on the flip side as well like he has for Coach Prime at Colorado and Jackson State.
This can be a franchise changing and possibly league changing selection if it goes how DUVAL expects. Like the way the Shohei Ohtani has changed the Dodgers and the game of baseball as a two-way player, Hunter can be that for the Jags and the NFL.
The trenches took the show for much of the first round as eight of the next eleven selections (3-13) were a combination of four offensive linemen and four defensive linemen.
The hometown Atlanta Falcons would stay in the state of Georgia and select a Georgia Bulldog from Athens as LB/DE Jalon Walker would become the newest “Dirty Bird.”
Rece Davis shocked many by bringing up the fact that the Falcons had never picked a UGA player in the first round in the modern history of the draft, but this selection finally addresses a need that the Falcons have had for a number of years in pass rush.
I think you may see Walker more as a defensive end in the Atlanta version of the red and black, but the versatility of Walker makes him an extremely appealing selection for the Falcons.
Walker was the second Kirby Smart disciple off the board as four picks earlier, the San Francisco 49ers would select Georgia Edge rusher Mykel Williams.
The 49ers have a huge history of developing pass rushers, and Williams becomes a fantastic option to play opposite of Nick Bosa for San Fran.
The Falcons made a late trade for the 26th overall pick from the LA Rams in order to add another SEC pass-rusher with the selection of Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.
I was concerned when I saw the Falcons give up a 1st rounder for next year’s draft as part of the trade, but love where Atlanta goes with this pick.
In the span of about an hour, Atlanta completely changed the outlook of the defensive side of the ball in the Benz.
As Ohio State O-Lineman Josh Simmons was selected by the Chiefs to wrap up the first round, the final tallies have come in.
The trenches continued to run the show as 8 O-Line and 10 D-Line were taken in the first 32 picks.
There were also only 2 QBs (Cam Ward 1st overall and Jaxson Dart 25th overall) and 4 DBs off the board.
Non-surprisingly the SEC led the way with 15 picks hailing from the SouthEastern Conference and the Big Ten setting a conference record with 11 1st round selections.
We mentioned earlier that there was a lot of “chalk” in the first round, but a couple of surprises of names that have to wait for day two would be Will Johnson (Michigan CB) who has been dealing with questions about injuries over the years and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado QB) who, along with his dad, have been vocal about being “picky” of what team to select.
Pirates Keep Sailing
By: Cameron Miller
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Brunswick High Pirates Baseball team is moving on to the Sweet 16 in the state playoffs.
The Pirates are the Class AAAAA Region 1, 3 seed, which lead them to taking a trip up to Villa Rica, Ga this past week to face off against the Villa Rica High School Wildcats.
The Wildcats were the Class AAAAA Region 5, 2 seed in this year’s state playoffs. They made it to the sweet 16 last year but ultimately, due to the great play of the Pirates, fell short of a repeat.
The first round in the bracket for this year had the Pirates scheduled to play games 1 and 2 on Wednesday the 23rd and if needed, game 3 would be played on Thursday the 24th.
The Pirates made the trip up with zero intentions of needing a game 3. They made the trip short and sweet, with a 1-0 win in game 1 and a 7-5 win in game 2, giving them a clean sweep of the series.
In Game 1, Trenton Robinson was on the mound for the Pirates, where he once again had an absolute lights-out performance.
Robinson pitched 7 full shutout innings, in which he struck out 7 batters, didn’t walk a single one of them, and only gave up 3 hits the entire game.
Brett Hickson had the game’s only RBI, with a groundout in the first inning, it was just enough for Jordan Lodise to be able to make it home to score and give the Pirates an early 1-0 lead that they held onto until the end.
In Game 2, Jordan Lodise made the start for the Pirates. Lodise pitched 4 innings for the Pirates before others such as Brett Hickson, Braxton Johnson, and Hunter Neal took the mound in relief.
Despite giving up 5 runs, the Brunswick bats were hot in this game, scoring 7 runs against the Wildcats.
Jordan Lodise led the Pirates batting going 3 for 4, with one of his hits being a double that scored 2 runs.
Garrison Strickland was also able to bring home 2 runs with a hard-hit ground ball that got through due to an error by the shortstop.
Another big hitter for the Pirates in this game was Trenton Robinson. Robinson went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, but his only hit came when they seemed to need it the most.
In a close 5-4 ball game in the bottom of the 6th inning, with Dawson Parke standing on 2nd base, he launched a series sealing, 2 run homerun over the left field wall.
Villa Rica tried to mount a comeback in the 7th, but the Pirates held on to close it out with a final score of 7-5.
The Pirates will now have to make the trip up to Warner Robins, Ga on April 29th for their Sweet 16 matchup where they will face off against the Houston County High School Bears.
Houston is the Class AAAAA Region 2, 1 Seed, so I’m sure the Pirates will be tested in this matchup, but if they can continue to stay this hot I have zero doubts in their ability to get the job done and advance to the Elite 8.
With The 1st Pick
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
“With the First Pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select Cameron Ward, Quarterback, Miami…”
That’s not only the phrase that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell uttered making Cam Ward the first overall selection in the Draft on Thursday night, but it’s also a phrase that many people would have laughed at even a year ago. Cam Ward’s path is one that isn’t replicable but it’s one that is special and untraveled.
Ward’s story really takes off at Columbia High School, a (in relation to Texas High Schools) smaller school less than 60 miles southwest of Houston. The Columbia High tradition isn’t of star quarterbacks going to the NFL, their tradition is…. the wing-T offense.
In an offense that is well known for quarterbacks that are more magicians than gunslingers, Ward’s offense ran the ball four times as much as throwing.
Cam’s family knew the talent that ward possessed in the arm, and his mom, Patrice (who was a basketball coach at Columbia) went to the coaches to talk about it. Cam finally told his mom to not say anything else and he would “show everyone in time.”
The first glimpse of stardom came at a 2019 football camp at Incarnate Word. UIW’s head coach at the time was Eric Morris who was the one who recruited Patrick Mahomes to Texas Tech when he was the offensive coordinator for the Red Raiders.
Morris saw Ward standing out pass after pass and asked his QB Coach, Mack Leftwich and asked, “Who is this kid?” and the response was “I have no clue.” As the day went on and Ward continued to impress Morris and Leftwich tracked down his name and directly after the camp to look at the tapes and were surprised to see the Wing-T offense.
Through a relatively light recruiting process, Ward would land at Incarnate Word and hit the ground running as a freshman. In year one as a collegiate quarterback, Ward would upset the FCS #19 McNeese State on the road in his first college start and average 47 pass attempts per game including 65 pass attempts in one game.
Two seasons at Incarnate Word would see 71 touchdowns and just shy of 7,000 passing yards, then questions would come.
Ward has said that he would have been content to play his entire career as an FCS quarterback, but after his sophomore season, Eric Morris would get the chance to become the Washington State offensive coordinator.
Because of the trust between Morris and Ward, Cam would follow to the Pacific Northwest. Although Morris would only spend one season with the Cougs before returning to the Lone Star State to North Texas, Ward stayed for two seasons at Washington State then declared for the NFL Draft.
Ward thought that a mid-round selection would determine his path, but his cousin, Quandre Diggs (NFL Pro-Bowl Safety) convinced him to return to college. Ward says that Diggs told him “If you’re not a first-round pick, you’re looked at as a project. Sometimes it works, sometimes you get buried in the organization.” With that in mind, Ward welcomed offers to transfer and finally landed in Coral Cables, Florida with Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.
It turned out to be a great decision as Ward paced the FBS with 39 touchdowns and finished second in the nation with 4,313 passing yards. That sets Ward up for the night he’s always dreamed of.
In the shadows of Labeau Field, Cam Ward became a Tennessee Titan and looks to get the franchise that has struggled mightily the last few years back on track, and through all the naysayers, against all odds, Cam Ward is the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Run
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
They all should have known better.
Jarred Kelenic should have ran. Brian Snitker should have benched his talent. And Ronald Acuña Jr. should have addressed the double standard internally rather than taking to X to say, “If it were me, they would take me out of the game.”
Acuña, who is not with the Atlanta Braves while recovering from a torn left ACL, later deleted his controversial post. The problem for Snitker, a Braves lifer, is that his star right fielder essentially stated a fact.
Snitker removed Acuña from a game in August 2019 for the same offense Kelenic committed Saturday night; failing to run hard on a fly ball out of the batter’s box he thought would be a home run.
He also pulled Ender Inciarte for lack of hustle in July 2018 and Marcell Ozuna for the same misstep in June 2023. Do you sense a pattern?
Snitker defended Acuña when the Miami Marlins repeatedly drilled Acuña in 2018. He continued playing Ozuna when many Braves fans booed him and wanted him released during his slow start to the 2023 season. And those are just two examples.
Still, just as players make mistakes, so do managers. Snitker hardly distinguished himself with his failure to bench Kelenic and his feeble responses to reporters’ questions about the incident the past two days.
Consider what Snitker said after benching Acuña, then the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, in 2019:
“He didn’t run. You’ve got to run. It’s not going to be acceptable here. As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys. That name on the front is a lot more important than the name on the back of that jersey.
“You can’t do that. We’re trying to accomplish and do something special here, and personal things have to be put on the back burner. You just can’t let your team down like that.”
Snitker should have taken the same stance with Kelenic, a struggling player and easier target than Acuña, a future MVP. Kelenic very well could be the player sent to Triple A when Acuña rejoins the Braves, possibly in early May.
Acuña was 21 then. He is 27 now, married with two sons. The general consensus around the Braves in recent seasons was that he matured, in the way most young players do in the MLB.
His post on X, like many reactions on social media, was made in the heat of the moment. But if there’s one thing players detest in managers, it’s inconsistency. Snitker was inconsistent with Kelenic. Acuña can be forgiven for lodging an objection.
How will this play out?
On The Clock
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
With the 2025 NFL Draft just days away, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the entire league guessing. Sitting at the No. 5 overall pick, they’ve become one of the hardest teams to predict, maybe even the hardest.
What once seemed like a sure thing now feels wide open, and nobody really knows what they’re going to do.
For months, the Jags were closely tied to Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham.
That talk didn’t slow down before or after the NFL Combine, or even once free agency hit.
But now? Doubts are creeping in. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, one of the most plugged-in voices in football, recently said on the Unsportsmanlike Podcast that he no longer thinks Jacksonville is going to take Graham at No. 5.
“I don’t believe Mason Graham will go No. 5,” Schefter said. “I feel pretty comfortable in saying that.” Instead, he hinted that the Jags could be looking at offense. Names like Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan have started getting thrown around as possible targets.
It’s a bit of a shock, especially considering how consistently Graham’s name had been tied to Jacksonville. But not everyone is sold on Graham’s fit, especially among analytics-driven teams. Ole Miss tackle Walter Nolen is a higher-ranked prospect, but Nolen has some character red flags to clear up.
There’s also talk that Jaguars head coach Liam Coen wants to bring in another offensive weapon to help quarterback Trevor Lawrence. That would make sense. Lawrence has had a lot on his plate, and adding a dynamic playmaker, whether it’s a running back like Jeanty or a wide receiver like McMillan, could help take some of the pressure off him and last year’s rookie sensation, wideout Brian Thomas Jr.
Other options on offense include LSU’s Will Campbell and Missouri’s Armand Membou if they’re looking to beef up the O-line instead. But no matter who it is, it’s clear that offense is on the table in a big way.
Another twist? Jacksonville might not even stay at No. 5. Some pundits see the Jags as a team that could trade down, and that’s something that starts to make a lot of sense once you look at their roster.
Right now, they’ve only got 59 players under contract, the fewest in the NFL. Even if they use all 10 of their picks, they’ll still be relying on a bunch of undrafted free agents just to fill the team out. Trading back and getting more picks could help with that.
James Gladstone, the Jags’ new GM, comes from the Rams, where he helped turn things around with a massive draft haul of 24 picks over two years.
He’s already said he wants to build through the draft, so don’t be surprised if he tries something similar in Jacksonville.
Then there’s the Travis Etienne situation. Schefter named him as one of the players who could be traded during draft week. No one’s saying the Jags are definitely shopping him, but it’s interesting that his name came up at all.
Etienne hasn’t exactly lit it up lately, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry over the last two seasons, and the O-line hasn’t helped much. Still, he’s been a big part of the passing game and could be a fit in Coen’s offense.
But if the Jaguars do take a running back early, it could mean fewer carries for Etienne, and maybe even a fresh start elsewhere for him.
The running back position is important in Coen’s system, so if they’re planning a change, they’ll have a replacement ready.
The Jaguars are a great example of what makes the NFL draft so interesting. They could really go in any direction with their current No. 5 pick by drafting for offense, for defense, by trading down, or maybe even a surprise move I haven’t even thought about yet.
One thing’s for sure though, with a new coach, a new GM, and a franchise QB still looking to fully break out, this pick has to count. And until they’re on the clock, the mystery rolls on.
Spring Buzz
By: Kenneth Harrison
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Georgia Tech played their spring game and Team Wreck ‘Em beat Swarm 20-19 in the White and Gold game.
Starting quarterback Haynes King played limited snaps in this game. I’m sure they wanted to make sure he stays healthy. King went 5-7 for 31 yards on the first drive for Team Swarm. The drive stalled so they had to punt.
Aidan Birr made a 47-yard field goal with 7:23 left in the first quarter to give Team Wreck ‘Em a 3-0 lead.
Wide receiver Zion Taylor had seven catches for 107 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bailey Stockton had six receptions for 107 yards.
QB Aaron Philo completed a 58-yard pass to Taylor and a 17-yard touchdown pass to Luke Harpring to put Swarm within one point. Philo’s game winning two-point conversion pass attempt was incomplete.
“It’s really about just staying patient, trusting the process and now I got the opportunity to go show my abilities and what I can do,” Taylor said of his day. “I just gotta make the most of it every time I get the chance.”
QB Graham Knowles threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Taylor with 1:40 left in the game. That turned out to be the game winner.
King completed 9 of 12 passes for 66 yards. Philo was 19 of 34 passing for 275 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Knowles completed 11 of 20 passes for 133 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
“Today was a perfect example of why I think it’s important to play spring games,” Tech coach Brent Key said. “There’s a lot of reasons behind it from external, fans and student body and people around, but the importance is when you go out and scrimmage and you have people in the stands, it’s a different environment. You don’t know how you’re gonna scrimmage by the way you practice, necessarily. You hope you do.
“Then you don’t know how you’re gonna scrimmage in a stadium with people in it as opposed to a stadium that is empty. Everything we’re doing trying to shrink that gap between our preparation and playing in a game. This is another step toward that.”
Freshman running back J.P. Powell scored a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to give Team Wreck ‘Em a 10-0 lead. That capped of an 11-play drive.
Junior running back Jamal Haynes only had one carry but he did throw a touchdown pass. Haynes led the Yellow Jackets in rushing last season with 944 yards, 9 TD’s and he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. In 2023 he had 1,059 yards and 7 scores.
King threw a pass to Haynes in the right flat and Haynes caught it on the 45 and tossed a pass to Taylor who caught it at the 10. He dragged a defender into the end zone.
“We’re trying to build depth at quarterback,” Key joked during the ESPN livestream after the play.
Said Haynes postgame: “We put it in (Friday). We just wanted to bring a little fun to the game. Luckily, I had a great receiver to track down the ball because that (throw) was a little duck.”
“This is a reward for the players, too,” Key added. “You go through 14 days of practice, and I promise you our practices are real practice now. That’s the thing about spring; you go through all those practices and there’s no real reward other than the spring game. The reward is you’re getting better. So, give them an opportunity to go out there and play and you wanna see guys have fun, too.”
Show Me The Money
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I don’t know about you, but college football is my favorite sport.
It’s my favorite sport to watch, it’s my favorite to talk about, and it always been my favorite to report on.
Guys used to play the game by giving all they had, dreaming of the riches that may come for those fortunate enough to play in the NFL.
The collegiate game is definitely changing and looks more like the NFL because of Name Image and Likeness (NIL) money, and the ease of changing schools through the Transfer Portal.
Nico Iamaleava’s messy exit from Tennessee might’ve just shown us what college football’s new normal is going to look like.
After trying to renegotiate his NIL deal from around $2.2 million up to $4 million for the upcoming season, Iamaleava skipped a spring practice without telling anyone.
That was the final straw for head coach Josh Heupel, and now the once highly touted QB is in the transfer portal, looking for a new team and a bigger payday.
This wasn’t totally out of the blue. Iamaleava originally made headlines back in high school with an $8 million NIL deal, setting a new bar for recruits.
But now, with top quarterbacks like Carson Beck and Darian Mensah landing $4 million deals at Miami and Duke, Iamaleava’s camp, mainly his dad and agent, wanted to get him a raise to stay competitive.
The problem? It’s April, and most teams already have their rosters set. Plus, SEC rules mean he can’t transfer within the conference and play right away.
Options like North Carolina and Tulane were mentioned, but they’ve either backed off or just don’t have the budget for a $4 million quarterback.
All this has caused a lot of debate. Holding out is a move we’re used to seeing in the NFL, not college.
But with how NIL works right now, or doesn’t work, it’s kind of inevitable. There are no real rules or structure.
Deals vary wildly from one school to another, promises sometimes fall through, and the NCAA hasn’t done much to bring order to the chaos.
Without contracts that actually mean something or rules that apply to everyone, it’s a free-for-all.
Some folks say the fix is simple: treat players like coaches. Coaches sign contracts with buyouts. If they leave early, someone pays a fee. It could be the coach or the school hiring him, but that money changes hands.
That system doesn’t stop movement, but it does slow things down, maybe even helps with renegotiations or smoother exits.
If NIL deals worked the same way, with built-in buyouts, players and schools might think twice before jumping ship or playing hardball.
But that kind of fix only works if all the major schools are on board.
If some schools do it and others don’t, players will just follow the money to the places with fewer restrictions. And as long as athletes aren’t considered employees, there’s no collective bargaining to create consistent rules.
The NCAA keeps hoping Congress will step in, but let’s be real, that’s probably not happening. And any attempt to enforce tighter rules is likely to get challenged in court, like everything else the NCAA tries.
This isn’t about blaming Iamaleava or calling players greedy. It’s about recognizing that the system is broken and something has to give.
Right now, college football is stuck in this weird space where players have more power than ever, but the infrastructure hasn’t caught up.
Boosters and collectives are throwing around big money, but without guardrails, stories like this will keep popping up.
Iamaleava might not get the deal he wants this time around, but more players are going to try. This isn’t the end of college football, but it is a sign that the game’s rules, both on and off the field, are changing fast.
It’s time to stop reacting with shock every time something like this happens and start figuring out real solutions.
Finally
By: Cameron Miller
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
This year on Masters Sunday Rory McIlroy finally achieved what many believed would never actually happen for him, which is winning the Masters to complete his long-awaited career grand slam.
Rory is now a 5-time Major champion, but this is his first major victory in over 11 years.
For those who don’t remember, here’s a little flashback to how McIlroy made his way to the Career Grand Slam.
He won his first major title in 2011 in the U.S. Open, which was being held at Congressional Country Club just outside of Washington D.C. in Bethesda, Maryland. He was able to claim this victory by a whopping 8 shots over Jason Day.
His next Major title came at the PGA Championship in 2012 at the Ocean Course of the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
He was able to claim this victory by shooting a bogey-free final round 66, giving him a 8 shot lead over runner-up David Lynn.
Rory then won his next Major in 2014 at the Open Championship, which was held in Merseyside, England at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Rory was able to get out to a hot start and hold the momentum all the way through, leading wire-to-wire, he was able to secure his third Major title over runners-up Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia in historic fashion.
With this victory Rory became the first European player to win three different Majors and also one of three players (Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus) to win three Majors by the age of 25.
Just two months after his victory at the Open Championship, McIlroy was able to claim his second PGA Championship Victory and forth Major title in 2014 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, but this victory wasn’t as much of a cake walk for McIlroy as it was in his three prior major victories.
Beginning the final round with a two-shot advantage, Rory made two bogeys in his first six holes.
As McIlroy turned to begin the back nine he found himself trailing Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, and Henrick Stenson, but that didn’t last long.
Rory made Eagle on the 10th hole to put himself right back into contention.
Now with the sun quickly setting, they were forced to finish the final round in nearly complete darkness. Rory was able to get up-and-down out of a greenside bunker and two-putt for par on the final hole to get past Mickelson by one shot for the Open Championship title.
Now with the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and Open Championship titles all under his belt the only Major he was missing to complete the coveted Career Grand Slam was the Masters Tournament, but to most this was beginning to feel like a nearly impossible feat for McIlroy.
After his catastrophic blow up in the 2011 Masters, where he had a three-shot lead going into the final round back nine where he ended up completely falling apart, shooting a final round 80, losing to Charl Schwartzel.
Rory, again, in 2018, found himself in the final pairing on the final round, but ultimately fell apart once again and lost to Patrick Reed by six shots.
Even after an impressive final round 64 in 2022, the Green Jacket was still just out of reach for Rory. It seemed as if it was beginning to become routine for Rory to be heavily in the mix on Sunday and just fall apart in the end.
Fast forward to 2024 U.S. Open, where once again we see McIlroy in the Sunday final Pairing, but this time he was paired alongside Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy had the solo lead over DeChambeau with four holes remaining but based on history I’m sure we can all guess the outcome of this scenario.
After a series of poor shots and missed putts, once again Rory blew a lead in the final round of a major championship, losing to DeChambeau by one shot on the Final hole.
So now we head into 2025 wondering if this could be the year he does it, could this be a new start for McIlroy or would we just see history continue to repeat itself?
Well after a win in his first start of the season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, things were starting to look bright for McIlroy heading into The Players Championship, or as some like to call it “The Fifth Major”.
Rory began the Final round of The Players four shots back, but after getting off to a hot start, he was able to gain a solo lead just before the weather temporarily suspended the final round.
Once they resumed play, McIlroy once again began to display a final round back nine sequence of untimely mistakes. Which had all of us prepared for him to give up the final round lead.
McIlroy and J.J. Spaun ended their final rounds tied at -12 and would have to play a 3-Hole Aggregate Playoff to decide the winner. J.J. Spaun started the playoff making crucial errors, leading to McIlroy holding on and eventually taking the victory.
Seeing Rory be able to come through when it matters and get a hard-fought victory had many starting to think maybe this is the year he could finally get that green jacket he has so desperately been chasing.
Well now the time has come for the playing of the 89th Masters and Rory’s eleventh attempt at completing the Career Grand Slam.
After a great start to his first round came to a halt with double bogeys in two of the last four holes, McIlroy quickly followed up his first round 72 with back-to-back rounds of 66.
These two days of consecutive great days would give him a two-shot lead going into the final round, and once again have him alongside Bryson DeChambeau in the final pairing. Now the question is, would Rory be able to flip the script from the 2024 U.S. Open.
The final round of the 2025 Masters was one of the most nail-biting rounds of golf I’ve seen in a long time and definitely not what anyone was expecting.
DeChambeau got off to a slow start and was never able to get any momentum going, but Justin Rose on the other hand, had what seemed to be all of the final round momentum.
Rory made the turn to the final round back nine with a five shot advantage on the field and a seven shot advantage on Justin Rose, but here is the part that probably won’t surprise you.
McIlroy went into hole 11 at -14 under and by the time he made it to hole 15 he was all the way down to -10. While at the same time Justin Rose was making birdie after birdie catapulting him back into the lead at -11.
McIlroy was able to regain some traction and make birdies on holes 15 and 17, which would put him back into solo first with a one-shot lead and only one hole left to play. All Rory needed to do is make a Par on the 72nd hole to take home his first Green Jacket.
So now we all sit and wonder if he would actually be able to close it out with a victory. Well, the answer is not yet, because Rory made a bogey on 18 dropping him out of the solo lead and in a tie for first with Justin Rose.
This is where even more of the drama starts. The last time there was a playoff to decide the winner of the Masters was back in 2017 when Justin Rose was defeated by Sergio Garcia.
So now there are two different ways to see history repeat itself. Will McIlroy cave under pressure and give up another green jacket in the final round or will Rose once again be defeated for his green jacket in a sudden death playoff?
Well, I’m sure from reading the beginning of this you already know the answer, but yes Rory McIlroy is your 2025 Masters Champion.
After years of heartbreak Rory was finally able to get his green jacket and become the 6th golfer in the history of the sport to complete the Career Grand Slam.
Taking Off The Jersey
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Nico Iamaleava’s name will go down in college football history as one that created a turning point for players in multiple ways.
Which part fans remember might depend on how the rest of Iamaleava’s football career plays out.
As he prepares to enter the transfer portal amid a public breakup with Tennessee about name, image and likeness re-negotiations, this first-of-its-kind NFL-style holdout situation was possible only because of what had come before it.
Iamaleava once again has brought college football a lot closer to … whatever its future will be. His NIL deal going public before enrolling at Tennessee and the legal defense of it led to more money for players. Iamaleava gave a lot more leverage to the players by knowing the value of college athletes.
On the other hand, his public breakup with Tennessee gave leverage to the universities. Had Tennessee and its collective balked or hesitated, more stars might’ve started public holdouts. Instead, Vols fans backed coach Josh Heupel, and players are anticipating that fans won’t be on their side.
It started in 2022, an $8 million multiyear for Iamaleava while he was still in high school.
It was one of the first sets of public NIL numbers, and this caught more attention from the public because Iamaleava hadn’t played a single down of college football.
When the NCAA looked into it, the state of Tennessee’s attorney general sued the Tennessee collective, leading to a settlement that allows boosters to negotiate NIL with athletes and their agents before players enroll.
Both of those situations will likely lead to more millions going to players. The public contract leak in 2022 reset the market for active players and recruits and has removed the possibility of universities underpaying athletes who are inexperienced in negotiation.
The AG’s lawsuit opened the door to more direct NIL conversations with recruits. Cracking the NIL and creating a more lucrative space for athletes is part of Iamaleava’s legacy.
That is why the whole idea of calling this “NIL” remains farcical. The millions and millions spent on players for NIL come from boosters, local business owners, and rich alumni who want these players to represent their business the same way they represent their university.
This has created tension between regular fans, who don’t care about any individual’s success, they just want to see their team win…
College football is a transient sport; because of that fans root for a team more than a player because the players are only there for 4 years MAX.
The NCAA was able to keep up amateurism and cheat athletes for so long. The NCAA has purposely made the unionization of players hard on the principle that fans, more often than not, will show up on Saturdays no matter who’s on the field, even if they’re showing up with paper bags on their heads.
That reminder is the message coming out of Iamaleava’s impending divorce from Tennessee. Tennessee was one of the only states in America that never outlawed sharecropping, and their slave-owner mentality with college athletes is what bit them in the ass financially and on the field.
There is no college football without college athletes, and there is no excellence in college football without excellent college athletes.
The story is far from over. Perhaps Iamaleava finds a new home, continues to succeed, and earns whatever amount of money he’s worth.
Perhaps Tennessee can’t find an adequate replacement internally or in the portal and struggles in 2025.
The Vols appear willing to live with the potential consequences of fumbling a world class athlete, and the fans support being a worse team in 2025.
Players are worth what organizations are willing to pay them. That’s basic business. This breakup is a reminder that it only goes so far.
The Back Nine
By: Brian Albertson
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Wow, what a thrilling Masters this year.
Rory McIlroy finally won a green jacket and became the sixth golfer to win the professional Grand Slam.
On his road to making golf history, Rory set a couple of unique records. He made the most double bogies of any Masters winner. And to offset that he made more threes on his scorecard than any player in the history of the masters.
Rory also avenged his great disappointment from last year‘s U.S. Open with a short missed putt on number 18 while losing out to Bryson Dechambeau. On this day, the roles were reversed as Bryson struggled for most of the day shooting a 75.
The biggest Sunday charge came from Englishman, Justin Rose. Justin closed with a phenomenal 66 and found himself in a Sudden Death playoff with Rory McIlroy.
The back nine was riveting for everyone watching and gut wrenching for the players.
The shock of the back nine came when Rory dumped a simple short wedge shot into Ray’s Creek at number 13.
This led to another double bogey that allowed numerous players back into the competition. Some of the players with late charges included Cory Connors, Ludvig Aberg, Scotty Scheffler, Patrick Reed with an incredible eagle at the 17th hole, and the super-hot Justin Rose.
The huge mistake at 13 served as a wakeup call for Rory. He rallied with an amazing approach shot to par 5, 15th hole setting up a makeable eagle putt.
He would miss that putt but make an easy tap in birdie followed by birdie at 17.
Needing a four-footer on number 18 to win the masters in regulation, Rory missed a short one similar to last year‘s at Pinehurst and we all thought “here we go again.”
This day would end differently. Rory and Justin would finish 72 holes tied at 11 under Par. Both players returned to 18 to begin a sudden death playoff. Both players hit perfect tee shots in the fairway. The tee shot at 18 is undoubtedly one of the hardest shots in championship golf.
They both followed that with amazing approach shots with Justin, having an 8-foot birdie putt and Rory stuffing a wedge in tight to 3 feet.
Justin‘s putt barely slipped past the right edge of the hole leaving him with a par four setting up a winning opportunity for Rory.
Rory not so calmly made this nerve-racking 3-foot birdie putt to win his first masters in his 17th try while also completing the career professional Grand Slam of golf.
Something that only five golfers had done before him. Rory now joins golf legends Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as the only other golfers to win the professional Grand Slam.
Of course, Masters founder, lifelong amateur and Georgia native Bobby Jones is still the only golfer to win all four majors in one year, in 1930 Mr. Jones won the US Amateur, the British Amateur, the US open and British Open all in the same year.
The professional Grand Slam came about years later after the Masters quickly became a major championship.
Till Next Year’s Masters, Happy Golfing
