Where some of Philly’s best football talent signed | Sports Daily
Three area recruits picked SEC schools on national signing day, led by Imhotep's Enai White, who will play at Texas A&M.
Von Miller, Myles Garrett, Enai White? That’s the plan for Imhotep Charter’s White, who signed Wednesday with Texas A&M, a program that has produced dominant pass rushers and first-round NFL draft picks such as Miller and Garrett.
In front of a crowd of family, friends, teammates, and coaches — and with a live streaming audience tuning in — White unzipped his Imhotep hoodie to reveal the Texas A&M logo.
“It means a lot,” White said. “So, they can see physically that it’s possible. That’s what I want to show everybody. I know it’s hard right now for people growing up where I’m from. I just want everybody to know that it’s possible; we can do it.”
White will be joined in the SEC by two other Philadelphia-area recruits. Top 150 recruit Jihaad Campbell of IMG Academy (formerly of Timber Creek), signed with Alabama, and St. Joseph’s Prep’s Keenan Nelson Jr. will attend South Carolina.
Penn State ended a drought by signing three Philadelphia high school players, easing a strained relationship with city coaches.
And Temple had some additions on Wednesday, with none bigger than a head coach. Texas assistant Stan Drayton was hired to succeed Rod Carey on the same day the Owls landed three recruits.
— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport
Tell us which Philly-area recruits you believe will have the biggest impact on their college teams: sports.daily@inquirer.com
Whether it’s in power rankings or wild-card playoff odds, things are looking up for the Eagles with four games left in the regular season. But while coach Nick Sirianni might indicate that Jalen Hurts’ ankle is headed in the right direction, he isn’t guaranteeing Hurts will play Sunday and the Eagles could be without their starting quarterback for a second straight game.
That’s a major concern, even though Gardner Minshew played very well in his first start as an Eagle. And it highlights an issue that will come up soon enough. While some fans might not want Hurts as the starter for next season, it’s much easier to think about replacing him rather than successfully doing so. The odds of the Eagles’ actually drafting a suitable replacement, especially in this coming draft, aren’t that good. Columnist David Murphy notes that teams that end up with franchise quarterbacks have generally worked on managing with a mediocre quarterback until the right guy comes along.
The NBA news cycle has been overtaken by COVID-19, with information about players being placed in health and safety protocols dominating the league. That extends to the 76ers, who are without Georges Niang after he tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday.
The Sixers had only recently emerged from a stretch without several players, including Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Matisse Thybulle. Now, like the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, and Milwaukee Bucks, the Sixers are without one of their key players.
The Miami Heat were shorthanded as well Wednesday night, but that did not stop them from beating the Sixers, 101-96.
Next: The Sixers are in Brooklyn tonight at 7:30 to play the Nets, who are without James Harden and Bruce Brown. Both were placed in COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
The Flyers’ offense could be described only as dormant for the first quarter of the season, but under interim boss Mike Yeo, it has suddenly sprung to life.
In five games under Yeo, the offense has scored 20 goals, including 15 during the team’s current three-game winning streak. One reason for the offensive surge has been the contribution of the defense. In Tuesday’s 6-1 win against the New Jersey Devils, the Flyers’ defense combined for two goals, seven points, and a plus-10 rating. They should get a further boost from Ryan Ellis, who could return before the end of the year.
The Flyers will be without one offensive weapon for the time being, though, as winger Morgan Frost is in the COVID-19 protocol, as are more than 50 players leaguewide.
Next: The Flyers are in Montreal tonight to play the Canadiens at 7 (NBCSP+). Carter Hart, who has a .938 save percentage over his last three games, will start in goal.
Fans of women’s soccer in Philadelphia, whether or not they remember the days of the Charge (WUSA) and the Independence (WPS), are now looking at California getting two new NWSL expansion teams, Angel City FC and the San Diego Wave, next year. If the support, the market, and the venue are there, what’s stopping a Philly team from joining the league? Jonathan Tannenwald explores the topic and issues a challenge.
Next: The long-awaited day is finally here! On the heels of MLS’ announcing the league schedule for next season, the Union finally scheduled their end-of-season press conference for today.
Worth a look
Can we borrow your jerseys? Road-weary Coppin State discovered a problem right before tipoff against Drexel on Tuesday: The Eagles didn’t pack their jerseys. That’s when they suited up as Drexel.
Dance is an athletic art: The Nutcracker has returned to Philadelphia, and a backstage look reveals some of the hard work that goes into the production.
Today’s newsletter was created in a collaboration among The Inquirer sports staff.