Coffee splits opener with Cane Ridge

Five-star wing Liam McNeeley, one of the best available high school prospects in the Class of 2024, announced Friday he will join two-time defending champion UConn. "I'm dialed in from Storrs," McNeeley said on social media, confirming multiple reports that he had committed to Dan Hurley and the Huskies. McNeeley is ranked the No. 18 overall prospect in his class by the 247Sports composite. He decommitted from Indiana last month. The native of Texas also considered Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and other schools. "It felt like a perfect fit," McNeeley told ESPN. "Coach Hurley is a hard-nosed coach. That's the kind of coach I thrive under. The offensive system they run is perfect for my game. The culture of the team. The sets they run. They are going to help me get better on both sides of the ball. The whole coaching staff are good people." The McDonald's All-American is a sharpshooter who reportedly made 45 percent of his 3-pointers as a high school senior. He will help fill the vacancy left by Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, two of UConn's starters last year who have each run out of college eligibility. Spencer shot 44 percent from deep and Newton scored a team-high 15.1 points per game. --Field Level Media

Lamont Butler, who starred for San Diego State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, will play his final year of college basketball at Kentucky, multiple reports said Friday. Butler entered the transfer portal Wednesday after four seasons with the Aztecs. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.6 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals over 131 career games (102 starts). Butler permanently etched his name in San Diego State lore by swishing a buzzer-beating shot as time expired to give the Aztecs a 72-71 victory over Florida Atlantic in the 2023 Final Four. He was crucial to the Aztecs' run to the national title game, putting up 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals and shooting 38.9 percent from 3-point range in those six tournament games before San Diego State fell to UConn in the final. This past season, Butler had a career-high 9.3 ppg to go with 3.0 assists, 2.6 boards and 1.5 steals and was named the Mountain West's Defensive Player of the Year. Kentucky is rebuilding its roster under new coach Mark Pope after John Calipari left to take the same job at Arkansas, leading to a slew of transfers and decommitments. --Field Level Media

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. confident, eager to start career

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., whose selection by the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday stunned many draft experts, smiled through most of his introductory news conference Friday in Atlanta. "A dream came true," the former University of Washington star said. "It's a dream I've had since I was a little kid. ... It's a special moment and something I will forever remember." Penix's excitement far overshadowed any concern over his position in the draft. "I'm here to do whatever I can to help this team win football games," he said. "As far as what anybody else feels about the decision that was made, I have no control over that. All I can control is what I do and what I bring to this team. "For me I know that I'm gonna be a great leader not just on, but off the field as well. I'm gonna be a great person and great teammate as well." As amicable as he seemed Friday, it was clear Penix has no shortage of confidence. "Personally, I feel like I'm the best quarterback out of the draft," he said. "I'm excited that I landed here and I'm excited to get started." He was repeatedly asked whether he had any problem with the Falcons' succession plan, with Penix sitting behind No. 1 quarterback Kirk Cousins. "I'm going to put in a ton of work," he said. "There's not going to be a beat missed. ... You got to be ready. I'm gonna prepare, I'm gonna work just as (if) I'm the starter." The Falcons recently signed Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract, and the veteran QB was "confused" about the selection but reached out to Penix. "Kirk he's an amazing guy," Penix said, adding that Cousins contacted him after the pick was made but wouldn't divulge details of their conversation. "I'm gonna keep it between me and him right now but it was definitely a good conversation, and I'm super excited to work with him -- and he said he's the same with me." Penix, the fourth quarterback drafted Thursday night out of a record-tying six first-round QB picks, led the Huskies to last season's national championship game where they were beaten by the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan's quarterback, JJ McCarthy, was selected 10th by the Minnesota Vikings and Oregon's Bo Nix went 12th to the Denver Broncos. The draft's first three picks were quarterbacks: USC's Caleb Williams (to the Bears), LSU's Jayden Daniels (Commanders) and North Carolina's Drake Maye (Patriots). Penix was asked about comparisons with another Falcons left-handed signal-caller, Michael Vick, and said Vick was his favorite quarterback growing up. "He did great things here, obviously," Penix said. "I keep in contact with him. He's been a guy that I can reach out to whenever. He actually sent me a text congratulating me this morning." Penix said a recent visit to Seattle by the Atlanta coaches to see him throw apparently cemented their belief. "It's different whenever you see it up close, in person," he said. "I feel like I did a very good job in the workout. ... "I feel like the offense is very good for me. ... I felt very comfortable and confident with all of it." -Field Level Media

Chiefs: Speedster WR worthy of early draft pick

Xavier Worthy might not win a weigh-in, but the first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs was highly rated by the front office because of his playmaking skills, speed and production at Texas. A wide receiver with the Longhorns, Worthy reeled in 26 receiving touchdowns in three seasons before blazing a 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. At 165 pounds, Worthy's weight isn't a worry to the Chiefs because of the toughness he showed on the field at Texas. "You're asking the wrong guy about weight," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of the 28th overall pick in the draft. "I think he's fine where he's at. I don't think that's a problem. He's playing at a high level, and he's been doing this since he was a freshman. I'm not too worried about the weight." Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Worthy, 20, still is growing and plans to connect with the team nutritionist to be in full alignment with Kansas City's plan to bulk him up, if only slightly. "We'll have him with our dietitian and our weight staff. We're not going to make him 200 pounds," Veach joked, "but also keep him at the 175-180 mark I think will be a healthy weight for him. It will all make sense ... all these (draft picks) are going to have to get bigger and stronger just from the marathon of the season, just to survive more games." Reid said Worthy would be used as a receiver and returner as a rookie. He'll join a WR corps that added Hollywood Brown and expects to have Rashee Rice back for a second season after he led the team in receptions as a rookie. Brown and Worthy bring a skill the Chiefs didn't feature last season -- the pure speed to blow the top off of a zone defense. Reid said he saw glimpses of another relatively light but blazing fast -- and tough -- receiver he drafted with the Eagles, DeSean Jackson. Jackson, as it turns out, was Worthy's favorite player growing up. "It just makes me at ease to see a coach who drafted a guy similar to me, and (Jackson) having the success that he had in the system with Andy Reid, so it's just amazing to be able to have a coach who gets you as a player since he had that player before," Worthy said. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was quick to note that Worthy's speed should make a "big-time difference in the NFL." "And the thing about Xavier is he ran that time, but that's the way he practices every single day. Every rep is full speed," Sarkisian said. "He has the ability to take the top off the defense, but he's much more than that. He has tremendous route-running ability and is a tireless worker at that. He has a very high football IQ and is extremely competitive." Worthy was on Reid's radar before he lit up the turf at the Scouting Combine. "Sarkisian and I are close. He kept talking about how smart he was, he's got great football instincts, and he's a tremendous worker," Reid said. "In this offense, you've got to be able to do that and have those characteristics." --Field Level Media

Hunter Dickinson returning to Kansas for final season

All-American center Hunter Dickinson is returning to Kansas for his final season of college eligibility in 2024-25. The 7-foot-2 Dickinson transferred to Kansas prior to last season from Michigan and was a second-team All-American and All-Big 12 First Team selection. He confirmed the decision to run it back in Lawrence by replying to coach Bill Self via social media Friday. Self posted to X, "Hey (Hunter) have you made a decision yet? Everybody want to know what you're thinking." Dickinson replied: "Yeah you're right coach. I guess it's time to tell everyone I'm coming back! Rock Chalk!" Kansas landed a fourth major transfer earlier Friday with the official commitment from Alabama's Rylan Griffen. He joins South Dakota State guard Zeke Mayo, former Wisconsin forward AJ Storr and former Florida guard Riley Kugel as the newcomers to Self's squad via the portal this offseason. Kansas lost four of its final five games entering the NCAA Tournament and was defeated in the second round by Gonzaga (89-68). Dickinson had 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. After Kansas finished its season shooting 33 percent from 3-point range, Self vowed to upgrade the perimeter around Dickinson. Dickinson is capable of making those shots, but the post presence can also bully defenders in the paint with strength and a soft touch around the rim. He averaged 17.9 points and 10.9 rebounds at Kansas last season, but ended the season with a shoulder injury. Dickinson averaged 18.6 points and 8.6 rebounds as a sophomore at Michigan in 2021-22 and put up 18.5-9.0 as a junior before leaving for Kansas. -Field Level Media In addition to touted freshman Flory Bidunga, a five-star recruit and Indiana's Mr. Basketball, Kansas has four of its six top scorers back from 2023-24. --Field Level Media

Trade offers for wide receiver Deebo Samuel could fetch the San Francisco 49ers a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to multiple reports. The two teams at the center of the bidding prior to the start of the second round of the 2024 draft on Friday were AFC East rivals Buffalo and New England, NFL Network and The Athletic reported. NFL Network reported the Patriots and 49ers engaged in conversations around Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk during the NFL Scouting Combine, but compensation was a sticking point. The Bills traded No. 1 wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month and traded back twice on Thursday. Buffalo holds the No. 33 pick in the draft Friday. 49ers general manager John Lynch said on Wednesday that he "wouldn't anticipate" a scenario in which the team would trade Aiyuk, who is looking for a long-term deal from San Francisco. Whether Samuel could be available after Lynch used the 49ers' first-round selection on Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall -- a former Aiyuk teammate in 2019 before transferring to the Gators from Arizona State. Lynch called Samuel "a part of this team, and a big part of this team" on Thursday night after the pick. Head coach Kyle Shanahan went further, saying trade talks took place when teams called but trading a wide receiver "doesn't seem that likely to be honest. But I'm still on the table. If someone offered [owner] Jed [York] and John good stuff for me, I'm going to be out of here." --Field Level Media