Wednesday’s early national signing day kicked off Temple coach K.C. Keeler’s first full offseason with the Owls. Keeler was hired on Dec. 1, 2024, but this will be his first recruiting class.
Temple announced the signing of 33 players on Wednesday. The program’s recruiting class is ranked No. 62 in the country and No. 1 in the American Conference, according to 247 Sports. Of the signed players, 21 will join the team in January, when the spring semester begins. This is the largest recruiting class in program history.
“The recruiting really started as soon as the season was over, in terms of this building, that’s where you start your recruiting,” Keeler said. “That’s our philosophy, is recruit the locker room. We’ve been recruiting the locker room since the first day we got here, because it’s about culture and trying to keep your guys here, and them believing that you know they’re better off staying here than going someplace else.”
Keeler has emphasized the importance of local recruiting. Temple signed 22 players from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, with five playing high school football in the Philadelphia area.
“The recruiting staff has a lot of regional ties, so we’re able to connect with a lot of people that [we] probably wouldn’t have been able to if we weren’t structured that way,” Keeler said. “I think we’ve made a lot of strides very quickly and I think we can even make more strides. For a first year, from Day 1 to Day 365, I think it’s a pretty darn good class.”
Two notable players from the area are the Roman Catholic tandem of Eyan Stead Jr. and Ash Roberts. Stead played defensive back and wide receiver for the Cahillites, but Keeler and general manager Clayton Barnes expect him to be a safety for the Owls. Roberts will play receiver. He earned first-team All-Catholic League honors after posting 745 yards and 10 touchdowns on 53 receptions.
Chester High’s Daron Harris will likely play safety with the Owls.
Chester High’s Daron Harris is another local signee who likely will play safety for the Owls. He had 1,818 yards and 25 touchdowns as a wide receiver, while also producing 36 tackles and four interceptions at safety this season.
Harris intends to join the team in January. The Owls had just four freshmen join the team early last season. The extra depth will allow players to get a head start in the offseason.
“The fact that you have [21] early enrollees is going to make a big difference,” Barnes said. “Because getting that full offseason is going to get them more physically ready to be able to play as true freshmen.”
One position of need that the Owls looked at was quarterback after losing starter Evan Simon and backups Gevani McCoy and Anthony Chiccitt to graduation. Temple added three quarterbacks in Brady Palmer of Bloomingdale, Ill., Brody Norman of Mooresville, N.C., and Lamar Best.
Palmer and Norman committed in June, while Best backed out of a commitment to Delaware. Best, a Willingboro native, played two seasons at St. Joseph Regional in Bergen County, where he amassed 76 passing touchdowns. He suffered an injury toward the end of this season but led the team to a state championship appearance, where it defeated Don Bosco Prep.
Temple plans to add at least two quarterbacks through the portal. Then the Owls will have a competition to decide who will succeed Simon.
Temple also brought in five junior college players.
Cornerbacks Asa Locks, a transfer from Iowa Western who had three interceptions this season, and Nakeel Lawrence, an all-conference player out of Butte College in California, will look to make an immediate impact.
“In the defensive backfield, we have a mixed bag of high school kids and older kids, junior college kids, because we graduate quite a few in the secondary, [at] both safety and corner,” Barnes said. “So we had to bring a lot of guys from the high school ranks and we had a couple of older kids.”
Temple will use the rest of the winter to add transfers and JUCO players, as the transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
“That’s kind of the next phase in our recruiting,” Keeler said.
WASHINGTON — At some point between noon and 2 p.m. on Friday, the World Cup group draw will tell us which teams the United States will play in next year’s tournament. We’ll also get the first hints of which teams will come to Philadelphia, although the schedule won’t be set until Saturday.
Along the way, there will be jokes from Kevin Hart, singing from Andrea Bocelli, and appearances from Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, Shaquille O’Neal, and Aaron Judge. President Donald Trump also will be involved, having steered FIFA to move the event from Las Vegas to the Kennedy Center in D.C.
Not only was FIFA president Gianni Infantino happy to oblige his friend, but the global governing body added the Village People (of Trump favorite “Y.M.C.A.” fame) to the list of performers.
But somewhere amid all that, there will be sports, too. Tournament draws weren’t always as much of a spectacle, but they’ve always been a dramatic part of soccer’s tapestry.
The men’s World Cup trophy on display Wednesday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, where the draw will take place Friday.
Once the pots of seeds were set last month — four groups of 12 each, with the cohosts and the top nine teams in FIFA’s rankings in Pot 1 — the speculation began worldwide. How about England vs. Scotland, or the Republic of Ireland, Wales, or Northern Ireland if they get through Europe’s last qualifying playoffs?
How about a Spain-Morocco rematch of a 2022 World Cup epic? If Italy gets through the playoffs, which teams will it face in its first men’s World Cup in 12 years? And what powerhouses will underdogs like Haiti, with the Union’s Danley Jean Jacques, get to challenge?
Then, of course, there are matchups that resonate off the field. For all the efforts to keep sports and politics separate, soccer has always been the most political sport. So will the U.S. play Iran for a second straight men’s World Cup, and a third overall? There are sparks already, as Iran has boycotted the draw, since some of its delegates were refused visas.
As you wonder, here are three rules to consider. First, teams from the same continent can’t be drawn in the same group except for Europe, which has 16 berths in the first 48-team World Cup. There must be one European team in each group, and there can’t be more than two.
The famous draw balls in one of the bowls on stage, waiting to be picked up.
With that in mind, here are our picks for the easiest, hardest, most festive, and most politically controversial groups that the U.S. could end up in:
The picks
The easiest group: Austria, South Africa, Jordan. There are lower-ranked European teams in the playoffs than No. 24 Austria, but the case here is about the opponent you know vs. the opponent you don’t.
Since Austria is in Pot 2, drawing that country would spare the U.S. from big hitters like Croatia, Colombia, Morocco, and Japan. From there, South Africa would give the U.S. a better tactical matchup than the rest of Pot 3, whose teams span Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, and Concacaf.
Having picked South Africa from Pot 3, all the African teams in Pot 4 are off the table. So we’ll go to Asia for Jordan, a World Cup debutant ranked No. 66. And we’ll wish Cape Verde, with former Union midfielder Jamiro Monteiro in a starring role, all the best.
Former Union midfielder Jamiro Monteiro (right) helped Cape Verde qualify for its first World Cup.
The hardest group: Morocco, Norway, Italy if it qualifies. Morocco edges Croatia and Colombia from Pot 2 for talent — led by Paris Saint-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi — and a vibrant, gritty playing style.
In Pot 3, Norway has finally delivered Manchester City superstar striker Erling Haaland to his first World Cup, along with outstanding Arsenal playmaker Martin Ødegaard.
In Pot 4, we turn to the European playoffs. Italy never needs much introduction, though it bears repeating that the Azzuri truly blew it in failing to reach the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The current squad features goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and midfield generals Nicolò Barella and Manuel Locatelli.
The most festive group: Colombia, Scotland, Republic of Ireland. A U.S.-Colombia game would be a headache for the American squad but would bring back epic memories of the 1994 upset at the Rose Bowl. The Cafeteros’ fan base is also as good as it gets in South America, especially with the country’s big immigrant population in this country.
Former Union sporting director Earnie Stewart (center) scored in the United States’ upset of Colombia at the 1994 World Cup.
Scotland and Ireland’s fan bases are massive, loud, and fun-loving. The Scots are in a men’s World Cup for the first time since 1998, and the Tartan Army will travel in huge numbers — buoyed by expats here and anyone who wants to feel the part for a day.
The same goes for Ireland if it gets through a tricky qualifying playoff with Czechia, North Macedonia, and favorite Denmark. But if the Irish make their first World Cup since 2002, the sea of green will flood the States. New Jersey’s Meadowlands still echo with the raucous noise of the 1994 Ireland-Italy game.
The most political group: Iran, South Africa, Ukraine if it qualifies. A combustible mix of war, immigration, race, and religion that spans as widely as three continents.
The teams Philadelphia fans should want
As the city saw up close during the Club World Cup this summer, there’s no party in soccer like a South American party. Argentina, Brazil, and Colombia have the continent’s biggest fan bases in the U.S., and the first two would bring global superstars in Lionel Messi or Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.
40' ⚽ GOAL — VINÍCIUS JR!
A touch of class from the Brazilian as he puts Real Madrid in front.
Philly fans got to know Brazil’s new phenom, 18-year-old Estêvão, when he scored for Palmeiras against Chelsea in the Club World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field — then joined the Blues a few weeks later.
It’s already set that the U.S. won’t play in the nation’s birthplace during the group stage, to the dismay of fans here and well beyond. But from the rest of Pot 1, France would bring the most star power from Europe, and the Netherlands‘ dancing masses would paint the town oranje.
In Pot 2, no player is more worth watching than Croatia’s Luka Modrić. Even at age 40, his passing skills are unparalleled as he heads into his last World Cup. Japan, South Korea, and Morocco have vibrant fan bases, and the latter two have big expat communities in this part of the U.S.
In Pot 3, Scotland easily is the team you’d want most — and that every hotel, bar, and restaurant would dream of. Egypt would bring another superstar in Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
Pot 4 is where the Union ties are. It would be special for Jean Jacques to play in his club hometown with Haiti or for Monteiro to come back to town with Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks.
The biggest of all on that scale would be if Jamaica gets through the intercontinental qualifying playoffs to earn its first men’s World Cup trip since 1998, finally delivering Andre Blake to a stage he deserves. And the turnout from Jamaican fans would be epic, in a city they love coming to for the Penn Relays.
Among the European playoff contenders, the Republic of Ireland would be a huge deal here. But ever since the day three years ago when Philly was named as a host city, the first name on everyone’s lips has been Italy. Imagine how electric it would be if the Azzuri’s World Cup drought ends at the Linc.
The scene at Gran Caffe L’Aquila in Center City when Italy won the European Championship in 2021.
You might have noticed one big team hasn’t been mentioned here yet: England. The Three Lions would bring a huge amount of fans, star players, and media attention to town. But to come to the city where America declared independence from them, 250 years later?
Ask around locally, and you’d find a fair number who’d say no thanks. They’d dreamed for years of a U.S.-England game on July 4, until the preset part of the draw path took the possibility away. It would feel strange if England uses the old colonial capital as the launchpad to fulfill the hype as one of the favorites to win it all.
Villanova announced the signing of 13 players during college football’s early signing day on Wednesday.
Five offensive players and eight defensive players in the 2026 recruiting class signed their national letters of intent to join the Wildcats next season under coach Mark Ferrante. The incoming class features five players from Pennsylvania, five from New Jersey, two from Maryland, and one from Connecticut.
The Wildcats signed wide receivers Jasiah Brown of Morristown (N.J.) High School and Andrew Esposito of New Canaan (Conn.) High School; offensive lineman Patrick Degnan of Seneca High School; quarterback Nolan DiLucia of Peters Township (Pa.) High School; and running back Brandon Way of Lancaster Catholic.
Brown will play wide receiver on the Main Line after a decorated high school career as a two-way starter at Morristown, where he earned first-team all-conference honors. Esposito, a 6-foot-3 receiver, was among the top recruits out of Connecticut and was named the state’s MaxPreps Player of the Year in 2024. He had nine touchdowns and also recorded two interceptions.
DiLucia will add depth at quarterback. He was named first-team all-conference three times and twice earned all-state recognition.
Way is the only new signee to join Villanova’s talented running back corps. In his high school career at Lancaster Catholic, he totaled 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns and earned all-state recognition.
Villanova’s Mark Ferrante during the program’s FCS playoff matchup against Harvard on Nov. 29.
Signees on defense
Villanova’s defensive recruits include linemen Thomas Coates of Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Md., and Jackson Kraemer of Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh; defensive backs Abu Fofana of Conwell-Egan, Luis Martinez of Allentown Central Catholic, Isaiah Selby of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, and Jordan Taylor of North Point High School in Waldorf, Md.; and linebackers Colin Gurley of Central York High School and Donovan Linthicum of Oakcrest High School.
Gurley, a two-time all-state honoree, registered 100 tackles (26 for loss) and 17½ sacks at Central York. Linthicum earned all-state honors in New Jersey while recording 380 tackles.
Selby helped lead Paramus Catholic to the New Jersey state playoffs as a two-way starter. At defensive back, he totaled 40 tackles and forced two fumbles.
The newly signed players will be part of Villanova’s inaugural campaign in the Patriot League of the FCS as the program changes conferences for the 2026 season.
Villanova will visit Lehigh in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday (noon, ESPN+).
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It has been 52 days since Penn State fired coach James Franklin. What has followed has been a tumultuous coaching search filled with reported hiring whiffs and former recruits withdrawing their commitments.
The program’s once-impressive 2026 football recruiting class, which ranked inside the top 20 of 247Sports’ composite rankings before Franklin’s departure, has fallen to No. 150.
That’s because Franklin didn’t just take his belongings and his “1-0” motto with him to Blacksburg, Va. He also brought his recruits, flipping 11 Penn State Class of 2026 pledges to Virginia Tech.
Those defections have depleted the Nittany Lions’ 2026 class, which has just two players as of Wednesday’s early national signing day.
Penn State’s signees
Jackson Ford, a four-star edge rusher in 247Sports’ composite rankings, signed with the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end out of Malvern Prep had been committed to Penn State since June 27.
Ford is the ninth-ranked defensive end in Pennsylvania and the No. 256 player nationally, according to 247Sports. Despite Franklin’s departure and uncertainty about the program’s national coaching search, Ford kept his pledge to the Nittany Lions.
“The people in the building are great people,” Ford told 247Sports on Wednesday. “The program itself is just built on greatness. It’s built on family — a tight connection I have.”
In a surprising move, Peyton Falzone, a four-star quarterback, also signed with Penn State. He is the No. 10 player in Pennsylvania and No. 22 quarterback in the nation, according to 247 Sports.
The Nazareth High School senior committed to the Nittany Lions in April before he flipped his commitment to Auburn in June. But after the Tigers fired coach Hugh Freeze, Falzone withdrew his commitment from Auburn on Dec. 1 and later signed with Penn State.
“Staying home in Happy Valley,” Falzone wrote in an X post on Wednesday.
Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith reportedly “played a big role” in Falzone’s decision to sign with the Nittany Lions, according to On3.com.
From PSU to VT
Penn State’s firing of Franklin on Oct. 12 signaled a drastic shift within the program, but it also meant that its future recruiting classes likely would be affected.
The list of players Franklin has flipped from Penn State to Virginia Tech includes seven four-star and four three-star recruits.
Marlen Bright, a four-star offensive tackle from DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, N.J., flipped on Nov. 27. He is ranked as the No. 7 recruit in New Jersey and No. 40 offensive tackle nationally.
Messiah Mickens, a four-star running back from Harrisburg, withdrew his commitment from Penn State on Nov. 19 and signed with the Hokies on Wednesday.
Other recruits who followed Franklin to Virginia Tech include: Pierce Petersohn (four-star tight end), Troy Huhn (four-star quarterback), Davion Brown (four-star wide receiver), Tyson Harley (four-star defensive end), Terry Wiggins (four-star linebacker), Roseby Lubintus (three-star offensive tackle), Mathieu Lamah (three-star linebacker), Benjamin Eziuka (three-star offensive tackle), and Amauri Polydor (three-star cornerback).
A struggle-filled coaching search
While Franklin’s departure was key in flipping several recruits, Penn State’s shaky coaching search has not helped.
Early reports indicated Penn State’s interest in Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, and Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz. All five coaches later signed contract extensions at their respective universities.
Penn State reportedly made BYU coach Kalani Sitake a lucrative offer to become the school’s next head coach, according to ESPN. But once Sitake accepted an extension at his alma mater, Penn State athletic director Patrick Kraft had to pivot.
After the program’s pursuit of several hires fell through, top Penn State donors reportedly are pushing for Kraft to hire Smith, according to On3.com.
The Flyers will be without Tyson Foerster, the team’s leading goal scorer, for the next two to three months after he suffered an upper-body injury in Monday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
It is a major blow to a team that is averaging 2.76 goals this season, the seventh-lowest total in the NHL. But as coach Rick Tocchet said, “The poor-is-me stuff, that can’t linger in that room.”
And with that, the bench boss whipped up some new line combinations at Wednesday’s morning skate. Tocchet likes to keep pairs together, and Trevor Zegras and Christian Dvorak are a duo that is working well. They will now have Travis Konecny on their wing. According to Natural Stat Trick, they’ve played as a line for just 97 seconds at five-on-five this season.
The fourth line remained somewhat the same, with Rodrigo Ābols, Garnet Hathaway, and Nic Deslauriers skating together. Deslauriers, who started his career with Wednesday’s opponent, the Buffalo Sabres, last played Nov. 24 in Tampa Bay. Carl Grundström was recalled on Tuesday from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, but it looks like he will be a healthy scratch against the Sabres (7:30 p.m., TNT).
Speedy winger Owen Tippett was moved alongside Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier. The trio has not played together this season, but did last year, skating almost 125 minutes together. With that line on the ice, the Flyers had a 52.57% Corsi For, 56.36% of the scoring chances, 60% of the high-danger chances, outshot opponents, 76-51, and outscored their opponents, 10-8.
Not too shabby. However, there is one difference now: Tippett will be on the right wing, with Tocchet liking the speed and north-south game Michkov plays on the left.
“The last two or three years I’ve played left more consistently, so obviously I’ve gotten more comfortable with it,” Tippett said about playing the right side. “But again, I’ve played right my whole life, and even now, there’s been some shifts or some periods where I’ve had to go back to the left. I think I’m ready for it whenever it happens.”
And of course, the biggest move of the day involves Nikita Grebenkin, who — some would say, finally — has been moved into the top nine. He is playing with Bobby Brink and Noah Cates.
“Tyson [has an] injury now. It’s bad for the team [because] Tyson, big guy for Flyers. It’s bad, but now I have maybe more time [and it] is good for me,” Grebenkin said. “It’s a big chance for me, and I want to help the team every time. Let’s go Flyers.”
Acquired in the deal that sent Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Grebenkin has played in 16 of the Flyers’ 25 games, mostly on the fourth line. He has one goal and three points while averaging 9 minutes, 52 seconds.
Nikita Grebenkin, 22, will get first crack at trying to replace Tyson Foerster in the Flyers’ top nine.
Some of the critiques from Tocchet have focused on Grebenkin’s decision-making. He wants him to be “sticky” and stay in piles. On Wednesday, Tocchet wants to see the 22-year-old make good decisions, play mind free — he’s mentioned in the past the Russian has told him he’s overthinking — and move his feet more.
“In practice, when he has two-on-ones, he slows down, and he tries to pass the puck. So against Pittsburgh [on Monday night], he had all day to go in and fire the puck, but he waited, and he tried to make the pass, and it got picked off,” Tocchet said.
“So we talked about it, and today his two-on-ones were outstanding. Hopefully, he can apply that in a real game. To be an NHL player, you’ve got to take that information, so hopefully he gets a two-on-one tonight and he moves his feet. I think he will because he did it today in practice.”
Grebenkin has not officially been on a line with Brink this season, but according to Natural Stat Trick, he has skated more than 25 minutes on Cates’ wing during five-on-five action this season.
Without Cates as his center, Grebenkin has been on the ice for seven goals against, to just his first career NHL goal, scored against the Montreal Canadiens in early November. But when they’re on the ice together, the Flyers have outshot opponents 16-7 and outscored them 2-1.
“Obviously, a ton of skill and some speed from him. He’s been working at his game and getting a lot of good looks,” Cates said.
“I think we can work with each other and make some good give-and-go plays or cycle plays,” said Cates, who, like Grebenkin, excels below the hash marks. “I’ll get to the net, I think that’s the biggest thing. So he makes really good plays down there, and I just have to create some space when we’re getting to the net because he’ll find me.”
Grebenkin agrees that he’s been overthinking at times during games, but he has been working at it. He is looking forward to more minutes, helping the team excel, and wants to play better consistently.
But Tocchet knows it takes time for players to develop.
“He’s got to do the process. But do I feel like he’s ready for it? Yeah, I do,” Tocchet said when asked about Grebenkin being in the top nine. “I think he’s ready for it, but there’s a process to it, the way you practice, the way you take information, that’s the way it is.”
Breakaways
Sam Ersson (4-2-2, .859 save percentage) will start against the Sabres. He is 3-1-0 with a 1.83 goals-against average, .913 save percentage, and one shutout against the Sabres in four career games. … Defenseman Egor Zamula will play in place of Noah Juulsen. … Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was on the ice in a non-contact jersey for morning skate. It is the first time he has skated with the group since he suffered an elbow injury in March. He underwent surgery on a right triceps tendon rupture later that month. In 2024, Ristolainen underwent two surgeries, including a repair to a ruptured triceps tendon. According to Flyers general manager Danny Brière in April 2025, the injury was similar, although he wouldn’t confirm whether he tore the tendon again. Tocchet wouldn’t put a timeline on his return to game action but said, “It’s not a month, it’s not a week. What’s that sweet spot? I don’t know.”
After he rattled off a slew of regular-season accomplishments, it was time for Union manager Bradley Carnell to get down to the prevailing question in the room:
Who is making player decisions now in the absence of sporting director Ernst Tanner, who remains embroiled in multiple allegations of misconduct?
And for how long?
In many ways, it appeared Carnell knew that would be the question on everyone’s minds before the Union’s final news conference of 2025 on Wednesday.
Union manager Bradley Carnell had his first season with the club end with the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Coach of the Year honors.
It’s why he chose to lead with a statement that divulged the plan of attack before reiterating highlights like the club winning the Supporters’ Shield for the second time or the fact that defenders Jakob Glesnes and Kai Wagner were named to Major League Soccer’s Best XI.
All great reminders, just not what anyone in the room was feverishly writing down.
It’s clear the Union already knew that, too, as Jon Scheer, the club’s director of academy and professional development sat alongside Carnell. Carnell revealed that alongside himself, Scheer, scouting director Chris Zitterbart, and assistant sporting director Matt Ratajczak will be the brain trust on player comings and goings for “the foreseeable future.”
“We’ve established an internal structure that brings together myself, Jon Scheer, Matt Ratajczak, [and] Chris Zitterbart all working in close collaboration with our ownership group,” Carnell said as part of his opening statement. “This is a collective and collaborative effort … to remain prepared, deliberate, and focused on making the strongest possible decisions for the club.”
How long this setup will continue remains a mystery, as neither the club nor the league has offered any clarity regarding Tanner as an investigation continues into his alleged racial, homophobic, and sexist behavior over seven years with the Union.
Scheer noted that decisions on players have always been a “collaborative and data-driven” effort by the club, which is known for being more of a developmental franchise than one ready to spend cash on high-value talent.
“I would say having worked in the club for seven years, I’ve seen the day-to-day and how that’s evolved,” said Scheer, who noted that the new group doesn’t change much in the process of how things work, despite Tanner being the architect of multiple player brokerages. “Every decision that’s been made over the last several years has been a collaborative effort with multiple people involved.
Jon Scheer (far right) has been with the club for seven seasons, playing a key role in pipelining players from the club’s youth academy to the professional ranks.
“We’re a very data-driven club, I think that’s been well documented. I think we’ve done a really good job of empowering our people across different domains. And that’s something that’s not going to change. We’re looking to take a step forward as a club and [continue] the on-field success. However, there’s a lot that’s going to remain the same in terms of decision-making and what that process looks like across the board.”
A high-value transaction made waves in Wednesday’s proceedings, as earlier that morning, the Union confirmed that they secured Ghanaian forward Ekeziel Alladoh via transfer from Brommapojkarna of Sweden’s top flight for a club-record $4.5 million fee, with incentives. Alladoh, 20, is locked up through the 2028 season with option years in 2029 and 2030.
Alladoh had been rumored to be joining the club for weeks and it’s believed that before his leave of absence, Tanner played a major part in bringing Alladoh to Chester.
“He really suits and fits our style of play,” Carnell said. ”He’s very aggressive, runs very vertical in transition, and with our game model intact, [I think he] shows exactly what type of striker we were looking for to complement [forwards] Tai [Baribo] and Bruno [Damiani] at this stage.”
Ezekiel Alladoh holds up his new Union jersey at the team’s practice facility in Chester.
It’s unknown how long the Union’s decentralized approach to player decisions will last. Despite the comments from Scheer and Carnell about the group effort, someone ultimately makes the final decision in the role of sporting director — a role currently unfilled.
“We were all involved in these decisions and processes to begin with, and this is just a look at how collaborative we need to be as a club,” Scheer said. “We are a development club, and we’re always looking from within first … so there’s so much natural overlap already.”
When it came to any insight into the impact of Tanner’s absence, Scheer deflected.
“No comments as it relates to an ongoing investigation that our club is collaborating with, so we’re just focusing on day-to-day and doing the best job that we can in terms of our decision-making process and the path forward,” he said.
“I think being proactive in the market is always a sign of intent, especially coming off of a successful season where we look to continue to maintain those standards,” Carnell said of Alladoh’s signing.
Said Scheer: “It shows the ambition of our club and our ownership group.”
Though Alladoh’s transfer fee qualifies him as a designated player, his age means he can be classified as an under-22 signing and not count as a DP. The Union’s announcement didn’t give him a label, and Scheer said the team would not pick one until the league’s 2026 roster compliance deadline in February.
The Union announced they will return to Marbella, Spain, for training camp in January.
Preseason news
The Union’s preseason will begin Jan. 17, with plans for a trip to Spain, which the team took last year. Carnell said they’ll play two scrimmages there, then make their annual trip to Clearwater, Fla., where they are expected to play FC Cincinnati and CF Montréal.
The Union return to the Concacaf Champions Cup in mid-February, and the regular season begins Feb. 21 at D.C. United.
The Union’s Mikael Uhre (left) and Jovan Lukic celebrate Uhre’s goal against New York City FC on Oct. 4.
Other notables
Carnell reiterated that the club is in negotiations with forward Mikael Uhre about a new deal, but he was coy about the team’s desired outcome.
“There’s no denying the fact that Mikael, within the game model, has a certain quality, right?” Carnell said. “So I think one [factor] of that is family, what do his family want; what does Mikael want; and what does the club want? And I think if all of those come together and find the best possible solution for player, family, and club — ‘Mika’ had a good end to the season and showed exactly what made him so strong here over the years.”
Carnell said that form “sparks a lot of interest” to consider a deal. He also paid the Danish striker what felt like a notable compliment.
“Mikael was one of the nicest teammates you could ever imagine, and we have had a good working relationship,” Carnell said. “So we’ll see what happens over the next due course.”
Union academy director Jon Scheer says the club still is high on young defender Neil Pierre.
There also was talk about Neil Pierre, the 18-year-old centerback with a high ceiling. He played regularly for the Union’s reserve squad this year but hasn’t yet reached the physical maturity he needs for the top level.
“We’re really high on the potential of Neil Pierre, but we’re also going to make sure that he’s in the best possible environment to reach and maximize that potential,” Scheer said. “I think you’ll see here soon we’re still looking at other centerback options. But Neil, for the future, is one we still have a lot of belief in, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the best environment to continue to develop him in will be.”
For a husband and father who had just experienced an act of vandalism that impacted his wife and family, Kevin Patullo didn’t just take the high road. He took the highest of all possible roads.
He complimented the overwhelming majority of fans and media who have called for his dismissal and created an environment that can provoke inexcusable attacks.
“I’ve been here for five years now, and it’s been awesome,” Patullo said. “We all know that part of our job is to handle criticism. … But when it involves your family, it crosses the line. That happened. At this point, we’ve just got to move on.”
Patullo is the first-year offensive coordinator for an 8-4 Eagles team that is the reigning Super Bowl champion, occupies first place in the NFC East, and would be the No. 3 seed in the conference if the playoffs began today. After a home loss Friday to Chicago, around 3 a.m. on Saturday, his home in New Jersey was pelted with eggs by what a posted TikTok video indicates was a group of boys. The incident is being investigated by the Moorestown Police Department.
I asked him Wednesday if he was angry about the incident or fearful for himself, his wife, or his son and daughter. I told him I certainly would be both angry and scared. It’s natural.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (right) has stood by offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
“You want to separate the job from your family,” he replied. “Us, as a family, we know we’ve got to stick together. To be honest, there’s a lot of great people in the community. I have great neighbors. There’s so many people who have reached out to my wife and I. …
“We’ve just got to move on. No, you’re not uncomfortable … being in that neighborhood. You’re not uncomfortable with sort of continuing with things as they are. … We’ve had a great experience here in Philadelphia. It’s a very special, unique place.”
You can say that again.
Perhaps Patullo is being so gracious because, according to one Eagles source, far worse things have happened to people in the Eagles organization in the past four years. I shudder to think what those things might be.
Perhaps Patullo feels so secure because, as a high-ranking figure in an $8.3 billion franchise that belongs to a league that annually generates more than $20 billion in revenue, those entities take stringent measures to protect their own. Copycats, beware.
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles running game have struggled this season.
You might consider the use of “terrorism” overwrought in this case, but consider Merriam-Webster’s definition:
“The systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion.”
A single house-egging might not be “systematic,” but, as the Eagles offense continues to sputter, Patullo has, for months, been the most viciously criticized of eligible targets. There have been calls for his dismissal since the Eagles began the season 4-0. No, that’s not a misprint.
This, despite the inconsistent play of quarterback Jalen Hurts and the disappearance of running back Saquon Barkley. This, despite the continual injury issues along the offensive line. This, despite A.J. Brown, Hurts, Barkley, and the offensive line saying it’s not Patullo; not primarily, at any rate.
Patullo might not exactly be Bill Walsh, but he’s not Dana Bible, either.
Also: Vic Fangio’s defense collapsed in Dallas and got gashed by the Bears, but nobody egged his house. Take one look at Vic. I dare you to vandalize that man’s house.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio during training camp in August.
You might use the tireless excuse that Patullo’s home was violated by that vague minority of so-called supporters intent on perpetuating the stereotype of Philly fans being venomous cretins who would gladly eat their own. You know, the fans who, in April 1999, booed the drafting of Donovan McNabb, then, that October in Veterans Stadium, cheered when an ambulance drove onto the field to take Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin to the hospital.
But how many of those fans — your friends and neighbors — dismissed this act of vandalism as “boys being boys”? How many shook their heads and said, “That’s too bad, but fire his butt anyway”?
How many? Too many.
I’m a transplant to Philadelphia, but that was 30 years ago, so this is my home. However, I still marvel at how folks choose to revel in sports misery; how many choose to bemoan what is imperfect, and what might go wrong, and the fixation on blaming one particular villain.
I take full responsibility for my part in the critical nature of Philadelphia sports coverage, especially in the 15 years I’ve been a columnist, a television panelist, and a radio personality, and I’ve criticized Patullo when it was warranted, but I strive to keep my criticisms impersonal, unless the person in question has acted in a manner that reveals flaws in his character.
There seem to be few flaws in Patullo’s character.
“When you look at the big picture, it’s just a piece of who I am, who my family is. Ultimately, you know, it’s fine.”
No. No, it’s not fine.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is at the helm of an inconsistent offense.
Objective criticism is fine. Targeted criticism — the sort Patullo is enduring — is not. Not when there are so many other issues.
There’s a difference between criticism and toxicity. Toxicity can lead to violence. Violence always is abhorrent.
The Eagles rank 24th in average yardage. They are 23rd in average passing yardage — which is six spots better than 2024 — and 19th in scoring.
They are 22nd in rushing yardage, which is the real issue, since they were second last season. That can be blamed not only on Patullo’s sometimes clunky sequencing and predictability, but also on teams selling out to stop the run and a clear falloff by both the offensive line and Barkley.
The offense has health issues, but every team has to deal with injuries. The Eagles spend more than twice as much on the offense as they spend on the defense. Nick Sirianni is a former offensive coordinator with the Colts, and Patullo has been his right-hand man since Sirianni hired him as his receivers coach in Indianapolis eight years ago.
Hurts has been a Pro Bowl quarterback and a Super Bowl MVP. Barkley, Brown, DeVonta Smith, and several of the linemen have Hall of Fame talent.
Should the offense be better? Absolutely.
But if you expect Patullo and the offense to be better, why can’t you?
Vic Fangio’s defense could feature a different starting safety on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
On Tuesday, the Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for Marcus Epps, who has been on injured reserve with an undisclosed ailment for the last month. Fangio answered affirmatively on Wednesday when asked if Epps would be ready to play on Monday and if he was in contention to start.
“He’s an experienced safety,” Fangio said. “He’s got good instincts. Got [a] good feel for the game. We’ll have to get a feel and a barometer about where he’s at missing the last four, five weeks, whatever it was where he couldn’t practice, anyway.”
Epps, 29, returned for a second stint with the Eagles when he signed to the practice squad in late August. Epps appeared in 59 games as an Eagle, including playoffs, from 2019-22. He had been elevated from the practice squad to the game day roster for the first three weeks of the 2025 season before he signed to the active roster in late September.
Before going on injured reserve, Epps was the third safety behind Reed Blankenship and Drew Mukuba, who went on injured reserve with an ankle injury last week. When Blankenship was injured in the Week 6 loss to the New York Giants, Epps entered the game in the third quarter ahead of Sydney Brown, the Eagles’ 2023 third-rounder out of Illinois.
With Epps out for the last four weeks, Brown earned his first full-time start of the season in place of Mukuba in Friday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. According to Pro Football Focus, Brown finished with six tackles and one missed tackle. He also conceded two receptions on five targets for 13 yards. Fangio equated Brown’s individual performance to the rest of the defense’s.
“It was a lot like the rest of us,” Fangio said. “Some good, some bad.”
Fangio could prioritize Epps’ experience if he decides to make a change at safety. Epps was a starter on the 2022 Eagles team that fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. He first joined the Eagles in November 2019 after he was waived by the Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted him that year in the sixth round out of Wyoming.
Epps spent 3½ seasons (one as a full-time starter) in his first stint in Philadelphia before moving on to the Las Vegas Raiders from 2023-24. He played just three games last season before he suffered a torn ACL.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been dealing with a shoulder injury, which coordinator Vic Fangio acknowledged Wednesday.
Carter still nursing shoulder injury
Speaking of players who had some good and some bad moments against the Bears, Fangio discussed Jalen Carter.
Carter played just 70.1% of the defensive snaps, his second-lowest share of the season. But Carter’s issues run deeper than one off game. In the locker room afterward, the 24-year-old defensive tackle said he didn’t want to get into what he has been “going through,” seeming to allude to a shoulder injury that he had been playing through earlier in the season.
Fangio confirmed Wednesday that the ailment is still plaguing Carter.
“He does have a shoulder issue,” Fangio said. “He’s been playing with it. Late in the game, he had a great play with it. But, yeah, it’s definitely something there.”
The injury limited Carter’s playing time and his effectiveness on the field, especially while the Eagles conceded a season-worst 281 rushing yards. He still managed to sack Caleb Williams in the second quarter and finish the game with four tackles (including two for losses) and two batted passes.
Before Friday’s game, Carter had played a single-season career-high 87.5% of the defensive snaps. When asked whether Carter can continue to play the high volume of snaps that he had previously been accustomed to this season, Fangio said, “We’ll see.”
The NCAA’s early signing period began Wednesday, which means high school seniors across the nation can sign letters of intent and make their commitments to college football programs official.
In the Philadelphia area, a number of talented recruits in the class of 2026 are heading to FBS programs.
Eight players from the Philly area plan to join coach Fran Brown in Syracuse, while Temple coach K.C. Keeler landed nine local signees in his first full recruiting year. Amid uncertainty at Penn State, which has yet to name its next head coach, it had just two signees — and lost a four-star commitment from Coatesville linebacker Terry Wiggins.
Here’s more about where the area’s prospects are heading:
Top prospects
La Salle College High School’s Joey O’Brien, a two-way star at wide receiver and cornerback, is the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports. He signed his letter of intent to Notre Dame after his commitment in June.
The five-star pledge plans to play both positions for the Fighting Irish, and he’ll have a familiar face joining him next year in South Bend, Ind. His teammate, Grayson McKeogh, a 6-foot-8 left tackle, also made his commitment official after announcing his pledge on the same day as O’Brien.
McKeogh, who began playing offensive tackle just last season, is considered among the best in the nation at his position in the class of 2026.
Explorers quarterback Gavin Sidwar signed with Missouri, a school he’s been committed to since April, and tight end/linebacker John-Patrick Oates decided Wednesday to flip his pledge from James Madison to James Franklin’s Virginia Tech.
This is cool. His dad (without knowing each other) sent me a video of him throwing when he was 10 and asked for advice. I said “just let him be he’s super talented”—congrats @Gavin7Sidwarhttps://t.co/9vnxrYHa04
St. Joseph’s Prep’s Alex Haskell, a 6-4 defensive tackle, initially planned to play for the Nittany Lions, but the coaching change — and “uncertainty surrounding the program,” he wrote on X — led Haskell to withdraw his pledge.
On Oct. 22, a day after reopening his recruitment, Haskell, who’s ranked No. 10 among all players in the state, announced his commitment to Syracuse. The four-star recruit is one of the top signees in the Orange’s 2026 class.
On Wednesday, Malvern Prep edge rusher Jackson Ford, who’s ranked No. 8 in the state, became the one of the two signees for the Nittany Lions during the early period.
4⭐️ Malvern (PA) DE Jackson Ford has signed with Penn State. He will likely be the only 2026 recruit to do so in the early signing period.
The biggest twist came when Wiggins, ranked No. 4 in the state, flipped his commitment from Penn State to sign with Virginia Tech.
The 6-3, 210-pound linebacker made his pledge to Penn State in May, but told 247Sports on Wednesday that “me and Coach Franklin built a very strong relationship.” He added that when he visited the Hokies, “it felt like Penn State 2.0.”
Other FBS signees
Imhotep Charter offensive tackle Jesse Moody to Maryland
Neumann Goretti tight end/defensive end Carter Bashir to Syracuse
Kennett Square kicker Shay Barker to Syracuse
Burlington Township linebacker Gemaus Sackie to Syracuse
Camden offensive lineman Jojo White to Syracuse
Camden safety Ibn Muhammad to Syracuse
Chester offensive tackle Shemaj Henry to Syracuse
Haverford School defensive tackle Walt Frazier to Syracuse
Chester safety Daron Harris to Temple
Roman Catholic receiver/defensive back Eyan Stead Jr. to Temple
Roman Catholic receiver Ash Roberts to Temple
Roman Catholic quarterback Semaj Beals to Akron
Lower Merion tackle/defensive tackle Kechan Miller to Temple
Salem defensive end/tight end Antwuan Rogers to Temple
Bonner-Prendergast receiver/defensive back Dylan Abram to Temple
Bonner-Prendie defensive lineman Chibuzo Amobi to UMass
Pennsauken running back Randall Blount Jr. to Temple
Upper Moreland punter Luke Sword to Temple
Penn Charter tight end Tom McGlinchey to Northwestern
Malvern Prep linebacker Max Mohring to Northwestern
Malvern Prep running back Ezekiel Bates to Minnesota
Winslow Township receiver Quayd Hendryx to Minnesota
Winslow running back Nakeem Powell to Delaware
Winslow receiver Nyqir Helton to North Carolina
Winslow cornerback Julian Peterson to North Carolina
Timber Creek offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus to Virginia Tech
Glassboro defensive lineman Brandon Simmons Jr. to Eastern Michigan
Springside Chestnut Hill receiver Aaron Clark to Buffalo
St. Joe’s Prep cornerback Simaj Hill to West Virginia
West Chester East offensive tackle Tyler Duell to Rutgers
Germantown Academy quarterback Xavier Stearn to Rutgers
Kevin Patullo said Wednesday that he’s ready to “move on” after becoming the victim of a vandalism incident in the aftermath of the Eagles’ loss to the Chicago Bears.
According to the Moorestown Police Department, Patullo’s home was vandalized with multiple eggs early Saturday morning, just hours after the Eagles dropped their second consecutive game and fell to 8-4. A video of the act had spread online on Monday morning.
Speaking for the first time since the incident, Patullo acknowledged that the vandals crossed a boundary. Still, the first-year offensive coordinator expressed a desire to move forward and direct his attention to the Eagles’ next opponent, the Los Angeles Chargers.
“At this point, we’re ready to focus [on] winning the game,” Patullo said. “Unfortunately, it happened. I’ve been here for five years now, and it’s been awesome. This is such a unique place to coach and play. It’s very special. We’ve been to two NFC championship games. We’ve won at Lincoln Financial. The Super Bowl, the parade. It’s an amazing atmosphere to be a coach and a player.
“As coaches and players, we all know that part of our job is to handle criticism. So it’s perfectly acceptable to sit up here and talk about what’s going on, how to fix it, what we’re going to do going forward, and we know that. But when it involves your family, it obviously crosses the line.”
Patullo continued: ”And so that happened. And at this point, we’ve just got to move on. We’re trying to win. That’s all we want to do is focus. Whether it’s my family, whether it’s the team, all we’re trying to do together is focus on this week. We’ve got a long week, which has been good to have an extra day of preparation and go out to LA and beat the Chargers.”
The 44-year-old Patullo is in his first year as Eagles offensive coordinator but has been with the team since 2021. Before his promotion, Patullo was the team’s passing game coordinator. He previously served as the wide receivers coach (2018-19) and passing game specialist (2020) with the Indianapolis Colts while Nick Sirianni was the offensive coordinator.
Kevin Patullo (right) served as passing game coordinator under OC Kellen Moore (left) last season, including in the team’s Super Bowl LIX victory.
Despite the incident, Patullo emphasized that he and his family have “had a great experience here” throughout his tenure in Philadelphia.
“Us as a family, we know we’ve got to stick together, and to be honest, there’s a lot of great people in the community,” Patullo said. “I have great neighbors. So many people have reached out to my wife and I and our family. So it’s not anything at one specific person. It happened, and we’ve just got to move on from it at this point.”
Patullo will move on by continuing to serve as the Eagles’ offensive play caller. Sirianni reiterated Monday that Patullo will retain play-calling duties, and Patullo confirmed as much on Wednesday.
Sirianni said the Eagles would be “evaluating everything” before the mini-bye to improve the team’s overall performance. The offensive numbers are particularly glaring, as the group ranks 19th in the league in scoring and 24th in yards.
But don’t expect one of those changes to include Patullo moving from the sideline to the booth to call plays. Nick Foles, the Super Bowl LII-winning quarterback, has been one of the more outspoken advocates of Patullo making that transition.
However, Patullo unequivocally shot down that suggestion on Wednesday.
“I think the communication with the players is important,” Patullo said. “ … since I’ve been here, in ’21, I’ve been on the field every time. I think there’s a lot of communication with players, coaches on the field. Making sure adjustments are done correctly. Conversations I have with Jalen [Hurts], with the O-line, with the receivers, that are very important.
“I’ve been on the field for a long, long time. I don’t think I’ve been in the box since maybe 2011 as a coach. So it’s been a while. I think just the relationship I have with the guys and the communication has been good and we’ve just got to continue to improve in other areas, and we’ll be all right.”
