#harbaugh-connections

#harbaugh-connections

Okay, I'm going to say it. Okay. Okay. St. John's fans...I was rooting for St. John's [in the tournament]. Do I want to play them? Probably not, but I didn't want to play Duke either, so we were rooting for St. John's, and then when we went to the [Elite Eight] game, all those St. John's fans were rooting against us, and that broke my heart.

You'd have to catch me off the record to answer that question. The implication was clear: Now that every school can pay players -- either through direct revenue share or name, image and likeness dollars -- Big Ten schools are no longer disadvantaged in recruiting by everything from booster bag men to shoe company AAU connections.

Rick Pitino has signed a new deal with St. John's University, extending his contract through the 2029-30 season and receiving a significant pay increase. His leadership has transformed the program, leading to a 20-13 record in his first season and a remarkable 31-5 record in 2024-25, which included winning both the regular season and Big East Tournament titles.

I told him to seriously look at it because I could see where college basketball was going. But I said, I would hate to lose him because I think he's all that is right about college basketball.

It was very obvious that Bryce is a mega-talent. He's got so much ability, but he's raw -- as you would expect an 18-year-old starting quarterback at a Power 4 school to be. He was not a completely finished product, and that's our job now to turn him into that.

Huntley, 28, got his career back on track in his third stint with the Ravens. Last season, he was 2-0 filling in for Jackson, leading Baltimore to wins over two playoff teams in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

Although Weaver will hold the title of defensive coordinator, new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter indicated in his introductory news conference last week that he would call the defensive plays for Baltimore. Last month, along with Minter and then-Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Weaver was among the finalists to interview for the Ravens' head coach opening. Weaver also interviewed for four other head coach vacancies this offseason: the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.

"His teams play like he played," Harbaugh said of Vrabel Monday afternoon. "Tough, gritty, physical, smart, fast. They kind of like to hit like he liked to hit. That's what I've noticed."