Saquon Barkley hurdles way on to 'Madden 26' cover

Saquon Barkley hurdles way on to 'Madden 26' cover

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley vaulted onto the cover of the "Madden 26" video game. EA Sports released a cover image on social media Monday featuring the Super Bowl champion hurdling a defender. It pays homage to a viral highlight from Barkley's remarkable 2024 season in a Week 9 win against Jacksonville. Barkley leapt over Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones with an acrobatic, backward hurdle on a 14-yard reception. "It was the best play I've ever seen," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said afterward, echoing the thoughts of many. "Saquon you're INSANNE!!" basketball great LeBron James posted on social media. Barkley finished that game with 159 rushing yards en route to an NFL-leading 2,005 yards on the ground. The NFL Offensive Player of the Year added 499 more rushing yards in the postseason as Philadelphia ultimately upended the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX. Barkley, 28, is the first Eagles player featured on the cover of the popular franchise since quarterback Donovan McNabb on "Madden NFL 06." --Field Level Media

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Saquon Barkley hurdles way on to 'Madden 26' cover

Saquon Barkley hurdles way on to 'Madden 26' cover Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley vaulted onto the cover of the ...

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Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals ready to get started

Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals ready to get started

TheStanley Cup FinalandNBA Finalsare ready to get underway, with the Edmonton Oilers favored to win the hockey title and the Oklahoma City Thunder favored to win in basketball. On Wednesday, theFlorida Pantherswill take on the Oilers in a Stanley Cup rematch from a year ago, which Florida won. On Thursday, the NBA Finals has theIndiana Pacersagainst theThunderin Game 1. Indiana has never won an NBA championship. The Thunder have never won a title, either, but did win when they were the Seattle Supersonics in 1979. Trends of the Week The Thunder are massive favorites against the Pacers, listed at -700 to win going into the series. "The Thunder are big favorites to win the NBA championship and a great result for the sportsbook on the futures market," BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said. "We are cheering against the Pacers lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy." Going into the regular season, Oklahoma City was +900, while Indiana was +5000. In the NHL, Edmonton is a slight favorite at -115 to win the series overFlorida. "BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch," BetMGM senior sports trader Matthew Rasp said. "The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season, and we hope anyone besides Connor McDavid or Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Conn Smythe trophy." As of Monday morning, Edmonton is taking in 51% of the bets and 72% of the money in series bets. McDavid is currently the favorite to win the Conn Smythe at +100, and has received the most bets and most money of any player in the league throughout the season. Scottie Schefflerwon for the third time on the PGA Tour this season, taking the Memorial by four shots. Going into the tournament, he was a massive favorite at +300. In pre-tournament bets, he took in 18.7% of them and 44% of the money. Upset of the Week The New York Yankees were +145 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball and came away witha 7-3 win. It was just their second win as an underdog this season. Going into the game, they were 1-5. Coming Up After a few months of theMLB season, the Dodgers are still the favorites to win the World Series at +240. The Yankees are next at +550, followed by the Detroit Tigers at +900. No other team has odds shorter than +1000. The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are both +1000. ___ This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook. ___ AP sports:https://apnews.com/hub/sports

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals ready to get started

Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals ready to get started TheStanley Cup FinalandNBA Finalsare ready to get underway, wi...

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Brian O'Connor, who led Virginia to 7 CWS and 2015 national title, takes over at Mississippi State

Brian O'Connor, who led Virginia to 7 CWS and 2015 national title, takes over at Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Brian O'Connor, who led Virginia to seven College World Series appearances and a national championship, is leaving the Cavaliers to take over at Mississippi State. MSU announced O'Connor's hiring after theBulldogs' season-ending 5-2 loss to Florida Stateon Sunday in the NCAA Tournament. The 54-year-old O'Connor won 917 games over 22 seasons at Virginia and was national coach of the year three times and Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the five times. Under O'Connor, the Cavaliers played in 18 NCAA regionals and nine super regionals, and his2015 team won the national championship.He had 102 players selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft, including 31 who reached the big leagues. "Mississippi State represents everything I love about college baseball — tradition, passion and a relentless pursuit of excellence," O'Connor said. "I've coached against this program and followed it closely for years. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field is nationally recognized as the best in the sport. I'm incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead a program with this kind of legacy and fan base." Mississippi State fired seventh-year coach Chris Lemonis on April 28. Lemonis led the Bulldogs to the2021 national championshipbut they mostly have struggled since. Justin Parker took over as interim coach and the Bulldogs closed with wins in 11 of their last 15 games and reached the Tallahassee Regional final. They finished 36-23. Athletic director Zac Selmon said MSU's hiring of O'Connor represents a "powerful step forward." Virginia had five seasons with 50 wins and 13 seasons with at least 40, and his .702 career winning percentage ranks second among active Division I coaches. O'Connor's team went 32-18 this season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. "Brian O'Connor is one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in college baseball. He's a national champion, a Hall of Famer, and a proven leader with a track record of building a championship-caliber program," Selmon said. "Mississippi State is built to win at the highest level, and Coach O'Connor knows what that takes." ___ AP college sports:https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Brian O'Connor, who led Virginia to 7 CWS and 2015 national title, takes over at Mississippi State

Brian O'Connor, who led Virginia to 7 CWS and 2015 national title, takes over at Mississippi State STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Brian O'...

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Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game

Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game

The popular "Madden" video game franchise announced Monday thatPhiladelphia Eaglesrunning backSaquon Barkleywould be gracing its cover in 2025. Barkley was chosen after producing just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history in his first year with the Eagles. He achieved the feat despite sitting out the final game of the regular season to prepare for Philadelphia's Super Bowl run. The game's cover art will feature Barkley's most iconic play from the 2024 campaign: a 14-yard reception during which he reverse hurdled overJacksonville JaguarscornerbackJarrian Jones. The move came after Barkley had already used his patented spin move to avoid another would-be tackler. THE 180 HURDLE??? DID SAQUON JUST INVENT THIS?!📺:#JAXvsPHIon CBS/Paramount+📱:https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqGpic.twitter.com/tYThjnbdgG — NFL (@NFL)November 3, 2024 SAQUON BARKLEY HURDLE:Eagles RB wows coach, fans with highlight reel play Below is a look at the "Madden 26" cover, via the team's X (formerly Twitter) account: .@Saquonhurdled his way onto the cover of#Madden26Coming 8.14.25. Pre-Order Today.🔗:https://t.co/zm14BbUaJfpic.twitter.com/l1QYWN0b7h — Madden NFL 26 (@EAMaddenNFL)June 2, 2025 Barkley referred to making the cover as a "dream come true" ina post shared to social media. "It starts with imagination," Barkley said. "Being a kid, having those moments, playing video games and saying, 'Why can't I do it in real life?'" Barkley will be the second Eagles player to be on the cover of a Madden game. Donovan McNabb was the first to do so for the 2006 iteration of the game. Barkley will also become the third-ever Eagles player to earn a 99 overall rating – the highest in the game –as the team revealedfollowing the cover announcement. Philadelphia's previous members of the 99 club were safety Brian Dawkins (2004) and kicker David Akers (2006). Madden first put an athlete on the cover in 2001, whenTennessee Titansrunning back Eddie George was chosen to front the game. Below is a look at all of the people to earn the cover art nod since then. 2001: Eddie George, RB,Tennessee Titans 2002: Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings 2003: Marshall Faulk, RB, St. Louis Rams 2004: Michael Vick, QB, Atlanta Falcons 2005: Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens 2006: Donovan McNabb, QB,Philadelphia Eagles 2007: Shaun Alexander, RB, Seattle Seahawks 2008: Vince Young, QB, Tennessee Titans 2009: Brett Favre, QB, Green Bay Packers 2010: Troy Polamalu, S, Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Arizona Cardinals 2011: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints 2012: Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns 2013: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions 2014: Barry Sanders, RB, Detroit Lions 2014: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings 2015: Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks 2016: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants 2017: Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots 2018: Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots 2019: Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers 2020: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs 2021: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens 2022: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs and Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023: John Madden, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach 2024: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills 2025: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers 2026: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eagles RB Saquon Barkley chosen as Madden 26 cover athlete

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game

Saquon Barkley Madden cover: Eagles RB's hurdle to grace video game The popular "Madden" video game franchise announced Monday...

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Eagles' Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete

Eagles' Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete

Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley was announced Monday as EA Sports' cover athlete for Madden NFL 26. Barkley'ssensational backward hurdleover a defender from Week 9 of last year's Super Bowl-winning season is depicted on the standard cover. The deluxe edition features a tight shot of Barkley in his game-day gear. Barkley last seasonset an NFL single-season rushing record, postseason included, topping the mark of 2,476 yards set by Terrell Davis. He ended perhaps the greatest debut season of any free agent in Philadelphia sports history with 2,504 yards rushing and 18 rushing touchdowns. "Starring on the cover of Madden NFL 26 and being named to the Madden NFL '99 Club' are both dreams come true," Barkley said in an EA Sports news release. "I'm grateful to my teammates, coaches, and Eagles fans for their support, and I can't wait to hit the field again to give Madden players more highlight-reel moments in Madden NFL 26." Barkley is the first Eagles player on the cover since Donovan McNabb was on Madden 06. ___ AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

bySlavek Pynzarek

in

June 02, 2025

Eagles' Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete

Eagles' Saquon Barkley announced as Madden NFL 26 cover athlete Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley was announced Monda...

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