Bray Staley is simply surreal, as the Tennesee Volunteers prove why he was such a coveted national recruit with a highlight track that might just as well defy physics.

(And we’ll admit we’ve watched this play a dozen times without knowing how Staley pulled it off).

A class of 2024 athletes from Aiken High School (Aiken, SC), Staley is a consensus four-star recruit and top five player in South Carolina. The move he pulled off on Friday night is unreal, with a certain Gumby-like flexibility.

Aiken lost 48-12, but Staley’s game was the winner here. I won’t even try to describe it, just look at this:

@BrayStaley is something serious 🥶 @BrianStaley_12 @GoRebsPCCW @Vol_Football I get this guy!! pic.twitter.com/ZSDpn3gIyu

— High School Blitz (@HighSchoolBlitz) September 2, 2023

Staley was a 6 foot, 180 pound receiver Tennessee End of June. He had a series of Power Five offers that included: Clemson and Miami.

Aiken is now 0-3 at the start of the season. They play at Clinton on Friday (3-0).

Gunshots near a high school football game in Baltimore caused players to flee the field, leading to the contest’s cancellation. Dunbar High School hosted Loyola Blakefield in the season opener for both teams.

A 12-year-old is in stable condition after being shot in the incident. The shooter escaped immediate capture by police.

A report from local TV station WBAL-TV said that “shots were fired right next to the stadium”. According to the report, the violence did not spread to the stadium.

The game was abandoned with Loyola leading Dunbar 16-12.

“It wasn’t part of the Dunbar football game, it wasn’t associated with people involved in that game,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said said WBAL.

“It is unfortunate that students from Dunbar and Loyola and their families and everyone here had to go through this and that this young man was shot because someone decided to shoot at a group of people.”

The sound of the gunshots elicited an immediate reaction from players and fans, who either lay down or began fleeing the scene. Both Dunbar and Loyola football players and staff were seen running off the field shortly after hearing the gunshots.

Our camera rolled at the moment as people ran after the shooting near the stadium tonight. pic.twitter.com/KwxsiZf7ux

— Khiree Stewart (@khireewbal) September 2, 2023

WBAL reports that no student athletes were injured.

Just like that, the Pac-12 has been reduced to the Pac-2.

Oregon State and Washington State will be the last two standing in the conference after Stanford and California announced Friday they are bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.

There’s speculation the Beavers and Cougars may join the Mountain West Conference or lead an effort to absorb some Group of Five teams into a new Pac-12. Either way, its a step down from the Pac-12’s current Power Five status.

The reality is both schools are in more rural college towns — Oregon State in Corvallis and Washington State in Pullman — and have smaller media markets. That complicated finding a new home as the conference imploded.

“Obviously, our market size, eyeballs on televisions, did not create the leverage needed to be in a different circumstance,” Oregon States athletic director Scott Barnes said. “That said, know this, that we will find the right place for our student-athletes, the highest and best place for them to compete, as well as our coaches.”

The Beavers and the Cougars made it clear they are working together to find, or create, a solution.

“Washington State has been in ongoing contact with Oregon State University as we move forward,” Washington State said in a statement released on social media. “We will continue to fight for Washington State as we explore all options to secure the best possible future for Cougar athletics.”

At least one route for the schools was closed off Friday: The American Athletic Conference released a statement that said “we have concluded that the best way to proceed for our outstanding student-athletes is to not look westward.”

The latest departures come as both Oregon State and Washington State prepare to open their football seasons. The No. 18 Beavers visit San Jose State on Sunday, while the Cougars visit Colorado State on Saturday. Both games could be a harbinger of what’s to come: San Jose State and Colorado State are in the Mountain West.

Oregon State President Jayathi Murthy said a decision for the Beavers will likely come in weeks, not months. Her hope is that the Pac-12 brand can be retained in some way.

“We continue to look for options that work for us, where the needs of our students-athletes are taken care of, where our athletic and academic values align, and where we can play at the national level and be visible,” she said. “But jumping from a conference was never the first option, making the conference work is always where my heart and my mind lay. And I’m sorry that a top-20 football team ends up where we are because of the focus on media rights and media valuations.”

Eight other teams from the so-called “Conference of Champions” had previously announced plans to depart next year. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are headed to the Big Ten, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will play in the Big 12.

Barnes said that Oregon Sate’s revenue will drop with the demise of the Pac-12.

“Our priority is what it’s always been, and that’s to retain a very high level, vibrant, holistic experience for our student-athletes. We pride ourselves in that, the services that they receive, the competition they have. And so, we will focus on that as we move forward,” Barnes said. “But make no mistake, as we continue the path forward, we know that revenues will be less. How much less? Not certain yet.”

Oregon State recently completed a $160 million renovation of Reser Stadium which Barnes said would not be impacted by the realignment because of how the funding for the project was structured.

Washington State, meanwhile, announced in June that it is facing an $11.5 million deficit in the athletic department. The Cougars spent millions to refurbish their athletic facilities with the expectation that future TV revenue would help pay some of those bills — but the current Pac-12 media rights deal didn’t meet those expectations.

The media deal expires next year with no replacement in place.

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Texas A&M landed a serious player Friday night with the signing of five-star defenseman Dominick McKinley.

McKinley, a six-foot-tall, 280-pound center back from Acadania High School (Lafayette, LA), was one of the tallest unattached players left this weekend. Now it is becoming a building block for the future of the Aggies line of defense.

He had a final five that included LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma And Texas and Texas A&M. With McKinley’s signing, the Aggies now have the fifth-best recruiting class in the country and fourth-best in the SEC.

After issuing a brief statement thanking his family, friends, and high school coaching staff, he concluded, “Nonetheless, I’m pleased to announce my commitment to…Texas A&M.”

🎥 WATCH OUT: 2024 five-star DL Dominick McKinley commits to Texas A&M 👍@DominickMcKinl4 | #GigEm pic.twitter.com/tFzJ8KWgsM

— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 1, 2023

It was an understated moment from McKinley, who kept a low profile throughout the recruitment process.

McKinley joins Alabama wide receiver Cameron Coleman as the second five-star commit in this Texas A&M recruit class.

Texas A&M landed a serious player Friday night with the signing of five-star defenseman Dominick McKinley.

McKinley, a six-foot-tall, 280-pound center back from Acadania High School (Lafayette, La.), was one of the tallest unsigned players this weekend. Now he’s becoming a building block for the future of the Aggies line of defense.

His final five included LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas, and Texas A&M. With McKinley’s signing, the Aggies now have the fifth-best recruiting class in the country and fourth-best in the SEC.

After issuing a brief statement thanking his family, friends, and high school coaching staff, he concluded, “Nonetheless, I’m pleased to announce my commitment to…Texas A&M.”

🎥 WATCH OUT: 2024 five-star DL Dominick McKinley commits to Texas A&M 👍@DominickMcKinl4 | #GigEm pic.twitter.com/tFzJ8KWgsM

— TexAgs (@TexAgs) September 1, 2023

It was an understated moment from McKinley, who kept a low profile throughout the recruitment process.

McKinley joins Alabama wide receiver Cameron Coleman as the second five-star commit in this Texas A&M recruit class.

Goalkeeper. The only position on the pitch that stands out more than any other. They say you have to be crazy to be a goalkeeper, after all you play with your hands and not your feet. Throughout Major League Soccer’s history, the league has produced some great goaltenders and even attracted a few. Let’s look at some of the best MLS goalkeepers of all time.

Ranking of the best MLS goalkeepers of all time

10) Tim Howard, (MetroStars, Colorado Rapids)

The unmistakable sight of Tim Howard. He wore the goalie gloves for the US national team for almost 15 years. During that time he proved his skills with MetroStars and took a sabbatical in England, where he played for both Manchester United and Everton before returning to MLS with Colorado Rapids.

Although he never won the MLS Cup, he was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2001 and named an All-Star Team three times. Interestingly, he was named MVP of the 2009 All-Star Game when his Everton team played a 1-1 draw against the MLS representative team.

9) Donovan Ricketts, (LA Galaxy, Montreal Impact, Portland Timbers, Orlando City)

No conversation about the top GKs of all time in MLS would be complete without Donovan Ricketts. The Jamaican goalie lifted the MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy in 2011, his only major trophy of his career.

That didn’t stop Ricketts from being one of the best goalkeepers of his career, however, as he was twice named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Notably, he received one of those honors in 2013 when he also kept an impressive 14 clean sheets for the Portland Timbers.

8) Matt Turner, (New England Revolution)

Arsenal’s current reserve keeper wasn’t always a reserve player. If he had stayed with New England Revolution and put the club back on the road to success, he could have become one of the best goalies in MLS history.

He received the Goalie of the Year award in 2021 as the team achieved the Supporters’ Shield. He was an agile player who could stop any opponent’s attack. If he returns to Major League Soccer anytime soon, he could increase his status on future lists like this one.

7) Zach Thornton, (MetroStars, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, New York Red Bulls, Chivas USA)

Zach Thornton is a man who has dedicated his life to the USA goalie. Even after his 16-year career as a Major League Soccer player, he spent several years as a goalkeeping coach for several franchises.

He won both Eastern and Western Conference championships with the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA, respectively, and was named Goaltender of the Year in both 1998 and 2009, proving his quality throughout his long career.

6) Andre Blake, (Philadelphia Union)

Unlike a select few players on this list, Andre Blake has remained loyal to one team throughout his career to date. Philadelphia Union fans will hope he stays with them forever as his skill between the posts keeps the team in the game.

A three-time Goalkeeper of the Year, Blake has never won anything other than the 2020 Supporters’ Shield. Blake will most certainly be the catalyst for a Union title shot, or maybe he needs to forsake his allegiance and contribute to a team more befitting of his shotstopper quality.

His 15 goals in 2022 helped the team advance to the MLS Cup Finals and is tied for Jimmy Nielsen’s second-highest goal in a single season.

5) Tony Meola, (MetroStars, Kansas City Wizards, New York Red Bulls)

As the only goalie to win the regular season MVP award, Tony Meola should be honored with the best MLS players of all time, and not just in the goalie category.

Finally, in 2000, he defined what it means to be a good goaltender by keeping 16 clean sheets for the Kansas City Wizards, a record that still stands as the highest in a single season.

4) Tim Melia (Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA, Sporting Kansas City, FC Dallas, DC United)

This veteran Major League Soccer goaltender is still an active goaltender for Sporting Kansas City, but doesn’t play quite as much as he used to. After all, he is now 37 years old and has sustained a serious hamstring injury. His previous accolades speak for themselves: he was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017 and kept 13 clean sheets the following season.

He also developed into something of a penalty specialist, saving the highest percentage of all penalties at 40% and saving 14 of the 35 so far. Nick Rimando might have saved more, but Melia has a better savings rate.

3) Jimmy Nielsen, (Sporting Kansas City)

Despite only playing four seasons in Major League Soccer, the Danish goalie took America to his heart as he played over 120 games for Sporting Kansas City. He was named an MLS All-Star twice, won the Eastern Conference twice, was selected to the top XI, and won the 2013 MLS Cup. It’s fair to say that he’s accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.

Nielsen had two great seasons towards the end of his career, keeping 13 clean sheets in 2012 and then retiring with 15 shutouts in the season he won the title, the latter of which earned him the Goalkeeper of the Year award.

2) Brad Guzan, (Chivas USA, Atlanta United)

Although Brad Guzan started his MLS career with the ill-fated Chivas USA franchise, he has found his success in his tenure between the posts. However, he also managed to win goalkeeper of the year at Chivas USA in 2007 as he kept 13 clean sheets.

After playing for Aston Villa, Hull City and Middlesbrough in England, Guzan returned to the United States to become Atlanta United’s top goalkeeper. In 2018 the team clinched the MLS Cup and Guzan followed that up with 14 MLS league games in 2019 as Atlanta won both the US Open Cup and the Campeones Cup.

1) Nick Rimando, (Miami Fusion, DC United, Real Salt Lake)

Nick Rimando might be the best answer when it comes to who tops the list of the best MLS goalkeepers of all time. Rimando played for Miami Fusion and DC United, but is best known for his 13 seasons at Real Salt Lake, where he made over 400 appearances for the club and only ended his career in 2019.

He holds a notable MLS penalty record, having saved 22 of the 81 penalties he faced, for a whopping 27.2% success rate. Yes, this is the highest number of stored PKs of any goalkeeper who has played a significant number of games. He was instrumental in helping DC win the MLS Cup in 2004 and again with Salt Lake in 2009 when he was named MVP of the MLS Cup Finals.

Honorable Mention

You might be thinking of a group of players, in particular some goalkeepers, who have played well in the Premier League. Brad Friedel was a great player at Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa. However, he only played one season in Major League Soccer, making it difficult for him to be considered one of the best MLS goalkeepers of all time.