The most interesting player in college football, plus early Open coverage

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Good morning! I hope you set your alarm early. 

Tee Times: The Open Championship is happening right now

Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images

We start on the links this morning because, well, the golf is already underway. The Open Championship began this morning (check the scores here), which means either you’re a complete sicko and have been up for hours, or you need to catch up like the rest of us. 

Either way, it’s a beautiful day. The Open is one of my favorite tournaments. I’d probably rank it only behind the Masters (sorry, U.S. Open) among golf events. The sport gets back to its roots here. Links golf, gray skies, windy conditions, good vibes. 

Consider this a quick Pulse “preview” before the narratives fully begin: 

• There are two obvious names at the top: Scottie Scheffler, our nihilist king, and Rory McIlroy, who’s playing on home turf this week. McIlroy fascinates me most, as he would normally face immense pressure here, but after his win at the Masters to complete the career grand slam, is that true anymore? Both of these guys sit atop our big board.
• Two others to ponder: Jon Rahm, who’s quietly been brilliant on the LIV Tour, and Shane Lowry, the other Irishman who won the Open the last time it was hosted here at Royal Portrush. Lowry has lagged so far in majors this year, but don’t count him out this week. Rahm has two top 10s in majors this year already, too.
• If you need a long-shot name, we invite you to the Jordan Spieth experience. Spieth has played well this year but is still major-less since winning the Open in 2017. He also welcomed a baby this week, which means he’ll be playing with dad strength (or fatigue). I choose strength for him. See more on all our long shots here. 

Again, the live blog is here. Happy golf watching this weekend. Onward:

Unproven Superstars: The difficult hype of Arch Manning

It is hard to remember a college player with the profile of Arch Manning. The Texas redshirt sophomore quarterback has played in just 12 college games (two starts) and thrown all of 95 passes. And yet, pedigree and hype have NFL prognosticators wondering if he’s the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. 

I feel secondhand pressure for the kid just pondering that alone. Because of it, Manning might be the most interesting player in college football this season. Two things: 

• The main question: How good is he? No one really knows. Reading our college football QB tiers yesterday sparked this entire idea for me. Sam Khan Jr. and Antonio Morales ranked Manning at No. 10, but I’d consider that a placeholder. Manning clearly has the physical skills and genetic traits to be a great quarterback; we just need to see it first. To be fair, he did impress against subpar teams last year.
• Everything is riding on him, too. Texas is a real-deal contender this year. BetMGM has them as a slight favorite (+500) to win the national title. The Longhorns are No. 1 in our most recent top 25, too. The roster is stacked with both returning talent and transfers. If Manning starts slow, it will be a disappointment. 

Which is completely unfair for a first-year starter … but his name is Arch Manning and he went to Texas. This is reality. And Manning seems well-adjusted enough, anyway, so he may just go and win the Heisman (highest odds for that on BetMGM right now, too). 

No pressure, kid. 

Make sure to read the full tiers list, which features a certain LSU quarterback at No. 2.

News to Know

Beal heads to L.A.
Bradley Beal agreed to a buyout with the Suns, sources told The Athletic, forgoing $13.8 million of the remaining $110.8 million Phoenix owed him, and will sign a two-year, $11 million contract with the Clippers. Beal forms a star trio in Los Angeles with James Harden and Kawhi Leonard that, if healthy, makes the Clips a serious threat in the Western Conference. As for the Suns? The initial Beal trade goes down as one of the worst in franchise history.

Portnoy, Fox join forces
Barstool founder Dave Portnoy is finalizing a deal to become a regular on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” sources told The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand. It’s part of a larger agreement between Barstool and Fox Sports, which would also place Barstool personality Dan “Big Cat” Katz alongside Portnoy on a daily FS1 show to directly compete with ESPN’s “Get Up” and “First Take.” It’s a major pivot for Fox just days after cleaning house. The war between the networks is spicy now.

More news

• Shaquille O’Neal threatened to punch Robert Griffin III over his posts about Sky forward Angel Reese. The beef is real.
• Caitlin Clark missed last night’s game against the Liberty, but no decision has been made on her status for Saturday’s All-Star Game.
• It looks like LeBron James will be back with the Lakers after all, The Athletic’s Dan Woike and Joe Vardon reported.
• Chargers running back Najee Harris will likely start training camp on the non-football injury list after a fireworks accident.
  
• Wyndham Clark is temporarily banned from Oakmont Country Club after damaging the locker room when he missed the cut at last month’s U.S. Open. Tough scene.
• USMNT midfielder Johnny Cardoso is heading to Atletico Madrid from Real Betis on a $34.8 million transfer. Good sign for the American squad.
  
• The NCAA put Memphis on probation after it found that two softball players did coursework for a men’s basketball player. More details here.