Star TE commit Titus Hawk will play two sports at Notre Dame

It's not often that college programs get a "two for the price of one" prize during the recruiting process, but Notre Dame appears to have struck gold. tbzikra.com

The Fighting Irish have landed four-star tight end Titus Hawk for its football team, and a proven run-producer for its baseball team in the class of 2027.

As Fighting Irish Wire covered last year, Notre Dame has been hot on Hawk's trail for a while now, and got their man over several other blue-chip schools. Alabama, Florida, Michigan and Miami, among others, were also seriously interested in Hawk.

Hawk posted 31 catches for 644 yards and eight touchdowns on the gridiron last season.

BREAKING: Four-Star TE Titus Hawk has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @Rivals

The 6’7 215 TE from Choctaw, OK chose the Fighting Irish over Florida, Oklahoma, and Alabama

“Fight Irish Fight”⁰⁰https://t.co/JZi0TaorG2pic.twitter.com/MUyGN8kdZi

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 4, 2026

On the diamond, Hawk hit .392 with four home runs and 33 RBIs last baseball season.

Hawk hails from Choctaw, Oklahoma, and was also heavily pursued by Oklahoma State, where his father Shane played collegiate baseball.

Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Notre Dame Football: 4-star TE commit Titus Hawk will play baseball

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and long-time girlfriend Olivia Carter tied the knot over the weekend, and based on the videos shared by Penix's teammates, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the wedding ceremony.

Penix and Carter announced their engagement in December of 2024, and officially got married on Saturday, May 2. Several of Penix's teammates, including Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Jessie Bates, Ryan Neuzil, Storm Norton and Jake Matthews, showed up to see Atlanta's QB tie the knot.

Pitts posted a video of Penix and his wife dancing, while others shared clips and photos from the reception on social media. Watch Penix and the rest celebrate on the dance floor below.

Falcons players turn up at Penix wedding ceremony

Love seeing the guys show up for QB1. Michael Penix swag surfin tells me that knee gonna be alright 😎✅@AtlantaFalcons 🔴⚫️🅰️ pic.twitter.com/QhigVsp9GD

— Joey 🇨🇴 (@_jkn7) May 3, 2026

Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. lit at his wedding today 😂🕺🔥

🎥Cameraman Falcons TE Kyle Pitts pic.twitter.com/neUWlbmKLJ

— Not Bijan (@InBijanWeTrust) May 3, 2026

Congratulations to the Penix family! pic.twitter.com/I6uwWSL4FO

— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@BowTieSportsGuy) May 4, 2026

WE HAVE A GROUP PHOTO

Fernando Velasco, Drake London, Jessie Bates III, Kyle Pitts, *Terry Fontenot*, Storm Norton, Bijan Robinson, Ryan Neuzil, AJ Terrell, and Jake Matthews at Michael Penix Jr.’s wedding yesterday.

📷: Fernando Velasco IG pic.twitter.com/MBBEZ8L75s

— Carrie (@carrielynnxox) May 4, 2026

Penix was moving pretty well on the dance floor, which is a good sign for the third-year quarterback's recovery from ACL surgery. He's expected to be ready for the start of training camp.

The 25-year-old has some competition this year and will have to battle veteran Tua Tagovailoa for the starting QB job in 2026. Penix, no stranger to adversity, appears to be up for the challenge.

We wouldn't bet against the former top-10 pick.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons players celebrate Michael Penix Jr.'s wedding

LSU football fans waiting for Lane Kiffin to make some noise on the recruiting trail in the 2027 cycle haven't had to wait long.

At the beginning of the year, the Tigers landed a commitment from top 20 defensive lineman Jaiden Bryant out of Irmo (Columbia, S.C.). On Sunday, they landed an even bigger prize, keeping one of the state's top players in Louisiana's home.

Ruston (LA) five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson announced his commitment to the Tigers, choosing LSU over Nebraska.

According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-6.5, 239-pounder is ranked as the No. 11 overall player in the 2027 class. The site ranks him as the No. 1 tight end and the No. 2 player in the state, only behind Elijah Haven, who committed to Alabama.

Hudson is a multi-sport star at Ruston, excelling as one of the state's top basketball players. He's averaged a double-double in each of his three seasons on the courts.

On the gridiron, he's proven to be a matchup nightmare.

This year, he participated in the Navy All-American Bowl, one of the few underclassmen to play in the game. He was named the MVP of the Louisiana Division 1 Non-Select championship despite the loss, after catching six passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Hudson could be kicking off point for LSU's 2027 class

Expectations were high for Tigers fans when it was announced that Lane Kiffin was taking over the program last November.

A prolific recruiter, it came as no surprise that many expected the Tigers to once again be among the top five teams in the country in acquiring high school talent.

So far, though, that hasn't exactly been the case.

According to 247Sports, LSU's 2027 class ranks as the No. 33 class in the cycle. The Tigers have only five commitments to date.

Of their five commitments, three are homegrown talents who rank as four or five-star talents. Kiffin was able to keep a commitment from four-star quarterback Peyton Houston, who committed to the Tigers last September.Four-star athlete Braylon Calais out of Cecilia (Carencro, LA) announced his commitment to LSU on April 20.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ahmad Hudson commits to LSU, what it means for the Tigers

Roma hope Donyell Malen and Matias Soulé can get them within a point of Juventus and fourth place, as Fiorentina rely on Manor Solomon.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Cremonese vs. Lazio on the Liveblog.

This could be a big crossroads in the campaign, because as Juventus and Como were both held to draws, it gives Roma the opportunity to close within a point of fourth place and Champions League qualification.

Neil El Aynaoui is suspended, with Lorenzo Pellegrini, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson injured, plus Manu Kone, Zeki Celik and Bryan Zaragoza not at 100 per cent.

ROME, ITALY – DECEMBER 15: Matias Soule of AS Roma gestures during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Como 1907 at Stadio Olimpico on December 15, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Paulo Dybala had been tipped for a return to the starting XI for the first time since January 25, making his comeback as a substitute in the 2-0 win away to Bologna, but he is again on the bench.

It’s barely been possible to see the front three of Malen, Dybala and Soulé start together.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 18: Paulo Dybala of AS Roma celebrates a goal during the Serie A match between Torino FC and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on January 18, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Fiorentina are practically safe, but want one more push to be absolutely sure of escaping the relegation zone after a seven-round unbeaten Serie A run.

Their last two were stalemates against Sassuolo and Lecce, but Moise Kean, Roberto Piccoli, Niccolò Fortini and Tariq Lamptey are all still injured.

Robin Gosens and Fabiano Parisi are back in the squad, but Albert Gudmundsson has to be a False 9 with Jack Harrison and Manor Solomon in support.

Roma vs. Fiorentina line-ups

Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Pisilli; Malen

Fiorentina: De Gea; Dodo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Ndour, Fagioli, Brescianini; Harrison, Gudmundsson, Solomon

NEED TO KNOW

• Fernando Mendoza may skip the Indiana Hoosiers' visit to the White House
• The Las Vegas Raiders rookie has training camp on the same day, he told reporters
• Mendoza led Indiana to a national championship over the Miami Hurricanes in January

Fernando Mendoza is being mindful of the optics.

The rookie Las Vegas Raiders quarterback told reporters over the weekend that he’ll likely turn down the invitation to the White House when his former team, the Indiana Hoosiers, visit next week.

“If it is on the first day of OTAs [organized team activities], like I said, I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here. I gotta prove myself,” Mendoza, 22, said on Saturday, May 2. “I can’t miss practice.”

He added, “As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look. I want to try to best serve my teammates and I don't know if that'd be accomplishing that goal.”

The Hoosiers, who won the national championship against the Miami Hurricanes in January, are scheduled to visit the White House on Monday, May 11.

While his former teammates make the trip, Mendoza will be getting acclimated to the league as he prepares for his first NFL training camp later this summer.

“Out of all those great milestones, I’m really happy about these past two days because it’s back to football,” he said. “Really enjoyed college, the Hoosiers were able to end off on a high point, now it’s back to the bottom of the totem pole.”

Mendoza added, “Yesterday I was like, ‘Wow, I have a lot to work on.’ Everyone here in rookie camp, these are all really, really good players, so I need to elevate my level of play when we go to OTAs next week and training camp.”

Mendoza’s absence in D.C. comes after he recently chose to deviate from another tradition.

Last month, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft stayed home in South Florida with family instead of attending the draft festivities in Pittsburgh.

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“Pittsburgh is a great opportunity and it’s a great venue, and I’m really excited to see all the guys or most of the guys walk across the stage on Thursday night,” Mendoza told Rich Eisen on SportsCenter three days before the draft. “However, my mom really wanted to do it at home and so did my parents, it’s a lot easier for us, especially with the family situation.”

When he was selected by the Raiders with the first pick, the quarterback embraced family members — including mom Elsa, who has multiple sclerosis — who had gathered together to celebrate the big moment.

Read the original article on People