Tradition's Finest Episode 71 - "The Trent Williams Episode"

Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 71 - “The Trent Williams Episode” includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - Miscellaneous: Tyson Fury has announced his retirement from the sport of Boxing. . .Fury is 'riding off into the sunset' (with seven children to care for that will surely keep him pressed against the tight rope ). . .Fury retires with an overall record of 34-2-1. . - NCAA College Basketball: 'No More Unbeatens:' The No.1-ranked Tennessee Volunteers were abused on the court last Tuesday night - both physically and emotionally - by the No.8-ranked Florida Gators. . .UT would suffer their first loss of the season - and it was a 30-point loss - where the Volunteers only made 12 shots (shot 12-for-56 from the field or a 21% FG). . .Head Coach Rick Barnes' Volunteers became the only Division-1 team this century to shoot 30% of worse from the field, 15% of worse from the three-point line, and 60% or worse from the FT line in a single game (with a minimum of 25 attempts per each category). . .Previously undefeated & ranked No.1 in the nation, but the brutal stretch of SEC Conference play is just now underway - Q: Should the Volunteer-faithful be concerned following the thirty-point blowout loss? - NBA: The Miami Heat suspended former All-Star SG Jimmy Butler for seven games for "multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks - and due to Jimmy's representative's request, [the Heat franchise & President Pat Riley] will listen to [trade] offers.". . .Butler's 7-game suspension has cost him an estimated salary of $3M dollars. . .but the 'Rumor mill' continues to spin round & round regarding Butler's future & potential trade destinations - for instance, ESPN NBA insider Bobby Marks insider posted his thoughts & firmly believes that there is a "strong likelihood" that Butler will be on the Heat roster past the February 6^th NBA trade deadline, and that he will pick up the $52M player option. . .There have also been multiple reports linking Butler to the Phoenix Suns, but the Bradley Beal no-trade-clause may sink that particular ship - but realistically, Could Jimmy Butler & Kevin Durant co-exist in Phoenix? A more logical question might be: "Could Jimmy Butler & any All-Star player that is already in a prime position with a particular franchise co-exist?" - The Chicago Bulls announced last week that the No.1 jersey of former MVP & "hometown hero" Derrick Rose will officially be retired and/or hung in the rafters, making him the fifth Bulls' player to receive this franchise honor. . .The Rose jersey Retirement Ceremony will be held during the next NBA season (2025-26) - Rose will join a legendary group of former Bulls' players, including Jerry Sloan (No.4), Bob Love (No.10), Michael Jordan (No.23) & Scottie Pippen (No.33). . . - NCAA: News & Storylines: Following the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal game(s) - - All Four of the Higher-seeded teams and/or the teams who received a "first-round bye" lost: No.8 Ohio State over No.1 Oregon; No.5 Texas over No.4 Arizona State; No.7 Notre Dame over No.2 Georgia; and, No.6 Penn State over No.3 Boise State. . .Q: Strategically, were the teams with the "first-round bye" at a clear disadvantage? If the script was flipped on one (or more) of the CFB Playoff Quarterfinal games in terms of seeding, do you think the outcome would be different? - University of Oregon star WR Tez Johnson - who played for a local high school in Alabama - has officially declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. . .while Former Dayton & Toledo kicker Michael Denning's instant-classic of a social media post concerning his future was "priceless" - Denning's post on X stated that he intends to pursue "other passions [outside of football], namely male modeling and being a movie star.". . .Also included within the post, Denning included a cropped photo of himself with a 'Zoolander' pose. . . - Former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban will be inducted into the 2025 Class of the College Football Hall of Fame. . .Kudos to Saban for being as "shocked" as everyone else when he learned about the exciting news from his 'College Gameday' co-host Rece Davis - A pair of 1,000-yard rushers & fellow Penn State star RB's - Nick Singleton & Kaytron Allen - both announced on Monday that they will be returning for the 2025 College Football season. . .On the following day, Tuesday, Nittany Lion QB Drew Allar also announced that he will be returning for 2025 season as well. . .Q: After the news that both Oregon & Ohio State are expecting to lose a "substantial" number of players this offseason, and considering the importance & their overall impact on the Penn State offense, could the return of these three highly-talented players in 2025 potentially 'shift' the dynamic of the Big Ten Conference next season?. . . - University of Texas WR Isaiah Bond & TE Gunnar Helm both announced via social media (X) that they will declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. . .Q: Were you surprised by Bond's or Gunnar's decision to declare for the Draft?. . . - NCAA: The Transfer Portal [is Still 'Portalin]: JD & Spencer selected some of the most notable - or most impactful - player transfers to discuss for this episode. The following players, who entered the NCAA transfer portal, as listed below, have since committed to a new program. . .*BUT you will have to tune in to discover which school(s) the players have selected: Alabama transfer RB Justice Haynes has officially committed to _____________________. Oregon transfer QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele has committed to _______________________. USC transfer WR Zachariah & S Zion Branch have committed to ________________________. Tennessee transfer WR Squirrel White has committed to ______________________, and will have one year of eligibility left. Texas A&M transfer WR Noah Thomas has committed to ______________________. Georgia transfer QB Carson Beck, who had previously declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, elected to enter the transfer portal with a "do not contact" tag - afterwards, he committed to ____________________ on a $4M NIL deal. - NCAA: College Football Playoff Recap: JD & Spencer Review the College Football Playoff Semifinal Games & Preview the College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T - and provide their individual & independent game predictions - NFL: JD & Spencer discuss & review the regular-season finale (i.e. Week 18), the "Coaching Carousel," the 2024 NFL Playoffs, Wild-Card Weekend & Preview & Present their Predictions for the Second (or Divisional Round) of the NFL Playoffs. . . Thanks for Listening!!