The great city of Cincinnati is finally heating back up, both in temperature and sports action! If you’re outside this week, be safe and drink lots of water! The Reds remain in full swing, eligibility drama is everywhere, FCC history was made, and we are beginning to swing into our CFB coverage. Check it all out here!
Pro Sports
Bengals
No new action, we recently launched our official Bengals game-by-game prediction and an AFC North position-by-position breakdown.
FC Cincinnati
In FCC Transfer News, Neymar Jr. and his camp have pulled out of negotiations with FCC after they failed to progress to a formal offer. It was reported that this was due to FCC not having a DP spot open. If so, that’s one of the more difficult breaks in FCC history, as this could have significantly elevated the international presence for the Garys during this summer of soccer. Unfortunately, Neymar will likely line up against FCC instead of for FCC in the future. Additionally, Stiven Jimenez appears to be on his way to the Brasil Serie B on loan to Associacao Athletica Ponte Preta per @futebolinterior on X. Jimenez is the youngest signing in FCC history.
Cincinnati remains on break due to the World Cup. Miles Robinson started for the US against Turkey, making him the first-ever FCC player to start a World Cup game. The US lost 3-2 and will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in the Round of 32.
Check out our World Cup page here: https://sansomsportsmedia.com/world-cup-2026/. Parker is bringing daily recaps and we have all of the updates you’ll need as we move through the knockouts!
Reds
The Reds struggled this week, going 2-4. Here is a recap of each game.
6/22 | Brewers beat Reds 2-1 | Great American Ballpark
Brandon Woodruff and Brady Singer both had great starts, allowing no runs. This game was scoreless going into extras. Milwaukee put up two runs off of Tony Santillan to take the lead in the 10th. The Reds needed two to force the 11th inning and only got one off a Sal Stewart groundout.
6/23 | Brewers beat Reds 2-0 | Great American Ballpark
Cincinnati is now two games into the series and they have put up one measly run. They only had two hits on Tuesday. The Brewers struck twice late in the game to capitalize on elite pitching and pick up a W.
6/24 | Brewers beat Reds 6-5 | Great American Ballpark
The Reds finally found their bats on Wednesday. However, as soon as they do that, they lose their pitching. Heading into the bottom of the seventh, Milwaukee led 6-1 (RBI double by Blake Dunn was the one run). Cincinnati attempted to rally, Eugenio Suarez hit an RBI double, Sal Stewart added a run off a groundout, and Spencer Steer launched a two-run home run. Unfortunately, this late burst wasn’t enough and Milwaukee swept the series.
6/26 | Reds beat Pirates 6-4 | PNC Park
This was a game that the Reds absolutely NEEDED. Cincy started off with a four-run second inning, sparked by RBI singles from Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson. Elly De La Cruz and Adam Dunn added two more off of sac-flies. Pittsburgh was able to even the game at 4-4 heading into the seventh. Shortly after, Noelvi Marte smacked a two-run homer to take a 6-4 lead and the Reds never looked back.
6/27 | Reds beat Pirates 9-7 | PNC Park
Sal Stewart started this game out hot with a solo shot. He added an RBI single in the third to take a 2-0 lead. Heading into the fifth, Pittsburgh took a 4-2 lead. Edwin Arroyo soon struck back with an RBI double, and he proceeded to score off an error to even it at four. Jose Trevino smacked a two-RBI single in the sixth to make it 6-4. The Pirates then scored three straight to go up 7-6. Jump to the ninth, Eugenio Suarez hits a three-run bomb to win the game and series for the Redlegs.
6/28 | Pirates beat Reds 9-4 | PNC Park
Pittsburgh jumped out to a 4-0 lead early on. Cincinnati needed an early rebound; JJ Bleday started that with a two-RBI single. Tyler Stephenson (double) and Edwin Arroyo (single) both added RBIs to tie it at four. Pittsburgh took a 5-4 lead off a Ryan O’Hearn solo homer. Heading to the bottom of the eighth, a rain delay struck. Out of the break, the Pirates poured it on, adding five runs to close out the week.
Jumping to this week, Cincy matches up with Milwaukee and Baltimore; here is a preview of each series.
6/29-7/2 | Reds @ Brewers | American Family Field
The Reds have been struggling greatly recently, especially within the NL Central, boasting a 4-17 record. Meanwhile, the Brewers are at the top of the NL Central with a record of 50-31. They are an extremely strong and balanced team, placed at first in the MLB in strikeouts (788), tied second in ERA (3.42), fifth in stolen bases (81), and fourth in RBIs (392). Individually, they have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Jacob Misiorowski. The Reds avoided him last week. However, this week they have to face him on Wednesday. You may as well mark that game down for a loss. The Reds must win two of four here.
7/3-7/5 | Reds vs Orioles | Great American Ballpark
The Orioles are in a similar spot as the Reds, sitting at fourth in the AL East at 39-46. As our regular readers know, I point out the stats in which teams and individuals rank in the top five. The Orioles have none. However, they have a lot of talent on their roster. This includes Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Taylor Ward. The starters that the Reds will face are Brandon Young, Kyle Bradish, and Shane Baz. The Reds should win this series and hope to get back on track.
Subscription is completely free, and significantly helps the Sansom Sports Media Team!!
College Sports
This week started the first of 9 weeks without college games playing. Thankfully, we’ve got both basketball and football season to look forward to and the summer previews are ramping up! This week Charlie launched a new social media segment where he gives some of the key players, and a record projection. Find those previews built right into our news each week as they launch, starting with two this week!
One note on college hoops before we dive in, I mention Exhibit-10 deals frequently below. In short, they are a franchise friendly deal that allow for players to get their shot over the summer and then either get converted to a two-way deal or get cut. If cut and they sign with that franchises G-League affiliate, they earn a $75,000 bonus on top of their G-league contract. It’s essentially a win-win for both team and player for unproven guys! Teams are allowed six exhibit 10 deals.
The headline news (outside of the NBA Draft) this week for college sports are twofold:
- Dusty May left Michigan’s Head Coaching position to take the same position in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks! This move is reported to be due to the current (chaotic) state of college hoops, NIL, and the transfer portal. In good news, Mike Boynton Jr. (formerly at OKST) was there with waiting arms as the interim coach. A transfer portal window will open 31 days after May’s departure since Michigan named an interim, and players will have 15 days after that to enter the portal.
- The Age-Based Eligibility Model was confirmed, meaning that players have 5 years (after their 19th birthday, or after enrollment in college) to play 5 years. It is NOT retroactive, however, it is already being challenged in Ohio. The initial hearing took place the day the suit was filed, with a temporary restraining order being denied. They will now move to a hearing on Wednesday this week for a preliminary injunction. All of that legal talk in short: TRO denial means players aren’t temporarily eligible. The preliminary injunction would allow more long-term eligibility until the full legal process can be completed.
Read about how the Age-Based ruling impacted all of our local teams!
Read about the Ohio Lawsuit and what it could mean for X and UC this season.
Finally, before we get into team content: this is a reminder that the fiscal year ends on June 30 and on July 1, realignment will occur impacting several conferences, including the Horizon League. Jason will have a full realignment primer as the moves become official.
One little nugget that I’ve heard rumor of and feel that it’s worth mentioning: Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio State, and Xavier are in talks for a future MTE. It’s in the very early stages, but I’ve had people around 3 of the 4 programs mention it to me this week, so it sounds like there’s some steam behind it right now! I would love this, and think that it’s a no-brainer for all involved. My only thing would be potentially expanding it to further schools (IU/Purdue/UK/Louisville/etc) in the future. I haven’t heard anything about any locations or anything like that and I don’t believe it’s that far along.
Cincinnati
This week has seen a barrage of Bearcat news. Some of the highlights include confirmation that Boston College and Georgia will be Bearcat opponents this year as the ESPN Events Invitational will be a showcase and not a bracket. MJ Collins and Kolby King are in the aforementioned lawsuit, and last, but not least: Baba Miller was drafted in the 2nd round and heads to LA to play for the Clippers. Additionally, Jalen Celestine signed a Summer League deal with the Raptors. With the sheer volume of news, Noah will have a full rundown of every player offered and some insights into our first look at the team this week inside 5/3rd!
UC baseball will be playing in the Live Like Lou Jax Classic this season between Cincinnati, Tennessee, Illinois, and Georgia Tech. This is a prestigious event in February featuring some of the best teams to not make Omaha each year. It’ll take place in Nashville!
UC Content this week:
Xavier
For Xavier, things are moving behind the scenes still, with players getting in a ton of work this summer, and we will have updates throughout the offseason as we continue to learn more about this new squad!
We have not officially heard anything on the status of any former Muskies heading to the pros, and I will update on social and the Nati Report as soon as we hear some updates!
NKU
The Norse had a relatively quiet week. They had their first Norse in the Neighborhood event this week at Highlands Middle School! This is an event to get into the community and really get to give back to families!
126 Norse athletes made the Spring Academic Honor Roll this year, with all sports represented!
Former Norse Hubertas Pivorius signed a deal with Palanga in his home country of Lithuania. He was at St. Thomas as a grad student last year.
Wright State
One of the most significant pieces of the week: Wright State hired Brad Chandler as the school’s new Athletic Director! He comes over from Bradley, where he was the Deputy AD for the last 3 years. After a national search, they landed on a guy who has an extremely strong record of building programs and putting students first. He has spent time at Arizona State, Ohio State, and Rutgers.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Brad, his wife, Kara, and their daughter, Waverly, to the Raider family,” said Wright State University President Sue Edwards. “This search was about finding someone who can take our athletics program to the next level — someone who prioritizes student-athlete success, academic achievement, and building a program that represents the pride of our university and community.”
Some of the accomplishments credited to Bradley include a 51% revenue increase over the past 2 years, a 14% and 21% year over year increase in fundraising, creation of Bradley’s NIL, and more!
“I am committed to working alongside our coaches, student-athletes, alumni, and supporters to build on the strong foundation already in place and continue strengthening a culture that helps our student-athletes succeed in competition, in the classroom, and beyond. I look forward to what we can accomplish together in this next chapter. Go Raiders!”
Quotes and stats from this article come from the official press release from WSU.
Ohio State
“Ohio State will have the first college athletics program with a $500 million budget” – Ross Bjork. Quite a take from the Buckeye AD, but not one that is wildly out of proportion. There’s a ton of money in college athletics, and OSU is one of the premier brands in the sport.
The Buckeyes announced this week a $125 million renovation to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center during a press conference from Ross Bjork on Thursday of this week. This will help expand the facility and get things into a more competitive space nationally. Bjork said this will take at least 18 months to break ground.
Bjork confirmed that football will receive most of the revenue share ($21.3 million), but both hoops programs and the women’s volleyball will get some of it as well.
In hoops, summer workouts are continuing along. We also have heard rumor that Ohio State will be taking a trip this summer. However, I do not have the location or timing yet. I’d expect it to be in August, and I know the BahaMar site is still looking for more teams.
Additionally, we continue to get schedule leaks (slowly). This week’s schedule news confirmed that Ohio State will host Marshall on November 9th.
The NBA Draft was this week, with Bruce Thornton going 31st overall and will head to Houston. He was the first Buckeye drafted since 2023 and 57th overall draft pick. As of Sunday night, just one other player has been confirmed to sign a pro deal and that is Christoph Tilly who signed with OKC on an Exhibit-10 deal.
The Buckeye roster is, as expected, loaded. They will be fighting for the natty this year, as we expect out of the program. Led by Heisman hopefuls Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, check out some of the key guys below! Charlie will have a full preview of Ohio State in July.
Indiana
The Hoosier roster is, once again, loaded and there are national title hopes out of this squad in Bloomington! Eli has already published a detailed first look at the squad, and Charlie’s got a broad overview below!
On the Hoops Front, three Hoosiers are headed to the NBA! Lamar Wilkerson signed an exhibit-10 deal with OKC, he will join Sam Alexis (Summer League deal). Tucker DeVries is heading to Boston on an Exhibit-10 deal. Keep an eye out for the Indiana Hoops Roster Preview, launching this week!
Kentucky
Kentucky had two draftees, keeping a lead on Duke for most first round picks by just 1. Jayden Quaintance went to San Antionio 20th overall, while Otwga Oweh headed to Miami 41st overall!
Louisville
Louisville saw 2 players drafted this week, with Mikel Brown Jr. going in the first round and then Ryan Conwell in the 2nd! Both have really good landing spots and I expect both to carve a role out in the NBA. Read more here:
J’vonne Hadley and Isaac McKneely both signed exhibit-10 deals after going undrafted in the NBA draft this week. Hadley to Miami with Conwell and McKneely to Atlanta!
Dayton
The big news out of Dayton this week was that they will be playing UTRGV on 12/15 at home this year! This will be the first time these two have matched up.
Hunter also launched the Dayton page this week on the website, so go check that out! Here’s the roster overview!
Miami RedHawks:
Peter Suder signed with the LA Lakers this week after going undrafted in the NBA Draft. However, the draft news this week for Miami came from the ice! Ilia Morozov went 20th overall to the Buffalo Sabres. He was the youngest player in the NCAA last season (17), and put up 20 points in 36 games. Tim Runtso was drafted 57th to Montreal (making the first EVER that Miami has had two picks within the first two rounds. Rounding the draft out was James Rieber, who was drafted by Anaheim 210th overall, but will be coming to play for the RedHawks this year!
We’ll have the first look at the Miami QB room this week!
The new hoops team continues to practice, with some sights/sounds here!
If you’ve ever needed better online security and wanted to save a ton of money while doing so, make sure you check out this link! We’ve partnered with NordVPN to get you 65%+ off at the link below. Sansom Sports Media is happy to partner with them to keep our connections safe, and you should consider it as well!
https://go.nordvpn.net/aff_c?offer_id=1002&aff_id=147031