The Minnesota Vikings drafted Wake Forest RB Demond Claiborne in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Claiborne is a very fast and very shifty back, pairing good decision-making with desirable elusiveness. He’s the kind of back that Vikings fans have been yearning for since the days of Dalvin Cook. Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason are great, but they aren’t the fastest guys.

If Demond Claiborne develops, Minnesota could have a true game-changer. However, recent reports out of camp are that it isn’t all that simple.

GettyRALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 25: Demond Claiborne #1 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons smiles before the first half prior to the game against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium on October 25, 2025 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)

Jason Harmon of Vikings on SI recapped Minnesota’s Thursday joint practice with the Baltimore Ravens. He provided some winners and some losers, with one of the losers being Demond Claiborne.

“It seems like Demond Claiborne is hopping all over these lists daily, and that’s really the best way to summarize his camp so far.” Those were Harmon’s first words on Claiborne, revealing an up-and-down offseason so far for the rookie back.

Harmon noted that Claiborne’s ball security is a “concern.” He mentioned that the ball security has been a problem all offseason long, but today “really showcased how detrimental it could ultimately be.”

There was some light in the tunnel for Claiborne on Thursday. Jason Harmon mentioned a nice roughly 15-yard-run during 11-on-11s with the second-team unit. That was the extent of the rainbow, as he had a “brutal” fumble on a run a few plays later. It ended up being recovered by the Ravens’ defense.

It’s hard to say that Claiborne won’t make the team yet, but continued ball security issues will make it less likely that he will.

GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 25: Dallas Turner #15 of the Minnesota Vikings is congratulated by Harrison Smith #22 after a tackle against the Detroit Lions during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 25, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Tyler Forness of AtoZ Sports has been watching Dallas Turner closely during joint practices. During the Vikings’ first practice in collaboration with the Baltimore Ravens, Forness detailed the optics of Turner’s drills.

“He blew up a run play in the early portion of team drills and got a sack paired with Levi Drake Rodriguez shortly thereafter. He’s explosive and holding up well at the point of attack, proving that he’s the guy they drafted him to be.

On two-minute drills, Turner continued to get massive pressure on Lamar Jackson. He’s primed to be a monster.”

Forness also shared some words from today’s practice on Turner.

“Yesterday’s recap of joint practices had me gushing over Dallas Turner’s afternoon. He was explosive in a multitude of ways and it continued on Thursday.

Turner’s developed in a nice way across the board. His body composition is much-improved and deploys a very diverse skill set. He got multiple pressures and a couple of sacks on the day, while setting a strong edge against Ronnie Stanley. He’s primed for an explosive season.”

It’s sounding like Dallas Turner is doing exactly what the Vikings need him to do. Minnesota took a huge gamble not only by trading up in the first round back in 2024 to draft Turner, but also by doubling down on him by trading away Jonathan Greenard. He will look to prove their belief in him right.

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BALTIMORE – These are the New York Yankees, and George Lombard Jr. is just 14 games into his major league career, and concepts like awe and impact and the notion of the 21-year-old shortstop already being a “bad (redacted)” shouldn’t be in play.

It is so early, yet the Yankees are simply observing and reporting what they see and the vibes they feel about their shortstop of the future who gets more entrenched as a linchpin of their present every day.

Most of this is not a surprise.

Lombard was a steal as the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft, the son of a major leaguer, soon to land on top prospect lists as he climbed the minor league ladder, reaching No. 13 on Baseball America’s by the time he was summoned Aug. 4 and told he was now the Yankees shortstop.

Still, with every passing game, a little more gets revealed about Lombard the player and person, and what it all means for the Yankees.

“It’s one thing to love the game,” says Aaron Boone, now in his ninth season as the Yankees manager. “It’s another thing to love all the things you gotta do to be good at it.

“He has that.”

The Yankees, befallen by injuries to superstar outfielder Aaron Judge (who has missed 68 games), All-Star Game MVP Cody Bellinger and various members of their rotation, are likely through the worst of it. At 72-55, they’ve survived offensive stagnation and their bullpen has held strong despite heavy usage.

There’s also this: They’ve won nine of 15 games since Lombard’s arrival, and while the record and the debut may not be correlated, several other metrics provide support for his instant impact.

Lombard has already accrued 1.3 WAR in just 14 games, exceeding his predecessor Anthony Volpe’s 1.0 over 56 games. Startlingly, Lombard needed just 13 games to rank third among major league shortstops with eight defensive runs saved.

He’s acquitted himself well with the bat, hitting .292 with a .352 OBP and .790 OPS. The defense, though, makes you take notice. His arm has remarkable carry, allowing him to fling the ball at any angle and from deep in the hole to cut down runners at first.

Tuesday night, Lombard ranged several steps to his right and, while still moving away from the infield on the grass, easily threw out Baltimore’s Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

Yankees starter Carlos Rodón could not help himself.

“You’re a bad (expletive), man,” Rodón said, his NSFW reaction caught by cameras.

George Lombard Jr. is just incredible pic.twitter.com/aFi9Z15xrU

Probably an apt summation in just five words, even if teammates have plenty more.

“Twenty-one years old in the big leagues,” says second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., “looking like a veteran at shortstop, making good plays and doing it the right way. We’re all gonna have slip-ups every now and then but he’s been really good out there.”

In a sense, it’s the first step toward a destiny foretold.

The inherent advantages for second-generation ballplayers are many. Lombard’s father played parts of six seasons in the major leagues, and 16 pro seasons overall. The kind of track record that builds coaching or managerial stock, if a player was inclined.

The elder Lombard was.

He worked his way through minor league jobs with Boston and Atlanta before he was hired as Dave Roberts’ first bench coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

And what a group for the younger Lombard to spend his tween and early teen years around.

The burgeoning infielder and coach’s kid was welcomed with open arms by, he says, “the whole team, basically.” Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor, eventually Mookie Betts – all took a shine to the younger Lombard.

“They were all great,” Lombard tells USA TODAY Sports. “Just kind of made me feel like I was part of the team sometimes. Taught me a bunch.

“I would learn just by watching them, too.”

Lombard attended Gulliver Prep near his Miami home, and his younger brother Jacob soon followed in his footsteps; he was picked 14th overall by the hometown Marlins and famously homered in his pro debut the same night his older brother went deep in his Yankees debut.

Yet their grander baseball education came in summertime trips to Dodger Stadium or spring jaunts to Arizona or Lakeland – George Sr. is now the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach – that proved a key fusion of their physical talent and the mental edge required to thrive.

“I feel like overall, the lifestyle, the day to day, the work and the preparation it takes every single day – to be prepared and be ready to go and post every single day. Understanding what you need to do, being prepared for what you need to do, allows you to be more comfortable," says Lombard.

“Obviously, you learn a lot of things when you get here and start doing it yourself. You start to get a good understanding of, 'This is what I’m in for.'"

And it’s the little things that quietly floor his Yankee teammates.

As Lombard reached Class AA Somerset (N.J.) and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the rumblings got louder. Yankees players on rehab assignments would get a brief look at Lombard and realize what was coming.

More advanced prospects crossed paths with him and realized their long-term answer at shortstop was just a year away, maybe less. He punched his ticket this year with a .909 OPS, 24 doubles, 12 homers and 14 steals between the two levels.

All while providing previews of coming attractions.

For rookie outfielder Spencer Jones, it was the split seconds afield, not the big bat, that set Lombard apart.

“It’s a lot of the little things,” says Jones. “There’s certain plays – the ones I’m always thinking about are relay throws – the outfielder throws the ball in to him. And then, a quick exchange and an absolute rocket of an arm throwing a guy out.

“And I’m like, ‘Man, that really has a lot of impact.’ Something as trivial as cutting off a relay, but him taking it with authority and being able to put the ball exactly where he wants it, those things matter.

“The way he runs the bases. All those things.”

Jones also saw the influence of George Sr. and wife Judy Prado Lombard on their son.

“I think you can sense it,’” says Jones, a 25-year-old Vanderbilt product. “His parents did a great job making sure he’s not a one-dimensional person. He’s a kid who obviously loves baseball but that’s not his identity. That’s not who he is as a person. Very smart, lots of interests outside the game.

“Those are the things that matter as much as a baseball player as they do all the things on the field. Give him a lot of credit for being who he is at 21 years old. Because I wasn’t even close to being like that when I was his age.”

Naturally, many of Lombard’s interests intersect with his athletic background. He was an accomplished soccer player as a youth, and as a center back aimed to model his game after Liverpool and Netherlands legend Virgil van Dijk. He’ll occasionally mess around with the soccer ball, still, and caught Lionel Messi – “the GOAT,” he says unhesitatingly – play a match for Inter Miami CF this past offseason.

When the conditions are right, he’ll partake in spearfishing in the reefs and waters around Miami and, as one might imagine, remains grounded in family.

“There’s definitely a balance part of it. Obviously, I love baseball,” says Lombard. “I’m thinking about it all the time. It’s definitely my biggest passion.

“But there’s definitely times you have to turn it off, and enjoy time with friends and family and do hobbies and things off the field. Because if not, it’s a tough game and you’ll drive yourself crazy.”

Lombard and younger brother Jacob talk or FaceTime almost every day, the 18-year-old already with three homers and a .362 OBP in 12 games for the Marlins’ Florida State League affiliate. It is a time in their lives filled with immeasurable promise.

While it’s still so early for Lombard, he has a grander sense of his place in the world. He realizes impacting baseball will allow him to impact the world around him – improving and producing and moving forward in the game making everything fall into place.

“The focus right now is winning games, winning championships. I’ll do whatever I can for this organization,” he says. “As time goes on and you establish yourself a little more, you always want to help people off the field. It’s obviously very important in me, something instilled in me in life – helping people less fortunate in life.

“Inspiring young kids to dream big. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to do that.”

The chances are very good. At 21, Lombard still has plenty of time to grow into more power at the plate and impact the baseball with greater authority. But good health willing, the glove will never leave him.

“I think he’s excellent. I think he’s a great defender. And he continues to show that every day he’s up here,” says Boone. “Very impressed and almost in awe of how well he plays defense. Very good athlete, very physical and has gotten better and better all the time.

“Which is a testament to him and his work ethic and how much pride he takes on that side of the ball.”

Just wait until he gets a whole month under his belt.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Lombard Jr. has been with Yankees for 2 weeks. They're already 'in awe' at his skills.

The WNBA is back with a new collective bargaining agreement and million dollar players.

The Las Vegas Aces will be looking to run it back as defending champs with the reigning MVP, A'ja Wilson, leading the way. Lots of other contenders hope to have something to say about that including the Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty and Indiana Fever. The Fever, who were without floor leader Caitlin Clark for much of last season, are fully healthy. The Liberty, who were also bitten by the injury bug last season, already have Sabrina Ionesco on the sidelines after she rolled her ankle in a preseason game against the Connecticut Sun.

The Atlanta Dream also made the trade of the offseason, getting Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky to add to a roster which won 30 games last season.

Here is the full WNBA schedule for Aug. 21 and how to watch all the games. Or see our sortable basketball schedule to filter by team or conference.

USA TODAY Studio IX : Check out our women's sports hub for in-depth analysis, commentary and more all season

All times Eastern and accurate as of Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, at 6:09 a.m.

• Minnesota Lynx at Washington Mystics, 7:30 p.m. , ion
• Golden State Valkyries at Chicago Sky, 7:30 p.m. , ion
• Portland Fire at Toronto Tempo, 10 p.m. , ion, The Sports Network

Watch WNBA games all season long with Fubo

See scores, results for all the games listed above

See WNBA scores, results from Aug. 20

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA games today: Schedule, times, how to watch for Aug. 21

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The University of Georgia women’s soccer team set a new NCAA soccer record while dominating its home opener.

A record crowd of 25,433 saw No. 25 UGA defeat James Madison, 6-0, at Sanford Stadium on Thursday night. The attendance broke the record for a NCAA women’s or men’s soccer match.

The previous women’s record was 14,410 set in the 1999 NCAA Championship. The previous men’s record was 22,512 at Busch Stadium in 1980.

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UGA head coach Keidane McAlpine called it a major win for the program and the impact that collegiate soccer can have.

“I think the best part of the games like this are always to hear the little kids, to hear their screams and whatnot. That’s the best of the game because you know some way, somehow, there’s an imprint that’s happening in that moment, and we got all of that tonight,” he told Channel 2’s Luke Hetrick.

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Sophomore forward Mya Towns, whose parents played football and volleyball at James Madison, scored the first goal of the match. She said the team talked about rising to the occasion.

“I think that we went out there and showed everybody exactly what Georgia soccer was. And just to be able to look up in the stands and see so many people riding for us and supporting us and just doing it on such a large scale was really something special, honestly,” Towns said postgame.

The Soccer in Sanford match also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Women’s National Team winning gold at the stadium in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

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