the lions tour 2022

Lions tour documentary Two Sides to be shown on Ireland’s Virgin Media Four

The British & Irish Lions in conjunction with The South African Rugby Union has released a much-anticipated three-part behind-the-scenes documentary of the 2021 British & Irish Lions Series, which will be aired in Ireland on Virgin Media’s newest television station, Virgin Media Four.

The documentary series ‘Two Sides’ explores what transpired in the Springbok and Lions camps during the 2021 Tour of South Africa and has already received rave reviews since airing on ITV 1 earlier this summer.

This is the latest in a long and critically acclaimed series of Lions Tour documentaries that includes the mould-breaking ‘Living with Lions’ released 25 years ago.

‘Two Sides’ steps away from the traditional format, which has always concentrated on the tourists, and tells the stories of the Lions and Springboks during the first Tour to South Africa in over a decade.

The Tour was successfully completed against the hugely challenging backdrop of a global pandemic and the documentary features fly-on-the-wall footage of what was a gripping series.

As well as illuminating insights into the teams’ preparations and what went on during the matches, the documentary will also give fans a rare glimpse into the workings of a unique and memorable sporting event.

The British & Irish Lions and The South African Rugby Union are delighted to bring this three-part series to supporters with our broadcast partner in Ireland, Virgin Media.

The three hour-long episodes of Two Sides, produced by Whisper and T + W, will be shown on Virgin Media Four. Virgin Media Four is Virgin Media’s newest television channel and the documentary will form part of its launch.

Episode 1 will be shown on Wednesday 24 August at 9pm, Episode 2 on Wednesday 31 August at 9pm and Episode 3 on Wednesday 7 September at 9pm.

Episode 1 can be watched again on Virgin Media Four on Monday 29 August, Episode 2 on Monday 5 September and Episode 3 on Monday 12 September, all broadcast at 9pm.

Speaking on the new documentary, Ben Calveley, British & Irish Lions Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to give our fans in Ireland the opportunity to watch this brilliant documentary series. The British & Irish Lions and documentaries are inextricably linked.

Lions tour documentary Two Sides receives rave reviews

“Going back to 1997 with the unforgettable ‘Living with Lions’, the Lions have produced a documentary capturing behind-the-scenes moments of every subsequent Tour.

“This particular documentary shows how both sides rose to the unprecedented challenge of hosting a major sporting event during a global pandemic and I’m sure Lions fans in Ireland will really enjoy it.”

South African Rugby Union CEO, Jurie Roux, added: “I know rugby fans are going to find this documentary fascinating and entertaining in equal measure, with the added twist this time of getting a fly-on-the-wall view of both camps involved in this unique tour.

“We are delighted to partner with The British & Irish Lions on ‘Two Sides’, which will act as a wonderful archive for rugby fans to look back upon for decades to come.”

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British and Irish Lions Tour 2025 fixtures, schedule, teams, venues: All you need to know ahead of tour of Australia

Watch every game of 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, including all three Test matches against the Wallabies, exclusively live on Sky Sports; also stream with NOW.

Monday 18 March 2024 06:08, UK

As tickets go on sale for the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour, we guide you through all you need to know ahead of next year's visit to Australia, live on Sky Sports.

When is the 2025 Lions tour and where is it?

Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests and six warm-up matches to be shown live.

The agreement sees Sky Sports broadcast its eighth consecutive Lions Tour, with the partnership starting in 1997 with the iconic 2-1 series win over South Africa.

The Lions will play nine games on tour all around Australia, beginning against Western Force in Perth on June 28, 2025.

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What are the Lions fixtures?

Following their clash in Perth, the Lions will face Queensland Reds in Brisbane on July 2, the Waratahs in Sydney on July 5, the Brumbies in Canberra on July 9, an Invitational Australia & New Zealand side in Adelaide on July 12 and the Rebels in Melbourne on July 22.

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That game will take place after the opening Test in Brisbane on July 19, with the second Test at the MCG in Melbourne on July 26 and the final Test in the Accor Stadium in Sydney on August 2.

British and Irish Lions 2025 tour schedule

What happened last time.

The Lions tasted success the last time they were on Australian soil in 2013, with a dramatic 2-1 series win following a memorable performance in the decisive final Test lifting their head-to-head record to 17 wins and six defeats in 23 Tests.

Gatland offers to resign after Italy condemn Wales to winless Six Nations

Having been defeated in a Covid-impacted tour of South Africa back in 2021, the Lions will be aiming to make it a second successive series win in Australia as they kick off the first Test at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.

Who is the Lions head coach?

Andy Farrell will lead the Lions out as head coach as he succeeds Warren Gatland in the role having previously worked as defence coach during the winning 2013 and 2017 tours of Australia and New Zealand.

The former Wigan Warriors rugby league great has been head coach of Ireland for four years, his time in charge seeing the team achieve a Six Nations Triple Crown (2022), an historic 2-1 series victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand (2022), a Six Nations Grand Slam (2023) and victories over every Tier One side as part of a 17-Test winning run.

What is the format?

The Lions consist of players from the England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales national teams and currently tour every four years on a rotation between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The first tour took place in 1888, since when the Lions have been on a further 33 tours that have also included encounters with Argentina and Japan.

Lions to play in Ireland for first time ahead of 2025 Australia tour

A fixture against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday June 20 follows the Lions beating Japan in an inaugural 1888 Cup contest in Edinburgh ahead of their 2021 tour of South Africa.

"The opportunity to play in Dublin at Aviva Stadium in front of over 50,000 Lions fans will make for a great occasion and the perfect send-off," Lions chief executive Ben Calveley said.

"British & Irish Lions Tours have a rich heritage built over 130 years of touring but alongside our strong history which we are very proud of, it is important that we look for ways in which to evolve our Tours."

While the last of the Lions' three tours of Argentina came in 1936, the last fixture between the sides ended in a 25-25 draw as they faced off in Cardiff in 2005.

Watch every game of the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, including all three Test matches against the Wallabies, exclusively live on Sky Sports . Also stream with NOW .

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LIONS TOUR TO AUSTRALIA 2025

It was their first series win since 1997 and went to the deciding Test match in Sydney in front of the one of the biggest British & Irish Lions crowds ever.

The Tour to Australia in 2013 was a memorable journey across one of the most beautiful countries in the world and was a crowning glory for head coach Warren Gatland.

This was the Lions’ first Tour to Australia since 2001 and under the captaincy of Sam Warburton, they got off to a winning start in Brisbane. George North scored one of the greatest Lions Test tries of all time in a nervy victory in front of thousands of Lions fans.

Ahead of the second Test in Melbourne, Australia was awash with red as fans soaked up the delights of the Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, the Gold Coast, Uluru and much more. The Wallabies ground their way to victory to level the series and take four years of work down to the final 80 minutes in Sydney.

But roared on by a monstrous Sea of Red in the third Test, the Lions soared to one of their most comprehensive Test wins ever, dismantling Australia 41-16 to set the seal on the series.  Click here to secure early access for Australia 2025 .

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Tonbridge Lions

Classic Car Tour   

THE TONBRIDGE LIONS CLUB CLASSIC CAR TOUR 2024

 SUNDAY 28th   JULY  2024

Full details and entry form here!

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R EGULATIONS

We had a great variety of classic vehicles at our Classic Car Tour at Tonbridge School on last July. The TMBC Mayor Cllr James Lark and Mayoress Jill lark waved them off in turn and 1st VP Lion Phil Jesson and Jo welcomed them on their return. Cream teas at the school brought the event to a tasty conclusion. Funds raised will enable us to donate to the Mayor’s chosen charity, Arthur's Quest .

Sunday 24th July 2022 The 2022 Car Tour was very successful, with over 50 Classic Cars taking part. The route was varied, covering a lot of our lovely countryside, and finishing with a cream tea, which was appreciated by many of those who participated. Lion President Richard and his wife Julie, as well as participating, greeted the returning drivers and passengers. His thanks go to Lion Mike Edwards and his team for organising this event, which is becoming a firm favourite amongst the Classic Car fraternity.  

The blueprint of how the city of Detroit, Lions secured bid for 2024 NFL draft

T he lives of 257 young men soon will change forever when their names are called before the world in the heart of downtown Detroit. 

The Motor City is the home of the 2024 NFL draft, a three-day event from April 25-27 where the 32 NFL teams will add the best football prospects available to their rosters before thousands of fans in attendance and millions more watching on television at home. The NFL draft experience, a party-like atmosphere that accompanies the annual selections, will overtake the downtown streets to highlight the growth and culture of the city.

But putting on the best possible show those three days isn’t the only goal for the folks who planned the draft. There is hope the draft will have an impact in the years to come in Detroit, from hosting other major events, uplifting local businesses and youth sports organizations, and marketing the city to NFL fans coming to Detroit, along with the tens of millions who will tune in on TV. 

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The effort to bring the NFL draft to Detroit was a yearslong process involving decision-makers across the city: from the Detroit Lions; all parts of city government, including the mayor’s office; the Detroit Sports Commission; Visit Detroit, the official tourist site for metro Detroit, including Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties; and Rocket in the private sector.

“Thankfully, we kept at it and ultimately won,” Lions president Rod Wood told the Free Press about the draft bid process. “And I'm pretty confident that we're going to put on, if not the best draft, one of the best drafts that's ever been held.”

Initial bidding

The NFL draft has been an annual event for the league dating to 1936. For most of the draft’s history, the event was held in hotels in major cities on the East Coast. The event grew in magnitude in the second half of the 20th century, eventually getting moved to multiple locations in New York from 1995-2014 — most notably the Radio City Music Hall — before opening it to other NFL cities, starting in Chicago, in 2015.  

From there, cities could submit bids to the NFL to reel in and host a draft. The invested groups in Detroit immediately got to work forming a bid. 

“As soon as they opened it up for cities to bid, we expressed our interest in bidding on the draft,” Wood said. “At the time, it was starting to grow in popularity and was becoming what it has since become, which is this big, three-day event in the city that's lucky to host it — both for the visitors that come in person, as well as those that watch on TV.”

The team then connected with the city, the Detroit Sports Commission and its advisory board, the Detroit Sports Organizing Corp (DSOC) , Visit Detroit and private companies such as Rocket. 

“The opportunity to host the draft, we felt that we were just as competitive as any other city and we can demonstrate that Detroiters will come out,” Hakim Berry, the former chief operating officer for the city of Detroit who now works for Michigan Medicine while serving as an adviser for DSOC, told the Free Press. 

The groups collaborated to lay out plans and send a Letter of Interest to the NFL in late 2017 to host a draft between 2019 and 2023. Two months after the initial letter, they presented an official bid laying out the plans for a prospective draft in the city. 

Part of the process was sending representatives to other NFL draft cities to see what worked and what didn’t, then to generate ideas on making it a unique experience in Detroit.

“The NFL has told us this all along: Make it your own. Make it Detroit. Make it your city,” Detroit Sports Commission executive director Dave Beachnau told the Free Press. “Don’t try to be Philadelphia (hosted in 2017) or Nashville (2019).”

Multiple location options were presented, including Campus Martius Park, Belle Isle, the renovated Michigan Central Station in Corktown and Ford Field. The plan also included information about financial partners, how to engage the citizens of Detroit and what it would mean to the city to host the draft.

“All of those things play into it,” Wood said. “I think part of the reason we were a little slow to win it was hotel issues downtown, where it would be held versus where we've ultimately decided to host it. And I think other cities, candidly, probably got ahead of us and had a little better bid.”

Successful bid

The group submitted a second Letter of Interest in July 2018, and later hosted NFL officials for a Lions game and to scout potential locations. In December of that year, the NFL awarded Las Vegas the 2020 NFL draft. In May 2019, Cleveland was awarded the 2021 draft and Kansas City was awarded the 2023 draft. 

“We ... initially, going as far back as 2018, did not make it into the finals for the first couple of rounds,” Wood said. “(We) did make it into the finals going into 2021 against a couple of other cities and were ultimately selected in 2022 to host the draft here in 2024.”

The NFL visited Detroit in November 2019 to tour the locations, where the decision to host in Campus Martius was recommended. The idea of hosting in downtown Detroit remained a constant because it would differ from previous drafts and maximize engagement with citizens and local businesses.

“The one thing I kept pushing the mayor on is we can't move it out of the urban downtown core,” Mark Hollis, chief operating officer of Rock Entertainment Group, said. “That's the difference maker for us. That's the center of the vibrancy of what Detroit is all about.” 

The group was invited to submit a bid again in December 2019 for the 2022 draft, but the process was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 draft was held virtually, and the NFL slid Las Vegas from 2020 to 2022. The bid process reopened at the end of 2020, and Detroit was invited to bid on the 2024 and 2025 drafts. 

The approved bid for the 2024 draft was submitted on April 9, 2021, to the NFL. The league informed Detroit in December 2021 that it would host. In March 2022, the news became public, the same day it was announced the Lions would appear in that season’s "Hard Knocks" on HBO . 

“It's very competitive,” Wood said. “I mean, there were other really dynamic cities that were bidding against us, including Green Bay, who has next year. And their draft is going to be at the foot of Lambeau Field, which is obviously an iconic location for the entire NFL and the history of the league. So, to win it ahead of Green Bay was a coup for the city.”

Selling points

The submission to the NFL became more detailed until it was approved. One of those details was determining the actual draft footprint in downtown Detroit, which was designed to start at a center point and then stretch into all directions, which was referred to as “spokes of a wheel” by the Sports Commission — which is the same way the city is laid out. Ford Field underwent renovations to potentially prepare and Belle Isle was considered, but the appeal of downtown was overwhelming. 

“We are making this Detroit and dropping it in the middle of the Central Business District of our community, which brings with it benefits and challenges,” Sports Commission Deputy Director Marty Dobek told the Free Press. “But at the same time, it's the gathering place. That's kind of the phrase that comes along with Campus Martius Park, it's Detroit's gathering place.”

The bid stressed how the draft could connect with Detroit residents by being centrally located and having “activation” events through the "On the Clock" tour located at different city parks and neighborhoods in the lead-up to the draft. 

Hollis said a conversation between Dan Gilbert, the founder of Rocket Companies and the Bedrock real estate firm, along with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was another important moment in securing the bid. 

“(Gilbert) met with him in '21, and from my opinion and what the commissioner told me — Commissioner Goodell — is that that one phone call that happened in May of ‘21 was a critical call because it really demonstrated the synergy and the commitment that both the private and the public sector had for bringing the draft to Detroit,” Hollis said.

Other selling points that interested the NFL were Detroit’s location relating to other NFL cities in the Midwest, the colleges within driving distance that regularly stockpile the league with players and the city’s proximity to Canada. 

“I think the location in the heart of downtown was very appealing to them,” Wood said. “The proximity to Canada is an interesting twist, which we've never really had a draft that close to another country, and, obviously, international expansion is on the NFL's mind.” The league already plays regular season games in Europe and Mexico, and is adding a game in South America in the upcoming 2024 season.

Part of the bid was a map showing all of the NFL and college football teams within a five-hour drive and two-hour flight of Detroit, which included dozens of teams, exceeding Kansas City in 2023. 

“When you look last year to Kansas City, there really isn’t a market geographically, I guess Chicago could drive there, but you don’t have that driveable market with NFL cities like we do,” Beachnau said. “So, when we talk about attendance, we think it is going to be strong.”

Detroit's long-term commitment after the draft was another selling point to the NFL. Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission raised $10 million for the event from various partners , while Visit Detroit is spending $2 million, with the NFL contributing as much as seven times that amount to produce the draft. 

Local donors from the community, including companies such as General Motors, Rocket Mortgage, the Pistons, Illitch Companies and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in a group of over 20 contributors, committed $1 million toward an initiative focused on youth literacy and youth sports — particularly girls in sports — while the city is using Detroit-based businesses throughout the draft experience to elevate them and make it possible for them to bid on other sporting events in the future. 

“That was the No. 1 priority,” Berry said. “This could not be a venue that Detroiters were not included in. And that's why it was very important for us to have the On the Clock tours to activate some of our rec centers and have things and make sure that the community feels they are involved and that it's open to them.”

Planning and expected impact

The parties worked in committees to bring the plan to life, with each group represented. Wood said the Lions helped facilitate the relationship with the NFL and gave input on the seven planning committees formed to produce the big event. 

The city ensured the plans could be met on the logistical side, which includes most city departments, from police to the parks department, chipping in. The Sports Commission worked with the city on those efforts as well as helping shape the bid itself. And Bedrock made sure its downtown real estate could be used for different components of the draft. 

“Working with our partners, we ensure that we can live up to the commitment to demonstrate to the entities that we're trying to attract, that Detroit is willing and able to host a large-scale event,” Berry said. 

The goal of hosting the NFL draft is the same for all: showcase Detroit’s economic growth in the last decade, highlight the city's culture for a national audience and include Detroit residents as much as possible. 

The hope is the draft will not only produce a local economic bump in the tens of millions during the three days, but stick with people all over the country to come and visit again in the future. 

“As we continue to shape the image and perception of Detroit; to have 50 or 60 million eyeballs on our city for three days, I mean, we can't afford that kind of advertising that the broadcast brings,” Beachnau said. 

Officials are optimistic about the draft going well and hope it serves as yet another opportunity, like previously hosting the NCAA tournament did, for Detroit to show it can host big events without a hitch and elevate them. Wood mentioned it possibly helping bring events like the NFL Combine to Detroit in the future if it moves, while saying a Super Bowl is unlikely because the NFL wants it in warm weather cities, along with other major sporting events. 

“I think where it will pay off is it bringing other big events,” Wood said. “We've got the Final Four coming in 2027. Hopefully, we can secure maybe the Big Ten football championship in Detroit now that the Big Ten's expanded — we've expressed interest in doing that. I know Little Caesars would desperately love to have an NBA or an NHL All-Star game. But I think once we successfully put on a really big event — and there's not much that's bigger than the NFL draft — it should lead to other big events coming back to the city.”

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The blueprint of how the city of Detroit, Lions secured bid for 2024 NFL draft

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Fact or Fiction: Do Lions Have Tougher Schedule in 2024?

A return trip to San Francisco headlines Lions' 2024 schedule.

• Author: Christian Booher

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The Detroit Lions will no longer be viewed as underdogs.

They weren't for the majority of last season, either. After a strong finish to the 2022 campaign, Dan Campbell's team entered the 2023 season with the best odds to win the NFC North. There were some doubters, as that was a feat the organization hadn't achieved in 30 years.

Campbell's group delivered, though, and the Lions will now begin 2024 as the team to beat. It's new territory for the organization, and they will have many challenges as a result. Biggest among them is the fact that they will play a first place schedule as a result of winning the division.

In addition to playing each divisional opponent twice, the Lions will have to take on each team in the AFC South and the NFC West divisions. Rounding out their opponents for the 2024 season will be the division winners from the NFC South and both AFC and NFC East divisions.

The official schedule has not been released yet, but it promises to have some formidable tests for the Lions.

Based on winning percentage, the Lions will face the league's 11th-toughest schedule this upcoming season. Last year, their opposing winning percentage ranked 20th. As a result, this year will be a tougher slate for Campbell's crew.

The Lions wound up playing five teams that made the postseason in 2023 -- Green Bay, Kansas City, Dallas, Tampa Bay and Baltimore. They went 3-2 in those games, including a season-opening win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

This year, the Lions will play eight games against playoff opponents. They will play against all three of their postseason matchups last year, as they host Tampa Bay and Los Angeles along with making a return trip to San Francisco, the site of their loss in last year's NFC Championship game.

In addition to their two games against Green Bay, other playoff opponents on the Lions' upcoming schedule include Houston, Dallas and Buffalo. Detroit will host Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Buffalo and travel to San Francisco, Dallas and Houston.

While the Lions will certainly be in a position to contend once again in 2024, they will have a very tough road in doing so. Last season, their crossover divisions were the NFC South and the AFC West. Both of those divisions produced just one playoff team and just three of the eight total teams finished above .500.

This year, their crossovers are the AFC South and NFC West. The 49ers headline the NFC West, but the Rams were a playoff team a year ago and Seattle also finished above .500. The Seahawks have beaten the Lions each of the last three years, including twice in a row at Ford Field.

The AFC South, meanwhile, is full of young talent. Houston surprised many by winning the division and appears to have gone all-in to maximize their window by trading for Stefon Diggs. C.J. Stroud is one of the league's best passers.

Indianapolis was another impressive story, as they managed to nearly win the division despite rookie starting quarterback Anthony Richardson missing most of the season. Jacksonville is looking to rebound after squandering a late lead in the division, but it boasts Trevor Lawrence behind center and appears to be in a good position to bounce back.

Lastly, the division could be much improved. Green Bay proved it wasn't going to skip a beat despite early season struggles, storming back late in the year to reach the playoffs and taking the 49ers to the brink of defeat in the divisional round.

Chicago, meanwhile, has stocked up weapons ahead of holding two top-10 picks in this year's Draft . The likely top pick is USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who would enter a solid situation. Minnesota is re-stocking talent and lost Kirk Cousins this offseason, but will also likely add a young quarterback.

In short, the schedule this season for the Lions is indeed tougher than last year's. If they want to get back to the top of the mountain in the NFC North and try to avenge the end of last season, they will have to fight to do so.

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Deion Sanders, Ryan Day among college football coaches facing the most pressure to win entering 2024 season

From title contenders to rebuilders, these coaches are under major pressure to produce results.

As college football continues to undergo dramatic changes, the pressure on coaches to win has reached unparalleled levels. With the transfer portal and immediate eligibility, every fanbase feels like they're only one class away from reaching the top. Fail to win, and fans can quickly turn. 

Only one year ago, Auburn fired coach Bryan Harsin after 21 games. At Harsin's previous stop, Boise State canned Andy Avalos 10 games into his third season ... and the Broncos ended up winning the Mountain West title. Perhaps the headliner, Texas A&M raised more than $75 million to rid themselves of Jimbo Fisher. Without good seasons, many of the coaches on this list could soon be next. 

To be clear, not all of these coaches are on the proverbial hot seat; a handful have zero chance of getting fired in 2024, especially with contract situations. For various unique reasons, though, these coaches will be uniquely under the microscope this fall with the most pressure to win. 

Ryan Day, Ohio State

No one else in college football even comes close to the level of pressure that Day faces in 2024. After hated rival Michigan won its first national championship of the BCS/College Football Playoff era, Day quickly flipped the page to assemble his best roster ever. The Buckeyes landed the No. 1 player in the both the transfer portal (safety Caleb Downs ) and high school (wide receiver Jeremiah Smith), along with senior quarterback Will Howard and a host of other contributors. In every way, Day's Buckeyes are title or bust. Perhaps more importantly, Ohio State needs to beat Michigan. 

Billy Napier, Florida

The first two years of the Napier era have been a mess. The Gators barely made a bowl in Year 1 with a first-round pick (Anthony Richardson) at quarterback and missed the postseason altogether in Year 2. Napier bet hard on the Class of 2024, but some late defections pushed the Gators from the top-five range to No. 14. Napier has also faced intense scrutiny for refusing to give up play-calling duties on offense. 

All the surrounding chaos means that Florida needs to perform on the field in 2024. Napier is 11-14 overall in Gainesville and now faces one of the hardest schedules in college football, which features three nonconference games against in-state opponents from power conferences ( Miami , UCF , Florida State ). Finding a path to success will be brutal. 

Lincoln Riley, USC

While Riley is in little danger of getting fired this year – largely thanks to his exorbitant contract, reportedly worth more than $110 million – the honeymoon period is officially over at USC. Riley is coming off his worst season as a coach right as he turned 40, posting an 8-5 record in 2023 with all five losses coming in his final six Pac-12 games. Riley finally invested in the defense this offseason, stealing UCLA coordinator D'Anton Lynn to headline a stacked group of defensive assistants. At the same time, there aren't obvious playmakers to stock his offense. Adding complication, the Trojans head to the Big Ten in 2024. Any softness in the program will be exposed as USC plays both LSU and Michigan in the first three weeks. 

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

All DeBoer did at Washington was go 25-3 with a Pac-12 championship and CFP National Championship appearance. And, yet, the first time Alabama loses at home, he will feel the wrath of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Such is life at the premier college football program after replacing the legendary Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide lost several key players from their SEC championship team to the transfer portal, including four of the top six rated players. Getting back to title caliber might take time, and Alabama isn't known for patience. 

Mario Cristobal, Miami

During the 2022 calendar year, Miami paid nearly $23 million to get Cristobal from Oregon to Coral Gables, according to USA Today . That's the largest single-year amount on record for an athletic department employee on a tax form. Needless to say, Cristobal's first two seasons have not amounted to $23 million worth of value. The Hurricanes are 12-13 in two seasons under Cristobal, who is currently the only coach since the Carter Administration with a losing record at The U. Adding frustration, multiple losses have come directly at the hands of poor game management, headlined by a mind-boggling, last-minute loss to Georgia Tech . Miami hit the portal hard, adding dynamic quarterback Cameron Ward to the mix. If the 'Canes can't reach ACC contention -- especially in a rebuilding league next year -- things could quickly unravel. 

Dave Aranda, Baylor

Most expected Aranda gone after a horrendous 3-9 campaign in 2023, the worst season at Baylor since Matt Rhule's 1-11 debut in 2017. Athletic director Mack Rhoades stuck his neck out to keep Aranda in town, but don't expect much leeway. The Bears have revamped their coaching staff and NIL operation to bring in a strong transfer class -- headlined by Toledo QB DeQuan Finn -- but the only results that matter are on the field. Anything short of a return to the postseason and Aranda is likely gone. 

James Franklin, Penn State

The excuse for Penn State has long been that the Nittany Lions' College Football Playoff dreams are stuck behind Michigan and Ohio State. With an expanded 12-team field coming and Michigan rebuilding, however, there's little excuse for Penn State to miss this year's CFP. Adding pressure, the Nittany Lions' prized 2022 recruiting class -- which finished No. 6 in the country, with top prospects at quarterback ( Drew Allar ) and running back (Nick Singleton) -- enters its third season. The top contributors, including Singleton and linebacker Abdul Carter , could be gone after 2024. The time to strike is now. 

Deion Sanders, Colorado

"Coach Prime" took the Buffaloes mainstream during a 3-0 start to 2023, boasting two of the top five, and five of the top 15, most-watched regular-season broadcasts of the year. However, Colorado lost eight of its last nine games and finished last place in the Pac-12. Sanders hit the transfer portal hard, adding 25 transfers alongside No. 1 overall tackle recruit Jordan Seaton, but the Buffs are working against the clock. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and cornerback Travis Hunter have been the faces of Sanders' revamp at Colorado, and both could leave after the 2024 season for the NFL . If Colorado misses a bowl for the second straight season, the Buffaloes will be starting from scratch in 2025 without proof of concept to sell. 

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The Boston Red Sox will enter their Thursday afternoon game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians with a rested bullpen. Tanner Houck made sure of that.

Griffin Canning seemed to answer any questions about his health last season after missing all of 2022 as he recovered from a stress fracture in his back.

The Texas Rangers have been looking forward to having Jack Leiter in the rotation since they made him the No. 2 pick of the 2021 draft.

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The final day of the NHL regular season won't mean anything for first-round matchups, but it could have an impact on what happens later in the playoffs.

The ACT Brumbies' title credentials will be put to the test when they travel to Eden Park to face the Auckland Blues in Super Rugby Pacific on Saturday.

Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant produced a wicketkeeping masterclass in Wednesday's Indian Premier League (IPL) victory against Gujarat Titans to strengthen his claim on a place in India's T20 World Cup squad.

Detroit Lions doing homework on NFL draft's top CB prospects; 2 visits scheduled Thursday

If the Detroit Lions pass on cornerback help in this year's NFL draft, it won't be for a lack of diligence.

The Lions have loaded up on pre-draft visits with most of the top cornerbacks in this year's class and are scheduled to host two more potential Day 2 picks at the position Thursday: Caelen Carson of Wake Forest and Nehemiah Pritchett of Auburn.

Already, the Lions hosted Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and draft-eligible CFL cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers on visits. Alabama's Terrion Arnold posted video on his Instagram page of a trip to the Lions' Allen Park practice facility this week, Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell is eligible for a local visit and Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kentucky's Dru Phillips also reportedly have visited the Lions.

Mitchell and Arnold are projected top-20 picks and expected to be the first two cornerbacks off the board, Rakestraw and McKinstry are likely top-50 choices and could interest the Lions with the 29th pick of the first round, and Phillips and Stiggers are projected to go in the middle rounds.

MAKING A VISIT: See who was in attendance at Lions local day

NFL DRAFT HUB: Latest NFL Draft mock drafts, news, live picks, grades and analysis.

Michigan football slot cornerback Mike Sainristil, another potential Day 2 choice, also made a local visit to Detroit.

The Lions have not drafted a true outside cornerback since they took Jeff Okudah third overall in 2020, though head coach Dan Campbell indicated they planned to fill their cornerback need this year through the draft.

The Lions traded for Carlton Davis and signed Amik Robertson in free agency, but released Cam Sutton , a 17-game starter last season, this spring.

"Certainly there’s still some guys we're still looking at in free agency that can bring in some competition," Campbell said at the NFL's annual meeting last month. "And that may or may not be done before the draft. I know that it brings up a little more urgency for another player, for sure, that can compete. But then as far as everything else goes, we're ready to go into the draft and see if we can come away with something in there."

'GOOD ONES ARE HARD TO FIND': Why Brad Holmes is choosy about drafting CBs

The Lions should have options at 29 if they want to take a cornerback in Round 1, and would be in good position to move up if a player like Arnold or Mitchell falls in the draft.

Iowa's Cooper DeJean and Clemson's Nate Wiggins are other potential first-round picks at cornerback.

Holmes has taken four defensive backs in his first three drafts as Lions GM, and three of those came on Day 2: Slot cornerback Brian Branch at No. 45 last year, safety Kerby Joseph at No. 97 in 2022 and hybrid corner/safety Ifeatu Melifonwu at No. 101 in 2021.

The Lions also used their final pick of the 2022 draft (No. 237 overall) on slot cornerback Chase Lucas.

Both Carson and Pritchett could go in the top-100 pick range. Pritchett, a three-year starter at Auburn, ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and has experience playing both outside and in the slot. Carson, a two-year starter at Wake Forest who did not work out at the combine because of injury, had 29 career pass breakups and is considered one of the more physical cornerbacks in the draft.

"When it comes to cornerbacks, you can never have enough of those guys, which I can say that with a lot of different positions," Holmes said last month. "I don’t think we’ve ever went through a draft where we didn’t draft one, at least. Whether it’s a corner or a nickel, but I’ve always thought it’s good business to at least acquire one. But, again, you can never have enough of them."

Contact Dave Birkett at  [email protected] . Follow him on X and Instagram at  @davebirkett.

Feeling a draft?

What:  2024 NFL draft.

Where:  Detroit.

The schedule:  Round 1 — 8 p.m. April 25; Rounds 2-3 — 7 p.m. April 26; Rounds 4-7 — Noon.

TV:  ABC, ESPN, NFL Network.

Lions’ picks (with overall pick in parentheses):  Round 1 — No. 29 (29); Round 2 — No. 29 (61); Round 3 — No. 9 (73), No. 29 (92); Round 5 — No. 29 (163); Round 6 — No. 29 (207); Round 7 — No. 29 (247).

Entertainment | Joe Satriani, Steve Vai torch the Fisher…

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Subscriber only, entertainment | joe satriani, steve vai torch the fisher theatre with guitar wizardry.

A blast of guitar power chord and a room-shaking drum beat assured those at the Fisher Theatre on Tuesday night, April 16, that they were not there for…oh, “Mama Mia.”

Instead the usual home of Broadway touring productions hosted Joe Satriani and Steve Vai and their heavy rock guitar heroics, more than two and a half hours (plus a 20-minute intermission) of joyful six-string indulgences that ranked as likely the loudest thing to ever play the Fisher stage — which Satriani called “a beautiful place” early in his set. The Fisher has seen its share of virtuosic performances over the years, and on Tuesday the pairing of the two gunslingers certainly ranked among them, even if the volume and the (comparative) rowdiness of the crowd seemed to discomfit some of the theater staff.

The two axemen — friends since their teens on Long Island, where Satriani gave Vai guitar lessons — have toured together before, of course, mostly on Satriani’s G3 packages. But this year’s outing is their first with just the two of them, which gave them each an ample hour or so with their own quartets before joining forces for a three-song, 35-minute encore where they really got to have fun.

That closing segment began with “The Sea of Emotion, Pt. 1,” a recently released collaboration that will be part of a joint album Satriani and Vai plan to release next year. Standing side by side, the two black-clad, sunglassed musicians warmed into it with a long introductory jam before trading off on the song’s majestic melodies. That was just the warm-up for the mayhem that followed, however, as the duo — backed by Satriani’s quartet, with Kenny Aronoff, credibly called “the greatest drummer in the world” by his boss, holding things together — roared into the Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” sung by keyboardist-guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte. That was followed by an equally long discourse on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” also sung by Thistlethwayte and quoting a number of other songs during its playful breakdown section.

There was context for those selections, by the way; after moving to Los Angeles Satriani taught Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, while he’s also preparing for a summer tour with Sammy Hagar which will include a substantial amount of Van Halen material, likely including “You Really Got Me,” which that band covered as its first hit.

The joint session put a crowd-pleasing cap on what was already a night spotlighting the ridiculously accomplished musicianship of each player.

Vai brought the shred during his hour-long, eight-song set — half from his latest album, 2022’s “Inviolate.” He and his band came out blazing with “Avalanche” — holding his guitar away from his body by its whammy bar as he danced — and tore through epic renderings of “Zeus in Chains” and “For the Love of God,” the latter making social commentary with an accompanying video of historic world events. For “Teeth of the Hydra,” meanwhile, Vai pulled out the Hydra itself, a three-neck instrument mounted on a stand that was as striking visually as it was musically.

Satriani and Vai at the Fisher Theatre, 5 things to know

Satriani followed with a well-chosen troll through his catalog during his 11 songs, with a bit of focus on his 1987 breakthrough "Surfing With the Alien." His was a more stylistically diverse offering, mixing his brand of shred with blues ("Satch Boogie" and "Big Bad Moon," on which he sang), Middle Eastern flavors ("Sahara"), funk ("Blue Foot Groovy") and lyrical romantic balladry ("Always With Me, Always With You"). And on "Ice 9" he gleefully passed the ball with his bandmates, giving a solo to bassist Bryan Beller and engaging in a guitar-piano exchange with Thistlethwayte.

Vai spoke early in his set about the show being "an experience we can all treasure together." Mission accomplished, then, as he and Satriani delivered performances that nobody at the Fisher will soon forget.

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