Unveiling CBS Sports’ Preseason All-Americans and Examining Potential USWNT Coaches After Vlatko Andonovski’s Departure

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hope you’re doing well (and getting plenty of Fantasy Football preparation in).

Let’s get right to it.

🏅 Good morning to everyone but especially …

THE CBS SPORTS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

At long last we’re in the single digits (!) as we count down the days to football season, and what better way to celebrate than the CBS Sports Preseason All-America Team?! (Answer: There is no better way.)

Our experts across both CBS Sports and 247Sports named only three unanimous choices, and I can’t say I disagree much with any of them:

• Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
• Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
• Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

That means reigning Heisman Trophy winner (and fellow 2023 first-teamer) Caleb Williams from USC wasn’t unanimous. North Carolina‘s Drake Maye tops the second team. Those two may well jockey for this year’s Heisman and next year’s No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

Georgia led the way with four first-team selections: Bowers, center Sedrick Van Pran and defensive backs Malaki Starks and Javon Bullard. Alabama and Ohio State both had three first teamers, and Penn State registered two. Overall, the Big Ten and SEC tied at the top with nine first-team selections, and the Big Ten had the most selections across the two teams with 16.

Williams, Corum, Harrison, Miami defensive back Kamren Kitchens and Indiana kick returner Jaylin Lucas are the five carryovers from our 2022 year-end first team.

Here are all of this year’s preseason selections.

👍 Honorable mentions

😰 And not such a good morning for …

MARLON HUMPHREY AND THE BALTIMORE RAVENS

Last year, injuries derailed what looked like a promising season for the Ravens. This year, the hits are coming early. Three-time Pro Bowl and 2019 All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey will undergo foot surgery that will reportedly cause him to miss at least a month. Baltimore takes on the Texans in the teams’ season opener in 24 days and faces its AFC North-rival Bengals in Week 2.

• Humphrey, 27, played in all 17 games last year en route to a Pro Bowl selection. He allowed just a 48.6 passer rating as the primary defender, good for seventh out of 138 players who were the primary defender on at least 50 passing plays.
• Over the last four seasons, the Ravens have allowed 5.3 yards per play and 6.5 yards per attempt when Humphrey is on the field. Those jump to 6.0 and 7.6, respectively, when he’s not on the field.
• If the Ravens look for outside help, William Jackson III, Bradley Roby, Ronald Darby, Casey Hayward and Troy Hill are among the veteran cornerbacks currently on the open market.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

⚽ Vlatko Andonovski resigns as USWNT coach: Who could succeed him?

After overseeing the United States women’s national team‘s earliest exit in World Cup history, coach Vlatko Andonovski reportedly resigned from his post. A formal announcement is expected soon.

• Andonovski took over in 2019 after Jill Ellis coached the Stars and Stripes to consecutive World Cup titles in 2015 and 2019. He finishes with a 51-5-9 record in all competitions.
• Andonovski came under fire this World Cup for his lack of tactical adjustments and substitutions. After defeating Vietnam 3-0 to open the tournament, the USWNT drew against both the Netherlands and Portugal to barely advance out of the group stage before losing to Sweden via penalty kicks in the Round of 16.
• Andonovski becomes the first coach to lead the USWNT into multiple major tournaments and win none of them. The USWNT also took bronze at the Olympics in 2021 under his watch.

Sandra Herrera has a list of potential candidates for the USWNT, and with the gap between the USWNT and the rest of the world closing quickly, this is a crucial hire, writes Pardeep Cattry:

• “When U.S. Soccer last searched for a USWNT coach, it landed on a handful of candidates that all had roots in the United States. … U.S. Soccer could arguably benefit from an outsider’s view as it aims to evolve the women’s program to keep pace with the rest of the world, something it has not done since hiring Tom Sermanni in 2012 after he made a name for himself coaching Australia. Someone with experience watching the women’s game evolve elsewhere could provide the right pointers on what U.S. Soccer is doing right — and what it needs to fix — to maintain the USWNT’s status as the best in the game.”

🏈 NFL bounce-back candidates

I’ve said it here before, and I’ll say it again: The NFL stands for “Not For Long.” Careers are short and can be over on the drop of a dime. Second chances and shots at redemption can be few and far between.

But they do exist, especially for big names. Former agent Joel Corry took a look at 10 candidates to bounce back this season, and the first is a guy who won a Super Bowl in the last game he played.

• “Odell Beckham Jr. — Beckham signed a one-year, $15 million contract worth up to $18 million through incentives with the Ravens despite his injury history. … Beckham should be a leading candidate for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award if he can develop chemistry with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and stay on the football field.”

There are four wide receivers on the list and then three running backs. Given the offseason we’ve seen from the running backs, it feels like an important season for …

• “Jonathan Taylor — Once Taylor passes his physical, he is going to have to play for the Colts this season in a “marriage of convenience” unless Irsay changes his stance on a trade. Taylor probably needs to demonstrate that his down 2022 season (by his standards) was an anomaly because of the ankle injury.”

😅 Why Gonzaga, UConn not joining Big 12 is a good thing

For much of the summer, teams failing to find a new conference have been feeling left out. We just talked about the remaining four teams in the Pac-12 yesterday, in fact.

But that’s not true for everyone. Matt Norlander explained why basketball powerhouses Gonzaga and UConn are better off where they are, and the Big 12 — which came courting — is better off without them, too:

• “Fans want their teams to be good, to play familiar opponents in games that matter and ultimately find their schools in position to contend for postseason glory. UConn had it for a generation, lost it briefly when it left for the American Athletic Conference and was given a lifeline by the Big East. Now it sits atop the basketball world once more. … If Gonzaga were to eventually move, it’s going to wait and see what materializes with the remnants of the Pac-12 and how that does or does not impact matters in the Mountain West. That could be the win here. Whatever form those leagues take in the weeks/months to come, they’re positioned to be better all-around in basketball than the WCC.”

I found this to be a really thought-provoking and helpful article amid the constant realignment news.

📺 What we’re watching Thursday

⚾ Mets at Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Browns at Eagles, 7:30 p.m. on NFL Network