E.J. Williams

Two weeks before signing day in 2022, his phone rang. Cal needed a body. One offer. Out of 134 schools. He took it. He arrived as the third-string quarterback. Spent a year on the scout team. Lost his first four starts. Got sacked 41 times behind a broken offensive line. Still got up. Every time. Then Cal brought in a transfer instead of building around him. So Mendoza left the only school that had ever said yes. He transferred to Indiana—the losingest program in college football history. People laughed. “Career suicide.” “Graveyard program.” “Nobody wins there.” One coach told him something different: “I’m going to make you the best Fernando Mendoza possible.” That was enough. Mendoza wasn’t just playing for football. His mother has battled multiple sclerosis for 18 years. Before every snap, he thought of her. “My mother is my why.” Indiana went 16–0. Beat six Top-10 teams. Won their first Big Ten title since 1945. Mendoza threw 41 touchdowns. Won the Heisman—first in school history. First Cuban-American to ever do it. Then came the title game. Miami. Near his hometown. Fourth-and-4. Season on the line. Quarterback draw. The kid 134 schools rejected spun through defenders and dove into the end zone. Game over. Indiana—national champions. The losingest program became the best team in America. All because a 17-year-old refused to believe “no” was the end. Rankings don’t decide your ceiling. Gatekeepers don’t write your ending. Being overlooked isn’t a verdict—it’s a starting point. Sometimes all you need is one shot… and the courage to bet on yourself when nobody else will. Don’t quit. Credit: Barclay Mullins

Yeaa Keegan!!!

19 years ago, a high school basketball coach put his team manager into a game for the final four minutes. The kid had never played a single minute of competitive basketball in his life. He scored 20 points. Jason McElwain was diagnosed with severe autism at age two. He didn’t speak until he was five. He couldn’t chew solid food until he was six. He wore a nappy for most of his early childhood. As a baby, he was rigid, wouldn’t make eye contact, and hid in corners away from other children. He tried out for his school basketball team every year and got cut every time. Too small. Too slight. Barely 5’6 and about 54 kilograms. But he loved the game so much that his mum called the school and asked if there was any way he could be involved. The coach created a team manager role for him. For three years, McElwain showed up to every practice and every game. He wore a shirt and tie on match days. He ran drills, handed out water, kept stats, and cheered every basket like he’d scored it himself. On 15 February 2006, the last home game of his final school year, the coach let him suit up in a proper jersey and sit on the bench. With four minutes left and a comfortable lead, the coach sent him in. His first shot missed. His second missed. Then something shifted. He hit a three-pointer. Then another. Then another. His teammates stopped shooting entirely and just kept passing him the ball. He hit six three-pointers and a two-pointer. 20 points in four minutes. The highest scorer in the game. When the final buzzer went, the entire crowd rushed the court and lifted him onto their shoulders. His mum tapped the coach on the shoulder, in tears. “This is the nicest gift you could have ever given my son.” McElwain won the ESPY Award for Best Moment in Sports that year, beating out some of the biggest names in professional sport. He’s 36 now. He works at a local supermarket, coaches basketball, has run 17 marathons including five Boston Marathons, and travels the country speaking about never giving up. When asked about that night, his coach still gets emotional. “For him to come in and seize the moment like he did was certainly more than I ever expected. I was an emotional wreck.”

There were 215 unmarked graves discovered on the property of a Mississippi county jail because of this woman’s search for her missing son: pbs.org/newshour/amp/s…

ffawty - Lunch Break Freestyle

4.43 for Omar Cooper Jr. is a bit more like what I expected All but guaranteed to go in the 1st round now:

Have a day, @DangeloPondss ‼️ 📺 Tune into the #NFLCombine on @NFLNetwork.

Young fan, Luca, who gave Anthony Edwards the bracelet he wears every game and Ant promised to wear for the rest of his career—has beaten cancer

If the algorithm showed you my art, I appreciate any support I get

New opportunities and blessings 🙏🏾 @CitadelFootball

Curt Cignetti took Indiana from irrelevant to national champions in 2 years. He runs his entire program on 6 words. Most people only know the first 3 - here's what the other 3 actually are: (📌Bookmark this)

This dude breaks down the grocery store in 2 mins!!

Not to brag, but i created this artwork with discarded electronic waste

Mike Conley on why he doesn’t see a 20 minute role for himself moving forward “I’m getting older man(laughs), that’s one thing, but I just think that it’s their opportunity more than it is mine… they’re right before their prime or in their prime. They should be getting these runs, they should be getting these big minutes… I’ve done all that, and I can be the stop gap here and there or the pinch hitter when you need me or whatever you need, but I’m prepared for that… like I said, I’m just happy to be here and help the guys as much as I can”

Corey Moore - In focus: The definition of Lunch Pail Defense 💪 #BlackHistoryMonth | #LetsGoHokies

🙏🏾🙏🏾

Indiana's RB Duo dominated 2025: Kaelon Black: - 186 Carries - 1,040 Rushing Yards - 10 Rushing TDs Roman Hemby: - 230 Carries - 1,120 Rushing Yards - 7 TDs Which Indiana RB gets drafted first? 👀

“I was making more money than my husband. I’m a risk taker while he’s prudent. I landed contracts. Small or big. He was building his career. 13 years later my husband got his big break and made more money”