Le Journal

On this week’s episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce provided the latest update on his future in the NFL with his co-host and brother, former Philadelphia Eagles’ center Jason Kelce. The show started with a scare, as Kelce opened the show by acknowledging the end of the Chiefs’ season and his upcoming free agency with a joke. “I am officially jobless, Jason,” Kelce said. “Actually, this is my only job.” “Well, no, you’re still employed,” Jason responded. “Unless you stop playing, have you announced you’ve stopped playing?” “This is the only company that employs me right now,” said Travis. Kelce does not officially become an unrestricted free agent until the new league year begins on March 11th at 3:00 p.m. Arrowhead Time. However, he needs to know if he wants to continue playing professional football before his agents can negotiate a contract in Kansas City or elsewhere. The only silver lining to the Chiefs’ disastrous season may be the amount of time it allows the future Hall of Fame tight end to recover as he mulls over a life-changing decision. “After every season ends for me, I just put my feet up and be a human,” Kelce shared. “I’ve been putting my body through the wringer for the love of it. I do enjoy playing football and the physical aspect of it. I think there’s something about feeling the wear and tear of the football season… knowing your body is beat down, there’s something to it, it just makes you feel like a mangy animal just out here trying to survive.” The big, mangy Yeti is resting a month earlier than he is used to; Kelce has played in at least three postseason games for six consecutive seasons. It’s unfamiliar territory for the 36-year-old, but he is using the time to make the right decision — whenever it will be made. “I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, having the exit meetings and everything, and they know where I stand — at least right now,” Kelce said. “There’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there; I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. It’s a tough thing to navigate.” For Kelce, it will come down to how he feels physically — but he has a clear stance about his desire to play. “If my body can heal up and rest up, and I can feel confident I can give it another 18-21-week run, I would do it in a heartbeat,” Kelce noted. “Right now, it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and when it all settles down.” Chris Jones when asked about Travis Kelce: "I'm not buying it, he'll be back next year." A follow up from @RobCollinsTV — "I can't promise you anything about another man" 🙂 pic.twitter.com/sPHCSQqBsp— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 5, 2026 Defensive tackle Chris Jones believes Kelce will be back and expressed that to the media following Week 18’s 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. When Jason brought that up to Travis on the podcast, the Chiefs’ legend just smiled. “That’s why we love Chris,” Kelce said. “He’s very optimistic.” Optimism or confidence, Jones’ belief has a stronger chance of being correct with the extended offseason. Kelce sounds like a player who appreciates the game enough to still be part of it. This season, he looked capable of continuing to play. So if it really does come down to how Kelce feels, playing four fewer games than he did a year ago could extend his career by at least one more season.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas’ Gabe Gaeckle and Maika Niu have been named preseason All-Americans by Perfect Game. Gaeckle earned second-team recognition as a relief pitcher, while Niu earned third-team honors as an outfielder. Last season as a sophomore, Gaeckle made 19 appearances with nine starts on the mound, posting a 4-2 record with a 4.42 ERA in 71.1 innings of work. The right-hander from Aptos, Calif., who tallied 92 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .235 average on the year, turned in his best outing of the campaign during the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., striking out a career-high 10 batters over six innings of one-run ball in relief against LSU on June 14, 2025. Niu, meanwhile, enters his first season at Arkansas after beginning his collegiate career at New Orleans (2023-24) and transferring from Marshall (2025). Last season as a junior, the Mechanicsburg, Pa., native slashed .276/.343/.560 with a team-leading 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 58 games for the Thundering Herd. Over the summer, Niu was named MVP of the Cape Cod Baseball League, which is considered the premier wood-bat summer league for collegiate players, after slashing .280/.364/.508 with a league-leading eight home runs and 23 RBI in 35 games for the Falmouth Commodores. Arkansas is one of six SEC schools with multiple Perfect Game preseason All-America selections, joining LSU (3), Texas (3), Georgia (2), Tennessee (2) and Texas A&M (2). The Razorbacks, led by 24th-year head coach Dave Van Horn, begin the 2026 season against Oklahoma State on Feb. 13 in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. In 2025, Arkansas went 50-15 overall and 20-10 in SEC play to clinch its sixth 20-win SEC campaign and make its 12th trip to the Omaha in program history. Van Horn’s Hogs, the winningest team in the nation since the start of the 2017 campaign with 383 total victories, are the only SEC program, and one of only two programs in the country along with Southern Miss, to win 40-plus games in each of the last eight full seasons: 2017 (45), 2018 (48), 2019 (46), 2021 (50), 2022 (46), 2023 (43), 2024 (44) and 2025 (50). For complete coverage of Arkansas baseball, follow the Hogs on Twitter (@RazorbackBSB), Instagram (@RazorbackBSB) and Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Baseball).

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas women’s basketball (11-6) returns to Bud Walton Arena to host No. 3 South Carolina (15-1, 2-0 SEC) on Thursday, Jan. 8. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on SECN+ with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Matt Zimmerman (analyst) on the call. INSIDE THE SERIES Arkansas and South Carolina will meet for the 47th time since the Hogs joined the SEC in 1991. The teams first met on February 1, 1992. The Gamecocks have won the last 10 meetings dating back to 2020. The Hogs have been held under 67 points in the last six meetings. This is the 11th straight meeting that South Carolina has been ranked inside the top 10 and the 16th of the last 18. Arkansas last beat South Carolina in Fayetteville in 2012. Record against: 18-28 In Fayetteville: 10-10 In Columbia: 5-14 SEC Tournament: 3-4 QUICK HITS Arkansas enters its 18th game overall and its thid SEC game of the Kelsi Musick era. Musick has never faced South Carolina. As of this week’s polls, the Razorbacks will start SEC play with four straight ranked matchups: #12 Vanderbilt, #24 Alabama, #3 South Carolina and #20 Tennessee. Nine of Arkansas’ first 10 SEC opponents are ranked or receiving votes. Bonnie Deas’ 171 rebounds rank second in the SEC and sixth nationally. As a team, Arkansas ranks fifth in the SEC and 10th nationally with 45.18 rebounds per game. Taleyah Jones ranks 10th in the SEC and No. 74 nationally with 17.2 points per game. Next up: The Razorbacks will head to #20 Tennessee on Sunday, Jan. 11. LAST TIME OUT Arkansas was held to a season low 48 points in a 77-48 loss at #24 Alabama on Sunday. Zero Razorbacks scored in double figures and Taleyah Jones was held under 10 points (9) for just the second time this season and the first time since Nov. 10 against Central Arkansas. Arkansas snapped its 10-game winning streak at Alabama, which dated back to 2008. Freshman Bonnie Deas finished one point and two rebounds shy of her sixth double-double this season. ON THE GAMECOCKS South Carolina started SEC play with a pair of wins over Alabama and Florida. The Gamecocks’ lone loss on the season came against No. 4 Texas in the Players Era Championship in November. The rematch is scheduled for next Thursday in Columbia. South Carolina ranks fifth nationally in points per game (91.1) and second nationally in field goal percentage (52.7%). The Gamecocks are led by one of the SEC’s top scorers, Joyce Edwards, with 21 points per game. Center Madina Okot’s 11 double-doubles rank second nationally. MUSIC CITY CLASSIC The Hogs picked up a pair of wins at the Music City Classic in Nasvhille, Tennessee. Arkansas led wire-to-wire against Drake for a 79-71 win, and came back from down 12 points to defeat Southern Illinois, 73-63. Arkansas guard Taleyah Jones was named the event’s MVP after scoring 38 points over the two games (15 & 23). The Music City Classic was the Razorbacks’ only multi-team event this season. MVP Taleyah Jones is Arkansas’ leading scorer through nine games with 17.2 points per game, good enough for top 10 in the SEC and top 75 nationally. Jones has collected 13 10-plus point games and five 20-plus point games this season. She’s led Arkansas in scoring 10 times this season. She led the Hogs in scoring in six straight games and was named MVP in November’s Music City Classic. Jones missed Arkansas’ games against Jackson State and Missouri State due to a concussion. Jones scored 24 points in her return against Kansas City on Dec. 17. Jones transferred to Arkansas after playing two seasons at Oral Roberts under Musick, where she received First and Second Team All-Summit League honors and was named the league’s newcomer of the year in 2024. A FEW FIRSTS Kelsi Musick is Arkansas women’s basketball’s first female head coach since Susie Gardner led the Razorbacks from 2003-2007. Hometown firsts: Danika Galea is the first Maltin player in Razorback history. Aisha Hassan is the first Egyptian player in Razorback history. Ashlynn…

After being eliminated from postseason contention, the offseason effectively began for the Kansas City Chiefs with a 14–12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The regular-season finale was ugly throughout — and with multiple starters sidelined, there was little to take away from the game itself. While the Raiders resembled a junior-varsity version of their usual porous roster, Kansas City still suited up a handful of young players who project as future contributors. Let’s consider what we saw from three of them. Brashard Smith Kansas City let its rookie running back finish the season on a high note — and he delivered his best performance of the year. Smith carried 12 times for 56 yards, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt while flashing improvement throughout the game. The Chiefs have lacked explosion in the running game all season — and although Smith did not break a run longer than 14 yards, he showed cutback ability and burst that Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have not consistently provided. Not a ton of movement playside, and the Raiders contain the edge, but Smith is patient, and as he reads the blocks, he notices space toward the backside of the zone. Suamataia and Pole created movement, giving Smith an angle to cut back. pic.twitter.com/npxG3KVKnu— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) January 6, 2026 On this snap, the Chiefs want to run zone right with Smith. The play is not particularly well-blocked on the front side — and the Raiders are playing with outside contain. Smith recognizes this and hesitates in the backfield, which allows Kingsley Suamataia and Esa Pole enough time to generate movement on the back side of the zone. Following that movement, Smith makes a sharp cut. Then — using good vision — he picks up yards on a play that initially appeared destined to fail. The Chiefs have lacked a back with the ability to create yards all season, especially when a play isn’t perfectly blocked. Smith will be on the team in 2026, and he should be able to help fix this issue. The Chiefs will likely add to the running back room during free agency or the NFL draft, but Smith’s combination of agility and burst will still be needed — and utilized. Nohl Williams The rookie cornerback capped an impressive season with a strong showing against the Raiders. He finished with six tackles, a sack and two pass breakups as he continued to establish himself as a core piece of the secondary. General manager Brett Veach has consistently drafted productive cornerbacks, and Williams appears poised to be his next success story. Throughout the season, he showed sticky man coverage ability, strong ball skills and a willingness to tackle. Great coverage by Williams against Tre Tucker. Relying on quickness in his routes, Tucker tries to get Williams moving quickly upfield, but puts on the brakes. Williams does a good job of sticking tight on Tucker, and as the ball is thrown, he comes back to deflect the pass. pic.twitter.com/Z1GOHGcAGM— Caleb James (@CJScoobs) January 7, 2026 Here, Williams is matched one-on-one against Raiders receiver Tre Tucker, an underrated player in an otherwise struggling offense. Tucker relies on quickness to create separation and work back to the football. Williams — despite being the larger defender — runs stride for stride downfield, stays tight at the break, and shuts down Tucker’s comeback. Williams then uses his size advantage to knock the ball away, forcing an incompletion. Williams proved to be a versatile defender for the Chiefs in 2025. He was able to cover both larger and smaller wide receivers while still demonstrating a nose for the football. Still, in this offseason, Kansas City will have some decisions to make about the future of its cornerback room. But having Williams — who projects to be a starter in 2026 — gives them good insurance regardless of what happens. Chris Jones Statistically, the Chiefs’ star defensive tackle endured a down season by his standards. But on Sunday, he closed the year with…