About 30% of NCAA Division I athletes who enter the transfer portal don’t find a new D1 program. What happens when you get stuck?
By Will McLernon Medill Reports On Saturdays last fall, former Houston Christian University offensive tackle Rodney Leaks would often sit in a Las Vegas sportsbook or at home with his dad watching college football, wishing he was on the field. Instead, he was stuck in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound, former three-star high school […]
From Nazareth to NFL: CJ West looks to make impact with San Francisco 49ers
By Will McLernon Medill Reports At Nazareth Academy, CJ West didn’t just wreak havoc on the football field as he helped lead the Roadrunners to the 2018 Illinois 7A state championship; the 6-foot-1, 316-pound defensive tackle also wowed crowds on stage with his voice in the Catholic school’s musicals. “It really helped me step out […]
WATCH: Road to the three-peat: South Side team prepares for another Unified Special Olympics State Basketball Championship
By Will McLernon Medill Reports High school basketball players from Southside Occupational Academy and De La Salle Institute in Bronzeville play together for Southside Unified. The squad — made up of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities — won back-to-back Unified Special Olympics State Basketball Championships in 2023 and 2024, and went to their third-straight […]