Pittsburg, PA
Patrick Queen leaving Baltimore for rival Pittsburgh on 3-year deal, AP sources say
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have found a running mate for outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Pittsburgh is luring inside linebacker Patrick Queen away from rival Baltimore. The Steelers and the second-team All-Pro have agreed to a three-year deal worth $41 million, two people with knowledge of the deal tell The Associated Press. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity the move can’t become official until the new league year begins Wednesday.
Queen, 24, is coming off a career-best season with Baltimore in 2023 when he had 133 tackles to go with 3 1/2 sacks and an interception. His arrival addresses a position the Steelers have struggled to fill since Ryan Shazier suffered a career-ending back injury in December 2017.
Pittsburgh’s inside linebacking group was decimated by injuries last fall, with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander having their seasons cut short. Holcomb is recovering from knee surgery in early November while Alexander, who will become a free agent on Wednesday, tore an Achilles tendon in a win over Green Bay on Nov. 12.
The Steelers will slot Queen next to Elandon Roberts, who led the Steelers with 101 tackles last season. It also takes the pressure off Holcomb to return by the season opener.
The move is the second splashy addition Pittsburgh has made since the tampering period began. Nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson has agreed to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum, thanks in part to the Denver Broncos picking up the lion’s share of the tab.
Grabbing Wilson on the cheap gave general manager Omar Khan the flexibility to land Queen, who is entering his prime and is the kind of three-down linebacker the Steelers have been searching for since Shazier injured his back in Cincinnati on Dec. 4, 2017.
The position has been a revolving door of sorts in recent years and Pittsburgh’s aggressive move to trade up into the top 10 in the 2019 draft to select Devin Bush failed spectacularly when Bush tore his ACL early in his second season and struggled to regain his form.
The list of veterans the Steelers have brought in to fill the void over the years includes Jon Bostic, Mark Barron, Avery Williamson, Joe Schobert and Myles Jack. None of them stuck, though Jack did return to the team in the middle of last season after being cut the previous spring in a salary cap move.
No player in that group, however, was as young or as accomplished as Queen when they signed. His arrival gives the Steelers the kind of versatile inside linebacking presence they’ll need in a division that includes Queen’s now-former teammate Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.
___
AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Pittsburg, PA
How to buy Clemson Tigers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers tickets
ACC opponents square off when the No. 16 Clemson Tigers and the Pittsburgh Panthers play on Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Acrisure Stadium.
If you are looking to find Tigers vs. Panthers tickets, information is available below.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh game info
Shop Clemson vs. Pittsburgh tickets
How to buy Clemson vs. Pittsburgh tickets for college football Week 12
You can purchase tickets to see the Tigers square off against the Panthers from multiple providers.
Clemson vs. Pittsburgh betting odds, lines, spreads
- Spread favorite: Tigers (-10)
- Moneyline favorite: Tigers (-360)
- Total: 54 (O: -111, U: -109)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Clemson Tigers schedule
- Week 1: Aug. 31 at Georgia Bulldogs, 34-3 loss
- Week 2: Sept. 7 vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers, 66-20 win
- Week 4: Sept. 21 vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack, 59-35 win
- Week 5: Sept. 28 vs. Stanford Cardinal, 40-14 win
- Week 6: Oct. 5 at Florida State Seminoles, 29-13 win
- Week 7: Oct. 12 at Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 49-14 win
- Week 8: Oct. 19 vs. Virginia Cavaliers, 48-31 win
- Week 10: Nov. 2 vs. Louisville Cardinals, 33-21 loss
- Week 11: Nov. 9 at Virginia Tech Hokies, 24-14 win
- Week 12: Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. ET at Pittsburgh Panthers
- Week 13: Nov. 23 vs. The Citadel Bulldogs
- Week 14: Nov. 30 vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
Shop Clemson football tickets
Clemson Tigers stats
- Offensively, Clemson has been a top-25 unit, ranking seventh-best in the FBS by putting up 473.4 yards per game. The defense ranks 41st (337.1 yards allowed per game).
- The Tigers rank 57th in scoring defense this year (23.1 points allowed per game), but they’ve been playing really well on the other side of the ball, ranking 14th-best in the FBS with 37.7 points per game.
- Clemson sports the 54th-ranked defense this season in terms of passing yards (207.8 allowed per game), and has been more effective on the other side of the ball, ranking 24th-best with 274.8 passing yards per game.
- The Tigers are compiling 198.7 rushing yards per game on offense, which ranks them 26th in the FBS. On the defensive side of the ball, they rank 44th, allowing 129.3 rushing yards per contest.
Pittsburgh Panthers schedule
- Week 1: Aug. 31 vs. Kent State Golden Flashes, 55-24 win
- Week 2: Sept. 7 at Cincinnati Bearcats, 28-27 win
- Week 3: Sept. 14 vs. West Virginia Mountaineers, 38-34 win
- Week 4: Sept. 21 vs. Youngstown State Penguins, 73-17 win
- Week 6: Oct. 5 at North Carolina Tar Heels, 34-24 win
- Week 7: Oct. 12 vs. California Golden Bears, 17-15 win
- Week 9: Oct. 24 vs. Syracuse Orange, 41-13 win
- Week 10: Nov. 2 at SMU Mustangs, 48-25 loss
- Week 11: Nov. 9 vs. Virginia Cavaliers, 24-19 loss
- Week 12: Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. ET vs. Clemson Tigers
- Week 13: Nov. 23 at Louisville Cardinals
- Week 14: Nov. 30 at Boston College Eagles
Shop Pittsburgh football tickets
Pittsburgh Panthers stats
- Pittsburgh ranks 36th with 427.8 total yards per game on offense, and it ranks 62nd with 361.4 total yards ceded per contest on the defensive side of the ball.
- The Panthers’ defense ranks 72nd in the FBS with 25.1 points given up per contest, but they’ve been led by their offense, which ranks 16th-best by compiling 36.7 points per contest.
- On the defensive side of the ball, Pittsburgh is a bottom-25 pass unit, surrendering 251.7 passing yards per game (21st-worst). Fortunately, it is thriving on offense, posting 277.1 passing yards per contest (22nd-best).
- The Panthers rank 74th in the FBS with 150.7 rushing yards per game, but they’ve been carried by their defense, which ranks 18th-best by allowing only 109.8 rushing yards per game.
Shop Clemson vs. Pittsburgh tickets
This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.
Pittsburg, PA
Meleek Thomas announces commitment to Arkansas for college basketball
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh native and former Lincoln Park standout basketball player Meleek Thomas has announced his commitment to play at the University of Arkansas.
Thomas is a 6’3″, 175 lb. five-star recruit and picked playing for Moon Township native John Calipari at Arkansas over Pitt and Connecticut.
Ranked as one of the top 2025 basketball recruits in the country, Thomas left Lincoln Park to play for Overtime Elite, a semi-professional basketball league based out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Thomas’ commitment was announced Monday evening.
“I plan on being a legend for my city and a legend in the basketball community,” Thomas said at the beginning of the video announcing his choice to attend Arkansas.
“I’m ready for the next chapter on this journey to the NBA,” Thomas added. “Next fall, I’ll be playing at the University of Arkansas.”
Thomas is averaging 25 points per game and 12 rebounds per game through the first two games of his season playing for the City Reapers in the Overtime Elite league.
Pittsburg, PA
Five-Star Pittsburgh Guard Meleek Thomas Commits to Arkansas
PITTSBURGH — In front of a crowd of family and friends, five-star prospect Meleek Thomas committed to Arkansas on Monday night.
Thomas chose the Razorbacks and head coach John Calipari over local program Pitt and two-time reigning national champion UConn. Calipari has been recruiting Thomas for years, stopping in to see him numerous times while he was the coach at Kentucky and now since he has taken over at Arkansas.
Thomas, a 6-foot-4 guard, is ranked as the No. 7 player in the country for the class of 2025, per 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings. Thomas began his high-school career at Lincoln Park in the WPIAL before making the decision to transfer down to Atlanta to join Overtime Elite for his final season before college ball.
The highly-touted guard won back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles last high-school season as a sophomore and junior at Lincoln Park, averaging 22.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He was a significant Pitt target since early in his high school career and has been to numerous games over the past few seasons alongside former teammate and current Pitt guard Brandin Cummings.
However, in the end, Thomas decided to join Calipari and fellow five-star prospect Darius Acuff, who is a top-five player in the class and an Arkansas commit.
Pitt has one commitment in the 2025 class, and that is from Omari Witherspoon. He verbally committed to the Panthers after visiting during the offseason. He plays his high-school ball for St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C. — the same high school that current Pitt Panther guard Ishmael Leggett played prep ball for.
Stay tuned on Pittsburgh Sports Now for year-round coverage of Pitt basketball and recruiting.
Our coverage continues Monday night, as PSN will be in attendance for Pitt’s game against Gardner-Webb.
-
Culture1 week ago
Yankees’ Gerrit Cole opts out of contract, per source: How New York could prevent him from testing free agency
-
Culture1 week ago
Try This Quiz on Books That Were Made Into Great Space Movies
-
Health5 days ago
Lose Weight Without the Gym? Try These Easy Lifestyle Hacks
-
Culture4 days ago
The NFL is heading to Germany – and the country has fallen for American football
-
Business3 days ago
Ref needs glasses? Not anymore. Lasik company offers free procedures for referees
-
Technology1 week ago
Amazon’s Echo Spot alarm clock is on sale with a free color smart bulb
-
Sports4 days ago
All-Free-Agent Team: Closers and corner outfielders aplenty, harder to fill up the middle
-
News23 hours ago
Herbert Smith Freehills to merge with US-based law firm Kramer Levin