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10 Dallas-area players to watch in the College Football Playoff: Ashton Jeanty and more

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10 Dallas-area players to watch in the College Football Playoff: Ashton Jeanty and more


An expanded College Football Playoff field means we’ll get a chance to see more Dallas-area standouts represent their teams.

By now, most college football fans know the origin stories of names like Ashton Jeanty and Quinn Ewers. They won’t be the only North Texas products hunting for a national title over the next few weeks.

Here’s a look at a few players with Dallas-area ties to watch in this year’s CFP:

1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB

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High school: Frisco Lone Star

The Heisman finalist has been key in Boise State’s run to the College Football Playoff. Jeanty has maintained a consistently high level of play throughout the 2024 season, rushing for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Jeanty finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy, earning 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points. Before landing at Boise State, Jeanty worked his way up at Frisco Lone Star. His first season at the school came in 2019 after his family relocated to North Texas from Italy.

The running back had an explosive senior year, rushing for 1,835 yards and 31 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns. Although he didn’t win the Heisman, Jeanty did receive national recognition this year by winning the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.

2. Quinn Ewers, Texas QB

High school: Southlake Carroll

Once the kid with the mullet who reclassified his graduating class so he could get to Ohio State early, Ewers now leads the Longhorns’ attempt to go where they haven’t gone since 2010. He’s spent three seasons as the Longhorns starter and is making his second appearance in the College Football Playoff.

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Ewers, who took Southlake Carroll to a state championship appearance in 2020, will perhaps get to slay an old demon in the Longhorns’ first-round matchup: Texas will face off against Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led the Austin Westlake team that beat Carroll in the 2020 state title game.

In Texas-Clemson, Quinn Ewers, Cade Klubnik get rematch of legendary state title game

3. Kevin Jennings, SMU QB

High school: South Oak Cliff

The Mustangs’ quarterback is quite the story.

He came out of SOC as a 3-star recruit with SMU being the only major program to extend an official offer. He was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 95 quarterback in the class.

Fast forward to 2024, when Jennings took the Mustangs’ starting QB job from Preston Stone and hasn’t looked back.

Jennings has passed for over 3,000 yards in 2024 with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And he’s done it all while playing injured.

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Jennings earned All-ACC third-team honors in his first season as SMU’s starter, and will lead the Mustangs into Happy Valley in the first round vs. Penn State.

4. Anthony Hill, Texas LB

High school: Denton Ryan

Unlike the previous entrant, Hill was anything but an under-the-radar recruit.

Named as The Dallas Morning News No. 1 area player in 2022, Hill was a unanimous 5-star prospect who was sought after by virtually every blue-chip program in the country.

And he’s lived up to the hype for the Horns.

It’s early, but the sophomore linebacker looks the part of a 2026 NFL first-round pick. He’s compiled 90 tackles and 7.5 sacks for Texas, the third-ranked defense in the country by yards allowed per game. He’s forced four fumbles, recovered one, and picked off a pass for good measure.

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5. Colin Simmons, Texas LB

High school: Duncanville

Hill, and Simmons, too. An embarrassment of riches for the Longhorns’ young defense.

Simmons was DMN’s Defensive Player of the Year his junior season after an incredible stat line of 22.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and 45 QB hurries. He helped lead Duncanville to back-to-back state championships.

Now a freshman for Texas, Simmons picked up where he left off. He’s totaled eight sacks and three forced fumbles for the Longhorns’ formidable defense, which has a pass rush anchored on both sides by future stars Simmons and Hill.

How Duncanville DL Colin Simmons’ brother with autism motivates him on and off the field

5. Roderick Daniels, SMU WR

High school: Duncanville

Another former Duncanville star who was committed to Baylor at one point, Daniels has been a Swiss army knife for Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs. He’s played a role as both wide receiver and running back as well as on special teams.

He’s caught 38 passes for 599 yards this season, both of which lead the team, and he’s added another 163 yards on the ground. He’s totaled six touchdowns.

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“He’s just a winner, man, and that’s what he’s been these last three years here for us,” Lashlee said of his versatile receiver.

7. Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU safety

High school: Skyline

Once one of the highest-rated recruits ever landed by SMU, the Skyline grad led the Mustangs in interceptions his freshman season and has helped anchor the SMU defensive backfield since.

His merits don’t stop inside the lines, though. Nwokobia is said to be one of the team’s leaders who helps “hold guys to a standard.” That’s why he’s been honored with jersey No. 23 each of the past two seasons. It’s the number given each year to the SMU player that best exemplifies the leadership and courage displayed by Jerry LeVias, the first Black football player at SMU.

How Isaiah Nwokobia earned honor to wear SMU’s No. 23 jersey for second straight year

8. Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson WR

High school: Midlothian

SMU fans may already know all about Mr. Wesco.

The true freshman has already starred for the Tigers in his debut season, including in Clemson’s ACC Championship win over the Mustangs. Wesco caught eight passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, all career-highs.

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The 6-2, 180-pound receiver was a star at Midlothian as well, the top WR recruit among 5A teams who picked Clemson over offers from Oklahoma, TCU and Texas Tech.

9. Andrej Karic, Tennessee OL

High school: Southlake Carroll

Karic, a native of Southlake, spent the first three seasons of his college career with Texas before transferring to Tennessee. After struggling to get on the field for the Horns (he was mostly used as a blocking tight end in his final season in Austin) he appears to have made a good decision by swapping to the Vols.

The senior has started all 12 games for Tennessee in 2024, and he’s allowed just two sacks in 699 offensive snaps, according to ProFootballFocus. Scouts project the 6-6, 314-pound Karic as a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

10. Nicolas Radicic, Indiana K

High school: Coppell

Originally born in Croatia before moving to the U.S. in 2016, Radicic landed at Coppell where he’d become one of the best high school kicking recruits in the country. He signed with Indiana as the No. 5 kicking recruit in his class.

The true freshman has been more than solid for the Hoosiers during their historic run to the Playoff, Radicic missing only one kick all season. He’s 9-of-10 from field goal range in 2024 and has hit 69 of 69 extra points attempted.

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More DFW players to keep an eye on in the CFP…

Quintrevion Wisner, Texas RB — DeSoto

Malik Muhammad, Texas DB — South Oak Cliff

Bert Auburn, Texas K — Flower Mound

Jordan Hudson, SMU WR — Garland

Savion Byrd, SMU OL — Duncanville

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Keith Abney, Arizona State CB — Waxahachie

Myles Price, Indiana WR — The Colony

R.J. Mickens, Clemson safety — Southlake Carroll

Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon DB — DeSoto

Jordan Crook, Arizona State LB — Duncanville

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Prince Dorbah, Arizona State DL — Highland Park

Payton Pierce, Ohio State LB — Lovejoy

Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Ohio State CB — Waxahachie

    Everything to know about SMU-Penn State: Mustangs’ CFP path begins in Happy Valley
    Everything to know about Texas-Clemson: Longhorns bring College Football Playoff to Austin

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. Find more Texas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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How to get tickets to 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Houston

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How to get tickets to 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Houston


The 2026 FIFA World Cup teams playing at Dallas Stadium have been revealed. If you’re looking for tickets, here’s what you need to know.

How to get 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets

According to FIFA, nearly two million tickets have already been sold. However, the FIFA Marketplace is temporarily closed.

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What’s next:

The next phase of ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup 2026 – the Random Selection Draw – will begin on Dec. 11, with the entry period for fans open until Jan. 13. This marks the third phase of ticket sales for the 2026 tournament. The Visa Presale Draw and the Early Ticket Draw closed in November.

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What you can do:

To apply for the Random Selection Draw, you can visit FIFA’s ticket website starting Dec. 11, register for a FIFA ID, then be able to apply for tickets to specific matches.

In February, FIFA will randomly select applicants and let them know if they will get all or some of the tickets they applied for. 

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The final phase is in the spring, when “last-minute sales” will be available to the general public. It’s not clear how many tickets will be sold in this phase, or whether all matches will be available.

How much are World Cup tickets?

By the numbers:

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FIFA announced initial ticket prices of $60-$6,730, saying they would be dynamic, up from $25-$475 for the 1994 tournament in the United States. It has refused to release a complete list of prices, as it had for every other World Cup since at least 1990. The governing body also is selling parking passes for up to $175 for a single match, a semifinal in Arlington, Texas.

World Cup schedule: Games at Dallas Stadium

The first 2026 FIFA World Cup game to be hosted at Dallas Stadium will be played on June 14. 

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Dallas Stadium’s full match schedule is as follows:

  • Group Stage: Sunday, June 14: Netherlands vs Japan
  • Group Stage: Wednesday, June 17: England vs Croatia
  • Group Stage: Monday, June 22: Argentina vs Austria
  • Group Stage: Thursday, June 25: Japan vs Ukr / Swe / Pol / Alb
  • Group Stage: Saturday, June 27: Jordan vs Argentina

Matches that will be determined by performance:

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  • Round of 32: Tuesday, June 30.
  • Round of 32: Friday, July 3.
  • Round of 16: Monday, July 6.
  • Semi-final match: Tuesday, July 14.

Dig deeper:

Click here to learn more.

The Source: This report includes information from FIFA, The Associated Press and previous FOX TV Stations reporting.

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Dallas sidewalks are by the people, for the people

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Dallas sidewalks are by the people, for the people


A couple of summers ago, Dallas resident Melody Townsel swerved around a sign left in the middle of a sidewalk in her neighborhood of the Cedars.

“My wheels went off the wheelchair. I fell into the fence, and ended up badly injured — broke a pair of glasses, I separated my shoulder, and I’m still feeling the aftereffects of that,” Townsel said. “And there’s no one to blame, nothing to do.”

In Dallas, it can take people stumbling upon unsafe and hazardous conditions to alert the city to its sidewalk problems. Since October 2020, residents have reported more than 5,000 hazardous sidewalk conditions citywide to Dallas’ 311 system.

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“I think unless you walk with me on a sidewalk, you don’t realize how completely impassable they are,” Townsel said. “It’s everywhere, all the time.”

Sidewalk obstructions like overgrown bushes and utility poles often block Townsel’s path as she makes her way through the city, sometimes forcing her to use her wheelchair in the street. Dallas relies on residents to report obstructions like these through its 311 program.

“Dallas is not a proactive city,” said Uptown resident Alex Stine. “It is a reactive city, and a poorly reactive city at that.”

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As a business-to-business salesperson and Uber driver, Richardson resident Adam Sharkey spends hours on Dallas roads each week. He’s filed more than 1,000 311 requests in the last six months, ranging from pothole repairs to reports of unsafe sidewalk conditions.

Once he sends in a request, Sharkey said, he receives email updates from various city agencies as they work to solve the problem. The updates have given him insight into the way the city operates.

Replacement is residents’ responsibility

“What a lot of people don’t realize,” Sharkey said, “is that in Dallas, the responsibility of the sidewalk falls to the property owner, not the city.”

City ordinance states that property owners are responsible for repairing hazardous conditions or replacing damaged sidewalks on their property. Recently, Sharkey reported a section of the sidewalk by Greenville Avenue and SMU Boulevard that had completely caved in, in the hope that the Code Compliance department would reach out to the adjacent apartment complex and have them fix it.

Instead, what followed was a chain of emails from the Code Compliance and Transportation and Public Works departments debating who was responsible for the sidewalk. Code Compliance had determined that the sidewalk was beyond the apartment’s property line, Sharkey said, which placed the sidewalk under the care of Transportation and Public Works.

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“But then public works kicked it back to code enforcement and said, ‘Well, even if it’s not on their property, they’re still the benefiting party because they’re the closest property, and therefore it’s still their legal responsibility.’” Sharkey explained. “They’ve actually been kicking that back and forth for weeks.”

One reason damaged sidewalks might go unrepaired, Sharkey said, is because people don’t want to pay to fix something they are not sure they are required to. And even if code enforcement wanted to proactively make all property owners fix their sidewalks, he added, they don’t have the resources for the required enforcement and follow-up. This can get expensive, depending on the scale of the project.

“If somebody’s got a home that’s worth, you know, $220,000 and you ask them to spend eight grand to fix the sidewalk in front of their house, that’s 4% of the value of their home,” Sharkey said. “Now, that same size lot in Lower Greenville, the house is probably worth $1.7 million. To ask somebody with a home worth $1.7 million to go find eight grand to fix the sidewalk — they might be able to get that cash by refinancing their mortgage if they don’t have it.”

Owners of single-family homes, including condos, townhomes and single-family rentals, can split the cost of replacing their sidewalks with the city through Dallas’ Sidewalk Replacement Program.

City programs relieve some financial pressure

For program participants, the city secures all necessary permits for replacement, with all workmanship guaranteed for one year, according to the Transportation and Public Works department. Assessment and cost estimation can take up to three months. After payment is received, it can take another three to nine months for the replacement to be completed, according to the city.

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Not all residents who apply to the Sidewalk Replacement Program end up moving forward, which contributes to the program’s low completion rates. Residents may end up declining participation in the program, the city said, or choose to use a private contractor to complete their work. One reason for this may be that, even with the cost sharing program, sidewalk replacements can still be prohibitively expensive.

In 2021, the city completed the Sidewalk Master Plan, a comprehensive proposal to improve Dallas’ sidewalks. After attending the council briefing on the plan, City Council member Jesse Moreno posted on Facebook that “the biggest takeaway from everyone is we can’t keep the 50%-50% responsibility on sidewalks,” referencing the city’s Sidewalk Replacement Program. “That has to change if we want our city to be more equitable.”

“Realistically,” said mobility advocate Heather McNair, president of BikeDFW, “the people that can afford to do the 50-50 split, generally speaking, are not the people that are the most impacted when the sidewalks are not traversable.”

These kinds of projects, McNair said, are most needed in areas with higher concentrations of seniors or people with disabilities. These are often people on fixed incomes that might not be able to shoulder the cost of a replacement. Dallas has worked toward a solution: about a third of all sidewalk replacements completed last year were funded by the city through a program specifically for low-income senior citizens.

Still, what has puzzled McNair about the city’s approach to sidewalk maintenance is asking individual residents to cover half the price of something that is “really public property.”

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“I would argue — I can’t go out and block a sidewalk with my car or with a piece of furniture,” she said. “I can’t fence in a sidewalk. So if I can’t do these things, then is it really a part of my private property?”

Ideally, McNair said, sidewalks would be treated like streets, with the financial responsibility for taking care of them borne by the city and distributed among all residents who benefit from them.

“When we have areas that are public access,” she said, “that’s generally something that we anticipate is going to be maintained by those that are putting it in.”

But this approach would require billions of dollars in funding that the city doesn’t have. Finding the budget for this, McNair said, is likely where the city will hit a wall.

In the meantime, she said, increasing transparency can help show residents that the city is making progress despite bumps in the road.

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A sidewalk ‘pizza tracker’?

Daisy Fast, the director of 311, said the main complaint she gets from residents is that the city doesn’t seem to be taking any action on their requests. One of her main goals has been to build what she calls a “pizza tracker” for 311 users.

Whether they submit requests over the phone, the app or online, 311 users can opt in to receive updates at every step of the way — like Domino’s does with its pizza tracking system. Right now, the system requires that users register to receive these updates, which can pose a problem to residents who may prefer to remain anonymous.

“Fear of retaliation is a reality, you know. Especially here in the Hispanic population,” Fast said, “there’s fear that, you know, if I submit a service request that, like, somehow the city’s going to, you know, find out my identity, or whoever I’m complaining on is going to, you know, find out.”

Another issue Fast noted is that 311 fields complaints that are immediately solvable by city employees, such as requests for temporary repairs, right alongside requests that take more time, like sidewalk replacements.

Fast considered only allowing residents to submit requests that city officials were confident would be completed within, for example, a two-week span. This would mean residents would no longer be able to submit long-term requests, but would gain confidence in the city’s ability to complete requests quickly.

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“The negative side of that,” Fast said, “is, well, then we’re not going to have the data that [the Transportation and Public Works department] needs to build out their bond program.”

Data is what allows the city to understand where to funnel its resources, showing it what’s succeeding and what’s not.

In June 2025, the city exhausted available funds for the Sidewalk Replacement Program due to higher demand than anticipated. The city said it anticipates council action early next year to resume the program. In the meantime, property owners can still submit 311 requests to have temporary repairs made to their sidewalks.

Since the program went on pause, about 270 residents have asked to be added to the waitlist.



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Dallas Mavericks bring fancy restaurants to AAC in sports-food shakeup

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Dallas Mavericks bring fancy restaurants to AAC in sports-food shakeup


Do you want to dine at Dallas hot spot Catch but haven’t secured a reservation? High-end restaurants like Avra, Crown Block, Uchi, Catch and more are setting up pop-up shops inside the American Airlines Center during Dallas Mavericks games.

Those restaurants — plus others coming later in the Mavericks’ season — are among Dallas’ priciest dinner spots.

Patrick Lang, vice president of global restaurant and nightlife development for Las Vegas Sands Corp., a company owned by the families that bought the Mavericks, has a plan to bring high-end restaurants to the AAC without the high price and formal dining.

“How can we take this dining experience that is a real commitment,” he asked of Dallas’ finest spots, “and do it in a more fun, approachable way for fans?”

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Catch opened on Maple Avenue in Uptown Dallas in late 2024.

Tom Fox / Staff Photographer

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The next upscale restaurant popping up at the AAC is Catch, the seafood spot that originated in New York City and opened in Dallas in late 2024. Billionaire Tilman Fertitta and two NYC restaurateurs have grown Catch across the United States to cities like Las Vegas — yes, the city where Las Vegas Sands Corp. is headquartered.

Catch will sell a double royale with cheese and Parmesan-truffle fries on Dec. 6, 2025, during the Dallas Mavericks-Houston Rockets game. The burger and fries will cost $26.

The restaurant atop Dallas’ iconic Reunion Tower, Crown Block, is next. On Dec. 23, 2025, this restaurant managed by a couple from Vegas will sell a shrimp po’boy at the AAC for around $20.

Loro has restaurants in Addison and East Dallas. For one day, it served food inside the...

Loro has restaurants in Addison and East Dallas. For one day, it served food inside the American Airlines Center, during the Dallas Mavericks’ season opener game in October 2025. Chefs sold a limited quantity 30 servings of smoked shishito queso.

Roberto Hernandez / Dallas Mavericks

For the Mavericks’ game against the Golden State Warriors Jan. 22, 2025, the team has confirmed Dallas Design District restaurant The Mexican will join the AAC pop-up. And in the spring, Lang hopes to do a special event with Wakuda, a modern Japanese restaurant in Vegas and Singapore.

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Lang said adding restaurant pop-ups in Dallas was a natural step for Las Vegas Sands, which owns and operates resorts in Macao and Singapore.

“When new ownership took over the Mavericks, we had a pretty big vision,” he said.

“For years, we’ve partnered with some of the world’s best culinary brands. We have a deep track record of bringing exceptional experiences to our resorts, and we think these experiences should be part of a game day experience as well.”

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People walk past the Sands Hotel marquee thanking everyone for 44 years of operation on June...

It kicked off last season, with a caviar and fried chicken dish from Yardbird.

Other restaurants that have participated include Loro, the Austin-born, Dallas-bred Asian smokehouse; and Uchi, the high-end Japanese restaurant owned by the same Texas group.

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Will a high-end restaurant pop up at every Dallas Mavericks game?

Probably not. Lang said they’re focused on “marquee matchups” — basketball games that are on evenings, weekends or notable dates.

Where can I find the food?

The first events were VIP only, just off the basketball court. Starting on Oct. 22, 2025, the pop-ups are on the main concourse of the AAC, accessible to any fan with a ticket to the game. Find them at the Modelo Gold Lion Bar & Grill on the Plaza Level (main concourse), near Section 103.

Will diners find a typical restaurant experience?

No. “It’s an incentive to get fans to show up and get engaged,” Lang said, but it isn’t a replacement for a full meal at one of these restaurants.

He’s dreaming of selling a chicken Parmesan sandwich from Carbone at a future event.

“That could be a really cool item,” he said. “How do we take something seen as very exclusive and a major commitment from a time perspective,” he said, “[and offer it] at a great price point?”

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He thinks the partnership allows restaurants to be creative and reach a new audience, in a new place. It also gives Dallas Mavericks foodies a reason to go hunting through the AAC for new food.

Will these restaurants serve food at events other than Mavs games?

No. Las Vegas Sands is utilizing its restaurant relationships for basketball games in Dallas. Concerts, Dallas Stars games and other events are not included.

How can attendees know what’s next to eat?

The Mavericks will share restaurant details in game day preview emails, which are sent to ticketed fans and Mavs subscribers. Details will also appear on the Mavericks’ Instagram story on game day.





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