Sports
Even as a freshman, wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer has become UCLA's go-to guy
A recount might be in order.
Kwazi Gilmer is certainly outperforming his player rating on EA Sports College Football ‘25.
“Definitely high 80s now,” the UCLA freshman wide receiver said Tuesday of where his rating should stand now on the video game, “but I mean, that’ll come soon.”
Gilmer’s stock continues to go up, up, up after the biggest Saturday of his career. After beating two defensive backs on a deep angle route midway through the third quarter, he snagged a 48-yard touchdown pass that provided the winning margin during the Bruins’ 27-20 victory over Nebraska.
Gilmer finished the game with a team-high 88 receiving yards on three catches, continuing an unlikely rise from newcomer at the deepest position on the team to leading the Bruins’ wide receivers with 213 yards on 16 catches this season. On Monday, he was selected the Big Ten’s freshman of the week.
“He’s phenomenal,” UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers said Saturday. “For being 18 years old, the maturity and confidence that that guy has on the football field is really unheard of, you know? He’s becoming a guy that I can really, really trust and then really have a lot of faith in.
“I mean, any time the ball’s up in the air, I 100% believe Kwazi’s going to come down with it. He’s a great route runner and the best thing about him is he always plays fast and he plays with speed.”
Bruins coach DeShaun Foster credited Gilmer’s early arrival for spring practice, a willingness to prove himself on special teams and a motor that requires continual monitoring by the coaching staff to prevent redlining.
“He’s a guy that you have to pull back,” Foster said, “like, ‘OK, Kwazi, turn it down a little bit.’”
There have been times in practice when Gilmer’s biorhythm monitors prompted coaches to make him take a couple of plays off. Stopping him in games has been another matter.
“When you’ve got opportunity to strike,” Gilmer said, “you gotta take advantage of it.”
Did you see that?
Bodies had collided. The play was over. Bryan Addison still didn’t know exactly what had happened.
The UCLA safety had crashed into Nebraska slot receiver Jacory Barney Jr. in the final minute Saturday while going for a pass that could put the Cornhuskers on the verge of a colossal comeback.
UCLA’s Bryan Addison, left, breaks up a pass intended for Nebraska’s Jacory Barney Jr., which was then intercepted.
(Rebecca S. Gratz / Associated Press)
Addison looked back after the impact to see the ball floating in the air. He didn’t realize the wild sequence that followed until he saw Bruins fans celebrating and teammates running down the sideline alongside cornerback Kaylin Moore.
How long did it take for Addison to realize that Moore had made the interception?
“I would say a good, like, five seconds,” Addison said Tuesday of a wild play that required the ball to bounce off Barney’s knee before Moore secured it with a last-second lunge at UCLA’s 13-yard line.
Addison didn’t see a replay until a friend shared footage after the game. The important thing was that it secured the Bruins’ second consecutive win going into their homecoming game against Iowa on Friday evening at the Rose Bowl.
“That was probably one of the craziest plays I’ve ever seen,” Addison said. “Just kind of being around the ball like that and seeing it pop around from a knee to an elbow to a hand, it’s kind of just life changing.”
It also made the defensive backs even in a way. Addison had taken a possible interception away from Moore during UCLA’s game against Penn State earlier this season, so Addison said Moore’s making the big play Saturday “kind of made me feel better.”
Guilty as charged
Upon further review, Foster did not dispute the three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against his team that helped Nebraska score each of its touchdowns Saturday.
The first was against linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo for flashing the team’s fourth-down hand signal toward the Nebraska sideline, which was considered taunting. The second was against linebacker Ale Kaho for pushing a Cornhuskers player in retaliation for a teammate getting shoved. The third was against defensive tackle Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi for picking a Nebraska player off a pile of bodies that included a UCLA player underneath it.
Three days later, Foster said he had addressed the issue with his team and did not expect any repeat offenses.
“A lot of that stuff really wasn’t malicious like I thought it was during the game,” Foster said, “so I was just proud that it was some stuff that we can correct.”
Etc.
Foster said the coaching staff told players where they could vote Tuesday and was encouraged to learn that a majority of the team had already cast ballots. “I was pretty excited,” Foster said, “that these guys are actually taking the opportunity to make change.” … UCLA will wear throwback uniforms from the 1960s featuring light blue tops and gold pants during the game against the Hawkeyes. “Those are sick jerseys,” Gilmer said, “I’m not gonna lie.”
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Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley sounded off on the frenzied reactions to the U.S. men’s hockey team getting invited to the White House by President Donald Trump.
Trump talked to the Olympic gold medal-winning team immediately after they defeated Canada in overtime last weekend. He said they would be invited to his State of the Union address and added that he needed to invite the women’s team as well or he would be “impeached.”
Charles Barkley sits courtside against the Minnesota Timberwolves during an NBA Cup game at Mortgage Matchup Center on Nov. 21, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
Trump critics took the joke as a shot at the women’s team, which sparked questions from NHL and Professional Women’s Hockey League reporters as the players returned to their respective club teams.
“I’m proud of the United States men. I’m proud of the United States women. You should have invited both of them to the White House, but it shouldn’t have been disrespect, misogyny,” Barkley said on the “Steam Room” podcast. “Like, yo, man, why do y’all have to mess everything up? Everything isn’t Democrat, Republican, conservative, liberal. That’s why we got this divided, screwed up country. Stop it man. Because, you know, the public, they’re idiots. They’re fools. They can’t think for themselves. I know y’all say stuff to trigger them. Y’all say stuff and y’all know they’re going to be fools.”
Barkley lamented that the average person would get riled up over the supposed controversy.
The U.S. team poses for a group photo after defeating Canada in the men’s ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. (Luca Bruno/AP Photo)
“We don’t have to fall for stupidity. But we do – that’s my point. These people out here are stupid. They need something to trigger them. Just because they want us to be stupid. We don’t have to be stupid. He should have invited both teams to the White House. Simple as that. Guys who didn’t want to go shouldn’t have to explain why they didn’t go.”
The former Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns star made clear he would go to the White House regardless of whether Trump was in office.
“I’ve said this before, I’m not a Trump guy. But if I got invited to the White House, I would go. I’m not a Trump guy – I want to make that clear. But I respect the office,” Barkley said. “He’s the president of the United States. But if guys don’t want to go, I understand that too. It doesn’t have to be a talking point. It doesn’t have to be un-American.
Megan Keller (5) celebrates with a flag alongside Cayla Barnes (3) of Team United States after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime during the women’s gold medal match against Canada on Day 13 of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 19, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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“I just wish y’all would stop falling for the stupidity.”
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Three years ago, as a 14-year-old freshman, Slava Shahbazyan made it to Bakersfield for the state wrestling championships.
“It was good to get experience that young,” he said.
Then came Saturday night when he had a breakthrough moment, winning the state 165-pound championship as a 17-year-old senior for Birmingham High.
“It means everything to me,” he said. “It took four years.”
Shahbazyan, who transferred from Chaminade after his sophomore year, is set to attend Stanford and still in the hunt to be valedictorian at Birmingham. Coach Jimmy Medeiros said he was close to winning last season before finishing fourth.
“He got a lot better,” Medeiros said.
Shahbazyan has been wrestling since he was 8. “My father loves wrestling,” he said.
Two St. John Bosco wrestlers, Jesse Grajeda at 144 pounds and Michael Romero at 150 pounds, also won state titles.
Here’s the link to complete results.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Dominiq Ponder died this weekend, the team’s head coach Deion Sanders confirmed on Sunday with a social media post.
“God please comfort the Ponder family, friends and loved ones,” Sanders wrote on social media. “Dom was one of my favorites! He was Loved, Respected & a Born Leader. Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence. Lord you’re receiving a good 1. Comfort us Lord Comfort us.”
Ponder was 23 years old.
Details of Ponder’s death are not yet known.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photo)
Ponder, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound signal caller, joined the Buffaloes and “Coach Prime’s” program in 2024 after spending time at Bethune-Cookman before making his way to Boulder.
Last season, Ponder played just two games for the Buffaloes while serving in his backup role. He recorded two rush attempts and one pass attempt.
The Opa Locka, Fla., native also received tribute from a fellow quarterback with the Buffaloes, Colton Allen.
Bethune-Cookman QB Dominiq Ponder takes a snap during the Wildcats’ spring game Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Daytona Stadium. (IMAGN)
“Dom, you were a blessing to so many people,” Allen wrote on Instagram. “You had a presence about you that just made everything better. You brought so much joy to me and everyone around you. I’m grateful for every lift, every practice, every rep, every conversation we got to share. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”
Ponder was going to be a part of Colorado’s spring practices, which are set to begin on Monday. It’s unknown if Sanders will postpone the start due to Ponder’s passing.
Ponder also received a tribute from the University of Central Florida.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his players warm up before an NCAA college football game against Utah, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, in Salt Lake City. (Tyler Tate/AP Photo)
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“Our prayers are with Dominiq and the Ponder family along with all in the Colorado football program,” the university’s football account on X wrote.
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