Former NC State All-American Pitcher Carlos Rodon and the Yankees will be playing the Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, which starts this Friday.

Rodon is the 8th former Wolfpack Baseball player to play in a World Series.

Pitcher Carlos Rodon – 1 time (2024)
Shortstop Trea Turner – 1 time (2019)
Infielder Jimmy Brown – 1 time (1942)
Pitcher Mike Caldwell – 1 time (1982)
Shortstop Adam Everett – 1 time (2005) (Transferred to South Carolina after 1 season)
Rightfielder Dave Robertson – 1 time (1917)
Pitcher Tim Stoddard – 1 time (1979)
Infielder Tracy Woodson – 1 time (1988)

This postseason, Rodon is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA in 3 starts for the Yankees this postseason. He’s struck out 22 batters in 14.1 innings, with a WHIP of 1.12. Batters are hitting .259 against Carlos this postseason.

Rodon just wrapped up the healthiest season of his MLB career, making 32 starts in the regular season (career high). He also had a career high 16 wins, which was the most of anyone on New York’s pitching staff, and was tied for the 3rd most in the Majors (2nd in AL). Rodon struck out 195 batters, which led New York, ranked 7th in the American League, and is the 2nd highest total in his career.

While Rodon still hasn’t found the same groove he had in San Francisco in 2021-22, he did finish with an ERA of 3.96, which is a vast improvement from the 6.85 ERA he had last year in his first season in pinstripes.

Rodon did his best work in the 2nd half of the season, which bodes well for the Yankees heading into the playoffs.

When it comes to former NC State pitchers, Rodon ranks 2nd in career Wins and Games Started. His 1,206 career strikeouts is the most by a former Wolfpack pitcher. Rodon’s career ERA of 3.85 is the 4th best by a former NC State pitcher with at least 50 games started in the majors.

Former NC State All-ACC Quarterback Russell Wilson has been taking 1st Team reps in practice this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers quarterback drills to open individual periods: Russell Wilson leading off followed by Justin Fields and Kyle Allen pic.twitter.com/M3UI8qwbob

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 16, 2024

With that being said, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has not definitively stated whether Wilson or Justin Fields, who has started the first 6 games, will start on Sunday night against the Jets.

Wilson has been dealing with a calf injury since Fall Camp. Tomlin said last week that Wilson was technically medically cleared prior to their game against the Raiders this past Sunday, but he was still in the process of knocking the rust off.

The Steelers truly do have a dilemma. Wilson was named the starter before the season, and was named a team captain. On the other hand, Fields has led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record, and individually is playing some of the best football in his career.

Fields has completed 66.3% of his passes for 1,106 yards for 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. His QB Rating is 93.9. The completion percentage and QB Rating are currently well above his career numbers. Fields has also rushed for 231 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Last season, Wilson threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and 8 interceptions, with a QB Rating of 98.0 last year in Denver. He also rushed for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wilson ranked 8th in QB Rating and 9th in touchdowns last season.

Here’s what I know to be true. Russell Wilson is still a starting Quarterback in the NFL. Period. Whether it’s the right move to move him into the starting role over Justin Fields this week is a much bigger question for the Steelers with the present and future in mind.

Former NC State All-American Defensive Tackle Alim McNeill has signed a 4-year extension with the Detroit Lions worth $97 million, with $55 million guaranteed.

McNeill was in the 4th year of his 4-year rookie contract that he signed with Detroit after they drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2021 NFL Draft, with the 72nd overall pick.

The two sides decided to seal the deal in the middle of the final year of his contract, rather than wait until the end of the season.

In his 4th NFL season, McNeill is now the 4th highest paid Defensive Tackle in the NFL

Top 4 DT contracts, by APY:

– Chris Jones ($31.75M/year)

– Christian Wilkins ($27.5M/year)

– Nnamdi Madubuike ($24.5M/year).

– Alim McNeill ($24.25M/year)

— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) October 15, 2024

Since 2023, McNeill is the 6th highest graded Interior Defensive Lineman in the NFL according to PFF.

Alim McNeill among IDL since 2023:

🔹 88.5 PFF grade (6th)

Locked up 💰 pic.twitter.com/sJxIuy08Zs

— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) October 16, 2024

Here’s a look at Alim’s Career NFL stats.

Former NC State All-ACC Guard Jarkel Joiner has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

Gods plan ❤️ https://t.co/le4FOkN7gY

— Jarkel Joiner (@JarkelJoiner) October 15, 2024

What is an Exhibit 10 deal?

Here’s what Google’s AI cooked up:

An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary, non-guaranteed NBA contract that teams can use to bring in players for Summer League competition. The contract can include an optional bonus of up to $75,000 if the player spends at least 60 days with the team’s G League affiliate after being waived.

Conversion to two-way contract: Teams can convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract before the regular season begins. This guarantees the bonus and makes the contract a two-way contract.

Maximum number of contracts: Each team can have up to six Exhibit 10 contracts at a time.

Roster spot: If a player is kept on the 15-man roster after the regular season begins, their contract becomes a standard minimum deal.

Compensation protection: Exhibit 10 contracts don’t come with compensation protection.

When the contract becomes fully guaranteed: If the team doesn’t guarantee the deal, it becomes fully guaranteed on January 10. However, in reality, contracts become fully guaranteed on January 7 because players must clear waivers by January 10 to avoid this.

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Joiner signed on with the College Park Skyhawks last season, the G-League Affiliate Team for the Hawks.

In his 1st season of professional ball, Joiner averaged 11.1 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds for the Skyhawks.