The first wave of Miami Dolphins training camp has already begun, and the rookies were the ones who got things rolling last week at the team’s training facility. With the full roster set to arrive in Miami Gardens this week, the buzz around camp is only picking up.
Even if the Dolphins are not viewed as a playoff team this season, there is still plenty to watch. FanDuel Sportsbook’s latest odds have Miami as the AFC team least likely to make the postseason at +1500, which is double the number for the next closest team, the New York Jets. That backdrop fits the bigger picture in Miami, where the franchise has moved into a rebuild after the Mike McDaniel era and is now following the direction of new head coach Jeff Hafley.
A big part of that shift is youth. Miami brought in 13 drafted rookies and 12 undrafted free agents, and the early-round class has already sparked plenty of interest.
When fans were asked which first-, second-, or third-round pick they were most eager to see this summer, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez ran away with the vote. The second-rounder drew just under a majority and pulled in more support than first-round picks guard Kaydn Proctor and cornerback Chris Johnson combined.
The rest of the early-round group trailed well behind. Third-round wide receiver Caleb Douglas finished fourth with nine percent of the vote, tight end Will Kacmarek got three percent, and third-round wide receiver Chris Bell came in last with two percent.
Rodriguez arrives from Texas Tech with a decorated résumé. He finished fifth in the 2025 Heieman Trophy vote and won the Chuck Bednarik, Butkus, Lombardi, and Bronko Nagurski awards. He also steps into a linebacker pipeline that has already produced major names for Miami from Texas Tech, including Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas and current starter and All-Pro Jordyn Brooks.
So the spotlight is on Rodriguez as camp ramps up, but he is hardly the only rookie worth tracking once the Dolphins hit the practice field.
In Other News...
Oregon State Already Knows Houston Has A Receiver To Fear
Oregon States 2026 schedule already has a few wideouts circled on the calendar, and the list includes a Texas Tech receiver who has shown he can turn a game into a track meet. The broader preview looks at five pass-catchers from around the country who could give the Beavers problems next season, with each one bringing a different kind of stress test for a defense that will have to be ready for speed, size and production.
For Houston, the concern is less about one isolated matchup and more about how the Cougars plan to deploy a receiver who was already a red-zone problem last season. With Tanner Koziol no longer in the picture, the opportunity for an even larger role is there, and Oregon State will be watching closely to see whether that target share turns into the kind of weekly threat that can tilt a conference game. [Read more 🡒]
One Ruling Could Completely Change Texas Techs Frontcourt Ceiling
A ruling expected on July 30 could ripple well beyond one roster and into Texas Techs frontcourt plans for next season. The lawsuit centers on whether a class of college basketball players whose eligibility expired last season should be granted an extra year, a decision that would immediately reshape the market for a handful of experienced big men.
For the Red Raiders, the stakes are obvious because Jamichael Stillwell has already emerged as a name to watch in that scenario. Pairing him with Darrion Williams would give Texas Tech a very different look inside, and potentially one of the deeper frontcourts in the country, but everything hinges on how the court rules and how quickly the ripple effects start to hit the portal. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Faces A Bigger Question About Its Big 12 Future
Texas Techs place in the Big 12 has become part of a larger conversation about where the program fits in the next wave of college sports realignment. The Red Raiders have long valued the ability to compete on a national stage, and the case for a future move keeps circling back to money, visibility and the chance to line up more often with schools that carry broader brand power.
There is also a more immediate layer to the debate, because the relationship between Texas Tech and Big 12 leadership has not been especially smooth lately. NIL disputes, media-rights discussions and roster-eligibility rulings have all added friction, and that has only sharpened the questions around whether staying put still serves the Red Raiders as well as it once did. [Read more 🡒]