Darnold, Barkley headline early all-American list

Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley put on a show at the Rose Bowl last season and established themselves as two of the biggest stars in college football coming into 2017.

The two Heisman Trophy contenders highlight the first preseason All-America team in the history of The Associated Press.

Darnold passed for 453 yards and five touchdowns in USC’s 52-49 victory over the Nittany Lions. The sophomore comes into this season leading No. 4 USC on a nine-game winning streak.

“Obviously there are some grand expectations for him, but he’s welcomed those,” USC coach Clay Helton said. “That’s part of being a USC quarterback. That’s why you come to USC. You’re the face of the program and you’re the leader of the program.”

Barkley ran for 194 yards and scored three touchdowns against USC.

“He’s one of the rare guys that if you were building a Frankenstein running back, he’d pretty much have a check mark in pretty much in every box,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “I guess that’s what makes him special and that’s what makes him different.”

Center Billy Price is the only Ohio State player listed on the team.

NFL

BECKHAM DAY-TO-DAY WITH SPRAIN » The New York Giants apparently can breathe a little easier.

Leading receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall seemingly avoided major injuries in a meaningless preseason game.

Coach Ben McAdoo said Tuesday that the team’s wideouts are being listed as day to day after being hurt in the first half of Monday night’s preseason loss to the Browns. Despite escaping without a major injury, McAdoo did not rule out playing them in either of the final two preseason games.

One of the NFL’s most dynamic receivers, Beckham underwent an MRI on Tuesday. It revealed the three-time Pro Bowler had a sprained left ankle. TRUMP GETS SUPER BOWL RING » President Donald Trump has a Super Bowl ring just like Vladimir Putin.

The New England Patriots said Tuesday that owner Robert Kraft gave the diamond-encrusted ring to Trump. The sitting president usually receives gifts from teams during celebratory White House visits. A personalized jersey is standard, but Kraft gave Trump a ring as well.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Kraft has won five Super Bowl rings as owner of the NFL team. During a 2005 business trip to Russia, Kraft showed his newest ring to Putin and the Russian president pocketed, saying he thought it was a gift.

The Patriots latest ring is white gold with more than 280 diamonds and a carat weight of 5.1. The ring manufacturer says it is the largest Super Bowl ring.

NBA

JONES ON ROPES AGAIN » Jon Jones could face a lengthy suspension from mixed martial arts after the UFC light heavyweight champion was notified Tuesday of his second potential violation of the promotion’s anti-doping policy. Jones is widely considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, but his potential violation stems from a sample collected after his weigh-in July 28 for his title fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 214 in Anaheim, California.