Arkansas' Quincy Rhodes Jr. heads AP list of quality players at teams expected to struggle

Arkansas defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. had just sat down for his Southeastern Conference media days session this summer when he was asked about personal goals for his senior season.

After talking about the number of sacks and tackles for loss he’d like to get, Rhodes closed his response with a simple request.

“I just want to win,” he said.

He hasn’t done nearly enough of that thus far in his career, through no fault of his own.

Rhodes collected eight sacks and 15 ½ tackles for loss to earn second-team Associated Press all-SEC honors last season, but his team went 2-10 and failed to win a single conference game. The preseason SEC media poll forecasts Arkansas to finish last in the conference again this season.

That makes Rhodes one of the most notable examples of a quality player suiting up for a team that is expected to struggle this season.

Of course, Rhodes might take issue with that label. He has reason to believe Arkansas can make major strides this season under new coach Ryan Silverfield. Arkansas won’t make that kind of leap unless it dramatically upgrades a defense that allowed 425.2 yards per game and 6.27 yards per play last season, last in the SEC in both categories.

“The biggest differences between last year and this year is we have no choice, you know what I mean?” Rhodes told reporters. “It’s get with the program or get going. That’s what has stood out to me the most.”

Rhodes will attempt to lead the way. He is coming off a 2025 season in which he posted the highest single-season total of tackles for loss by any Arkansas player since 2015, when Trey Flowers had 15 ½.

“We know the type of player he is, but he’s still scratching the surface,” said Silverfield, who had attempted to recruit Rhodes to Memphis. “That’s one thing about Quincy that I love, is he knows that he has more upside.”

Some other notable players from teams that could have a tough time this season:

Rutgers was picked to finish 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten according to a Cleveland.com media survey that serves as the league’s unofficial preseason poll. Yet the Scarlet Knights, who went 5-7 last year, boast two of the league’s most productive offensive skill-position players. A Big Ten panel gives preseason honors to 12 players, and Duff and Raymond both made the list. Duff had 60 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns last season as a second-team AP all-Big Ten selection. Raymond ran for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Jones had 11 pass breakups and two interceptions last season for a Mississippi State team that went 5-8 for its third straight losing season. The Bulldogs have gone 2-22 in SEC play over the last three years. Any turnaround this year would require another big season from Jones. According to Mississippi State, Jones allowed the fewest receptions (11) among all SEC starting cornerbacks last year.

The ACC’s preseason media poll has Boston College finishing next-to-last in the league, but Price still managed to make the preseason all-ACC team. Price has totaled 179 tackles over the last two seasons. He made 94 tackles last season and showcased his versatility by starting three games at linebacker rather than his usual safety position.

Rose closed the 2025 season with 106 tackles, nearly twice as many as any of his teammates. He tied for second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in total tackles and earned second-team AP all-ACC honors. He had the highest single-season tackle total of any Stanford player since 2015, when Blake Martinez had 141. Rose had 14 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in a 31-10 victory over California, making him the only Bowl Subdivision player to accomplish all those feats in a single 2025 regular-season game. Stanford went 4-8 last year for its fifth straight losing season. The ACC’s preseason media poll has Stanford finishing last in the 17-team league.

Colorado overhauled its roster after going 3-9 last year, and Scudero arrives from San Jose State as one of the Buffaloes’ biggest additions. Scudero caught 88 passes last season for an FBS-leading 1,297 yards. He had 10 touchdown receptions and earned second-team AP All-America honors. Colorado will be the third school for this 5-foot-9 wideout. He played at Sacramento State from 2023-24. Scudero has been dealing with a lower-body injury, but coach Deion Sanders has said he expects him to be available for the Sept. 3 opener at Georgia Tech.

Maryland enters this season with perhaps the best shot at a winning season of any school that has a player on this list, but the Terrapins did close the 2025 campaign with eight straight losses. Washington is a major reason why Maryland has reason to believe it can bounce back from consecutive 4-8 finishes. He showed promise as a freshman by throwing for 2,963 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 303 yards and four more scores last year. Washington then demonstrated his faith in coach Mike Locksley’s program by staying at Maryland rather than transferring.

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FILE - Mississippi State cornerback Kelley Jones (1) acknowledges the fans before the Duke's Mayo Bowl NCAA college football game against Wake Forest, Jan. 2, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File)

FILE - Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond (3) runs for a touchdown past Penn State safety King Mack (16) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Nov. 29, 2025, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

FILE - Stanford linebacker Matt Rose, left, tackles Florida State running back Gavin Sawchuk during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Oct. 18, 2025, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Arkansas defenders Quincy Rhodes Jr. (97) and Phillip Lee (1) celebrate after a big defensive stop against Arkansas State during an NCAA football game, Sept. 6, 2025, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods, File)

PERTH, Australia (AP) — An Australian jury on Thursday convicted a former Catholic bishop renowned for hosting alcohol-fueled house parties of sexually abusing two young Indigenous men.

The District Court of Western Australia jury convicted Christopher Saunders, 76, of 13 out of 19 charges of sexual abuse that allegedly occurred between 2008 and 2019 in his sprawling diocese on the country’s tropical northwest coast.

Prosecutors alleged he lured young Indigenous men to his church-owned house in the tourist town of Broome with free alcohol and cigarettes paid for with church funds. House rules included that the male-only guests had to remove their shirts.

“The accused had a sexual interest in young Aboriginal men and a tendency to act on that interest when the opportunity presented itself,” Prosecutor Adam Ebell had told the court.

The convictions included one count of sexual penetration without consent and a dozen indecent assaults.

He was acquitted of six charges that included a third alleged victim and indecent dealing with a child over the age of 16. While the age of consent in the state is 16, the law raises the effective age of consent to 18 if an older person is in a position of trust, power or responsibility.

Four charges of sexual penetration of a child younger than 13 years were dropped on the first day of Saunders' three-week trial.

Saunders is one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has besieged the Vatican for years.

Cardinal George Pell was convicted of abusing choirboys, and Archbishop Philip Wilson was convicted of covering up child sex abuse. But both Australian clerics successfully appealed their convictions.

Saunders showed no reaction as the verdicts were announced. He had been free on bail since he was charged two years ago. He did not apply to remain on bail after his convictions and will be sentenced on Sept. 21.

Defense lawyer Tony Hager had told the jurors in his closing address that Saunders did not deny holding “boozy parties” where young men often stripped off their shirts and shorts.

Saunders' behavior had been at times unusual, boozy and “might even be sleazy,” but it was never sexual, Hager argued.

Saunders led the remote Broome Diocese from 1996 until he resigned in 2021. The Outback diocese covers an area larger than France with a population of only 50,000 people. Most of the region’s Catholics are Indigenous.

His resignation followed a police announcement that they had dropped a criminal investigation into sexual allegations against him.

He had stood down from the church governance role a year earlier after news media reported the allegations.

The Vatican began its own investigation into Saunders in 2022, then handed the Western Australia Police Force a 200-page report on its findings the following year. Police reopened the criminal investigation and charged Saunders in 2024.

While the report’s contents were never officially made public, they were leaked to Australia’s Seven Network television news, which reported Saunders likely sexually assaulted four Indigenous youths and potentially groomed another 67 Indigenous youths and men.

The current Bishop of Broome, Tim Norton, issued an apology to Saunders’ victims and the diocese after the verdicts.

“We are acutely aware that the victims of this betrayal are not just those who have told their stories to police and before the court,” Norton said in a statement.

“The hurt extends to those who have placed their trust in our leadership and our church,” Norton added.

A national inquiry into the Catholic Church and other institutions’ responses to child abuse found that 7% of Australian Catholic priests were accused of sexually abusing children between 1950 and 2010.

FILE - Bishop Christopher Saunders of Broome, left, tries to play a didgeridoo during a World Youth Day 2008 media event in Sydney, Australia, on April 17, 2008. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)

Former Bishop of Broome Christopher Saunders arrives at the West Australian District Court in Perth, Tuesday, Aug.11, 2026. (Aaron Bunch/AAP Image via AAP)