WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. -- Chris Vaughn kept checking the time. As afternoon inched toward evening on March 7, Vaughn began to worry.

One of the fastest players in the nation was running late. That night, Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore would receive the Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in college football. The award would be presented at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville, across the Ohio River from Moore's hometown of New Albany, Indiana.

As the ceremony approached, Moore hadn't gone missing. The Purdue star was at Aspirations Fitness Institution, the gym where Vaughn trains athletes on Louisville's south side.

"Grinding, drenched in sweat, lifting, running, getting in and out of cuts, catching tennis balls, like he's a nobody trying to walk onto the team," Vaughn recalled. "That's still the mentality he has. He literally has to be there at 6 o'clock, and he's in the block at 4 p.m., pouring out sweat.

"I'm telling him, 'You've got to go, you've got to get out of here.'"

That's the first thing to know about Moore, the first true freshman in Big Ten history to earn consensus All-America honors. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound receiver also was Big Ten Freshman of the Year ... and the league's wide receiver of the year ... and first-team All-Big Ten as both a wide receiver and returner ... and broke Purdue's record for single-game all-purpose yards (313) in his collegiate debut against Northwestern ... and set Purdue's single-season all-purpose-yards record (2,215) ... and became just the third player in Big Ten history to eclipse 100 receptions in a season (114, ranked second in league history behind fellow Boilermaker Chris Daniels' 121 in 1999) ... and ...

"I'm not here for awards," Moore said, a phrase he repeated during an interview with ESPN. "There's a bigger goal, you know, to all of this."

The next thing to know about Moore, similar to the first, is that there's intent and preparation behind everything. This may be hard to square with a player so naturally gifted, whose seemingly unscripted routes around the field draw comparisons to Reggie Bush ... from Reggie Bush.

But Moore has mapped out practically every step in his football career, especially the one that few players in his situation are willing to take. He picked Purdue over Texas, where he had originally committed, and other brand-name programs. He picked the school that had less but provided more.

"You've got to leave a legacy. You go to those big-time schools and you're another guy," Moore said. "You're a priority here. If they tell you they want you, they want you. This isn't fake. If they tell you you're going to play early, they're not lying to you. I want to play with some guys who have a lot of hunger and are the underdog. I've been the underdog my whole life. I'm not the tallest. I'm not your typical receiver at this level."

JAMARCUS SHEPHARD SAW the number and knew what it meant.

In April 2017, Moore clocked a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at the Chicago-area regional for The Opening, a top recruiting showcase event. Moore dominated testing and earned an invitation to The Opening Finals.

Before that spring, he had drawn interest from Group of 5 schools and a handful from the Power 5, including Purdue. Moore and his cousin Gino Rowen had barely left the parking lot after The Opening when Oregon and Ohio State called.

"I was upset and I was very angry," said Shephard, Purdue's wide receivers coach and Moore's lead recruiter. "I said, 'Oh my goodness, here comes everybody else.' They're all going to realize now that he's a big-time player."

Shephard was right. The offers came, "cascading in, like an avalanche," said Andrew Coverdale, who coached Moore as offensive coordinator at Trinity High School in Louisville.

In late June, Moore committed to Texas -- he had family there and liked the business school and the coaches -- but didn't shut things down.

"Even after that commitment," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said, "he was constantly evaluating the scene and making sure that decision was the right one. You just got a sense that he wasn't 100 percent for sure, which was good news for us."

Vaughn, a former Louisville wide receiver who has trained more than 100 FBS players, showed Moore several player profiles: the five-star who picked the five-star program and faded, the can't-miss who became a missing person on the depth chart, and guys like AJ Dillon. Purdue fans should send thank-you notes to Dillon, a running back who committed to Michigan before flipping to Boston College in December 2016. Dillon earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2017.

"As things got closer, [Moore] said, 'I want to be that guy. I want to go somewhere where I can really leave a mark, go play for a coach that I trust,'" Vaughn recalled. "In the recruiting game, there's some bulls--- in everything. You've got to figure out whose bulls--- is the most believable."

Moore knew about Brohm, a former standout quarterback at Trinity High. Brohm also starred at Louisville and helped coach Vaughn there. Moore also cross-referenced what coaches had told him about his potential role. In Brohm's case, Moore studied Jackson Anthrop, who led Purdue in receptions (47) in 2017.

"As we were watching film," Moore said, "I would realize, 'Purdue is doing everything that they said they were going to do. They're going to make it work.'"

Added Shephard: "He did an excess amount of research to figure out that this was the spot for him."

In December 2017, Moore decommitted from Texas. Several weeks later, he stood alongside his family in San Antonio, behind four caps. Three represented teams (Alabama, Ohio State and Florida State) that had combined for 11 national championships since 1992.

He grabbed the fourth.

"He wasn't chasing the logos," Rowen said. "He wanted to play."

RONDALE DASEAN MOORE arrived June 9, 2000, five weeks premature.

"They say premature babies are the strongest," Rowen said, "because they come out having to fight."

Rowen chose Moore's middle name and has been a major presence from the start. He's technically Moore's first cousin, but, at 20 years older, became more of a big brother or uncle. Anyone who knows Moore knows about "Uncle Gino."

A former football standout at New Albany High, Rowen introduced Moore to sports: flag football, basketball, track. Rowen once proposed gymnastics after seeing Moore effortlessly execute flips.

Basketball initially won out. Moore played AAU ball with Romeo Langford in elementary school. As sophomores at New Albany High, Moore and Langford, a McDonald's All-American and eventual NBA first-round draft pick, won a state championship. But immediately after, Moore pivoted away from basketball, his first love.

"I knew the odds weren't in my favor, as far as height goes," Moore said.

He dove into football training with Vaughn, who saw ingredients in Moore, just raw ingredients.

"Back then, he didn't even know what a hitch route was or what a slant route was," Vaughn said. "It was, 'Get out the way and give Rondale the ball' on jet sweeps or something like that. He didn't understand route concepts, how to run routes, obviously anything as far as coverages or reading defense."

They worked on technique and toughness. Moore would carry tires with bloodied hands. Vaughn kept ripped shirts around the gym, and had Moore wear them.

"He literally would grab me, and I'm just hand-fighting, trying to get his hands off," Moore said. "He was like, 'You don't like when people have their hands on you,' and I said, 'No,' and he's like, 'Well, don't let 'em touch you.'"

The second part of Moore's football education took place at Trinity, the 25-time state champion, where he transferred before his junior year. Ruled eligible for the regular season after the transfer, Moore spent most of the fall attached to Coverdale.

Before the season, Moore attended early morning quarterback meetings. He watched practices from the press box and then reviewed them in Coverdale's office.

"We do things really conceptually, so it was like an English-speaker learning Cyrillic," Coverdale said. "He had to know a whole new alphabet, a whole new sentence structure, a whole new way of seeing the field. He never backed down from the workload. He never wanted you to give him the answer if he could figure it out himself.

"He was a quick study. Having knowledge of the game was very, very important to him."

"Every day, he makes a cut and you're just thinking, 'How do you do that?' It's unreal. If I tried to do that, I'd break my leg."

Purdue QB Elijah Sindelar

Moore played in only four games in 2016, but averaged 23.2 yards per reception with nine touchdowns. But the big schools stayed away. Coverdale called and left messages: I've got a kid, you don't know about him yet, but when the lights go on, he's going to blow up. The calls went unreturned.

Moore attended two camps at Louisville -- his then-dream school -- but didn't get an offer.

"A slap in the face," he said. "I was like, 'I don't know what else I'm supposed to do. I've shown you my worth. You're offering the same guys at different places, and we're the same stature. I'm a little lost.'

"To this day, it will always be a chip on my shoulder, you gotta feel me."

TO BE FAIR, college coaches weren't the only ones initially unimpressed by Moore.

"This kid looks like a child,'" Purdue quarterback Elijah Sindelar recalled of his first meeting with Moore. "He has braces, a baby face and he was shy. My first impression is ... he's short. How in the world are we going to throw to this man?"

After a few practices last summer, Sindelar had his answer. Moore sent defenders the wrong way with cuts and jukes, and would be 4 or 5 yards clear by the time the ball arrived.

"Every day, he makes a cut and you're just thinking, 'How do you do that?'" Sindelar said. "It's unreal. If I tried to do that, I'd break my leg."

Brohm was impressed, too, but wanted to see if Moore's exploits translated on game day. The coach also received a quick answer. Moore dropped his first pass against Northwestern, and then amassed 302 all-purpose yards in the first half, including a 76-yard touchdown run and a 32-yard touchdown reception.

Despite a quiet second half, Moore still broke Otis Armstrong's single-game record by a yard.

"I mismanaged our preparation for him," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "I pulled up his high school video and showed it to our defense, and it was like watching Tecmo Bowl. Nobody could touch his flag. He can run it, he can catch it, he's great in the kick game, he's the full package. I obviously watched and followed him after."

So did others around the league. As Wisconsin players traveled to Chicago for Big Ten media days last month, star running back Jonathan Taylor couldn't stop talking about Moore. "He's truly a fan," Badgers linebacker Chris Orr said.

Moore tied Purdue's record with seven 100-yard receiving performances and had 11 or more receptions six times. On Oct. 20, he caught 12 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns in Purdue's 49-20 thrashing of No. 2 Ohio State at Ross-Ade Stadium. Purdue's biggest night of the season meant many things to many people, including one of few players who could have been on the visitors' sideline. When Ohio State finally showed interest, Moore and his team studied the depth chart, saw a backlog of future NFL talents at receiver and decided no.

When announcing his college decision, Moore, always one for a fake, grabbed the Ohio State cap before tossing it aside and donning the Purdue lid.

"It means that much more to him, doing it here," Brohm said. "Just like for me as a coach, it means that much more to say, 'No, we're going to get this done here and figure it out and put in the time when others maybe think that it couldn't happen.'"

Brohm is usually the last to leave Purdue's football building after home games. Last fall, he would always find Moore's family hanging out with Rondale. After Ohio State, they celebrated into the night. "We were up till 4 in the morning, watching SportsCenter, just freaking out, man," Rowen said.

Moore picked Purdue partly because his family, especially his mother, Quincy Ricketts, can come to games. Money is tight, and the "bigger goal" Moore references is providing for his family and Ricketts, ideally with an NFL contract.

"He wants to be the guy in his family that makes it," Brohm said. "Because of that, he's very driven. He's not your typical youngster who just entered college."

It's why Moore tracks his drops more than his touchdowns, remembering the details: a post on his first target against Northwestern, a slant and a screen against Ohio State. Everything he does has a purpose, from offseason training with Vaughn -- during a recent break, they worked daily -- to academics (3.71 GPA as a freshman, third highest on the team) to his bone-crushing handshake.

Records and awards are likely to continue, but they aren't fueling Moore, who has "a way bigger vision."

"He talks about all the hard times he had throughout this process," Shephard said. "So I don't think he'll ever lose his way. This is who he is."

The 2019 college football season is just about here. In fact, thanks to Florida, Miami, Arizona and Hawaii being so gracious and flexible, we'll get to see major college football next Saturday!

And while we're all so very excited about the return of mascot heads, marching bands and tailgates, we're also excited about the actual players.

But who are the most exciting players in college football this season? Who are the guys we can't wait to see because more often than not they'll leave us speechless with a cut, run or catch that will leave their opponents dizzy?

We're glad you asked. Here are the 15 most exciting players heading into the 2019 college football season.

Don't expect to see Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa on this list. Yes, they are the two best quarterbacks in the country and we love just about every dazzling throw they sling, but they just aren't as exciting as the players listed below. They are superior in their own ways, just not here.

1. Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue: Maybe the most talented player Purdue has had since Drew Brees, Moore was a monster last year. As a freshman, Moore was the Paul Hornung Award recipient as the nation's most versatile player, breaking the single-season school record for all-purpose yards (2,215) and the school record for most all-purpose yards in a game (313). He tied the school record for most 100-yard receiving games (seven), and caught 11 or more passes in a game six times. He had 1,471 yards of total offense (113.2 per game) and 744 return yards last year with 14 total touchdowns. Of his nation-leading 114 catches last year, 51 went for first downs, and he led the nation with 907 yards after the catch (7.96 per catch).

2. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama: Once the reigning Biletnikoff winner gets a step on you, you're toast. He averaged 19.3 yards per catch last year and had 14 touchdowns, including eight that went for 25-plus yards. The electric jitterbug also had 23 touches last season that were 12-plus-yard rushes or 20-plus-yard receptions. Of Jeudy's 1,315 receiving yards, 515 came after the catch (7.6 per reception) and he averaged 3.6 yards after first contact.

3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin: His 4,171 rushing yards are the most by an FBS player through his sophomore year. He leads all active FBS players in rushing at 154.5 YPG and his 6.88 YPC ranks second in school history. He has rushed for at least 100 yards in 22 of 27 career games, owns 12 games of 150-plus yards and eight games of 200-plus. Last year, 48 of his touches were either 12-plus-yard runs or 20-plus-yard receptions.

4. Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson: A true speed demon, Ross hit the 1,000-yard mark last year, averaging 21.7 a catch in the process. When the games meant more, Ross stepped up. He caught 12 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in Clemson's two playoff games, including a 74-yarder against Alabama in the title game. Ross doesn't just run open, he cuts his way out of trouble, too. Ross led the nation with 5.1 receiving yards per route run and Ross' six scrimmage touchdowns of at least 50-plus yards last season were tied for second most among FBS players. Ross accomplished this on only 46 total touches from scrimmage.

5. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson: Etienne is the ultimate home run threat. Of his 204 carries last year, 44 went 10-plus yards and 768 of his 1,658 yards came after contact. He led the ACC with 39 touches that were either 12-plus-yard rushes or 20-plus-yard receptions. Oh, and he led the nation with 24 rushing touchdowns, nine of them being 17 yards or longer. Five of those were from at least 40 yards.

6. Laviska Shenault Jr., WR, Colorado: Even with health issues, Shenault still led the Pac-12 with 86 catches last year in only nine games. He caught nine or more passes in seven of those games and averaged 112.3 YPG and more than 11 yards per catch on the season. Shenault, who is fully healthy now, ranked fourth nationally last year with 3.7 yards per route run and was second nationally with 125.1 scrimmage YPG. He also had 52.3% of his receptions go for either a first down or a touchdown.

7. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma: He left Alabama and is now running a Lincoln Riley offense that produced the past two Heisman winners. Hurts amassed 7,602 yards of total offense with 71 touchdowns in three years for the Crimson Tide. The guy is one of the strongest runners you'll see at the quarterback position and cuts like a skill player in space. With a more run-friendly offense, expect a lot more of this in Norman.

8. D'Eriq King, QB, Houston: Before tearing his meniscus in mid-November, King set the American Conference's single-season record for touchdowns responsible for with 50 and led the nation in points responsible for per game with an average of 27.5. He averaged 332.4 total yards of offense per game last year and was one of only three quarterbacks in FBS history with at least 35 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns (36/14). King has caught 59 passes for 504 yards with three touchdowns during his career and returned 10 kickoffs for 254 yards and one touchdown as a freshman.

9. Khalil Tate, QB, Arizona: He has to be healthy and he has to run to stay on this list. Last year, he was a mere afterthought nationally because an ankle injury limited him for most of the year. But when he was moving around in 2017, Tate was a wizard with his legs, becoming the first Pac-12 quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season (1,411). The darting and dicing Tate averaged 128.3 rushing YPG that year and captured the nation with the FBS rushing record for a quarterback with 327 yards against Colorado.

10. D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia: Despite dealing with nagging injuries and playing in a crowded backfield in 2018, Swift still led the Bulldogs with 1,049 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 6.4 YPC and tied for second in the SEC with 29 touches that were either 12-plus-yard rushes or 20-plus-yard receptions. In two seasons, Swift has registered 899 yards after contact and 40.6% of his 244 rush attempts have gone 5-plus yards.

11. Isaiah Wright, WR, Temple: Wright was third nationally with 873 kickoff return yards last year and had a touchdown of 99 yards that he made look really easy. He also returned 19 punts for 249 yards and two more scores. Wright caught 33 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns, but his bread and butter was in the return game. He's had 24.2% of his kickoff returns go 30-plus yards, and has five career return touchdowns.

12. Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State: Wallace was second in the nation last season with 1,491 receiving yards, averaging 17.3 YPC in the process. He had two 200-yard outings last year and 79.1% of his receptions went for either first downs or touchdowns. Twenty-five of his 86 receptions went for 20-plus yards.

13. Grant Delpit, S, LSU: The ultimate ballhawk who can cover an entire defensive backfield or move sideline to sideline, Delpit is a quarterback's nightmare. With a little Honey Badger in him (he's also wearing No. 7 this fall), Delpit is long, rangy and led the SEC with five interceptions, while defending 14 passes last year. He was also very active in the box, registering five sacks on the year and recorded a defensive pressure on 27% of his pass-rushing snaps. Delpit also logged 46 solo tackles in 2018.

14. Chase Young, DE, Ohio State: Young could be the No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft. Nicknamed "The Predator," Young had 14.5 TFLs and 9.5 sacks last year. The sideline-to-sideline defensive end can chase down the fastest running backs and drop back into coverage if needed. He broke up five passes last year and had 71 defensive pressures on the season, getting 14 in the Buckeyes' win over Penn State.

15. Deon Jackson, RB/KR, Duke: Jackson is one of the most fun players you probably haven't heard of. He led the Blue Devils with 847 rushing yards, caught 23 passes for 253 yards and had nine total touchdowns. He also returned 23 kickoffs for 502 yards (21.8 per return) and recorded at least 107 all-purpose yards seven times last season, including registering 403 against Pitt.

Attorneys representing lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a court motion on Wednesday that alleges that a Nike employee at least approved under-the-table payments to former Duke star Zion Williamson and ex-Indiana star Romeo Langford when they were still in high school in February 2017.

The alleged offers -- $35,000 or more for Williamson and $20,000 for Langford -- were purportedly discovered among "text messages, e-mails and other documents from 2016-17 ... proving that Nike executives had arranged for and concealed payments, often in cash, to amateur basketball players and their families and 'handlers,'" according to the motion filed in U.S. District Court in New York.

There is no evidence that the offers or payments were made to Williamson, Langford or their families. Williamson played one season at Duke and was the No. 1 pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in this year's NBA draft. Langford also was one-and-done at Indiana and was the No. 14 pick by the Boston Celtics.

"Nike will not respond to the allegations of an individual facing federal charges of fraud and extortion," Nike said in a statement. "Nike will continue its cooperation with the government's investigation into grassroots basketball and the related extortion case."

Avenatti was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in March with attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to expose the shoe company's alleged improper payments to high-profile players in its grassroots basketball league, the EYBL.

Avenatti has pleaded not guilty, and on Wednesday his lawyers asked a federal judge to dismiss the charges on grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.

"The evidence shows I should have never been arrested, let alone charged," Avenatti told ESPN on Wednesday. "I was targeted. Nike, Zion, Duke and many others have a lot of explaining to do."

Among the allegations included in Avenatti's motion to dismiss:

• Nike EYBL manager Jamal James texted EYBL director Carlton DeBose and Nike recruiting coordinator John Stovall in February 2017, asking whether they would be "willing to do ... whatever may be needed for the Zion/Romeo situations as well as the money we're now going to do for the [unnamed] kid in Michigan."

According to the motion, Stovall responded:

"Langford - 20 Zion - 35 plus [Unnamed minor player] - 15"

"Debose allegedly responded that he was willing to pay Langford, Williamson and the unnamed player a total of $70,000 and that they should 'stay aggressive' while he got 'creative' with the budget," according to the motion.

Stovall later informed James and DeBose that they had "not presented our new offer" to Williamson but agreed that it was not a good idea "to put it in print."

• An EYBL coach expressed concern to Nike executives about players and family members being paid by the shoe company and said he couldn't "see how this ends well for Nike or the EYBL. Some of us will be deemed guilty by association; others will be found guilty of failure to supervise."

• DeBose told Nico Harrison, Nike's vice president of North America basketball operations, that he was "willing to bet that 38 of the 40 teams in the EYBL had to pay a moderate to considerable ransom to families just to play in the EYBL. Of these approximate 38 teams these arrangements are being viewed as a contract by the families and players."

• Rachel Baker, a Nike executive who led event strategy for the EYBL, allegedly expressed concern to a colleague about carrying large amounts of cash through airport security and indicated that she would lie and "just say I just sold my car" if she was stopped by security.

• Debose acknowledged in an exchange of text messages with an unnamed assistant coach at Kentucky that Nike was "funneling payments to high school players through at least 10 different EYBL coaches."

The motion included references to emails, text messages and other documents, but those were not attached to the motion to dismiss. A footnote said they would be filed "as soon as the parties resolve any possible redactions to the exhibits pursuant to the protective order."

According to the federal complaint, Avenatti threatened to hold a news conference on the eve of Nike's quarterly earnings call and the start of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, at which time he would announce allegations of misconduct by Nike employees.

Avenatti represented Gary Franklin, a former coach of the California Supreme of the EYBL. Franklin's former players include NBA players Deandre Ayton (who played at Arizona) of the Phoenix Suns, De'Anthony Melton (USC) and Solomon Hill (Arizona) of the Memphis Grizzlies, Aaron Holiday (UCLA) of the Indiana Pacers, and Bol Bol (Oregon) of the Denver Nuggets.

The motion alleges that DeBose directed Franklin to make multiple payments to people associated with amateur players, including $30,000 to Ayton's handler, Mel McDonald; $15,000 to former UNLV star Brandon McCoy's handler, Shaun Manning; $10,000 in cash and travel expenses to Ayton's mother and family; and more than $42,000 to McDonald once he was working with Bol.

"Nike executives directed Coach Franklin to submit false invoices to Nike to disguise the payments as travel expenses and sponsorships for 501 (c) (3) organizations," the motion says. "Coach Franklin was forced out by Nike executives when he no longer felt comfortable going along with their scheme."

In early 2018, according to the motion, Franklin sought advice from Jeffrey Auerbach, an entertainment industry executive and consultant in California.

On Feb. 6, 2019, Auberbach allegedly contacted Nike executive vice president John Slusher and advised him that there were "ongoing corruption and illicit schemes being carried out by DeBose and James." Slusher referred Auberbach to Nike's outside counsel given the "seriousness of the matters you raised and how serious we take these situations," the motion says.

Franklin retained Avenatti on March 5, 2019, and Avenatti and attorney Mark Geragos met with Nike's attorneys in New York two weeks later.

According to prosecutors, Avenatti demanded Nike pay Franklin $1.5 million to remain silent regarding any claims the coach might have about Nike's alleged payments to top players and their families and said Nike had to hire Avenatti and Geragos to conduct an internal investigation, with the stipulation that if the company hired another firm to conduct the inquiry, it would have to pay Avenatti and Geragos "at least twice the fees of any other firm hired."

"At the end of the meeting, Avenatti and [Geragos] indicated that Nike would have to agree to accept those demands immediately, or Avenatti would hold his press conference," the complaint said.

In the motion Wednesday, Avenatti's attorney wrote that he proposed a settlement that included Nike paying $1.5 million to Franklin for damages and the shoe company conducting a thorough internal investigation led by Avenatti and Geragos.

"Mr. Avenatti told Nike's counsel that, 'whatever the investigation costs, it costs,'" the motion said. "At no point did Mr. Avenatti promise to 'cover up' Nike's misconduct in exchange for payments."

In October, a federal jury in New York convicted former Adidas executive James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in pay-for-play schemes to influence recruits to sign with Adidas-sponsored schools, including Kansas, Louisville and NC State.

When Curacao takes center stage in Williamsport for this year's Little League World Series, you will encounter a familiar name: Profar. That would be Judrick Profar, a player for the Pabao Little League team from Willemstad, Curacao. And yes, he's related to that Profar.

In 2004, Jurickson Profar, now the starting second baseman for the Oakland Athletics, took a star turn in helping Curacao win the LLWS title alongside future big leaguer Jonathan Schoop. The Jurickson-led Pabao club returned to Williamsport in 2005 and fell in the title game to Hawaii.

But that's not all: In 2007 and 2008, another Profar -- Juremi -- played on LLWS entrants for Curacao. With Judrick completing the familial hat trick this year, the Profars become the second trio of brothers to play in the LLWS, according to littleleague.org.

Curacao, a tiny island off the coast of Venezuela, is roughly 171 square miles in size. For context, consider that the smallest state in the continental United States, Rhode Island, is about 1,034 square miles. Nevertheless, a steady stream of talent has flowed from Curacao into professional baseball in the U.S. in recent years. That group currently includes Jurickson and Juremi (currently playing at Triple-A in the Texas Rangers' system), Schoop, Kenley Jansen, Andrelton Simmons and Ozzie Albies.

The first player from Curacao to break into the majors was current San Francisco Giants coach Hensley Meulens. But the biggest star from the island is former MLB center fielder Andruw Jones, whose emergence for the Atlanta Braves in the 1990s played a big part in the growth of baseball in Curacao.

Make no mistake: Curacao has become a powerhouse in Caribbean youth baseball. This year's LLWS entrant is the 13th team from the island to earn a trip to Williamsport.

We caught up with Jurickson Profar recently in Chicago.

BRADFORD DOOLITTLE: You've got to be excited for Judrick.

JURICKSON PROFAR: He's come a long way, and now he's doing very well. I'm very proud of him.

BD: Do you offer him advice, or does he ask you, as he goes through this? I mean, this is a pretty big event.

JP: No. I just leave him alone so that he can enjoy it. He's in the Little League World Series. As a little kid, that's the best thing that there is. I want him to enjoy himself. And compete.

BD: The spotlight on this event has become so bright. How is it for the kids? How much are they able to just enjoy it?

JP: When we went there, we just enjoyed baseball. We didn't even know how big it was. We just won in the Caribbean and then went over there and just played. And then we won it.

BD: Not that this is any news to you, but Curacao is not that big of an island. Still, in recent years, you and a number of others have not only entered Major League Baseball but also become impact players. How would you describe the baseball culture at home?

JP: We grew up watching Andruw Jones play, and when I was little, I didn't even think about playing baseball overseas. I was just in Curacao and having fun with friends and just playing. Then, after that Little League World Series, then I could say, "I can make it."

BD: I think Bam-Bam [Hensley Meulens] was the first player to break into the majors from there, but who were the heroes for you growing up? Just Andruw Jones?

JP: Only Andruw Jones. He was it for us. I played for him in the WBC and got to know him, too, before. We met him when we won the Little League World Series and stuff.

BD: Is there a special bond for you guys from the island who have attained so much success in this country?

JP: There is. We played on the same team, even if it was different levels, they were older. We'd see each other at practice every day. And now we are in the big leagues.

BD: A big issue with youth baseball in the U.S. is that some think it has become too structured. What is it like for youth baseball players in Curacao?

JP: We'd just get together and play baseball. We didn't have to pay anything. We'd just go and play, and that's it. It's still like that there, but it's a little bit different because we have a lot of big leaguers now, and kids want to be like us. They know what they want to be already. They want to be Major League Baseball players. Me, I didn't know that. I was just playing baseball and enjoying it with friends. I didn't even know I could make the big leagues. But now, they see it.

BD: For Curacao, or any team from that region, it's quite an accomplishment to win that region, right? The competition your brother has encountered has already been pretty amazing.

JP: Oh, yeah. You have to play the Dominican, you have to play Puerto Rico. Those teams are very good. But he's pretty good, too. He's a big guy, so I thought he could make it. They have a really good team. But the world series is always very difficult. You have to play the U.S., you have to play Japan and all those teams. They are good too, so let's see.

BD: What was your favorite LLWS memory on the field?

JP: Everything. Pitching. Hitting. Hitting a home run in the final.

BD: What about off the field?

JP: Coming to the U.S. for the first time and enjoying playing on grass for the first time. Playing in front of thousands of people for the first time.

BD: And playing on ESPN?

JP: (laughs) Yes, ESPN.

BD: A lot of clips and such from those series are still on YouTube, with the very young Jurickson Profar in action and talking on camera. Do you ever watch any of those?

JP: I have to. I have a little son, and all he wants to do is watch videos of me on YouTube.

A selection of track and field stars poised to make a big impression at the IAAF World Championships in Doha

The countdown to Doha 2019 is well and truly on. With the 50 days to go landmark passed and athlete selections starting to be confirmed, the climax to this year’s outdoor track and field season is getting tantalisingly close.

AW recently looked at 10 of the top women who will line up for the world championships and, here, we look at some more athletes – both male and female – who are likely to be contenders in Qatar.

Christian Coleman

Event: 100m
PB: 9.79
Country: USA
Age: 23
Achievements: 100m world silver medallist in 2017, 60m world indoor champion, 60m world indoor record-holder
Current form: The young American is the fastest man in the world so far this year thanks to his run of 9.81 in June. Memorably won silver behind compatriot Justin Gatlin and ahead of Usain Bolt at the World Championships in London two years ago and is now fully focused on taking the next step up to the top of that global podium.

Noah Lyles

Event: 100/200m
PBs: 9.86/19.50
Country: USA
Age: 22
Achievements: 2016 world U20 100m champion
Current form: The second-fastest man over 100m this year (9.86) will focus solely on the 200m in Doha and his personal best of 19.50 from Lausanne last month puts him out in front of the competition. He won the recent US championships, taking his first national outdoor title over 200m, and the colourful sprinter looks on course to secure what would be his first senior global crown, too.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Event: 1500m/5000m
PBs: 3:30.16/13:02.04
Country: Norway
Age: 18
Achievements: European 1500m and 5000m champion
Current form: The teenager destroyed his European under-20 record last month, not to mention breaking the Norwegian record for 5000m at the Müller Anniversary Games in London. He won his national title over 1500m and only Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot has gone faster so far in 2019.

Dalilah Muhammad

Event: 400m hurdles
PB: 52.20
Country: USA
Age: 29
Achievements: Olympic champion, two-time world silver medallist, world record-holder
Current form: Muhammad’s form could not really be any better, given that she broke the world record for her event when winning at the US Championships. World U20 record-holder Sydney McLaughlin will also feature on the American team but the odds appear to favour Muhammad upgrading her silver medal from London.

Abderrahman Samba

Event: 400m hurdles
PB: 46.98
Country: Qatar Age: 23
Achievements: Asian champion
Current form: There will be a lot of attention on this home favourite in Doha in what will be one of the most keenly fought races of the championships. Samba has raced sparingly this season but the Asian champion won that title at the Khalifa Stadium this year and can rely on plenty of support in the face of opposition such as world leader Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin.

Laura Muir

Event: 1500m
PB: 3:55.22
Country: Great Britain
Age: 26
Achievements: European champion, European indoor champion
Current form: A calf problem means she won’t run in Birmingham, but her previous Diamond League run in London brought victory. After fourth place at London 2017, hopes are high that she can reach the podium.

Kevin Mayer

Event: Decathlon
PB: 9126 points
Country: France
Age: 27
Achievements: World champion, world record-holder, 2016 Olympic silver medallist
Current form: The French world record-holder has not competed in a full decathlon yet this year but has been showing fine form in a number of events and looks set to retain his world title.

Hellen Obiri

Event: 5000m
PB: 14:18.37
Country: Kenya
Age: 29
Achievements: World champion, Olympic silver medallist, world cross country champion
Current form: The Kenyan who landed world cross gold is looking good on the track, coming close to her PB when winning in London last month.

Mutaz Essa Barshim

Event: High jump
PB: 2.43m
Country: Qatar
Age: 28
Achievements: World champion, Olympic silver medallist
Current form: As with Abderrahman Samba, Barshim will have a huge amount of home pressure and expectation to deal with during the world championships. The reigning champion is making his way back from injury, and had to settle for second place at the Anniversary Games, but expect him to rise to the occasion in his home city.

Armand Duplantis

Event: Pole vault
PB: 6.05m
Country: Sweden
Age: 19
Achievements: European champion
Current form: This hugely talented teenager, who only turned professional at the start of this outdoor season, has already enjoyed some memorable tussles with the likes of Poland’s Piotr Lisek and American world champion Sam Kendricks. Can he can find his European championship winning – and world U20 record-breaking – form from Berlin when he lands in Doha?

Nick Kyrgios left court to smash two racquets in a bad-tempered Cincinnati Masters defeat by Karen Khachanov after which he called the umpire "a tool".

The Australian, 24, walked off court after losing the second set against the wishes of Irish umpire Fergus Murphy.

He slammed two racquets on the floor in a corridor and in the third set engaged in repeated disputes with Murphy.

Russia's Khachanov, 23, dominated the deciding set to win 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 and reach round three.

Khachanov, who plays Lucas Pouille in the last 16, said Kyrgios has "great talent" but "sometimes the head is not in the right place".

Kyrgios clashed with Murphy at the Washington Open two weeks ago and also swore at the official at Queen's in June.

During the second set in Cincinnati, Kyrgios made clear he felt the shot clock - which counts down the seconds allowed between points - was being started too early, and visibly lost composure.

He delivered an expletive-laden rant at Murphy, stating the umpire was "the worst, hands down".

He was handed a court violation at the end of the second set, when he walked off court for less than a minute to smash two of his racquets.

When Khachanov closed out the decider, Kyrgios told Murphy he was "a tool" and chose not to shake the official's hand.

Kyrgios, who won his sixth career ATP singles crown two weeks ago in Washington, also complained last week in Toronto in an apparent dispute over why he could not have a white towel during a match.

The world number 27 was fined in May after he kicked a bottle, threw down his racquet and hurled a chair before defaulting in the final set of a match at the Italian Open.

He was fined £13,766 for unsportsmanlike behaviour at Queen's in June.

In 2016 he received an eight-week ban for his behaviour at the Shanghai Masters when his efforts were questioned during defeat by Mischa Zverev.

Former Liverpool player Daniel Sturridge is edging closer to a move to Turkish club Trabzonspor, sources have told ESPN FC.

The Black Sea-based side have made Sturridge an improved offer worth approximately €2-3 million including bonuses.

Sturridge's mother and uncle -- who also acts as his agent -- travelled to Istanbul on Thursday and will arrive to Trabzon on Friday where club officials will show them around the region and hold advanced talks.

The club had trouble convincing the England international into relocating to Trabzon in their last round of talks but feel they are in a stronger position following the end of the Premier League transfer window last week.

The "Black Sea Storm" are confident that they will be able to sign Sturridge and expect the move to go ahead over the next few days unless he receives a better offer elsewhere. Sturridge,29, was holding out for a Premier League side to make a move but he received no offers from England.

Trabzonspor face competition Super Lig rivals Basaksehir, but the Istanbul-based side are only prepared to pay Sturridge €1 million per year due to his injury record and off-the-field issues. Sturridge picked up a short ban for a breach of betting regulations but is able to play football again after serving his suspension.

Sturridge has also held talks with MLS team D.C. United but the club also has had concerns over his injuries.

Sturridge has spent his entire career on the books of Premier League clubs, playing for the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool. He has also had loan stints with Bolton Wanders and West Bromwich Albion.

He has been part of two UEFA Champions League-winning sides, the first in 2010-11 with Chelsea and then last season with Liverpool. He was also part of Chelsea's league-winning campaign in 2009-10. All told he has made 306 appearances at club level, scoring 105 goals.

At the international level, Sturridge has made 26 appearances for England, scoring eight goals. He was part of England squads at the 2012 Olympics, the 2014 World Cup, and Euro 2016.