The Most Trusted Sports Insiders on X, League by League

The national reporters who most often break NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, college football and soccer news first, and how to follow them without falling for fake accounts.

Updated 2026-10-03.

If you want breaking sports news the moment it happens, follow the reporters who break it. These are the national insiders whose reports most often turn out to be first and correct. Each sport page on this site links to them directly.

NFL

• Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter): one of the most prolific breakers of trades, signings and injuries in any sport.
• Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) and Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero): constant source of contract details, injury news and roster moves.
• Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) and Dianna Russini (@DMRussini): frequent scoops on coaching, front-office and player news.

NBA

• Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania): the most-followed NBA newsbreaker, especially at the trade deadline and in free agency.
• Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes), Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) and Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer): deep league sourcing and trade-market reporting.

MLB

• Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) and Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal): the go-to names for free-agent signings and trades.
• Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) and Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman): frequent first reports during the offseason and at the deadline.

NHL

• Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC): widely regarded as hockey’s top insider.
• Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) and Chris Johnston (@reporterchris): trades, signings and league business.

College football

• Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) and Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy): coaching hires and firings, conference realignment and the business of college sports.
• Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB): coaching news and in-depth reporting.

Soccer

• Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano): known worldwide for transfer news and his “Here we go” confirmation.
• David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein): highly trusted on Premier League transfers.
• Tom Bogert (@tombogert): MLS transfers and signings.

Avoiding fake accounts

Parody and impostor accounts copy famous reporters’ names and photos, often with one changed letter in the handle. Before you share a “scoop,” check that the handle matches exactly, and look for the same report from a second insider. For more on reading breaking reports, see how sports news breaks.

Is someone missing? Tell us who you trust in your sport.

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