Boise State may have just made the College Football Playoff, but it's apparent offensive coordinator Dick Koetter is worried about the team's future success.
The Broncos won the Mountain West and earned an automatic bye into the CFP but fell to No. 6 Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl New Year's Eve.
With NIL hot and heavy and players transferring for money, Koetter said the Broncos are victims of the system.
"We are behind right now in the NIL game," Koetter wrote in a Facebook post. "Our best players are getting offered between 2 and 10 times what we can offer. We are losing recruits in the portal to schools that are just flat outbidding us.
"I know it's not all about the money and Coach D (Spencer Danielson) and the staff will undoubtedly continue to find the ‘right kind of guys’ but money is an issue."
Koetter then pleaded with fans to contribute to the school's NIL fund "so that Coach D can keep our best players in Boise and continue to find the next Ashton Jeanty or Ahmed Hassanein."
"Thanks Coach Koetter. Every dollar counts to keep our players here at BSU. We need everyone’s help," Danielson wrote on X.
Koetter has said the 2024 season will be his last as a coach, and he reiterated that in his lengthy post.
Jeanty fell short of Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record by just 28 yards after running for 104 in what will likely be his final college game. He had run for over 125 in his previous 13 games.
Fans might have already witnessed Simone Biles’ last dance.
Biles dominated the 2024 Olympics in Paris over the summer, winning three gold medals and one silver medal to become the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history.
But fans hoping to see her compete in what might be her final Olympics as the Games return to America in 2028 may be disappointed to learn that Biles isn’t set on making an appearance.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated after being named their "2024 Sportsperson of the Year," Biles said she believes returning to the Games after seeing so much success makes her "greedy."
"If you go back, you’ll be greedy. Those are the consequences. But that’s also your decision to decide," she said in the interview. "What sacrifices would be made if I go back now? When you’re younger, it’s like, prom, college. Now it’s like, starting a family, being away from my husband. What’s really worth it?"
Biles is married to Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. The couple tied the knot in April 2023 and have since been pictured supporting one another at their respective events.
Owens signed a two-year contract with the Bears in March 2024 after spending one season with the Green Bay Packers. He was excused from the start of training camp this summer to support his wife as she went on to make history at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As Biles moves into this next chapter in her life, she indicated to Sports Illustrated that returning to the Olympic stage in 2028 would be a longshot.
"I’ve accomplished so much, there’s almost nothing left to do, rather than to just be snobby and to try again and for what? I’m at a point in my career where I’m humble enough to know when to be done."
Allstate, the corporate sponsor of the Sugar Bowl, appeared to wipe its social media of a video message from CEO Tom Wilson after his remarks following the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street sparked massive backlash online.
In the message played for fans prior to kickoff in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Notre Dame, Wilson stated that Americans should overcome an "addiction to divisiveness" and instead "accept people's imperfections and differences."
"Wednesday, tragedy struck the New Orleans community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity," Wilson said in the video.
"Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people's imperfections and differences. Together we win."
The video was received poorly online, with many Allstate customers threatening to boycott the company over its "tone-deaf" messaging.
The video went viral on social media and was even shared by Allstate’s own social media team on X. However, OutKick’s Zach Dean reported Friday that the post has since been deleted.
At least 15 innocent people were tragically killed and dozens of others injured in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, plowed through a crowd of people on Bourbon Street using a pick-up truck flying an ISIS flag on the back.
The FBI investigating the attack labeled it an act of terrorism, and found some potential improvised explosive devices. Jabbar was declared dead on the scene after exchanging gunfire with local law enforcement.
In response to the backlash shared on social media, Allstate provided a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday condemning "violence in all forms."
"To be clear, Allstate CEO Tom Wilson unequivocally condemns this heinous act of terrorism and violence in all forms. We stand with the families of the victims, their loved ones and the community of New Orleans. The reference to overcoming divisiveness and negativity reflects a broader commitment to fostering trust and positivity in communities across the nation," the statement read.
New Orleans Saints star defensive end Cam Jordan was coming out of practice when the TV was turned on, and he heard the "U-S-A" chants at the Sugar Bowl.
The chants came from the crowd after the game was delayed a day due to the terror attack that took place on Bourbon Street in the early morning of New Year’s Day. There are at least 14 total victims killed with several more injured.
Jordan, 35, talked about what those chants meant to him when he joined "Fox and Friends" on Friday.
"New Orleans is a resilient city. For us to have the Sugar Bowl be delayed for a day, Mayor Cantrell went to Bourbon Street to set up a prayer before the game, then come out at the beginning of the Sugar Bowl as we were just coming off of practice, turn on the TV and hear the USA chants – you know exactly what this is about," Jordan said.
"This is about us supporting each other, this is about America supporting each other, this is about understanding this is a tragedy, and we shall overcome. If anything, we understand that us as a city of New Orleans is backed by the rest of the country."
Jordan has spent his entire 14-year career with the Saints and has been a leader not only on the field, but off it as well.
"I mean honestly, I’m blessed enough to be in a position to where I can go ahead and give back. I mean when I think about the tragedy that happened on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day on Bourbon Street, when you know people are just out there trying to celebrate, have a good time, that stays at home. That’s our city," Jordan said.
"For as long as I’ve been here, I feel like I am a part of this city, and I’ve made it known that I love this place from the highs and the lows. So, when it comes to something like this, I just want to give back, make sure it was done the right way. I wanted to make sure that these victims would be helped, and the Greater New Orleans fund has clearly opened up a fund to do so."
Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowler and a one-time All-Pro and has been an Iron Man, missing just two games over the course of his illustrious career.
This season, Jordan has four sacks with 33 total tackles with the Saints.
Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke's season was already impressive, as he helped lead the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and a College Football Playoff berth – their best season in program history.
What makes Rourke’s play even more remarkable is that he was believed to have re-torn his ACL back in August and played through the injury, the quarterback’s agent told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Rourke first tore his ACL at the end of the 2022 season when he was playing with Ohio University.
Rourke will undergo ACL revision surgery on Wednesday, per his agent.
If playing through a re-torn ACL was not enough, Rourke also played through a thumb injury as well.
During Indiana’s 56-7 win over Nebraska on Oct. 19, Rourke broke his thumbnail on his right hand, his throwing hand, after being hit. X-rays later revealed that Rourke’s thumbnail broke because he broke a bone in his thumb.
Rourke underwent surgery just days later, only missed one game and returned to play against Michigan State on Nov. 2 with two screws in his thumb.
The redshirt sophomore went viral on social media Thursday night for all the wrong reasons when he cost the Bulldogs 15 yards despite being inactive for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Notre Dame.
The bizarre penalty was drawn during the second quarter of the Sugar Bowl with both teams scoreless.
Quarterback Gunner Stockton connected with wide receiver Arian Smith for a 67-yard gain before getting taken down on the sideline. However, it was who Jones took down on the sideline that caused the penalty.
Jones, a Georgia native, was animated on the sidelines cheering his teammates on when an unsuspecting official collided with him. Jones had crossed the sideline and drew an interference penalty, erasing the play and pushing the Bulldogs even farther back.
Head coach Kirby Smart, seemingly unaware at the time of who drew the penalty, addressed the incident with reporters following Georgia’s loss.
"Very unfortunate. We had a – they said a coach, but I think it was a player who I’ve been told [was] in the white. The white is reserved for the officials," Smart began.
"That’s a safety concern. Most of the time they’ll grant you a warning on that, but it was a situation where it cost us 15 yards. We still had first-and-10 and didn’t take advantage of it. But, again, I call those things undisciplined, self-imposed wounds that you lose momentum on. It’s something you can’t have happen."
All things considered, it was probably the best response Jones could have hoped for.
However, it was not Jones’ lapse in judgement that led to Georgia’s downfall in the playoffs.
Georgia outgained Notre Dame 296-244, but went 0-of-3 on fourth downs, 2-of-12 on third downs and allowed a 98-yard kickoff return to open the second half.
The 2025 Sugar Bowl was delayed until Thursday as the host city of New Orleans was hit by a deadly terror attack on New Year's Day. During the pre-game ceremony, the stadium held a moment of silence for the victims, after which Georgia and Notre Dame fans came together in a powerful stream of loud "U-S-A" chants.
The scene highlighted the power and unification of American sports. Yet viewers of ESPN, which exclusively carried the broadcast, were unable to see the moment of silence, the chants of "U-S-A," or even the national anthem.
ESPN neglected to show any of the three across the air.
Too bad the players didn't kneel during the anthem in the name of "Black Lives Matter." ESPN would surely have shown that, as it did during the NBA playoffs in 2020.
OutKick asked ESPN about the decision not to carry the anthem ahead of the Sugar Bowl, to which we have not heard back. We will update this story if the network responds.
The Daily Mail chronicled the overwhelmingly negative response to ESPN's decision ahead of the Sugar Bowl. Here are some of the more notable reactions:
ESPN already comes into the evening facing criticism for its coverage of the attack on Bourbon Street, during which police say a suspected terrorist with an ISIS flag in his vehicle killed 15 people and injured dozens more.
ESPN referred to the news as a "truck attack," as if a monster was not behind the wheel of the car.
Shades of 2021 when CNN blamed a "car" for the Waukesha, Wisconsin Christmas parade massacre during which black nationalist Darrell Edward Brooks Jr. drove an SUV through the parade, killing six people and injuring 62 others.
In fact, ESPN was still downplaying the news as a "truck attack" almost 24 hours later during the 1 am "SportsCenter," hosted by a creepy, obsessive DEI hire named Stan Verrett.
Damn those self-driving cars. They keep running people over.
Anyway, don't expect ESPN to show any highlights of the "U-S-A" chants either. Instead, expect the network to return to its regularly scheduled programming of using race to pressure NFL voters to give Lamar Jackson the MVP over Josh Allen.
The final week of the 2024 NFL regular season is here, and for some teams, there is not much to play for due to already having their spot set in the playoffs, or worse, being knocked out of playoff contention.
However, for other teams not on either end of the spectrum, there is everything to play for, making this week a must-win situation while also looking at the rest of the league.
Looking at the current playoff picture, there is only one available playoff spot in both the AFC and NFC. In turn, four games in the AFC and three games in the NFC have playoff implications for nine total teams, whether it is simply making the playoffs or seeding within the bracket.
Let’s dive into which teams and matchups to watch in Week 18, starting with a potential deep playoff run squad in the AFC:
Lamar Jackson and company already have their playoff spot locked in for 2024 with an 11-5 record, but the AFC North title is still on the line with the Pittsburgh Steelers (more on them in a bit) sitting just one game behind them at 10-6.
So, with a win or tie for Baltimore, they would win the division and lock up the No. 3 seed, which is an automatic home game in the Wild Card Round. They would also lock those up with a Steelers loss.
Like the Ravens, the Steelers have already reached the playoffs as well, but they want that No. 3 seed if they can get it.
However, unlike the Ravens, they will be going against a much tougher AFC North foe in the Bengals, who are also gunning for an improbable spot in the postseason.
A slight advantage for the Steelers, though, is that the Ravens will be playing earlier in the day. So, they will know their situation when they take the field against Cincinnati. They would clinch the division title with a win and a Baltimore loss.
On the other sideline in this game is a Bengals team that has stayed alive with wins over the last four games to give themselves an 8-8 and a shot at that final wild card slot.
A fifth straight win is paramount if they wish to attain that spot, but they also need things to happen in their favor in order to be granted a chance at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
After a win, the Bengals will need the Denver Broncos to lose and the Miami Dolphins to either lose or tie. Only then can Joe Burrow and his squad of stars sneak into the playoffs.
The Chiefs have the No. 1 seed in the AFC etched in stone with their league-best 15-1 record, so they will be resting most of their starters on Sunday in preparation for the bye week and to ensure key players like Patrick Mahomes are healthy for the Divisional Round.
For Bo Nix and the Broncos, however, they have the same plan as they needed a couple of weeks ago: Win and in. The Broncos have lost two straight games, which has kept teams like the Bengals and Dolphins alive in the playoff hunt.
Can this 9-7 group led by their breakout rookie quarterback and stellar defense get Denver back into the postseason for the first time since they won the Super Bowl in 2015? They will not be seeing the usual Chiefs, and they will be at home to get the job done.
Like the Bengals, the Dolphins need some help to make the playoffs, but Cincinnati does not fall into those cards.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will need to beat their AFC East rival at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and have someone watch the Broncos-Chiefs matchup because they will need a Denver loss along with their win to claim that final playoff spot.
This is perhaps the best game that Week 18 has to offer NFL fans, because the No. 1 seed in the NFC will be determined by who wins the NFC North.
Both the Lions and Vikings are 14-2, as the latter has ripped off a nine-game win streak and will be hosting the former on "Sunday Night Football" in a highly anticipated bout between two squads that each would love to host every single playoff game except for the Super Bowl.
If that is not enough, the loser would be the No. 5 seed – not the No. 2-4 as those are reserved for division winners. Being the No. 5 seed means going on the road to face the winner of the NFC South (on to that in just a second).
Buckle up, football fans. Two of the best offenses squaring off in Week 18 with tons on the line. It is playoff football without the true elimination.
Once again, the NFC South has not been pretty, but Week 18 provides some suspense as both the Bucs and Falcons will be gunning for that final playoff spot, and it will only be secured by the division title.
Tampa Bay has the edge, though, as a win over the Carolina Panthers at home would ensure they win the division no matter what happens with the Falcons’ game against the New Orleans Saints.
However, if the Bucs were to lose and the Falcons were to win, it would be Atlanta winning the division.
However, they’d have the same 9-8 record, you say? Kirk Cousins might not be Atlanta’s starting quarterback anymore, but he had two of his best games of the season against Tampa Bay, which led to Falcons wins in both matchups. A clean sweep in the regular season means the Falcons own the tiebreaker over the Bucs, which would crown them NFC South champions.
Both games will be happening at the same time, 1 p.m. ET, which will create the perfect amount of suspense for fans of both franchises.
In the early hours of New Year's Day, at least 15 people were killed and dozens others were injured after Shamsud-Din Jabbar allegedly drove a white pick-up truck into a crowd of people in the French Quarter.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl was set to be played just a couple of miles away on Wednesday night, but it was postponed to Thursday afternoon.
Despite the delay, the Caesars Superdome was packed, as Notre Dame took a 23-10 victory over Georgia to advance in the College Football Playoff.
It was unclear for at least a little while about when, and potentially even where, the game would be played. However, albeit with security heightened, all went normal during the game on Thursday.
After being named the Offensive Player of the Game, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard thanked the Fighting Irish fans for coming out to the game in what surely is a confusing and scary time.
"It’s been a very hard week. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected a couple days ago. We’re praying for them. But for all these Notre Dame fans to show up anyway, it means the world to us. We felt them all game, I promise you," Leonard said to ESPN on stage.
Before the game, there was a moment of silence for the victims, and chants of "USA" rang through the crowd after the national anthem.
Jabbar's truck was flying an ISIS flag during the attack. He was killed after a shootout with police.
Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a rented Ford pick-up truck with weapons and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) into a crowd of New Year’s revelers at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 30 others. Authorities said other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter.
Authorities say Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran who recently held a six-figure job, opened fire on law enforcement officers, who returned fire, and was declared dead at the scene.
Fox News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Like many other young athletes from the Midwest, Caitlin Clark grew up in awe of Notre Dame sports.
The WNBA phenom spoke about her experience visiting Notre Dame and consideration of playing for the Fighting Irish during an interview on the "New Heights" podcast on Thursday.
"As a kid, you want to go to Notre Dame," Clark said. "It's like the coolest thing in the world, it's Notre Dame, it has that tradition."
Clark previously told ESPN that former Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw tried to recruit her and that Clark's own family also wanted her to play for the fighting Irish.
"My family wanted me to go to Notre Dame," Caitlin said. "At the end of the day they were like, you make the decision for yourself. But it's NOTRE DAME! 'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies. How could you not pick Notre Dame?"
However, Clark said Thursday that she ultimately made the decision not to play there because of a feeling in her gut.
"I could feel it in my gut, I was like ‘ahh, I’m not supposed to go there,'" Clark said.
Clark's gut feeling certainly did not steer her in the wrong direction. She ended up committing to her home state university of Iowa instead, where she played her entire four-year college career. Clark broke multiple program and NCAA records for the Hawkeyes, including the all-time leading scoring record among all college basketball players, men or women, in history.
Clark also met her current boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, while at Iowa. McCaffery was a player on Iowa's men's basketball team for his father and head coach Fran McCaffery.
Meanwhile, without Clark, Notre Dame fared okay, but not nearly as well as Iowa. Under the leadership of current head coach Niele Ivey, the Fighting Irish made the NCAA tournament three years in a row from 2021-24, but they lost in the regional semifinal all three times, while Clark led much deeper tournament runs in 2023 and 2024.
Clark led Iowa to two straight national championship game appearances, en route to becoming the No. 1 overall selection by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. McCaffery was already in Indiana working on the Pacers' coaching staff, and they are still in the city together as he now works on Butler's men's basketball coaching staff.
Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, was selected to the All-Star team, led the WNBA in assists, and helped lead the Fever to the playoffs in her rookie season.
Clark was also named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year for 2024.
Ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles' season finale against the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley might be trolling his old team with his new advertisement.
Barkley, who played six seasons with the G-Men before joining the Eagles this past offseason, starred in an ad for Unisom, a sleep aid.
But the ad posted a cryptic message that may or may not be directed at Giants owner John Mara, who infamously said he would "have a hard time sleeping if Saquon goes to Philadelphia."
"I heard some of you were having trouble sleeping, so I wrote you a lullaby," Barkley said in the ad. "Rockabye baby, awake in your bed, as the thought of 2,000 swirls in your head. It sure is tough to lose sleep over football – not for me, though. Good night to you all."
Well, that's exactly what happened, and Barkley is putting up historic numbers with the Birds.
The Giants were featured in HBO's "Hard Knocks" offseason edition, and Mara made the now-notorious statement in a discussion with general manager Joe Schoen, who never seemed all too interested in retaining Barkley, who was drafted second overall by his predecessor Dave Gettleman in 2018.
Barkley will rest for the playoffs in Week 18, which will leave him 101 yards short of becoming the NFL's single-season rushing yards king and save the Giants from even more embarrassment. But, he surpassed the 2,000-yard mark after running for 167 yards on Sunday, becoming the ninth player to do so.
Barkley admitted there is a part of him that wants to break the record, but he says there is a bigger goal in mind.
"He asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for it. On Sunday, I probably didn't care too much for it," Barkley said this week. "When I slept on it, was like, it's an opportunity to implant my name in football history. [I] may never get another opportunity like that again.
"So I'm down. But in the end of the day, I don't care for putting the team at risk."
Angel Reese's Instagram account did not make it to 2025.
Reese's Instagram appeared to be deactivated on Thursday – but not before she posted a revealing outfit.
According to the New York Post, before Reese's account was no longer available, she posted herself in a dress that exposed most of her stomach and cleavage.
While the pictures are no longer on Instagram, Reese posted several videos on TikTok of herself in the dress.
In one video, she is lip-syncing "Date Night" by rapper YFN Lucci, who says in the song, "I just hope it last, give that girl my last. Codeine in a glass. She shaped like a coke bottle made of glass." In another, she raps a portion of Nicki Minaj's verse from Trey Songz' "Touchin' Lovin'."
It's not yet clear when the account was deactivated, nor is it known how she spent the New Year.
Reese was one of two rookies named an All-Star in the WNBA this past season, along with Caitlin Clark. Clark received 66 of the 67 Rookie of the Year votes, with Reese receiving the other.
The LSU alum, who had beaten Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 national championship, set the single-season record for most rebounds in WNBA history, but after her season was cut short due to injury, A'ja Wilson surpassed her and set a new record.
Reese will be playing in the 3-on-3 "Unrivaled" league in Miami that begins later this month.
She was the seventh pick of the WNBA Draft to the Chicago Sky and averaged 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds in 2024.
Allstate CEO Tom Wilson ignited a firestorm of backlash on social media Thursday with a video statement addressing Wednesday's terror attack in New Orleans that killed more than a dozen people.
Wilson's statement came ahead of the Sugar Bowl, of which Allstate is the official corporate sponsor, after the game was postponed to Thursday due to the attack. In the video, Wilson suggested Americans have an "addiction to divisiveness" and must "accept people's imperfections and differences."
"Our prayers went to victims and their families. We also need to be stronger together by overcoming an addiction to divisiveness and negativity. Join Allstate working in local communities all across America to amplify the positive, increase trust and accept people's imperfections and differences. Together we win," Wilson says in the video.
Wilson's words sparked outrage among social media users. The suspect has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar. The FBI is working to determine Jabbar's "potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations," after an ISIS flag was found affixed to the truck.
Injury lawyer Adam Loewy not only condemned Wilson's statement, he called out Allstate as a company in response to the controversy.
Other smaller social media users have expressed their own grievances and intent to end their insurance plans in response to Wilson.
"What was Allstatethinking with that statement[?] I have just canceled my policy and signed up with State Farm," one user wrote.
"That limp-wristed Allstatecommercial about the terrorist attack is just what I needed to know that I won’t give them my business," another wrote.
And one user even called the commercial "The worst, most ill-conceived of the college football season."
Jabbar's younger brother told the New York Times that he and his Army veteran brother were raised Christian in Beaumont, Texas, before the now-deceased attacker converted to Islam as an adult.
"What he did does not represent Islam," the younger brother said. "This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."
Retired FBI agents Scott Duffey and Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital that Wednesday's attack could embolden ISIS, other terrorist groups or individuals who have been radicalized.
"This is a time where ISIS is under extreme stress and their existence is being threatened in Syria and elsewhere. It would make sense for them to double down on their message to radicalize Americans to put them into action and activate any cells that they have in place," Swecker said.
Days before the attack, a pro-ISIS outlet called on Muslims living in the U.S., Europe and Russia to conduct attacks on New Year’s Eve.
"Oh monotheists in Europe, America, Russia and other lands of the Crusaders, we know that you are eager to join your brothers in the land of Jihad, but the paths have been cut off for you," a translated version of the post read on Sunday. "The Crusaders are among you. Their security has been prolonged, and your brothers are being killed.
"The time has come to take out the swords from their sheaths and to hamstring the horses in their places that Allah loves and is pleased with," the post continued. "They are preparing for the feast of their polytheism, so turn their feast into mourning and their joy into a calamity."
The outlet asked Muslims, or "Crusaders," if they felt safe in their homes as their brothers and sisters were in detention centers and camps before calling on them to "repeat the attack on them and repeat the days of those who preceded you on this path."
The attack in New Orleans comes nearly two weeks after a suspected terror attack on a Christmas market in Germany.
She agreed with Travis that the NCAA should revert to its previous rules that players who transfer from school to school should have to sit out a full year before playing for a new school. However, Clark said exceptions should be made for athletes on teams that lose a head coach.
"I agree," Clark said when Travis spoke of bringing back the old system. "Or you get a free pass if your coach leaves. … But now we have people on their fourth school in their seventh year. It's just getting egregious."
Players have been transferring at historic rates in recent years after the transfer portal was introduced in October 2018. Prior to the introduction of the transfer portal, athletes needed permission from their coaches or athletic directors and were often denied those requests.
The transfer portal became even more frequently used after the legalization of NIL deals by universities as recruiting incentives in 2021. From 1906 until the summer of 2021, players were forbidden from profiting from their college athletic careers in any way.
Now, NIL is often a top factor for many athletes when choosing a school.
"It's crazy. … Adam Schefter is reporting like, 'Yes, they’ve negotiated a new deal for him to stay at the university,' and I'm like, ‘Yeah, where else is he going to go?’" Clark said.
In 2023, the NCAA tried to tighten its restrictions, introducing a new rule that only allowed underclassmen to transfer once without having to sit out a year. But an additional transfer as an undergraduate required the NCAA to grant a waiver allowing the athlete to compete immediately.
But the rule incited so much controversy, the NCAA was forced to put out a statement condemning "violent — and possibly criminal — threats directed at committee members" over the rule. The NCAA eventually gave up on the rule in March 2024 in response to a lawsuit from the U.S. Education Department, the District of Columbia and 10 states.
Athletes are now more free and incentivized than ever to transfer. Clark never took advantage of this system.
She spent her entire four-year NCAA women's basketball career at Iowa. She told the Kelces college sports has lost a sense of amateurism that separated it from pro sports.
"It's kind of sad. You lost a little bit of that amateurism of college sports, and that's why it's so fun," Clark said. "It's basically minor league football now."
Travis agreed with Clark.
"I'm too old school. I didn't get the opportunity to transfer, so," Travis said.
Travis spent four years at the University of Cincinnati from 2009-12 but only played three football seasons after he was suspended his sophomore season in 2010 for using marijuana.
Jason, who played his entire college career at Cincinnati as a walk-on running back who converted to offensive line, criticized players who leave before the playoffs.
"I don't think that people should be leaving before the playoffs. I think they should figure that out. I kind of think there should be a commitment level from the player of the university that there isn't right now," he said.
Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo shut down one fan on social media after the star running back was accused of being out late on the eve of the Peach Bowl.
Skattebo capped a record season with a strong performance in Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to Texas.
On Thursday, Skattebo took to X to respond to one fan’s claim he was out late the night before.
"Checks out - Cam was out late last night in classic ASU fashion. This is why we aren’t a football school," the fan said in a post with a picture of Skattebo appearing at a bar surrounded by people.
Skattebo responded to the post a day later, claiming he was out with family for dinner.
"Dudes a clown, that was at 8:30 pm and I was with family," Skattebo said in a post. "Yes they were drinking alcohol, and if you knew anything about me you know I don’t drink. But I’m sure you posted this because you couldn’t get a picture or autograph.
"Man some people just want the clout and it’s sickening."
The fan who first shared the photograph responded, admitting it was "ragebait."
He later defended posting the picture.
"For everyone telling me to delete because I’m trying to ruin his life… where did I lie? He was out late and late is a relative term. The rest is my opinion. Would never try to ruin a young man’s career. I worked hard to build mine after all!"
Despite the loss to Texas, Skattebo was named Peach Bowl MVP. He finished with 30 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns and eight catches for 99 yards. He also threw one pass for a 42-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
The Fighting Irish are moving on in the College Football Playoff, as No. 7 Notre Dame took down No. 2 Georgia, 23-10, to earn their spot in the semifinals.
Notre Dame will now face No. 6 Penn State, who beat No. 3 Boise State, next Thursday to determine who will head to the national championship game.
This game was supposed to be played on Wednesday night, but the horrific terror attack in New Orleans forced a postponement to Thursday afternoon. The Caesars Superdome was still packed for the matchup, where a moment of silence was had for those who were killed and injured by the senseless act of violence.
Chants of "U-S-A!" were also heard before the singing of the national anthem was heard throughout the stadium.
Once play began, these two teams showcased their suffocating defenses, as both teams were unable to find points on the scoreboard until the Bulldogs finally kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 3-0 early in the second quarter.
It might have been more, though, as Arian Smith caught a Gunner Stockton pass and took it 67 yards to the Notre Dame 11-yard line. But one of the most odd penalites was called to back it up 15 yards, as a sideline referee collided with Parker Jones, a walk-on cornerback who hasn’t played all season and was on the sideline in his jersey with no pads on.
The 15-yard penalty ended up hurting Georgia as they only settled for a field goal when it could’ve been four more points.
Notre Dame, though, would not only match that field goal on the ensuing drive, but they took a 6-3 lead with 39 seconds to play when Mitch Jeter drilled a 48-yarder just before the end of the half.
The Fighting Irish were likely fine heading into the locker room with the lead despite never finding the end zone, but everything changed on the first play of Georgia’s next drive as quarterback Gunner Stockton was strip-sacked by RJ Oben.
As the ball bounced around the turf, Notre Dame’s Junior Tuihalamaka pounced on it and gave Riley Leonard and the Fighting Irish offense the ball on Georgia’s 13-yard line with time to finally get into the end zone.
That’s exactly what happened when Leonard threw a strike to wide receiver Beaux Collins for the 13-yard score to go up 13-3 at the half.
It was amazing for Notre Dame considering they would get the ball to start the second half. And that’s when the game totally shifted in favor of the Fighting Irish.
Jayden Harrison fielded the kickoff for Notre Dame and proceeded to take it to the house – 98 yards down the left sideline to blow the game open with a 20-3 lead for his squad. Head coach Marcus Freeman was loving every second of it on the sideline as he celebrated with his crew.
On the other sideline, head coach Kirby Smart knew he needed his boys to kick it into high gear, and Stockton was finally able to get one of his teammates in the end zone in the third quarter when Cash Jones was left all alone on a 32-yard wheel route that went for six.
But that’s all Georgia would get in the second half, as Notre Dame’s defense forced two turnover-on-downs drives after that, including a fourth-and-5 incomplete pass to Lawson Luckie to ice the victory.
Looking at the box score, it wasn’t pretty for Leonard, who threw for just 88 yards, though he didn’t throw an interception and rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries. Jordan Faison also provided some solid production for Notre Dame with 46 yards on four catches.
For the Bulldogs, Stockton was 18-for-29 for 225 yards and his touchdown pass. The Fighting Irish were able to stymie Trevor Etienne, the Bulldogs’ hard-nosed running back, as he had just 38 yards on 11 carries.
College football fans showed their patriotism Thursday afternoon at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Before Notre Dame and Georgia played their College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Caesars Superdome, there was a moment of silence for those killed and injured in the New Orleans terror attack New Year’s Day.
More than a dozen people were killed and many more were injured when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a crowd on New Orleans' Bourbon Street.
The terror attack prompted the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, which determines who will play No. 6 Penn State in one semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
Authorities opened Bourbon Street hours before the game Thursday, which Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry attended.
"Security is going to be tight," Landry said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends." "We have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on. The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state."
Many reacted to the senseless act of violence, including Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, who spoke to his team about what happened.
"The first part of that meeting was to mourn and pray for our country," he said during an appearance on ESPN.
"In the toughest moments, the culture of any program, of a nation, are revealed. I have a lot of faith we're going to rally around the city of New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today."
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie season was one for the record books, but she also remembers the moment when she knew she was in pro ball.
Her "welcome to the WNBA" moment.
Clark appeared on the latest "New Heights" podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce and was asked about the moment when she was welcomed by fellow WNBA players.
"Somebody set a screen on me, and I hit my ear just perfect on the girl where my eardrum popped. And it ruptured," Clark said of her Fever game against the New York Liberty June 2. "I knew it right away because I’ve done it before [while tubing in a lake]. It hurts so bad. … That was my welcome to the W moment."
Clark said while her ear didn’t bleed, her hearing wasn’t the same for a few weeks.
"It takes months to heal," Clark added. "So, after the season, the doctor had to go back and forth and see if it closed. And if it doesn’t close, you have to have a minor procedure. But, lucky enough, it did close. So, I was fine."
The 104-68 beatdown by the Liberty against the Fever was Clark’s 11th game of her rookie season.
The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of the blowout, and Clark got attention from trainers on the bench before needing to walk back to the locker room at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Clark missed the rest of the game.
"I don’t wanna explain it. It’d probably be pretty gross. But, no, I feel fine," Clark told reporters at the time of the injury. "I can’t hear great out of one of my ears."
The injury didn't prevent Clark from breaking a number of records, including most assists in a season.
Clark was named Time's Athlete of the Year and the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She was also named a WNBA All-Star for the first time.
The 119th U.S. Congress has indicated that taking legislative action to ban trans athletes from women's and girls' sports will be a top priority this month.
The House rules package for the 119th Congress was posted this week, and the first step in its order of business is a bill that would bring about Title IX revisions that would only allow athletes to compete in the gender category that they were assigned at birth.
"A bill to amend the Education Amendments of 1972 to provide that for purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics, sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth," the first point in the final section of the package reads.
The package stated that the bill would be the first of 12 bills under separate consideration, with one hour of debate.
Republicans re-took control of the White House and Senate while retaining the House of Representatives in November's election after a heated campaign season in which trans inclusion in women's sports became a key issue.
President-elect Donald Trump pledged to instill a full-on ban on trans athletes in women's sports to the near unanimous support of Republican allies.
Currently, 25 states in the U.S. have laws in place to restrict or prevent trans athletes from competing in women's sports. But the other 25 states have no such laws and many, like California, even have laws in place to specifically enable trans athletes to compete against women or girls.
But even the states with laws in place to prevent trans athletes in women's sports have had their laws overridden by federal judges this year. Judges Landya McCafferty of New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virginia each passed rulings in 2024 that enabled biological males to play on high school girls' soccer and tennis teams. Both judges were appointed by former President Obama in the early 2010s.
Meanwhile, Democrats have endorsed multiple bills that would allow trans inclusion in women's sports at the national level, including the Equality Act and the Transgender Bill of Rights.
It was an issue that prompted fierce criticism against Democrats and the Biden administration from the day President Biden took office in January 2021.
On his first day in office, he issued an executive order on "Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation." The order included a section that read, "Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports."
The administration then issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on "sex" discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions," in April. The administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women's sports.
Multiple states filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address this issue, and then the Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to reject an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce its sweeping changes in those states.
The issue proved to be one of the key campaign vulnerabilities for Vice President Harris and Democrats across the nation in the past election.
A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them.
And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."
Multiple Democrats have since withdrawn their support for it. Biden's Department of Education gave up on a proposed rule change that would have punished schools for preventing trans athletes from competing in women's sports in December. The rule was proposed in April 2023, but it is now just a failed venture as Biden prepares to leave office.
A Georgia Bulldogs football player who was inactive for the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame Thursday evening drew a bizarre penalty.
Parker Jones was on the sideline for the game and cost his team crucial yardage in the second quarter.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton hooked up with Arian Smith for a 66-yard pass. As Smith ran up the field, the sideline official ran with him. The official, however, ran into Jones on the sideline. Georgia was penalized for sideline interference, and it cost the Bulldogs 10 yards.
Notre Dame scored twice in the closing seconds of the first half and took a 13-3 lead into the half.
Jones, a cornerback, is a redshirt sophomore from Albany, Georgia. He has yet to play a snap for the Bulldogs in his career.
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal was played a day after a terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. More than a dozen people were killed when a suspect identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove through a crowd of people. Several others were injured in the attack.
The Sugar Bowl had been postponed from Wednesday to Thursday evening.
