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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
AAC introduces new name: American Conference
The American Athletic Conference is losing part of its name, announcing Monday it is rebranding as the American Conference. As part of the change, the American also introduced what it believed to be the first conference-wide live and animated mascot -- an eagle named Soar -- and a new motto: 'Built to Rise.' In a statement posted to its website, the conference said the new name 'reinforces a sharper, more modern identity' while also 'eliminating confusion' with other similarly named groups. One of those likely was the ACC -- the better-known Atlantic Coast Conference. The league said it will be referred to as American Conference on first reference and simply The American on following references. As for 'Soar,' the tough but friendly looking bird will be used as a community ambassador throughout the conference and was 'designed to fuel both school spirit and conference business growth,' according to the American. 'The American has built a brand that differentiates us in a crowded collegiate landscape by establishing and elevating what makes us distinctive,' commissioner Tim Pernetti said, per ESPN. 'This modernization is rooted in who we are and where we're headed. It prioritizes clarity, momentum, and the competitive advantage driving every part of our conference forward.' The American Conference has 15 member schools, starting with UAB, Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, Temple University, UTSA, Tulane and Tulsa. Army and Navy are football-only members, and Wichita State participates in only basketball and Olympic sports. Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former BYU QB Jake Retzlaff reportedly to transfer to Tulane
Six weeks before Week 1 of the 2025 college football season, Jake Retzlaff has found a new home. The former BYU quarterback has committed to Tulane, according to a report from ESPN on July 21. The move comes 10 days after Retzlaff left BYU rather than sit through a planned seven-game suspension for a violation of the school's honor code, which prohibits premarital sex. REQUIRED READING: Big Ten's rigged College Football Playoff plan shut down by SEC Retzlaff had been accused in a lawsuit in May of raping a woman in 2023. Retzlaff denied the allegation and the lawsuit was dismissed on June 30, with the parties jointly agreeing to dismiss with prejudice. Given the severity of the allegations Retzlaff faced, Tulane spent more than a week doing background on the transfer quarterback and had the school's Title IX office review the move, according to ESPN. The report added that Retzlaff will join the Green Wave as a walk-on, as he was unable to enter the NCAA transfer portal given when he left BYU. Retzlaff threw for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season and ran for 417 yards and six touchdowns. He helped lead the Cougars to an 11-2 record and a No. 14 ranking in the final US LBM Coaches Poll. At Tulane, he'll aim to win the starting job vacated by Darian Mensah, who transferred to Duke after leading the Green Wave to the American Athletic Conference championship game last season. Retzlaff is one of four transfer quarterbacks on the roster, joining Brendan Sullivan (Iowa), Kadin Semonza (Ball State) and Donovan Leary (Illinois). On3 Sports reported that Retzlaff has not been promised the starting job. Coach Jon Sumrall had originally brought in TJ Finley from Western Kentucky, but the well-traveled quarterback entered the transfer portal in April after he was arrested after police linked the license plate of a truck he was driving to a stolen car in Atlanta (Finley's attorneys claimed he was victim of a scam after buying a used truck through a social media marketplace). After going 9-5 in Sumrall's first season, Tulane is expected to be one of the best teams this season outside the power conference level, which could put it in contention for a designated spot in the College Football Playoff.
UPI
2 days ago
- Business
- UPI
AAC rebrands as American Conference; first one with live mascot
July 21 (UPI) -- The American Athletic Conference has rebranded as the American Conference and will have a lives mascot, an eagle named "Soar," officials announced Monday. "The American has built a brand that differentiates us in a crowded collegiate landscape by establishing and elevating what makes us distinctive," American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said in a news release. "This modernization is rooted in who we are and where we're headed. It prioritizes clarity, momentum, and the competitive advantage driving every part of our conference forward." The 15-member conference made the announcement days before media days Thursday and Friday in Charlotte, N.C. The conference's full all-sports members are Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, North Texas, Rice, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, USF, UTSA and SMU, with Wichita State a member for all sports except football. Army and Navy are football-only members, but the Army-Navy game is a non-conference matchup. You already know the name. Now see it with the power it deserves.#BuiltToRise The American (@American_Conf) July 21, 2025 Officials said the names American Athletic Conference and AAC will be retired, giving way to the new name -- American Conference on first reference and American in later references. The American said that Soar the Eagle will be the first live and animated mascot for a collegiate conference. "Soar's very identity reflects our DNA of innovation, grit, and service," the American said. "His name, 'Soar,' evokes upward flight and aspiration, aligning perfectly with the rally call, 'Built to Rise.'" The American Conference will unveil a new website Thursday. "A brand is more than a name," Pernetti said. "Over the past year, we stepped back, listened, and involved our community. That's how real, lasting identity is built. "We're not slick, we're strong. This brand defines who we are, service and mission-driven institutions of higher learning with highly competitive athletics and deeply committed leaders. "The student-athletes and their experience will always be our north star."
New York Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Bengals sign Desmond Ridder to add depth behind Joe Burrow
Former starter-turned-backup Desmond Ridder has agreed to join the Bengals, adding depth behind Joe Burrow. Cincinnati officially announced Ridder's signing Sunday, filling out a quarterback room behind Joe Burrow that already includes Jake Browning and Payton Thorne. Ridder, who turns 26 before Week 1, brings prior starting experience along with multiple backup stints to Cincinnati. Advertisement After being made a third-round selection by the Falcons in 2022, he started 18 games — including 13 in 2023, when he threw for 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 64.2 completion percentage. 3 Desmond Ridder is signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Getty Images In Atlanta, things unraveled mid‑season in 2023 after Ridder entered as the starting quarterback. Advertisement He was benched after turnover struggles and uninspiring play, which ultimately led to the team adding Kirk Cousins in free agency last year, along with Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Ridder has recorded 4,002 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, alongside 293 rushing yards and three rushing scores for his career. He had a stint with the Raiders in 2024, appearing in six games and making one start. 3 Desmond Ridder leaves the field after warm ups before their game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Chargers defeated the Raiders 34-20. Getty Images Advertisement He threw for 458 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in Las Vegas, and he completed 52-of-85 passes for 61.2 percent. Ridder also played his college football at Cincinnati, where he helped lead the team to a 13-1 record in the 2021 season, earning an American Athletic Conference championship with a 35-20 win over Houston. The season concluded with a 27-6 loss to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl Classic. 3 Joe Burrow will be starting ahead of Desmond Ridder. Imagn Images Advertisement Ridder threw for 3,334 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he also completed 64.9 percent of his passes. Not all roster business is running smoothly in Cincinnati, though. First-round rookie Shemar Stewart remains unsigned amid disputes over his rookie contract. Veterans will report for NFL training camp on July 22. Meanwhile, star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is holding out and reportedly seeking a long-term extension.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Scott Frost's Nebraska regrets show striking lack of accountability for failed tenure
Scott Frost didn't have to say anything resentful about Nebraska. That appeared to be his plan when the Huskers' former coach returned to UCF in December. Frost avoided mention of his ex-employer and alma mater when UCF reintroduced him in Orlando. If a nod of courtesy to his home state and the school that entrusted him was too much, so be it. Both parties had long ago moved on. Advertisement But when presented the chance, how about showing a touch of accountability? In Frost's appearance Tuesday at Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas, he said that Nebraska in 2017 was the 'wrong job' for him. Fans of the Huskers, in retrospect, agree. His exit from Nebraska in September 2022 after a 16-31 stint over four-plus seasons classified him among the most disappointing coaching hires in the history of college football. Frost had to know questions about Nebraska would come in his first opportunity back with the Knights to face a group of national media members. What went wrong? What did he learn? They're relevant topics as he aims for a second time to elevate UCF, this time in a tougher conference and amid a volatile climate in the sport. The conversation in an interview with reporters from The Athletic on Tuesday turned to Frost's final, emotional game at UCF during its unbeaten 2017 season. Before that double-OT win against Memphis in the American Athletic Conference championship, he had all but decided to take the job at Nebraska. 'I didn't want to leave UCF,' Frost said. 'I always said I would never leave unless it was some place you could go and potentially win a national championship. And you know, I got tugged in a direction to go try to help my alma mater. And I didn't really want to do it. It wasn't a good move. 'And I'm lucky that I have an opportunity to get back to a place where I was a lot happier.' He mentioned again that he didn't want to talk about Nebraska. But Frost kept talking. 'Don't take the wrong job,' he said. 'That's what I learned. Make sure you're working for and around good people.' Frost at times clashed with the athletic directors for whom he worked in Lincoln. Bill Moos provided the coach with autonomy; Trev Alberts kept his thumb on Frost. That both methods flopped perhaps said more about Frost than about the administration at Nebraska. Frost's lack of humility in public related to his Nebraska failures is striking. Frost could have won the day in Texas on Tuesday with a sentence or two to recognize Nebraska, which paid him more than $20 million in salary in addition to a buyout of approximately $15 million. He chose scorn. Maybe Frost has made amends in private with the stakeholders at Nebraska who mattered to him. Certainly, he bears some responsibility for the worst five-year stretch of football at the school in more than six decades. Advertisement He knows that, right? You couldn't tell on Tuesday. He pointed at the forces and figures that pulled him back to Nebraska. As Frost laid out seven years ago, his former coach and mentor, Tom Osborne, was instrumental in convincing Frost that he could fix a program that had slipped, unthinkably at the time, to a 19-19 mark under coach Mike Riley from 2015 to 2017. Frost's longtime friend, Matt Davison, urged him to return home and restore the pride they shared as teammates in winning a national championship in 1997. Frost, 50, suggested that the people around him were part of the problem. Yet no fewer than 10 members of his Huskers staff have rejoined him in Orlando. Tuesday in Frisco, he offered an extended opening statement in his time on the main stage and showed gratitude for the Big 12 and the players alongside him. It displayed growth and a renewed attitude from Frost, who took the air out of Lucas Oil Stadium in July 2022 to start his final appearance at the Big Ten's version of this event. He's happier now, that's clear. 'Just a little older and wiser,' he said. 'You learn through success and failure. It's been good being away and getting a little perspective.' Accountability sounded only a step or two away. He doubled back on negativity, though, a staple of his time at Nebraska that contributed to the Huskers' 5-22 record on his watch in games decided by one score. For UCF, it presents no obvious concern. Frost has illustrated that his style fits in Orlando. He talked optimistically of tackling the challenge ahead for the Knights. They finished 10-15 as members of the Big 12 in the past two years under Gus Malzahn. 'We worked our butts off to try to rebuild the roster,' Frost said of the past seven months at UCF. 'And that was hard. But also, in some ways, it's good. We could go get the guys that we wanted to fit us. I'm pretty happy with what we came out of that with.' Advertisement Frost also said this about the turbulent environment within the sport: 'College football's in a weird place. And it's not pretty.' Pay it no mind if Kansas State coach Chris Klieman or Texas Tech's Joey McGuire had offered those words. But for Frost, if the wins don't come as swiftly at UCF as in his first stint, a precedent exists to assign external responsibility. Is he laying a foundation to avoid accountability? It wouldn't be the first time.
