Latest news with #Bama
Miami Herald
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Dolphins' McDaniel addresses Fitzpatrick, corner, injuries, more before first practice
Minutes before taking the field for the team's first training camp session, coach Mike McDaniel raved about the addition of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. 'We are elated to have Minkah on the team,' McDaniel said Wednesday is his first public comments since he was acquired from Pittsburgh June 30. 'He's a real good fit based on his skill set -- athletically and what he's able to do in transition in the open field. Elite ball skills and leadership. We were confident this would be a place he would fit right in. We have a lot of 'Bama guys. He couldn't get in the 29 jersey fast enough. I'm super pumped about his specific skill set.' More than a year after the Dolphins drafted Fitzpatrick in 2018, he asked for a trade because of a disagreement with coach Brian Flores about how he would be used. Asked if the Dolphins needed to make sure that Fitzpatrick wanted to play for Miami before making the trade with Pittsburgh, McDaniel suggested the Dolphins had confidence that he would be happy playing here but didn't elaborate. McDaniel declined to comment on cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who was traded with tight end Jonnu Smith to the Steelers in the Fitzpatrick deal, a trade that also involved multiple third-day draft picks. McDaniel addressed other issues: ▪ On receiver Tyreek Hill saying he has matured: 'He has had some real reflection up until this point. All he has shown me is relentless commitment dictating the conversation [about] who he wants to be as a father and leader of the team. He's come to work every day with vigor and determination.' ▪ McDaniel didn't say if Dolphins defensive lineman Zach Sieler - who is due for a better contract - will practice but said he will be involved with 'football.' Sieler is at training camp but his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined to say on his television segment if he would practice. Sieler will make $7.8 million this season if he plays all 17 games, and has another $1.25 million in complicated bonuses. He's one of Miami's 10 highest-paid players in 2025. He's scheduled to make another $8.1 million in 2026. Collectively, Sieler will earn a little less than $16 million in the next two seasons. There are currently 18 NFL defensive linemen who earn more than that $16 million in one season. ▪ Guard Liam Eichenberg and tight end Darren Waller will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list but can be removed at any time. Waller is working himself back into football shape after not playing last season. Eichenberg's injury, which has not been disclosed, will sideline him for weeks but is not a season-ending injury. 'As tough as a player I've been around,' McDaniel said. New free agent pickup Daniel Brunskill, a center/guard who was a starter in San Francisco (during McDaniel's time there) and Tennessee the past two seasons, 'not only helps the offensive line but helps the whole team,' McDaniel said. With Eichenberg out indefinitely, Brunskill, for now, would be the front-runner to be the top backup to guards James Daniels and Jonah Savaiinaea and center Aaron Brewer. The Dolphins hope Savaiinaea can start as a rookie. 'To watch him develop his game and have a real career at several positions, it's cool to be a guy where you've been a part of the process,' McDaniel said of Brunskill, who was signed by Miami on Tuesday. ▪ Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is beginning training camp on the NFL's non-football injury list, but McDaniel said it is 'nothing that I'm worried about' and more precautionary. ▪ McDaniel, asked if he and general manager Chris Grier are looking to add a veteran cornerback, a positioned depleted by the trade of Ramsey and release of Kendall Fuller (who remains unsigned): 'Are we resisting getting better? We are not resisting getting better. I understand there are a lot of tweets, words, articles about a position. If you have youth at a position, you have confidence in it [before others do]. We're not closing the door on anything. There are multiple players we talk about every day. Also very excited with some guys who have a lot to prove and are excited about the opportunity.' The Dolphins have remained in discussions with veteran free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas, according to a source. ▪ McDaniel, on the addition of Waller: 'I know a lot about Darren based on my relationship with [offensive coordinator] Frank Smith and how big a part they played in each other's careers. Life is not about avoiding trauma or problems. The opportunity to have a player that is hungry and healthy in mind, body and spirit and wants to do something for reasons you know are appropriate because he has had time to reflect. 'A lot of people hide from things; he doesn't. He already has built relationships in the team, which doesn't surprise me. I'm pumped he has the opportunity to put the finishing touches on his career' in Miami. He said he's starting camp on the PUP list 'because you try to be responsible with it. He's a well-conditioned athlete who's in great shape. Being preventative and responsible as we gets his feet wet' was the thinking behind PUP.
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
'We love a girl that watches football': Teams react to Olandria's 'Love Island USA' moment
"Love Island USA" star Olandria Carthen has the college football world in a frenzy. On season 7, episode 31 of the dating reality series, Olandria of Decatur, Alabama, gushed about her love for sports while talking to fellow islander Nicolas "Nic" Vansteenberghe. She stated that she's a fan of Auburn University's football team. Auburn University is located in Auburn, Alabama which is about 50 miles east of Montgomery, Alabama and about 108 miles southwest of Atlanta, Georgia. "I love college football season. Saturdays, I'll literally just be at home watching college football. I'm not even kidding," Olandria said. "We love a girl that watches football," Nic responded. The duo, coined by fans as "NicOlandria" became favorites during their time in the Fijian villa. The show captured how they're relationship blossomed from platonic to romantic while navigating their other connections. Post-show, Nic and Olandria stated in recent interviews that they are focused on getting to know each other better. "I'm hopefully going to go to Decatur and visit some of Olandria's family," Nic told the "Chicks in the Office" podcast. "It's just so fun, all the opportunities that have arisen to us, and we're going to go to some college football games." Obsessed with 'Love Island?': Watch these 5 shows next Nic and Olandria's reach goes far beyond their fandom. Brands, news publications, and sports teams have mentioned them and given them a shoutout in their online content. This week, Olandria's sports conversation is at the center of both Auburn and Ohio State's social media promotional videos for the upcoming football season. Both teams tagged her in their captions. In the original clip, Nic asked Olandria if she was a Bama fan (This is referring to the University of Alabama located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama). Olandria quickly responded that she was an Auburn fan. Nic responded with "What?!" as she explained that, "it's something about underdogs that give me chills." Auburn has taken on the underdog role over the years as they have won fewer national championships than Alabama. The two have one of the fiercest rivals in college football known as the Iron Bowl. Alabama leads the series with more wins however, Auburn has pulled out some notable victories over their in-state competitor including the iconic 2013 game known as Kick Six. "One season ends…the best one begins," the caption of the video stated on Auburn football's social media pages. "Olandria said what we were all thinking," Ohio State wrote on Instagram. Both teams posted their captions alongside videos which showed past football games featuring their stadiums, players, and fans. A post shared by Ohio State Athletics (@ohiostathletics) Olandria won't have to wait long for her football fix. According to the NCAA, the 2025 college football season begins on August 23. This story has been updated to add new information.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kalen DeBoer addresses the Alabama football standard, and what it means
ATLANTA — Did Alabama football hold up its standard in 2024? The question was as simple as the answer was easy, but Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer juggled the ball just a bit before getting around to the inescapable conclusion: no. At SEC Media Days Wednesday, DeBoer also fielded queries about his team's quarterback competition, scheduling and coaching staff changes. He handled them all with aplomb, but none of those hit quite as hard. None of those boiled his first season at the UA helm, in replacement of a living legend in Nick Saban, down to the bottom-line disappointment that it was. A program that had made a routine of qualifying for a four-team playoff managed to miss out on a 12-teamer, and two losses in particular — a letdown at Vanderbilt, and no-show at Oklahoma when a CFP berth was there for the taking — left the Crimson Tide with nobody to blame but itself. SMOKED: Alabama football lineman claims 'team grill master' status TALKING SEASON: Alabama football LB Lawson on FSU QB's brash remarks: 'All disrespect will be addressed' So was the standard met? "In which way? To me personally?," DeBoer first asked, as if there might be some daylight between his perception of the standard and that of the fan base. "What you evaluate to be the 'Bama standard," came the questioner's clarification. "If you internally ask us, no. We fell short of making the playoffs. It's as simple as that, right? Giving yourself a chance to go compete for a championship," DeBoer replied. "I think there's a lot of things that I'm super proud of that have happened within the program that are part of the progression. Yeah, we want it right now, too. Yeah, we fell short." The Alabama standard, of course, is an eye-of-the-beholder concept. Saban himself used to encapsulate it simply as "playing winning football," which can mean different things to different people. It certainly doesn't demand winning every game, or every championship. But there's plenty of consensus around its meaning in November, when the College Football Playoff selection committee is busy christening some programs and crushing others. History can't be made without first acquiring one of the CFP's 12 golden tickets. But let's not pretend merely qualifying for the CFP is DeBoer's ticket to a happy fan base, either. Crimson Tide supporters won't flood the streets with jubilance over a season that ends, for instance, in a first-round playoff loss. Qualifying for the CFP was a high bar for any program to clear when it was a four-team party. At 12 teams, it's still a high bar at most schools, but a low one at Alabama. DeBoer enters Year Two at a place where ReliaQuest Bowl trophies (which Alabama didn't even take home) might as well be used for door stoppers. And also, a place where coaches that win even one national championship are revered with bronze statues outside Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama faces a difficult schedule with new faces at both offensive coordinator and quarterback, which isn't historically a championship recipe. It won't be surprising if its veteran defense has to carry extra weight at the beginning of the season, when the Crimson Tide will face both Florida State and Georgia in the first four weeks. It will navigate a three-game stretch against Tennessee, South Carolina and LSU, and the road trip to face the Gamecocks just might prove to be the toughest contest in that trio. For DeBoer, Year Two is fast-approaching. But the standard doesn't move an inch. Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@ Follow on @chasegoodbread. This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kalen DeBoer, the Alabama football standard, and Year Two expectations
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From rags to riches, courtrooms and SEC success: Vandy's Diego Pavia is still on the way up
ATLANTA — Diego Pavia is a gambler. He likes blackjack, enjoys a game of baccarat and loves to play some poker. As it turns out, during his first-ever spin through SEC media days here Monday, he looked the part of a high-roller — donning a newly purchased and pressed tuxedo, silver wrist watch, gold chain and diamond studs in his ears. Advertisement Pavia's meteoric rise, from a no-name junior college player to a Bama-beating SEC big shot at Vanderbilt, is an example of college football's great rags-to-riches stories (they are paid now, remember). But his story does not stop there. True to form, the gambling Pavia rolled the dice last year in a landscape-altering lawsuit challenging NCAA eligibility rules. In the end, a Tennessee judge granted his injunction by ruling that Pavia's junior college season should not count against his NCAA eligibility, allowing him to extend his college career by a year. Without it, he's not sitting here in this opulent hotel in downtown Atlanta in the midst of a daylong media circuit before television, radio and print reporters. Despite the limelight and all, Pavia isn't so different from that guy who set records at a New Mexico junior college. 'I still do the nut-job stuff,' he says laughing, 'but the cameras are on me now and so I've got to be cautious about it.' Advertisement Before a sitdown with Yahoo Sports on Monday, he popped out earbuds and explained that he had been listening to a recording from one of his many interviews earlier that day to 'make sure I didn't say anything too dumb,' he says with a smile. Pavia didn't say anything dumb. He didn't cause a stir. He didn't inflame an opponent. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is one of the biggest stars in the SEC ahead of this college football season. () (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) But what he did last December — the legal action against the NCAA — sure did. The suit resulted in the NCAA granting a waiver to extend the eligibility of those athletes in a similar situation as Pavia: Any athlete whose eligibility would have expired last academic year and who played in junior college was granted an additional season. The landmark Pavia ruling also triggered more than two dozen eligibility cases to be filed against the organization. Advertisement 'One day, we might see it as the Diego Pavia Rule or something like that,' he said. In fact, a 27th such lawsuit was filed on Monday, this time from Sam Hicks, an Abilene Christian running back being pursued to play at Western Kentucky next year. College eligibility standards — perhaps the most sacred cornerstone of the industry — are 'under assault,' as NCAA president Charlie Baker put it last month. To that end, Monday's opening day provided a jarring juxtaposition fitting of an industry in tumult. As Pavia paraded through the media circuit here, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey spoke from a podium denouncing the assault on eligibility and highlighting its threat on high school recruiting. Advertisement 'We have to hold on to some values that are at the center of what we do at our academic campuses,' Sankey said. A few hours later, one of the people responsible for that assault strode past that very podium and onto an adjacent stage, fielding questions from a hoard of reporters — one of the many unexpected stars of the league. Weird? Uncomfortable? Odd? Yes, perhaps. But indicative of this murky, unstable and evolving era of the sport. Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea is a supporter of Pavia's legal suit, and says it is important to understand 'both sides' of the argument. Lea understands that a level of regulation — eligibility standards, for instance — is necessary to avoid the current chaotic landscape. But, at the same time, he says, 'We're trying to explore how best to take care of student-athletes.' Advertisement 'What should the college experience look like?' Lea said. 'I don't want to place limitations on what that can be. I don't believe that solving these problems in the courts is the most effective way. I'd love for us to create a framework where we say, 'This is where the game needs to go.'' Some believe that framework involves collective bargaining, but such a move is incredibly complex, rife with legal landmines and probably years away. However, college coaches and some high-level administrators are more publicly than ever supporting a collective-bargaining model, some even an entire employment concept untethering college sports from higher education. Meanwhile, their own commissioners and NCAA executives lobby Congress to prevent such a thing. 'How do you make a half-million dollars and aren't an employee?' West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez asked Yahoo Sports during Big 12 media days last week. Advertisement 'I think you may even see the day in the not too distant future where players don't have to go to school if they don't want to,' Utah coach Kyle Whittingham chimed in. 'It will be like a true minor league. I think that's coming. It's sad to say." On one hand, conference commissioners, speaking often for their university presidents, want one thing publicly while their own coaches and athletic directors want something else. It's a weird, weird time. And it's certain to get weirder. 'College athletics is not broken,' Sankey insisted Monday. 'It is under stress.' But Pavia has a solution, at least for the eligibility situation. Advertisement He wants college sports to grant athletes five playing seasons over five academic years, as opposed to the current four-season standard. NCAA leaders have been exploring such a change. Pavia also believes that junior college seasons should be treated as 'prep school' and not count toward the NCAA's four years of eligibility, which was part of his legal case. 'I know they're trying to move toward five years,' he said. 'A lot of athletes don't get their degree in four years. A lot of athletes would benefit from being in school for five years.' There is another benefit to remaining in college: Money. Advertisement In many of the eligibility cases brought against the NCAA, players are using financial offers from schools as a way to outline damages caused if their eligibility isn't extended. Monday's lawsuit from Hicks, in fact, details a $100,000 offer made to him to play at Western Kentucky this season. The eligibility issue has made its way to Capitol Hill, where the NCAA and conferences are in their fifth year of lobbying lawmakers for a federal bill that, in addition to other items, protects their rules around eligibility standards. So far, the courts have sided with them. The NCAA says it has won 20 of 23 injunction decisions in eligibility cases in the last year, and the organization is appealing the three it did not win. Baker told Yahoo Sports last month that he 'believes we will win those three' on appeal. Advertisement Back in downtown Atlanta, Pavia is all smiles moving from room to room, the most dashingly dressed player of the day. The black tuxedo he donned is a new purchase. He bought it Sunday because he had 'nothing to wear,' he said. He tugs at his black bowtie and opens the black coat to show its inside lined with the Vanderbilt logo. 'I had the coat but not the rest until this weekend,' he said. The gambler isn't here to talk about wardrobe or eligibility, though. He's here to talk ball. He's here to tell the world that Vanderbilt football is for real and that, even competing as a historic bottom-dweller in the SEC, the ultimate 'prize' is attainable. Advertisement What's that? 'National championship,' he said. Can he do the unthinkable? Can he turn this bonus year of his into a history-making run into January? After all, the gambler is playing with house money this season. 'That's a good way to think about it,' he says before rebuffing the notion, 'but no, I feel like I am in debt this year that I need to make more! 'I'm still down!'
Fox News
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Driver Gifts Cameraman Bottle Of Bourbon After Fall That Went Viral
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Devlin DeFrancesco wanted to heal any pain from an unintended spill that happened a week ago in St. Louis. As DeFrancesco ran back to his car after exiting the infield medical center at World Wide Technology Raceway (known as Gateway), he stopped. Then Jimmy Kevin Henslee, the cameraman who was following him, tried to stop short and fell. No person was injured. The camera, however, might be a different story. And DeFrancesco wanted to give something to Henslee — who's known throughout the garage as "Bama" because of the Alabama flag on his camera. "A bottle of bourbon, most men enjoy that," DeFrancesco said. "It was unfortunate what happened at Gateway. And sad to see him fall or break his camera. I just thought it was something good to do." DeFrancesco wasn't knocked over and was not injured. "I was fine," DeFrancesco said. "He kind of just missed me and fell over and took the brunt of it." What made DeFrancesco stop so suddenly? "They jumped off the stand and told me to stop and turn around and he was following me and I guess didn't see me and fell over," DeFrancesco said. "I felt bad over the incident and felt it would be good to do something nice." Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
