Latest news with #BillBelichick
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Why North Carolina is more valuable than you think in college football's future
No power-conference program residing outside the Big Ten and SEC has a chance to boost its financial portfolio and valuation in the coming years more than the University of North Carolina. Based on its current football revenue within the ACC, the Tar Heels' three-year average ranks 37th among Power 4 schools. But when The Athletic calculated our best estimates for how much college football teams would sell for if they could be sold, North Carolina soared up to No. 26 overall with a projected price of $572 million — fourth in the ACC behind Florida State, Clemson and Miami and ahead of several teams in the richer SEC and Big Ten. The reasons start with location, demographics and future earning potential, not on-field prowess … or the hiring of Bill Belichick. Advertisement Recent Big Ten and SEC expansions leave North Carolina as the most populated state without a team in either conference. Whispers around both conferences consider the Tar Heels as the one school both would have strong interest in acquiring if they were to expand again. North Carolina by geography and heritage is a Southern state, and Charlotte serves as the SEC Network's headquarters. The Big Ten no longer is a Midwestern conference with schools located on the West Coast, the New York metro area and the Mid-Atlantic. Although North Carolina is an ACC charter member, the university sought legal guidance and strategy when Florida State and Clemson sued the conference over its grant-of-rights agreement, which expires in 2036. (The lawsuits were resolved this spring.) In an email exchange between UNC Board of Trustees chairman John Preyer and former trustee Chuck Duckett, which was obtained by The Athletic, the two power brokers opined about UNC's future should the ACC's case disintegrate. 'I firmly believe that 'protecting UNC financially' requires us to explore every available avenue to depart a conference that is in financial decline and is primarily serving its bottom tier schools,' Preyer wrote. 'While Carolina once led the ACC, that time is long gone. The current commissioner (Jim Phillips) is not serving our best interests and simply 'asking' for transparency will not get us anywhere but would be a welcome change.' 'We have a landing spot if things blow up,' Duckett wrote, adding: 'Let FSU and Clemson pay the attorneys and see what happens. … We all learn via their expense.' As part of the ACC's settlements with Florida State and Clemson, league exit fees drop by $18 million annually until reaching $75 million in the 2031 fiscal year. While still costly, $75 million is more manageable, especially with the specter of Big Ten and SEC revenue on the horizon. The Big Ten, for instance, budgeted around $75 million in disbursals to its vested members during the 2025 fiscal year, which concluded on June 30. Its media rights agreements expire after the 2029-30 sports season, which could coincide with North Carolina or other ACC schools considering a less-expensive jump. The SEC's rights agreements are in place through 2033-34. Advertisement There are other potential options for North Carolina, such as happily staying put in the conference it helped build or exploring a divorce alongside like-minded ACC members. Although it is not a football powerhouse — the Heels rank 38th among power-conference teams in wins the last decade and haven't had a top-10 finish since 1997 — North Carolina will end up a financial winner in whatever scenario presents itself after 2030. Should the Big Ten open its doors to the Tar Heels or any other program, it's unclear how much money those programs would receive in their first six years. The league has operated differently among its six newest members, which greatly impacted their projected valuations. The Big Ten brought in USC and UCLA as fully vested members, which led to both earning valuations beyond their current financial profile. In the 2024 fiscal year, which coincided with its final season as a Pac-12 member, UCLA reported $19.93 million in media rights revenue, according to figures obtained by The Athletic through an open-records request. With a $75 million Big Ten payment in fiscal 2025, UCLA's $55 million increase in media rights could help erase a $51 million shortfall the athletic department reported as a Pac-12 member. USC, which is a private university, is not subject to open-records laws but would earn the same revenue. However, neither Maryland and Rutgers (which became Big Ten members in 2014) nor Oregon and Washington (which joined alongside USC and UCLA in 2024) saw day-one vested membership. For six years, Maryland and Rutgers collected media rights stipends commensurate with what they would have received from their previous conferences. The Big Ten allowed both schools to borrow against future earnings, and they finally will receive whole shares starting in 2027. Maryland, which took in more than $125 million from the Big Ten in grants and loans from 2014 to 2020, was financially strapped after leaving the ACC and still struggles to catch up with its Big Ten brethren. Maryland reported the lowest revenue among the holdover Big Ten public schools in 2024. 'Most people didn't know the dire financial straits of the program,' former Maryland president Wallace Loh told The Athletic last year. Loh described the Big Ten's financial package as 'one of the largest contracts ever, to have Maryland join the Big Ten.' Rutgers, which borrowed $48 million against future earnings, did not receive the same financial assistance. Oregon and Washington earn media half-shares before becoming vested members in 2030, which aligns with a new Big Ten media rights deal. However, those schools were in strong revenue situations preceding their Big Ten acceptance, which is why their valuations soar beyond most Big Ten colleagues. Oregon enjoys one of college sports' greatest brands, and its close financial relationship with Nike keeps the department fiscally vibrant. Washington will borrow from the Big Ten against future earnings, but in fiscal 2024 it generated $190 million before it left the Pac-12. Advertisement As for the SEC, it disbursed around $53 million to each of its 14 members following the 2024 fiscal year, plus $27.5 million to both Texas and Oklahoma to provide a financial salve and help cover their Big 12 exit fees. Hypothetically, the SEC could do the same for North Carolina or any other potential addition. Either way, North Carolina looks like a future winner, no matter how Belichick or his eventual successor performs on the field.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Louisville football doesn't need to top Clemson. Being second in ACC should rate CFP bid
They're all playing for second place in the ACC football standings behind Clemson. But second place can come with its own reward in the form of an at-large berth in the College Football Playoff. The ACC put two teams in the inaugural 12-team format of the playoffs, and there's good reason to believe the league will be strong enough to again receive an additional bid outside of its automatic qualifier. As the schools converge on ACC Kickoff media days from Tuesday through Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Tigers likely will be the overwhelming favorites when the preseason poll is released. Louisville, Miami and SMU are among the teams that potentially pose the biggest challenge to Clemson for the top spot and, by default, a shot at making the CFP. Florida State could be a wild card after an abysmal 2-10 record last season after going 13-1 in 2023 and being left out of the CFP. And who knows how much the bar will be raised by perhaps the greatest coach in NFL history, as Bill Belichick makes his leap into college football at North Carolina. There's still a lot of ground that has to be made up between the rest of the league and the Tigers. Clemson returns 80% of its roster from last season's team that won the ACC championship. And historically, in this conference, when the Tigers have the talent, they win. Eight of the last 10 ACC championships have gone to coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson, and that includes a 75-3 record against league foes at home since the start of that championship run in 2015. Miami had a chance to stomp out the remaining embers of the Tigers' title dominance. The Hurricanes just needed to win their regular-season finale at Syracuse to make it three of the past four seasons with an ACC champ not named Clemson. That's the thing with the Tigers, they have to be finished off, not assumed to be done. Much of the narrative that Clemson was vulnerable was generated by its 34-3 season-opening loss to Georgia. The Tigers still won their regular-season conference games by an average of 18.8 points. Thanks to Syracuse's upset over Miami, Swinney came away with his ninth league title by beating SMU. There's at least one team that won't be intimidated by Clemson's history after having made a little of its own last season. Louisville defeated the Tigers for the first time in nine tries, handing them their lone loss in the league last season. U of L coach Jeff Brohm is 1-0 in his only meeting against Swinney and the Tigers. The Cardinals claimed their best win of 2024 by going into Death Valley and winning convincingly 33-21. That will give the Cards confidence as the Tigers visit L&N Stadium on Nov. 14 for a Friday night prime-time matchup on ESPN. What could help U of L this season is exactly what hurt it last — the league's scheduling. SMU went undefeated in the league partly because it didn't play Clemson or Miami in the regular season. The Canes didn't play the Tigers, either. What they all had in common was Louisville, which was the only team to play each of the top three schools in the standings. If those same schools are all lurking near the top this season, they at least have some head-to-head meetings. The Cards will again play all three, including SMU and Miami on the road. The Mustangs will also play Clemson and Miami. Although the Canes and Tigers won't play each other, the schedule is more well-rounded for the schools that figure to be contenders. To be clear, they're contending for second place behind Clemson, but if it gets your favorite team in the playoffs, there won't be much complaining on how they got there. Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football could rate CFP shot even if it can't top Clemson
Fox News
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel roasts reporter for not paying attention during training camp media session
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Mike Vrabel may not be Bill Belichick, but the veteran head coach who now leads the New England Patriots channeled him on Tuesday after not liking a reporter's question. Why exactly? He had just answered it from a different reporter. The reporter in question was the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, who asked Vrabel how he felt about how his squad came into Patriots camp on day one. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Vrabel, clearly ticked off, answered rather quickly. "Whether you were in a coma when I answered Tom's question, or typing on your phone or tweeting, I don't know. But I spent five minutes answering that question. I can go back through it, but I'd rather not," Vrabel said. PATRIOTS COACH 'AWARE' OF STEFON DIGGS VIDEO INVOLVING MYSTERIOUS PINK SUBSTANCE ON A BOAT Some may view Vrabel's response as one he didn't have to give Volin, but the reporter owned up to not paying attention to the previous answer from the new head coach after posting on X. "Flag on the play. 5 yard penalty. Total lack of focus," Volin replied after the video of him and Vrabel's exchange went viral. Patriots reporters are used to no-nonsense, stern responses up at the lectern given Belichick's years of monotone answers to questions. Vrabel can be more animated, but he was once a player underneath Belichick and his own coaching style has similarities. He expects everyone to do their jobs correctly and efficiently — even reporters in the press room. The Patriots let Jerod Mayo, a former New England teammate of Vrabel's, go after just one season as their head coach in 2024. New England went 4-13 under Mayo, which was the worst mark in the AFC East last year. Vrabel was considered a frontrunner for the Patriots job last offseason when Belichick and the team mutually parted ways, but he ultimately never found a new head coaching gig after being let go by the Tennessee Titans following six seasons as their head coach. After a year-long hiatus, Vrabel is back in the saddle with a New England team looking to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2021. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP With new blood, including wide receiver Stefon Diggs, in the building to go along with cornerstone pieces like quarterback Drake Maye, the storylines in Foxborough are expected to be abundant this season. Vrabel, though, clearly hopes those stories don't involve repeat questions. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Al Arabiya
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
Mike Vrabel 'not Messing Around' as he Prepares for 1st Training Camp as Patriots Coach
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Mike Vrabel was hired as New England Patriots coach seven months ago to recalibrate a team that hasn't won a playoff game since its most recent Super Bowl win in the 2018 season and has slumped to 4-13 finishes the past two seasons. Everything Vrabel has done – from hiring his coaching staff to building out the roster through free agency and the draft – has been about laying a foundation for his first season. As important as all those steps and initial spring workouts have been in the process, the work begins in earnest Wednesday with the start of training camp. He said his message to his new team will be simple. 'It's time to build a team,' Vrabel said. 'We have to start coming together as a football team.' Vrabel arrived at Foxborough having shared history with each of his two predecessors – winning two Super Bowls as a player under Bill Belichick and then playing his final season in New England alongside Belichick successor Jerod Mayo. When he was hired in January, Vrabel said his initial goal would be to put together a team capable of taking advantage of opponents when they play bad football. That's still an ongoing project but one that he believes they've made headway on. 'We're closer than where we were in March or April when we got here. I think we are,' Vrabel said. 'I think the players are starting to understand. We talk about the good, the bad, and the (stuff) that gets you beat, and I think that they can tell the difference between those three now.' Special teamer Brenden Schooler, who earned his first All-Pro selection last season, said the no-nonsense vibe Vrabel has introduced is noticeable around the team facility. 'You're not scared, but you know he's not messing around,' Schooler said. One thing that has helped Vrabel make an early impression is that he won't be coaching any players that have links to the Patriots' most recent run of success. Following the release of long snapper Joe Cardona in April, there are no remaining players on New England's roster that were on the 2018 Super Bowl team. As he begins the process of whittling down the 91 players that will begin camp, Vrabel said he wants to see them not just try to make the roster but carve out a role with the team. 'There's a lot of different levels to what those roles are, and in my 14-year career I've had plenty of them: from special teams, multiple-position backup, to starter, a starter that was expected to be productive, to a veteran leader,' Vrabel said. 'So there's multiple levels of what that role will be, and it's up to them to earn it.' No limits for Diggs. Receiver Stefon Diggs passed his physical and will be practicing without limitations nine months after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. 'It's just a testament to how hard he worked,' Vrabel said. 'Is he going to take every single rep of every single period? No, and I don't think any player will. But I think we're off to a good start and encouraged by what we saw here in the last couple of days.' A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Diggs had six straight 1000-yard receiving seasons for the Vikings and Bills before he was traded from Buffalo to Houston last spring. He had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans before he tore the ACL in his right knee in October.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mike Vrabel 'not messing around' as he prepares for 1st training camp as Patriots coach
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mike Vrabel was hired as New England Patriots coach seven months ago to recalibrate a team that hasn't won a playoff game since its most recent Super Bowl win in the 2018 season, and has slumped to 4-13 finishes the past two seasons. Everything Vrabel has done, from hiring his coaching staff to building out the roster through free agency and the draft, has been about laying a foundation for his first season. Advertisement As important as all those steps and initial spring workouts have been in the process, the work begins in earnest Wednesday with the start of training camp. He said his message to his new team will be simple. 'It's time to build a team,' Vrabel said. 'We have to start coming together as a football team.' Vrabel arrived at Foxborough having shared history with each of his two predecessors — winning two Super Bowls as a player under Bill Belichick and then playing his final season in New England alongside Belichick successor Jerod Mayo. When he was hired in January, Vrabel said his initial goal would be to put together a team capable of taking advantage of opponents when they play bad football. Advertisement That's still an ongoing project, but one that he believes they've made headway on. 'We're closer than where we were in March or April when we got here. I think we are,' Vrabel said. 'I think the players are starting to understand. We talk about the good, the bad, and the (stuff) that gets you beat, and I think that they can tell the difference between those three now.' Special teamer Brenden Schooler, who earned his first All-Pro selection last season, said the no-nonsense vibe Vrabel has introduced is noticeable around the team facility. 'You're not scared, but you know he's not messing around,' Schooler said. Advertisement One thing that has helped Vrabel make an early impression is that he won't be coaching any players that have links to the Patriots most recent run of success. Following the release of long snapper Joe Cardona in April, there are no remaining players on New England's roster that were on the 2018 Super Bowl team. As he begins the process of whittling down the 91 players that will begin camp, Vrabel said he wants to see them not just try to make the roster but carve out a role with the team. 'There's a lot of different levels to what those roles are, and in my 14-year career I've had plenty of them: from special teams, multiple-position backup, to starter, a starter that was expected to be productive, to a veteran leader,' Vrabel said. 'So, there's multiple levels of what that role will be, and it's up to them to earn it.'. Advertisement No limits for Diggs Receiver Stefon Diggs passed his physical and will be practicing without limitations nine months after undergoing season-ending knee surgery. 'It's just a testament to how hard he worked,' Vrabel said. 'Is he going to take every single rep of every single period? No, and I don't think any player will. But I think we're off to a good start and encouraged by what we saw here in the last couple of days.' A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Diggs had six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Vikings and Bills before he was traded from Buffalo to Houston last spring. He had 47 catches for 496 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Texans before he tore the ACL in his right knee in October. ___ AP NFL:
