<p>Fernando Mendoza has made a name for himself. You can call the Indiana quarterback &#8220;Heisman Winner,&#8221; &#8220;Player of the Year,&#8221; or by the nearly dozen other awards the junior has won from his record-setting season. Mendoza is using his name in this new Name, Image, and Likeness era to make millions, but he&#8217;s also using it to fight multiple sclerosis, a disease his mom Elsa has battled for 18 years.</p>
<p>With the help of local restaurants in Bloomington, Indiana, Mendoza is raising money for MS through the National MS Society.</p>
<p>The quarterback teamed up with BuffaLouie&#8217;s to make the &#8220;Mendoza Bros. Burger&#8221; and Gable&#8217;s Bagels for the &#8220;Mendoza Bros. Cubano.&#8221; Proceeds from both of those items go directly to the National MS Society.</p>
<p>&#8220;My mom means the world to me,&#8221; Mendoza said on his fundraiser <a href="https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/FernandoMendoza">site</a>. &#8220;She’s the most caring and positive person I know, and I’ll keep doing everything I can to support her and others living with MS.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mendoza&#8217;s goal is to raise $150,000 for the foundation. He has received $144,443 so far through his campaign.</p>
<p>In a letter penned to <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/fernando-mendoza-elsa-mom-ncaa-football-indiana-hoosiers">The Players&#8217; Tribune</a>, Elsa said her son has helped her not feel embarrassed about the degenerative disease.</p>
<p>&#8220;When you have to carry me up the stairs, you’ve always kept that same spark in your eye,&#8221; Elsa wrote. &#8220;No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having, you’ve never once looked away. You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love and are standing by.&#8221;</p>
<p>In the emotional letter, Elsa opened up about raising Mendoza as a young mom in Boston. She said her firstborn always felt like her closest buddy. Together, the two navigated the Miami native&#8217;s first Boston winter. All these years later, Mendoza is still helping his mom, just in different ways.</p>
<p>&#8220;Even as my condition has gotten worse, and as our lives continue to change around that fact. You manage to make me feel like I’m still every part of myself,&#8221; Elsa said. &#8220;Like I’m still that same person you’ve been teammates with since we got through our first Boston winter together. Like I’m still that same mom.&#8221;</p>
<p>Their bond took center stage at the Heisman ceremony in December, where Mendoza, through tear-filled eyes, dedicated the trophy to his mom.</p>
<p>&#8220;Mommy, this is your trophy as much as mine. You&#8217;ve always been my biggest fan. You&#8217;re my light. You&#8217;re my why. You&#8217;re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices, courage, love, those have been my first playbook and the playbook that I&#8217;m going to carry through my entire life. You taught me that toughness doesn&#8217;t need to be loud. It can be quiet and strong. It&#8217;s choosing hope. It&#8217;s believing in yourself when the world doesn&#8217;t give you much reason to. Together, you and I are rewriting what people think is impossible. I love you.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mendoza said he&#8217;s using his platform to achieve his goal of &#8220;a world free of MS.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The money raised through this campaign will help fund MS research, programs, and services so people affected by MS can live their best lives.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mendoza is arguably living his best life right now as he gears up to take on Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal Friday night. He credits the success he and Indiana are having this season to his mom.</p>
<p>&#8220;To see her optimistic and positive approach with all that she&#8217;s battling has given myself no excuse for complacency throughout my life — whether it&#8217;s academics or football,&#8221; Mendoza said on a recent <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/HpN2MEnKoD4?si=DXGcv7bl2wba38FL">podcast</a>. &#8220;To see her fight and see her struggle and then get better &#8230; it&#8217;s been so inspiring to myself.&#8221;</p>
<p>When Mendoza takes the field against Oregon, the spotlight will shine bright on college football&#8217;s best player, and he embraces it — knowing he&#8217;s making an impact for his mom, the person he cares about most.</p>


Credit: CFP via Getty Images

Indiana’s Heisman QB Fernando Mendoza Fights For Wins On The Field While Leading The Fight Against MS

College Football

General

Heisman

Indiana University

Sports

U.S.

<p>Lane Kiffin has mastered passive income, continuing to profit from his former team&#8217;s postseason success just over a month after leaving Ole Miss to become head coach at LSU.</p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">When Kiffin stepped down on November 30 to take the LSU gig, his contract included guarantees ensuring he would still benefit financially if the Rebels went on a College Football Playoff run, according to <a href="https://frontofficesports.com/lane-kiffin-earns-500k-bonus-from-ole-miss-win-over-georgia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Office Sports</a>.</span></p>
<p>Under the deal, LSU agreed to pay Kiffin $150,000 after Ole Miss made the College Football Playoff. That increased to $250,000 after Ole Miss beat Tulane in the first round, matching the payout Ole Miss had promised.</p>
<p>But wait, there&#8217;s more. After Ole Miss upset Georgia in the quarterfinals, Kiffin&#8217;s bonus grew to $500,000, per the outlet.</p>
<p>If the Rebels advance to the national championship game, LSU will owe him $750,000, and if they shock the world and win it all, Kiffin would receive $1 million from LSU within 30 days, the report said. The bonuses are not cumulative. Instead, each postseason win increases Kiffin&#8217;s total bonus to the next tier.</p>
<p>Not bad for not calling a single play for Ole Miss in the postseason.</p>
<p>Considering those numbers, it&#8217;s no surprise that Kiffin is still publicly supporting his former team. After Ole Miss&#8217;s win over Georgia at the Sugar Bowl on New Year&#8217;s Day, he posted photos of his family, appearing to count down to a potentially even bigger payday, <a href="https://x.com/Lane_Kiffin/status/2006955341963993373?s=20">saying</a>: &#8220;What a great finish!!! So much fun!! Only two more to go.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Kiffin said he wanted to attend the Sugar Bowl, but did not, to the relief of many of his former players, who view the entire situation as their former coach trolling them.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s all he&#8217;s trying to do. That&#8217;s all he&#8217;s been trying to do is steal our shine,&#8221; Ole Miss senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris told <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47479549/ole-miss-cfp-staff-uncertain-kiffin-plots-lsu-transfer-portal-period">ESPN</a>. &#8220;He was trying to be a troll. We&#8217;re going to troll him. We got something for him.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ole Miss&#8217;s postseason run continues next weekend in the Fiesta Bowl, with a trip to the National Championship on the line.</p>
<p>It remains unclear how many Ole Miss assistant coaches joining Kiffin&#8217;s LSU staff will remain with the Rebels through the semifinal on January 8 against the Miami Hurricanes. ESPN reports that offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. is expected to coach in the Fiesta Bowl, while three other assistants are expected in Baton Rouge this weekend.</p>
<p>That scenario is pending, but Ole Miss&#8217;s postseason run has already proven profitable for Kiffin.</p>


Untitled design (3Illustration by Daily Wire staff

It Pays To Be Lane Kiffin, LSU Coach Still Raking In Cash Off Former Team’s Success

Lane Kiffin

News

<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Editor’s note: This week, we’re reprinting some of our best stories from the past year. In this piece, originally published in November, Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan hits the road for some good old fashioned football with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.</span></em></p>
<p>***</p>
<p>BOSTON—On a brisk November morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shipped up to Boston with two goals: making his forgotten Merchant Mariners remember who they were, and bringing home the Secretaries’ Cup.</p>
<p>That’s the trophy that goes to the victor of an annual college football game that pits the Merchant Mariners against the Coast Guard, a smaller but beloved version of the annual Army-Navy game. Fans, alumni, and family of the “Kings Point” mariners and the Coast Guard travel from all over the country to support their teams.</p>
<p>This year, Duffy and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem — whose agency includes the Coast Guard — joined their teams for the final showdown of the season. They had a bet: whoever lost would host the other team at their agency back in the nation’s capital. It was a rare non-political event attended for the two high-profile politicians, who were there to cheer on their teams and talk trash to each other.</p>
<p>“Our Merchant Marine Academy, they’re excited to play on a on a big venue like this,” Duffy told The Daily Wire ahead of the game. “And sometimes they don’t get the attention that they deserve … they’re critical as part of America’s infrastructure and making sure that we can defend ourselves.”</p>
<p>“The Merchant Marine Academy, our young men and women go out and make sure we have the capability of supporting the military in doing sea lifts, making sure products are moving, supplies are moving, and our midshipmen provide those services,” he explained.</p>
<p>The Merchant Marine Academy is housed under the Department of Transportation, which formerly also housed the United States Coast Guard. The “Coasties” were moved under Homeland Security’s umbrella in 2003. But the reshuffling did nothing to the football rivalry, which dates back to 1949.</p>
<p>The Daily Wire spent the day with Duffy as he wandered around Fenway Park, even down to the locker room, where he aggressively hyped up the mariners before they headed out onto the field. “You guys have more heart, more grit,” Duffy told the animated mariners. “So please go kick some Coast Guard ass today!”</p>
<div class="fluid-width-video-wrapper"><iframe title="The Military Game at Fenway Park You’ve Never Heard Of" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dK1sGZB3qwM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
<p>Many of the midshipmen who were at the game were delighted to chat with the transportation secretary, who spent a big chunk of his time hanging out in the stands with them.</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah,” Edward Lippert told The Daily Wire, asked if he was a Duffy fan. “He’s the man. He’s the man.”</p>
<p>“I love that guy,” added Christian Meyers. “I can’t wait to see him.”</p>
<p>The two young men, who are both seniors at the academy, responded emphatically when asked what it means to them to be mariners. Meyers will go into Navy aviation after graduation, and Lippert will be sailing on his third mates license in the maritime industry.</p>
<p>“Oh man, it’s everything,” said Lippert. “I mean, it’s how cargo moves around the world right? World needs mariners.”</p>
<p>“Pretty much everyone here will graduate with a license in the US Coast Guard that’s capable of operating any boat or vessel in the American fleet,” he added.”We move cargo, whatever it be, cars, containers from point A to point B. We’re what puts food on your shelves.”</p>
<p>The second mariner conceded that without their work, American lives would be significantly impacted.</p>
<p>“It’d be really hard to live,” he said, asked where Americans would be without them. “Costs would be insane. I mean, there would be no food in supermarkets. There’d be nothing. There’d be nothing without us.”</p>
<p>Duffy feels that the Merchant Marine Academy has been not only forgotten but downright neglected by other secretaries of transportation, including his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg (“Boot-edge-edge,” as Duffy chuckled aside to his kids).</p>
<p>“They’ve been shunned,” Duffy said of the mariners. “They haven’t had the investments. They have one of the most beautiful campuses, but no one has  reinvigorated it. No one has invested in it.”</p>
<p>When Duffy first arrived in Kings Point, New York to visit the Merchant Marine Academy, he found out that these midshipmen had gone four months without hot water. A green energy effort brought in an electric boiler that didn’t work and ultimately led to the midshipmen going without water for months, he said with a shake of his head.</p>
<p>“So they’re taking cold showers. They have mold in in their dorms. Their dishwasher broke. They didn’t have regular plates and silverware. They had plastic plates, plastic silverware.”</p>
<p>When he brought it up to the midshipmen, he expected that they would be angry. Instead, he joked, they beat their chests and were proud of their tough situation: “I said, ‘No hot water?’ And they’re like, ‘ROAR!! You’re damn right we did! No hot water!&#8217;”</p>
<p>He also found out that President Joe Biden’s administration removed a mural of Jesus Christ on the water from the academy and put it in the basement.</p>
<p>“Shameful,” said Duffy. “It’s been in the academy for over 50 years!”</p>
<p>“I said that’s it, we are going to we are going to resurrect the painting of Jesus on the water out of the basement and put him back in his place of prominence. And when I mentioned it to the to the midshipman, they lost their minds.”</p>
<p>He doesn’t have to “bring faith back to the academy,” he said, questioned about the move: “These are faithful young men and women.”</p>
<p>One way that he’s boosting morale is by telling the mariners that the “black sheep” is their mascot, leaning into the idea that they are the “black sheep” of the academies and need to fight to reclaim their identity. Duffy himself was sporting a Merchant Mariners sweatshirt with the black sheep on it, as were his daughters and son who attended the game with him.</p>
<p>“I just I think it’s wrong that we have a great American academy with great young American men and women, that we don’t respect them,” Duffy shared. “They are the black sheep of all the academies, right? And sometimes when you feel a little beaten, you’re an underdog, you come back, have a little more heart, a little more energy, a little more fight.”</p>
<p>“You can see we have our black sheep shirts on,” he added. “And we embrace it and we still kick ass. We still have grit. We still crush it like what’s going to happen today on the football field here at Fenway.”</p>
<p>The mariners did indeed crush the Coast Guard that day in the very final seconds of the game. Duffy joined them on the field, holding the trophy high above his head as he cheered, exuberantly celebrating with the young men — and even jokingly trash talking Noem, who didn’t come down to the field for the Merchant Marine Academy victory.</p>
<p>“Well done man,” he told the mariners as they left the field, shaking their hands and slapping them on the back. “Thank you for fighting! Well done.”</p>


Untitled design (89)

Best Of 2025: Sean Duffy Puts The Merchant Mariners On The Map — Starting With A Football Win.

Marines

Sean Duffy

<p>Prosecutors said that former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, who was arrested on Wednesday, threatened to kill himself in front of a staffer with whom he had an intimate relationship.</p>
<p>These details were revealed Friday in District Court in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the 39-year-old has been charged with felony home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering.</p>
<p>Moore, appearing virtually for the arraignment, sat handcuffed as the prosecutor described the events that took place on Wednesday after Moore was fired over his alleged inappropriate relationship.</p>
<p>Moore barged into the victim’s apartment on Wednesday, grabbed several butter knives, as well as a pair of scissors, and started threatening his own life, prosecutors said.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am going to kill myself. I am going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You’ve ruined my life,&#8221; Moore said, according to prosecutors.</p>
<p>First Assistant Prosecutor Kati Rezmierski said the victim was terrorized: “A series of very intimidating and terrifying statements and behaviors there in that apartment.”</p>
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<p>According to new information released by Pittsfield Police, Moore left the apartment after making the threats to harm himself, prior to officers arriving.</p>
<p>Moore was quickly located by officers a few miles south of the apartment. The 39-year-old was taken into custody without incident and transported to a local hospital for evaluation before being booked in the Washtenaw County Jail.</p>
<p>Magistrate Odetalla gave Moore a $25,000 cash bond. He will be GPS tether monitored and has been told not to make contact with the victim or go to her residence. As a condition of his bond, the judge ordered Moore to continue his mental health treatment.</p>
<p>The victim, who isn&#8217;t being named in this case, had an alleged relationship with Moore that lasted years, despite Moore being married with three daughters. The prosecutors said Monday that when the victim broke the relationship off, Moore didn&#8217;t take it very well and continued to call and send numerous texts to the victim. The victim informed Michigan of the relationship on Wednesday, leading to Moore&#8217;s swift termination.</p>
<p>After posting bond, which Moore&#8217;s attorney Joe Simon expects to happen Friday, the former coach cannot leave Michigan without court approval. Simon wouldn&#8217;t comment on where Moore is going after posting bond. His next court appearance is January 22, 2026.</p>
<p>The University of Michigan told The Daily Wire that the school is unable to comment any further on this &#8220;personal&#8221; matter.</p>
<p><b>Related: </b><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moore-comes-to-light-after-michigan-head-football-coach-arrested-following-surprise-firing"><b>&#8216;Moore’ Comes To Light After Michigan Head Football Coach Arrested Following Surprise Firing</b></a></p>


Sherrone Moore

Sherrone Moore Charged With Home Invasion, Threatened To Kill Himself, Prosecutors Say

Crime

Football

University of Michigan

<p>The phrase &#8220;there is more to the story&#8221; is an understatement when it comes to what is currently unfolding in Michigan.</p>
<p>The University of Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore Wednesday, citing an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. That itself is huge news for one of the nation&#8217;s premier football programs, but buckle up. There&#8217;s more.</p>
<p>In just a few short hours, Moore was terminated from his head coaching position and is now in the custody of the Washtenaw County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, according to booking records, though no charges have been filed at this time.</p>
<p>It appears that Moore was initially taken into custody by the Pittsfield Township Police Department. Pittsfield police said it took an unnamed suspect into custody Wednesday evening as part of an assault investigation. According to the department, a man was taken into custody in the 3000 block of Ann Arbor-Saline Road in Pittsfield Township — this is just a few miles south of the University of Michigan. The suspect was then booked into the Washtenaw County Jail, where he awaits his first court appearance on Friday.</p>
<p>Officials with the department said the incident doesn&#8217;t appear to be random in nature, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. The Daily Wire reached out to Pittsfield Police Thursday morning in reference to Moore&#8217;s case and was told no further details on this case are being shared at this time. The police department directed The Daily Wire to a press release involving an assault investigation.</p>
<p>The university said that it fired the 39-year-old coach following an investigation into Moore&#8217;s improper relationship with a staff member.</p>
<p>&#8220;U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,&#8221; Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel said on Wednesday. &#8220;Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.&#8221;</p>
<p>An author who has covered Michigan Football for decades said in an interview Thursday morning with Fox 2 Detroit that Moore and his staffer were investigated this summer and both denied any relationship. John Bacon said Wednesday that the story changed when the staffer reported the relationship to the university.</p>
<p>&#8220;She went on the &#8216;hill&#8217; (where administration offices are) with the receipts, the text messages, the emails, the documents and so on laying out the details of the relationship,&#8221; Bacon said on Fox 2.</p>
<p>Bacon then opened up about what allegedly led to Moore being taken into custody.</p>
<p>&#8220;He broke into the employee&#8217;s home in Pittsfield Township&#8230;grabbed a knife apparently and threatened to harm her and harm himself,&#8221; Bacon said.</p>
<p>Per the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/11/sports/fired-michigan-coach-sherrone-moore-reportedly-attacked-woman-had-stalked-her-for-months-911-call/">New York Post</a>, a University of Michigan employee called 911 on December 10 to report an alleged attack by Moore. The caller said he had been stalking the victim for months, per the 911 call audio, which was obtained by the Post.</p>
<p>Bacon said since Moore&#8217;s arrest he is being monitored by mental health professionals while in custody.</p>
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<p>ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday after the firing that Michigan investigated Moore this fall after receiving a tip about the situation with the staffer, but the university didn&#8217;t find credible evidence. On Wednesday, however, university officials presented &#8220;overwhelming&#8221; evidence against Moore, and he was quickly dismissed.</p>
<p>ESPN&#8217;s Adam Schefter said on Thursday morning, &#8220;What we haven&#8217;t heard yet is Sherrone Moore&#8217;s side of this, and he gets his say in this particular situation as well. I do know that he felt like people had it in for him for an awful long time there while he was at Michigan. He felt like there were people who are out to get him. So all these things can all be true.&#8221;</p>
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<p>The firing comes days after National Signing Day, when Moore landed a No. 12-ranked recruiting class.</p>
<p>Before the drama unfolded on Wednesday, Moore was part of another controversy. Earlier this season, he served a two-game suspension for the illegal advanced scouting scheme involving former Michigan Football staffer, Connor Stalions.</p>
<p>Moore leaves Michigan with a 17-8 overall record. His final loss was against rival Ohio State.</p>
<p>Biff Poggi will serve as Michigan&#8217;s interim head coach in the Citrus Bowl against Texas on December 31.</p>


‘Moore’ Comes To Light After Michigan Head Football Coach Arrested Following Surprise Firing

Michigan

<p>Churches are not the only institutions that view baptisms as a stat line.</p>
<p>After years of athletes giving their lives to the Lord, Baylor University has also started keeping count. Baylor athletes wear their faith on campus as proudly as the names on their jerseys.</p>
<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s not very many schools across the country that have a competitive athletics program that combine that with a faith-based mission within the school,&#8221; Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Fortunately, Baylor is one of those schools that does that.&#8221;</p>
<p>The largest Baptist school in the country has baptized hundreds of athletes in the last five years alone.</p>
<div id="attachment_1010793" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1010793" class="size-large wp-image-1010793" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-1024x485.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="485" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-1024x485.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-300x142.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-768x364.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-1536x727.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09111-Pano-2048x970.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1010793" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Baylor Athletics</p></div>
<p>&#8220;Being able to be a part of the athletes&#8217; lives and their spiritual journey is one of the coolest things about working at Baylor,&#8221; Head Basketball Coach Scott Drew told The Daily Wire.</p>
<p>Drew has been at Baylor since 2003, so he&#8217;s seen many lives changed.</p>
<p>&#8220;We have close to 26 campus ministries. The local churches are packed with Baylor students on Wednesday night. At Sunday church service &#8230; there&#8217;s probably 500 to 1,000 college kids every service I&#8217;m there. At the end of the day, it&#8217;s because we have great leadership at Baylor University.&#8221;</p>
<p>The football team&#8217;s faith took the spotlight this season when 10 players were baptized by teammates.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Moments Like This Last Forever.</p>
<p>Last night, 10 of our own took the next step in their faith through baptism 📸⬇️ <a href="https://t.co/U9U6GNRe0x">pic.twitter.com/U9U6GNRe0x</a></p>
<p>— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BUFootball/status/1986175831266238697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Robertson, who leads the team on the field, helped baptize some of the players, including his former receiver, whom Robertson baptized before Thanksgiving.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Last night, Monaray Baldwin returned home to Waco and publicly declared his faith in Jesus Christ through baptism. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SicEm?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SicEm</a> <a href="https://t.co/MmGLI3lCvO">pic.twitter.com/MmGLI3lCvO</a></p>
<p>— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/BUFootball/status/1993711582199865491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&#8220;How it normally goes is when a player decides that they want to get baptized and give their life to Jesus, they get to decide who baptizes them. So it just happened that three guys wanted me to do it. That&#8217;s not something you turn down.&#8221;</p>
<p>Robertson also baptized Nate Bennett, his backup quarterback.</p>
<div id="attachment_1010795" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1010795" class="size-large wp-image-1010795" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM08845-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1010795" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Baylor Athletics</p></div>
<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s awesome,&#8221; Robertson said. &#8220;He&#8217;s like a little brother to me, and he would get mad if I said that, but I only say that because he&#8217;s younger than me, so I think I&#8217;m allowed to say that, but I love him so much.&#8221;</p>
<p>The baptisms are part of a player-led Bible. About 5-6 small groups meet on Tuesdays to study a video series put together by a teammate. This semester, it was organized by a safety on the team, Michael Allen. The team studied the book of Genesis and looked at Joseph&#8217;s life. Robertson said a lot of the team related to this one, which may be why it was the largest group they&#8217;ve had commit their lives to Jesus.</p>
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<p>&#8220;Joseph is sold by his brothers because they were jealous of him. Then he gets accused of something that he didn&#8217;t do, and gets thrown in prison for two years, and then he eventually always works his way up to second in command of Egypt. The guys are just like, &#8216;How did he stay the course? This is incredible.'&#8221;</p>
<p>Robertson calls leading the Bible study a &#8220;calling.&#8221; For some players, the football team&#8217;s Bible study may be the first one they&#8217;ve been part of.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s been definitely the most fruitful thing,&#8221; the quarterback continued. &#8220;You can kind of tell based off the questions that are getting asked when you break off into small groups. People have said they had no clue this was a thing, like they didn&#8217;t know about this.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I interviewed <a href="https://twitter.com/BUFootball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BUFootball</a> Quarterback, Sawyer Robertson, on the recent player-lead baptisms. 10 Baylor Football players were baptized at the end of their Bible study. Story Sunday on <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDailyWire</a>. <a href="https://t.co/Nnmf5ca13K">pic.twitter.com/Nnmf5ca13K</a></p>
<p>— Lynden Blake (@LyndenBlake) <a href="https://twitter.com/LyndenBlake/status/1997076676157546699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>The Bible studies are held anywhere there&#8217;s room at the athletic complex, including team meeting rooms and locker rooms. The same goes for baptisms. Coach Drew has baptized so many of his players over his 23 years in Waco — sometimes right on the court — that the team now has a baptism wall honoring all the players who have dedicated themselves to Christ.</p>
<div id="attachment_1010815" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1010815" class="size-large wp-image-1010815" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/1B9A3326October-16-2024-JRC-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1010815" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Baylor Athletics</p></div>
<p>&#8220;Our chaplain baptized five players on the way down to the University of Texas,&#8221; Drew said with a laugh. &#8220;We&#8217;re versatile.&#8221;</p>
<p>Thankfully for current athletes at Baylor, the days of bringing a cold tub to center court for baptisms are over. The Bears have new athletic facilities, which include a large, warm therapy tub. Some say it&#8217;s perfect for baptisms.</p>
<p>&#8220;It works quite well,&#8221; Robertson added. &#8220;All the other guys that are part of the player-led Bible study, there&#8217;s about 30 to 40 people now, and they&#8217;re cheering and applauding, it&#8217;s just encouraging.&#8221;</p>
<div id="attachment_1010797" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1010797" class="size-large wp-image-1010797" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/MMM09093-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /><p id="caption-attachment-1010797" class="wp-caption-text">Credit: Baylor Athletics</p></div>
<p>As you walk around campus, you notice Bible verses everywhere. The basketball team attends a chapel before every home game. Coach Drew calls it a &#8220;Christian atmosphere&#8221; that leaves an impact on players long after they&#8217;ve graduated.</p>
<p>&#8220;I keep some of the letters from past players,&#8221; Drew said. &#8220;Whenever you&#8217;re having a really bad day, or you&#8217;re like, why do we do what we do, you pull out one of those letters, and it makes it all worthwhile.&#8221;</p>
<p>Robertson&#8217;s relationship with God keeps him grounded through the grind of being a college athlete.</p>
<p>&#8220;I want to be as successful as possible, but at the end of the day, if my relationship with the Lord isn&#8217;t right, then none of what I do on Earth matters,&#8221; he says. &#8220;At the end of the day, like it&#8217;s got to be my foundation, and I&#8217;ve got to make that the priority of my life.&#8221;</p>
<p>Before games, the quarterback reads 2 Timothy 1:7: &#8220;For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I like thinking about that one before games because it kind of like relaxes me and takes the pressure off, even though I know there&#8217;s a lot of people watching. Just going out there and not having any fear of it and just playing, playing to honor God, really, it relieves some of that pressure.&#8221;</p>
<p>The 22-year-old also lives by Mark 8:36: &#8220;For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not all about likes and popularity and attention,&#8221; Robertson adds. &#8220;But seeking something that&#8217;s actually like true and like what can I put my identity in.&#8221;</p>
<p>If you Google Scott Drew, you&#8217;ll see how the world views the veteran coach. He&#8217;s a National Championship coach and a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. Accolades he&#8217;s beyond proud of. But Drew said the only winning that lasts is winning eternity.</p>
<p>&#8220;One day I&#8217;ll get to heaven and see a bunch of Baylor Bears up there,&#8221; he says. &#8220;People we had a chance to help grow spiritually.&#8221;</p>


Baylor Athletics

‘Playing To Honor God’: Baylor Athletes Find A Higher Calling

'Playing To Honor God': Baylor Athletics Find Bigger Purpose

Christianity

Southern Baptists

Texas

<p>NASHVILLE—Dealing with Vladimir Putin was just practice for President Donald Trump&#8217;s toughest tango yet: satisfying college football fans.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt Quarterback Diego Pavia on Tuesday asked Trump to sign an executive order expanding the college football playoffs from 12 to 16 teams. Pavia, a top NFL prospect, made his petition on X after Vanderbilt once again found themselves at number 14, despite a major win over in-state rival Tennessee.</p>
<p>Tagging Trump&#8217;s official account on X, Pavia said &#8220;MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE!&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> MAKE THE EXECUTIVE ORDER PLEASE‼️👀 <a href="https://t.co/R37y5YofAo">https://t.co/R37y5YofAo</a></p>
<p>— Diego Pavia (@diegopavia02) <a href="https://twitter.com/diegopavia02/status/1996088529651204360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea co-signed his Heisman-contending quarterback&#8217;s request, calling the playoff system &#8220;flawed.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Let&#8217;s go,&#8221; Lea told The Daily Wire. &#8220;If they&#8217;re willing to listen, we will make our case. If we can have someone come in from over the top and say &#8216;this is what we are going to do,&#8217; at least there&#8217;s clarity in that.&#8221;</p>
<p>Vanderbilt isn&#8217;t the only team left out of the playoff party. Miami is currently on the outside looking in, which was enough for Secretary of State and former Florida Senator Marco Rubio to phone the president for a favor.</p>
<p>“As a point of personal privilege &#8230; if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoff, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped and (Trump) is gonna have to take over next year,” Rubio <a href="https://x.com/GeoMilian/status/1995938408670380454?s=20">said</a> during this week&#8217;s cabinet meeting.</p>
<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s good,&#8221; Trump replied.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s unlikely that Trump will sign an order before Sunday, when the official playoff bracket will be set. Nor is it clear that an executive order could get the NCAA to expand the playoffs.</p>
<p>But the prospect of Trump attempting to influence collegiate athletics is not entirely far-fetched. The president began his second term signing an executive order to keep men out of women&#8217;s sports. He also signed an executive order to stabilize college athletics by preserving opportunities for non-revenue sports and prohibiting &#8220;pay-for-play&#8221; payments.</p>
<p>College football fans for years have wanted a playoff after having a system where only the top two teams had a shot at the title. In 2014, they got a four-team playoff, but most say that’s not good enough. Last season, the CFP expanded to 12 teams — but the committee still can&#8217;t get it right in the eyes of some coaches, players, and fans.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve tangled the wires too much. I am baffled by the process &#8230; the movement of teams up and down,&#8221; Lea said. &#8220;I wake up this morning and Utah is below us and now Texas is above us. What in the world is going on.&#8221;</p>
<p>The Nashville native is fighting for Vanderbilt&#8217;s historic season to continue.</p>
<p>&#8220;This team deserves to be in the playoff, they deserve to compete for a national championship.&#8221;</p>
<p>A Hail Mary from Trump may do the trick.</p>


Photo-illustration: Getty Images; Daily Wire staff

Marco Rubio, College Football Stars Petition Trump To Expand Playoff Bracket

Donald Trump

Executive Orders

Marco Rubio

Playoffs

<p>BOSTON—On a brisk November morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy shipped up to Boston with two goals: making his forgotten Merchant Mariners remember who they were, and bringing home the Secretaries&#8217; Cup.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s the trophy that goes to the victor of an annual college football game that pits the Merchant Mariners against the Coast Guard, a smaller but beloved version of the annual Army-Navy game. Fans, alumni, and family of the &#8220;Kings Point&#8221; mariners and the Coast Guard travel from all over the country to support their teams.</p>
<p>This year, Duffy and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem — whose agency includes the Coast Guard — joined their teams for the final showdown of the season. They had a bet: whoever lost would host the other team at their agency back in the nation&#8217;s capitol. It was a rare non-political event attended for the two high-profile politicians, who were there to cheer on their teams and talk trash to each other.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our Merchant Marine Academy, they&#8217;re excited to play on a on a big venue like this,&#8221; Duffy told The Daily Wire ahead of the game. &#8220;And sometimes they don&#8217;t get the attention that they deserve &#8230; they&#8217;re critical as part of America&#8217;s infrastructure and making sure that we can defend ourselves.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;The Merchant Marine Academy, our young men and women go out and make sure we have the capability of supporting the military in doing sea lifts, making sure products are moving, supplies are moving, and our midshipmen provide those services,&#8221; he explained.</p>
<p>The Merchant Marine Academy is housed under the Department of Transportation, which formerly also housed the United States Coast Guard. The &#8220;Coasties&#8221; were moved under Homeland Security&#8217;s umbrella in 2003. But the reshuffling did nothing to the football rivalry, which dates back to 1949.</p>
<p>The Daily Wire spent the day with Duffy as he wandered around Fenway Park, even down to the locker room, where he aggressively hyped up the mariners before they headed out onto the field. &#8220;You guys have more heart, more grit,&#8221; Duffy told the animated mariners. &#8220;So please go kick some Coast Guard ass today!&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Military Game at Fenway Park You’ve Never Heard Of" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dK1sGZB3qwM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Many of the midshipmen who were at the game were delighted to chat with the transportation secretary, who spent a big chunk of his time hanging out in the stands with them.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh, yeah,&#8221; Edward Lippert told The Daily Wire, asked if he was a Duffy fan. &#8220;He&#8217;s the man. He&#8217;s the man.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I love that guy,&#8221; added Christian Meyers. &#8220;I can&#8217;t wait to see him.&#8221;</p>
<p>The two young men, who are both seniors at the academy, responded emphatically when asked what it means to them to be mariners. Meyers will go into Navy aviation after graduation, and Lippert will be sailing on his third mates license in the maritime industry.</p>
<p>&#8220;Oh man, it&#8217;s everything,&#8221; said Lippert. &#8220;I mean, it&#8217;s how cargo moves around the world right? World needs mariners.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;Pretty much everyone here will graduate with a license in the US Coast Guard that&#8217;s capable of operating any boat or vessel in the American fleet,&#8221; he added.&#8221;We move cargo, whatever it be, cars, containers from point A to point B. We&#8217;re what puts food on your shelves.&#8221;</p>
<p>The second mariner conceded that without their work, American lives would be significantly impacted.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;d be really hard to live,&#8221; he said, asked where Americans would be without them. &#8220;Costs would be insane. I mean, there would be no food in supermarkets. There&#8217;d be nothing. There&#8217;d be nothing without us.&#8221;</p>
<p>Duffy feels that the Merchant Marine Academy has been not only forgotten but downright neglected by other secretaries of transportation, including his predecessor, Pete Buttigieg (&#8220;Boot-edge-edge,&#8221; as Duffy chuckled aside to his kids).</p>
<p>&#8220;They&#8217;ve been shunned,&#8221; Duffy said of the mariners. &#8220;They haven&#8217;t had the investments. They have one of the most beautiful campuses, but no one has  reinvigorated it. No one has invested in it.&#8221;</p>
<p>When Duffy first arrived in Kings Point, New York to visit the Merchant Marine Academy, he found out that these midshipmen had gone four months without hot water. A green energy effort brought in an electric boiler that didn&#8217;t work and ultimately led to the midshipmen going without water for months, he said with a shake of his head.</p>
<p>&#8220;So they&#8217;re taking cold showers. They have mold in in their dorms. Their dishwasher broke. They didn&#8217;t have regular plates and silverware. They had plastic plates, plastic silverware.&#8221;</p>
<p>When he brought it up to the midshipmen, he expected that they would be angry. Instead, he joked, they beat their chests and were proud of their tough situation: &#8220;I said, &#8216;No hot water?&#8217; And they&#8217;re like, &#8216;ROAR!! You&#8217;re damn right we did! No hot water!'&#8221;</p>
<p>He also found out that President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration removed a mural of Jesus Christ on the water from the academy and put it in the basement.</p>
<p>&#8220;Shameful,&#8221; said Duffy. &#8220;It&#8217;s been in the academy for over 50 years!&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I said that&#8217;s it, we are going to we are going to resurrect the painting of Jesus on the water out of the basement and put him back in his place of prominence. And when I mentioned it to the to the midshipman, they lost their minds.&#8221;</p>
<p>He doesn&#8217;t have to &#8220;bring faith back to the academy,&#8221; he said, questioned about the move: &#8220;These are faithful young men and women.&#8221;</p>
<p>One way that he&#8217;s boosting morale is by telling the mariners that the &#8220;black sheep&#8221; is their mascot, leaning into the idea that they are the &#8220;black sheep&#8221; of the academies and need to fight to reclaim their identity. Duffy himself was sporting a Merchant Mariners sweatshirt with the black sheep on it, as were his daughters and son who attended the game with him.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just I think it&#8217;s wrong that we have a great American academy with great young American men and women, that we don&#8217;t respect them,&#8221; Duffy shared. &#8220;They are the black sheep of all the academies, right? And sometimes when you feel a little beaten, you&#8217;re an underdog, you come back, have a little more heart, a little more energy, a little more fight.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;You can see we have our black sheep shirts on,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And we embrace it and we still kick ass. We still have grit. We still crush it like what&#8217;s going to happen today on the football field here at Fenway.&#8221;</p>
<p>The mariners did indeed crush the Coast Guard that day in the very final seconds of the game. Duffy joined them on the field, holding the trophy high above his head as he cheered, exuberantly celebrating with the young men — and even jokingly trash talking Noem, who didn&#8217;t come down to the field for the Merchant Marine Academy victory.</p>
<p>&#8220;Well done man,&#8221; he told the mariners as they left the field, shaking their hands and slapping them on the back. &#8220;Thank you for fighting! Well done.&#8221;</p>


Untitled design (76)

Sean Duffy Wants To Put The Merchant Mariners On The Map — Starting With A Football Win.

Boston

Department of Transportation

Kristi Noem

<p>The University of Alabama at Birmingham football team took the field Saturday afternoon for the final home game of the season despite two players having been stabbed by their teammate earlier that morning at their Football Operations Building.</p>
<p>&#8220;We’re grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect – another player – remains in custody, and an investigation is taking place,&#8221; a UAB spokesperson told The Daily Wire.</p>
<p>&#8220;The team elected to play today’s game. UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students. Given patient privacy and the ongoing investigation, we have no further comment at this time.”</p>
<p>According to Jefferson County Jail records, Daniel Mincey is in custody with no bond on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault. According to the jail records, UAB campus police arrested Mincey Saturday just before 1:00 p.m. local time.</p>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1004643" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/mincey-240x300.jpeg" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/mincey-240x300.jpeg 240w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/mincey-461x576.jpeg 461w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/mincey-768x960.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/mincey.jpeg 800w" sizes=" (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></div>
<p>UAB hasn&#8217;t named Mincey as the player involved in the stabbing, nor has the university said whether Mincey is still on the team as of Sunday morning. Mincey is the only UAB football player listed on the jail roster.</p>
<p>Per the UAB football website, Mincey is listed as a redshirt freshman offensive lineman in his first year with the Blazers football program. The Florida native transferred to UAB after one season at the University of Kentucky.</p>
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<p>UAB Athletic Director Mark Ingram hasn&#8217;t addressed the incident that happened at the football facility on Saturday. Instead, UAB&#8217;s interim football coach Alex Mortensen spoke to the media after the 48-18 loss to South Florida.</p>
<p>“I’m going to start with a statement,” Mortensen said. “Before we talk about the game, I do want to address what happened this morning. As you’ve heard, we have one player who is in police custody and two players who are in stable condition after sustaining injuries. More than anything, I’m grateful that those two players are in stable condition. And we will make sure that they have the support that they need. I hope you will join me in lifting them and their families in your thoughts and prayers, as our team is doing right now, too. I also ask that you will please respect their privacy as they deal with what happened.”</p>
<p>Mortensen, who took over the program after UAB fired head coach Trent Dilfer, said the team decided to go through with playing the football game because of the seniors on the team.</p>
<p>&#8220;We spoke as a team, and we spoke with the team, and those guys really wanted to play today, and the conversation went back to the seniors, with today being senior day, they wanted to go play for them, and give them an opportunity to [come] out and compete and play, so that was probably the biggest thing.&#8221;</p>
<p>The two players who were injured haven&#8217;t been identified. Mortensen said counseling is being offered to any player who wants it. The Blazers, who sit 3-8 on the year, have one more game this season on November 29 at Tulsa.</p>


UAB Football Helmet

Alabama Football Player Charged With Attempted Murder After Stabbing Incident

Alabama

UAB Football

<p>Former NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick’s leap to college football got off to a hot start on Monday night, but it quickly devolved into an embarrassment as his North Carolina Tar Heels were stomped in front of a home crowd by Texas Christian University.</p>
<p>Belichick and the Tar Heels were among college football’s media darlings leading up to the opening week. The game attracted nationwide attention with a primetime slot on ESPN, and UNC legends Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, and Roy Williams were all in attendance to see Belichick coach his first game since parting ways with the New England Patriots in January 2024.</p>
<p>North Carolina got the ball first and came out hot, driving 83 yards down the field in just seven plays and opening up the game with a 7-0 lead. The drive had the Chapel Hill crowd rocking, but the excitement only lasted for a few minutes. At the end of the first quarter, TCU scored to tie the game, and North Carolina’s offense began sputtering. TCU closed out the first half by kicking two field goals and picking off UNC quarterback Gio Lopez and returning it for a touchdown.</p>
<p>UNC’s collapse continued into the second half as Belichick’s defense — coached by his son, Steve — was embarrassed multiple times when TCU’s running backs sprinted past defenders for long scoring plays. Fans began their mass exodus from Kenan Memorial Stadium in the third quarter after TCU’s defense struck again with a strip sack returned for a touchdown. Belichick’s college debut was officially spoiled with more than 18 minutes of game time remaining.</p>
<p>By the end of the third quarter, the Tar Heels were down 41-14, and the team gave up another touchdown in the fourth quarter, setting a school record for points allowed in a season opener. It was also the most points ever <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bill-belichick-i-know-were-a-lot-better-than-that">surrendered</a> by a Belichick-coached team.</p>
<p>Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots between 2000 and 2023, said the Tar Heels have a lot to improve on, but added that he believes his team is a “lot better than that.” He also praised TCU’s performance.</p>
<p>“They were clearly the better team tonight,” Belichick <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401754523">said</a>. “They deserved to win and they did it decisively.”</p>
<p>On the other sideline, the TCU Horned Frogs believe they proved a point by quickly turning the attention away from Belichick and onto themselves.</p>
<p>“We wanted this game to be about us, and it was,” said TCU coach Sonny Dykes, according to ESPN.</p>
<p>“I think we all felt a little disrespected,” he added. “There was a lot of conversation about this game and none of it was about us.”</p>


TCU v North Carolina

How Bill Belichick’s Hyped-Up College Coaching Debut Turned From Excitement To Complete Disaster

Bill Belichick

University of North Carolina

<p style="font-weight: 400;">A sophomore football player at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point joined his father in heroically rescuing a man from a burning car just before it became engulfed in flames.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The courageous actions of Army football safety Larry Pickett Jr. and his father Larry Pickett Sr. were caught on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/larry.pickett/videos/629538596878829/?rdid=o63wxWrD2P38qCi2">video</a> as they seized the driver of the car — which was near downed power lines — and carried him away.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“At one point, a woman could be heard screaming: ‘Larry! Come on! Come on! Get him out!’” <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46127559/army-football-player-larry-pickett-jr-rescues-man-burning-vehicle">ESPN</a> reported.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The car smashed into a utility pole in Fort Montgomery, New York, roughly four miles from West Point on Sunday. Pickett Jr. was driving back to the West Point campus with his dad and his sister, Lauren, after having dinner in Manhattan. Lauren took the video of her brother and father pulling the man to safety.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Just after Midnight, I watched in awe as my son, Larry Pickett Jr., ran toward a burning vehicle, ignoring the downed power lines crackling around it,&#8221; Pickett Sr. wrote on Facebook. &#8220;With immense courage, he pulled a man to safety, saving him from a fiery fate.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;There was no discussion. My son just jumped right into action,&#8221; Larry Pickett Sr. told <a href="https://abc11.com/post/former-enloe-current-army-football-player-saves-man-burning-car/17705965/">WTVD-TV</a>. &#8220;He mentioned his military training kicked in, and we pulled him out. He took care of him on the side of the road until the police officers got there. And then the fire department got there shortly after.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“It&#8217;s just amazing to see him in action. And it&#8217;s just not surprising because we&#8217;ve watched him his whole life do amazing things,” he added.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“We&#8217;re proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet &amp;  @ArmyWP_Football  player, &amp; his father who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the @USArmy  Values,” the U.S. Military Academy wrote on X.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We&#8217;re proud of the heroic actions taken Saturday night by Cadet Larry Pickett Jr, a second-year cadet &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/ArmyWP_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArmyWP_Football</a> player, &amp; his father who are seen pulling a driver to safety in a video online taken by the family. Their actions are the embodiment of the <a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USArmy</a> Values. <a href="https://t.co/dlccTMwonT">pic.twitter.com/dlccTMwonT</a></p>
<p>— U.S. Military Academy at West Point (@WestPoint_USMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA/status/1962338537719706087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Army Athletic Director Tom Theodorakis echoed, “This is exactly what we strive to develop at  @WestPoint_USMA &amp; @GoArmyWestPoint — leadership, courage, and selfless service. Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life. Proud to see these traits in action, on and off the fields of friendly strife. Count the brave.”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is exactly what we strive to develop at <a href="https://twitter.com/WestPoint_USMA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestPoint_USMA</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/GoArmyWestPoint?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoArmyWestPoint</a> &#8211; leadership, courage, and selfless service.</p>
<p>Cadet Larry Pickett Jr. and his father exemplify the values we hold dear, stepping up in a moment of crisis to save a life. Proud to see these traits in… <a href="https://t.co/6IyMefpkkp">https://t.co/6IyMefpkkp</a></p>
<p>— Tom Theodorakis (@TT_Army_AD) <a href="https://twitter.com/TT_Army_AD/status/1962485812013961623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>


Larry Pickett Jr

HERO: Army Football Player Rescues Stranger From Burning Car

Military

Rescue

West Point

<p>On Saturday, veteran football commentator Lee Corso made his 430th and final “headgear pick” on ESPN’s College GameDay.</p>
<p>It’s been 38 years since Corso helped launch the flagship college football broadcast, and 29 years since he first <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/lee-corsos-last-show-beloved-member-of-college-gameday-dons-ohio-state-headgear-one-final-time-in-send-off/">donned a mascot head</a> to lock in a pick — picks that were right <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46112766/lee-corso-picks-ohio-state-final-gameday-appearance">more often than not</a>.</p>
<p>His first-ever headgear pick was for THE Ohio State, so it was only fitting that, for his last prediction, he donned the head of Brutus Buckeye one final time.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&#8220;Give me my first love!&#8221;</p>
<p>Lee Corso&#8217;s first-ever headgear pick belonged to Brutus and the Buckeyes and it&#8217;s only fitting that his last one is the same ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/A8Fgj8b3TR">pic.twitter.com/A8Fgj8b3TR</a></p>
<p>— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) <a href="https://twitter.com/CollegeGameDay/status/1961822393732673601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Standing in the way of Corso&#8217;s pick were the Texas Longhorns, coming into Columbus behind Arch Manning  for the first road start of his career.</p>
<p>It had been 2,084 days since Arch’s uncle, Eli, played his last game for the New York Giants, bringing to a temporary pause the family legacy Peyton Manning began with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. With a dynastic name on his shoulders and a <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/08/30/sports/arch-mannings-6-8-million-nil-value-revealed-as-texas-qb-takes-center-stage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$6.8 million NIL valuation</a> behind him, Arch Manning took the field in Columbus ready to make Lee Corso regret his last-ever headgear pick.</p>
<p>He did not succeed.</p>
<p>Manning, considered a strong contender for the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and a Heisman Trophy favorite, completed just 17 of 30 passes for a total of 170 yards. He threw for one late touchdown, and threw one crushing interception.</p>
<p>It was widely remarked on X and in group chats across the country that Manning threw fewer touchdowns than commercials he appeared in Saturday — for Raising Cane&#8217;s, the athleisure brand Vuori, and, for some reason, Warby Parker.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch Manning has more commercials than completions <a href="https://t.co/VdBjhErkBt">pic.twitter.com/VdBjhErkBt</a></p>
<p>— Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1961842339766308979?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Haters will say that Arch’s performance on Saturday proves that he’s nothing but a nepo baby, and a disappointing one at that. They’ll say the only thing he inherited from his uncles is a penchant for selling car insurance and sandwiches. They’ll say that he should start preparing for a postgrad career at his dad’s real estate firm rather than in the NFL.</p>
<p>But I’m not a hater. It’s a long season, and Arch’s disastrous debut notwithstanding, he’s still a promising player who will likely fare better down the line when he’s not playing the reigning college football champions on their home turf.</p>
<p>On the other hand…I am a bit of a hater. And the tweets dunking on the Manning scion are simply too good not to share.</p>
<p>So, here are some of the best.</p>
<h3>The name is Rooski. Fumblerooski.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Arch it’s 4th down! We need you to make a play!” <a href="https://t.co/vGQ8ACCK98">pic.twitter.com/vGQ8ACCK98</a></p>
<p>— Old Row Sports (@OldRowSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/OldRowSports/status/1961856811218161671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>It was fun while it lasted.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/MFJtXLgxuv">pic.twitter.com/MFJtXLgxuv</a></p>
<p>— Robert Behrens (@rcb05) <a href="https://twitter.com/rcb05/status/1961865346488377587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Maybe his real gift is acting?</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watching Arch Manning reveal himself as nepo Jeff Driskel on national TV only for Fox to cut to a commercial with him every thirty seconds is fucking hysterical</p>
<p>— Barstool SEC (@SECBarstool) <a href="https://twitter.com/SECBarstool/status/1961863526928261628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Not even the Failing New York Times is impressed.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reviewing Arch Manning&#8217;s performance on the day.</p>
<p>Great in the Warby Parker ad.</p>
<p>Decent in Vuori and Raising Cane&#8217;s.</p>
<p>Football game against Ohio State? &#8230; Not great!<a href="https://t.co/OJHFUwqrmE">https://t.co/OJHFUwqrmE</a></p>
<p>— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) <a href="https://twitter.com/slmandel/status/1961887481554739629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3> Many people are saying!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Arch Manning for Heisman” <a href="https://t.co/3I7Gasr0vG">pic.twitter.com/3I7Gasr0vG</a></p>
<p>— Transfer Portal (@NCAAPortal) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAAPortal/status/1961864255394684935?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>I think I&#8217;ll just stay here and drink.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch Manning looks less comfortable than Luke Bryan trying to name 3 Merle Haggard songs without using Google.</p>
<p>— NotKennyRogers (@NotKennyRogers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NotKennyRogers/status/1961845540292804966?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>This one&#8217;s just mean.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ohio State defense has Arch Manning like this rn <a href="https://t.co/aHzQWP16dY">pic.twitter.com/aHzQWP16dY</a></p>
<p>— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) <a href="https://twitter.com/Three_Cone/status/1961863172949725324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>No disrespect to good ol&#8217; WCSU.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch Manning when he isn’t playing West Copperfield State University <a href="https://t.co/OYVedSuor4">pic.twitter.com/OYVedSuor4</a></p>
<p>— 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 ✌🏽 (@BELIEVEBRAND0N) <a href="https://twitter.com/BELIEVEBRAND0N/status/1961841077754712198?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Would you call John Quincy Adams a nepo baby?!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch Manning if Peyton and Eli weren’t his uncles<br />
<a href="https://t.co/i6y4FDfDUs">pic.twitter.com/i6y4FDfDUs</a></p>
<p>— Le5-6 (@deepyy_) <a href="https://twitter.com/deepyy_/status/1961827027012530329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Arch!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch Manning in the Manning family <a href="https://t.co/Wm4KLMICR5">pic.twitter.com/Wm4KLMICR5</a></p>
<p>— Wilson F. Ball, CFB Analyst (@WillyFoosball) <a href="https://twitter.com/WillyFoosball/status/1961843314606428634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Shouts out to our boy Rob Schneider (real ones get it).</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Arch in the Manning family <a href="https://t.co/92BNebqB78">pic.twitter.com/92BNebqB78</a></p>
<p>— Erik Andersen (@erikandersennn) <a href="https://twitter.com/erikandersennn/status/1961833662628188641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h3></h3>
<h3>Ask not what your quartahback can do for you!</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">JFK if Arch Manning was the shooter <a href="https://t.co/fXfAJdDd3h">pic.twitter.com/fXfAJdDd3h</a></p>
<p>— Joseph 🕊️ (@CaudilloXIV) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaudilloXIV/status/1961864035311214856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Don’t worry, Arch — we’re laughing <i>with</i> you.</h3>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Me liking all the Arch Manning memes <a href="https://t.co/SE3YXky9Bd">pic.twitter.com/SE3YXky9Bd</a></p>
<p>— Three Year Letterman (@3YearLetterman) <a href="https://twitter.com/3YearLetterman/status/1961858119694205304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>


Texas v Ohio State

All The Best Tweets About Arch Manning’s Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Game

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