Louis Vuitton signs multiyear partnership with Real Madrid teams
Louis Vuitton has “unveiled an official multiyear partnership with the Real Madrid soccer and basketball teams,” marking yet another “high-profile sports deal for the world’s biggest luxury brand,” according to Joelle Diderich of WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. The announcement, coming on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., confirmed “speculation swirling in sports circles since […]
Louis Vuitton has “unveiled an official multiyear partnership with the Real Madrid soccer and basketball teams,” marking yet another “high-profile sports deal for the world’s biggest luxury brand,” according to Joelle Diderich of WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY. The announcement, coming on the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S., confirmed “speculation swirling in sports circles since February that Vuitton was poised to succeed Zegna as the team’s official off-field outfitter.” Terms of the deal with Real Madrid were not disclosed, but LV noted that it was the “first time it was placing its tailoring expertise at the service of athletes beyond the pitch.” The formal wardrobe for the men’s and women’s football teams, as well as the men’s basketball team, includes “ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories that will be worn during official representations.” Meanwhile, the brand may have a “strong trackside presence as title sponsor of key races” in F1, but do not expect to see the LV logo “writ large inside the renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium in Madrid” (WOMEN’S WEAR DAILY, 6/13).
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo rips transfer portal culture, calls out tampering in college basketball
Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo is 70-years-old and the longest-tenured active men’s college basketball coach among high major programs. He has seen some things since taking over the Michigan State program in 1995. But nothing he’s seen is as comparably cataclysmic, he said this week in an interview with Jon Rothstein, than the transfer […]
Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo is 70-years-old and the longest-tenured active men’s college basketball coach among high major programs. He has seen some things since taking over the Michigan State program in 1995.
But nothing he’s seen is as comparably cataclysmic, he said this week in an interview with Jon Rothstein, than the transfer portal and the chaos it has wrought within the sport.
“The transfer portal is way worse than NIL,” Izzo said. “What the transfer portal does is gives a lot of middlemen a chance to come in. What I think is bothering me and my sport the most is the way people are tampering with people throughout the year.”
Izzo added that the structure of the portal and the enforcement of transfers — or lack thereof — is what he sees as one of the biggest issues facing the sport right now. Tampering remains a huge sore spot among coaches, and as Izzo noted, there was once a time when you could recruit a class and be set for several years. Now, he says, you can recruit a class and barely be set for a full season.
“Even in the NFL, NBA, you don’t tamper with a guy who has a four-year contract,” he said. “The portal never closes because you have too many dirtbags who are tampering with people and players. The worst thing I see is the tampering.”
There are potential fixes to solve the tampering issue — some, including Izzo, have proposed a one-time transfer rule — but there does not appear to be an urgency among decision-makers to address it.
That has led to a number of coaches in the meantime to work around it by getting creative while advocating for change. And while it hasn’t stopped coaches from complaining, both publicly and privately, it has produced a fruitful dialogue led by some of the most experienced around the game.
Izzo for his part recognizes the importance of his role as an old head with a new game in town.
“I don’t like the current system,” Izzo said. “But there’s not a football or basketball coach that likes it. Some are just at the stage of their career where they can’t say it; I can say it.”
Most impressive perhaps is Izzo’s ability to rise above circumstances. He doesn’t like the transfer portal system and has expressed concerns about NIL, which has led to a rise in transfers. But Izzo remains Izzo: steady, consistent and the rock of a team that finished with 30 wins last year.
“There’s just more added to the job 1755836997,” he said. “I think we’ve made some mistakes in letting [the portal] get there. Now I think we’re too gutless to correct our own mistakes.”
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina men’s soccer program defeated UCF 3-1 to open the season at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels were powered by goals from newcomers Dylan Kropp, Nacho Abeal, and Ryan Dugan. The Tar Heels improved to (1-0, 0-0 ACC), while the Knights moved to 0-1 (0-0 Sun […]
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina men’s soccer program defeated UCF 3-1 to open the season at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels were powered by goals from newcomers Dylan Kropp, Nacho Abeal, and Ryan Dugan.
The Tar Heels improved to (1-0, 0-0 ACC), while the Knights moved to 0-1 (0-0 Sun Belt).
How It Happened
Luca Nikolai put the pressure on the Knights in the fifth minute, forcing a save with a shot bending toward the top right corner.
Bertil Rygaard Hansen barely missed the net just minutes later with a screamer that sailed wide.
UCF opened the scoring on a Lilian Ricol goal in the 21st minute.
Three minutes later, Carolina ramped up the pressure with Nacho Abeal putting two hard shots on net that forced great saves from the UCF keeper.
The Tar Heels found the net to equalize in the 25th minute off the head of Dylan Kropp. Andrew Czech assisted just the second goal of Kropp’s career and his first in open play.
The teams were knotted at 1 at halftime, but momentum was in Carolina’s favor.
In the 56thminute, Abeal was finally able to convert off of a long assist from the right foot of Lucas Ross. This goal turned into the fifth game-winner of Abeal’s career and the 12th total goal of his career. Ross notched his first career assist on the sequence.
The Tar Heels put the nail in the coffin on Ryan Dugan’s first career goal. Nikolai again found himself in the action by racing down the right side and crossing the ball to the right foot of Dugan who was planted in the middle of the box.
Inside the Box Score
UNC outshot UCF 17-8, including 12-1 in the first half.
Six different players notched a point for Carolina.
Nacho Abeal led all Tar Heels wiht six shots and three on goal.
Andrew Cordes recorded two saves.
Ryan Dugan opened up his college account with the game-sealing goal.
Tar Heel Tidbits
This was the eighth match-up between UNC and UCF with Carolina holding a 5-3 advantage in the series.
Head Coach Carlos Somoano has produced a stellar record in season openers as a head coach, having gone 13-0-2 over that span.
The total attendance was 3,430. Of that, 2,623 were students setting a new men’s soccer student attendance record.
Up Next
North Carolina will host Seattle at Dorrance Field on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Both UNC and Seattle, who have never played before, are receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches initial poll.
Stay up to date with UNC men’s soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Josh Pate predicts 2025 College Football Playoff field, national champion
[embedded content] With Week 0 quickly approaching, the final College Football Playoff and national champion predictions are on their way. Thursday night, Josh Pate revealed his projected bracket for the 2025 season. This year marks another change for the CFP after it expanded to 12 teams last season. It will now include a straight-seeding model […]
With Week 0 quickly approaching, the final College Football Playoff and national champion predictions are on their way. Thursday night, Josh Pate revealed his projected bracket for the 2025 season.
This year marks another change for the CFP after it expanded to 12 teams last season. It will now include a straight-seeding model rather than giving byes to the four highest-ranked conference champions. As a result, two SEC teams were in Pate’s first-round byes.
The 12-team CFP also presents opportunities for some intriguing matchups. Here are Pate’s full predictions, as revealed on Josh Pate’s College Football Show.
The teams who played in both Josh Pate’s projected SEC and Big Ten championships also received first-round byes in his prediction. Penn State and Texas were the projected winners of those respective games.
The Nittany Lions enter the season with plenty of expectations, and Pate picked them to knock off Oregon in Indianapolis this year. As for the Crimson Tide, they knocked off Texas in the predicted SEC title game, though the Longhorns still earned the No. 3 seed in the field.
Boise State earned a top-four seed in last year’s College Football Playoff, fueled by a rushing attack led by Ashton Jeanty. The Broncos will take on a new look this year now that Jeanty is in the NFL, but Josh Pate projects them to once again make the CFP as the final conference champion.
Clemson, meanwhile, is the favorite to win the ACC again this year with the most returning production in the country. The most notable returner is Cade Klubnik, who will look to take another step forward in Garrett Riley’s offense after a breakout 2024 season.
No. 11 Nebraska at No. 6 Notre Dame
Last year, Nebraska ended its bowl game drought and saw Dylan Raiola surge down the stretch to help get there. Josh Pate is high on the Cornhuskers this year, predicting them to make the College Football Playoff given the momentum Matt Rhule and Co. are building in Lincoln.
His prediction has the Huskers traveling to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish rattled off an impressive run to the national championship a year ago will lean heavily on a running game headlined by Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
No. 10 Arizona State at No. 7 Ohio State
One of the stories of the 2024 season, Arizona State not only has its coaching staff back, but also its key playmakers. Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson will look to lead the Sun Devils back to the College Football Playoff, and Josh Pate has them coming in as the No. 10 seed.
That would send Arizona State to The Horseshoe for the first round against Ohio State. The defending national champions lost a record number of NFL-caliber players from last year’s team, but Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are both back as the focal points of the offense and defense, respectively.
No. 9 Georgia at No. 8 Florida
Matt Pendleton | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party becomes a College Football Playoff game in Josh Pate’s projections. However, he has Georgia traveling to Gainesville to take on Florida in the opening round.
The Bulldogs reloaded this year as they look to once again make a run on a jam-packed SEC, fueled by another strong defense. As for the Gators, DJ Lagway will look to stay healthy after showing flashes of his potential as a true freshman in 2024.
Quarterfinals: No. 9 Georgia vs. No. 1 Penn State
The College Football Playoff moves to bowl sites starting with the quarterfinals, and Josh Pate predicts Penn State and Georgia to win their first games. That sets up an exciting matchup with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
The Nittany Lions are the Big Ten favorite this year with a slew of returners on offense, led by quarterback Drew Allar. The Bulldogs saw some roster turnover and have a new quarterback in Gunner Stockton, but still have a talented defense led by CJ Allen after last year’s SEC Championship berth.
No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Alabama
Another Big Ten vs. SEC clash puts Caleb Downs against his former team. Josh Pate predicts Alabama will take on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The Crimson Tide and Buckeyes both have new quarterbacks under center this year in Ty Simpson and Julian Sayin. They’re also seen as interesting teams in their respective conferences, adding to the intrigue around the projected matchup in the CFP.
Texas and Notre Dame headline the third quarterfinal game in Josh Pate’s College Football Playoff predictions. That would put two of the top defenses against each other – but all eyes are on the Longhorns’ offense.
Arch Manning is officially the full-time starter and will make his debut in Week 1 against Ohio State. Notre Dame also has a new quarterback in CJ Carr, who came out of the next recruiting cycle, after he beat out Kenny Minchey for the starting job this week.
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oregon
The final College Football Playoff quarterfinal features a coast-to-coast matchup, according to Josh Pate. Clemson would take on Oregon for a spot in the semifinals.
The Tigers boast plenty of continuity this year with 81% of its production returning, according to ESPN. As for the Ducks, they’ve got a slew of new faces and will have a new quarterback as Dante Moore and Austin Novosad battle it out for the starting job.
Semifinals: No. 1 Penn State vs. No. 4 Oregon
Josh Pate predicts his top four seeds to advance to the semifinals in his College Football Playoff bracket. He also has two rematches of conference title games.
Pate predicted Penn State to defeat Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, meaning this would be the third meeting of the year between the two teams. This time around, he thinks things will go differently with the Ducks coming out on top to reach the national championship.
Once again, Josh Pate predicts a championship game rematch. This time, it’s Alabama vs. Texas – though this time, he sees a repeat performance from the Crimson Tide.
Pate predicted Alabama to take down Texas once again in the CFP semifinals, sending Kalen DeBoer to his second national championship in three seasons after getting to the title game at Washington. It would also set up two of the most interesting teams in the country to battle it out on the big stage.
National Championship: Alabama vs. Oregon
In his national championship, Josh Pate has Alabama and Oregon making the trip to Miami. He picked the Crimson Tide to get the victory.
Alabama’s last national title came in 2020 under Nick Saban, his last before retirement. The Crimson Tide just missed out on the College Football Playoff a year ago, but Pate thinks the program will not only make it back into the bracket, but return to the mountaintop.
The 2025 college football season officially gets underway this weekend with the Week 0 slate of games. From there, it’s on to Week 1 – and the race to Miami begins.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is entering his first season at UCLA after a dramatic exit from Tennessee after the 2024 college football season. The former five-star was one of the first high school recruits to sign an NIL deal before enrolling at a school when coming out as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 class. […]
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava is entering his first season at UCLA after a dramatic exit from Tennessee after the 2024 college football season.
The former five-star was one of the first high school recruits to sign an NIL deal before enrolling at a school when coming out as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2023 class.
Iamaleava, reportedly playing under a multi-year deal worth $8 million, took over as the starter last season. And the Vols found success, making their first College Football Playoff appearance.
Tennessee was expected to return Iamaleava leading up to the final day of spring practice, when news of its star quarterback’s decision to transfer reached head coach Josh Heupel. Though disputed by both parties, Iamaleava and his representatives were reportedly seeking around $4 million for the 2025 season.
Negotiations seemingly stalled, leading to Iamaleava and Tennessee parting ways. The Long Beach, California, native went on to transfer to UCLA, where he will make around $1.2 million this year, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
Based on reports of Iamaleava’s NIL dealings, it appears the 6-foot-6, 215-pound passer has taken a pay cut after his spring transfer.
Iamaleava and the Bruins will open the 2025 season at home against Utah at 11 p.m. ET (Fox).
Court rules in favor of 4 WVU Football players | WVU News
The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ruled in favor of four WVU Football players on Aug. 20, granting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to allow Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington eligibility for the 2025 season. The 67-page opinion from United States District Judge […]
The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ruled in favor of four WVU Football players on Aug. 20, granting a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to allow Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington eligibility for the 2025 season.
The 67-page opinion from United States District Judge John Bailey comes after acomplaintwas filed by the athletes against the NCAA on Aug. 1. The complaint alleges the NCAA wrongfully denied the athletes’ eligibility for the 2025 season, based on time previously spent at non-NCAA institutions.
“The NCAA will be enjoined from enforcing the Five-Year Rule as it applies to Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington. The NCAA is ordered to immediately grant West Virginia University and/or Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington’s waivers of any NCAA eligibility rule that would preclude them from engaging in intercollegiate competition in the 2025–2026 season based on their time spent at a junior college,” the opinion said.
The athletes played at non-NCAA institutions, also known as junior colleges, and transferred to various NCAA institutions before enrolling at WVU.
Due to time spent at junior colleges, the athletes would be ineligible to play at WVU this season, due to the “Five-Year Rule,” which allows athletes to play four seasons of a sport within five years, according to the opinion.
“Generally, the NCAA Bylaws require that a student-athlete meet certain eligibility standards. In relevant part, the NCAA Bylaws restrict the duration of a student-athlete’s eligibility to compete to four seasons within a five-year period, regardless of whether the school is an NCAA member,” the opinion said.
However, the complaint alleges that, due to a blanket waiver announced in December 2024 to extend eligibility for athletes who spent one or more years at non-NCAA institutions, the athletes believed they would be eligible for this season.
The complaint alleges that the athletes did not enter the 2025 NFL Draft because they thought they would have one more year of eligibility.
“Because the NCAA announced it was granting a waiver to all players whose eligibility was ending due to their time playing for non-NCAA institutions, Robinson withdrew his name from the National Football League draft and attempted to join the WVU football team because he believed the waiver applied to him,” the opinion said.
In a statement sent to The Daily Athenaeum, NCAA Associate Director of External Communications Saquandra Heath said the ruling will prevent high school students from having athletic opportunities in college.
“This ruling will lead to high school students losing opportunities to compete in college athletics and it erodes the academic standards that have for decades ensured student-athletes obtained an education,” Heath said.“The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and differing court opinions are why partnering with Congress is essential to provide stability for all college athletes.”
The DA also contacted the athletes’ lawyers for comment, which has yet to be received. This article will be updated with their statements when they become available.
WVU Football begins its 2025 season against Robert Morris University at 2 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Milan Puskar Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and can be heard on U92 The Moose.
Lincoln Riley blasts NCAA after West Virginia eligibility rulings, DJ Wingfield denial
Two days after USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield saw his preliminary injunction denied in his eligibility suit, another ruling came down across the country. Four West Virginia players were deemed eligible by a West Virginia district court, paving the way for them to suit up for the Mountaineers this season. Shortly after Wingfield’s denial, Lincoln […]
Two days after USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield saw his preliminary injunction denied in his eligibility suit, another ruling came down across the country. Four West Virginia players were deemed eligible by a West Virginia district court, paving the way for them to suit up for the Mountaineers this season.
Shortly after Wingfield’s denial, Lincoln Riley expressed his disappointment in the situation. When asked about the West Virginia decision, he called out the differing rulings on eligibility cases.
Speaking with reporters Thursday via Zoom, Riley cited the different decisions in different states as players seek eligibility. His stance was not just about Wingfield’s situation, but also others “in limbo” across the country.
“I’m a little bit at a loss for words on it, to be honest,” Riley said. “I mean, this is where we’re at right now is that your eligibility depends on what state that you’re in and which judge that you get. We just need to stop ourselves just for a second and think about that. We’ve got a national sport that’s run by a national organization, but your eligibility – which has been a huge question mark for so many people – depends on what state you’re in and what judge that you get and what lawyer that you have on in your trial. It’s sad that it’s gotten to this point, to be completely honest.
“Again, I hate it not just for DJ, but for all the different guys out there that were held in limbo for a long time and the lack of direction given by the NCAA. If this was one person trying to game the system and get an extra year, I understand the stance behind not letting them play. Like, the standards are the standards, that’s it. But look how many guys across the country are in this situation. This is not one misunderstanding, this is not one guy trying to game the system.”
Wingfield challenged the legality of the NCAA’s Five-Year Rule, which contends that players are eligible to play four seasons of competition across five years. The decision to file the lawsuit came after the NCAA denied waivers for a final season of eligibility.
In the West Virginia case, the four players – Jimmori Robinson, Jeffrey Weimer, Tye Edwards and Justin Harrington – also took aim at the Five-Year Rule and argued the NCAA is violating antitrust law by counting years spent at a junior college against eligibility. The suit refers to that rule as the “JUCO penalty” and cited the ruling in Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s case as a reason the players should be able to play this year.
Lincoln Riley calls for blanket waiver
As he weighed the ongoing eligibility lawsuits, Lincoln Riley acknowledged the amount of changes in college athletics recently. He cited the House v. NCAA settlement, as well as NIL rules, and the impact those shifts have had on athletics departments – adding to the uncertainty around the suits.
With that, though, Riley called for the NCAA to do the “right thing” by granting a blanket waiver to those players awaiting eligibility rulings. He reiterated he’s not just looking out for DJ Wingfield, but also others who are looking for answers on whether they can play this season.
“There were questions,” Riley said. “Nobody really knew what was going to happen and this settlement and NIL. All this stuff going on. We understand that there was some indecision on the NCAA’s part about all of this. I get that. There’s also a lot of indecision for these kids and for us as institutions. And you’ve got guys trying to make decisions in December, January, all that, when none of this was even agreed upon. Now, you’ve got all these guys in this situation, and it’s just hard for me to fathom why we wouldn’t do the right thing and have a blanket waiver to let these guys play.
“Again, it’s not one person. You’re talking about a lot of guys across the country, and for it to come down to what state that you’re in, it makes no sense. It’s really frustrating.”
‘The reality is, these kids should play’
As for DJ Wingfield, Lincoln Riley said the offensive lineman is in good spirits despite his denial and attended practice Wednesday. But he further doubled down on his desire for a national standard when it comes to eligibility rules.
“I know it’s really frustrating for the kid,” Riley said. “He’s been awesome. He came out to practice yesterday. It was great to see him. It’s heartbreaking for these guys – and again, not just a guy playing for us. Like I’ve said, this would impact other teams that we’re going to play against.
“But the reality is, these kids should play. There was too much indecision and too much going on and not enough national direction, and now that we’ve got the state-by-state thing, it’s not good for these kids. It’s not a good look for college football. I surely hope that we get it right because these kids don’t get do-overs.”
