Connect with us

NIL

Mack Brown says Bill Belichick has ‘no reason’ he shouldn’t be successful at UNC

Mack Brown didn’t leave North Carolina in the best shape when the program dismissed him as its head coach in November, going 6-6 in his final regular season with the team. However, he has high expectations for his successor, Bill Belichick.  In fact, the former UNC head coach seems to think that Belichick might have […]

Published

on


Mack Brown didn’t leave North Carolina in the best shape when the program dismissed him as its head coach in November, going 6-6 in his final regular season with the team. However, he has high expectations for his successor, Bill Belichick. 

In fact, the former UNC head coach seems to think that Belichick might have an easier job at succeeding in Chapel Hill than he did over the last couple of years. In an interview with SiriusXM College Sports Radio’s “Dusty and Danny In the Morning,” Brown shared that the school has loosened up the academic requirements and has made more investments into the football program ever since Belichick’s hiring in December.

“As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick now, he’s arguably the best coach ever,” Brown said. “They’ve committed money to it. They’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards some. So, there’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be successful … and they’ve changed the roster. I think they’ve signed maybe 60-something new transfers. 

“So, you’ve got a chance to succeed at the highest level, and I expect him to do that and I’m proud for him.”

There were rumors and reports at the time of Belichick’s hiring that UNC had promised to raise the name, image and likeness (NIL) budget for its football program in order to secure the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. There was an expectation that the NIL for UNC would be upwards of $20 million, CBS Sports reported in December.

While NIL collectives aren’t publicly available, Belichick signed a five-year, $50 million contract to become UNC’s head coach. That’s twice as much as what Brown made by the time his tenure at UNC ended, as he had three years and $15 million remaining on his contract following the 2024 season, according to ESPN. 

So, UNC is making a richer investment with Belichick than it did with Brown, at least in terms of salary. But Brown continued to insist that UNC was behind other programs in terms of NIL money by the time his tenure ended, adding that the high academic standards made it difficult to recruit and retain players.

“North Carolina didn’t have NIL money and I said we were kind of a slow bleed,” Brown said Tuesday afternoon on the program. “We weren’t able to recruit the top kids like we were when we first got there. It was time for them and it was time for me, kind of like a divorce. Everybody was ready. It’s just who and how and how you split at the end. It was best for me to get out.”

“We always built programs on fit, and our last couple years there we were having to get parents with money, we were trying to get kids over a 3.0 because that’s who we could get. We signed 26 players at North Carolina our next-to-last year — high school players — and didn’t pay them a penny. So those kids, we even had Omarion Hampton, he got offered $1 million-plus to leave and he stayed for $300,000. I told him he should leave, because it was just crazy as you were looking at those things.”

UNC denies banning Bill Belichick’s girlfriend from facility, Is Belichick rebranding?

UNC denies banning Bill Belichick’s girlfriend from facility, Is Belichick rebranding?

Brown’s claim that UNC has loosened its academic standards for the football program also isn’t easily verifiable. However, Belichick had a lot more success landing talent in the transfer portal this offseason than Brown ever did. Belichick’s transfer portal class for the 2025 offseason ranked ninth on 247 Sports. Brown, meanwhile, never had a transfer class ranked higher than 30th, including a 58th-place ranking in 2024.

In terms of high school recruiting, Belichick helped UNC land the 36th-best recruiting class in 2025 while its 2026 recruiting class currently ranks 17th on 247 Sports. After landing three straight top-15 recruiting classes from 2020-22, Brown’s recruiting classes at UNC took a bit of a dip in the years of his tenure. It brought in the No. 31 recruiting class in 2023 and the No. 26 recruiting class in 2024, via 247 Sports.

Brown’s claim that UNC has loosened academic restrictions and made more investments in the football program for Belichick came as his successor has been dealing with some off-field drama. Belichick’s relationship with his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has become a national storyline in recent weeks, with some questioning her involvement in his life and UNC’s football program. After a report emerged earlier in May that Hudson was banned from UNC’s football facilities, the school denied that was the case. 

Belichick’s arrival to Chapel Hill has certainly brought more buzz to the football program than it has received in recent years. UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham recently told Axios that the team sold out its season tickets for the 2025 season despite a 25% increase, something it failed to accomplish last year.

The expectations for UNC don’t seem to be as high for the 2025 season, though. Its projected win total is 7.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Wednesday. That’s just a slight increase from the number of games it won in 2024 and is lower than the number of games UNC won under Brown three times between 2020-23. 

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.


Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more




Link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

NIL

Wisconsin, NIL collective sue Miami, allege tampering and NIL inducements to land football player

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of… The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative […]

Published

on


The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of…

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A.” But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall.

The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to “ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement said. “In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement.

In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts.

Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks’ NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Copyright
© 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa to Lead Team USA U19 in FIBA World Cup

BYU’s AJ Dybantsa to Lead Team USA U19 in FIBA World Cup originally appeared on Athlon Sports. BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa continues to impress on the international stage. The top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class shined throughout the past week at USA Basketball’s U19 training camp in Colorado Springs, earning a spot among the 12 […]

Published

on


BYU’s AJ Dybantsa to Lead Team USA U19 in FIBA World Cup originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa continues to impress on the international stage. The top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class shined throughout the past week at USA Basketball’s U19 training camp in Colorado Springs, earning a spot among the 12 players for the U19 national team heading to Switzerland.

Team USA is set to depart for Switzerland on June 24 to prepare for the FIBA U19 World Cup. Dybantsa and his teammates will open group play on June 28 against Australia, with additional games scheduled for June 29 and July 1. All three contests will be streamed on YouTube.

Advertisement

Dybantsa told reporters he wanted to “bring back gold for BYU,” and is no stranger to international success. He helped Team USA win gold at both the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship in Mexico and last summer’s U17 World Cup in Turkey. Most recently, he played a starring role at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, where he tallied 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a dramatic overtime win against the World Select Team.

Related: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Becomes College Basketball’s Top NIL Earner

The U19 team features a solid coaching staff led by Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, with some top assistants, including Kentucky head coach and former BYU leader Mark Pope and North Carolina’s Hubert Davis.

Related: 2025 NBA Draft: What Anonymous Scouts Said About BYU’s Egor Demin

Though Dybantsa won’t face Big 12 competition until BYU opens conference play in December, his time with Team USA offers a valuable early preview to rival coaches.

Advertisement

With his eyes set on gold, Dybantsa is ready to show off his skills as one of the most exciting talents before heading back to Provo.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.



Link

Continue Reading

NIL

University of Wisconsin, NIL collective sue University of Miami

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective, VC Connect, filed a joint lawsuit Friday against the University of Miami alleging the Atlantic Coast Conference program knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season. Allegations of tampering […]

Published

on

University of Wisconsin, NIL collective sue University of Miami

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective, VC Connect, filed a joint lawsuit Friday against the University of Miami alleging the Atlantic Coast Conference program knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level, and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A,” but the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, an attorney who has been representing Lucas, indicated Big Ten Conference member Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami in the 2025 season.

The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, most notably changes to NCAA rules allowing student-athletes to strike NIL endorsement deals — some worth millions of dollars — and transfer with immediate eligibility in most cases. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

A message left with the University of Miami seeking comment was not immediately returned. In a text message Friday, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit, but the attorney said Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to “ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement read. “In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement.

In April, the surprise transfers of quarterback brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts.

Nico, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season as a redshirt freshman, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract near the end of spring practices for the Volunteers. Madden, who was an early enrollee at Arkansas as a member of the team’s 2025 signing class, entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up for the Razorbacks.

At the time, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks’ NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.

Continue Reading

NIL

Unprecedented lawsuit accuses Miami of poaching Wisconsin player under NIL contract

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell stands on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday saying Miami’s football team tampered with a Badgers player […]

Published

on


Wisconsin football
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell stands on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday saying Miami’s football team tampered with a Badgers player under a name, image and likeness contract, ESPN reports.

The first-of-its-kind lawsuit mentions freshman defensive back Xavier Lucas, who left Wisconsin for Miami in January.

According to ESPN, the Badgers staff refused to enter Lucas’ name into the transfer portal because he had signed a two-year revenue sharing contract with the university.

In the lawsuit, Wisconsin claims that a Miami staff member and a prominent alumnus met with Lucas and his family at a relative’s home in Florida.

Miami offered Lucas money to transfer, which Wisconsin says is tortious interference by knowingly compelling a player to break the terms of his deal with the Badgers.

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the school said in a statement sent to ESPN.

According to the complaint, Wisconsin decided to file suit in hopes that “during this watershed time for college athletics, this case will advance the overall integrity of the game by holding programs legally accountable when they wrongfully interfere with contractual commitments.”

ESPN said the pending case will determine whether schools can use NIL deals to keep players from transferring, even though the players aren’t technically employees of the university.

Starting July 1, schools will start paying their athletes directly.

SEE ALSO: Federal judge approves $2.8B settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions

But right now, according to ESPN, several contracts between Big Ten schools and their players state that athletes are not being paid to play football for the university.

Since the school is technically paying only to use the player’s NIL rights, it’s unclear if a judge will enforce a part of the contract that dictates where the player attends school.

The Big Ten said in a statement to ESPN that it supports Wisconsin’s decision to file the lawsuit and that Miami’s alleged actions “are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework.”

Categories: National Sports, Sports





Link

Continue Reading

NIL

ESPN

1 hour ago Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell stands on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday saying Miami’s football team tampered with […]

Published

on

ESPN

Wisconsin football
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell stands on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The University of Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Friday saying Miami’s football team tampered with a Badgers player under a name, image and likeness contract, ESPN reports.

The first-of-its-kind lawsuit mentions freshman defensive back Xavier Lucas, who left Wisconsin for Miami in January.

According to ESPN, the Badgers staff refused to enter Lucas’ name into the transfer portal because he had signed a two-year revenue sharing contract with the university.

In the lawsuit, Wisconsin claims that a Miami staff member and a prominent alumnus met with Lucas and his family at a relative’s home in Florida.

Miami offered Lucas money to transfer, which Wisconsin says is tortious interference by knowingly compelling a player to break the terms of his deal with the Badgers.

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the school said in a statement sent to ESPN.

According to the complaint, Wisconsin decided to file suit in hopes that “during this watershed time for college athletics, this case will advance the overall integrity of the game by holding programs legally accountable when they wrongfully interfere with contractual commitments.”

ESPN said the pending case will determine whether schools can use NIL deals to keep players from transferring, even though the players aren’t technically employees of the university.

Starting July 1, schools will start paying their athletes directly.

SEE ALSO: Federal judge approves $2.8B settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions

But right now, according to ESPN, several contracts between Big Ten schools and their players state that athletes are not being paid to play football for the university.

Since the school is technically paying only to use the player’s NIL rights, it’s unclear if a judge will enforce a part of the contract that dictates where the player attends school.

The Big Ten said in a statement to ESPN that it supports Wisconsin’s decision to file the lawsuit and that Miami’s alleged actions “are irreconcilable with a sustainable college sports framework.”

Categories: National Sports, Sports

Continue Reading

NIL

An ex-college basketball player testifies that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs got ‘extremely creative’ on drugs

NEW YORK — A former Syracuse University basketball player who worked recently for Sean “Diddy” Combs as a personal assistant testified at the music mogul’s sex trafficking trial on Friday that Combs got “extremely creative” when he was on drugs. Brendan Paul, 26, was arrested last year at a Miami airport with cocaine he says […]

Published

on


NEW YORK — A former Syracuse University basketball player who worked recently for Sean “Diddy” Combs as a personal assistant testified at the music mogul’s sex trafficking trial on Friday that Combs got “extremely creative” when he was on drugs.

Brendan Paul, 26, was arrested last year at a Miami airport with cocaine he says belonged to Combs, and he testified with immunity about what it was like working for the hip-hop entrepreneur for a year and a half. Paul was arrested in March 2024 — the same day federal agents conducted multiple searches related to the Combs’ investigation.

Prosecutors are winding down their case after six weeks of testimony from an array of witnesses ranging from ex-girlfriends and former employees to male sex workers and the rapper Kid Cudi. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, even made a surprise appearance at the courthouse.

The prosecution seeks to convince the jury that Combs oversaw a sprawling racketeering enterprise for two decades that relied on obedience by employees willing to do anything for him, including buying drugs when necessary.

Defense lawyers say Combs did not commit federal crimes, although they acknowledge that prosecutors have exposed domestic violence during the trial. After pleading not guilty following his September arrest at a Manhattan hotel, Combs has been held without bail at a federal lockup in Brooklyn.

Prosecutors were expected to rest their case by Monday. A defense presentation is expected to last from two to five days.

Paul said he bought drugs for Combs between five and 10 times, spending up to $500 for drugs including cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy and marijuana.

He said he only did drugs with Combs once, when Combs asked him to try “tusi,” also known as pink cocaine, to see if it was good.

Paul said he did so because he “wanted to prove my loyalty” and said he thought it was good.

“We continued on with our night,” he told Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavic.

Paul said that prior to his arrest, he had forgotten about the cocaine after collecting it while “sweeping” Combs’ room that morning and had accidentally left it in a bag he carried as he prepared to go on vacation with Combs and other aides. The charges were dismissed after Paul completed a pretrial diversion program.

Under questioning by defense attorney Brian Steel, Paul said his “heart dropped” when he realized that there was cocaine in a travel bag after telling officers at the airport that everything in the bag belonged to him.

Steel asked Paul if Combs was generally happy and didn’t hurt anyone when he was on drugs.

“He got extremely creative,” Paul responded.

At another point, Steel asked the witness: “You would not work for a criminal, would you?”

“Absolutely not,” Paul responded.

Slavic, though, elicited Paul’s mixed feelings about Combs when the prosecutor asked him just before he finished his testimony: “Sitting here today, how do you feel about Mr. Combs?”

“It’s complicated,” he answered.

Paul, originally from Cleveland, was a 6-foot-2 guard who walked on at Syracuse University and came off the bench in 16 games over two seasons, playing a total of 17 minutes and scored just 3 points. He later transferred to lower-tier Fairmont State University in West Virginia, where he played for two more seasons.



Link

Continue Reading

Most Viewed Posts

Trending