College Sports
World reacts to shocking Donald Trump threat
“We don’t need anything they have,” he continued. “We don’t need anything. So why are we losing 0 billion a year and more to protect Canada?” When asked whether he intended to use military force to achieve this goal, Trump dismissed the idea but delivered a pointed warning. He emphasized that the U.S. would rely […]


“We don’t need anything they have,” he continued. “We don’t need anything. So why are we losing 0 billion a year and more to protect Canada?”
When asked whether he intended to use military force to achieve this goal, Trump dismissed the idea but delivered a pointed warning. He emphasized that the U.S. would rely on “economic force” to encourage Canada to join.
Needless to say, this is a rather shocking threat from Trump toward Canada, and it led to a lot of reactions on social media as a result.
Earlier this week, Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, stated firmly that Canada would never join the U.S. as its 51st state. Trump, however, appeared unfazed by this declaration.
Trump has been adamant in his desire to see Canada become the 51st state of the United States. In a recent speech, he even went so far as to issue economic threats aimed at pressuring Canada into compliance.
“I don’t care what he says,” Trump remarked during an interview.
“We don’t need their cars. You know, they make 20 percent of our cars. We don’t need that – I’d rather make them in Detroit. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their lumber. We have massive fields of lumber. We don’t need their lumber,” Trump stated.
“Seriously can’t believe we’re at this stage of the game,” someone else said.
The United States has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Canada, a relationship that extends into the realm of professional sports. Major U.S. sports leagues feature Canadian teams, with the NBA and MLB each hosting one franchise, while the NHL and MLS boast several based in Canada. However, recent rhetoric, proposals, and threats from Donald Trump could drastically alter this relationship.
“America has fallen to crazy people. At best, they are knowing destabilisers who don’t have a care in the world,” another person wrote.
“We are in the worst version of the timeline,” someone else added.
While the likelihood of Canada becoming part of the United States remains exceedingly slim, Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric and aggressive stance could significantly strain the historically strong relationship between the two allies in the years to come.
He further argued that the U.S. does not need Canada as a trade partner nearly as much as Canada relies on the U.S.
“He certainly must have lost it! What a disgraceful way to talk and to act,” someone else said.
“Annexing Canada is just mass immigration at the greatest scale. No one should be for this. I hope this is just a larp so in order to make his Greenland acquisition seem reasonable,” another person added.
“Economic force,” Trump reiterated. “Because Canada and the United States, that would really be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like… And it would also be better for national security. Don’t forget, we basically protect Canada,” he said.
“Trump has officially lost it,” one person wrote on X.
Trump continued, expressing mixed sentiments about Canada: “Here’s the problem with Canada. So many friends up there, I love the Canadian people, they’re great. But we’re spending hundreds of billions a year to protect it, we’re spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada. In trade deficits, we’re losing massively.”
College Sports
Pitches to revamp college sports – NBC4 Washington
As the amateur model of college athletics disintegrates, a handful of unusual ideas have been floated as ways to reign in some of the chaos surrounding the explosion in name, image and likeness compensation and a transfer portal that sees thousands of athletes changing schools every season. Whether any of the ideas end up being […]

As the amateur model of college athletics disintegrates, a handful of unusual ideas have been floated as ways to reign in some of the chaos surrounding the explosion in name, image and likeness compensation and a transfer portal that sees thousands of athletes changing schools every season.
Whether any of the ideas end up being implemented is unknown and every school is awaiting a decision from a federal judge on whether a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement against the NCAA and the five largest conferences will take effect as early as July 1. If it does, that opens the floodgates for schools to share millions in revenue directly with their athletes amid a host of other changes.
Access Hollywood’s digital guest correspondent Lauren Herbert spoke to Livvy Dunne as she was hosting Club SI at the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The former LSU gymnast and influencer shared her excitement for being at her first Derby and how she is preparing for the honor of doing the Riders Up at the Kentucky Oaks.
Here is a look at some of the topics:
Athlete contracts
A formal agreement between an athlete and a school is not a new concept, but with the uptick of NIL deals the thought of pro-style contracts is becoming increasingly more common.
There are plenty of ways to get creative with contracts. Rich Stankewicz, operations director for Penn State’s NIL collective Happy Valley United, said he favors an incentive-based approach — essentially adding money for athletes who not only perform but stick around.
“I personally really like the idea of incentivizing performance in school, those kinds of things that would only be occurring in the season while they’re playing,” Stankewicz said. “If more money is paid out in those time frames, then that gives the incentive for the player to stay and see those dollars from their contract, rather than potentially collect up front and then decide the grass is greener somewhere else three months later, barely doing any school, you know, without playing at all.”
Transfers and buyouts
This topic is red hot at the moment. Entering the transfer portal comes with the risk of not landing in a better spot — or any spot — but athletes have shown every single season over the past few years that they are comfortable going anyway. Athletic departments are beginning to fight back.
Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek recently encouraged the school’s NIL collective to pursue legal action after quarterback Madden Iamaleava departed for UCLA after just five months in Fayetteville. Iamaleava allegedly collected significant money upfront and cited homesickness as his reason for following his brother to California.
CNBC reporter Michael Ozanian explains the analysis behind CNBC’s list of the top 75 most valuable college athletic programs.
This is a scenario Penn State hopes to avoid. And the importance of contract details is clear.
“Commonly, there’s nothing binding students in certain instances to the institution they’re with for the entirety of the contract,” Stankewicz said. “We’ve definitely looked into having measures in place to discourage transfers during the time of the contract. There are a bunch of different ways to do that, from buyouts to how you load the contract.”
Athletes as employees
Groundbreaking shifts in the landscape have sparked conversations about athletes becoming official employees of their universities.
It’s a controversial subject to say the least. Universities would become responsible for paying wages, benefits, and workers’ compensation and schools and conferences have insisted they will fight any such move in court (some already have).
Complexities go beyond the concept. While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it’s worth noting that virtually every state in the South has “right to work” laws that present challenges for unions.
There is also a new administration in power now, said Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment professor at Illinois who has studied the NCAA and athlete rights.
“With the election of Donald Trump, and what that would mean for a new National Labor Relations Board, what that would mean for repopulating the courts with judges who are likely not congenial to that view, I no longer have much hope that we’ll get a ruling in the next 5-10 years that these are employees,” LeRoy said.
Despite the lack of employment status, LeRoy said, athletes should advocate for themselves and use the entertainment industry as a model. He said athletes currently are offered “take-it-or-leave-it” NIL contracts when a broader approach might have benefits.
“I think athletes should start to look at Hollywood and Broadway contracting arrangements that deal with publicity rights,” he said. “I think there’s a way to frame this collectively. The framework of collective bargaining and employment, I would say, the entertainment industry generally offers a blueprint for success.”
Here are five things to know about Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers.
Playing for another school
Things are so chaotic right now that the very lines of who an athlete is playing for could get blurred.
Saying he was inspired by the NBA’s G League, University of Albany basketball coach Dwayne Killings is proposing a two-way contract for college players. Albany would welcome transfers from top-tier programs who need more seasoning and help them develop — with plenty of game time vs. sitting on the bench — before sending them back to their original program, where they’d be ready to compete.
“The best development happens on the floor, not necessarily on the scout team, given the new 15-man scholarship limits,” Killings told CBS Sports.
And then there is Division III, which recently approved an unusual pilot program: Athletes would play for one school but do their coursework at another school that does not sponsor varsity athletics.
The NCAA said the program, which would run during the next academic year, “will offer expanded pathways for student-athletes to pursue their academic objectives and complete their participation opportunity.”
“This program intends to address the changing, dynamic higher education environment we find ourselves in right now,” said Jim Troha, president of Juniata and chairman of the DIII President’s Council. “It recognizes existing academic programs and provides flexibility to expand participation opportunities for student-athletes.”
The program will be assessed before any decisions on whether to make it permanent or expand it.
College Sports
Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell to coach Clemson gymnastics
May 12, 2025, 01:23 PM ET Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell were named new co-head coaches of the Clemson University gymnastics team on Monday. Howell and Crandall-Howell, the reigning ACC coaches of the year, have spent the past 13 seasons at California and have developed the program into a national powerhouse. The Golden Bears have […]

Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell were named new co-head coaches of the Clemson University gymnastics team on Monday.
Howell and Crandall-Howell, the reigning ACC coaches of the year, have spent the past 13 seasons at California and have developed the program into a national powerhouse. The Golden Bears have reached the NCAA tournament every year since 2013 and were the NCAA runner-up in 2024, marking the best result for the team in program history.
Graham Neff, Clemson’s athletic director, announced the hiring in a statement and lauded the married duo for what they had achieved in Berkeley.
“We’ve gotten to see the program that Justin and Liz built up close during their first season in the ACC, and the consistent excellence they have achieved speaks for itself,” Neff said. “In addition to many competitive accomplishments, their reputation has been praised time and again in our research. We emphasized finding a coaching staff with experience in some of the biggest moments, and who could continue the trajectory of our program — we feel we have that in Justin and Liz. We are impressed with their technical ability, approach to operations, plan for development, incorporation of health, wellness and recovery, and attention to detail.”
Clemson will compete in just its third season of NCAA gymnastics in 2026. Amy Smith, who led the team for its first two years, was fired last month. The Tigers finished the 2025 season ranked No. 29 in the country and having finished fourth in the ACC standings and reaching the NCAA regionals. Clemson averaged 8,369 fans in attendance for home meets in 2025 — the eighth-highest average in the country last season.
Crandall-Howell praised Clemson’s “passion and commitment to excellence” in the same introductory statement.
“The abundance of resources have been carefully and meticulously curated to support the student-athletes in every pursuit – sport, academics, career and leadership development – and to utilize those skills to go out into the world as leaders,” Crandall-Howell said. “It was, however, the people that we met in Clemson that confirmed that this is the place we need to be. Justin and I believe that Clemson gymnastics can become one of the top programs in the nation, and we cannot wait to get out there and get to work.”
With the Clemson job now filled, Howell and Crandall-Howell’s departure will likely make Cal one of the most desirable open coaching positions in the sport.
College Sports
USC, Lincoln Riley recruiting forecasts college football resurgence
How coaches salaries and the NIL bill affects college football Dan Wolken breaks down the annual college football coaches compensation package to discuss salaries and how the NIL bill affects them. Sports Pulse It’s the most overlooked story of the college football offseason, hidden beneath the never-ending drone of pay for play and the transfer […]

How coaches salaries and the NIL bill affects college football
Dan Wolken breaks down the annual college football coaches compensation package to discuss salaries and how the NIL bill affects them.
Sports Pulse
It’s the most overlooked story of the college football offseason, hidden beneath the never-ending drone of pay for play and the transfer portal and even more legal gymnastics.
Lincoln Riley may have finally figured it out at Southern California. Or at least, he’s on the road to it.
The same road that Pete Carroll used to build the Trojans into a 2000s monster, awakening years of underachieving with a tried and true formula.
Recruit elite players, develop elite players.
Win championships.
The fact that USC has the nation’s No.1 recruiting class in the 247Sports Composite heading into the critical summer months is one thing. That Riley has done it without significant success – and frankly, more underachieving – can’t be good news for coaches and general managers around the nation who know what can be when the Trojans are rolling.
Because right now, it’s not. Yet, anyway.
Riley is 15-13 in his last 28 games at one of the top five jobs in college football. The university is still on the hook for a Jimbo Fisher-sized buyout, so he’s not going anywhere.
But there’s something about the way last season ended, how a physical bowl win over Texas A&M gave the Trojans wins over SEC heavyweights to begin the season (LSU) and end it.
How that statement then dovetailed into offseason recruiting momentum for 2025 and 2026. How that momentum, and building organically through high school recruiting – and the play of quarterback Jayden Maiava at the end of last season – allowed Riley to pass on low-hanging fruit.
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Tennessee transfer Nico Iamaleava was available last month, and USC didn’t jump. Didn’t need the headache, didn’t want it.
The Riley of three years ago, desperate to flip the roster any way he could and find a quick fix, would’ve thrown money at Iamaleava. Now he’s doubling down on Maiava, and a group of second- and third-year players he and his staff recruited and developed — who are beginning to find it.
“It’s a together team right now,” Riley said last month. “Let’s put things right in front of these guys because they want to be great. They want to be coached hard, they want to be pushed.”
That, more than anything, could be the defining moment of Riley’s three uneven seasons at USC. Not the empty calories of Caleb Williams’ Heisman Trophy season in 2022, but a real, tangible moment of growth.
A reason for the university to feel better about its $120 million investment in a head coach (including an estimated $15-20 million buyout of former coach Clay Helton), to see what could be after two ugly seasons of what isn’t.
To see through six losses in 2024, and understand that four were by a combined 12 points and five were one-possession games.
Nothing is easy about the USC job. Carroll and his charisma, and the way his personality and vibe fit Los Angeles like those cool summer nights at Chavez Ravine, made it hip again. Made the Trojans must-see in a city where everyone and everything fights for oxygen.
You can’t expect to plop a lifelong Texan into the job – the experience – and think there won’t be a transition. It’s a long way from the town of Muleshoe (population, 5,000) in West Texas, much less Norman, Oklahoma, to fashionably late in L.A.
Make no mistake, 15-13 in the last 28 games isn’t good. In fact, it’s dangerously close to the world of have we made a mistake?
USC isn’t paying an ungodly amount of money to Riley and his staff, and committing a ridiculous amount of NIL funds for the roster buildout, to lose to the Minnesotas and Marylands of the world.
Riley likes this team and its makeup, likes the way it practices and prepares. But to get USC back to must-see, he must win now — enough to prove the program is closer to reaching the now rare but undeniable process.
Recruit elite players, develop elite players. Win championships.
The 2026 recruiting class is far ahead of the field, and USC is still high on the list for six of the Top 25 players in the 247Sports composite.
The surge of momentum is quietly building, lost in the sea of change within the sport.
“There seems to be a genuine bond right now with these guys that’s fun to see,” Riley said.
If Riley truly has figured it out, USC will eventually be a problem for everyone.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.
College Sports
Simone Biles gives university commencement address
Simone Biles stood on a gold podium, addressed a crowd of thousands and admitted she was a little nervous. Biles then gave a performance several minutes longer than any of her gymnastics routines. She spoke for 12 minutes at the Washington University in St. Louis, giving the commencement address on a rainy Monday. She did […]

Simone Biles stood on a gold podium, addressed a crowd of thousands and admitted she was a little nervous.
Biles then gave a performance several minutes longer than any of her gymnastics routines.
She spoke for 12 minutes at the Washington University in St. Louis, giving the commencement address on a rainy Monday. She did so at Francis Olympic Field, which held competition in several sports during the 1904 St. Louis Olympics.
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The whole speech is here, about one hour and 45 minutes into the ceremony.
“You might think I’m used to the spotlight, but I would probably feel more comfortable if they had allowed me to vault onto the stage or do a little floor routine,” she said with chuckles, drawing applause. “But really, today is your day. While I may be considered an elite athlete, I know that you are elite students.”
Biles was also bestowed an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
“I always dreamed of going to college, not just to be part of a collegiate gymnastics team, but to study medicine, to become a children’s nurse or a pediatrician, and to enjoy all the fun of a college campus,” said Biles, who committed to UCLA before turning professional at age 18 and forgoing college gymnastics. “But for me, that dream bumped up against others, and ultimately I chose a different path. But I do think my path and yours have a lot in common, although mine probably included a few more sequins and leotards.”
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Biles last competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning three gold medals and one silver medal. She has repeated this spring that she doesn’t know if she will return to competition to bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
To close her address Monday, she said, “The world doesn’t need you to be perfect. It needs you to be bold. It needs you to care and to keep going even when things don’t go as planned.”
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College Sports
Alex da Cunha Nominated for NE10 Man of the Year Award
Story Links MANSFIELD, Mass. – Southern Connecticut men’s soccer senior Alex da Cunha was named a 2024-25 Northeast-10 Man of the Year Nominee, as announced by the NE10 on Monday, May 12, 2025. The nominees and award winners are determined by the NE10 Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) Council. Each nominee is a senior student-athlete that has […]


MANSFIELD, Mass. – Southern Connecticut men’s soccer senior Alex da Cunha was named a 2024-25 Northeast-10 Man of the Year Nominee, as announced by the NE10 on Monday, May 12, 2025. The nominees and award winners are determined by the NE10 Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) Council.
Each nominee is a senior student-athlete that has excelled in all areas of their collegiate careers – on the playing surface, in the classroom and in the community. The two winners are set to be announced at the NE10 Banquet at Fratello’s Events in the Millyard (Manchester, N.H.) on the night of Tuesday, June 3.
Each NE10 institution nominates student-athletes for both Man and Woman of the Year. The 2024-25 academic year marks the 13th time that the league will award the NE10 Man of the Year honor, while the NE10 Woman of the Year honor has been awarded since 2005-06 and will be put forth as the league’s official NCAA Woman of the Year candidate.
Alex da Cunha is the true example of what it means to be a student-athlete. He has shown excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community. In the classroom, he holds a 3.85 GPA while pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration. Additionally, throughout his career, he has been named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference team three times and a two-time CSC Academic All-District Team recipient. On the field, as a captain for the Owls, da Cunha has showed leadership through his play for Southern, as well as being named to the 2021 NE10 All-Conference Third Team, 2021 NE10 All-Rookie Team, 2022 NE10 All-Conference First Team, 2023 NE10 All-Conference Second Team, 2024 NE10 All-Conference First Team, 2024 DII CCA All-East Region Second Team and 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team.
*Some information courtesy of NE10*
College Sports
Clemson trustees approve new gymnastics coach hires
CLEMSON – The Clemson Board of Trustees compensation committee approved the hires for the women’s gymnastics coach Monday morning. The committee approved the hiring of Cal co-head coaches and married couple Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall Howell, who have a long track record of success at Cal, including a recent second place finish nationally. They […]

The committee approved the hiring of Cal co-head coaches and married couple Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall Howell, who have a long track record of success at Cal, including a recent second place finish nationally.
They were named ACC co-coach of the year in their debut season in the league.
The contracts announced were five years and $225,000 yearly salary.
The Howells replace Amy Smith, the program’s inaugural head coach, who was let go by athletic director Graham Neff last month.
Justin Howell Coaching Honors
• 2025 ACC Co-coach of Year
• 2024 WCGA West Region Coach of the Year
• 2023 WCGA National Co-Coach of the Year
• 2016 NACGC/W National Coach of the Year
• 6x NACGC/W Region I Coach of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021)
• 4x Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2013, 2016, 2021, 2024)
• 2x College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year (2021, 2024)
• 2016 Olympic Coach
Elisabeth Crandall Howell Coaching Honors
2025 ACC Co-coach of Year
2024 WCGA West Region Coach of the Year
2023 WCGA National Co-Coach of the Year
2x WCGA Region 6 Coach of the Year (2020, 2021)
2x Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2021, 2024)
2x College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year (21, 24)
2016 NACGC/W National Assistant Coach of the Year
NACGC/W Region Assistant Coach of the Year (2015, 2016)
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