College Football

Breathe easy, Longhorns fans ... Brett Favre says despite Arch Manning's early-season struggles -- he's just sure the Texas quarterback is going to be fine.

TMZ Sports chatted with the Hall of Famer following Manning's up-and-down start to the 2025-26 season ... and he told us, despite some hiccups, UT supporters will be loving what they see out of Arch in no time.

Favre explained opening the season on the road against Ohio State -- the defending national champions -- is a brutal way for any player to start, let alone one entering his first year as QB1.

Florida Gators defensive lineman Brendan Bett is sharing his regret over hocking a loogie at South Florida football player Cole Skinner on Saturday ... issuing an apology for his actions.

The redshirt sophomore took to his Instagram Monday to address what happened during the Gators' 18-16 loss to the Bulls ... directing his message to everyone ranging from "Gator nation" and Skinner himself.

"There is no excuse for my actions. I'm truly sorry to both you and your family."

Jordon Hudson appears to have sent her haters a message on Saturday ... with one of her accessories.

Check out the purse Bill Belichick's girlfriend wore as she attended her man's Univ. of North Carolina football game against Charlotte in Chapel Hill -- it seems to be full of Easter eggs aimed at her critics.

In the bag -- which is clear due to stadium safety policies -- there are literal receipts that sure seem like a metaphor for figurative ones.

Former UNC star Eric Ebron is admitting his alma mater got its "ass kicked" on Monday night ... but he tells TMZ Sports he's still nowhere near pressing the panic button on the Bill Belichick era.

The ex-Tar Heels tight end sat down with us just a few days after North Carolina got whipped, 48-14, by TCU ... and while he said it was no doubt a disappointing start, he's staying patient with his old school's new sideline manager.

Ebron explained with all of the new faces in a bunch of new places -- he actually somewhat anticipated the outcome.

The memory of former LSU star Kyren Lacy lives on despite his tragic death in April ... as friends like Giants star Malik Nabers and Tigers receiver Trey'Dez Green continue to honor him with tributes -- each one bringing his mother to tears.

TMZ Sports spoke with Lacy's mom, Kandace, after Green paid homage to her son, and his late teammate and buddy ... throwing up No. 2 (Kyren's jersey number) during his TD celebration against Clemson on August 30 -- the first game of the LSU season.

Kandace said she was overcome with emotion while watching the heartfelt tribute ... and couldn’t hold back her tears.

Tommy Castellanos has seen some bumps so far in his college football journey ... but at least it's never been boring!

The quarterback's bounced around between several schools over the length of his collegiate career, and he's finally found a home with the Florida State Seminoles.

We're going to see how the athlete ended up playing ball in Tallahassee after switching from university to university ... and check out how his past comments about a rival institution garnered criticism within the sports world.

Tommy first sparked interest from recruiters while playing quarterback for Ware County High School in his hometown of Waycross, Georgia.

Oh, and it's worth mentioning football wasn't the athlete's only interest in high school, as he was on Ware County's basketball, soccer, and track and field squads.

Tommy led the Ware County High School Gators to a 10-2 record in his junior year, clinching them a spot in the state's AAAAA Playoffs.

His prowess on the field attracted the attention of several institutions while he prepared to head to college, including Florida State and the University of Central Florida ... remember those names for later.

Tommy started his college career at the University of Central Florida, where he committed in 2021 ... and he spent the 2022 season playing with the Knights.

The athlete pulled a fast one the following April when he entered the transfer portal, and he ended up at Boston College.

Tommy served as the Eagles' starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2023 season, although he got bumped from the starting position the following season.

He announced his intention to transfer shortly after being losing his starting position, and he began playing for Florida State in August 2025.

Tommy found himself in hot water prior to the start of the 2025 season for comments he made about the University of Alabama's football squad -- in other words, trash talk.

The quarterback told On3 Sports he didn't see the Crimson Tide "stopping me" and said the team didn't have former coach Nick Saban to "save them."

He doubled down on the comments while speaking to On3's Warchant, and claimed he didn't mean any "disrespect" ... he just wanted college football fans to know he had "confidence in my guys."

Jordon Hudson found ways to keep herself occupied while Bill Belichick struggled through his UNC debut ... even at one point fielding a phone call during the Tar Heels' disaster.

Check out some photos of Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend on Monday ... while she had some sweet seats for her man's big night -- she was anything but thrilled to watch North Carolina get drubbed by TCU.

She seemed nervous throughout -- and appeared to phone a friend to get her mind away from the action on the field.

It wasn't the College Football National Championship, but the TCU Horned Frogs were living it up in the locker room after spoiling Bill Belichick's college football debut Monday night ... with even Belichick's girlfriend Jordon Hudson catching strays during the postgame celebrations.

Footage from the postgame shin dig began circulating not long after the clock hit triple zeros in the Horned Frogs' 48-14 win over the Tar Heels. In a video posted by the team's social media, the squad starts belting out their fight song, "Riff Ram Bah Zoo" ... and it's obvious the game meant a little more to them.

The moment that really caught the internet's attention came on a live stream courtesy of TCU's Bud Clark, who said, "Belichick gotta call his girlfriend."

Even Bill Belichick's No. 1 cheerleader Jordon Hudson couldn't save his painful University of North Carolina head coaching debut as the Tar Heels lost to the TCU Horned Frogs Monday night ... and fans are having a field day cracking jokes online.

The Tar Heels took the L against Texas Christian University 14-48 after months of media scrutiny over the legendary football coach's relationship with the much-younger beauty queen, who supported him in a suite alongside former NFL star Randy Moss.

The game actually started off hot for UNC -- they scored a touchdown on their opening drive. But, TCU quickly took over the game -- and fans are throwing red flags all over Bill and his brunette beauty.

Florida State University is in shock after freshman linebacker Ethan Pritchard was shot while visiting family in Florida.

The school said the college freshman was rushed to a local hospital Sunday night and remains in the ICU in “critical but stable” condition. The Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office told WCTV the shooting happened before 10 PM near the Havana Heights Apartments, where Pritchard was found shot inside a vehicle before EMS rushed him to the hospital.

"The Pritchard family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time," the Seminoles said in a statement.

The team's coach Mike Norvell said at a press conference Sunday this was a tragic event and their thoughts and prayers are with Ethan and his family. He said he visited Ethan and his family in the hospital Saturday night and is grateful for the medical professionals taking care of him.

College football season just kicked off, folks, and we wanna know if you can guess who this proud sports dad is!

Although this celeb might not have had time on the gridiron like his brothers Peyton or Eli, he's still been involved in the world of football as a pre-game host on "Fox NFL Kickoff," where he's been a contributor for almost a decade.

The Chainsmokers nearly brought down the house at an Ohio State frat ... and it looks like the college rager of the year.

It all went down at the SAE house ahead just before one of the biggest college football games of the season ... with OSU squaring off against the Texas Longhorns.

Check out the video ... the place is jam-packed with students crammed together, jumping up and down as they hype themselves up for the big game.

6:44 PM PT -- Taylor Swift is also at Arrowhead Stadium for the game ... making an entrance with Brittany Mahomes by her side. Fans are heard yelling out "congratulations" to Tay.

Taylor and Travis were also seen on the broadcast sitting next to each other in the suite.

Travis Kelce's traded the garden where he got engaged for the gridiron ... 'cause he was seen out just days after he and Taylor Swift made their announcement.

The NFLer hung out with his big bro, Jason Kelce, chatting it up on the sidelines of the University of Cincinnati and the University of Nebraska.

Check out the pic ... Travis and Jason are both repping UoC -- they both went to Cincinnati before beginning the pro careers that will land them both in the hall of fame one day.

Deion Sanders is picking up on a unique tradition in Boulder ... admitting he's noticed Colorado fans have a knack for sparking up in the second quarter of Buffaloes games -- making the whole place reek of weed!!

Coach Prime opened up on the act during a sit-down interview with CBS Sports Colorado this week ... when he was asked about anything at Folsom Field that has surprised him so far in his tenure with the program.

"Yeah," the Hall of Famer said. "The smell of weed in the second quarter surprises the heck out of me. Like, every game I'm like, 'Dang.' Like, it seems like a light-up quarter."

The Manning family's effectively royalty in the world of football ... do the names Peyton or Eli sound familiar? They're Cooper Manning's brothers. The family has a new star in the University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

And what's interesting is Arch's father, Cooper, also has a history in sports -- although it's not too similar to the careers of Cooper's brothers

We're going to check out how the Cooper made a name for himself and how he's supported his son through the early stages of Arch's football path.

So, it turns out Cooper's not too different from the rest of his family, because he has a history with football.

The former athlete was an All-State wide receiver in Louisia during his high school career, and he was set to play ball for Ole Miss, according to Bleacher Report.

However, his football career was cut short when he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis -- defined by the Mayo Clinic as narrowing of the spinal canal -- prior to the start of his freshman year.

Cooper ultimately moved on from football to prioritize his health, and Peyton later changed his number from 14 to 18, which his brother wore in high school.

Cooper didn't exactly stay away from football for long, as he began creating content centered on the gridiron for "The Dan Patrick Show" in 2012.

He later joined the hosting team of the NFL pre-game show "Fox NFL Kickoff," and he's hosted a recurring segment titled "The Manning Hour" for several years.

In addition to his broadcasting career, Cooper works as AJ Capital Partners' principal and senior managing director in investor relations, where he helps manage a portfolio of hotels.

The former athlete also worked for investment boutique Howard Weil, and he was involved in its 2012 sale to Scotia Bank.

Cooper started his family with his wife Ellen, who he married in 1999. Oh, and it's worth mentioning his spouse has athletic inclinations, too, because she helped Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans achieve its first volleyball state championship in 1986.

In addition to Arch, the couple shares a daughter named May and a second son, Heid.

May followed in her mother's footsteps and played volleyball for Academy of the Sacred Heart, where she served as a team captain.

Heid decided to stay close to his older brother when picking a college ... he's also a student at the University of Texas, Austin.

Cooper's been supportive of Arch's football aspirations, and he opened up about his feelings regarding his son's career on the field on an episode of the "Subpar" podcast in September 2024.

The former athlete said seeing the attention given to his son was "nerve-wracking," and said he was "trying to enjoy it."

Cooper also stated he wanted his son to be seen as a "good teammate" above all else, as opposed to becoming the focus of "fans and critics."

Jim Leavitt -- former head football coach at the University of South Florida -- was arrested Monday night after he was accused of getting physical with his ex-girlfriend and stealing her designer purse ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to the arrest affidavit, Leavitt allegedly grabbed his former partner by the arm and took her Louis Vuitton purse, clutch and wallet.

The items are said to br worth over $5k ... but less than $10k.