College Football

4:14 PM PT -- Tammeil Gilkerson, chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, said in a statement to TMZ ... "There are no real words to express my profound sorrow, but it is only softened by the tremendous gratitude I feel for the opportunity I had to work alongside him. John made me laugh, infuriated me on some days, elevated my thinking, and constantly challenged me to be better for Peralta and for Oakland. I am keeping John's family, loved ones, and all of you in my thoughts and prayers."

"Last Chance U" star John Beam -- a longtime football coach who dedicated his life to helping the youth through sports -- has passed away at 66 years old after being shot on campus, Oakland P.D. confirmed on Friday.

As we previously reported, gunfire broke out on the Laney College campus on Thursday -- details surrounding the shooting were not revealed at the time ... but local outlets confirmed Beam was struck and taken to a nearby hospital.

In a press conference, Oakland PD stated Beam died Friday morning due to the injuries he suffered ... and stated it was "a very targeted situation."

Quavo is Lids' newest Brand Ambassador with a multi-year collaboration ... and he wasted no time putting his home team of the University of Georgia Bulldogs on the front goal line!!!

On Friday, Quavo unveiled his debut offering, the Quavo UGA x ’47 Collection, directly inspired by the former Migos star's upcoming solo album, "SATCHMO."

Georgia has a big SEC matchup against Texas this weekend, and the launch coincides with the marquee game.

9:01 AM PT -- A man was arrested in a city outside Oakland on Friday in connection to the shooting, according to local reports.

It's unclear at this time if the suspect had any ties to the football program or Coach Beam.

"Last Chance U" star and Laney College athletic director John Beam was reportedly shot on Thursday ... and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

His current condition has not been released.

Acting Oakland Police Chief James Beere said in a press conference they received reports and calls before noon about shots being fired at Laney College.

When officers arrived, they located a wounded victim. He was transported to the hospital, where he's currently being treated.

Brian Kelly has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, Louisiana State University, nearly three weeks after he was fired ... and the former head coach is demanding his massive buyout be paid in full!

The lawsuit, obtained by ESPN, was filed in Louisiana on Monday ... where the longtime coaches' lawyers argue the university is trying to find a way out of paying the $54 million buyout, claiming LSU says he was fired for cause.

Things are looking pretty icy in the Belichick family lately ... Bill's daughter-in-law, Jennifer Schmitt, appeared to steer clear of his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, at Saturday's UNC college football game.

While the 73-year-old head coach led his North Carolina Tar Heels to a 20-15 victory over Stanford, the two women reportedly kept their distance at Chapel Hill and were not photographed interacting with one another.

Check out the pics ... Jordon, 24, stood watching the game with crossed arms in the suite, wearing a white tank top and blue reptile miniskirt.

Tim Tebow and his wife, Demi-Leigh, welcomed their first child together back in July ... and the former Heisman trophy winner is loving every bit of fatherhood -- telling TMZ Sports it's been an "awesome" experience!!

We caught up with the two-time national champion out in NYC on Tuesday ... and while sleep may be at a premium these days, his face lit up when we asked how it's going with the little one.

"It is awesome, it is one of the biggest blessings in life," he said.

Keith Browner Sr., a standout football player at the University of Southern California who went on to play 5 seasons in the NFL, is dead ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Keith died Tuesday morning in San Leandro, CA ... according to his son, Keith Browner Jr.

We're told Keith's death was unexpected and sudden ... and the family is shocked.

Cam Newton is speaking out on his shocking altercation with Alabama A&M's mascot last week ... insisting the whole thing was not as serious as it looked.

The moment happened at Legion Field in Birmingham on Oct. 24 ... as Newton and the ESPN "First Take" crew were enjoying football festivities before the Alabama State and Alabama A&M game. After the mascots from each school took part in a 40-yard dash, A&M's Butch got into a shoving match with Cam, who responded with a hard shot to the face.

The moment aired live and sent everyone into a frenzy ... with even Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin thinking it was a real fight. Well, Newton says it was far from it.

Stephen Gostkowski is sure patience with Bill Belichick at UNC will be rewarded ... telling TMZ Sports this week if the Tar Heels give him time, the head coach "will figure it out."

The former Patriots star -- who played under Belichick for 14 seasons in New England -- called the 73-year-old "the best coach" ... while making it clear he has no concerns about The Hoodie's ability to win, despite a slow start in Chapel Hill.

"I can't really say too much bad about him," the ex-All-Pro kicker said. "I enjoyed working with him every minute of the day. I used to be scared to death of him. Maybe not so much anymore. But I'm pulling for him."

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt is hoping to bury a team tradition once and for all ... begging fans to stop throwing tortillas on the field on gamedays.

The TTU official implored his school's backers to do away with the craze on Monday ... just after the Big 12 promised hefty repercussions -- including fines and 15-yard flags -- if it continued.

"We need to help, not risk, penalizing our team for throwing tortillas," Hocutt said. "Simply, let's not do it."

The Big 12 has issued a penalty on the University of Kansas after an investigation into Saturday's weird pocket knife controversy ... with the conference announcing video evidence paints a different picture than what the Jayhawks coach claimed after the game.

ICYMI, Lance Leipold stated after his Jayhawks lost in a blowout to the Red Raiders that a sharp object hit one of his staff members while standing on the away team sideline.

"It's ridiculous. It's supposed to be for safety and things like that, and it's a culture that's been accepted to a point, and it hasn't changed," he said. "Eventually, somebody's going to be seriously hurt, unfortunately."

The NFL never seems to go through a shortage of fresh talent ... and it looks like the New York Giants found a keeper with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.

And get this ... even though the athlete just started his NFL career earlier this year, he's already been bumped up to the position of starting quarterback!

We're going to take a look at how the football player went from dominating the field in high school and college to playing against some of the heaviest hitters in the game.

Jaxson's football career started gaining attention during his days at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, where he also played baseball.

His skills on the field earned him the title of 2020 MaxPreps National High School Football Player of the Year, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

And Jaxson got the title for good reason -- because the Corner Canyon Chargers went undefeated during their 2020 season.

The accolades kept coming, too, as the athlete was named the 2020-21 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.

Jaxson naturally earned plenty of attention from colleges, and he received offers from several schools, including Arizona State University and UCLA, according to 247 Sports.

He committed to the University of Southern California in 2020, and he spent the 2021 season with the Trojans, who finished the year with a 4-8 record.

Jaxson ended up entering the transfer portal in 2022, and he transferred to Ole Miss the same year.

The athlete spent the rest of his college career with the Rebels, and he helped lead the team to victory at the Peach Bowl in 2023.

Jaxson's career in the NFL kicked off in 2025. He was a first-round pick by the New York Giants.

He received a serious boost of responsibility early into the season, as he was named as the Giants' starting quarterback after Russell Wilson was benched by the team in the season's fourth week.

Ethan Pritchard -- the Florida State University linebacker who was shot in the head in August -- has been released from the hospital.

The footballer's Seminoles team announced the positive update on Thursday ... revealing the former four-star recruit is now on his way to continue his recovery at Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, FL.

Pritchard's teammate, star quarterback Tommy Castellanos, captured his departure from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital minutes ago, showing Pritchard being cheered on by the Seminoles as he was stretchered from the facility.

11:09 AM PT -- Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show Julian Fleming is facing nine total charges ... including one count of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, one count of homicide by vehicle and one count of aggravated assault by vehicle while driving under the influence.

Additionally, the docs note Fleming allegedly had a BAC of .118 shortly after the crash.

9:54 AM PT -- Julian Fleming's attorney, David Bahuriak, tells TMZ Sports ... one of the charges his client is facing is homicide by vehicle -- and he's convinced the prosecution's filing is "wrong."

"In my view," the lawyer said, "the prosecution here took a tragic and unavoidable accident and turned it into a crime when the facts don't support that. The facts don't support criminal homicide."

Bahuriak added Fleming "lost the love of his life" during the crash ... and "this prosecution does nothing to advance the interests of anyone."

Former Penn State wide receiver Julian Fleming is facing multiple criminal charges related to the tragic ATV accident that killed his girlfriend earlier this year.

Glen Powell is teaming up with Peyton and Eli Manning on their "Monday Night Football" simulcast for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars next week ... meaning the OG and new Chad Powers are coming face to face!!

TMZ Sports has learned the actor will be joining the Mannings as they watch Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs take on Travis Hunter and the Jags in their Week 5 matchup.

Of course, Powell's new series "Chad Powers" dropped on Hulu earlier this week -- which was inspired by a character Eli debuted during an episode of his "Eli's Places" series.

On October 3, 1995, the jury in O.J. Simpson's murder trial walked into the courtroom in Downtown Los Angeles and announced they'd found the former football standout not guilty.

Thirty years later, the evidence in the case, the spectacle of it and the controversial verdict are still ingrained in the public consciousness ... and, we've got all the photos of the trial for you to review each and every moment.

O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson were married from 1985 to 1992 ... two years later, Nicole and the man she was dating, Ron Goldman, were brutally murdered outside her condo in Brentwood in L.A., by a suspect with a knife.