NCAA

Deion Sanders is going after Nick Saban ... calling the Alabama coach a liar for claiming Jackson State University -- where Prime is the head coach -- paid one of its top players $1 million to sign with their program ... then bragged about it!

Sanders was pissed after a clip made rounds on social media, where Saban accused the up-and-coming program of signing good players by paying them off ... and then boasting about it to the media.

"You best believe I will address that LIE Coach SABAN told tomorrow," Sanders wrote on Twitter. "I was & awakened by my son @ShedeurSanders that sent me the article stating that WE PAYED @TravisHunterJr a Million to play at @GoJSUTigersFB!"

"We as a PEOPLE don’t have to pay our PEOPLE to play with our PEOPLE," he added.

Of course, coach Prime is referring to Saban's claim that JSU signed one of its marquee players, Travis Hunter, by giving him $1 million to commit to the HBCU.

"We have a rule right now that says you cannot use name, image, and likeness to entice a player to come to your school," Saban said. "Hell, read about it in the paper."

"I mean Jackson State paid a guy a million dollars last year that was a really good Division 1 player to come to school -- it was in the paper, and then bragged about it. Nobody did anything about it."

Saban didn't stop at JSU, though ... the legendary coach also went after Texas A&M University, accusing the school of "buying every player on their team," thanks to NIL deals.

"I mean, we were second in recruiting last year," Saban told an audience at an Alabama booster event. "A&M was first. A&M bought every player on their team -- made a deal for name, image, likeness. We didn't buy one player, all right?"

Michigan State fans are honoring Adreian Payne in a very Spartan way -- painting a tribute to the former hoops star on the famous boulder in the middle of the school's campus.

MSU supporters inked "RIP AP #5" on "The Rock" -- a monument on the university's campus since 1873 -- just two days after Payne was shot and killed following a dispute outside of a Florida home on Monday.

The fans also painted a message on the rock referencing Payne's touching friendship with 8-year-old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth.

"Adreian + Lacey ❤ together again," the note read.

There were also several bouquets of flowers left near the monument, too.

Payne played at MSU from 2010 to 2014 -- and helped lead the team to an Elite Eight appearance in his senior season.

Spartans head coach Tom Izzo -- along with many others in the basketball community -- mourned Payne's death on Monday, saying in a statement, "Adreian was loved by his teammates and coaches, who respected his development as a player and a person."

Former Michigan State men's basketball star Adreian Payne has died ... his former teammate announced on Monday. He was just 31 years old.

Details surrounding the death have not yet been revealed ... but Jared Sullinger -- the former Ohio State Buckeyes star who played with Payne at some point in their basketball careers -- announced the sad news via his Twitter page.

"Hate the news i received this morning…." Sullinger said in a tweet. "Rest Easy to my brother/Teammate @Adreian_Payne."

Payne became a massive star for the Spartans after arriving on the East Lansing campus in 2010 ... recording 16.4 points per game and 7.3 rebounds in his senior season in 2013. That year, Payne helped lead MSU to an Elite Eight appearance.

Adreian went on to be taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the #15 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He bounced around the Association for several years after that, before eventually moving overseas to play professionally.

Payne last played for Juventus Utena in Lithuania in the 2021-22 season.

Off the basketball court, Payne was perhaps best known for his relationship with 8-year-old cancer patient Lacey Holsworth. Adreian befriended her while at MSU, and the two grew so close, they referred to each other as brother and sister.

In fact, Holsworth -- who later passed away in 2014 -- joined Payne on his senior night at Michigan State.

Famed college basketball head coach Archie Miller mourned Payne's death on Twitter on Monday ... writing, "Sad to hear the passing of Adreian Payne this morning."

"Started watching him while he was in 10th grade, remember his grandmother on his visit. Loved seeing him develop at Michigan St. and become an NBA player. [Prayers] for his loved ones, Spartans, and Dayton, OH. #RipAP"

RIP.

Tragic news ... former NFL defensive lineman Du'Vonta Lampkin has died after he was shot on Thursday.

He was just 25 years old.

According to the Dallas Police Department, Lampkin was found "lying on his back with a single gunshot wound" by officers at a rented residence at around 10:10 PM in Dallas.

Cops say they had been called to the scene after a witness said Lampkin had stopped answering phone calls.

Police say medical personnel arrived a short time after officers discovered Lampkin ... but said the ex-football player couldn't be saved and died on the scene.

No further details regarding the shooting were released ... cops say an investigation is underway. They're asking anyone with information on the case to call 214-671-3994.

The Univ. of Oklahoma -- where Lampkin played college football from 2015 to 2017 -- released a statement on the tragedy, saying the school is "deeply saddened" by Lampkin's passing.

"Du'Vonta was full of life and spirit, was a supportive teammate and a joy to be around. Our sincerest thoughts, prayers and sympathies are with his family and loved ones."

Du'Vonta played in 15 games for the Sooners in his three years on campus, logging 27 total tackles and a sack. He left the school early with intentions to play in the NFL, but went unselected in the 2018 draft.

Lampkin would eventually sign with the Tennessee Titans just before the 2018 season, but he was cut prior to their first game. He went on to play indoor football in 2019.

Armando Bacot is entering the world of the Pogues and Kooks -- the North Carolina hoops star just landed a role with the super-popular Netflix show "Outer Banks" ... and he's been on set hanging with John B. himself, Chase Stokes!!

The breakout Tar Heels center will appear in several episodes of Season 3 of the series ... playing the fittingly-named character, "Mando," according to Inside Carolina.

The 22-year-old posted vid of his time on set ... bro'ing down with Stokes and Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ Maybank on the thriller series.

Now, Bacot taking an acting role might sound super random, but it actually makes a lot of sense ... especially considering two of the show's creators -- Josh and Jonas Pate -- are North Carolina natives.

On top of that, Josh and the other creator, Shannon Burke, are UNC alums ... so that Tar Heel network definitely had to help the 6'10", 240-lb. baller land the gig.

The big question -- is Bacot a Pogue or a Kook in the NC-based show?? We'll have to wait until the season drops ... and that might be quite a bit away.

The James Madison Univ. softball team will not play another game this season ... the school announced it's canceled all of its remaining contests in the wake of Lauren Bernett's tragic death.

"This was an extremely difficult decision and one that was not made lightly," JMU head coach Loren LaPorte said in a statement Monday morning.

"We are so grateful for the support of our fans all season and for the love from the softball community during the past week. We will use this time to continue healing and to honor Lauren's memory while finishing the academic semester strong."

JMU had four games remaining on its schedule ... one against Virginia on Tuesday and three against Elon slated for this weekend. The school had previously canceled games against Longwood and Delaware after learning of Bernett's death.

"We're thinking about our graduating seniors whose careers have come to an abrupt conclusion," LaPorte said. "We will make sure that they are honored for the commitment and dedication they have made as student-athletes at James Madison University."

As we reported, Bernett -- who had just won Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors for her roles in games in mid-April -- died by suicide last week. She was just 20 years old.

History was made in the Tennessee vs. Auburn college baseball game on Sunday ... a pitcher threw a ball that was clocked at a staggering 105.5 MPH!!!

The ridiculous heater was thrown by Ben Joyce in the seventh inning of the Vols' tilt with the Tigers in Knoxville ... and check out video of the pitch -- the ball was an absolute blur as it reached home plate!

According to baseball historians, it's the fastest a pitch has ever traveled in a college game.

Of course, the throw shouldn't surprise too many ... Joyce has been lighting up radar guns all year -- constantly hitting 103 and 104 MPH.

But, still, you can hear in the broadcast footage of the pitch -- fans in the stands let out audible gasps as the 105.5 flashed on the stadium's radar gun.

Joyce, a redshirt junior, used the crazy fastball to throw four innings of 1-hit ball on Sunday ... securing the win for the Vols while striking out six Tigers batters.

The hours leading up to Sam Bruce's death were frantic and tragic ... because a 911 call, obtained by TMZ Sports on Friday, revealed the former Miami Hurricane was trapped inside of a crashed car while having a seizure.

In the audio, a caller can be heard telling dispatch that Bruce -- a Florida high school football legend -- had just suffered a seizure at around 8:23 PM on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and crashed his car into a pole as a result.

"They can't get him out," the woman on the call said. "And, the car is still in gear."

"People are trying to assist him," she added. "But, the car is still in gear. You can see it because the tires are spinning. Can't nobody seem to get in."

The woman said Bruce, a former wide receiver, appeared to be convulsing as he was locked inside of the car ... telling dispatch, "Every time the seizure hits, the tire spins."

"Nobody seems to be able to get inside the vehicle to assist him."

Cops and medical personnel eventually arrived on the scene ... and a Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. spokesperson tells us they performed CPR on Bruce and ultimately transported him to a nearby hospital.

Sadly, Bruce passed away at the hospital hours later on Thursday morning.

The spokesperson tells us "the circumstances surrounding this incident are not suspicious and foul play is not suspected." A rep for the Broward County Medical Examiner said Friday that a cause and manner of death are still pending.

Bruce was a superstar on the gridiron during his high school football days at St. Thomas Aquinas -- blowing by defenders so often, he earned the nickname "The Samborghini."

Bruce signed to play receiver for the Miami Hurricanes in 2016 ... but he was dismissed from the school just months into his freshman year. He went to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. and Southeastern University ... and he later played for the Indoor Football League.

Florida high school football legend Sam Bruce -- who played briefly for the Miami Hurricanes -- has tragically died at 24 years old ... his former H.S. announced on Thursday.

In a post on the St. Thomas Aquinas football team's Facebook page, officials wrote, "R.I.P. Sam Bruce ! We Will Miss You and We Love You !"

Bruce's former 7-on-7 team, the South Florida Express, also confirmed the tragedy on Thursday ... writing in a tweet, "We are saddened to hear about the loss of one of the greatest players to ever come through SFE."

"Your infectious energy, and the ability to make anybody laugh will forever live in our hearts. We spoke with Sam's family, they just ask you to pray for their family during this time."

Further details surrounding Bruce's death have not yet been revealed.

Bruce was a superstar on the gridiron for Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas ... lighting up fields so often, he got the nickname, "The Samborghini."

Bruce eventually earned a four-star rating and received dozens of scholarship offers ... before he eventually signed with the Miami Hurricanes in 2016.

Bruce did not play in a game for the 'Canes, however, as he was dismissed for violations of team rules just months into his freshman season.

Bruce went on to attend Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C. and Southeastern University ... and later played for the Indoor Football League. He said in 2021 that he had been involved in the making of the Kurt Warner biopic, "American Underdog."

Bruce's former teammates and others in the football world have been mourning his death on social media Thursday ... with Chad Johnson even posting a heartbroken emoji on his Twitter page.

Officials looking into the tragic death of James Madison Univ. softball star Lauren Bernett suspect she died by suicide ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Rockingham County Sheriff Bryan Hutcheson tells us ... "We are in the process of conducting a death investigation into the incident and it is currently classified as an apparent suicide."

Hutcheson declined to release further details of the probe on Wednesday ... saying an official report from the Medical Examiner's Office is still pending.

"Out of respect for her family and friends," Hutcheson said, "there is no other information to release at this time."

As we previously reported, JMU officials announced on Tuesday that Bernett -- a sophomore catcher for the Dukes -- had died at the age of 20. She had just earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honors on Monday for her performances in games earlier this month.

"College athletics is great because of the people with whom we get to interact every day," JMU officials said in announcing the tragedy on Tuesday. "We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be a Duke. We will miss her dearly."

"Our thoughts are with her family; her coaches, teammates and friends; the rest of our department staff and student-athletes; and the entire JMU community. JMU Nation is a close community, and we grieve together."

JMU canceled its softball doubleheader on Wednesday against Longwood following the news ... and later canceled its weekend series with Delaware as well.

Tragic news ... James Madison University softball star Lauren Bernett -- who was just named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week on Monday -- has died, the school announced.

She was just 20 years old.

In a statement announcing the sad news Tuesday morning, JMU officials did not reveal a cause of death ... but said the tragedy was "devastating."

"Our hearts are aching, hearing the news of the loss of one of our student-athletes," officials said ... "We are a tight family. We are grateful that Lauren has been part of our JMU Athletics community and will always consider her to be a Duke. We will miss her dearly."

Bernett, a sophomore, was a star catcher for the Dukes ... and had just had arguably her best week ever on the diamond for JMU.

In a game against College of Charleston on April 16, she recorded three hits and seven RBIs -- a JMU record. Just days later, in a series against Drexel on April 23, she logged hits in seven of her nine at-bats.

On Monday, the CAA handed her its Player of the Week award for her performances.

Bernett -- who was batting .336 this season with nine home runs -- was also a key contributor to the James Madison squad that made a deep run in the 2021 Women's College World Series.

"We love you, Lauren," the JMU softball team said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The team has canceled its Wednesday doubleheader against Longwood in wake of Bernett's death.

South Carolina Gamecocks superfan Darius Rucker gave "Wagon Wheel" an R-rated upgrade during a concert this week ... getting the whole crowd to chant "f*** Tennessee" in the middle of it -- and it's incredible.

The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman was part of the South Carolina women's basketball championship party on Sunday night ... and naturally, he had to put his passion for the 'Cocks on full display.

In fact, when it came time to do his hit song, Rucker switched up the lyrics that go "But he's a-headin' west from the Cumberland Gap To Johnson City, Tennessee" ... and instead, had the whole arena scream "f*** Tennessee at the top of their lungs to show hate for the Volunteers.

The moment is awesome ... and is quite the proper way to celebrate South Carolina's epic win over UConn earlier this month.

Nelly was also present for the free concert ... so the night was truly one to remember.

Of course, we've seen stuff like this happen in the past ... with Justin Bieber trolling fans in Montreal over his allegiance to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Amazing news from Aaliyah Gayles' father ... the USC hoops recruit's dad tells TMZ Sports she will return to the basketball court and play for the Trojans -- despite being shot multiple times last weekend.

As we previously reported, four people -- including 18-year-old Gayles -- were shot when someone opened fire at a North Las Vegas house party on April 16.

Gayles' dad, Dwight, tells us his daughter went to the party to accompany a friend and stayed for only 30 minutes or so before she decided to leave -- and that's when the shooting happened.

Dwight says the 5-foot-9 guard was hit a total of 10 times in "both arms and both legs" and had her third surgery this week.

Thankfully, Dwight says Aaliyah is expected to make a full recovery -- and is still planning to play for the USC women's basketball team.

"She will be able to play ball again," Dwight tells us. "It's God's plan."

"She is still a USC Trojan."

Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said in a statement shortly after the shooting that Gayles is "one of the strongest, most resilient young people I have ever known" and she will continue to support her and her family.

Gayles is a 5-star recruit and the #8 overall ranked player in ESPN's 2022 class. At Spring Valley High School last season, she averaged 13.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.3 assists per game.

She led the Grizzlies to the Class 5A state tournament and was named a McDonald's All-American -- the first Las Vegas player to earn the honor since 2010.

Wow.

Hall of Famer and Villanova Wildcats head coach Jay Wright is expected to step down from his position after 21 years with the team ... this according to multiple reports.

Wright -- who's 60 years old -- is "seriously contemplating retiring" before the 2023 season ... and will make his decision after talking things over with his family, Shams Charania says.

Wright has a 642–282 overall record as a head coach ... including 4 Final Four appearances and national championships in 2016 and 2018.

Jay is known for his incredible fashion sense over the years -- as we previously reported, the guy spent thousands on his custom suits ... and won several awards for his looks.

Wright was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

He was the head coach of Hofstra University from 1994-2001 before joining 'Nova ... and was previously an assistant for Rochester, Drexel, Villanova and UNLV.

The move is pretty shocking ... and now Laker fans are going to start speculating about whether he will be their next coach.

Story developing ...

A college baseball pitcher looked more like an NFL linebacker on Wednesday ... absolutely pummeling his opponent during the guy's home run trot -- and the wild scene was all captured on video.

It went down just hours ago during the sixth inning of the North Central Texas College game against Weatherford in Weatherford, Texas ... when NCTC first baseman Josh Phillips hit a go-ahead homer off Owen Woodward.

It's unclear if Phillips said anything to Woodward as he rounded the bases -- but just after the slugger touched third, Woodward charged at him and leveled him to the grass.

You can see in the clip, the blow was brutal -- it flattened Phillips, causing his helmet to fly yards away from his body.

Phillips' teammates raced to the scene to pile onto Woodward -- and, somehow, Phillips was able to get up and touch home plate to give NCTC the lead.

Woodward was taken away from the area by his teammates ... and then he was, presumably, ejected from the contest.

A spokesperson for the Weatherford Campus Police tells TMZ Sports ... Woodward was not arrested, but they are investigating the incident.

As for Phillips, the spokesperson said he has "no life-threatening" injuries.

We've reached out to both schools for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Dwayne Haskins' body was hit by two vehicles in the accident that took his life earlier this month ... a crash report, obtained by TMZ Sports, reveals.

In the Florida Highway Patrol documents, investigators say after Haskins was struck by a dump truck in the middle of a Broward County highway in the early morning hours of April 9 -- a Subaru Outback also "partially" hit Haskins' body.

Officials released a diagram of the crash -- showing what they believe were the two points in which the vehicles struck the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback (labeled as NM01 in the image).

In the docs, investigators say a witness told them a third vehicle may have been involved as well.

Officials say Haskins succumbed to his injuries on the scene and was pronounced dead just minutes after being struck.

Investigators say both drivers came to a stop shortly after hitting the football player. They also noted in the docs neither driver was tested for alcohol nor drugs.

Officials in the documents did not reveal why they believed Haskins was walking along the busy highway before being hit -- a final Traffic Homicide Investigation is still pending.

As we reported, Kalabrya Haskins said in a 911 call that Dwayne had said he was on foot in search of gas after his car had stranded him. She said in the frantic call, "I just want somebody to go in the area and see if his car is there and if he's OK and if anything happened to him."