Sports
Penn State commits visiting Virginia Tech after James Franklin becomes head coach
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The James Franklin effect is already taking shape.
Franklin was fired from Penn State last month after a dreadful start proved to be the last straw, given his lack of success against top 10 teams throughout his tenure. But, last week, Virginia Tech officially hired him to lead its football program, and he is already apparently making his mark.
According to Rivals, five Penn State commits have taken, or are set to take, official visits to Franklin’s new school.
Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin speaks during a news conference at Cassell Coliseum. (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)
Offensive linemen Benjamin Eziuka and Roseby Lubintus both told the outlet they would be making visits, as did the father of four-star quarterback Troy Huhn.
Franklin was fired by Penn State after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Northwestern, the program’s third straight defeat and another shocking result after a loss to UCLA the previous week. The Nittany Lions are 4-6 on the season and 1-6 in Big Ten play.
It’s been a lackluster few seasons for Virginia Tech under head coach Brent Pry and his predecessor, Justin Fuente. However, Franklin’s adaptive approach to the modern college football landscape could turn things around quickly in Blacksburg.
L-R, John Rocovich, Timothy Sands, James Franklin and Whit Babcock hold up a Virginia Tech jersey during a news conference announcing Franklin as head coach at Cassell Coliseum. (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)
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Franklin will be the most accomplished head coach for the program since Frank Beamer retired in 2015 after 29 seasons leading the Hokies. Franklin, who coached at Vanderbilt before joining Penn State, went 128-60 over his 15 seasons as a head coach.
Despite this season’s struggles, Franklin was coming off a 2024 campaign that included a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance and a 2016 Big Ten championship.
“I can’t wait. … I’ve been watching that intro to college football my entire life,” Franklin said in his opening news conference. “It’s something special.
Virginia Tech football coach James Franklin and wife Fumi enter a press conference where he is introduced as head coach at Cassell Coliseum. (Brian Bishop/Imagn Images)
“We were a drive away from playing in the national championship, so I know what it looks like,” Franklin added.
Fox News’ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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Sports
UAB players take field hours after stabbing incident leaves two hospitalized
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University of Alabama at Birmingham football players took the field in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday just hours after tragedy struck.
Two players from UAB were allegedly stabbed by a teammate at the team’s training center ahead of a game against South Florida, a university official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Both were reported to be in stable condition at a hospital. The names of the victims and the player in custody were not released.
Saturday’s game kicked off at 3 p.m. ET, and USF cruised to a 48-18 victory.
Two UAB football players were stabbed hours before their game Saturday in Birmingham, Ala. (Wes Hale/Getty Images)
An online inmate inquiry from the Jefferson County Jail showed that Daniel Israel Mincey, 20, was arrested by the UAB Campus Police just after noon Saturday and is facing charges of “aggravated assault — A to M — attempted murder.” The university would not confirm whether Mincey was a player involved.
MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLED UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL PLAYERS SENTENCED TO 5 LIFE TERMS
Mincey is a redshirt freshman who joined the team after one season at Kentucky, according to the UAB football roster.
The two players were attacked Saturday morning at the Football Operations Center, the training center for the Blazers’ football program. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
There appeared to be concerns about whether the game would proceed as scheduled given the incident, but a spokesperson confirmed that the university elected to play.
“We’re grateful to report that two players injured in an incident this morning at the Football Operations Building are in stable condition. Our thoughts are with them and their families as they recover. The suspect — another player — remains in custody, and an investigation is taking place,” a spokesperson said.
USF quarterback Byrum Brown threw for 353 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in the blowout win. UAB held a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, but USF scored 27 unanswered points.
A South Florida Bulls helmet near the sideline during a game between the South Florida Bulls and the Miami Hurricanes Sept. 13, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The highlight of Brown’s day was a 60-yard touchdown pass to Mudia Reuben, which gave USF a 24-10 lead on the first play of the third quarter. Nykahi Davenport added 117 rushing yards and a touchdown run for USF.
UAB quarterback Jalen Kitna had 230 passing yards but was also responsible for three costly interceptions.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj and information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Sports
UCLA loses in blowout to Washington in possible Rose Bowl swan song for Bruins
Somebody should check with SoFi Stadium to see if it rescinded its offer.
In what could have been UCLA’s last game at the Rose Bowl after 43 years of calling the place home, the Bruins unfurled the kind of showing that no one would ever want to relive or put in a scrapbook.
If this was goodbye, it was a sad sendoff.
There were lost fumbles, a laughably bad fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown for the other team and a dropped pass that probably cost UCLA its own score. And that was just in the first half.
Adding injury to insult, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava took a crunching hit that sidelined him late in the third quarter, ending his gritty return from a concussion that had forced him to miss his team’s last game.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava passes in the first half against Washington on Saturday night.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
There’s mercifully only one game left for the Bruins this season after a 48-14 loss to Washington on Saturday night led to a fast-emptying stadium, no fond farewells in store for the home fans amid an announced crowd of 38,201 that was too depleted by game’s end to boo.
The site of UCLA’s next home game remains as big of an unknown as its next head coach. School officials have said they are still contemplating plans for where the team will play in the future, though that decision could be up to a court to decide given the Bruins have nearly two decades left on a Rose Bowl lease that doesn’t expire until the summer of 2044.
It’s believed that if school officials have their way, they will move to SoFi Stadium in time for their 2026 season opener.
Wherever the Bruins play, they have a lot of improvements to make. They looked lethargic in falling behind by 34 points Saturday while making one mistake after another on the way to a fourth consecutive defeat.
By the time he entered the game, there was little backup quarterback Luke Duncan could do except make the final score slightly more palatable. He succeeded on that front, firing a 37-yard touchdown pass to Mikey Matthews late in the third quarter that helped UCLA (3-8 overall, 3-5 Big Ten) avoid a shutout.
There was another highlight for the Bruins early in the fourth quarter when Kanye Clark forced a fumble on Washington’s punt return, allowing Jamir Benjamin to pick up the ball and run 13 yards for a touchdown.
But make no mistake: This was complete domination by the Huskies (8-3, 5-3), who rolled up 426 yards of offense while holding the Bruins to 207 yards, including just 57 yards rushing.
Washington alumnus and comedian Joel McHale performed a short recorded bit that was shown on the scoreboard before the game, but the real slapstick was about to come.
The Bruins coughed up two fumbles in the first half and would have lost a third had the Huskies not been called for defensive holding on the play, nullifying the turnover.
UCLA quarterback Luke Duncan throws during the second half against Washington on Saturday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
UCLA wide receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala dropped what could have been a touchdown pass at the Huskies’ 38-yard line with nothing but open field in front of him.
But there was no blunder quite like what happened when the Bruins lined up for a 46-yard field goal late in the second quarter. Holder Cash Peterman took the snap and flipped the ball over his shoulder as kicker Mateen Bhaghani circled behind him, the ball hitting the turf instead of Bhaghani’s hands.
Washington’s Alex McLaughlin picked up the ball and ran 59 yards for a touchdown that put the Huskies ahead, 20-0. It was the second straight game UCLA was held scoreless in the first half.
Things never got appreciably better, the Bruins left adrift without a haven in sight.
Sports
LSU national champion Breiden Fehoko retires from NFL at 29
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko, who won a national championship with LSU in 2020, announced his retirement on Friday at age 29.
Fehoko, who began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, made the announcement on Instagram.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko (96) reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
“Sometimes in life you just get a sense of fulfillment & for me it’s now. 29 years old and I couldn’t be happier with the journey of where this game has taken me,” his post read.
“To my family you guys never let me quit and more importantly never let me stop believing in myself. I’m thankful for every coach, teammate, trainer, opponent, agent, etc. because you guys made me a better version of myself every time I stepped on that football field.”
Fehoko played two seasons at Texas Tech before joining former LSU head coach Ed Orgeron in the SEC for two seasons, culminating in a national championship with the Tigers in 2020. He finished his collegiate career with 71 tackles and four sacks across 48 games.
Breiden Fehoko (96) of the Los Angeles Chargers tackles Derrick Henry (22) of the Tennessee Titans in the third quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Dec. 18, 2022. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
A journeyman, Fehoko signed with the Chargers in 2020 after going undrafted that year. He made his NFL debut that season in a Week 12 game against the Buffalo Bills.
NFL STAR XAVIEN HOWARD ABRUPTLY RETIRES AFTER 4 GAMES WITH COLTS
Fehoko appeared in 19 games for the Chargers, registering 36 tackles across three seasons.
He signed with the Steelers in 2023, but never appeared in any games. He signed with the team in August but was later released before the start of the season.
Breiden Fehoko (96) of the Pittsburgh Steelers lines up during the second half of a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 24, 2023. (Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
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“I’m not a fan of long novels but I’m glad to say I’m retiring from this great sport of football,” Fehoko post read. “I’m so blessed to have a head start in life & I look forward to my next chapter with my family. I’ll miss the team dinners, bus rides, training camps, and everything in between. I won’t miss conditioning.”
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