Last December, UCF football addressed its future by turning to its past, bringing in former Knights coach Scott Frost to once again lead the program.

With the benefit of hindsight, Frost would have never left Orlando in the first place.

As he prepares to enter the first season of his second stint at UCF, Frost expressed regrets over departing for Nebraska after the 2017 college football season, claiming he “didn’t really want” to accept the job at his alma mater.

‘I said I wouldn’t leave (UCF) unless it was someplace you could win a national championship,” Frost said in an interview with The Athletic at Big 12 media days on July 8. “I got tugged in a direction to try to help my alma mater and didn’t really want to do it. It wasn’t a good move. I’m lucky to get back to a place where I was a lot happier.’

Frost engineered one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent college football history during his first stop at UCF. He inherited a Knights program that went winless the season before his arrival and, by his second season at the helm, posted an undefeated season in 2017. That ended with the school claiming a national championship after the Knights were the only undefeated team in college football that season.

That December, one month before UCF finished off its unblemished season with a Peach Bowl victory against Auburn, Frost was hired at Nebraska. It was a homecoming for the Lincoln, Nebraska native: He was the quarterback of the Cornhuskers’ most recent national championship team, which was awarded the Coaches Poll title for the 1997 college football season. (Michigan was awarded the Associated Press title).

A hire that seemed perfect in theory — a native son with an impressive resume and a thorough understanding of the program — was something more disastrous in practice.

Frost went just 16-31 in his time at Nebraska, including a 10-26 mark in Big Ten play. Under their former star quarterback, the Cornhuskers never won more than five games. One day after a 45-42 loss to Georgia Southern in 2022, Frost was fired, three games into his fifth season.

After working last season as an analyst for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, Frost will look to reignite a UCF program that has struggled in its first two seasons in the Big 12, going 10-15 overall and 5-13 in conference play during that time. He’s one of two first-year Big 12 coaches who’s back at a school he previously led to overwhelming success, with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia being the other.

Frost returns to the Knights carrying at least one lesson he took from his failure at Nebraska.

‘Don’t take the wrong job,” he said to The Athletic.

Forward Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, will play for Penn State next season, he announced on ESPN’s ‘SportsCenter’ on July 8.

McKenna, who has the same pre-draft hype as 2023 No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, is switching to college hockey after being named the Canadian Hockey League player of the year in 2024-25. The 17-year-old was the third youngest to win the award, behind Sidney Crosby and John Tavares.

The 6-foot, 165-pounder had 41 goals, 88 assists and 129 points last season with the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Tigers and went to the CHL’s Memorial Cup final. He has played three seasons in the Western Hockey League and had 97 points in 2023-24.

A recently approved NCAA rule change allows CHL players to play college hockey for the first time this season. They previously had been prohibited.

Landing McKenna is big news for Penn State, which went to the Frozen Four for the first time last season before falling in the semifinals to Boston University.

If McKenna goes No. 1 as expected, he’d be the third college hockey player in five years to be taken first, following Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) in 2024 and Michigan’s Owen Power (Buffalo Sabres) in 2021.

‘While the term ‘generational talent’ is thrown around far too loosely these days, if it doesn’t apply to McKenna, then it should never apply to anyone,’ said Kyle Woodlief, publisher and chief scout for Red Line Report. ‘His gifts are so special, it’s hard to find the superlatives to adequately describe them. He is so phenomenal that he might just instantly transform whichever team gets to draft him next June.’

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The recent $2.8 billion settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences is set to face seven appeals to the 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based on filings made by a deadline that passed the night of Monday, July 7.

None of the appeal notices were accompanied by a motion seeking to put at least a temporary stop to the going-forward aspects of the agreement, which included schools being allowed to pay athletes directly for the use of their name, image and likeness, beginning July 1.

Also, beginning July 1, schools that choose to make NIL deals with their athletes are no longer subject to sport-by-sport scholarship limits. But those restrictions have been replaced by roster limits, subject to exceptions for certain athletes who were on teams during the 2024-25 school year and recruits who had been assured of roster spots for the 2025-26 school year.

There were 73 valid, timely objections filed out of nearly 390,000 current and former athletes covered by the litigation while U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken considered whether to grant final approval to the settlement. She granted that approval on June 6.

Among the athletes being represented in appeals are current Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who is involved with two appeal efforts; former two-time national women’s lacrosse player of the year Charlotte North; former wrestler Sebastian Rivera, who won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics and now is an assistant coach at Columbia; and former men’s basketball player Braeden Anderson, who now works as an attorney.

The full range of issues that will be argued in the appeals remains to be seen because the appeal notices followed a standard format and were not accompanied by a legal argument. But based on the objections that the appealing parties made to Wilken previously, they are likely to include:

The applicability of Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, to the settlement’s sport-by-sport allocations of damages money that heavily favors football and men’s basketball players.

Whether the settlement’s annual per-school cap on new benefits that can be provided to athletes, including the NIL money paid directly from the schools to the athletes, constitutes another illegal limit on athlete compensation.

The fairness of the damages allocations to walk-on athletes who sometimes ended up becoming more prominent than their teammates on scholarship, and to some athletes in lower-revenue sports.

The adequacy of the plaintiffs’ lawyers’ representation of the interests of athletes other than football and men’s basketball players and the adequacy of the notice and claims submissions process for athletes.

Other than the lawyers who filed the first notice of appeal on June 11, many of the lawyers for the appealing parties have either been willing to provide only brief and general comments about their planned arguments to USA TODAY Sports, or they have been unavailable for comment.

But Patrick Bradford, an attorney representing Castellanos and Anderson, said in an interview July 8: ‘This is a settlement that will pay kids less than the market would bear and say, ‘That’s OK.’ ‘ Bradford raised the possibility of pursuing the matter to the Supreme Court, if necessary.

Steve Berman, one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, said in an email July 8: “We remain 100 percent optimistic of our chances of success and are disappointed that these objectors are appealing given the thoroughness and soundness of Judge Wilken’s decision. Most of the objectors have not appealed and we thank them for not joining in any effort to hold up payments to the student (a)thletes which is what the appealing objectors are doing.”

The appeals could significantly delay the start of payments of damages money to tens of thousands of athletes and to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, who have requested that they be awarded hundreds of millions of dollars from the total settlement pool. These payments are set to occur over a 10-year period.

As approved by Wilken, the settlement says that in the event of appeals of this nature, the NCAA and the conferences would begin making damages payments, but the money would be held in escrow — not paid to athletes or lawyers — until appeals are completed.

Initial scheduling instructions from the 9^th Circuit for five of the appeals that were filed called for written arguments to be filed by various dates in September by those appealing and for responses to be filed by various dates in October. However, no scheduling instructions have been issued yet for two appeals.

Berman said plaintiffs will ask the 9^th Circuit to consolidate the appeals, so they follow a single calendar.

According to the 9^th Circuit’s website, oral arguments in appeals of civil cases occur approximately six to 12 months from the notice of appeal date, or approximately four months from completion of briefing.

The site said “most cases are decided within 3 months to a year after submission,” so even if the 9^th Circuit chooses not to hold oral argument in this case, it’s unlikely a ruling will be issued before early 2026.

FRISCO, Texas – Brigham Young football coach Kalani Sitake discussed his school’s controversial honor code here July 8 and said he loves his quarterback Jake Retzlaff even though he violated it for having premarital sex. But Sitake also mostly sidestepped questions about the controversy even after it threw his team into a bind on the eve of the 2025 season.

“First of all, I love Jake Retzlaff,” Sitake said at the annual preseason Big 12 Conference media days event north of Dallas. “We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he’s done for our program. I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement in his situation first. I think that’s his right. I think it’s a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I’m going to give him the opportunity to do that.”

Retzlaff is looking to leave BYU after getting caught up in a scandal for having premarital sex. He faces a seven-game suspension because it violated the school’s honor code, which calls for living a “chaste and virtuous life.”

Before that, he had been sued by a woman in May who accused him of sexually assaulting her at his home in 2023 – an allegation that was denied by his attorney.

His attorney said their relations instead were consensual, which helped his case in court but still got him into trouble with a school that is run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

RULES TO LIVE BY: Everything to know about the BYU honor code

The lawsuit recently was dismissed. Retzlaff also is Jewish, not LDS, but it didn’t matter. 

“Every school has their standards,” Sitake said. “We have ours too. … And we expect our students to live, to live according to what they what they signed up for.”

BYU running back LJ Martin echoed that notion Tuesday when asked his opinion of the BYU honor code.

‘My opinion of the honor code is if you’re a Christian and you believe in Christian beliefs, that’s pretty much what the honor code has,’ Martin told USA TODAY Sports.

Martin said he’s not LDS but ‘what Christ wants us to do is part of the honor code.’

When asked what he was told about Retzlaff’s status on the team, Martin also echoed his coach’s message, which implied the decision is up to Retzlaff whether he wants to stay with BYU.

‘He hasn’t said nothing,’ Martin said of Retzlaff. ‘So I’m just going to leave it up to him.’

In March 2011, BYU men’s basketball player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team for the same reason, even as the Cougars were making a run to the NCAA tournament.

In the case of Retzlaff, his loss also puts his team into a bind after he led them to an 11-2 season last year, including a win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. After serving as co-captain of last year’s team, he’s now looking for a landing spot elsewhere to avoid the suspension.

A transfer quarterback or two is poised to replace him at BYU: McCae Hillstead from Utah State, Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan or Bear Bachmeier from Stanford. Hillstead and Bourguet were on the roster last year for the Cougars but did not play.

Sitake noted that at BYU “you have to be able to throw the ball” and that the position is up for grabs in preseason practices.

“Let’s settle it on the field,” Sitake said. “Let them compete.”

Asked if the situation was disruptive to the team at this point of the year, Martin said, ‘It really shouldn’t matter.’

‘There’s 10 other guys also out there too,’ Martin said.

BYU receiver Chase Roberts gave a similar response to ESPN earlier Tuesday.

‘We’re confident that any of the quarterbacks that step in that they’re going to take leadership as they have been and take control of the team and go win some games,’ Roberts said.

The Cougars open the season at home Aug. 30 against Portland State.

(New information was added to this story.)

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

College football talking season is here, and there’s only one way to look at this annual media carnival.

Imagine, if you will, the sheer unknown racing around the mind of Team Belichick.

No control, no contrived theater. 

No backing out.  

We’re about two weeks from ACC Media Days, and there’s nothing North Carolina coach Bill Belichick or his muse – if Belichick calls his 24-year-old girlfriend his muse, so should we – can do about it.

No interrupting media from asking questions, no explaining after the fact that those asking questions knew the ground rules and ignored them, anyway. Or were too stupid to get it. 

No hiding behind the NFL shield or ESPN comfort blanket. No demanding to be treated differently because you’re Bill (and the Muse) and everyone else isn’t.

The media days carnival bends the knee to no one. Not the greatest coach in NFL history, not his 20-something muse.

This won’t be some cushy, softball interview from a network weekend morning show that randomly stumbled into an innocent question of how Beli and the Muse met.

For the love of pigskin, it sounds like an Elton John song.

Beli, Beli … Beli and the Muuuuuse.  

TOP 25: Ranking the best college football quarterbacks

Earlier this spring, Belichick showed up at the ACC spring meetings, held annually at the posh digs of the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida. A laid-back, relaxed environment where all ACC coaches and officials speak freely and openly. 

Except, of course, Beli. He strolled into the joint about 20 minutes late for his first meeting, banging his roller luggage against the heavy doors before trudging all the way to the front of the ballroom.

Seventeen rows ahead (for 17 schools) to North Carolina’s front row status, hang a right and all the way to the boundary. I made the same walk a few hours later, and half expected Tom Brady to hit me on a perfectly timed post-corner. 

Later that day – and I know this is going to shock you – Belichick sat for his first of two (and only two) controlled interviews. One with ACC television partner ESPN, and the other with a local Raleigh, North Carolina, television station.

That’ll all change in two weeks at ACC Media Days. Everyone – and I mean, everyone – will have their chance with Team Belichick. It doesn’t mean Belichick will answer every question, but it does mean it won’t be for a lack of trying by more than 500 media members. 

Unlike the NFL, college football conferences hold these events to drum up publicity for the coming season, and more recently, to give television partners offseason content. They’re free-for-alls for any credentialed media member, with no limitations on questions — only time limits.

Belichick, who isn’t exactly the most engaging coach with the media, will have to decide if he wants to filibuster or answer questions. One option is just as painful as the other.

Former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze once filibustered his opening remarks for nearly his entire 15-minute time allotment on the main stage. He and Ole Miss were under NCAA investigation, and he didn’t want to answer questions. 

So he talked about his backup left tackle, and walk-ons, and anything else he could shovel to prevent media questions. But it never works. 

Because the main stage is followed by a round of more question and answer from various other media outlets. Television, radio, electronic media, content partners and finally the ACC Network.

It’s a full four- or five-hour day of the same dang questions over and over, and maybe, just maybe, a few Beli doesn’t want to deal with. A few The Muse better see coming.

Because no matter how much he prepares, how much he’ll try to avoid answers and move on or away from specific questions, Belichick is no different than new Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert in this ball yard. Just a new coach in the league chasing the guy who has done it better than anyone else.

“He’s going to be great for our league,” said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, whose program has owned the league for more than a decade. “But as great as he’s been, we’re all lifetime learners.”

Translation: six Super Bowl rings and all that NFL capital mean nothing in college football. 

Especially on this stage, where the expectation of professionalism went out the window years ago when Tim Tebow was asked at SEC Media Days if he were still a virgin. 

If Tebow can handle that, Belichick can surely answer how much power The Muse has within the UNC football program. Much less, how they met. 

The Media Days carnival bends the knee to no one. 

Not even Beli and the Muse.   

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Joe Burrow found out his house had been burglarized shortly after he led the Cincinnati Bengals to a key win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.

The quarterback shared exactly how he reacted to the news, which came on the eve of his 28th birthday.

‘Of (expletive) course this happened to me right now,’ Burrow said in the sixth episode of Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ series. ‘When you’re on cloud nine, something’s gonna bring you right back down.’

Burrow wasn’t so much concerned with what the burglars stole at the time of the break-in. He told Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in footage included in the Netflix series that they had mostly taken his jewelry and that it was insured.

‘They could have stolen way worse things than that,’ Burrow said.

The Bengals quarterback was more bothered by the invasion of privacy he felt as a result of the burglary.

‘I just get very uncomfortable,’ Burrow said during the series’ sixth episode. ‘My life is very public. That comes with the job, but there’s certain parts of your life that are yours. Your house is one of those. When that gets violated, people find out where you live, all these different things.’

Those ‘different things’ included information about the location of Burrow’s house, an increased media presence surrounding his house following the break-in and his connection to social media personality Olivia Ponton – who was at Burrow’s house the night of the burglary.

Burrow acknowledged in his discussion with Anarumo that he was considering whether he would need to move because of the burglary.

Burrow also elected not to go through with his purchase of a replica Batmobile in the wake of the break-in, a prospect about which he previously expressed excitement on the in-season edition of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks.’

‘I didn’t end up getting the Batmobile because I just had other things I wanted to deal with at that point,’ Burrow said on ‘Quarterback.’

Three men associated with the burglary at Burrow’s house – 22-year-old Jordan Francisco Quiroga Sanchez, 23-year-old Bastian Alejandro Orellana Morales and 38-year-old Sergio Andres Ortega Cabello were indicted in Hamilton County in February on charges of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and burglary. The trio were also indicted on federal charges in connection with the burglary of Burrow’s home.

Burrow did not acknowledge those indictments on ‘Quarterback,’ but he did explain the late-season ordeal left him feeling ‘very vulnerable.’

‘Not everybody’s failures at their job are in front of the whole world,’ Burrow said. ‘It’s a very vulnerable position to be in. I put myself in that position because I love it. I don’t like the other part of it.’

We’re just one year away from getting to witness the best players in the world represent their countries in the World Baseball Classic. After the 2023 edition of the tournament ended in dramatic fashion, fans are itching to see more.

Can America bounce back after its brutal loss in the championship? Is Japan still the team to beat? Or will a new contender shock the world and win it? We’ve still got time to debate the answers to those questions. In the meantime, here is the latest schedule and ticket information released for the tournament.

When does the 2026 World Baseball Classic start?

Pool play for the tournament will begin on March 5, 2026 with the final happening just 12 days later on March 17.

LoanDepot Park in Miami will host the championship game on March 17. First pitch is set for 8 p.m. ET.

What other parks will host the WBC?

Three other parks will host games for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Pool A games will be played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Pool B games will take place at Daikin Park in Houston. Pool C games will be played at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Pool D games will be played at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.

How to pre-register for tickets:

Ticket strips became available on July 8, but only for Houston Astros season ticket holders and Marlins Members. Since their teams’ stadiums will be hosting WBC games, Houston and Miami fans will have first opportunity to register for tickets.

Ticket strips for the Puerto Rico games will become available on July 15. Meanwhile, Japan-specific strips will become available on Oct. 1.

All registration information is available here.