Sports
College athletes suing NCAA over redshirt rule
A pair of Vanderbilt football players are among 10 athletes suing the NCAA in an effort to force the association to allow college athletes to compete for five seasons rather than four.
Linebacker Langston Patterson and defensive lineman Issa Ouattara filed a class action lawsuit in federal court Tuesday, which claims that the NCAA’s eligibility rules violate antitrust law. The NCAA’s current rules allow athletes to compete for four seasons during a five-year timespan that begins when they enroll in college.
Attorney Ryan Downton said in a news release that the players were not aiming to completely remove any eligibility restrictions but believe they should be able to compete in games for all five years that they are allowed to be on the team.
“We’re not challenging the five-year [limit],” Downton told ESPN Tuesday night. “The question is why do players have to spend one of those five years sitting on the bench? How does that further any of the NCAA’s goal of moving players toward graduation?”
Patterson and Ouattara are both seniors who played in each of their three previous seasons on campus and will be out of eligibility at the end of 2025 under the NCAA’s current rules.
“The NCAA stands by its eligibility rules, including the five-year rule, which enable student-athletes to access the life-changing opportunity to be a student-athlete,” an NCAA spokesperson said in a statement provided to ESPN Tuesday night. “The NCAA is making changes to modernize college sports but attempts to dismantle widely supported academic requirements can only be addressed by partnering with Congress.”
The association has faced more than two dozen lawsuits challenging their eligibility rules in the past two years. In their initial rulings in those cases, judges have largely sided with the NCAA, which argues that the limited time athletes are allowed to play is an important distinction that separates college sports from the pro leagues. However, especially in cases that involve athletes who previously used some of their eligibility while playing at the junior college level, some judges have issued injunctions that allow the athlete to keep playing.
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia successfully filed for an injunction that is allowing him to start for the Commodores this season despite having already played a combined four full seasons at the junior college and Division I levels. Downton also represented Pavia in his case.
NCAA leaders and their lawyers have raised concerns in other cases that any change in eligibility rules that is forced by the court will set a legal precedent that would threaten the association’s ability to place any limits on how long a player can compete in college — leading to some athletes playing long careers in college and taking opportunities away from future students.
Pavia’s lawsuit, along with the other 20-plus previously filed cases across the country, were only seeking to reverse the restrictions placed on one specific athlete. By filing a class action suit, the athletes in this case are attempting to force the NCAA to change its rules for all Division I college athletes.
Patterson, a team captain, made two tackles last weekend in Vanderbilt’s season-opening win against Charleston Southern. Ouattara did not play due to injury, but coach Clark Lea told reporters Tuesday that he was expected to be back on the field this Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Sports
Florida defensive lineman ejected for spitting on player during opponent’s game-winning drive
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Florida Gators defensive lineman Brendan Bett was ejected from Saturday night’s upset loss to South Florida after he spit on one of his opponents.
The crucial moment came on the Bulls’ game-winning drive. Bett came face-to-face with South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner and spit right into the player’s facemask.
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Florida defensive lineman Brendan Bett (90) celebrates a tackle against LIU Brooklyn during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Gainesville, Florida. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Bett was immediately ejected from the game with 2:07 left to play and the Gators were assessed a 15-yard penalty. Seven plays later, Nico Gramatica nailed a 20-yard field goal to give South Florida the 18-16 win.
Bett is a redshirt sophomore who transferred from Baylor. He played in 10 games for the Bears in 2023 but was redshirted during the 2024 season. He saw some action off the bench in the Texas Bowl. He played in 15 defensive snaps against Long Island last week.
South Florida picked up another huge win. The team knocked off No. 25 Boise State last week, 34-7. This time, Florida was the No. 13 team in the nation.
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South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) throws the ball over Florida Gators defensive lineman Brendan Bett (90) during the first quarter at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)
Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown had 263 passing yards and a touchdown pass in the win. He also picked up 66 yards on the ground. Eight different South Florida receivers had catches.
Gators quarterback D.J. Lagway had 222 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. Jadan Baugh added 93 yards on the ground. Florida went up one point early in the fourth quarter. But the team punted on back-to-back drives.
South Florida Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown (17) throws against the Florida Gators during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 6, 2025. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)
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The spitting incident is the second that has captured the attention of the football world. Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter was ejected from Thursday night’s NFL opener against the Dallas Cowboys for spitting on Dak Prescott.
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Sports
Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell delivers historic feat with three consecutive quarterback sacks against Utah State
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Texas A&M had little issue securing its second victory of the young college football season. The No. 19 Aggies cruised to a 20-point win over the Utah State Aggies in College Station, Texas.
Defensive lineman Cashius Howell played a key role in the win and accomplished a rare feat in the process. In the second quarter, Howell sacked Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes on three consecutive plays.
When Utah State held the ball on the 25-yard line, the pass rusher powered past left tackle Jake Eichorn and dropped Barnes for a loss of six yards.
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Cashius Howell #9 of the Texas A&M Aggies runs past Jake Eichorn #56 of the Utah State Aggies in the first half of a game at Kyle Field on Sept. 06, 2025 in College Station, Texas. (Joe Buvid/Getty Images)
On the next play, Howell got past Eichorn again to take Barnes down for another sack. Bullying past Eichorn one more time, Howell took down Barnes for a loss of 8 yards to bring up fourth down and single-handedly force a punt.
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Howell admitted he was left a bit stunned after he took Barnes down for the third time.
“I don’t wanna say I didn’t believe it, but it was like dang, like, I really just did that,” he said. “It was definitely a good feeling for sure though.”
Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Cashius Howell (18) reacts during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Kyle Field on Aug. 31, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Maria Lysaker/USA TODAY Sports)
When asked to pick his favorite of the three, Howell didn’t hesitate.
“The second one,” he said. “I feel like I just fried him.”
Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell (9) reacts after sacking Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) during the second quarter of a college football game on Sept. 6, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said he’d never seen anything like what Howell did Saturday and lauded his team’s pass rush. “That will be something that will be hard to beat,” he said.
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Howell, a fifth-year senior, entered the game with 15.5 career sacks. He finished he 2024 season with just four sacks. His career-high came in 2023 when he had 9.5 for Bowling Green.
Howell became the first player to record sacks on three straight plays since Jack Cichy did it for the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 Holiday Bowl against the USC Trojans, according to research provided by the Texas A&M communications staff.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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MILWAUKEE — Two members of the Marquette men’s lacrosse team were killed in a car wreck Friday night near the school’s campus in downtown Milwaukee.
Marquette officials confirmed that Scott Michaud and Noah Snyder died in the crash and three other lacrosse team members were taken to a hospital and treated for injuries. A Mass was held in their honor Saturday.
“Please keep Noah and Scott’s parents, siblings and families, and the Marquette Athletics and college communities in your prayers,” university president Kimo Ah Yun said in a statement on social media. “Noah and Scott’s lives were taken too soon and we share in the heartbreak of their teammates, coaches and those who knew them personally.”
Michaud was a sophomore goalie from Springboro, Ohio. He was 19. Snyder was a sophomore attackman from Irving, New York, who had come to Marquette from Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He was 20.
Milwaukee police said a 41-year-old driver collided with another vehicle containing six occupants at about 5 p.m. Friday. Police confirmed that a 19-year-old and 20-year-old passenger in the other car were pronounced dead at the scene. Marquette later identified the victims as Michaud and Snyder.
The other four occupants of the vehicle sustained injuries that weren’t considered life-threatening, according to police. Marquette officials said three of those occupants were on the lacrosse team.
Police said an investigation is ongoing and criminal charges are pending review by the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office. The police report didn’t name the 41-year-old driver, who was taken into custody.
Ah Yun noted that Michaud and Snyder had both been named to the Big East’s all-academic team last year for maintaining grade-point averages of at least 3.0. Snyder played in 13 of Marquette’s 14 games last season, making three starts in the midfield and collecting nine goals and seven assists.
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