NCAA

Friday is the official launch of EA Sports College Football 25 ... but fans who dropped a few extra bucks were able to get their hands on it earlier this week -- and the player count is mind-blowing!!

According to Electronic Arts, since the game had a soft launch on Monday ... 2.2 million unique players have stepped onto the virtual gridiron to give the company's return to college football a try. In addition, EA's subscription service, EA Play, saw 600,000 players take advantage of the trial period.

Ever since the company announced the game back in February 2021, anticipation has been through the roof ... as fans were without a new installment following the release of NCAA Football 14 in 2013.

Nick Saban is getting another tribute at Alabama -- the school just announced it is renaming the Bryant-Denny Stadium field in his honor.

Bama will hold a ceremony on September 7 ... when the Crimson Tide host the South Florida Bulls.

The university shared a special video to reveal the news ... featuring several memorable soundbites from Saban's historic career.

Deion Sanders is about to be a grandfather and a father-in-law ... 'cause his pregnant daughter just got engaged -- to R&B singer Jacquees!

The proposal went down over the weekend during Deiondra and the "B.E.D." singer's baby shower ... as the couple wait for Baby Que's arrival.

The lavish party was filled with family and friends ... and they all went crazy when Jacquees, 30, got down on one knee with a massive diamond ring.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy's recent remarks about his star player's DUI arrest have infuriated Mothers Against Drunk Driving ... who tell TMZ Sports the words were "irresponsible" and "dangerous."

The 56-year-old made the controversial comments at Big 12 Media Day earlier this week ... when he was asked why he didn't suspend Ollie Gordon II following allegations the running back drove while intoxicated in June.

Gundy stated that after he had looked into how many drinks it would take to put a person over Oklahoma's .08 blood alcohol limit ... he seemed to admit he very well may have done the same thing as Gordon throughout the years.

Flau'jae Johnson is advising women to wear their fake lashes no matter what Aries Spears or anyone else is saying to the contrary ... do you, boo!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the LSU hoops star in Hollywood on Tuesday and she hit a fast break on Aries' recent comments slamming the current fashion trend of oversized eyelash extensions.

Women of all nationalities and races are gluing the bristle brushes to their eyelids but Aries primarily targeted his "beautiful Black queens" in his viral PSA ... before calling the lashes ridiculous wastes of time.

Zach Wilson isn't the only one getting engaged this month ... his ex, Abbey Gile, also has wedding bells in her future -- after getting proposed to by Wilson's college roommate.

Gile -- who dated the Denver Broncos quarterback from high school until 2022 -- was seen rockin' a massive diamond ring on her finger after Dax Milne, a Washington Commander receiver, proposed on the beach.

"She said YES❤️💍," the 25-year-old said in an Instagram post on Monday.

Olivia Dunne has made a decision on her gymnastics future ... revealing she will be returning to LSU for her final season.

The 21-year-old gymnast posted a video to her social media on Monday ... confirming she's not hanging up the leotard just yet.

Many speculated if Dunne -- a member of the 2024 National Champion Tigers -- would leave the sport behind to pursue other opportunities ... as she's become quite the poster child for the Name, Image and Likeness era in college athletics. But in her video clip, she explained the chance to compete again for the Tigers weighed heavily in her decision.

Paul Skenes' first-ever MLB All-Star Game selection came with an extra surprise ... a pizza party courtesy of his loving girlfriend, Olivia Dunne!!

The star LSU gymnast made the trip to Pittsburgh after partying in the Hamptons for the Fourth of July ... and when she found out Skenes was named to The Show's mid-summer classic, she threw him an impromptu bash.

Livvy showed on her TikTok page that she copped some balloons, a bottle of champagne and some 'Za for the fiesta -- and Skenes was clearly loving it all.

Dick Vitale just underwent surgery to remove a cancerous lymph node ... but in true Dickie V fashion, he's remaining positive about everything.

The famous college basketball announcer revealed last week that he was diagnosed with the disease after tests showed a mass in his neck was malignant.

On Tuesday, docs cut it out of him with the hopes of stopping its spread ... and in a post on his X page, he told his followers he's optimistic about his prognosis.

Oklahoma State star running back Ollie Gordon II, who scored 21 rushing touchdowns last season, was arrested over the weekend ... after authorities said they believed he was driving drunk.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper wrote they pulled over Gordon's black 2024 Cadillac at around 2:30 AM on Sunday ... after they say they saw it swerving and speeding on a local interstate.

During the ensuing stop, the trooper said in the docs "an odor associated with an alcoholic beverage" emanated from Gordon's ride ... so they conducted an interview with the 20-year-old football player.

Legendary basketball commentator Dick Vitale says he's dealing with another bout of cancer ... announcing on Friday that some tests he underwent this week revealed a malignant mass on his neck.

The 85-year-old shared the sad update moments ago with his fans on his X page ... saying he's now scheduled to undergo surgery next week to try to rid himself of the new issue.

"With all the 🙏🙏🙏 I have received & the loving support of my family, friends & @espn colleagues I will win this battle," Dickie V said.

Antonio Brown used offensive language on his social media page yet again on Wednesday night ... calling Jared McCain a homophobic slur during the NBA draft.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers star typed out the f-word as McCain -- an ex-Duke guard -- was being taken by the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 17 overall.

The post -- which was made on top of a McCain TikTok that showed the hooper dancing around with a shower cap and painted nails -- appeared to be an attempt by Brown to be funny ... but there weren't many laughing in the comment section.

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley is opening up on his decision to reject the Lakers ... admitting the team succeeded in piquing his interest -- but ultimately, he has many more reasons to keep his current gig.

Hurley -- who just turned down a six-year, $70 million offer from Los Angeles -- spoke with reporters about his eventful week on Thursday ... and said the idea of taking the reins for the Purple and Gold was "obviously tempting" and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The opportunity to coach a future Hall of Famer in LeBron James wasn't lost on Hurley either -- in fact, he revealed he spoke with the four-time champion on the phone during the interview process.

2:20 PM PT -- Dan Hurley just addressed the elephant in the room ... saying it was a humbling experience.

"At the end of the day, I am extremely proud of the championship culture we have built at Connecticut," he said.

Hurley added he met with the team prior to Monday's practice ... and now, they're switching focus back to getting better as a team and defending their championship this season.

Dan Hurley is slamming the door on the Los Angeles Lakers ... with reports saying he will not accept their lucrative, $70 MILLION offer to become their next head coach -- choosing to remain at UConn.

The news broke on Monday ... with Fox Sports' John Fanta saying Hurley will pursue his third-straight national championship instead of making the jump to the Association.

Hurley's ties to the Purple and Gold seemingly came out of nowhere last week ... when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the Lakers were eyeing the back-to-back championship-winning coach the entire time -- and were preparing to back up the Brinks trucks to make it happen.

Reggie Bush says the return of his Heisman Trophy is only the start of the good news for USC football fans ... telling TMZ Sports this week he believes the reinstatement of the Trojans' 2004 national championship is coming up next.

In fact, the former SC tailback guaranteed it when we got him talking on the topic out at LAX.

"Absolutely," he said. "Absolutely!"

The L.A. Lakers want UCONN head coach Danny Hurley, and despite a fat new contract and an opportunity to go back-to-back-to-back, the coveted coach needs to listen to Lake Show execs, according to Dan Dakich, former Indiana University player and coach.

Dakich, host of Outkick's "Don't @ Me," joined Babcock on "TMZ Sports" (airs nightly on FS1) on Thursday -- only hours after news of the Purple and Gold's interest in Hurley rocked the basketball world -- and we asked the longtime player, coach, and media personality about the bigtime development.

"Well, you got to listen. You got to listen. I mean, you're talking the highest-paid NBA coach is [making] 17 and a half million. I don't give a damn. You got to listen," Dan said.