South Carolina women’s basketball announced on Monday, Oct. 13, that senior forward Chloe Kitts will miss the entire 2025-26 season due to injury.

Kitts, the Gamecocks’ most experienced player with 69 career starts in three seasons, averaged 10.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game last season. She scored in double figures in four of South Carolina’s six NCAA tournament games in 2025.

“We hate this first for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said in a statement. “Her teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team’s success.”

Kitts was named the MVP of the SEC tournament last season after scoring 15 points with nine rebounds and three assists against Texas in the conference title game. She also scored 25 points in South Carolina’s first-round matchup of the tournament against Vanderbilt.

Kitts is a huge loss for South Carolina, who’s expected to be one of the top national championship contenders once again in 2025-26.

Here’s everything to know of Kitts’ injury:

Chloe Kitts injury update

Kitts suffered a torn ACL that will keep her sidelined for the entirety of the 2025-26 season, South Carolina announced on Oct. 13.

The program added she’s expected to have surgery this week to repair her knee.

‘Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support,’ Kitts wrote on Instagram. ‘I recently suffered an ACL tear and, unfortunately, will be out for this season. While this isn’t how I hoped my senior season would go, I’m trusting God’s timing and purpose. I’ll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead.’

Chloe Kitts stats

Here are Kitts’ year-by-year per-game averages in college:

2022-23: 1.6 points with 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on 37.5% shooting.
2023-24: 9.1 points with 5.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game on 54.4% shooting.
2024-25: 10.2 points with 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 52% shooting.

Just 15 days after being ranked No. 2 in the country, Penn State is looking for a football coach.

On Sunday, the school fired James Franklin after the Nittany Lions lost a third straight game. This week’s home loss to Northwestern came on the heels of a Oct. 4 loss to previously winless UCLA. This rut started with a double-OT loss to Oregon in a top-10 showdown. And that was that.

Despite Franklin’s 104-45 record in 12 seasons and a victory in last year’s College Football Playoff, Franklin was sent packing with a hefty $49 million buyout. He was long criticized for not winning big games (‘Big Game James’), and when he started losing the games you’re supposed to win by 20, it was over.

ESPN’s bombastic college football analyst Paul Finebaum agreed it was time.

‘It was the correct decision, but that doesn’t make it any less stupefying,’ Finebaum said on Monday’s ‘Get Up’. ‘… It’s still hard to wrap your arms around this fall from grace. I have never seen anything like this in nearly 50 years of covering college football. But he had nowhere to go. Losing to Oregon just proved that he can’t win big games, but we knew that going in. But these last two have been some of the worst coaching I have ever seen.

‘There was no faith in him. I talked to several people that were at the game Saturday and there were Penn State fans literally wearing bags over their heads. It’s one of the proudest programs in college football, so it was absolutely the right call, and there should be no turning back on that call at all.”

Names with Pennsylvania ties like Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule have been mentioned as possible replacements, though it won’t be easy (or inexpensive) to pry them away.

‘It’s been devalued, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be back because Penn State has one of the top 5 or 10 traditions in college football,’ Finebaum said. ‘So it’s capable.’

GREEN BAY – Lucas Havrisik was looking for a job.

While his goal was a spot on an NFL roster, he said he was likely going to be a part-time substitute teacher for a school in Cleveland, where he lives.

He still worked out, looking to land on a team.

Penn State football addressed its decision to fire James Franklin when athletic director Pat Kraft spoke to reporters on Monday, Oct. 13.

Kraft, who will lead the Nittany Lions’ search for a new coach, defended the school’s decision for buying out Franklin’s contract, which was the second-most expensive buyout ever at just under $50 million.

Franklin and Penn State entered the season ranked No. 3 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. They not only fell out of the rankings on Sunday, Oct. 12 after their third consecutive loss, but also did not receive a single vote. The Nittany Lions fell to winless UCLA in Los Angeles and unranked Northwestern at home after falling to No. 5 Oregon in double-overtime on Sept. 27.

Franklin finished his Penn State tenure with a 104-45 record and five top-10 finishes.

Here’s what was said at Monday’s news conference:

Penn State press conference takeaways

James Franklin firing not based solely on three-game skid

Kraft said while the three-game losing skid to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern weighed in on his decision to fire Franklin, it wasn’t the sole reason for his decision.

‘I weigh everything when I make a decision. The Ph.D. nerd in me is like, ‘I do data. I do analysts. I do analytics.’ I look at everything. And when you start to look at where you’re going and, yes, how this year had been playing out, all those things, you have to take into consideration,’ Kraft said. ‘We’re all humans. James Franklin’s a human being. It’s a job he loved. And people can say what they want about James, but James, it’s a small world you have when we’re all friends. And so you cannot make decisions of this magnitude lightly.

‘So to say, ‘Oh we lost to Oregon, then we lost to UCLA,’ no. It’s about where are we as a program? Where are we going? How do I give my student-athletes the best chance to win? How do I continue to build this to a place that we are the best program in the country? That’s the motivation. And so as you start to put all those things together, you gotta make the call. And that’s where we were.’

While Franklin had six double digit-win seasons at Penn State, including a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, he consistently lost to the Nittany Lions’ toughest opponents. He was 15-29 against ranked opponents and 4-21 vs. top-10 opponents.

Penn State coach must be able to win championship in NIL era

In speaking about what the potential next coach for Penn State, Kraft said the coach first and foremost must model the team he’s leading.

‘Our next coach will be somebody who embodies everything Penn State stands for: Integrity. Accountability. Toughness. Humility. And an elite motivator. We’ll find a coach who can achieve at the highest level, doing it with confidence and conviction,’ Kraft said. ‘Recruiting will always be a pillar here. We want someone who will attract elite talent, retain players in the NIL era and make Penn State a destination.’

Kraft also said the coach must be someone who can succeed in the new era of college football, attacking the transfer portal while retaining talent. He described Penn State as having ‘elite-level resources,’ and therefore must be led by a coach who can maximize the investments into the program.

‘This is also about the modern era of college football,’ Kraft said. ‘Our next coach needs to be able to maximize elite-level resources, attack the transfer portal and develop at the highest level. This person has to fit Penn State. They need to represent the toughness, the blue-collar work ethic and the class that defines this institution. We want someone who honors our tradition but isn’t afraid to evolve. Someone who understands the weight of ‘We Are’ and leads us forward with a vision of championships.

‘We have made significant investments this program. We compete in the best conference in the country. And we have the best fans and alums in the country, with a renovated stadium on the horizon.’

Penn State press conference today updates

This section will be updated. All times Eastern.

12:46 p.m.: Smith says he has talked to a few players already when asked whether he expects any players intend to redshirt and sit the rest of the season.

‘My message is, we have an opportunity to come together, win the season, shock the world and we all can have success together.’

12:43 p.m.: Smith said he will define success in the last half of the season by ‘pulling a rope the same direction.’

‘When you watch us play, you guys will come in here and your questions won’t be effort. It won’t be, ‘they look lethargic.”

He promises Penn State will put a better product on the field moving forward.

12:40 p.m.: Smith is asked how the team fell so sharply from being a 2-point conversion away from beating a top-five Oregon team to having its head coach be fired in three weeks.

‘We were, like you said a 2-point conversion away from beating a top team. I don’t really have an explanation,’ Smith said. ‘When we look back at last season there were so many close games that the ball bounced our way.

Added Smith: ‘This year, the ball’s not bouncing our way so we have to persevere and keep grinding to be better.’

12:37 p.m.: Smith said he will make no changes to his coaching staff other than replacing himself at cornerbacks coach with defensive graduate assistant Jordan Lucas.

12:34 p.m.: Smith, when asked whether he views this as an opportunity to prove he can be the head coach full-time:

‘I love Penn State. And all I want to do is help Penn State be successful and win,’ Smith said. ‘I’m sitting here in this press conference because we didn’t win enough.’

He added that he would love to the opportunity to prove he can take over in a full-time role.

12:32 p.m.: Smith says ‘I have my work cut out for me’ on the recruiting front following the organizational change. He adds that he has recruited roughly 75% of the current roster and said the team will continue to ‘get out there and recruit.’

‘The one thing that doesn’t change is Penn State is still Penn State.’

12:31 p.m.: Smith said he found out about Franklin’s firing roughly 25 minutes before a scheduled team meeting on Oct. 12. He says he was shocked at the decision, and later spoke to Franklin later in the evening. He iterated that he’s thankful for Franklin leading the program the last decade-plus:

‘He took us out of a dark era.’

12:29 p.m.: In his opening statement, Smith says he wants to ‘keep the standard the standard’ at Penn State, adding that he wants players to ‘get back to enjoying ball.’

12:27 p.m.: Smith similarly opens up with a statement thanking Franklin for bringing him to Penn State. He similarly thanked Kraft for entrusting the program to him for the remainder of the season.

12:25 p.m.: Terry Smith is coming up next.

12:23 p.m.: Kraft says Smith will be considered a candidate to take over for Franklin in a full-time role.

12:19 p.m.: Kraft, speaking on Drew Allar, whose season and career was cut short with an injury, says ‘there’s not a negative word that comes up when I think of Drew.’ He is clearly emotional speaking on the Nittany Lions quarterback.

12:18 p.m.: Kraft, when asked how he came to his decision to fire Franklin, said ‘you cannot make decisions of this magnitude lightly.’ He acknowledged that the three losses weighed on his decision, but he looked at the state of the program under Franklin and considered data and analytics before landing on his decision.

12:14 p.m.: Kraft said he has spoken with Smith on how to mitigate any potential losses to the transfer portal or on the recruiting trail. He added the fact that Smith is an elite recruiter made him feel more comfortable making the call to fire Franklin after six games into the season.

12:12 p.m.: Kraft reiterates that he ‘has to be the leader,’ saying he must live with his choice to part ways with Franklin based on where the program was, is and where it wants to be.

12:09 p.m.: Kraft, when asked when he made the decision to fire Franklin:

‘Extremely difficult 48 hours. I felt after Saturday, sitting down and looking at everything, that where we are … in the best of my interests of my kids, my student-athletes … and where we were going, we had to make the decision.’

He adds that he thought he may sleep on it on Sunday before knowing it was the right time to make the call.

12:08 p.m.: Kraft, when asked about the details of Franklin’s buyout, declines to speak on how it will be paid out. He says it will be handled by the athletics department, not the university.

12:06 p.m.: Kraft is making no bones about what he expects from the next coach, who will be determined after a national search: ‘The next coach must maximize elite-level resources, attack the transfer portal and develop talent at the highest level.’

He adds that he wants someone who can retain talent, honor Penn State tradition and who isn’t afraid to evolve.

12:04 p.m.: Kraft describes the football program as ‘backbone,’ adding that ‘we have invested at the highest level’ in the team, meaning expectations must match the investment. ‘A new leader can help us lead a national championship.’

12:03 p.m.: Kraft opens the news conference by thanking Franklin for his time leading the program, adding that he ‘wishes them nothing but success’ moving forward.

Noon: The live stream of Penn State’s news conference is up. Kraft is scheduled to speak at noon, followed by interim coach Terry Smith at 12:15 p.m. ET.

Penn State press conference live stream

What time is Penn State press conference today?

Time: Noon ET

Penn State will hold its news conference at noon ET from the Beaver Stadium press room. Kraft will begin the conference at noon, with interim coach Terry Smith scheduled to speak to assembled media at 12:15 p.m. ET.

It will be just one data point – the outcome of a single playoff series – yet the National League Championship Series pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Milwaukee Brewers could, in the long run, signal so much more.

A narrative is at stake, and it goes far beyond the Average Joes vs. Hollywood Bros drama that will play out on the field.

The Brewers can do much more than simply eliminate the Dodgers. Upset them, really, if you believe Las Vegas and the little casino housed in your pocket. No, they can become something approximating a nightmare for Major League Baseball’s 30 owners.

We’re running out of runway until Dec. 1, 2026, when baseball’s nuclear winter – commissioner Rob Manfred has pretty much decreed it as much – commences. A lockout is not just a possibility – it is expected.

A potentially lengthy and industry-damaging work stoppage is on the docket, with the term and the tension likely determined by how hawkish owners are in pursuing a salary cap, or something like it.

That’s been a white whale they’ve pursued going on four decades now, an aim they determined was worth the cost of tanking a World Series, and now management is extra thirsty, what with the collapse of the lucrative regional sports network model and no shortage of existential crises painting an uncertain future.

Competitive inequity will be the claim, the easiest sell to fans: Why watch if you feel like your team never has a chance?

In a landscape where a handful of teams operate their own sports networks in massive markets, while others are essentially wards of the court, with the league taking over their broadcast operations but with an uncertain revenue stream, it’s a fairly legitimate gripe.

We’ve already heard – and will hear, many more times this series – how the Brewers are getting by on a payroll of just $130 million or so. And that the Dodgers’ checks in around $320 million, or $417 million for luxury tax purposes, according to Spotrac.

Yet despite those disparities, both franchises have, since 2018, fulfilled the objective any team in this modern era of expanded playoffs sets out to achieve: Make the playoffs as many times as possible to ensure the greatest chance at a championship.

The Brewers have made Rob Manfred’s Big Dance seven times in the past eight seasons, a better playoff rate than six of the eight bigger-market franchises projected to pay a luxury tax bill this season.

Only the Dodgers and Houston Astros – who made it eight consecutive years before missing this season – can claim similar or superior success making the playoffs.

Does payroll help? Of course it does.

The Dodgers have a seemingly bottomless trough of revenue and, unlike the Yankees, seem willing to tap it for almost anything. Yet they’ve also spent money to make money, with Shohei Ohtani’s almost entirely deferred $700 million deal bringing back a significant return on investment thanks to their trove of partnerships with Japanese corporations.

(Or perhaps you weren’t aware of their alliance with, say, Tokyo Electron, “which manufactures and sells equipment for producing semiconductors and flat-panel displays, to become a Proud Partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.”)

No, the Dodgers are 1 of 1, with an alignment from ownership to front office to dugout that’s the envy of the industry. It’s why they’re going on 13 consecutive playoff appearances, 12 division titles, two World Series crowns and, with four victories over Milwaukee, their fifth NL pennant since 2017.

The Mets, out of the playoffs in the first year of Juan Soto’s $765 million contract, certainly can’t say that. The Yankees have made one World Series since 2009. And the Phillies, aggressively shooting for a title the past eight years, are nearing a crossroad with a core growing older and perhaps splintering.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee has chugged along through two general managers and two managers, residing in the 38th-largest media market in the country (and smallest in MLB). They just took out No. 3 (Chicago) and can slay No. 2 this week

Now imagine the narratives that might emerge based on the following outcomes:

Dodgers truck Brewers, go on to win first back-to-back championships since 2000: It’s clear the financial disparities in this game are out of control!

Brewers upset Dodgers, go on to World Series featuring a first-time Fall Classic participant (Seattle) or a franchise that hasn’t been there since 1993 (Toronto): Money can’t buy everything!

You can imagine which side management and labor might land on.

It’s not hard to imagine, once the winter fan fest circuit cranks up, a smaller-revenue owner taking cover behind the Dodgers’ back-to-back, their dominance a handy tool to tell fans exactly why that can’t happen here and why the home team’s off-season was a dud. (“But please, get hype and buy some tickets!”)

Naturally, there are countless factors that go into winning, although competence, desire and a lack of dysfunction among ownership and the front office are paramount. (Lest we forget, Frank McCourt once owned the Dodgers, and Fred Wilpon the Mets).

But recency bias can’t be underestimated. And a whole winter of Dodgers championship aftermath – while they still shop Rodeo Drive for free-agent or trade enhancements – can certainly shape a narrative.

On the other hand, a Brewers championship would provide years of “Told you so!” fodder from the union, as if 19 franchises reaching the World Series in the past 20 years didn’t already make that statement.

Either way, the yelling and posturing is only just beginning. And the winner of this NLCS will certainly provide ammo for one side or the other.