College football recruiting has gotten a little out of hand these days.

With how much money these kids are making just to take visits, the whole thing has become a giant spectacle.

Even traditions from the pre-NIL days of recruiting that have made their way over to the modern game have gotten bloated and overused.

Take the “hat game,” for instance.

A kid announces he’s going to commit to a school (probably not even for the last time, mind you), and has a big ceremony at his high school gymnasium.

He usually sits at the center of the gym with four or five hats spread out across a table, and then he’ll pretend to put one on before tossing it into the stands and picking the team he actually wants to commit to.

Yawn.

Hudson Heinemann attends National Signing Day at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., on Feb. 5, 2025, committing as a Division 1 quarterback for Villanova University. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images)

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The theatrics have become so cliche that even I don’t watch commitment ceremonies anymore, and I eat, sleep and breathe college football recruiting.

One high school prospect had a fun — albeit likely unintentional — twist on the hat game Monday afternoon, however.

De’voun Kendrick is a three-star defensive tackle from the Tampa area who had a commitment ceremony of his own, with his final four schools being Florida, Texas A&M, Louisville and Georgia Tech.

He ended up picking the Gators, but his choice wasn’t the newsworthy portion of the ceremony.

Take a look at the hat he chose to represent the Louisville CARDINALS.

Whoops!

Something tells me the St. Louis Cardinals aren’t looking to sign a 17-year-old defensive tackle who’s never held a baseball bat in his life, but I could be wrong.

I know they’re sitting near the bottom of the NL Central right now, but I don’t think they’re that desperate.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan celebrates with manager Oliver Marmol after the Cardinals defeated the Colorado Rockies at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (Jeff Curry/Imagn Images)

I have to applaud Kendrick for giving me a laugh. These hat game ceremonies have become so tedious lately, it’s great to see a little humor being injected into them.

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Again, did he do this intentionally? Probably not.

But it’s hilarious either way.

Louisville Cardinals players eat Bush’s Baked Beans from the simmering stovetop trophy at the Bush’s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans in Boca Raton, Fla., on Dec. 23, 2025. (James McEntee/AP Content Services)

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I don’t need my defensive tackles to be Rhodes Scholarship candidates, so I am quite all right with this blunder.

Welcome to Gainesville, De’Voun!

A dangerous dissident republican group, the New IRA—linked to Iran and Hezbollah—claimed responsibility Tuesday for a car bomb outside a Belfast police station before warning of further attacks, according to reports.

The blast targeted a Police Service of Northern Ireland station in Dunmurry, with police increasing patrols after the group threatened to target officers at their homes.

A 66-year-old man was also arrested Tuesday under terrorism laws following the explosion, Reuters reported.

In a statement attributed to the “leadership of the IRA,” the group said the bomb was meant to kill officers leaving the station. It warned that anyone cooperating with police “will be severely dealt with.”

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Forensic investigators inspect the site of a car bomb that exploded outside Dunmurry police station in South Belfast, (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

A 2020 report by The Times, citing information from an MI5 informant, alleged connections among the New IRA, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The report said individuals linked to the group signed a book of condolences following the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, raising concerns about possible external support, including weapons and funding.

“The New IRA–Hezbollah link is a useful data point in a much larger pattern: the operationalization of the so-called axis of resistance,” former Defense Department intelligence officer Andrew Badger told Fox News Digital.

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The European Union designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, with Ursula von der Leyen pledging rapid implementation following a violent crackdown. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto)

“This joins Russia, Iran, China, North Korea and an expanding bench of aligned non-state actors—into a working logistical and tradecraft network across the globe,” Badger said.

“What we are watching is the maturing of a hybrid warfare model, pioneered and led by Russia and Iran, in which adversaries of the Western-led order increasingly share tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) across geographies and ideologies,” said Badger, the co-author of “The Great Heist.“

The New IRA’s latest bombing also follows a similar attempted car bomb attack on another police station outside Belfast just weeks ago. It is one of several militant groups that oppose the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and want to end British rule in Northern Ireland and establish a united Ireland.

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The New IRA, linked to Iran and Hezbollah, claimed responsibility Tuesday for a car bomb outside a Belfast police station. (AP Photo / Peter Morrison)

It has carried out a series of attacks in recent years targeting police and security forces.

“The real challenge for local Irish police and security services is that these groups now compound each other’s learning,” Badger added.

“A tactic battle-tested in one theatre can be in the hands of a dissident cell in another within months—and Western counter-terror structures simply aren’t wired to track that kind of cross-pollination,” he said.

“A Lebanese Shia militia training a hard-left Irish republican faction would have looked exotic 10 years ago,” he added.

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“Today it is consistent with a wider pipeline including Russian sabotage cells using local criminal proxies in Europe and Iranian-directed assassination plots on U.K. and U.S. soil.”

“The playbook of these actors—proxies, dual-use logistics, weapons-and-finance pipelines, exploitation of grievance movements in the target country—appear to be converging,” Badger added.

It’s well-known that ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are not good for overall health — but new research has uncovered further evidence that this diet could negatively impact the brain.

The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia by the Alzheimer’s Association, revealed that UPFs are linked to more than 30 adverse health outcomes, including several dementia risk factors, like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Researchers from Australia’s Monash University analyzed more than 2,000 dementia-free Australian adults between the ages of 40 and 70, comparing their diets to cognitive function.

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They found that each 10% increase in UPF intake was associated with lower attention scores and higher dementia risk, regardless of whether the adults typically followed a healthy diet, like the Mediterranean diet.

There was no significant link found between UPF consumption and memory.

Each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake was associated with lower attention scores and higher dementia risk, the study found. (iStock)

By identifying food processing as a contributor to poorer cognition, the study “supports the need to refine dietary guidelines,” the researchers concluded.

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As the data was self-reported, this could pose a limitation to the strength of the findings, the team noted.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dr. Daniel Amen, a California-based psychiatrist and founder of Amen Clinics, discussed how diet has a “powerful impact” on the brain.

“[The brain] uses about 20% of the calories you consume, so the quality of those calories matters,” Dr. Daniel Amen told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

“Your brain is an energy-hungry organ,” he said. “It uses about 20% of the calories you consume, so the quality of those calories matters.”

Food is either “medicine or poison,” according to the doctor, who called out ultraprocessed foods like packaged snacks, soft drinks and ready-made meals that tend to be higher in sugar, unhealthy fats, additives and low-quality ingredients.

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These foods can promote inflammation, insulin resistance, poor blood flow and oxidative stress, all of which are “bad for the brain,” according to Amen.

The brain expert noted that the study revealed even a 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake – equivalent to roughly a pack of chips per day – was linked to a “measurable drop in attention, even when people had otherwise healthy diets.”

About one package of chips per day can result in cognition changes, according to the study findings. (iStock)

“Attention is the gateway to learning, memory, decision-making and problem-solving,” Amen said. “If you can’t focus, you can’t fully encode information.”

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The “big takeaway,” according to the doctor, is to “love foods that love you back.”

“You may love the taste of chips, cookies and candy, but they don’t love you (or your brain) back,” he said. “Ultraprocessed foods may claim to be sugar-free, low-carb or keto-friendly, but researchers noted that ultraprocessing can destroy the natural structure of food – and can introduce additives or processing chemicals that may affect cognition.”

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Amen suggests sticking to real food that grows on plants or animals, instead of food “made in plants.”

“Build meals around colorful vegetables and fruits, clean protein, healthy fats, nuts, seeds and high-fiber carbohydrates,” he recommended. “Start by replacing one ultraprocessed food per day with a brain-healthy option.”

That might mean swapping out chips for nuts, soda for water or unsweetened green tea, and packaged sweets for berries. “Small choices done consistently can change your brain and your life,” the doctor emphasized.

As UPFs have been shown to worsen several dementia risk factors, Amen stressed that people at risk of cognitive decline should “get serious about prevention as early as possible.”

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“If you have a family history of dementia, memory concerns, diabetes, high blood pressure or weight issues, your diet is not a side issue – it’s a primary brain-health intervention,” Amen said.

“Remember, you’re not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better, and it starts with the next bite.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

The body of a popular New Jersey social media influencer who died in an apparent suicide while vacationing off the coast of Africa with her newly minted fiancé has reportedly been returned to her family – but without her personal belongings and engagement ring.  

Ashly Robinson, who was also known as Ashlee Jenae, died while on a trip to Zanzibar on April 10, according to local authorities. Her death came just days after getting engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Joe McCann, while the pair was traveling to celebrate her 31st birthday. 

On Friday, Robinson’s remains were returned to her family in New Jersey, her father, Harry Robinson, told TMZ. 

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Ashlee Jenae, whose real name is Ashly Robinson, died while on a trip to Zanzibar celebrating her 31st birthday, days after getting engaged to her boyfriend, Joe McCann, according to her family. (@ashleejenae/Instagram)

However, Robinson’s personal belongings – including her engagement ring – have yet to be handed over to her loved ones, the outlet reported.

Robinson’s father believes the items are being held by authorities as the investigation into her death remains ongoing, TMZ reported.

Her family has also reportedly conducted an independent autopsy of Robinson’s remains, though the results remain pending. 

A funeral service for Robinson is also expected to take place in New Jersey early this week, TMZ reported.

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Ashlee Jenae was a social media influencer with 145,000 Instagram followers who shared lifestyle content. (GoFundMe)

Robinson was discovered hanging from a door inside her hotel room and was subsequently transported to a hospital, where she died one day later. 

Her death was ruled a suicide by authorities. 

Tanzania Police previously revealed Robinson’s death was “attributed to a misunderstanding” between the influencer and McCann, while adding that the incident forced hotel staff to separate the newly engaged couple by placing McCann in another room “for their safety.”

Following Robinson’s death, Tanzania Police at the time revealed McCann “continues to be questioned by the Police Force and his passport has been suspended,” though authorities did not elaborate on the nature of the investigation.

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Ashlee Jenae and her fiancé, Joe McCann, were enjoying a birthday trip to Zanzibar in early April when authorities say she was found inside her hotel room attempting suicide. (iStock)

Sources have since told the BBC that McCann was being interviewed as a witness in the case and is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Details regarding whether McCann has since returned to the United States remain unclear, and local authorities did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding the status of his passport.

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In the immediate aftermath of Robinson’s death, her family spoke out to dispute authorities’ ruling that the 31-year-old influencer died by suicide. 

In a previous interview with TMZ, Robinson’s parents, Harry and Yolanda Robinson, rejected authorities’ ruling that their daughter would take her own life, adding, “She was a beacon of light. A happy, go-lucky girl. Very excited to go on this birthday trip which later turned into a proposal.”

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Her family also reportedly told the outlet at the time that McCann contacted them 11 hours after Robinson was transported to the hospital, and only reached out again to inform them she had passed. 

Robinson’s parents told TMZ they have not heard from McCann since she died, a development that they find “very very odd,” FOX 29 reported.

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“The sadness, the unanswered questions, and the distance from home have made this tragedy even more overwhelming for our family,” Robinson’s parents said in a statement shared to social media. 

“At this time, there is an active investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ashly’s suspicious passing,” they added.

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Robinson, a popular social media influencer, had 145,000 followers on Instagram and regularly posted lifestyle content. She frequently shared photos with McCann, including one of her final posts showing her feeding giraffes while on vacation in Zanzibar.

Fox News Digital reached out to McCann, Zanzibar Police and the U.S. Embassy. It was not immediately clear whether McCann had retained an attorney.