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Fake injuries could cost teams timeout, penalty

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Adam RittenbergFeb 28, 2025, 02:11 PM ET
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College football teams could soon be charged with a timeout or penalty for players faking injuries well after plays during games.

The NCAA football rules committee has proposed a timeout to be charged whenever medical personnel enter the field to evaluate players after the ball has been spotted for the ensuing play. Teams without timeouts would be assessed a five-yard delay-of-game penalty for each instance.

The proposal is among several that will go back to schools and then go before the NCAA’s playing rules oversight panel for possible approval in April.

Faking injuries has become a significant topic in recent years, with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and others admonishing the practice. The SEC implemented guidelines that included fines and potential suspensions for coaches whose players repeatedly fake injuries. The American Football Coaches Association had proposed requiring any players who need medical attention to miss an entire possession, rather than only one play, but the rules committee instead proposed losing timeouts.

“If we have a player that’s struggling and the official stops the clock to get that player out, we will not invoke the timeout,” said Steve Shaw, the secretary-rules editor for football and the SEC and Sun Belt’s coordinator of football officials. “There’s these plays where the ball’s down, the defense is still trying to get to their side of the ball, and a player falls down. Those are the types of plays that we don’t want, that we think is a bad look, and we think this rule will address it.”

Shaw reiterated that legitimately injured players should stay down and require a stoppage to receive medical attention. But many of the suspicious instances occurred after the ball was spotted for the next play.

“Coaches value their timeouts incredibly,” Shaw said. “Making this a timeout, if a player were to wait and then go down very late, the coaches would really be against unless you’re really injured, and then they may have needed a timeout anyway.”

The rules committee also proposed limiting timeouts in games that reach the third overtime period or longer. Teams currently have a timeout for each overtime period, but the proposal would limit them to one total timeout after the second OT. The Georgia–Georgia Tech regular-season finale in November, which spanned eight overtime periods, included three timeouts after the second session, all before two-point conversion attempts.

“We didn’t want to create a situation where the offense goes out, looks at the defense, calls timeout, then they get back out there, the defense calls timeout,” Shaw said. “You see that in basketball a lot of time. That just prolongs the game. We said, ‘We’re going to give everybody a timeout.’ We’ll continue to monitor it.”

The overtime timeouts proposal was among several that could be tied to recent high-profile incidents. Another proposal would allow offenses to reset the game clock within two minutes of each half when a defense commits a penalty for too many men on the field and participates in the play.

Oregon received a 12-men-on-the-field penalty at the end of an Oct. 12 game against Ohio State, which resulted in a penalty but also removed four valuable seconds from the clock. Trailing 32-31, the Buckeyes tried to get closer for a field goal attempt, but the clock expired on the ensuing play, giving the Ducks the win.

The NCAA soon issued a new rules interpretation that seemingly closed the loophole and is in line with the latest rules committee proposal.

Another proposal would whistle kickoff returns dead any time the return team makes a “T” signal with its arms. The situation surfaced in the Citrus Bowl between Illinois and South Carolina, leading to a testy on-field exchange between coaches Bret Bielema and Shane Beamer.

“We don’t want to try to guess on where trends may be going,” said A.J. Edds, co-chair of the rules committee and vice president of football for the Big Ten. “We want to take real information and cite real instances to help inform perspectives before the committee collectively evaluates and potentially takes action. But not unlike other leagues, when something comes to light, whether it’s a play or a series of play or instances of plays, if there’s a way to improve the way that they’re officiated … that’s certainly at the forefront and the crux of all of our conversation.”

Other proposals included referees only using the terms “upheld” or “overturned” to describe replay rulings rather than “confirmed” or “stands” and the adoption of coach-to-player helmet communication for FCS teams after a successful first year in the FBS.

The rules committee had extensive discussions about targeting fouls and made a recommendation to the conference commissioners on College Football Officiating’s board of managers. But Shaw noted that the targeting rule as it’s defined — and whether to disqualify offenders or overturn — will not change.

“The targeting rule has served us very well,” Shaw said. “We had the lowest number of disqualifications, 0.14 targeting fouls enforced per game this year. I know fans think there’s one in every game, but there’s just not, so we’re going in the right direction. There was no back-away from targeting at all.”

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Auburn’s Freeze diagnosed with prostate cancer

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Mark SchlabachFeb 28, 2025, 05:10 PM ET
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- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia

Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is expected to make a full recovery after doctors detected the disease in its early stages, the school announced Friday.

Freeze, 55, will continue coaching the Tigers while receiving treatment, Auburn officials said in a statement.

“Recently, Coach Freeze was diagnosed with an early form of prostate cancer,” the statement said. “Thankfully, it was detected early and his doctors have advised that it is very treatable and curable. He will continue his normal coaching duties and responsibilities, and with forthcoming proper treatment, is expected to make a full recovery.

“Coach Freeze is incredibly appreciative of our medical professionals and has asked that we use his experience as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing and scheduling annual health screenings.”

The Tigers are scheduled to start spring practice March 25.

Freeze’s teams went 11-14 (5-11 SEC) in his first two seasons, including a 5-7 campaign in 2024. With the additions of transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest), offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), and others, the Tigers are expected to be much improved this coming season.

At Liberty, Freeze coached from a hospital bed set up in the coaches’ box during the Flames’ 24-0 loss to Syracuse in his debut on Aug. 31, 2019. Freeze was recovering from surgery for a herniated disk in his back and a staph infection.

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UNC GM confirms talks amid ‘Hard Knocks’ link

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Feb 28, 2025, 01:45 PM ET

North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi acknowledged that the program, under new coach Bill Belichick, is considering a behind-the-scenes look at the team amid a report that the Tar Heels could be the focus of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Offseason.”

“There’s a lot of conversations going on right now about that,” Lombardi said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. “We’ve had a lot of offers from people all over to come in and look at our program and kind of do the behind-the-scenes things, but I don’t think anything’s yet been official or signed.”

Lombardi was asked about a Front Office Sports report that North Carolina would be featured on the show that debuted last year with the New York Giants and is an offshoot of long-running HBO series “Hard Knocks.” He said it would be a university decision but added that “Hard Knocks” does an “incredible job.”

Belichick was hired as North Carolina coach in December for his first foray into the college ranks, and he brought on Lombardi to serve as the team’s general manager.

Lombardi said the possibility of getting a look at how Belichick runs the team would be compelling.

“There’s not many times you can have the greatest coach of all time take you into a meeting,” Lombardi said.

Belichick never took part in “Hard Knocks” during his NFL coaching career, as the New England Patriots were never selected for the program, which debuted in 2001.

According to Front Office Sports, North Carolina was chosen, in part, due to reluctance from NFL teams to participate in the offseason version of the show after the Giants drew scrutiny due largely to revelations related to their decision not to re-sign running back Saquon Barkley.

“If you’re doing ‘Hard Knocks,’ you’ve gotta really be able to teach a class … on how this all happens,” Lombardi said.

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The teams, coaches and players who have the most to prove next season

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Feb 28, 2025, 08:00 AM ET

With spring football just around the corner, it’s time to look ahead toward next season and see who has the most to prove.

After suffering an injury that took him out of the College Football Playoff, quarterback Carson Beck returns for another season, but in a Hurricanes jersey this time. What does Beck have to do while at Miami to get back into the first-round draft conversation?

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions look like a top-caliber team this upcoming season as they return their top running backs and an experienced quarterback in Drew Allar. After losing in the CFP semifinal to Notre Dame last season, what do Penn State and Allar have left to prove?

Our college football experts give their thoughts on teams, coaches and players who have the most to prove.

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1. Which team has the most to prove?

Jake Trotter: The Nittany Lions have not won a national championship in almost four decades (though they did go unbeaten in 1994). But they now have one of the most experienced quarterbacks in college football in Drew Allar, while Big Ten powerhouses Ohio State and Michigan are set to debut freshman passers. Last year’s other Big Ten playoff teams, Oregon (Dillon Gabriel) and Indiana (Kurtis Rourke), graduated their star quarterbacks. Penn State also boasts the nation’s top returning running back duo (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen) and even swiped Jim Knowles from Ohio State after he coordinated the top defense in the country. The Nittany Lions will never have a better shot to win the Big Ten — and national title — than they will this season.

Bill Connelly: Yeah, it has to be Penn State. The Nittany Lions are going all-in and might have the most proven stars in the country. We still don’t know if their receiving corps is ready for prime time, but their schedule is extremely navigable outside of a Nov. 1 trip to Columbus to face Ohio State. There will never be a better time for a breakthrough than 2025.

Chris Low: When is there not something to prove at Alabama? Nick Saban won six national championships in Tuscaloosa, and there was always an embedded responsibility to continue feeding that monster the next season. Now, as Kalen DeBoer enters his second season at Alabama, the last thing anybody in and around that Crimson Tide program wants is to go a second straight season without making the College Football Playoff. DeBoer and his staff have recruited well, and he was able to bring back Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator after Grubb spent last season in the NFL. DeBoer will have more of his fingerprints on the 2025 team, and there should be a better overall understanding among the players of how he rolls. Either way, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize how important this next season is for the program.

Andrea Adelson: Penn State is the most obvious choice, but I would argue Florida State has something more to prove after a disastrous 2024 campaign. It still seems unfathomable that the Seminoles could go from 13-1 and ACC champions in 2023 to 2-10 over just one season. But here’s the thing about Florida State in its recent history. The Seminoles have probably been closer to their performance in 2024 than what we saw in 2023. Over the past seven seasons, Florida State has had five losing seasons. Three of them belong to current coach Mike Norvell. So it is legitimate to ask whether the Seminoles’ back-to-back double-digit win seasons in 2022 and 2023 fall outside the norm for what history says should be expected. That is what makes this season so critical. Florida State appeared to turn a corner and had many believing it was ready to rejoin the elite. Last season said otherwise. So what will it be in 2025?

Adam Rittenberg: I love the Penn State answers, but I’m going across the Big Ten — and the country — with USC. Remember the excitement when USC went way outside the family to hire Lincoln Riley as head coach? The expectation was that championships and playoff appearances would follow. Perhaps those were unrealistic, given the program’s roster and resource challenges, as well as an unexpected move to the Big Ten in 2024. But Riley is just 26-14 with one division title and no league championships or CFP berths while at USC. The Big Ten is only getting deeper and tougher, and despite some key upgrades at personnel positions, USC ultimately must start delivering results. Can a team that struggled to win the close ones, especially away from home, start to break through this fall? We’ll learn a lot during a midseason stretch featuring Illinois (road), Michigan (home) and Notre Dame (road).

Ryan McGee: I’ll draft behind Rittenberg in the Pac-12-to-B1G genre, but I’m going up the coast to Oregon. The world, including me, has declared Dan Lanning as the future of college football, and looking at the W column and his recruiting prowess, we are right in doing so. But in two straight seasons, Oregon has exited the natty chase via bummer rematch losses, last year as the top-ranked team. So, new coach, but that’s the same Oregon close-but-no-title movie we’ve been watching for a few decades now.

Kyle Bonagura: After finishing in last place in the Pac-12 in 2023, Colorado took a massive step forward last season. It was a tiebreak away from reaching the Big 12 title game and went 9-4. Now comes the hard part. Travis Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner, and Shedeur Sanders, the possible No. 1 NFL draft pick, buoyed the team at a level that is hard to quantify. Without those two this year, we’ll have a better sense of what life in Boulder will be like for Deion Sanders.

2. Which coach has the most to prove?

Bonagura: Cal coach Justin Wilcox hasn’t been messing around this offseason. He hired former Boise State and Auburn coach Bryan Harsin to be the OC; former Washington State and Hawai’i head coach Nick Rolovich as an analyst; and former NFL head coach Ron Rivera joined the program in an administrative role. Wilcox has been given a lot of chances to succeed. He’s about to start his ninth season in Berkeley and has yet to have a winning record in conference play. The last time Cal had a winning overall record was in 2019 (8-5).

Trotter: After losing to Notre Dame on a last-second field goal in last season’s playoff semifinal, James Franklin fell to 1-14 vs. AP top-five teams — and 4-20 vs. AP top-10 opponents — as Penn State’s head coach. It’s past time for Franklin to win the big game. To his credit, he has compiled a loaded team that should be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone in college football in 2025. That won’t amount to much if Franklin continues losing against the best.

Connelly: Oklahoma has suffered just two losing seasons in the past 26 years, and Brent Venables was in charge for both of them. The Sooners faced a ridiculous schedule during last season’s 6-7 campaign, and they enjoyed a bright spot with their late-November pummeling of Alabama. But that was their only win over an FBS opponent after September, and they fielded their worst offense of the 21st century. Venables has recruited well enough to fend off any major hot seat issues, but you eventually have to turn recruiting potential into on-field production, and OU’s schedule won’t get any easier in his fourth season in charge.

Low: Gotta be Lincoln Riley, right? He enters his fourth season at USC and has yet to win a conference championship. He had quarterback Caleb Williams for two seasons, and after Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022, the Trojans dropped off to 8-5 in 2023. Then in their first season in the Big Ten a year ago, the Trojans finished with a losing record (4-5) in league play. Riley didn’t just all of a sudden forget how to coach. He won four Big 12 championships at Oklahoma and won 11 games in his first season at USC. But the rub is that the trajectory has trended the wrong way at USC since he arrived, and there’s also the matter of the Trojans proving they can consistently be a contender in the Big Ten. The Trojans will be breaking in a new quarterback in 2025, but this should also be USC’s best defense under Riley with D’Anton Lynn returning for his second season as coordinator.

McGee: Bill Belichick needs to figure out how college football works, but Brian Kelly needs to figure out how Week 1 works.

Rittenberg: Brian Kelly for me. He left Notre Dame for LSU with the express purpose of winning national titles. But the Tigers haven’t even made the CFP under his watch, while Notre Dame just recorded its first three CFP victories under Kelly’s successor, Marcus Freeman, taking down SEC champion Georgia en route to the national title game. Each of the past three LSU coaches — Ed Orgeron, Les Miles and Nick Saban — won a national title by the end of their fourth season at the school. LSU had some obvious talent deficiencies during Kelly’s first few seasons, but the Tigers have rectified that through the portal and improved recruiting. Anything short of a CFP appearance this fall will create major doubt around Kelly, a Hall of Fame-caliber coach who hasn’t fully delivered yet in the Bayou.

Hale: The two biggest hires of the 2022 coaching carousel were Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly. As Chris Low notes, the pressure on Riley to turn things around at USC is immense, but things aren’t exactly easy for Kelly at LSU either. In three seasons in Baton Rouge, Kelly has been … fine. He has won 29 games, which is tied for the 15th most over that span, right alongside fellow SEC coach Lane Kiffin, who’s viewed as far more successful. But the problem is, LSU didn’t hire Kelly to lead a top-15 team. It hired him to win a national championship, and he has not come close. LSU has lost its opener in each of Kelly’s three seasons, letting the air out of the balloon before it ever got off the ground. LSU has been ranked eighth or better in each of Kelly’s three seasons, too — but hasn’t finished inside the top 12. And last year, it was Kelly’s former team, Notre Dame — a program he suggested couldn’t win it all in the modern era — that made it to the College Football Playoff final. Kelly might not be on the hot seat exactly, but the clock is absolutely ticking.

Adelson: Is it strange to say Bill Belichick? This has nothing to do with whether he can coach X’s and O’s. We all know that he can. This has everything to do with whether he can win in college doing it his way. I would argue there is no coach with a greater spotlight on him than Belichick because we are all completely fascinated to see how this is going to play out. Does Super Bowl success automatically translate into college victories at a place that has traditionally underperformed based on its talent? North Carolina has not won an ACC title since 1980 — not even College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown could bring home that elusive title. Belichick says he wants UNC to be run just like an NFL team. Is that feasible in college? The entire roster has been overhauled and there is no clear-cut quarterback at this point. What about his long-term future? Only a few months into the job and there was already speculation he wanted back in the NFL. No matter what happens this season, Belichick will have proved either that his way works or that it might not be the answer in college. Either way, people will tune in to watch.

3. Which quarterback has the most to prove?

Hale: This time last season, Carson Beck was the clear-cut No. 1 quarterback in the country and a likely first-round draft pick. Then he had a mediocre campaign in which he got hurt late in Georgia’s SEC title game matchup against Texas and missed the playoff, and suddenly a lot of the shine is off the once-touted prospect. After a brief flirtation with the draft, Beck opted to return to college for one more year — and a boatload of money — at Miami, a move that caught the Dawgs by surprise. Now he’ll follow in Cam Ward‘s footsteps, and that’s no simple task, either. Beck has shown what he can do when things are clicking, and the truth is, he didn’t have a full assortment of playmakers around him last year at UGA. But expectations are high at Miami, and Beck needs to get back to his 2023 form if he wants to rekindle that first-round draft pick hype.

Trotter: Texas quarterback Arch Manning has become one of the most hyped players in recent college football history. And yet, he has played only sparingly backing up Quinn Ewers the past two years. Ewers is now gone, and all eyes will be on Manning as he attempts to lead Texas to its first national championship since 2005, when Vince Young propelled the Longhorns to an undefeated season. Behind Young’s game-winning touchdown pass, that Texas team knocked off Ohio State in Columbus early in the year, setting the stage for the Horns’ magical run. Manning will lead Texas back to the Horseshoe in the season opener with a prime opportunity to make his own statement.

Rittenberg: I saw the tears from Penn State’s Drew Allar after the loss to Notre Dame in the CFP semifinal. Quarterbacks and coaches are often linked through the attention (good and bad) they receive, and Allar and James Franklin will feel the burden of not having won the big game until things change on the field. Penn State having arguably its best team under Franklin increases the pressure on Allar, who, with a strong season, could be the top quarterback drafted to the NFL in 2026. I’m also fascinated to see how Oregon’s Dante Moore plays in taking over for Dillon Gabriel, who helped the Ducks win the Big Ten and go 13-0 but struggled against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Who will be the quarterback to finally lead Oregon to a national title? Perhaps Moore is that man.

Adelson: I am looking forward to seeing how Miller Moss does at Louisville. The former ESPN 300 quarterback waited his turn at USC, got his opportunity to start a year ago, and it did not quite go the way both he and the Trojans had planned as he was ultimately benched. But Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has a long track record of success with his quarterbacks — especially with his transfers in his first two seasons with the Cards. In Year 1, transfer Jack Plummer led Louisville to the ACC title game. Then last season, Tyler Shough had a career year, throwing for more than 3,000 yards with 23 touchdowns to six interceptions. Moss said Brohm was a huge reason he decided to join the Cards. With ACC Rookie of the Year Isaac Brown returning to the backfield, top receivers Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy back and an improved offensive line, there is reason to believe Moss can take Louisville back to the ACC championship game.

McGee: Arch Manning has been hyped since he was in middle school. He’s the only backup quarterback I’ve ever seen attract more reporters than the starter at a CFP media day, and I’ve seen it happen multiple times. Texas fans just told the quarterback who took them to two consecutive CFPs that he should just go on and leave. Oh, and when Arch was in high school, I was at an Ole Miss game when it painted the end zones with “MANNING,” supposedly because Uncle Eli was being honored, but everyone knew it was to try to catch the eye of Arch should he be in town for the festivities. If he does anything less than win the SEC title and make the CFP, Austin will turn on him like he’s overcooked brisket.

Connelly: Drew Allar finished the 2024 season with 3,327 passing yards and a 24-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio, and while he had a wonderful security blanket in tight end Tyler Warren, he also produced those numbers with a weak set of wide receivers. It was a lovely step forward for the former blue-chipper, but the campaign ended with a dud: In a semifinal loss to Notre Dame, he went just 12-for-23 passing for 135 yards and a devastating and ill-advised interception in the final minute. He proved his upside to a certain degree, but he was also a merely solid 17th in Total QBR. If he genuinely transitions into a top-tier quarterback in 2025, Penn State will be ridiculously hard to beat.

Low: It should be a fascinating season in the world of SEC quarterbacks with several promising players returning, others getting their first shot as a starter and some talented new faces. Tennessee‘s Nico Iamaleava has elite arm talent and showed some real toughness last season. Now, in his third season on campus and pulling in a reported $8 million in NIL money, it’s time for him to go from being solid to being a difference-maker in a Tennessee offense that desperately needs more pop in its downfield passing game. Iamaleava is 11-3 as a starter going back to the bowl game at the end of his freshman season and has protected the football well, but he passed for more than 200 yards only twice in his nine games last season against SEC foes and then Ohio State in the playoff. The Vols will need more from him next season if they’re going to make a return trip to the playoff.

4. Which transfer has the most to prove?

Low: In one season as Tulane’s starting quarterback, Darian Mensah put up impressive numbers (2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns) and, as a result, received a massive payday of a reported $8 million over two years to transfer to Duke. Even by today’s NIL standards, that’s some serious cash. Clearly, Duke thinks he’s worth it, and Mensah’s best football would seem to be ahead of him. The spotlight will be exceedingly bright as he does his part to take Duke from a nine-win team to potentially a playoff team.

Connelly: I thought Patrick Payton was going to be a breakout star for Florida State in 2024. Some of his rate stats were better than his former teammate Jared Verse‘s in 2023, and I thought both Payton and the Seminoles’ defensive front could withstand the loss of Verse and others and still thrive. I was incorrect. Payton’s sack total fell from seven to four, his TFLs from 12.5 to 11 and his pressure rate from 12.4% to 10.1%. Now he’s heading to LSU for a rebound year, and if he still has a breakthrough in him, he could transform both his own draft stock and LSU’s CFP prospects.

Trotter: Carson Beck entered the 2024 season as a favorite to become the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. Beck, however, battled through an up-and-down season at Georgia before suffering an ulnar collateral ligament injury in his throwing elbow that knocked him out of the playoff and prompted him to return to college. Beck has since transferred to Miami, where he’s succeeding Heisman Trophy finalist Cam Ward, who could become the top draft pick instead. The pressure is on Beck to live up to his talent for the Hurricanes and show NFL scouts he’s worthy of first-round consideration.

Rittenberg: The excitement around John Mateer is real, and so is the pressure on him. He could be the quarterback to reboot Oklahoma‘s offense, get the Sooners competitive in the SEC and CFP races and possibly secure coach Brent Venables’ future. Mateer dazzled for Washington State in his lone season as the primary starter, passing for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns, while adding 15 rushing touchdowns and 826 yards. He will once again play under coordinator Ben Arbuckle, who also made the move to OU, but faces much tougher competition in the SEC. Oklahoma hit big with quarterback transfers such as Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts under coach Lincoln Riley. Venables needs a similar impact from Mateer this fall.

Bonagura: Devon Dampier‘s transfer from New Mexico to Utah might not have generated the most headlines this offseason, but it could end up being one of the most consequential. Utah’s offense was a disaster the past two seasons as Cam Rising couldn’t shake the injury issues. Dampier showed he can produce in the Mountain West, and a lot will be riding on him as questions about how long coach Kyle Whittingham will postpone retirement continue to linger.

5. Which freshman has the most to prove?

Low: Dakorien Moore is one of the highest-ranked recruits ever to sign with Oregon and plays a position, wide receiver, that could use an influx of talent. It was big for the Ducks that Evan Stewart decided to return for another season, but they’re losing Tez Johnson to the NFL. Moore (5-11, 182 pounds) plays bigger than his size and has elite speed. He’s dynamic after the catch and scored 18 touchdowns his senior year of high school in Duncanville, Texas. Moore, ESPN’s No. 1-ranked receiver prospect nationally, could have gone anywhere in the country. The Ducks would love it if he can make a similar impact as Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Alabama’s Ryan Williams did a year ago as freshmen.

Trotter: Quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country, was given millions to switch his commitment from LSU and sign with Michigan, just a 20-minute drive from his hometown. With all of that come immense expectations. The Wolverines brought in veteran Mikey Keene from Fresno State to serve as a bridge quarterback. But ultimately, the onus is going to fall on Underwood to prove he’s worth the hype and money.

Adelson: Keep an eye on Clemson running back Gideon Davidson, an early enrollee with a big opportunity to not only play as a true freshman but potentially earn a starting spot. This is the biggest area on the Clemson offense without a proven returning player. Phil Mafah is gone to the NFL, while backup Jay Haynes will miss spring rehabbing from a knee injury sustained in the ACC championship game. Clemson is going to have receiver Adam Randall play running back this spring, after he played there in the CFP quarterfinal against Texas, to see if he should permanently move to the position. That leaves Keith Adams Jr. as the only running back on the roster with significant carries — 30 last year — available for the spring. So, Davidson will no doubt be in the mix at a position that has produced 1,000-yard backs at a frequent clip.

Rittenberg: Julian “Ju Ju” Lewis’ drawn-out recruitment process brought added attention to the quarterback, who continued to visit schools despite his commitment to USC, and eventually flipped and signed with Colorado. Coach Prime and the Buffs need a new on-field face of the program following the NFL departures of Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Lewis, ESPN’s No. 12 recruit in the class, could be the front man for Phase 2 of the Deion Sanders experience in Boulder. He must beat out a more experienced quarterback in Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter, but at some point, Lewis should get an opportunity to run an offense that last season ranked No. 6 nationally in passing.

Connelly: Underwood’s the most obvious answer, but he might not be the only true freshman with a chance to shine for a highly ranked team. Alabama would probably benefit significantly if Keelon Russell, the No. 2 overall recruit in the country, pulled a Jalen Hurts and seized control of the starting job in Tuscaloosa. He’ll have to beat out two-year backup Ty Simpson and Washington transplant Austin Mack, both of whom are former blue-chippers themselves. But it’s fair to guess that Russell has the highest upside of the bunch, and Bama’s ceiling rises if Russell’s ready from day one.

6. Which non-quarterback player has the most to prove?

Trotter: After a pedestrian regular season, Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Greathouse exploded in the playoff. In the semifinal and national championship, Greathouse totaled 13 receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns. In the title game loss to Ohio State, he ignited a second-half comeback that came up short with a series of electric plays. Can Greathouse build on those postseason performances and prove he’s one of the top wideouts in the country? If so, the Fighting Irish also have the players elsewhere for another deep playoff run.

Connelly: Kyron Hudson was a top-10 receiver prospect in the 2021 class but produced just 807 receiving yards in parts of four seasons at USC. That makes him a little bit disappointing … but it also makes him nearly the most proven member of the Penn State receiving corps. He and Troy transfer Devonte Ross will need to make immediate impacts for Drew Allar and PSU to meet their 2025 hype. They don’t have to be Jeremiah Smith-level good, but they have to produce.

Low: Francis Mauigoa has already proved that he’s one of the most promising offensive linemen in the country as he enters his junior season at Miami, but he has everything it takes to blossom into the best tackle in the country in 2025. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Mauigoa was a second-team All-ACC selection last season. He came to Miami as a five-star prospect and ranked No. 1 nationally at his position. The Hurricanes are hoping to see him showcase that kind of dominance every time out next season.

Hale: Peter Woods is a force up front, but he wasn’t at his best for much of 2024. He battled an early injury, and he was playing out of position at edge rather than on the interior of Clemson’s D-line. Moreover, the entire Clemson front struggled — which led directly to the decision to part ways with coordinator Wes Goodwin. Now, Tom Allen arrives with the express purpose of rejuvenating the Tigers’ pass rush, and he’ll have some fun players to incorporate — including a healthy Woods. With more depth surrounding him and a scheme that should play to his strengths, Woods has the tools to turn his five-star pedigree into All-America production. If he does, it could mean Clemson’s defense looks more like it did during its playoff heyday from 2015 to 2020. If he doesn’t, Woods risks becoming one of the more disappointing prospects on the Tigers’ defense in years.

Adelson: LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. saw his past season cut short by an ACL injury in Week 4, yet another setback for a player who is looking to return to the potential and production that saw him be named to multiple Freshman All-America teams in 2022. There is little doubt Perkins has the physical gifts to prove to the nation once again why he made such a celebrated debut. But much of what has happened since then has been out of his control — a move from edge rusher to inside linebacker in 2023 limited his game-changing ability, and the injury last season obviously hurt. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker recently said he plans to have Perkins play the hybrid safety/linebacker position this season. LSU will need Perkins to be the best version of himself, particularly after the team’s defensive struggles at times last season. That leaves him with plenty to prove.

Rittenberg: Zachariah Branch was among the buzziest players entering the 2024 season, as he had become USC’s first-ever true freshman All-American, returning a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown while leading the nation in punt return average. But his encore fell a bit flat, as he averaged 10.7 yards per reception with only one touchdown, and didn’t have a punt return longer than 20 yards. Branch transferred to Georgia along with his brother, Zion, a safety. Georgia needs more playmakers at wide receiver and returns, where Zachariah should slide right in. A big season awaits the former top-10 national recruit in Athens.

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Hunter: ‘Super important’ to be top pick in draft

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Jeff LegwoldFeb 27, 2025, 12:57 PM ET
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INDIANAPOLIS — Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter said Thursday it is “super important” to him to be the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft and that he is ready, willing and uniquely able to play on both sides of the ball in his professional career.

Simply labeled as “DB 15” at the NFL scouting combine this week, the University of Colorado cornerback/wide receiver said the possibility of being the first overall pick has certainly crossed his mind.

“That’s super important,” Hunter said. “That was one of my dreams, to go No. 1.”

Hunter was a must-see performer as college football’s most prominent and proficient two-way player in decades, especially this past season when he won college football’s highest individual honor. On offense, Hunter had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns.

And on defense, he had 33 tackles, 4 interceptions, 10 pass breakups and a forced fumble. In Colorado’s regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, Hunter became the only FBS player over the past 25 seasons with three scrimmage touchdowns and a defensive INT in a single game, per ESPN Research.

Hunter played 1,380 snaps overall in 12 games for Colorado this past season, including 670 on offense, 686 on defense and 24 on special teams. It was 382 more snaps than the next-most active player in the FBS and he topped 100 snaps in 10 of Colorado’s 12 games.

Hunter also played 1,007 snaps for Colorado in the 2023 season. He said Thursday he was hopeful whichever team calls his name on the draft’s opening night will allow him the chance to play on both sides of the ball.

“I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I feel like I can keep doing it,” Hunter said. ” … That’s not my job to figure it out. I’d like to play both. If they give me the opportunity to play both sides of the ball, I’ll play both sides.”

Hunter, who has been grouped with the defensive backs at the combine for meetings, medical exams and team interviews, contended he is still “listed at both” defensive back and wide receiver in Indianapolis. He also said some teams have already interviewed him at the combine as primarily a wide receiver and some teams have interviewed him primarily as a cornerback.

“Nobody has done it, but I feel like I put my body through a lot,” Hunter said. “People don’t get to see that part, what I do to my body to make sure I’m 100% for each game … but I know I could do it … because I’ve done it at the college level.”

Asked if he would push back if his future coaches in the NFL said he could play only offense or defense exclusively, Hunter added: “I would hope they would let me go out there and earn the other position.”

Many in the league have said the biggest issue for Hunter in the NFL in any attempt to play extensively on both sides of the ball would be managing his snap count in games as well as structuring practice time, and the wear and tear that comes with that in a 17-game season, as well as his schedule given offensive and defensive position groups meet separately during the same time periods in a day.

The league’s Defensive Player of the Year — Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II — played 902 snaps in 16 games this past season after logging 1,106 snaps (17 games) in 2022 and 1,121 (17 games) in 2023. Those totals aren’t far from the total snaps Hunter played in all phases in 2024.

Hunter said he has told teams he has a routine he follows in his preparation for games and in his recovery to continue to play offense and defense in the NFL.

“They say nobody has done it for real the way I do it,” Hunter said. “I tell [teams] I’m just different. … I didn’t have no load management at Colorado, coach [Deion Sanders] would pretty much let me do what I felt was right for my body. I’m the only person that knows what’s right for my body. … I always woke up early to get to do what I needed to do.”

Hunter added Thursday he had not spoken much to Sanders, who was also Hunter’s coach at Jackson State, in recent weeks because “he’s been giving me my space and letting me go through this stuff by myself.”

Hunter has called his relationship with Sanders an “unbreakable father-son bond.”

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U-M DT Graham on credentials: Roll the OSU tape

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Michael DiRoccoFeb 26, 2025, 01:07 PM ET
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INDIANAPOLIS — Mason Graham is regarded as a lock to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL draft and likely will be taken in the top five. So there shouldn’t be any question about his ability.

But if any teams have any nagging doubts, the former Michigan defensive tackle has a quick suggestion.

“I feel like just rolling that Ohio State film,” he said Wednesday. “That’s all you need to see, really.”

Graham had a season-high eight tackles, including six within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage, in the Wolverines’ 13-10 upset of the second-ranked Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 30. That performance in Michigan’s biggest game of the season is the kind of impact Graham believes he will regularly make for his future NFL employer.

He didn’t come off as arrogant or boastful when he said that Wednesday morning at the NFL combine. Just matter-of-fact that he is one of the best players in a draft class where the bulk of the headlines have centered on wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, edge rusher Abdul Carter, and quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward.

“I feel like I affect every snap, run or pass,” Graham said. “I feel like a dominant player, one of the most dominant players in this class.”

He might be correct. Graham is the third-ranked prospect on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board (behind only Hunter and Carter) and the fourth-ranked prospect on ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller’s top 50 prospects (behind Carter, Hunter and cornerback Will Johnson). Graham is the second-ranked prospect behind only Carter on Scouts Inc.’s NFL draft rankings.

Graham had nine sacks and 56 pressures in his three seasons at Michigan, where he lined up mostly as a three-technique defensive tackle. He also had 122 tackles, including 43 within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage when he lined up inside over the past two seasons. That was the second most among power-conference players in that span, according to ESPN Research.

Graham, 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, was a two-time All-American and a finalist in 2024 for the Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) and Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player).

“I pride myself on playing the run and the pass because I feel like that’s what a complete D-lineman does, but obviously rushing the passer I feel like I’m really good at too,” Graham said. “I could run through guys or I can be a finesse guy, too, at the same time.”

The impact against the run that Graham made in 2024 was impressive as well. The Wolverines’ defense gave up 4.6 yards per play, 2.6 yards per rush and 0.2 yards per rush before first contact when Graham was on the field, according to ESPN Research. When he was not, those numbers jumped to 5.4 yards per play, 3.9 yards per rush and 1.5 yards per rush before first contact.

“I feel like I’m one of the most athletic guys here [at the combine],” Graham said. “I feel like I kind of proved that and you can see it on my tape.”

Especially against the rival Buckeyes.

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Sources: Pac-12, MWC agree to mediate lawsuits

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Kyle BonaguraFeb 27, 2025, 12:41 AM ET
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- Covers college football.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Attended Washington State University.

The Mountain West and Pac-12, along with Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State, have agreed to enter mediation related to the ongoing lawsuits related to school exit fees and a poaching penalty the Mountain West included in a scheduling agreement with the Pac-12, sources told ESPN.

It is a common step that could lead to settlements before the sides take their chances in court, however, a source told ESPN that, as of Wednesday evening, it was an informal agreement. The Mountain West initiated the talks, a source said.

In September, the Pac-12 filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the legality of a “poaching penalty” included in a football scheduling agreement it signed with the Mountain West in December 2023. As part of the agreement, the Mountain West included language that calls for the Pac-12 to pay a fee of $10 million if a school left the Mountain West for the Pac-12, with escalators of $500,000 for each additional school.

Five schools — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State — announced they were leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12 in 2026, which the Mountain West believes should require a $55 million payout from the Pac-12.

In December, Colorado State and Utah State filed a separate lawsuit against the Mountain West, seeking to avoid having to pay exit fees that could range from $19 million to $38 million, with Boise State later joining the lawsuit. Neither Fresno State, nor San Diego State has challenged the Mountain West exit fees in court.

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Sources: Patriots exec Stewart to be Huskers’ GM

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Mike ReissFeb 26, 2025, 10:40 PM ET
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Nebraska is hiring New England Patriots director of pro personnel Patrick Stewart as the football program’s new general manager, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday.

Current Nebraska general manager Sean Padden — who oversaw top recruiting classes in this cycle in high school recruiting and in the NCAA transfer portal — will move to a new role of assistant AD for strategic intelligence, sources told Thamel. Padden’s role will include ties to the salary cap, contract negotiations and analytics, while Stewart will run the personnel department.

Under second-year coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska finished 7-6 last season, capping its year with a 20-15 win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Cornhuskers were 3-6 in the Big Ten.

In New England, Stewart’s departure comes at a time in which the Patriots are in transition under first-year coach Mike Vrabel. The hiring of Vrabel has had a ripple effect on the front office with the addition of vice president of player personnel Ryan Cowden, who had worked with Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans for five seasons (2018 to 2022).

The Patriots’ personnel department is still led by executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, who had tapped Stewart as director of pro personnel last year. Sam Fioroni had served as the Patriots’ assistant director of pro personnel in 2024. Others on staff could also be eyed for a promotion or new role.

Stewart, who graduated from Ohio State, began his professional career in the college ranks with the Buckeyes (2000 to 2004), Western Carolina (2005) and Temple (2006) before breaking into the NFL with the Patriots in 2007 as a scouting assistant. He then split time between college and pro scouting with the organization over the next 10 seasons.

Stewart was a national scout for the Philadelphia Eagles (2018-19) before working for the Carolina Panthers as director of player personnel (2020) and then vice president of player personnel (2021-22). He returned to the Patriots in 2023 as a senior personnel adviser.

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Sooners hire ex-Senior Bowl leader Nagy as GM

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Jake TrotterFeb 26, 2025, 12:14 PM ET
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Oklahoma has hired Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy to be its football general manager.

Since 2018, Nagy had run the Senior Bowl, the annual postseason college all-star game in Mobile, Alabama. He will now lead the Sooners’ roster building, player evaluation, recruiting and compensations operations alongside coach Brent Venables.

“This is a new era in intercollegiate athletics at one of the greatest college football programs in the country,” Nagy said in a statement. “The legacy of excellence that precedes my arrival is a testament to the leadership at OU and the university’s commitment to execute at a championship level. I am honored to bring my experience and work ethic to this program and am confident that through collaboration and effort, we can achieve excellent results.”

In December, the New York Jets interviewed Nagy for their vacant general manager job before hiring Darren Mougey.

Before joining the Senior Bowl, Nagy worked as an NFL scout for almost two decades for the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.

Nagy replaces former OU linebacker Curtis Lofton, who stepped down as the Sooners’ general manager last month.

“Nagy’s high-caliber, extensive experience in scouting, recruiting, and retaining top talent will pay dividends across our roster and ultimately on the field,” Venables said.

The Sooners are entering their fourth season under Venables and second as a member of the SEC.

OU finished 6-7, including 2-6 in the conference, in its first year in the SEC.

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CFP leaders waiting on changes to seeding format

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

DALLAS — Leaders of the College Football Playoff are asking for more information before they decide whether to change the way teams are seeded in the 12-team playoff this fall, CFP executive director Rich Clark said Tuesday following a day of meetings at the DFW Grand Hyatt.

The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua — an 11-person group called the CFP management committee — are considering a “straight seeding” format this year, which would reward the selection committee’s top four teams with a first-round bye instead of the four highest-ranked conference champions as was the case this past season.

“We laid the groundwork,” Clark said, following a roughly seven-hour meeting. “There’s still some things the [management] committee wants from us, some research we need to do for them on their behalf so they can make good, informed decisions. They do want to make not just data-informed, but informed — they don’t want to go into this on a whim. They want to make these decisions really strong.”

The management committee has to unanimously agree to any format changes in 2025. Last week, at a meeting in New Orleans involving the SEC and Big Ten conferences, both SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said they would vote in favor of a straight seeding model. In that format, No. 3 seed and Mountain West Conference champion Boise State and No. 4 seed and Big 12 champion Arizona State would not have earned first-round byes because they weren’t ranked in the committee’s top four.

This was the first time, though, that the full management committee discussed it in person. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said “it’s too early” to determine if he would vote in favor of changing the seeding.

“We had a really good discussion,” Yormark said. “The CFP is going to run some models and then come back to us next month. Good, heartfelt conversations — everyone gave their point of view — we’ll vet it out and see what happens.”

There’s a $4 million payout that comes with advancing to a quarterfinal — that’s in addition to $4 million for reaching the playoff for a total of $8 million earned by a team’s respective conference.

“That’ll certainly be a part of the decision,” Clark said, “because whatever changes happen — if changes happen — that would be a part of it. I don’t know how to quantify how much of it is about that, but whatever we use, there’s going to be a financial model that goes with it.”

After the meeting, both Sankey and Petitti left without speaking to reporters, and multiple commissioners declined to comment and were scrambling to catch flights. American Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti said the group looked at a model as to how the CFP would have played out this past season with straight seeding.

“And then everybody had questions and asked for more information,” Pernetti said, “so the CFP is going to come back to us with some analysis, a couple things that were asked for, but I can’t get specific beyond that.”

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said any decisions for 2025 have to be made with the new six-year contract, which begins in 2026, in mind.

“You’ve got to look at it in totality,” Phillips said. “It’s one contract coming to an end and a new six-year cycle, but those things have some linkage to them as well.”

Though the possibility of automatic qualifiers has generated conversations both publicly and privately, Clark said the idea was discussed, but not at length, and the Big Ten and SEC did not present any specific model for consideration. Phillips said the CFP was still considering multiple options for 2026 and beyond, including fields of 12, 14 and 16 teams.

“All of it is open for us,” Phillips said. “What you do is you believe in your coaches, you believe in your program, and you want the best format that you possibly can for college football. We all have our own constituents, but that can’t be the only thing that drives what you do with the CFP now and in the future. It’s really important to get this thing right. Access is why we expanded from four to 12, and if we go to 14 or 16 or stay at 12 — and I would just say that — none of those models were taken off. … We just haven’t dug in exactly on which of those we prefer.”

The CFP’s management committee will meet again in March, but it could be a virtual conference because of the hectic scheduling nature of basketball season. Clark said that any decisions about the seeding for this fall could happen next month or at the annual CFP spring meeting in April.

“It’s important we make these decisions for ’25 now,” he said, “because they’re going to impact what happens in ’26 and beyond.”

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