Category: College Football

ESPN has released a pre-spring list ranking all 68 Power Four quarterbacks, per Bill Connelly.

Star Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton was featured at No. 8 in Connelly’s rankings. Stockton will return to Athens for his second season as the Dawgs’ starting quarterback in 2026, as the talented playmaker was elite throughout the entire 2025 campaign. Stockton recorded 2,894 yards and 24 passing touchdowns last season, as the star senior now finds himself ranked as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

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Stockton will have a plethora of talent to work with on the Bulldogs’ offense in 2026. The talented signal caller could shine for a second consecutive year. Stockton is widely regarded as one of the top overall quarterbacks both in the SEC and in the country entering next season. Stockton is one of the top candidates for the Heisman Award in 2026 as well, as the star QB will more than likely dominate in his second season as the Dawgs’ starting quarterback.

Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs reacts with Gunner Stockton #14 during the third quarter against the Marshall Thundering Herd

“We’ve seen lots of college football offenses called “basketball on grass” through the years, and we’ve seen quarterbacks referred to as point guards even more,” Connelly said on Stockton. “But Stockton is a damn point guard. A whopping 38.6% of his passes were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage, and only 13.7%, about 1 in 7, were 20-yarders. He distributes the ball quickly and accurately, over and over again, and Georgia won a second straight SEC title in 2025 despite ranking 131st nationally in yards per successful play.”

Stockton and the Georgia offense will have to try to be more explosive in 2026 despite him losing many of his top receivers. The Bulldogs revamped their rushing offense a…

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Looking for the spoils of the one of the greatest seasons in sports history? You won’t find it in the head coach’s office. 

Sure, the national championship trophy was briefly displayed in Curt Cignetti’s office — almost exclusively for recruiting reasons — but on this day, if you want to find the hardware won in Miami just one month earlier, you need to stop by the small office where director of football operations Blake Jackson resides, around the corner from Cignetti’s. Atop a cluttered cabinet sit the trophies from Indiana’s four most important games in program history: Big Ten championship, the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

It’s perfectly Cignetti. 

John Talty, CBS Sports

Cignetti loved Indiana’s playoff run and how he got to share it with his family, fellow coaches and players, calling it a “glorious five-week time to be an Indiana Hoosier,” but he doesn’t need a bunch of physical reminders of what he accomplished staring him in the face each day. The Indiana coach gave his staff the day off as they flew back from Miami following the Hoosiers’ 27-21 win over Miami in the national championship game, and then it was back to business. 

“We got to enjoy it that night in the hotel a little bit and then flew back, and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Cignetti told CBS Sports. “My wife and I went away for about a week after the old signing day. That was nice. Right now we have our weekends off, so it sinks in a little bit, but total focus on ’26.”

In person, Cignetti comes off matter-of-fact and almost subdued. He doesn’t need to…

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It was a sad day in South Bend, and honestly, the nation, as the news of Notre Dame’s legendary head coach Lou Holtz passing away.

He recently entered hospice care, and now his legacy will live on forever. If you are a college football fan, you know Holtz, as he made a seamless transition from coaching on the sidelines to the broadcast booth, starting with CBS then ultimately landing with ESPN. The Hall of Famer lived and breathed football, as he also played linebacker for Kent State.

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It wasn’t just Notre Dame mourning his passing, it was many across all avenues going to social media to share stories, kind words, and more about Holtz. Below you’ll find some of the best of the heartfelt reactions to the former Irish heath coach succumbing to Father Time.

Lou Holtz’s family delivers the difficult news

Thoughts and prayers go out to the Holtz family during this difficult time. Lou was a treasure, not just to Notre Dame, but to the entirety of college football. He will be missed.

Notre Dame remembers Lou Holtz

A touching tribute from the place where Holtz made his coaching name. There have been plenty of legendary coaches in South Bend, and he’s right up there with the best of them. Fitting that it is ended by saying his “impact will never fade.”

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Minnesota remembers Lou Holtz

Before Holtz took the position with Notre Dame, he was Minnesota’s head coach. While his first season was a struggle, he led the Gophers to a bowl game in year two before heading to South Bend. It was just two seasons with Minnesota, but his impact was felt.

Kent State, Lou Holtz’s alma mater remembers him

Holtz was a linebacker for two seasons with the Golden Flashes from 1956-1957. He knew his future was coaching, as he surely soaked up everything he learned while with the team. That experience helped him become…

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Rutgers football has hired former Drake defensive line coach Joe Evans to be its new assistant defensive line coach, according to a report by Brian Fonseca of NJ Advanced Media. Evans joins the Rutgers coaching staff after just one season as a Drake assistant. Evans joins rush ends coach Joe Woodley and safeties coach Adam Cox as former Drake coaches now on Rutgers’ defensive coaching staff.

During his one season at Drake, Evans helped to develop defensive lineman Jacob Auen, who had six sacks last season, Nolan Korzeniowski, who had four sacks last season, and Gene Blalock, who also had four sacks last season.

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Evans joined Drake’s coaching staff after having a standout college career at Iowa. After walking on at Iowa in 2019, Evans finished his college career with 135 total tackles, 35.0 tackles for loss, 28.0 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Evans competed against Rutgers during his time at Iowa, terrorizing the Knights in their 2022 matchup, recording four sacks in the Hawkeyes 27-10 win over Rutgers.

Evans went undrafted after leaving college, but landed on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad in 2024 for a brief stint before being released.

Evans will now work under Rutgers’ new defensive line coach, Dennis Dottin-Carter.

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Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart is expected to retire sometime in the near future, multiple outlets report. Barnhart is in his 24th year at Kentucky, making him the longest-tenured FBS athletic director. 

Barnhart signed a contract extension in 2023 that originally locked him in through June 2028. 

Barnhart arrived at Kentucky in 2002 after four years as the athletic director at Oregon State. The Wildcats have earned six NCAA championships and 60 regular-season and conference tournament titles under Barnhart’s tenure. 

He hired two of Kentucky’s most iconic coaches — former men’s basketball boss John Calipari and ex-football coach Mark Stoops — during his tenure. Calipari came to Lexington by way of Memphis in 2009 to replace Billy Gillispie, whom Barnhart fired in March 2009. 

In his 16 seasons as Kentucky’s coach, Calipari won one national title (2012), made three Final Four appearances, qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all but two years and captured a combined 12 SEC titles. 

Calipari, who was a member of the 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame class, left Kentucky for Arkansas in April 2024. Barnhart hired former Kentucky forward and BYU coach Mark Pope to replace Calipari. Pope is 41-22 with an 18-14 record in SEC play in his two seasons with the Wildcats. 

Barnhart hired Stoops in 2013 to revive a Kentucky program that hadn’t had a winning season since 2009. Stoops made it to the first of eight consecutive bowl games in 2016. The Wildcats had a 4-4 postseason record in that span. 

Stoops passed Bear Bryant as Kentucky’s all-time…

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Bishop Starling, a cornerback from Ensworth, became a late addition to Vanderbilt football’s 2026 class as he announced that he had signed with the program via social media on March 2.

The Commodores also announced that Starling had signed.

Starling, who is listed at 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, is not ranked by the 247Sports Composite, however, he also had offers from Louisville, Ole Miss, Purdue and Syracuse.

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Starling is the 22nd signee in the Commodores’ 2026 class, with 20 enrolling early, including five-star Nashville Christian quarterback Jared Curtis.

There are three other cornerbacks in the freshman class: four-star Collin Flanigan and three-stars Antoine Baker and Jeremy Garner. Vanderbilt also took two transfer corners in Jaylin Davies (Oklahoma State) and Cobey Sellers (Texas A&M).

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bishop Starling signs with Vanderbilt football as Ensworth cornerback

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Colorado junior quarterback Dominiq Ponder died at the age of 23, the school announced on Sunday. Ponder was killed in a single-car crash that occurred in Boulder early Sunday morning.

Ponder, who transferred to Colorado in 2024, spent the last two seasons with the Buffaloes. Colorado coach Deion Sanders and athletic director Fernando Lovo both issued statements honoring Ponder and his family.

“God, please comfort the entire Ponder family during this difficult time,” Sanders said. “Dominiq was one of my favorites because of his passion, his heart and his willingness to go beyond what was asked. He will certainly be remembered, missed, and in our thoughts and prayers.”

According to the Colorado State Patrol, Ponder was driving his Tesla when he lost control on a curve. The vehicle then went through a guardrail and hit an electrical pole before rolling down an embankment and catching fire. Ponder was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities suspect speed was a factor in the crash.

“The entire CU Athletics family is devastated at the tragic passing of Dominiq Ponder,” Lovo said. “He epitomized the values of passion, enthusiasm, leadership, toughness, and intelligence that were revered by his teammates and coaches alike. Our hearts go out to his family and all of his teammates during this difficult time.”

A native of Opa Locka, Florida, Ponder played high school football at Miami Carol City. He spent the 2023 season at Bethune-Cookman before transferring to Colorado. Ponder appeared in two games last season, and he was set to play his third season at Colorado in 2026.

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