Category: College Football

A year ago, Colorado took to the field for one of the most highly anticipated college football spring games in recent memory. It marked the official debut of Deion Sanders, who immediately re-energized a program that hadn’t won more than five contests in any of the six seasons leading up to his hiring. Fans packed Folsom Field to form a sellout crowd and the whole affair was broadcast nationally on ESPN. 

Colorado’s 2024 spring game, by comparison, doesn’t have nearly as much buzz surrounding it. That being said, it’s equally as important, if not more so. Most assumed that, no matter how much hype Sanders generated in his first year with the program, it would be a long road toward rebuilding Colorado. 

The Buffaloes actually exceeded expectations by going 4-8 in their first year, anchored by a 3-0 start that saw them climb into the top 20 of the AP poll. Things didn’t go as well from there, but Sanders provided a glimmer of hope with the emergence of stars like his quarterback son Shedeur Sanders and all-world athlete Travis Hunter. 

Following another busy offseason that saw Sanders shuffle plenty of his staff — including major changes at both coordinator positions — and turn his roster over via the transfer portal once more, there’s the hope that the Buffaloes could push for a bowl game as they move over to the Big 12 Conference. That campaign gets started Saturday as Colorado’s 2024 squad takes the field for the first time in front of fans. 

How to watch 2024 Clemson spring game live

Date: Saturday, April 27 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Folsom Field — Boulder, Colorado
Live Stream: Pac-12 Network

2024 Colorado spring game storylines 

1. How does the offensive line look?: Anybody who watched Colorado’s offensive line last season…

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What’s colder than ice? Ice Cup. And while some might like it hot, Rutgers football likes it cold with the Friday commitment of Sah’Nye Degraffenreidt.

The commitment of Degraffenreidt is the third commitment in the span of two weeks for Rutgers football as they continue to impress on the recruiting trail.

A three-star wide receiver, Degraffenreidt picked Rutgers over a stacked offer list that included Duke, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, South Carolina, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and West Virginia among others.

He is a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wide receiver from Atlantic City High School (Atlantic City, New Jersey). He is ranked the No. 20 player in New Jersey’s 2025 class according to Rivals.

A true playmaker, he is a threat on special teams returns. But as a wide receiver, he has explosive speed and can take a part a secondary by going over the top or over the middle.

 

Degraffenreidt posted a commitment video on Friday.

As his offer list would suggest, Degraffenreidt has a very unique skill set. Rutgers landed a wide receiver who has the potential to be an impact player in Degraffenreidt.

 

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire

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/ Getty Images

The 2024 NFL Draft’s feeder class of elite high school talent was the Class of 2021, which was wrecked by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic:  High school seasons were canceled or shortened, in-person visits were wiped out, evaluation opportunities were few and far between.

Even so, the recruiting industry churned out another terrific reminder Thursday night that stars really do matter. Seven five-stars were selected, including No. 1 overall player Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy. Each of the five-star prospects who were selected in the first round were members of the 2021 class. Further, an outstanding 15 four-star prospects went in the first round, capped by pick No. 32 Xavier Legette. 

The record for most five-star prospects selected in the first round was set in 2023, when 13 such players came off the board night one. 

Here’s a look at the star rankings for every player selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

2024 NFL Draft by recruiting ranking

5 stars: 74 stars: 153 stars: 9Unranked: 1

*Denotes an instance where the 247Sports Composite rankings were used

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The Utah State Aggies take the field at Maverik Stadium. | Ben B. Braun, Deseret News

Utah State has wrapped up spring camp for 2024 and the transfer portal hasn’t been particularly kind since.

The spring transfer window opened on April 16 and will remain open until April 30.

Already a dozen Aggies have decided to leave USU.

Here’s a look at who is leaving Utah State and who the Aggies have picked up this spring from the transfer portal. This list will be updated regularly.

Transferring to Utah State

N/A

Transferring from Utah State

Utah State quarterback McCae Hillstead, front left, tries to scramble away from James Madison defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (3) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, in Logan, Utah. (Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP) | Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP

Rahsul Faison, RB, senior.

Al Ashford, CB, junior.

Davon Booth, RB, senior.

2023 stats: Started seven of the 12 games played in last season and rushed for a team-best 805 yards on 120 carries (an average of 6.7 yards per carry). He finished with six rushing touchdowns, also a team high.

Paul Fitzgerald, DE, sophomore.

2023 stats: Started all 13 games last season and finished the year with 46 tackles, including a team-best eight sacks and a nine tackles for loss. He also had a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

Destination: University of Utah.

McCae Hillstead, QB, sophomore.

2023 stats: Started four of the eight games he played in. Completed 94 of 158 pass attempts for 1,062 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Also carried the ball 44 times for 36 yards.

Arcelles Johnson, WR, junior.

Cooper Legas, QB, senior.

2023 stats: Started seven of the nine games he played in during the season and finished the season having completed 138 of 213 pass attempts for 1,815 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight…

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IRVING, Texas — The College Football Playoff management committee gained some clarity over details of the upcoming 12-team playoff and positioning of the Army-Navy game during two days of meetings, which concluded Wednesday. However, the group ultimately left without discussing many long-term key priorities, including expansion or auto-bid structure. 

The board, made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and new Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, primarily dealt with recapping the 2023 playoff and organizing logistics of the upcoming 12-team playoff. (One key commissioner was not present due to a family matter.) The discussion was deep in minutia and included everything from ref assignments to family travel budgets for players, which increased from $1.5 million to $7.5 million as the CFP increases from funding three to 11 games. 

“The four first-round games are arguably the biggest change in FBS football probably since the BCS came,” executive director Bill Hancock said. “Only four schools will host those games, but 40 or so have to plan to host, so there are a lot of details in there.” 

This was the first meeting with the full board since the SEC and Big Ten strong-armed a much bigger slice of the longterm CFP revenue. Still, multiple sources described the attitude in the room as “collegial.” 

These meetings marked a period of transition for the CFP as college football enters its next form. Incoming executive director Richard M. Clark attended his first annual meeting as he prepares to take over for Hancock. Clark officially retires from his role as superintendent of the Air Force Academy at the end of May and joins the CFP full time in June. Additionally, incoming AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti joined Mike Aresco, who…

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Since Brent Venables took over as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, the staff has prioritized in-state products in recruiting. That has been no different this year, as four of their 13 commits are from Oklahoma. They’re currently the heavy favorite for local talents like C.J. Nickson and Trystan Haynes, two of the top three players in the state.

In the 2025 recruiting class, the Sooners are also prioritizing the offensive line, hoping to have as star-studded of a class as the defensive line was in 2024. To that end, the Sooners have been pursuing Antoni Ogumoro, a three-star prospect out of Elgin, Okla.

Since the spring game, the Sooners have kept their momentum with Ogumoro despite his impressive list of growing offers. On3 and SoonerScoop’s Josh McCuistion issued an On3 Prediction favoring the Sooners earlier this week. That was followed up by a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports and Sooners Illustrated’s Collin Kennedy on Tuesday.

Ogumoro is ranked as the No. 25 interior offensive lineman in the country. He’s the No. 10 player in the state of Oklahoma. He’s got good size at 6-foot-5 and around 315 pounds, according to Ogumoro.

The Sooners are currently the overwhelming favorites for Ogumoro. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.

He’s made three tips so far to Norman, including his official visit for the spring game. He has visits scheduled with Kansas State and to Tennessee in May and is planning to commit on May 21. Oklahoma State, Missouri, North Carolina, Cincinnati, Iowa State, NC State, Duke, and TCU are a few of the notable teams that have offered Ogumoro.

If the Sooners can survive both of those trips, they should be in a good spot to land a commitment.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and…

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Former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley is pitching a Group of Five playoff that would be financially backed by private equity, sources tell CBS Sports. 

The concept would address — if not be motivated by — disappointment felt by the Group of Five conferences (MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, American and Conference USA) over revenue distribution shares under the new College Football Playoff media rights agreement. The average program in those conferences will receive $1.8 million per year in CFP revenue beginning in 2026 under the new deal, up from the current $1.5 million payout. 

The Group of Five splits 9% of the annual $1.3 billion deal with ESPN. While the payout marks an increase in raw numbers, it is a percentage decrease considering the Group of Five received 22% of the pot in the prior deal (2014-23). 

By comparison, the Big Ten and SEC will each receive 29% of CFP money — millions more than any Group of Five league is paid in media revenue alone during a given year. 

“You’ve got presidents and chancellors [from the Group of Five] now saying, ‘Why would [we sit] around waiting for the inevitable, which is a total break [by the SEC and Big Ten]?’” one Group of Five administrator familiar with Dooley’s proposal told CBS Sports. “We better start doing some things.”

Dooley did not immediately return a call requesting comment. 

Some believe a Big Ten and SEC breakaway has already occurred given the incoming revenue both conferences are set to receive. The Big Ten and SEC demanded a larger share of the CFP pie, in part, because of their playoff success over the last 10 years.

The leagues have combined to earn 29 of 40 available CFP bids (based on league membership beginning July 2024) and 113 of 184 BCS/CFP slots (62%) since…

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Scott Goodale built on the momentum of this past season with a recruiting class that is among the best in the nation. And on Monday afternoon, Rutgers wrestling landed a huge piece with the commitment of Mason Gibson.

Gibson, formerly committed to Penn State, posted on social media that he is committed to Rutgers. He joins the class of 2024 which is shaping up to be a solid group for Rutgers.

Earlier in his recruitment, Gibson was committed to Cornell. Then in June of 2022, he flipped to Penn State.

Two weeks ago, he de-committed from Penn State and now is with Rutgers.

Gibson is No. 13 in the nation at 132 pounds according to Flo Wrestling.

He is an outstanding addition for Rutgers, having competed at a very high level including the national stage.

 

Last season was a strong bounce-back for Rutgers wrestling as they finished 12-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten.

Rutgers placed two All-Americans at the NCAA Tournament as they finished the season No. 14 in the nation.

Story originally appeared on Rutgers Wire

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