Category: College Football

The Oklahoma Sooners need a bounce-back season in 2025. OU went 6-7 overall in head coach Brent Venables’ third season last year, which included a 2-6 league record in their first season in the Southeastern Conference. They’ve retooled the offensive side of the ball to go with what was a strong defense in 2024. Although they were picked to finish 10th in the SEC, there are a number of analysts, like Josh Pate, who believe they are a top-10 caliber team.

Now, the Sooners enter Venables’ fourth year and their second year in the SEC, needing to prove the naysayers wrong after the disappointment of 2024. They’ll face a challenging schedule that includes home games against Illinois State, Michigan, Auburn, Kent State, Ole Miss, Missouri, and LSU, as well as road games against Temple, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama. Of course, Oklahoma’s schedule also includes the annual Red River Rivalry matchup against Texas and the neutral-site Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

OU has to deal with one of the toughest schedules in the country this year, but the Sooners have made plenty of moves this offseason to improve on the product they put on the field last season.

J.D. PicKell, who covers college football for On3 Sports, has been vocal in his opinion this offseason that Oklahoma will be much improved in 2025. However, he said this week on “The Hard Count with J.D. PicKell” that he believes OU needs a few things to go right this year to have the kind of success Sooner Nation is used to.

PicKell’s biggest need for the Sooners this year is for new starting quarterback John Mateer to have an excellent season. PicKell has reason to believe that will happen, given Mateer’s relationship with new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ben Arbuckle.

It’s night and day different when it comes to how stable they are and and what you can actually…

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Deion Sanders stayed out of the public space and away from the Colorado football program for much of the offseason amid health concerns, and while he has not indicated what exactly the issue is, he provided an update in a video his son, Deion Sanders Jr., uploaded over the weekend. Sanders said in a brief update, seemingly in a voiceover on top of the video, that he is not yet fully recovered from the issue.

Sanders made the comment before he stepped into an ice bath with his daughter, Shelomi Sanders. He was visibly active in the video, shooting a basketball and resting after a tennis workout and 1.3-mile “run-walk” with his daughter.

“You know I’m still going through something,” Sanders said before he stepped into the ice bath. “I ain’t all the way recovered.”

During his time away from the public sphere this spring, Sanders reportedly missed a speaking engagement and said in May that he lost about 14 pounds. In the past, Sanders has battled blood clots, had emergency surgery in 2023 and had two toes amputated in 2021. It is unclear whether the latest issues are related to the previous ailments.

Sanders spent his recovery time at his home in Texas and previously said he would provide an update upon his return to campus at Colorado. When asked about his situation at Big 12 Media Days, he shot down a question from The Athletic’s David Ubben.

“Athletic, sometimes y’all be on that bulljunk, so I’m really not gonna tell you much,” Sanders said. “You know that. But I’m not gonna talk about my health. I’m here to talk about my team.”

Colorado athletic director Rick George later told Ubben that he expected Sanders on campus “in a week or two, probably.” That timeline would suggest Sanders could be in Boulder any day.

When he does…

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B10 commissioner Tony Petitti sent the NCAA a letter arguing Michigan deserved no further punishment in its advanced scouting case

It’s notable considering Michigan’s past contentiousness toward Petitti when he first suspended Jim Harbaugh in 2023 https://t.co/ICK0SeSAga

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 21, 2025

According to a report from ESPN’s Dan Wetzel, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions recommending that Michigan receive no further penalties stemming from the Connor Stalions sign-stealing allegations.

Sources close to the situation said that the letter was read at the June 6 and 7 hearing that took place between Michigan and the Committee on Infractions. In his letter, Petitti argued that the three-game suspension served by Jim Harbaugh was enough and that no further penalties should be enforced. That three-game suspension — on the heels of an earlier in the year three-game suspension — resulted in Harbaugh missing the contests at Penn State, at Maryland, and the regular-season ending vs. Ohio State in Ann Arbor. Michigan won all three on the way to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff national championship.

There has been no further reaction to what this letter might mean as the NCAA considers its next steps regarding Michigan. The wording in the leaked Notice of Allegations was very stern and condemning, but nobody really knows what to expect from what many consider a dinosaur and outdated organization these days. It has no responsibility to consider anything the Big Ten commissioner might say or do in how it hands down whatever verdict is coming.

It’s not to say that Petitti has had a change of heart since his stance in 2023 when he took action immediately to suspend Harbaugh, but one has to wonder if this is a bit of a self-preservation move for…

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Ole Miss Rebels freshman defensive end Corey Adams, 18, died in a fatal shooting in Cordova, Tennessee. The Rebels program released a statement on his death on Sunday after sheriffs identified him as a victim. The Shelby County Sherriff’s Office identified Adams, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as the victim.

“We are devastated to learn that Corey Adams, a freshman on the team, passed away last night in Cordova, Tennessee,” Ole Miss football wrote in a statement on Sunday. “While our program is trying to cope with this tragic loss, our thoughts are with his loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. 

“Out of respect for his family, we will not be commenting further at this time. We ask the Ole Miss community to keep Corey in our thoughts and respect the privacy of everyone involved.”

The shooting took place around 10:14 p.m. on Saturday outside of a Fern Glade Cove residence, according to police. Officers discovered one male gunshot victim after stopping a vehicle at an intersection. The male, later identified as Adams, received life-saving measures but was subsequently pronounced dead on the scene.

Multiple shell casings were discovered on the scene. Four other males arrived at Memphis area hospitals with gunshot wounds, all of whom were in non-critical condition.

Adams signed with Ole Miss as a 247Sports three-star recruit and the No. 27 overall recruit out of the state of Louisiana. He attended New Orleans Edna Karr High School, and enrolled early with Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in order to participate in spring practice. 

The Shelby County Sheriff said an investigation is…

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There isn’t much room left in Notre Dame football’s 2026 recruiting class, with twenty-six commitments, they can start to look ahead to the 2027 cycle.

They already have two commits, just one being a position player, but the Irish have sent out plenty of offers to some of the best prospects in the country. One of them was offered on Saturday evening in Mississippi edge rusher Derwin Fields. The 6-foot, 5-inch and 220-pounder is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the nation’s No. 45 overall prospect, just outside the 5-star range.

Notre Dame now joins teams like Alabama, Florida, LSU, Florida State and others in offering Fields, who should end up being able to play virtually anywhere he’d like. It does look like its going to be tough to pull him away from SEC-country, but the Irish have put their hat in the ring.

If Fields is able to make it up to South Bend during the season, it would be a great sign for Notre Dame to continue to be in the mix for his commitment. Time will tell if that happens, but for now, the Irish are clearly interested in him joining their 2027 class.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

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Florida offensive lineman Devon Manuel was arrested Friday in Gainesville for allegedly driving under the influence and second‑degree felony possession of a concealed weapon, according to documents obtained by Swamp247. The 22-year-old redshirt senior was booked into Alachua County Jail and later released on bond.

Manuel was stopped shortly after midnight for driving 60 mph in a 45 mph zone, per the report. Officers reported smelling marijuana in the vehicle and said Manuel admitted to using a THC vape cartridge prior to driving. He also reportedly told police he did not possess a medical marijuana card.

The report states that Manuel, the only occupant in the vehicle, informed officers there was a firearm located between the driver’s seat and the center console. A Glock 20 pistol loaded with 14 rounds — but without a round chambered — was later found during a search of the car, according to police.

College football’s most intimidating stadiums: LSU, Penn State could break noise records in 2025 season

Brad Crawford

Officers also conducted a field sobriety test, which they say Manuel performed poorly. He reportedly explained to police that a prior meniscus injury in his right knee made it…

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It’s beginning to feel a lot closer to college football season and the ability to watch YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes. The college football preseason preview magazines are out, Big Ten media days are next week, and OSU will start its fall camp in just a couple of weeks.

And while there’s still more than a month to go before the kickoff of Week 1 in college football, it’s never too early to look ahead to some of the big matchups, especially a titanic one that will be taking place in the ‘Shoe between the Texas Longhorns and Ohio State. It’s bound to be a top-five, maybe top three or two matchup to get things going, so all eyes will be on that one when it (sadly) kicks off at Noon ET on Saturday, Aug. 30.

We’re going to begin seeing more of this, but ESPN’s Heather Dinich is already sticking her neck out and providing a prediction for one of the best nonconference games of the college football season. Spoiler alert: She likes Ohio State to turn the horns upside down and provided a reason for it during a segment on “Get Up.”

“Well, when in doubt, first of all, go with the home team, but Harry (Douglas) mentioned Jeremiah Smith,” Dinich said. “He might not just be the best wide receiver, he might be the best player in the country, and he should absolutely be in the Heisman conversation. But 1,315 yards, 15 touchdowns, last year? That’s almost a hundred yards and a touchdown per game. He’s going to be the best player on the field, and while I have questions about new coordinators at Ohio State, I think they get the job done at home.”

Dinich’s point about Smith is a good one, and I like her prediction for Ohio State to take care of business, but I think we still have to see how good the running backs perform, what kind of defense can be placed in the chamber to reload, and just how productive the new quarterback will be. All of…

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When it comes to elite quarterback talent in college football, the SEC flexes several Heisman Trophy candidates and future franchise players at the position in 2025. The league highlighted several of the conference’s top expected passers this week at SEC Media Days as they represented a number of likely preseason top 25 teams.

The most SEC quarterbacks ever taken in the NFL Draft’s first round is two, set in 1948 and most recently tied in 2023 when Alabama’s Bryce Young and Florida’s Anthony Richardson went inside the top 10.

If Arch Manning meets galactic expectations at Texas and declares, the quarterbacks within the SEC could make for an all-time class, according to early 2026 mocks. Let’s not get ahead ourselves, however. There’s a 2025 season to play, so here is our ranking of every projected starting quarterback in the SEC as media days winds down.

Home cooking: In plug-and-play transfer era, SEC leans on in-house QBs to key league’s return to dominance

Chip Patterson

We’ve reached the era of seventh-year quarterbacks in the SEC. Calzada is back in a conference he’s familiar with following two seasons at Incarnate…

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