Category: College Football

College football’s summer break is a time for coaches to host recruits in June before trying to solve pressing needs ahead of fall camp in August, once the media days charade subsides. For the teams inside CBS Sports’ post-spring top 25 rankings expected to be contenders in 2025, there remains specific areas that must be addressed to ensure success.

Some of these factors may not be handled until everything counts in September, but we’ve taken the task of scribbling out the summer agenda at each program in hopes of spotlighting the bullet points.

Ranking the top 25 Power Four college football coaches entering the 2025 season

Tom Fornelli

Solve defensive line rotation: It’s paramount for the defending national champions to determine who’s going to make up their fierce pass rush given the personnel losses. Post-spring portal newcomer Beau Atkinson from North Carolina is a major addition. Expect defensive tackle Eddrick Houston to assume a starring role and junior Kayden McDonald to see the most action of his career.

Assess…

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It’s not quite college football watch list season, but it’s close. Look no further for proof than the earliest of the watch list announcements taking place this week with the unveiling of the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for 2025. All told, 42 players appear on this year’s version of the watch list, and two of those will be wearing Scarlet and Gray on Saturdays.

It’s no surprise that Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is on the list as arguably the best defensive player in the country (hint: it won’t be the last watch list he appears on), but linebacker Sonny Styles is also among the names to keep an eye on.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy, named after former NFL Hall of Fame star Ronnie Lott, annually goes to the “Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year, college football’s top defensive player who has had the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity, all characteristics exhibited by Lott during his illustrious playing career.”

The winner will be announced in December and is selected by a national voter panel, consisting of former winners, members of the media, coaches, and members of the Board of Directors of The IMPACT Foundation. So, stay tuned after the season gets going to see what names continue to be considered for a rather prestigious award.

Things will really start to heat up with these preseason watch lists as things get closer and closer to fall camp, and as they do, we’ll let you know the ones that have a little Buckeye flair.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Jaxson Dart and Arch Manning both have lofty expectations for their future careers, with Dart being the second quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft and Manning carrying the legacy of the most famous quarterback family in history into his first season as the full-time starter at Texas. 

Eli Manning has a connection to both as Arch’s uncle and Dart as Ole Miss alums drafted by the New York Giants. Manning has plenty of experience to share with both young QBs, knowing exactly what it feels like to be the youngest Manning trying to live up to the name and having navigated the journey from Oxford, Mississippi to the Meadowlands, with the hopes of the Giants franchise placed on his shoulders. 

Manning spoke to media on Friday at EA Studios in Orlando for a Madden 26 launch event and offered his thoughts on both Dart and Arch as they get set to take big steps forward in their careers. With Dart, Manning is encouraged by a consistent theme of growth throughout his career, and says all indications from his visits to Giants camp is that the 25th overall pick is going about things the right way at Giants camp. 

“I’ve been to some practices, and I’ve known Jaxson for the last three years, since he’s been at Ole Miss and gotten to watch his career. So I’ve been just impressed with Jaxson, because I’ve seen him get better every single year,” Manning said. “And that’s what you want your players to do, to make improvements — even though you’re playing well, not being content and wanting to make those improvements every day. So I’ve kind of seen that. It sounds like he’s doing that with the Giants. Every day, you’re going to learn something, and you’re going to make mistakes. That’s just part of it, but learning from those mistakes, not…

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Michigan football recruiting has been on something of a slow burn, which is to be expected around this time of year. But the Wolverines are still very active behind the scenes.

With official visits slated to commence on Friday, marking the month-long slog toward building the 2026 class with recruits making it to campus, the maize and blue have been doing more than meets the eye. Per social media, Michigan has added two new analysts to the recruiting team, growing the department just as head coach Sherrone Moore had promised he would do when he was hired in January 2024.

An in-state prospect with SEC ties

Originally a recruit in the 2018 class, Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s running back Tyler Markray ended up being recruited by (former Michigan secondary coach) Steve Clinkscale and ultimately committed to him at Kentucky. He had limited production in Lexington, with four carries for 62 yards and a touchdown in his career, with the score coming on a 45-yard carry against Tennessee-Martin in 2019.

Markray made the transition to a behind-the-scenes role, accepting a job with Western Michigan’s recruiting department earlier this year. But the Wolverines hired him away quickly, with Markray announcing he’s joined the Michigan football recruiting department as an analyst.

A former Ohio-based player joins the Wolverines

From the 2019 class, originally from Pittsburgh, Anthony Johnson played defensive end his senior year of high school at Cleveland (Ohio) Heights. He originally committed to Bowling Green, where he appeared in three games but injury sidelined him and he transferred to Youngstown State, where he appeared in 36 games. After the 2023 season, he entered the transfer portal and originally committed to Bret Bielema and Illinois, where he spent spring, but after spring ball, he transferred to Pitt. However, during…

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TCU will be in familiar territory when it opens the 2025 college football season. The Horned Frogs are in for a high-profile opener Sept. 1 at North Carolina, and all eyes will be on the opposing sideline when Bill Belichick puts on the headset for the first time with the Tar Heels. It lines up to be the second opener against a marquee first-year coach in three years for Sonny Dykes and the Horned Frogs, who in 2023 were at the center of the college football universe for all the wrong reasons.

Then the reigning College Football Playoff runners-up, the Horned Frogs entered the 2023 opener as massive favorites over Colorado. Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter enjoyed an explosive afternoon, though, as they led Deion Sanders to a shootout victory in his first game as an FBS coach.

“Not sure how we pulled that off,” Dykes quipped to ESPN, referencing the 2025 opener against UNC. “It’s called bad scheduling. Hopefully we’ll fare better than we did last time. We didn’t play well last time, but we’ve got a second chance.”

Expectations for Belichick’s foray into college football are all over the board. On one hand, the longtime New England Patriots coach is an eight-time Super Bowl champion who could take UNC to new heights with his unmatched coaching acumen and winning experience. On the other hand, he is entirely new to college football and inherited a program that took steps backward each of the last two seasons.

Where should Bill Belichick rank among college football coaches? A middling newcomer or strategic…

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University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart and coach Mark Stoops discuss Governor’s Cup as SEC football weighs expanding to nine conference games.

MIRAMAR BEACH, FL. — Conference realignment has killed many a storied rivalry over the years.

Michigan-Notre Dame, Auburn-Georgia Tech, Louisville-Cincinnati, Pittsburgh-West Virginia, Texas-Texas A&M, Kansas-Missouri, BYU-Utah, Maryland-Virginia.

Could the Governor’s Cup be next?

The series’ fate has been called into question since the SEC expanded to 16 members in July 2021 and impetus toward a nine-game conference schedule grew. Adding an intraleague opponent would leave less room for UK to keep its annual rivalry matchup with U of L. Ten power conference opponents is a lot. Gridiron bragging rights may fall by the wayside in favor of so-called guarantee games that’d bolster the Cats’ chances of bowl eligibility.

The current eight-game slate “has served the University of Kentucky incredibly well,” athletics director Mitch Barnhart told The Courier Journal at SEC spring meetings. It allows UK to host eight games every other season, which benefits the program financially, and it gives the Wildcats more freedom to assemble their own schedule. While Barnhart and coach Mark Stoops will ultimately support whatever the conference decides, Barnhart said they’d probably stand in support of eight games in whatever room the decision is being made.

So, where does that leave the Governor’s Cup?

“We’ve got contracts with Louisville for a few years out,” Barnhart said, “so we’ll work our way through all that and don’t anticipate that changing.”

The UK-U of L series has been played every year (except 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic) since its renewal in 1994. Before the renewal, the programs faced off six times between 1912 and 1924. Kentucky owns a 20-16…

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Baylor Athletics

Baylor defensive lineman Alex Foster has died at 18 years old, Baylor confirmed to CBS Sports. Foster, who redshirted last season as a true freshman, was expected to anchor a spot on the two-deep this fall for second-year defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield.

“We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Alex Foster, a beloved member of our football family. Our deepest condolences are with Alex’s family and all who loved him, as we lift them up in prayer now and in the days to come,” said a joint statement from athletic director Mack Rhoades and Dave Aranda. “In this time of deep sorrow, we draw strength from our faith, the love of the Baylor community, and the unbreakable bond forged through the game we love. Alex’s memory will forever be part of our hearts and this program.”

Foster was the highest-rated high school signee in the Bears’ 2024 recruiting class after starring at St. Joseph High School in Greenville, Mississippi. He remained loyal to Baylor during his recruitment despite a late offer from Texas and interests from various other elite programs. 247Sports rated the 6-foot-5, 292-pound defender as the No. 44 defensive tackle in the 2024 cycle and 13th-best player out of Mississippi.

CBS Sports will update this story as more information becomes available. 

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🚨 VISIT WATCH 🚨
2026 3⭐️ CB KJ Deriso Jr. (@kjderiso) will be in East Lansing on May 30 for his official visit to Michigan State.

The 6-1 Whitewater standout totaled 33 tackles, 12 PBUs, 2 INTs & 2 FFs in 2024. MSU’s culture + fit will be key. (VIP)https://t.co/UBHcRHX4FK pic.twitter.com/i2PCy1OKqe

— Corey Robinson (@C_Robinson247) May 27, 2025

A three-star athlete from SEC country is set to take an official visit to Michigan State this upcoming weekend.

KJ Deriso Jr. of Fayetteville, Ga. will reportedly take an official visit to Michigan State this upcoming weekend. According to Corey Robinson of 247Sports, Deriso will start his official visit on Friday.

Deriso Jr. is a three-star athlete in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. He holds a recruiting rating of 87 on 247Sports as well.

Deriso Jr. ranks as the No. 80 cornerback in 247Sports’ rankings for the 2026 class. He is also listed as the No. 928 overall prospect in the country.

Michigan State is one of nearly 25 schools to extend an offer to Deriso Jr., according to 247Sports. He also holds notable offers from Kentucky, UCF, Georgia Tech, Florida Atlantic, Coastal Carolina, Louisville, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Tulane, UConn and USF.

According to 247Sports, Deriso Jr. will also take official visits to Kentucky and UCF. He will visit UCF after Michigan State on June 6 and then Kentucky after that on June 13.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.

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