Category: College Football

BYU redshirt senior wide receiver Keelan Marion entered the NCAA transfer portal April 18. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot, 195-pound wide receiver announced he received a scholarship offer from Tennessee. “Tennessee offered,” Marion announced Sunday.

Marion appeared in 25 games, including 12 starts, at BYU from 2023-24. He also played at UConn from 2021-22 before transferring to the Cougars.

During his collegiate career, Marion has recorded 76 receptions for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns. He also totaled 136 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns and two kick return touchdowns.

He started 12 games at UConn as a redshirt freshman in 2021. Marion is from Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia.

The NCAA transfer portal will remain open through April 25. Five Vols have entered the transfer portal following spring practices: quarterback Nico Iamaleava, defensive back John Slaughter, defensive back Christian Charles, offensive lineman Ayden Bussell and offensive lineman Larry Johnson III.

Follow us at @VolsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of University of Tennessee athletics.

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It’s safe to say that freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is already making waves early into his collegiate career. Underwood, the No. 1 prospect nationally in the Class of 2025 and the highest-rated quarterback to ever sign with the Wolverines, made his public debut in Michigan’s spring game Saturday. 

And, knowing what the fans lining Michigan Stadium came to see, Michigan’s coaching staff drew up a trick play that allowed Underwood to show off his arm talent. Underwood initially pitched the ball to a running back, who then tossed the ball to wide receiver reversing the field, who in turn gave the ball back to Underwood. 

Underwood then uncorked a nice pass down the sideline to tight end Jalen Hoffman, who sprinted down the field for an 80-plus yard touchdown. Though Michigan’s spring game isn’t televised live, highlights of Underwood’s touchdown toss were posted to social media. 

Though just a true freshman, Underwood has a chance to play a huge role for the Wolverines in his first year with the program. Michigan did bring in veteran transfer quarterback Mikey Keene from Fresno State, but he missed the spring game due to a shoulder injury. 

Veteran backup Davis Warren is also recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in Michigan’s Jan. 1 ReliaQuest Bowl win against Alabama. So that means Underwood and second-year quarterback Jadyn Davis were the only scholarship quarterbacks to get reps in Saturday’s spring game. 

“(He) Did well. Did well,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said of Underwood’s performance. “Made some really good throws and had some things that we…

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Delaware Blue Hens’ football schedule for debut in FBS, Conference USA

Blue Hens to play first CUSA game at Florida International, face Western Kentucky in first league home game

Time will tell how ready the Blue Hens are for their climb to the Football Bowl Subdivision this season as a Conference USA member.

That time was not Friday night, when Delaware played its first game as a team built for the FBS, against an FBS team.

That FBS team, of course, was itself in the Blue-White intrasquad game that has annually ended spring drills for more than half a century.

Delaware will not really know, either, when Delaware State visits for the Aug. 28 opener against Delaware State, because the Blue Hens have always bashed the Hornets and they will again.

Those early 2025 nonconference games, at Colorado and home against Connecticut, will provide a better clue going into subsequent Conference USA games at Florida International and against Western Kentucky that will be particularly revealing.

FROM SEC TO UD: Woodbridge’s Noah Matthews relishes return home

But it will be an ongoing test and a season-long process. Are they deep enough? Are they talented enough? Most importantly, are they fast and physical and clever enough?

Coach Ryan Carty and his staff have frequently said – and they’re right – that they won’t truly know what it will take to succeed at that level, beyond the obvious, until they get into that weekly grind and begin regularly battling with their new peers and get to know them better.

And whether they succeed brilliantly or fail miserably, Delaware is doing the right thing in making this difficult, challenging climb.

Not all agree with that, for logical reasons. Delaware has long been a big fish in the small pond that is presently the Football Championship Subdivision, as the Hens were in Division I-AA and Division…

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Less than a week after Kyren Lacy, the former LSU standout and 2025 NFL Draft prospect, died of an apparent suicide while being pursued by authorities, the late wide receiver’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, criticized the NFL for prematurely judging his client and intensifying the pressure the 24-year-old Lacy felt in the lead-up to his death.

Lacy’s death came two days before he was set to appear before a Houston grand jury and face criminal charges stemming from a December 2024 Louisiana car crash, in which his alleged speeding led to a fatal collision. Harris County authorities said that Lacy was involved in a family argument on the day of his death, allegedly discharging a weapon before fleeing the scene, then fleeing authorities before he crashed with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Prior to all this, Lacy was not invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, the league’s annual showcase of top draft prospects, as his legal situation unfolded. This, Arceneaux claimed Friday, was  shameful by the NFL.

“As stated by [Kyren’s] attorney, there was a high probability the felony charge of negligent homicide would have been declined by a grand jury this past Monday,” Arceneaux said in his statement. “Kyren was heartbroken by the tragic loss of [the fatal accident]. He was willing to adhere to any civil matters, regardless of the grand jury’s decision. That aside, the system failed us, and we are now mourning the loss of two lives.

“To the NFL, shame on you for revoking Kyren’s combine invitation without acknowledgment or consideration of the facts,” Arceneaux continued. “I urge you to re-evaluate your…

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US LBM Coaches Poll: Ohio State claims top spot after national title run

See where your team landed in the final US LBM Coaches Poll ranking of the year.

Sports Pulse

The grandfather of the game is walking away, which is sort of apropos in these vapid and vacuous times.

It’s not your grandfather’s college football anymore, and now the old guy made it official by exiting the building.

Lee Corso, the unintended glorious gift to America’s obsession with televised football, will retire from ESPN’s “College GameDay” after the first week of the 2025 season. 

Maybe we can get him to turn off the lights on the way out, too.

Am I the only one who sees this surreal irony? While social media is flush with memories of Corso days gone by, let’s not undersell the obvious final connection of out with the old and in with the new.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that the sport’s ambassador is leaving after the first week of a season where players are officially paid to play, earning a shared percentage of media rights revenue. 

Back when Corso made Thursday Night football electric – literally, electric – and long after the NFL commandeered the night, the idea of pay for play was the NCAA’s mortal sin. Players receive plenty with a scholarship and room and board, thank you. 

And if they’re lucky, they’ll get a few, wink-wink, hundred dollar handshakes along the way. 

There was a time two decades ago – I’m not making this up – when Steve Spurrier offered up the idea of coaches pooling together some extra cash to give players money. You know, walking around cash.

He was so adamant about it, he threatened to release the names of the coaches in the SEC who refused to pay their part.

NOT SO FAST: How Lee Corso went from coach to beloved broadcaster

Now we have a marginally successful quarterback holding up a storied…

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Oklahoma’s addition of Cal transfer running back Jaydn Ott dramatically shifts power dynamics of the position in the SEC. The Sooners were looking for serious playmakers to help revamp an anemic offense, and Ott could quickly prove to be a game-changer.

The running back position was quietly lackluster last season in the SEC. Only three backs cleared 1,000 yards, and Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson was the only one to rank in the top 20 nationally in yards rushing per game. Complicating matters, five of the top six rushers from last season are now gone. 

That said, there’s a formidable crop of young talent ready to ascend to stardom in the conference. LSU’s Caden Durham, Georgia’s Nate Frazier and Florida’s Jadan Baugh are rising stars. A few other players will soon return from injury and add some depth. Still though, are any good enough to unseat Ott? 

As a note, we’re listing only one running back per school. Texas running backs Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter both have serious cases to rank in the top five, but things will get a little weird if we’re digging down depth charts before touching on every team. 

Here’s how we rank SEC running backs after Oklahoma’s addition of Ott. 

1. Jaydn Ott, Oklahoma

Ott suffered through injuries all of last season. When he’s healthy, though, Ott is one of the nation’s most explosive players. As a sophomore in 2023, he exploded for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns at California to lead a surprising run to a bowl game. Ott will slot into Oklahoma’s lineup and give them the…

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LSU football was busy in the first round of transfer portal action, but Tigers head coach Brian Kelly expects roster movement to remain calm in the spring.

“I like our roster right now,” Brian Kelly said, “It wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t have anybody in the portal on either side, either leaving our program or adding.”

Kelly said he would be happy to take this roster into May.

“I like what we’ve done with this roster. I like the development of it. Not all of that is in my control, obviously. But I can tell you we’re not like actively saying, we got to have this, we got to have that,” Kelly said.

Kelly said LSU is always looking for ways to help the team, but the situation is different than it was in January.

In the winter, LSU saw 16 transfers leave and 19 arrive. Per 247Sports, LSU’s transfer portal class ranks No. 2 in the country. Among LSU’s top-ranked additions were former Florida State defensive end Patrick Payton and former Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown.

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker recently said LSU made an effort to add experienced players when looking in the portal. The Tigers lacked returning contributors with 300+ snaps and wanted to fill that gap. With the hole filled, LSU can sit put for now.

Kelly’s optimistic that LSU won’t lose anyone either. That bodes well for LSU’s chances of building depth.

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Spring football continues to feel different around college football — and I remember writing that this time last year — but, boy, this has really been different. We’ve got high-profile standoffs between star quarterbacks and their SEC programs, we’ve got the near-total elimination of spring football games as we knew them, we’ve got teams rushing to spend crazy amounts of money now before an expected House v. NCAA settlement goes into effect, and we’ve even got Bill Belichick wearing Carolina blue.

Some things can’t be messed with, though. Taking stock of the top players in the game is a rite of passage every spring. You’ll notice on this list that a lot of things have changed in the sport. A fleet of household-name quarterbacks and more are gone — not one player in the top 10 of my year-end rankings is back. 

Colorado’s dynamic two-some is, too (a year ago, I had eventual Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter No. 1 on this list). You’ll even see two (and counting) players who have are entering the transfer portal this week, including former Tennessee arm Nico Iamaleava, who now is sorting through his destinations. 

There are no true freshmen on this spring list, but there will be when we do things midseason. There are a staggering three true sophomores in my top 10, including the No. 1 player in all of college football. Let’s get started. 

1. Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State

I’m expecting a bigger, faster, stronger version of the best true freshman receiver of our lifetime. Smith is a matchup nightmare who…

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