Category: College Football

Shawn DiVece has been named as head football coach at Cherokee High School.

Shawn DiVece knows about the great tradition of Cherokee football.

He has actually lived it for much of his life.

A former player and assistant coach for the Chiefs, DiVece is now taking the next step as the new head football coach at Cherokee.

He replaces Brian Glatz, who resigned after the season, which was his seventh as head coach.

“I am beyond excited to really just continue the tradition and excellence that I was basically instilled by my former coach John Scott and coaching under PJ Mehigan and Brian Glatz, both former Cherokee players,” DiVece said.

More: Football 2024: Check out all of our content for the South Jersey high school season

DiVece, 43, is a 1999 graduate of Cherokee. As a senior in 1998 he played on an 8-3 team that advanced to the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals.

DiVece rarely left the field.

“He was a good player, one of the leaders on the team,” said Glatz, who was a Cherokee assistant coach when DiVece was a player. “He was a starter at wide receiver and safety/linebacker and was tough and competitive.”

From there, he attended La Salle University, where DiVece started at receiver as a sophomore, moved to defense and played linebacker his junior season and was a starting wide receiver as a senior. He also was a college punt returner.

DiVece learned a lot about the game both in high school and college and in 2003, he became an assistant coach under Mehigan at Cherokee.

During his time with Mehigan, DiVece coached receivers and was a passing game specialist, fully involved in game planning.

In his seven seasons under Glatz, DiVece was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

When DiVece mentioned the great tradition of Cherokee football, he certainly knew what he was talking about.

Since the advent of NJSIAA…

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The days of analyst armies featuring names like Steve Sarkisian and Billy Napier that Nick Saban made famous at Alabama might be on the downturn, but there are still several prominent names working in behind-the-scenes roles in college football.

Starting last year, the NCAA allowed off-field analysts to take a more hands-on role in coaching; there is plenty of incentive for former head coaches to take on an analyst role as they weigh their next career steps. For some, it’s a nice reprieve from the stress of running a program. For others, it’s a way to stay involved in college football through the backstretch of their coaching careers. And for the programs it’s a (typically cheap) way to get an experienced voice in the room that can help from everything from strategy to development to broader help in how to lead a program. 

With that in mind, here’s 10 prominent former NFL or college coaches who are slated to spend the 2025 season in an off-field analyst role. 

Rob Chudzinski, Boston College senior offensive analyst

The former Cleveland Browns coach is now working on Bill O’Brien’s staff at Boston College. After a lone season as the Browns’ leader in 2013, Chudzinski also worked for the Indianapolis Colts before making the transition to college football at Boston College, first for previous coach Jeff Hafley before staying on with O’Brien. 

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For the second consecutive day, the Alabama Crimson Tide have added a commit to their 2026 recruiting class, as Jamarion Matthews announced his commitment to the program Friday afternoon.

Matthews’ joins fellow 2026 commit Chris Booker, who announced a commitment to the Crimson Tide on Thursday night.

Alabama’s third commitment of the 2026 cycle, Matthews is rated as the nation’s No. 200 overall prospect in the class according to the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings, as well as the No. 17 edge rusher. Rated as a four-star prospect, Matthews is also considered as the No. 26 player in the state of Georgia where he attends Gainesville High School.

Matthews however recently spent the 2024 season in the state of Alabama at Sparkman High School, but recently announced a transfer to Gainesville for his senior year.

Matthews now joins fellow four-star Zyan Gibson and the aforementioned Booker in Alabama’s 2026 class, which currently ranks No. 32 nationally according to the 247Sports Team Rankings.

This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: 2026 edge rusher Jamarion Matthews commits to Alabama football

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Texas will join a growing list of college football programs doing away with traditional spring games in favor of a slightly restructured practice slate, coach Steve Sarkisian said during a recent appearance on the “Up & Adams Show.” Sarkisian cited the ever-shifting landscape of college football and Texas’ increased workload during the season itself — the Longhorns have played 30 games over the past two seasons, including 16 in 2024 — as reasons for the change. 

“I just don’t know if rolling the ball out, playing the game, when we only get 15 practices, is the best for us to maximize the opportunities that we get,” Sarkisian said. “So it’s going to be a little bit of a different approach, but I think college football’s changing right now and we need to do a great job, as coaches, of adapting to college football, and that’s what we’re trying to do. I think it’s going to be good for our team.”

Instead, Sarkisian said that Texas will try and mimic the NFL’s organized team activities to the best of its ability while moving towards more of a scrimmage format as spring practice wears on. Sarkisian’s philosophy reflects a growing campaign to transform the allotted 15-day spring period into NFL style OTAs over the summer, ramping up to fall camp. 

Other prominent figures, like Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, have decided to move away from open spring games due to increased worries over transfer portal tampering. 

“The word ‘tampering’ no longer exists,” Rhule said. “It’s just absolute free, open, common market. So I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I…

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The Oklahoma Sooners are trending in a positive direction for one of the best defensive ends in the 2026 recruiting class, KJ Ford. Ford is a four-star prospect out of Duncanville, Texas and is rated as the No. 11 defensive end according to 247Sports.

On Wednesday evening, Parker Thune and Brandon Drumm of OUInsider issued Rivals Futurecasts favoring the Oklahoma Sooners in Ford’s recruitment. He was one of the top performers at the UA Next event down in Dallas this past weekend and shared his thoughts on OU with Chad Simmons of On3.

Ford said, “I have visited Oklahoma four or five times, and they have recruited me hard since they offered me. They have made me feel like a priority, and I have a good time each time I visit. I like the coaching staff, and I know them well.”

Ford is a dynamic edge rusher who can with speed and athleticism and also has the power to push blockers back into the quarterback. He has the size and power to set the edge in the running game. Ford has a really good motor that would make him a fantastic fit for the Sooners defensive line.

The Oklahoma Sooners are competing with Texas A&M, LSU, and Alabama but the recruitment could extend outside of the SEC as well.

Highlights

Vitals

Projected Position

Defensive End

Height

6-foot-3

Weight

245 pounds (247Sports)

Hometown

Duncanville, Texas

Ratings

Site

Stars

Overall

Position

State

Rivals

4

107

10

16

ESPN

4

138

16

14

247Sports

4

111

11

15

247Sports Composite

4

139

12

17

On3

3

—

36

44

On3 Industry

4

150

16

18

Twitter

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 4-Star defensive end KJ Ford predicted to land with Oklahoma Sooners

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USATSI

Wisconsin and coach Luke Fickell have agreed to an extension that pushes his contract out through the 2031 season, the school announced Wednesday. The new deal represents a one-year extension on his existing contract. 

Wisconsin historically gives out one-year extensions to all its coaches at the conclusion of every season for consistency purposes. In addition to Fickell, the school announced extensions for its volleyball and soccer coaches on Wednesday. Getting an extension isn’t necessarily an expression of faith. Former coach Paul Chryst received a formal extension after the 2021 season, but was fired only five games into the 2022. However, the timing of the move is still intriguing. 

Fickell’s Badgers are coming off a 5-7 campaign and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001. The program went 3-6 in Big Ten play and fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo. Fickell is just 12-13 in two seasons with the Badgers, the worst since Barry Alvarez took over the program in 1990. Wisconsin ranked bottom half in the Big Ten in both offense and defense. 

To his credit, Fickell has moved quickly to remedy things. He hired offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes from Kansas, who will bring a more physical running game reminiscent of historic Badgers squads. The program poached quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. from Maryland and brought in 18 transfers to headline a top 25 recruiting class. The Badgers play Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon in 2025. 

Prior to Wisconsin, Fickell helped supercharge Cincinnati and led them to the College Football Playoff in 2021. He is the…

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Texas A&M’s 2024 football season ended in disappointment. Still, from a 360-degree view, head coach Mike Elko’s inaugural campaign was not a failure despite finishing 1-4, including consecutive losses to Texas and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Still, the loss of star running back Le’Veon Moss after eight games completely dismantled OC Collin Klein’s game plan due to the lack of RB depth, while quarterback Marcel Reed had yet to develop as a pocket passer amid his first starting season. Through the portal, Elko added standout wide receivers KC Concepcion and sophomore Mario Craver, while former Texas Tech receiver Micah Hudson has taken a leave of absence from the program.

Overall, strides were made, especially across the offensive line led by OL coach Adam Cushing, who has proven his development skills while serving as an ace recruiter. However, three of Texas A&M’s starting defensive linemen, Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, and Shemar Turner, are headed to the 2025 NFL Draft, vaulting senior edge Cashius Howell, DE Rylan Kennedy, and several transfer portal additions to fill out the trenches.

While Mike Elko has plenty to prove, one member of the CFB media landscape believes that the program is in good hands and has a chance to compete for championships. On Tuesday, On3’s J.D. PicKell released his Top 10 rankings for every Power 5 program set up for success over the next three seasons, based around recruiting, transfer portal success, financial earnings, and culture.

Top 10 program set up for “success” over the next 3 years:

Texas Longhorns

Oregon Ducks

Georgia Bulldogs

Ohio State Buckeyes

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Michigan Wolverines

Alabama Crimson Tide

LSU Tigers

Tennessee Volunteers

Texas A&M Aggies

Nine of the ten teams listed have made the College Football Playoffs, while Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, and LSU have won…

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Once Ohio State and Notre Dame had won their semifinal matchups in the College Football Playoff, there were plenty of pointed observations about the matchup and what it might have said about the sport in the modern era. But to get caught up in conversations of conference strength and what leagues may or may not have been as represented is to miss another unique thread that tied Ohio State and Notre Dame to each other in opposition from many of the other powers in college football. 

While modern transfer rules and NIL have created more roster fluidity than the sport has ever seen, the two teams that played for the national championship did not — especially in comparison to their peers — build their roster through the transfer portal. That might catch some by surprise since the Buckeyes had a high-profile transfer at quarterback (Will Howard), running back (Quinshon Judkins) and safety (Caleb Downs), while Notre Dame had former Duke star Riley Leonard under center along with multiple other starters from the portal. But in terms of transfer volume, Ohio State and Notre Dame are on the lower end of power-conference teams competing at the highest levels. 

Ohio State took seven transfers prior to 2024, nine transfers ahead of 2023 and just four transfers going into 2022. Notre Dame’s numbers are nearly identical, taking nine transfers ahead of 2024, seven going into 2023 and just four prior to 2022. 

That’s 20 incoming transfers over the last three offseasons combined for the two teams that made it farther than any other other in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, there have been 37 different teams that have added at least 20 transfers in a single offseason in the same span, according to the 247Sports Transfer Portal…

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