Category: College Football

The Indiana State football team has introduced Austin Flyger as its new defensive-line coach.

He joins a few other new coaches on the staff including Tito Overton (wide receivers), John Bear (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks) and Jalen Banks (running backs).

Flyger spent the last five seasons at North Dakota serving as the Fighting Hawks’ defensive-line coach since February 2020. His defensive line helped North Dakota limit opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in four different games, including holding Northern Iowa to just 36 yards in an Oct. 19 matchup. The team remained disciplined up front, finishing sixth in FCS in penalties per game and getting flagged just 4.0 times per game.

Overall, North Dakota’s defense ranked seventh in the conference, just above Indiana State at eight as they allowed an average of 30.9 a game. The Fighting Hawks matched Indiana State in touchdowns given up with 49. However, their 30.9 points given up a game was slightly better than ISU, which gave up an average of 31.6.

In Flyger’s first season with North Dakota, he helped guide a defensive line that improved on all fronts in stopping the run, creating negative plays and forcing turnovers. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Jaelen Johnson anchored the line with 13 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, a sack and three quarterback hurries to help UND reach the FCS quarterfinals for the first time in program history during the 2020-21 season.

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The 2025 NFL Draft is starting to take shape as 71 players opted to forgo eligibility and enter the draft early. The list includes two out of four Heisman Trophy finalists and 10 first-team members of the CBS Sports All-America Team. With that in mind, we decided to look at the teams whose 2025 seasons will be most shaped by losing underclassmen to the draft. 

Need any indication of how much these decisions can flip a season? Last year, Ohio State managed to retain key pieces like offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, defensive end Jack Sawyer and cornerback Denzel Burke. One year later, they keyed a national championship run. Last season, more than 90 players entered the draft early. This year, that number is down by nearly 20 players. 

Losing a quantity of players alone doesn’t land you on this list. Penn State lost three players to early entry, but the returns of quarterback Drew Allar and defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton helps ease the pain. Similarly, LSU has to rebuild its offensive line because of early entries, but bringing back quarterback Garrett Nussmeier makes the job much more manageable. 

Here are four teams that are most impacted by early-entry departures to the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Losses: QB Quinn Ewers, OT Kelvin Banks, WR Isaiah Bond, RB Jaydon Blue, OT Cameron Williams, WR Matthew Golden

The Longhorns are a popular pick for preseason No. 1 in 2025 as the program transitions to Arch Manning, but the underclassman losses are significant. Ewers and Banks were obvious draft entrants after strong…

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Auburn held its edge over the rest of the SEC once again this past week. (John Reed-Imagn Images)

Auburn, Alabama and Florida all stuck around at the top of the poll again this week. But with the way things are going throughout the conference, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before the SEC flips over on itself.

Here’s everything you missed in Week 12 of the college basketball season, and the latest Associated Press men’s basketball poll.

Auburn holds SEC lead

Johni Broome is back, and Auburn is still on top of the SEC.

The Tigers picked up their 11th straight win on Saturday night when they beat Tennessee 53-51. It marked Broome’s first game back from an ankle injury. He had a team-high 16 points and 13 rebounds off the bench in the win, which marked the lowest point total the Tigers have had all year.

Though it wasn’t a great offensive showing — Auburn went just 3-of-20 from the 3-point line — it was a win nonetheless. Auburn held onto the No. 1 ranking in this week’s poll, and kept its lead in what has been an otherwise chaotic stretch of conference play. They’ll travel to LSU on Wednesday before a road game against No. 23 Ole Miss on Saturday.

The top five in this week’s poll didn’t change, with Duke, Iowa State, Alabama and Florida all holding strong. Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils, who will host North Carolina this weekend, grabbed their 13th straight win on Saturday by beating Wake Forest on the road. The Cyclones survived a tight road win over Arizona State on Saturday, too.

Back in the SEC, the Crimson Tide struggled to get past LSU and star Mark Sears sat out of the second half of Saturday’s game after he was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes. The Gators, still 18-2, will turn around and take on Tennessee — which dropped two spots to No. 8 — on Saturday. The Vols will have…

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Ohio State fans and dignitaries gathered at Ohio Stadium on Sunday to celebrate the Buckeyes’ 2024 national championship run. Ohio State bested Notre Dame 34-23 in the College Football Playoff National Championship last week to win its first crown since 2014 and third since 1970. 

The celebration was a major moment for Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who overcame a devastating regular-season finish in a 13-10 loss to Michigan — leading to death threats to him and his family — to turn the season around and win the national title. 

“He is the Buckeye coach for years to come,” Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said during Day’s introduction. 

Day has a sensational 70-10 record at Ohio State but was plagued by close losses over the past four seasons. The CFP was a perfect opportunity for him to rewrite his reputation. The Buckeyes put together one of the most dominant four-game runs in history, crushing top 10 opponents Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame by an average of 17.5 points per game in the postseason. 

Ohio State president Ted Carter said that the program is committed to keeping Day around long term. Though Day has been rumored for NFL coaching opportunities, Ohio State is working on a new contract extension after he became only the third active coach to win a national championship. 

“We’re working on it,” Carter told Eleven Warriors. “We don’t have any announcements yet, but we have intent. I know Ryan wants to stay here, so we’re working the details.” 

Other moments were more lighthearted. Star defensive end Jack Sawyer joked during the speeches…

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Aug 31, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Trey Amos (9) waits for the snap during the first half against the Furman Paladins at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

With the Reese’s Senior Bowl taking place on February 1st, let’s take a position-by-position look at who will be participating in the week-long event and could be of interest to the Indianapolis Colts.

Next up, we will lump the cornerbacks and safeties together, but if you missed any of our other previews up to this point, you can find them below:

Quarterbacks

Linebackers

Running backs

Tight ends

Wide receivers

It was deja vu, as GM Chris Ballard sat in front of reporters during his season-ending press conference and was again answering questions about the play of the Indianapolis secondary.

“We’ve got to get better,” said Ballard about the cornerback and safety positions.

Now, strides were made in some respects. Both Nick Cross and Jaylon Jones took steps forward in 2024 and the emergence of Samuel Womack–a late addition to the roster–proved to be valuable.

However, the overall numbers still show a unit that struggled. Compared to the rest of the NFL, the Colts’ pass defense surrendered the fifth-most yards per pass attempt–allowing a number of explosive plays throughout the season. They also generated the fourth-fewest pass deflections, gave up the second-highest completion rate, and the 10th best passer rating.

The addition of new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, whose coaching background is in the secondary and disguise heavy scheme has often helped generate positive results for his defensive backs over the years, will have to play a key role in turning this unit around.

But with that said, this falls on Ballard as well to add competition to help raise the level of play from the…

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It’s never too early to look ahead to the 2025 college football season, especially since Ohio State’s victory against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship officially brought the 2024 campaign to an end this past week. 

While the playoff programs winnowed down, programs around the nation were already turning their eyes towards the 2025 slate. They’ve addressed roster needs that they may have via the transfer portal, and with spring practice around the corner, they are in the process of going through their first strength and conditioning regimen of the year. 

Even CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd couldn’t wait with his first way-too-early top 25 for the 2025 season. Though it’s subject to change between now and August, it does provide a good assessment of how the national landscape looks at this point on the calendar. 

Though conference like the ACC and Big 12 have yet to release specific dates for their respective schedules next season, most teams at least know who they’ll have to go up against. So it felt appropriate to take a look at the most important game during the 2025 season for each way-too-early top 25 team. 

Game: at Ohio State (Saturday, Aug. 30) 

It doesn’t get much bigger than this. Texas, on the road, against the reigning national champions in a College Football Playoff semifinal rematch? What a way for the Arch Manning Era to begin. He could make himself an instant legend with a win in this situation. 

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Jan. 24—Albuquerque native Mark Cala has been named UTEP’s offensive coordinator, the program announced Friday.

Cala, 32, joins the Miners after spending two years as an assistant quarterbacks coach at TCU. He replaces former UTEP offensive coordinator Jake Brown, who stepped down in December to pursue other opportunities.

“Mark Cala is one of the brightest up-and-coming names in the profession,” UTEP head coach Scotty Walden said in a release. “I was extremely impressed with his football knowledge and philosophical alignment offensively in the interview process. His expertise in utilizing and getting the most out of our personnel will help our offense take the next step.”

In two years with TCU, Cala assisted a quarterbacks room that finished seventh nationally in passing yards per game both seasons. Quarterback Josh Hoover notably passed for 3,939 yards (second in the Big 12), 27 touchdowns (third in the Big 12) and 11 interceptions in 2024, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention in his first season as the Horned Frogs’ primary starter.

Cala was also on hand for TCU’s 34-3 win over Louisiana-Lafayette in last month’s Isleta New Mexico Bowl, a game in which Hoover passed for 252 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

“Mark’s a really smart guy,” TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said in December. “He’s been around a little bit, he’s been with Kendal Briles a number of years, (he’s) our offensive coordinator. And Mark is one of the guys that Kendal really leans on — he’s really, really smart, really does a great job of game planning and breaking down opponents.

“Really good football coach, and one of those guys that’s got a really bright future.”

An all-state and all-metro selection in football at La Cueva High School, Cala won a state title with the Bears in 2009 and later played defensive back at New Mexico and the…

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USATSI

The time and date for Bill Belichick’s official North Carolina debut are set. The Tar Heels will host TCU at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 1 — Labor Day — on ESPN, the ACC announced Thursday. 

That means Belichick, who has generated plenty of buzz after embarking on the first collegiate coaching challenge of his career, will be front and center in primetime on one of the biggest sports holidays on the calendar. 

TCU coach Sonny Dykes, who is entering his fourth year with the Horned Frogs, has faced off against a high-profile debuting coach before. TCU opened the 2023 season against Colorado and its new coach Deion Sanders. Sanders, like Belichick, was the most buzzworthy hire of his coaching carousel. 

“I think like a lot of people, I was just surprised,” Dykes told CBS Sports following Belichick’s move to North Carolina. “I didn’t know that he had interest in coaching college football, but I’m excited about it. I think it’s good for the game, I think it’s good for college football … we’re looking forward to competing against him. Obviously, his team is going to be very well prepared and, I’m sure, ready to play.”

Belichick is inheriting a North Carolina team that went 6-7 in 2024, capped by a 27-14 loss to UConn in the Fenway Bowl. Belichick is replacing former national championship-winning (at Texas) coach Mack Brown, who had two separate stints with the Tar Heels for a total record of 113-79-1. 

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