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16 teams you should avoid in 2025 season

Published

4 months ago

August 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Danny Sheridan
| Special to The Post

Many struggling college football teams are losing players to richer programs due to NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals.
Offensive struggles and weak defenses plague many of these teams, contributing to their predicted poor performance.

How much are parents willing to pay for their teenagers to be happy? At these 16 universities, it’s not enough. Despite the ever-rising costs of tuition, it takes a lot of money to field a competitive college football team these days.

For many years, athletic departments screamed “Fake news!” when they were accused of paying football players under the table. Now, thanks to NIL money, the tables have turned, and transfer players are changing schools faster than Chat GPT can write your college essay.

For these 16 worst teams in college football, climate change is real, because as good recruits leave for better, higher-paying gigs at other schools, head coaches’ seats are getting hotter. But that doesn’t mean we can’t crack open a cold one, enjoy a few out-of-whack point spreads and fill our DraftKings accounts with some early-blowout joy. So sit back, relax and read about 2025’s worst 16 college football teams to bet on.

No. 16 Arkansas: Revolving door in Fayetteville keeps spinning

A 7-6 season may have temporarily given well-liked coach Sam Pittman a reprieve, but the revolving door in Fayetteville keeps spinning faster. The Razorbacks are the kind of college football team that’s just good enough for better teams to raid for help. They don’t call the state of Arkansas “The Land of Opportunity” for nothing. To fill the empty lockers, Arkansas will have 58 new players: 19 high school players, 31 transfers and eight walk-ons. Senior quarterback Taylen Green is back, but he’ll have to deal with a whole new corps of receivers and backs and play behind a line that couldn’t protect him last year. Another seven-win season may be a tall task.

No. 15 UCLA: Transfer QB Nico Iamaleava needs lot of help

It’s usually not a good sign when your coach (DeShaun Foster) and offensive coordinator (Eric Bieniemy) are former NFL running backs and your offense ranks 131^st in the nation in rushing with 86.6 yards per game. Nevertheless, the Bruins showed some grit after starting the season 1-5 to win four of their last six and finish 5-7. This offseason, UCLA changed offensive coordinators and landed the top prize in the transfer portal, high-profile QB Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee, who may be the only star ever to go to Hollywood and take a pay cut. We’ll see if there was enough NIL money left over to replace every starter on last year’s defense.

No. 14 Wisconsin: Won’t be much better after missing bowl game in ’24

Wisconsin had a tougher 2024 than the Democrats, dropping to 5-7 and missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 seasons. Realizing the error of his ways, coach Luke Fickell replaced offensive coordinator Phil Longo with Jeff Grimes from Kansas to fix the 118th-ranked offense and get back to the Badgers’ wintry ground-and-pound style of football. The only problem is their freshman running back, Dilin Jones, has to move the ball in games on the road against the NFL farm system defenses of Alabama, Michigan, Oregon and Indiana, and at home against Washington, Iowa and Ohio State.

No. 13 Syracuse: Must replace QB Kyle McCord, leading tacklers

Coach Fran Brown did a stellar job in his first year, taking Syracuse from six to 10 wins and a victory in the Holiday Bowl. Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord led the nation in passing and set school records with 4,326 yards and 29 touchdowns, but he’ll likely be sitting on the Eagles bench as Syracuse lost 35 players to graduation and the transfer portal. In comes Rickie Collins with only four games of college quarterback experience to lead the new offense. Most of the top tacklers are gone for this team as well. Brown is an excellent recruiter, but he might need the ghost of Jim Brown to win on the road against SMU, Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame.

No. 12 Vanderbilt: QB Diego Pavia returns behind rebuilt OL

Vanderbilt likes to call itself the “Harvard of the South.” The Commodores certainly were smart enough to get their star quarterback Diego Pavia’s junior college seasons tossed to give him another year of eligibility. We’ll see how shrewd they were in spending their NIL money on a new offensive line to protect him. The Commodores caught some teams by surprise last year, including an upset over Alabama, and came a field goal short of upsetting Texas. But once teams got to see their offense a little more, they finished with three straight losses to South Carolina, LSU and Tennessee. Vanderbilt’s young men will go on to fine careers on Wall Street, where “Greed is Good,” but not in the NFL.

No. 11 Washington State: New coaching staff will emphasize running

With coach Jake Dickert off to Wake Forest, Washington State brings in South Dakota State chief Jimmy Rogers to run the program. And when we say run, we mean tossing the Air Raid offense out the window and carrying the ball between the tackles. Rogers brings with him his SDSU offensive coordinator Danny Freund, running backs Angel Johnson and Kirby Vorhees, and several other former Jackrabbits to help matriculate the ball down the field. If nothing else, you will see a real-time experiment in what happens when you move an FCS team up in class to play a full FBS schedule. It may be too tough a test to pass this year, but these Cougars also will get better with age.

No. 10 West Virginia: Rich Rodriguez is back, TikTok is gone

Rich Rodriguez has had plenty of success as coach of West Virginia. Unfortunately, that success was between 2001-2007. Rodriguez moves over from Jacksonville State to retake the reins of the program, and he looks to bring a hard edge back to the team, as evidenced by announcing he was banning all of his players from dancing on TikTok. Unfortunately for Rodriguez, there aren’t likely to be any other viral moments on the field for a program in transition. With the exception of two starters on offense and one on defense, it looks like an entirely new roster of players will be trying to change the fortunes of last year’s 6-7 squad.

No. 9 Arizona: Bad offense might be even worse

Even with No. 8 overall NFL pick Tetairoa McMillan at WR, Arizona had the second-worst offense in the Big 12. So how much better will the Wildcats be without him? Brent Brennan’s first season coaching the program was more mirage than oasis in the desert, as the team dropped from 10 to four wins, including a 2-7 record in conference play. In comes new offensive coordinator Seth Doege, and much like DOGE, they have hired plenty of inexperienced replacements to make the offense more “efficient.” Noah Fifita is back at QB, but without his star receiver, we’ll see if he has the tools to operate Doege’s up-tempo offense. On defense, the team finished 108^th in the nation, giving up 31.8 points per game.

No. 8 Oklahoma State: Can Mike Gundy rebound after worst season?

When Willie Nelson sang, “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys,” he may have been referring to last season’s Oklahoma State team. At 3-9 and winless in the Big 12, it was the worst year of Mike Gundy’s 20-year career at OSU. Gundy cleaned house faster than a mafia wife with the Feds knocking. In comes a new coaching staff. Maybe as many as 40 new incoming players. But will it yield new results? Hauss Hejny and Zane Flores will battle for the starting QB spot. But like most freshmen, neither has completed a single pass in college. The defense was 125^th in the nation last year, giving up 35.6 points a game.

No. 7 Kentucky: Misuse of transfer portal leads to troubles

It’s a good thing Donald Trump hasn’t decided to place tariffs on incoming college football players (at least not as of press time), because Kentucky had to import almost an entire offense for the upcoming season. Head coach Mark Stoops is set to make $9 million per year until his contract ends in 2030, but the Wildcats may have been better suited to save some of that cash for better players. Kentucky ranked 119^th in offense, scoring just 20.6 points per game. And the talent coming in through the portal seems a bit more sale price than big ticket. That misreading of the transfer portal seems to be the biggest reason why Stoops’ team dropped to 4-8 and 1-7 in the SEC last season.

No. 6 Maryland: Prospects not good for Terps coming off poor season

Coach Mike Locksley took the Terrapins to three straight bowl games before last year’s 4-8 mishap (1-8 in the Big Ten), which may cost him his job this year. And if things weren’t bad enough, Maryland will have more new players than the new season of “Squid Games.” Only three starters are back on offense and one from a defense that gave up over 30 points per game. If there’s a ray of light, it’s Locksley’s ability to recruit local talent, including promising quarterback Malik Washington. This bears watching: Locksley admitted to losing the locker room last season over players being disgruntled by NIL money.

No. 5 Wake Forest: New coach Jake Dickert brings power spread offense

Coach Dave Clawson made some great memories for Wake Forest football, including seven straight bowl appearances. But like good Robert DeNiro film performances, all things eventually come to an end. A pair of 4-8 seasons helped lead Clawson to retirement. In comes Jake Dickert and his power spread offense from Washington State. Dickert hopes some new talent will bring him greater luck. He imported Robby Ashford (South Carolina) and Deshawn Purdie (Charlotte) to compete for the quarterback spot. Demond Claiborne, who rushed for 1,000 yards, gets to run behind an all-new offensive line.

No. 4 Northwestern: Talent drain via transfer portal hurting Wildcats

Northwestern takes pride in preparing its students for good-paying jobs. Unfortunately, this is true for the football team as well, where the Wildcats’ best players are heading for the transfer portal faster than Jeff Bezos’ wife can spend his money. Even quarterback Mike Wright shipped off to East Carolina (perhaps the third most popular Carolina after North and South). Last season, the talent drain led to an offense that was tougher to watch than YouTube videos with ads. They ranked 128^th out of 132 teams in scoring and couldn’t even average 100 yards rushing per game. The defense still shows some signs of life, especially the front line with ends Aidan Hubbard and Anto Saka.

No. 3 Mississippi State: QB Blake Shapen back, but defense missing

Before he got hurt last season, Blake Shapen was shapin’ up to be a solid passer. But a shoulder injury derailed Shapen’s last eight games, and with it, Jeff Lebby’s first season as coach ended with a 2-10 crash. No one doubts Lebby can coach, but as they say, even the finest chef can’t turn chicken manure into chicken salad. With Shapen back for one season, the Bulldogs may still take a step forward on offense. But their biggest obstacle will be not facing Mississippi State’s defense, which was the worst in the SEC by far, giving up over 216 yards rushing and 34 points per game. The transfer portal isn’t wide enough to fit the d-linemen they’ll need to import to improve the defense.

No. 2 Stanford: Andrew Luck, Frank Reich trying to turn around program

After consecutive 3-9 seasons, offensive guru Troy Taylor was relieved of his head coaching duties. To restore the program to glory, Stanford brought in former quarterback Andrew Luck to adapt to the changing times of NIL, college portals and shopping for talent. So what did he do to modernize the program? He brought in 63-year-old dinosaur Frank Reich, his former coach in Indianapolis and an NFL coach for the last two decades, to be the head coach. Right now, Luck and Reich are trying to get their current players to make the grade. Reich will be entrusted with getting the most out of former four-star QB Elijah Brown and an offense that averaged 191.3 yards passing last season.

No. 1 Purdue: Holes on offense, defense, brutal schedule mean doom

Head coach Barry Odom took a 1-11 UNLV team to 19 wins in the last two seasons. But even Picasso needed paint, and Odom might need to make a few more trips to Sherman-Williams before you start to see the full picture. The program is so bare, Odom had to convince last year’s backup quarterback Ryan Browne to spurn Bill Belichick and his girlfriend at North Carolina in December to come back to Purdue. Browne will be playing behind an offensive line that puts the holy in Holy Moly! On defense, Purdue gave up 200 yards on the ground and 252.7 yards in the air per game. The schedule is brutal with games at Michigan and Notre Dame and home against Ohio State and Indiana.

Central Florida, Michigan State among the Dishonorable Mentions

Here are teams from the Power Four Conferences that will underachieve by winning four to seven games (listed alphabetically):

Boston College, Colorado, California, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, UCF and Virginia

Danny Sheridan is featured in newspapers and on national radio and TV during football season.

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Miami WR Malachi Toney Announces Career News Amid College Football Season

Published

3 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The No. 10 seed Miami Hurricanes defeated the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies 10-3 in the first round of the College Football Playoff. It was a defensive battle, ultimately decided by a late fourth-quarter score and red-zone interception by Miami.

With the score tied at 3 and 1 minute, 44 seconds left in the game, Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Carson Beck.

Up next for the Hurricanes is a Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic matchup against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s an uphill battle, as ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Hurricanes a 29.5% chance of winning.

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10).© Robert Myers-Imagn Images

Before his heroic performance, though, the wide receiver revealed an exciting Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) update. In a joint Instagram post, Toney revealed a new NIL partnership with Hellstar, a popular clothing brand that has a sports training component.

“We are so proud to announce our first Hellstar Sports College Athlete NIL signing – Malachi Toney🌟.,” the post caption read. “We had the privilege to coach @malitoney10 while he was apart of our high school 7 on 7 program, so now seeing him shine on the collegiate level we couldn’t be more proud.”

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What Colorado’s Athletic Department Valuation Says About Buffaloes’ Growth

Published

4 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In the growing landscape of college athletics, Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals play a vital role in sports. Some programs are set up better than others based on a program’s valuation. Programs with higher valuations can help some of the top-performing teams stay successful.

CNBC released its valuation rankings for the country’s athletic departments, showing their growth from the 2024 fiscal year. The Colorado Buffaloes are ranked No. 47 in the nation, a rise from No. 55 in 2024.

Colorado Buffaloes valuation NIL transfer portal Deion Sanders Coach Prime Big 12 College Football Basketball Folsom Field — Nov 25, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders on the field against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images | Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Colorado Buffaloes’ Valuation Ranking

Colorado’s 2025 valuation is $574 million, with a year-over-year value change of 22 percent. The program’s 2024 revenue is set at $147 million, with a 16 percent year-over-year revenue change.

A program’s valuation determines its monetary worth, and it is important to look at the growth, which shows that Colorado is trending in the right direction. It is also important to note that the valuation rankings are based on all of the athletics, not just the football program.

Where Colorado Ranks In The Big 12

When focusing on the Big 12 conference, several of the programs are in the same vicinity with their valuation ranking.

No. 39 Kansas: $620M
No. 41 Oklahoma State: $600M
No. 42 Baylor: $585M
No. 46 Iowa State: $575M
No. 47 Colorado: $574M
No. 49 Texas Tech: $570M
No. 50 TCU: $568M
No. 55 Arizona: $529M
No. 57 BYU: $500M
No. 58 West Virginia: $481M
No. 60 Utah: $451M
No. 62 Kansas State: $435M
No. 63 Arizona State: $430M
No. 68 Cincinnati: $280M
No. 70 UCF: $262M
No. 73 Houston: $222M

MORE: Colorado Gets Hit With Biggest Transfer Portal Loss Yet

MORE: Michael Irvin Gets Real On Blame Surrounding Shedeur Sanders

MORE: Deion Sanders Faces Recruiting Problem After Omarion Miller Transfer News

While from the top valuation of Kansas to the bottom, which is Houston is a significant difference in the Big 12, the conference teams are still in a similar vicinity overall. With it having to do with all athletics, the programs that have consistently strong teams, such as Kansas’ basketball team, make sense to have a higher valuation.

Looking at the Big 12 as a whole shows that the Colorado Buffaloes are in the top five for their valuation and trending upward.

Calling Back To Deion Sanders’ Comments On Fairness

While valuation is not the same as revenue, seeing the difference in the conferences does call back to Colorado coach Deion Sanders’ comments on the fairness between programs. The schools in the top five for their valuation are either in the Big Ten or the SEC, and all are in the billions.

“You talk about equality,” Sanders said during the Big 12 media day. “All you have to do is look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent, and you understand darn near why they’re in the playoffs. It’s kind of hard to compete with somebody who’s giving $25, $30 million to a darn freshman class.”

Although the valuation is on the programs’ overall athletics, Sanders has been outspoken about money when it comes to building the football program. With the Buffaloes facing a mass exodus through the transfer portal, Sanders has highlighted that several players are leaving because of money.

The positive side is that the Buffaloes’ valuation is growing with a 22 percent increase. This shows that the school’s athletics overall are being valued higher, and will help lead to more money poured into the program. With more money, the Buffaloes can put more of an emphasis on NIL as they look to build their roster and compete in the Big 12.

Insider Reveals Biggest Reason Behind Colorado’s Transfer Portal Mass Exodus

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

From a player retention standpoint, the first few weeks of the offseason haven’t been kind to the Colorado Buffaloes.

Several key Buffs have announced their intentions to enter the college football transfer portal when it opens next month, including wide receiver Omarion Miller, safety Tawfiq Byard and freshman defensive end Alexander McPherson. While every situation is unique, one Colorado insider believes money has been a common denominator among players’ reasons for leaving Boulder.

Insider Reasons Colorado Transfer Portal Exodus Buffaloes NIL Deion Sanders Alexander McPherson Tawfiq Byard Omarion Miller — Oct 25, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Omarion Miller (4) is tackled by Utah Utes defensive back JC Hart (14) during the second half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

“The super majority of those people, I’m talking 95 percent, are going to be leaving for a bigger bag,” Thee Pregame Show’s Uncle Neely said on his YouTube channel. “This ain’t transferring in 1990. This ain’t transferring in the year 2000. This is 2025. This is business now. This isn’t, ‘Oh, I don’t like the coach. Oh, I don’t want to be treated the way they treat me.’

“This doesn’t mean something is wrong. These are business decisions now. But what we like to do is run with the narrative that woe is me, something must be wrong, something must be going on. How are all these people leaving?”

The NIL (name, image and likeness) era has rocked college football, and the depressing truth is that schools with more money will ultimately land the best players. In the Big 12, no school better exemplifies that trend than new conference champion Texas Tech.

Who’s Leaving Colorado?

As of Sunday, 16 Colorado players will enter the transfer portal next month. That group includes 12 defensive players, six members of the Buffs’ 2025 high school signing class and a few other Buffs who spent only one season in Boulder.

Below is an updated list of Colorado players who plan on entering the transfer portal:

Safety TJ Branch
Defensive lineman Jehiem Oatis
Cornerback Noah King
Cornerback Teon Parks
Linebacker Mantrez Walker
Safety Terrance Love
Safety Tawfiq Byard
Wide receiver Omarion Miller
Defensive tackle Brandon Davis-Swain
Offensive lineman Carde Smith
Defensive end Alexander McPherson
Offensive lineman Tyler Brown
Defensive tackle Gavriel Lightfoot
Defensive tackle Christian Hudson
Defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas
Wide receiver Dre’lon Miller

Uncle Neely shared his take that Colorado’s losses should be replaceable via the transfer portal.

“Have you ever stopped to say, what am I actually losing by those people leaving?” Uncle Neely said. “Have you ever looked at the numbers production-wise of who has announced that they’re getting up out of here and what you’re actually losing by them leaving?… Is it replaceable via the portal? And in this business in college football, is it replaceable cheaper? I would wager to say the answer is yes in all regards.”

MORE: Colorado Gets Hit With Biggest Transfer Portal Loss Yet

MORE: Michael Irvin Gets Real On Blame Surrounding Shedeur Sanders

MORE: Deion Sanders Faces Recruiting Problem After Omarion Miller Transfer News

The college football transfer portal will open on Jan. 2 and close Jan. 16. Colorado coach Deion Sanders and his staff can begin adding players from the portal at the start of that period.

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Report: LSU finalizes deal to hire Ole Miss’ Kevin Smith, puts him among highest paid RBs coaches

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Lane Kiffin is bringing another Ole Miss assistant with him to LSU. According to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Tigers have finalized a deal to hire Rebels running backs coach Kevin Smith for the same role.

Smith is reported to have a salary of close to $1 million, which would make him one of the highest-paid running backs coaches in the country. He is the sixth Ole Miss assistant to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge.

The other coaches joining Kiffin at LSU are offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., tight ends coach Joe Cox, receivers coach Joe McDonald, inside receivers coach Sawyer Jordan and quarterbacks coach Dane Stevens. So far no defensive assistants from the Rebels have made the jump to Baton Rouge.

Smith worked with Kiffin as a running backs coach at Florida Atlantic form 2017-19 and joined his very first staff at Ole Miss in 2020. He stayed for the next two seasons in Oxford before leaving to take the running backs coach position at Miami in 2022.

Smith’s stint with the Hurricanes was a short-lived one as he returned to Ole Miss in 2023 and stayed through this season. Now he’ll look to continue the success he has enjoyed with Kiffin while building up the running backs room at LSU.

Smith helped to develop running backs such as Quinshon Judkins and Kewan Lacy during his time in Oxford. This past season, Ole Miss ranked fifth in the SEC with 185.6 rushing yards per game as Lacy led the conference with 21 rushing touchdowns and ranked second with 1,366 yards.

Ole Miss had its best season in program history this year to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time. However, Kiffin was not granted permission from the school to finish out the season with the Rebels after he accepted the LSU job.

Other assistants, including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., were allowed to complete the playoff run with Ole Miss. The Rebels defeated Tulane in the first round and will face No. 3 Georgia, which they lost to earlier this season, in the quarterfinals.

As of right now, it looks like most of the Ole Miss offensive staff will follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge. The defensive side keep defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who has been on staff at LSU since 2024.

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Former 4-star QB announces plans to enter college football transfer portal

Published

9 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The quarterback market is expected to be extremely competitive this offseason.

A ton of experienced signal-callers have announced their decisions to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, including Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, North Texas’ Drew Mestemaker, Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby, and TCU’s Josh Hoover, among countless others.

The right move can benefit young quarterbacks, as players such as USC’s Jayden Maiava and Oregon’s Dante Moore benefited from transferring early in their careers.

An offseason coaching change has led one former blue-chip recruit to explore his options in the portal.

Former Four-Star Quarterback Expected To Enter Portal

On Sunday, Memphis true freshman quarterback Antwann “AJ” Hill announced his plans to leave the program after one season, per On3.

Hill appeared in two games in 2025, earning a redshirt. His most extensive action came in a 31-24 loss to UAB on October 18. Hill entered the contest after starting quarterback Brendon Lewis went down with an injury. In roughly two quarters of action, he completed 13/25 passes for 176 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.

On the season, Hill connected on 19/32 passes for 223 yards with 1 touchdown to 1 interception.

Hill is transferring after Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield was hired away by Arkansas. The Razorbacks don’t have a ton of depth at quarterback. Redshirt freshman KJ Jackson holds the most experience on the roster with five appearances and one start last season.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Arkansas is involved in Hill’s transfer recruitment.

Hill was one of the highest-ranked prospects in program history to sign with Memphis. He was regarded as the No. 15 QB and a top-200 recruit in the 2025 class. Hill chose the Tigers over Florida following official visits to both schools.

During his prep career at Houston County High School, Hill compiled over 11,000 passing yards and led his team to at least one playoff victory in all three seasons as a starter.

Overall, Hill completed 800-of-1239 passes for 11,020 yards with 123 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. He added six more scores on the ground.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback is expected to have four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Former Carolina wide receiver set for WWE main roster debut

Published

10 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Former South Carolina wide receiver Matrick Belton is reportedly going to get a real shot on the main roster in the WWE. Belton, who goes by Trick Williams in the top professional wrestling and sports entertainment company, joined WWE in 2021 in the NXT brand. Now, he’s going to move up to either the Raw or Smackdown roster.

NXT is basically the developmental arm of WWE while Raw and Smackdown – shows on Mondays and Fridays, respectively – are considered the main roster. According to this report from PWInsider.com, Belton will make an appearance on the upcoming Smackdown, which was pre-taped.

Whether Belton moves to Raw or Smackdown is to be determined. Here’s the reporting from PWInsider:

Former WWE NXT and TNA Champion Trick Williams will debut on Smackdown on 12/26 with the storyline being he’s a free agent looking to sign with the brand. We are told Williams has not been officially listed internally on a brand yet, so he could appear on Raw in the upcoming weeks as well, but he’ll be moving to the main roster in 2026.

Belton is a two-time NXT champion and also held the TNA World Championship for 140 days earlier this year. Belton, a former SEC football player who was in the Philadelphia Eagles’ minicamp in 2018, recently got engaged to another former SEC athlete – women’s basketball player Anriel Howard, who played for three years at Texas A&M and her final year at Mississippi State.

Belton, a Columbia native who played for Keenan High School, joined the program in 2014 after spending his first two years out of high school at Hampton University. After sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Belton played in every game for South Carolina in 2015 and made five starts. He caught 11 passes for 121 yards his first season on the field.

As a senior in 2016, he played primarily on special teams, appearing in nine games. He played in 21 games over the course of his two-year career with the Gamecocks and made five starts.

Belton also spent time in training camp with Philadelphia Eagles. However, he decided to take a chance on pro wrestling and started training at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy in New Jersey.

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