It’s getting hard for Clemson to ignore the downfall of Dabo Swinney.

Prior to the start of the 2025 season, Clemson was a trendy pick to make the national championship game. The program’s hopes of making a run in the College Football Playoff were destroyed once Swinney’s squad fell to 1-3 on Sept. 20. Although the Tigers finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, the reality is they underachieved this year.

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As if this season wasn’t brutal enough for Clemson fans, they had to watch their team get dismantled by Penn State in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

Clemson’s offense was neutralized by Penn State’s defense. On the flip side, the Nittany Lions received a sharp performance from quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer.

Before Penn State even put the finishing touches on its bowl victory over Clemson, people voiced their complaints about Swinney online. Most of them believe he should be fired this offseason.

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Dabo on the hot seat.

“Fire Dabo, fire the whole staff, cut the entire team. Losing to a piss poor Penn State team is unacceptable,” one fan said.

“Please fire Dabo..it’s time,” a second fan wrote. “I’m sorry but it’s time.”

“Fire Dabo NOW,” a third fan commented.

“Dabo Swinney has stated numerous times that he’s against NIL If he can’t adapt then Clemson needs to fire him,” another fan argued. “I think he’s a great football coach and would have success in the NFL, but the college game is a lot different now.”

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Swinney, a two-time national champion, has accomplished remarkable things at Clemson since taking over the program in 2009.

At the end of the day though, Swinney has struggled to adapt in the NIL era of college football.

Should Clemson fire Swinney this offseason?

This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Oregon redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Novosad plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday afternoon.

Novosad, a native of Dripping Springs, Texas, spent three seasons at Oregon and appeared in seven games. During that span, he completed 12 of 15 passes for 99 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Novosad waited his turn in Eugene throughout that time. He learned behind Bo Nix during his true freshman season in 2023 and Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Novosad remained with the program losing the spring quarterback competition to Dante Moore, and played very little during his third season with the program.

A member of the 2023 recruiting class, he was the No. 113 overall prospect and the No. 10 quarterback in the cycle, per the Rivals Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all of the primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 21 player from the state of Texas that year.

Novosad is set to have have two years of eligibility at the next school he attends. He used a redshirt during his true freshman season.

As a high schooler, he completed 563-of-873 passes (64.5%) for 8,983 yards and 114 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions during a three-year career at the varsity level. He had three games where he finished with seven touchdowns, as well as one six-touchdown game, and six separate games where he threw five touchdowns. Novosad was recruited by the likes of Ohio State, Texas A&M and Baylor, among others. A one-time Baylor commit, he flipped late to the Ducks before National Signing Day.

More on the NCAA Transfer Portal

Once the NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, players can officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and go on to initiate contact with their preferred schools. The portal will be open for 15 days and close on Jan. 16.

Notably, players who are on teams competing in the national championship game are allowed five extra days to make their portal decision. The College Football Playoff championship game will be played on Jan. 19, so the players on those teams will be allowed until Jan. 24 to enter the portal and choose their next school.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

James Madison completed a historic 2025 campaign, capturing the Sun Belt title and earning the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff berth before a first-round loss to Oregon.

Even with the postseason loss, the Dukes finished ranked inside the top 25 and reinforced their status as one of the fastest-rising programs in the FBS after transitioning from the FCS in 2022.

The team’s biggest contributor was junior running back Wayne Knight.

Across the season, he totaled 1,373 rushing yards on 207 carries (6.6 yards per carry) with nine rushing touchdowns and added 40 receptions for 397 receiving yards, producing 1,770 all-purpose yards.

Knight posted multiple 100-yard rushing games, set a school record with 234 all-purpose yards in the Sun Belt championship (including a 212-yard rushing effort), became a Paul Hornung Award finalist, earned first-team All–Sun Belt honors, and garnered All-American recognition from select outlets.

However, on Saturday, Knight announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Early reporting has already linked him to several Power Five programs, with Yahoo Sports explicitly naming No. 1-ranked Indiana as a logical fit.

Knight redshirted in 2023 before establishing himself as James Madison’s primary back in 2024, totaling 449 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns while adding 137 receiving yards and two receiving scores ahead of his breakout 2025 campaign.

Knight signed with James Madison in December 2021, choosing the Dukes over more than a dozen other scholarship offers, including Delaware, Navy, Brown, Howard, and Maine.

Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti is the central link in the Knight to Indiana storyline. 

Before taking the Indiana job in 2024, Cignetti led James Madison to an 8–3 record in 2022 and an 11–1 finish in 2023, reaching as high as No. 18 in the AP poll.

Knight played under Cignetti during both seasons and was originally recruited to JMU by him.

For Cignetti and Indiana, adding a high-production, battle-tested running back would bolster depth and special teams for a program now competing at the highest level.

Read More at College Football HQ

• $2.4 million QB emerges as transfer portal candidate for SEC program

• Major college football program ‘expected to hire’ 66-year-old head coach

• College Football Playoff team loses player to transfer portal

• College Football Playoff team loses starting QB to transfer portal

Late Friday night, Michigan made it official. Kyle Whittingham will take over as the next Wolverines head coach, and he released his first public statement.

News broke earlier Friday that Whittingham would replace Sherrone Moore as Michigan head coach. He previously announced his plans to step down as Utah head coach after a decorated run, becoming the winningest coach in program history. Michigan confirmed he is signing a five-year contract.

In Friday’s announcement, Whittingham and athletics director Warde Manuel released statements. Whittingham pointed to the tradition in Ann Arbor and high standard as he takes over the program.

“We are honored to lead the outstanding student-athletes, coaches, and staff who represent Michigan Football each day,” Whittingham said in a statement. “Michigan is synonymous with tradition and excellence – both on the field and beyond – and our entire program is committed to upholding those values while striving for greatness together.

“My family and I are thrilled to join the University of Michigan community, and we look forward to helping our players grow, develop, and reach their highest potential – on the gridiron, in the classroom, and as leaders. It’s a privilege to be part of something that inspires pride in every Wolverine fan. Go Blue!”

Whittingham replaced Urban Meyer as Utah head coach in 2005 and amassed a 177-88 overall record at the helm – the most wins in Utes history. He initially joined the program in 1994, starting out as defensive line coach ad becoming the Utes’ defensive coordinator in 1995. When Meyer left for Florida in 2005, Whittingham took over as head coach.

Although he announced he’d step down as Utah coach, Whittingham made it clear he wasn’t necessarily done coaching. Now, he’ll prepare to head to Ann Arbor and take over a Michigan team which underwent a major shakeup this month.

“Kyle Whittingham is a well-respected and highly successful head coach who is widely recognized as a leader of exceptional character and principled leadership,” Manuel said in a statement. “Throughout our search, he consistently demonstrated the qualities we value at Michigan: vision, resilience, and the ability to build and sustain championship-caliber teams.

“Kyle brings not only a proven track record of success, but also a commitment to creating a program rooted in toughness, physicality, discipline and respect – where student-athletes and coaches represent the university with distinction both on and off the field. We are excited to welcome Kyle to the University of Michigan family as he takes the helm of our football program.”

On Christmas Eve, On3’s Joe Tipton reported James Nnaji committed to Baylor after receiving four years of eligibility. Nnaji was the No. 31 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, though he never signed an NBA contract, and will play the second half of this season.

The reaction was swift, including a post on social media from UConn coach Dan Hurley. Saturday afternoon, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo weighed in on the situation.

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Izzo admitted he didn’t know all the details and reached out to “good friend” and Baylor head coach Scott Drew for more information. But he raised multiple questions about the impact of the Nnaji eligibility decision, even asking what would stop him from asking Miles Bridges – or other even Magic Johnson and Gary Harris – if they wanted to return to East Lansing.

“I asked Coen [Carr], would you be okay if I went and got Miles and brought him back? … You laugh, but that’s what we’re doing,” Izzo said. “Somebody’s sitting. Somebody’s not playing. I just don’t think that’s fair for the players. Some of them work their butt off to get to this position and maybe things didn’t go right. I’m a little surprised. I’ve got a call in to Scott. I’m anxious to see what he tells me. … But what I’m hearing and now, we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and everything. I said it to you a month and a half ago, ‘Come on, Magic and Gary. Let’s go, baby. Let’s do it.’ Why not?

“If that’s what we’re going to, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA because coaches are going to do what they’ve got to do, I guess. But the NCAA’s the one. Those people on those committees that are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think of the kid. Everybody talks about me thinking of my program or selfish. No. Get that straight, for all of you. I’m thinking of what is best for my son if he was in that position, and I just don’t agree with it.”

Of course, Izzo made it clear he was not planning to ask Bridges if he’d come back to school. He said his point was more about his concern with the situation.

“Sooner or later, it’s gonna get me,” Izzo said. “Not that I’m gonna be too stubborn not to ever do anything, but I’m not going and recruiting Miles. I love Miles. Would love to have him play. But what is wrong with that statement? ‘Go and replace Coen.’”

Tom Izzo: ‘I’m not going to fight city hall’

James Nnaji played professional basketball in Europe before going No. 31 in the 2023 NBA Draft when the Detroit Pistons selected him. While he did not sign a standard NBA contract, his draft rights were traded twice, most recently in the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. Nnaji also played in the NBA Summer League with the Knicks.

Amid the fallout from the NCAA’s decision, Nnaji’s name also came up in an ongoing eligibility lawsuit. Attorneys for Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and others cited it in a filing Friday. Pavia and other plaintiffs are challenging the NCAA’s junior college rules.

Tom Izzo also said he spoke with an unnamed coach who agreed with him. But Izzo also further called out the NCAA and president Charlie Baker about the state of the landscape.

“I was told by a very famous, good, great coach yesterday in a text that said, ‘I believe in everything you’re saying. Just don’t let it ruin your year. Why fight city hall?’ I’m not going to fight city hall – I’m just not going to stick up for it, either,” Izzo said.

“I’m not going to tell you that [as] a guy that worked for the NCAA for 20 years on every committee known to man. I’m not going to tell you that this president, to me, is doing anything but running from leadership and is making decisions that are against them. I’d like to poll 360 of the coaches and see how many are in favor of what’s going on.”