NIL

College football storylines, Week 1

Published

4 months ago

August 29, 2025

Being worthy of the “DB U” moniker was a major point of pride within the LSU football program for years.

From the mohawked Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu to Patrick Peterson and Jamal Adams, LSU produced standout defensive backs who flourished at both the college and NFL levels. There were other great programs like Alabama and Ohio State that produced more than their fair share of talented defensive backs, but LSU closely held on to that unofficial title.

And then the standard started to slip. LSU produced top-three pick Derek Stingley in 2022, but the defensive secondary hasn’t had that same swagger or prowess in recent years. The Tigers couldn’t crack the top 75 in pass defense in either 2023 or 2024. The defense suffered with it, not finishing in the top 50 in rushing defense, scoring defense or total defense.

That could finally change this season after LSU spent big money on a defensive secondary talent infusion this offseason. As part of the nation’s top-ranked transfer portal class, the Tigers added Virginia Tech cornerback Mansoor Delane, Houston safety A.J. Haulcy, North Carolina State safety Tamarcus Cooley and Florida cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson. Add in five-star cornerback D.J. Pickett, who could be a freshman starter, and you have five instant impact additions in the secondary.

“The entire defense besides the linebackers needed an overhaul,” one source familiar with LSU’s plan told CBS Sports.

Sources around LSU’s program believe the players they added will have a significant impact on improving a defense that was lackluster a season ago. “Night and day different,” said one LSU source. Delane, who started 29 games for the Hokies, looks like the breakout star and best cornerback after terrific spring and fall camps in Baton Rouge.

Said another LSU source about the new-look secondary: “Fast. Experienced with a good mix of youth. Has the ability to get in peoples face and play bump and run but also the instincts and feel to play zone as well.”

That optimism will be put to the test in Week 1 against No. 4 Clemson and star quarterback Cade Klubnik. The Clemson quarterback made major strides over the course of the 2024 season and has the ability to beat you in so many ways. And with a talented receiving group that includes Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr., LSU’s new defense will have its hands full.

Adding to the intrigue is the late breaking news of Haulcy, the projected starter at safety, being forced to miss the first half because of an ejection he received in his final game with Houston last season. Haulcy was listed with an unsportsmanlike penalty ejection for his involvement in in a fight against BYU, but an NCAA official told CBS Sports Thursday that the penalty was later changed to a fighting penalty and that comes with an automatic half-game penalty. LSU was caught off-guard this week by the news, though the NCAA said that Houston was notified of the penalty change back in December.

LSU starting safety A.J. Haulcy to miss first half of Clemson game for ejection dating back to 2024

John Talty

It’s a significant loss for a group that was peaking at the right time, according to program sources, but still should be markedly improved from last season’s struggles. There is a lot of pressure on fourth-year LSU coach Brian Kelly, who still has not won a season-opening game as the Tigers’ coach, much to the fanbase’s frustration.

If LSU can get past Clemson Saturday night at Memorial Stadium on its way to a College Football Playoff berth, the resurgence of DBU in Baton Rouge could be the biggest reason why.

Other notable Week 1 storylines

Manning vs. Sayin in monumental top-three showdown

There’s already been so much written about No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State that I’ll keep it simple: I just can’t wait to watch it. Arch Manning, Colin Simmons and Steve Sarkisian on one side. Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Day on the other. We are all lucky that we are getting such a terrific game right out the gate of the 2025 season. I picked Texas to win the game, the national championship and for Arch Manning to win the Heisman Trophy, so I’m obviously very bullish on the Longhorns. But I have to admit a soft spot for new OSU starting QB Sayin, who Armen Keteyian and I profiled extensively in our book “The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos.” (You better believe there will be shameless plugs in this column all season.) Sayin has a terrific arm and that cool California demeanor that doesn’t have him rattled at all headed into a heavyweight match against Texas. Manning versus Sayin is going to be a heckuva lot of fun to watch.

Revitalized Carson Beck makes Miami debut

Expect Carson Beck to look much better in his debut for No. 10 Miami against No. 6 Notre Dame than you remember seeing him as a Georgia Bulldog. Beck has had a terrific offseason for the Hurricanes and seems to be the epitome of someone who needed a new environment to flourish. It got ugly at times for Beck at Georgia last season — his lackluster receiving options didn’t help — and there were eyebrows raised across the sport after Miami went so aggressively after Beck in the portal, making him one of the highest-paid players in the country. Beck has been a model citizen down in Coral Gables and has the Hurricanes staff expecting huge things this year. Multiple sources around the program lavished considerable praise on where Beck stands headed into the season opener including one predicting to CBS Sports the Miami QB will be a Heisman finalist this season. Maybe I’m just buying the hype, but I expect Beck to look good in this one and Miami to not only cover as the 2.5-point underdog, per Draftkings Sportsbook, but win outright.

Tennessee, UCLA QB swap on full display

Who fares better in the (unofficial) quarterback trade between UCLA and Tennessee will be a storyline all season long. We’ll see the debut of Nico Iamaleava in a Bruins uniform late Saturday night against my pick to win the Big 12, Utah. Iamaleava garnered strong reviews from UCLA’s staff in fall camp with one Bruins source telling my colleague Matt Zenitz: “He’s been special.” Iamaleava should certainly raise the bar on offense, but I still like the Utes to win Week 1. The No. 24 Volunteers get a Syracuse squad that went 10-3 in Fran Brown‘s debut year guiding the Orange. Joey Aguilar, who played at Appalachian State last season before taking a big payday to go to UCLA, doesn’t have the pedigree or reputation as his predecessor, but sources around Tennessee have been very impressed with how he’s handled unexpectedly joining the program and being the guy. In what has been a wild offseason for all the wrong reasons for Josh Heupel and his Tennessee program, a win over Syracuse would be a nice tonic.

Must-win game for Hugh Freeze, Auburn on Friday

In the non-top 25 department, the game I’ll be following most closely is Auburn at Baylor in Waco on Friday night. Hugh Freeze badly, badly needs a win against the Bears. Coming off a disastrous 5-7 season a year ago, Auburn heavily invested in upgrading its roster through the transfer portal with high-profile (and expensive) additions like quarterback Jackson Arnold and receiver Eric Singleton. Multiple personnel sources around the SEC think very highly of Auburn’s roster and believe it should be much improved this season. But that has to start Friday against a Baylor team that could surprise people this season. Sawyer Robertson is very good, Dave Aranda is back running the defense and the Bears upgraded the roster this offseason. A loss in Waco cranks the pressure up on Freeze.

Will we see an unassuming national champion emerge?

Could this be the year a team outside the top six wins it all? The great Dennis Dodd, our friend and former colleague, had a great statistic in his version of this column a year ago. Since the College Football Playoff started in 2014, no team ranked outside the top six in the preseason top 25 has ever won it all. That means only one of these teams can win this year: Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia and Notre Dame. That excludes trendy title picks like Alabama and LSU, which both have better title odds than the Fighting Irish. In Dodd I trust, but this year does feel particularly wide open, in part because the talent is better dispersed and perhaps more susceptible to that streak ending.

Salty Talty

Each week this space will be my airing of grievances, my opportunity to let the audience know what has been really grinding my gears. Hopefully it’ll be mostly college football-related, but it’s a good bet travel, family and other day-to-day life annoyances will find a way in.

This week, I’m salty about this new trend of trying to drop the rivalry names we all use and love. In case you missed it, “College GameDay” host Rece Davis said he was told not to use the term “Farmageddon” to describe last week’s rivalry game between Iowa State and Kansas State. The directive allegedly came from the schools and the Big 12.

This is preposterous! Farmageddon is an awesome name for a rivalry game. I excitedly texted multiple friends last Saturday about the Iowa State-Kansas State game almost exclusively as an excuse to write Farmageddon.

College football should be embracing its lovable weirdness, not running away from it. I want to watch games known as Holy War, the Iron Bowl and Bedlam. We’ve already seen the erasing of terrific game names like the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (Georgia-Florida) and the attempt to rebrand the Red River Shootout as the Red River Showdown.

We’ve lost enough rivalry games and traditions over the years because of realignment and wanton greed. We can’t lose Farmageddon, too.

NIL

Michigan NIL collective Champions Circle hits ground running after Kyle Whittingham hire

Published

14 minutes ago

December 29, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The coaching search is over, but the work is just beginning. Michigan Wolverines football has a new leader in Kyle Whittingham, the 22nd head coach in program history, and he’s already hard at work in Orlando as the Maize and Blue prepare for the Dec. 31 Citrus Bowl against Texas.

Michigan’s official NIL collective, Champions Circle, has launched its ‘Membership 2.0,’ an opportunity for fans to receive “new benefits, new opportunities to engage with players and coaches and new ways to support those who wear the Maize and Blue.”

“As Coach Whittingham takes the helm to lead the next chapter in Michigan football history, one thing is clear: success in today’s college football landscape requires support from each and every fan,” the collective shared in a press release.

By becoming a Champions Circle member, Michigan fans are “directly supporting NIL opportunities that help:

• Empower our new coach to establish the next great era of Michigan Football
• Build championship-level depth at every position
• Prevent rivals from poaching our top talent

The First 100 New Yearly Victors & Valiant Members will receive a football signed by Whittingham and freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood AND an invitation to a first-of-its-kind “Meet Coach Whittingham” webinar in 2026.

Here are details on membership tiers for Champions Circle:

The 66-year-old Whittingham is already in Orlando connecting with Michigan staff, players and their families. The Wolverines have one game remaining but are also focused on next season.

Whittingham was introduced to Michigan fans on social media Saturday evening and will hold his introductory press conference Sunday morning at 11 o’clock from the team hotel.

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NIL

Super-sized conferences are breaking college football

Published

1 hour ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

BEST 9.6 vs Bethune-Cookman University-12 — Makena Wong, Photo Editor, The University of Miami football team takes the field for its game against Bethune-Cookman University on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.

The dawn of NIL has forced a realignment of college conferences, putting pressure on the structure of conference championships. When you look at the Power Four football conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, and SEC), each have expanded somewhere between 16 and 18 members.

The past two seasons have demonstrated that the current conference championship format is not equipped to corral the super-sized power conferences. Deciding the top teams in the country is left to too many qualitative metrics (strength of schedule, head to head, and common opponents).

Something needs to change.

Texas A&M’s path to CFP

Looking at the SEC, Texas A&M had a historic 11-1 regular season, good for one of the best records in the nation. However it featured in-conference wins against seven out of the nine worst teams in the SEC; and every team they beat had a conference win percentage of .500 or worse.

The Aggies season would end in disappointing fashion as they lost twice in a row, against in-state rival the Texas Longhorns 27-17 and in the first round of the College Football Playoff against the Miami Hurricanes 10-3.

A&M arguably only faced three impressive teams all season (Miami, Notre Dame, Texas), and its only win of the three came in the form of a controversial one-point victory over ND in Week 2.

TAMU is one of multiple glaring examples of how massive conferences allow teams to waltz unscathed through their conferences thanks to scheduling issues.

UM Junior Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. breaks through the Texas A&M defense on Dec. 20. // Jake Sperling.

Is a return to Divisions the solution?

It would seem creating divisions within the conferences should be closely considered. This would stoke more fierce rivalries among inter-division opponents, ensuring more even matchups and a clearer cut conference championship.

Looking to the past, all of the Power Four conferences had divisions but were eliminated across the last decade — a division format made less sense with smaller membership.

In 2024, the Big 12 (with 16 members) had a four-way tie at the top of the conference between Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU, and Colorado, who all finished with a 7-2 record. By the end Arizona State and Iowa State faced off due to tiebreakers, but many thought that BYU was more deserving than Iowa State.

This season in the ACC (with 17 members), Virginia guaranteed their spot after a 7-1 conference record, but there was a 5-way tie for second place between Duke, Miami, Georgia Tech, SMU, and Pitt. As Miami fans well know, the unranked 7-5 Duke Blue Devils were awarded the second spot over a 10-2 Miami team ranked No. 12 in the country at the time.

Applying the Divisions to the ACC

When looking at the ACC, the conference has 17 members, which forces teams to play more or less games than one another. All of this would be solved if another team joined the conference.

But let’s concentrate on how the current structure of the ACC would address this issue. There would be three main things taken into consideration: rivalries, location, and talent. It might look something like this:

ACC North: Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Louisville, VT, Virginia, Clemson and Georgia Tech

ACC South: Miami, FSU, SMU, Cal, Stanford, Duke, UNC, NC State and Wake Forest

For the divisions, it would be fair to re-evaluate every five years whether the two divisions are evenly split. Currently the competition would be tight; each division would be well balanced.

The proposed system would also allow scheduling and travel to be much simpler; every division team plays one another, the north would have 7 conference games while the south would have 8. At the end of the season, the two representatives from each division would face-off for the championship.

As some guidelines here are the five hypothetical tiebreaker rules:

1 – Conference Record

Conference records always take importance over every guideline but would have more weight as every team faces each other.

2 – Head to Head

Due to everyone facing off this should solve for tiebreakers except for three (or more) way ties.

3 – Overall Record

In the case of Miami – Duke the tiebreaker was Win Percentage of Conference opponents. In the context of a 7-5 record, the overall record should have more weight.

4 – National Ranking (AP poll / CFP)

Ideally the conference championship should be settled by this point but if it goes this far National Ranking should be considered in ensuring that the best teams compete for the conference championship.

Will realignment fix everything?

Fans want more entertaining matches and teams want ease of scheduling and travel.

The answer is simple — either return to smaller conferences or implement divisions to make conferences matter.

In the end, no matter the solution, it won’t be perfect. Sports fanatics will always say that there will be a better format, but the least we can do is learn from past mistakes.

Photo Credit: @CanesFootball via X // Miami Hurricanes true freshman receiver Malachi Toney breaks a tackle against Pitt on Nov. 29, 2025.

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College football team loses three All-Americans to transfer portal

Published

2 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

North Texas capped a program-best 12–2 season with a New Mexico Bowl win, but quickly faced major roster turnover as quarterback Drew Mestemaker, running back Caleb Hawkins, and wide receiver Wyatt Young all entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Mestemaker broke out as a redshirt freshman in 2025, leading the FBS with 4,379 passing yards and 34 touchdowns following Saturday’s 49–47 victory over San Diego State.

He began his North Texas career as a walk-on and earned conference offensive honors and national attention before deciding to test the portal.

Hawkins, the Mean Green’s freshman back, finished 2025 as one of the nation’s most productive rushers, totaling 1,434 rushing yards and leading the FBS with 25 rushing touchdowns, highlighted by a 198-yard, three-touchdown bowl performance to cap the year.

Young, meanwhile, paced UNT’s receiving corps with 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns (ranking among the top three nationally) and earned first-team All-American and All-Conference honors.

Losing the nation’s top passer, the FBS’s most productive freshman runner, and a top-three WR in one offseason represents an immediate top-to-bottom offensive reset for North Texas.

North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker. — North Texas Mean Green quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) scrambles out of the pocket against the Tulane Green Wave | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

For the transfer market, all three are premium, high-demand assets — Mestemaker as a starting QB target for Power-Five teams, Hawkins as a feature back with breakout tape, and Young as a proven perimeter threat.

Mestemaker has already been linked to Oklahoma State (connection via coach Eric Morris), Indiana, Texas Tech, and Oregon, while Hawkins and Young are expected to draw attention from both Group-of-Five and Power-Five programs.

Hawkins, a three-star recruit from North Rock Creek High School (Shawnee, Oklahoma) in the 2025 class, also held offers from Emporia State and Central Oklahoma before committing to North Texas in September 2024.

Young, a three-star prospect from Katy Tompkins High School (Katy, Texas) in the 2024 class, signed with the Mean Green over offers from Rice, Arizona, Memphis, Air Force, and others.

Three top underclass producers hitting the transfer portal at once underscores how quickly the transfer era can reshape a program, leaving Group of Five teams that develop stars grappling with retention issues and the financial pressures of NIL.

NIL

College football team loses starting QB to NCAA transfer portal

Published

3 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

In its first year under head coach Scott Abell, Rice finished the 2025 season 5–7 overall (2–6 in the American Conference) but still earned an Armed Forces Bowl invite, where it will face Texas State (6–6) on January 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Across 12 games in 2025, Jenkins completed 119 of 172 passes (69.2%) for 1,025 yards with nine touchdowns against two interceptions, while also carrying the ball 151 times for 531 yards and five scores.

That momentum may be short-lived, however, as Rivals’ Hayes Fawcett reported on Saturday that Jenkins plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, adding another domino to an already loaded quarterback transfer market.

A Houston, Texas product who signed with Rice in February 2023, Jenkins worked his way into the program as a multi-role quarterback/athlete, appearing in limited action early in his career before being named the 2025 starter.

In his first full year as the starting quarterback, Jenkins earned American Conference All-Academic recognition.

Prior to signing with Rice, he starred at Alief Taylor (Houston), where he threw for 4,735 yards and 46 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 22 varsity games and earned All-District 23-6A honors as a junior.

Jenkins was 247Sports’ No. 93 quarterback in the 2023 class, committing to Rice over offers from Alcorn State, East Texas A&M, Jackson State, and Lamar.

Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins. — Rice Owls quarterback Chase Jenkins (4) throws the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at Rice Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

With a 69.1% career completion rate and proven mobility, Jenkins profiles as a strong fit for spread-option or run-oriented Group-of-Five offenses that prioritize efficiency and quarterback movement.

He could appeal to programs seeking an experienced starter while also offering value as depth at the Power-Five level, with his Texas roots strengthening his regional appeal.

Some notable programs that have reportedly shown interest in adding a quarterback through the transfer portal include Florida State, Clemson, North Texas, TCU, Virginia Tech, and Cincinnati.

NIL

$2.4 million QB connected to major college football program in transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Cincinnati closed the 2025 season at 7–5 (5–4 Big 12) and will face Navy in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, marking the Bearcats’ first bowl appearance since joining the Big 12 and since head coach Scott Satterfield took over in 2023.

Cincinnati rattled off seven straight wins midseason but dropped its final four games to close the regular slate before receiving the bowl invitation.

Quarterback Brendan Sorsby started 12 games for Cincinnati in 2025 and finished with 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing TDs, and five interceptions (61.6% completion, 155.15 passer rating), adding 100 carries for 580 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.

A Denton/Lake Dallas (Texas) product, Sorsby was a three-star recruit who signed with Indiana (redshirted 2022, started in 2023) before transferring to Cincinnati in 2024.

However, Sorsby notified Cincinnati and publicly confirmed on December 15 that he will test the transfer portal while awaiting an NFL draft grade.

Since then, multiple programs have reportedly shown interest, with some NIL offers rumored to approach $5 million, a figure that would rank among the highest in college football.

On3’s NIL tracker currently values Sorsby at approximately $2.4 million, placing him among the higher-valued quarterbacks in the college game.

On Friday, Fox Sports’ Laken Litman included Oregon among the programs expected to pursue a quarterback through the transfer portal and identified Sorsby as a “top quarterback from the portal,” along with Texas Tech, Indiana, and Oklahoma.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore. — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up before the game against the James Madison Dukes | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Oregon’s starter, Dante Moore, is widely regarded as a likely high NFL Draft selection and has not publicly committed to returning, stating that he has yet to make a final decision.

With a young and largely unproven group of quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart, speculation has been that Dan Lanning and his staff could pursue a transfer portal quarterback should Moore declare.

If Moore declares for the draft, Oregon would likely seek an experienced, pro-ready signal-caller capable of operating a tempo-based offense while sustaining recruiting and NIL momentum.

Sorsby’s size (6’3″, 235 pounds), proven starter experience, marketplace value, and dual-threat rushing ability, a trait Oregon has used successfully, would make him an immediate candidate.

NIL

Damon Wilson seeks denial for arbitration in NIL dispute with Georgia

Published

5 hours ago

December 28, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 28, 2025, 1:33 p.m. ET

Former Georgia football defensive end Damon Wilson is asking an Athens-Clarke County Superior Court judge to deny Georgia athletics’ attempt to go to arbitration on what it contends is Wilson breaking an NIL contract when he entered the transfer portal.

Georgia sued Wilson, seeking $390,000 in liquidated damages after he agreed to an NIL deal with Classic City Collective and transferred weeks later. He played this season at Missouri where he was second-team All-SEC.

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