The highest-valued player in college sports officially announced his plans to delay a professional career and return to school for the 2026 season. This decision secures the most vital position on the field for the Texas Longhorns as they prepare for the Citrus Bowl and look toward a future conference title run.

Holding a massive $5.3 million valuation and the top spot in the On3 NIL 100, the redshirt sophomore faced intense speculation regarding the NFL Draft. Many analysts projected him as a potential early selection despite a season that began with mixed results. However, the signal-caller opted to prioritize further development at the collegiate level over immediate professional opportunities.

His return ensures continuity for an offense that found its rhythm late in the year. By bypassing the draft, the program retains a leader who guided the team to nine wins and a victory over a bitter in-state rival to close the regular season. The choice reflects a desire to complete unfinished business before making the leap to the next level.

Texas Longhorns QB discusses development and future in Austin

Arch Manning addressed the media ahead of the postseason matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, clarifying why he chose to stay in Austin. The decision comes after a season where he completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 2,942 yards. Manning emphasized that his growth on the field was the primary factor in postponing his NFL entry.

“I felt like I developed a lot this year, especially towards the back half, and I want to keep it going… There’s no reason to leave,” Manning said. “I feel like I got a lot more football left to play, and I’m excited to still be a part of this team.”

The quarterback’s performance improved significantly following early setbacks against the Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators. He finished the regular season with 24 passing touchdowns and added eight scores on the ground. His dual-threat ability was on display during the regular-season finale, where he accounted for two touchdowns to help defeat the then-undefeated Texas A&M Aggies.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian supported the move. He noted the mental and physical maturity Manning demonstrated during his first full year as the starter. The return of the team captain fortifies a roster that will face a nine-game SEC schedule in 2026, including a highly anticipated rematch with Ohio State in September.

Manning and his teammates are currently focused on their upcoming opponent in Orlando. A victory would secure a 10-win season and generate significant momentum heading into the offseason. The Longhorns will face the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 31 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read more on College Football HQ

College football bowl season isn’t what it was a decade ago. In the modern age of the sport, most of the significance and attention sits on the 12-team College Football Playoff.

That hasn’t stopped the postseason from delivering plenty of exciting moments and some very competitive games. Look no further than Saturday’s slate. Five of the eight matchups came down to a single possession.

One of the comebacks of the year fell just short in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl. North Texas prevailed over San Diego State, 49-47, but not without plenty of drama. Trailing 49-20 entering the fourth quarter, the Aztecs went on a 27-7 run, including a punt return for a touchdown.

San Diego State’s final score came with just one second remaining, allowing North Texas to run out the clock on the ensuing onside kick. The result moved the Mean Green to 12-2, the best record in program history, and more wins than in their last two years combined.

Coming out of the game, North Texas is having a hard time celebrating after taking a few transfer portal hits. The school previously lost its head coach, Eric Morris, to Oklahoma State.

Breakout Running Back Moving On To Transfer Portal

On Saturday evening, redshirt freshman running back Ashton Gray announced his decision to transfer after two seasons at North Texas, per On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

Gray came out of nowhere to play a big role in the New Mexico Bowl. He saw increased playing time with Makenzie McGill and Kiefer Sibley unavailable. Gray finished the game with a career-high 16 carries for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns, while adding one reception for nine yards.

The Arkansas native scored twice in the first half, including a 51-yard scamper early in the second quarter that put North Texas up 28-13. His first touchdown gave the Mean Green a 14-7 advantage that they would never relinquish despite San Diego State’s late rally.

Gray entered the game with 42 carries for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. That just goes to show how impressive his final outing of the fall truly was.

Including the bowl game, Gray totaled 40 carries for 283 yards and 4 touchdowns in his last four appearances.

Gray signed with North Texas as a three-star prospect in the 2024 class. He redshirted during his first season with the program. Gray was recruited by former head coach Eric Morris and could potentially fit in at Oklahoma State.

The 6-foot-0, 208-pound running back will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Gray was the Little Rock Touchdown Club State Player of the Year and an all-state selection during his senior season at Marion High School in 2023.

North Texas has multiple starters expected to enter the portal, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins.

Read more on College Football HQ

• College Football Playoff team loses key starter to NCAA transfer portal

• College Football Playoff team loses former starter to transfer portal

• College Football Playoff team has taken 3 major hits in trenches via transfer portal

• College football team set to be without nearly 20 players for upcoming bowl game

Tennessee finished the 2025 season 8–4 (4–4 SEC) under fifth-year head coach Josh Heupel, a sharp drop-off from its 10–3 finish and College Football Playoff appearance in 2024.

Starting quarterback Joey Aguilar threw for 3,444 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while backup Jake Merklinger has publicly indicated he plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens.

With Aguilar’s future at Tennessee up in the air, Merklinger’s departure would remove an experienced depth option and leave the Volunteers primed to add a quarterback from the transfer portal for 2026.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported Saturday that UNLV quarterback Anthony Colandrea is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal, with Tennessee already emerging as one of the programs being linked to him.

Colandrea enjoyed a breakout 2025 at UNLV, being named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 3,459 yards with 23 passing TDs and nine interceptions, adding 649 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.

He started for UNLV during its run to the Mountain West title game and a postseason bowl appearance, finishing 19 of 30 for 184 yards and one interception with 28 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the Rebels’ 17–10 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl loss to Ohio.

A Lakewood (St. Petersburg, Fla.) product and consensus three-star recruit, Colandrea began his career at Virginia before transferring to UNLV ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Ranked as 247Sports’ No. 72 quarterback in the 2023 class, he drew nearly two dozen offers, including Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Hawaii, South Florida, Troy, and Georgia State.

Throughout his collegiate career, Colandrea has amassed 7,542 passing yards and 1,151 rushing yards, totaling 61 touchdowns and a career completion rate of 63.8%.

As a dual-threat, experienced starter with a proven track record of high-volume production, he fits Tennessee’s pass-heavy offense and addresses a clear need for depth and competition at quarterback amid roster turnover.

Read More at College Football HQ

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

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• College Football Playoff team loses player to transfer portal

• College Football Playoff team loses starting QB to transfer portal

LARAMIE — When it comes to the controversial subject of Name, Image and Likeness in college sports, Tom Burman will be the first to tell you Wyoming has been playing catch up.

That doesn’t mean a solution isn’t on the horizon.

“We need to grow it quickly,” the school’s longtime athletics director admitted on Saturday night.

A report by the Cowboy State Daily earlier in the day stated the department is only allocating $1.4 million annually in NIL funds, $800,000 less per year than regional programs Montana and Montana State, which compete in the FCS.

While the latter dollar amount could not be substantiated, Burman said the initial figure for UW is now at $1.5 million, adding that number only illustrates the revenue sharing monies between the school’s two largest income generating programs, football and men’s basketball. An additional $200,000 is being divvied up between women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling, he added.

“This does not include any third-party NIL dollars or Learfield NIL partnerships, which are likely another $500,000 total,” he continued. “This also does not include Alston Scholarship dollars, which is $1.1 million, and are included as revenue sharing as part of the House Settlement analysis.”

There are other future plans in place to bring in additional revenue, Burman said. including jersey patches, field and court logos and venue naming opportunities.

UNLV, one of the Cowboys’ current Mountain West foes, recently announced a 5-year, $11 million deal to promote a local Las Vegas company on its uniforms in football, men’s and women’s basketball and baseball. That is expected to be approved in August.

Burman said this will happen at UW, but added, “We’re not going to give it away.”

The same can be said for a permanent field sponsor inside War Memorial Stadium.

Ramos Law, a firm based out of Colorado, purchased that space for the Cowboys’ home finale last month against Nevada — the “Josh Allen game” — for a reported $90,000-plus. The company logo was placed at both 25 yards lines.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Burman, UW Athletics Seeking Additional Revenue Streams

* Recruiting, Portal Misses Have Lasting Impact in Laramie

* Injured Wyoming Running Back Says He’s Entering Portal

* Wyoming Inks 20 Freshmen in 2026 Recruiting Class

* Wyoming in the Market for New Offensive Coordinator

* PODCAST: Offseason ‘Rework’ Underway in Laramie

* Running Back Terron Kellman Again Looking for New Home

* Wyoming’s Leading Receiver Entering NCAA Transfer Portal

There are other potential avenues that could help Wyoming gain ground on the competition.

“If we get support from the state — and not a budget cut, also — and continued investment from the private sector, coupled with support from campus, we will be in a good place in short order,” Burman said.

The department earlier this month asked the joint appropriations committee of the Wyoming Legislature for an additional $3 million on top of the annual $11.2 it receives annually through the school’s block grant. The state will also match up to $5 million a year in private donations.

The grand total is just over $19 million.

Though the $3 million, annually, wouldn’t go directly to NIL and revenue sharing, Burman said, it will help UW to handle other escalating costs that have occurred due to inflation and additional costs related to the NCAA House settlement and Mountain West membership changes.

The university is now on the hook for reimbursements to former student-athletes. That number totals $2.8 billion in damages. Over the next 10 years, Burman added, Wyoming will lose funding to the tune of $550,000, annually.

The current media rights deal with the conference, which currently brings in $3.7 million a year, is also likely to take a hit.

San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State, Boise State and the Cowboys’ Border War rival, Colorado State, are departing in July for the new-look Pac-12. The league is adding UTEP and Northern Illinois, the latter in football only. UC Davis and Grand Canyon have joined on the basketball side. Hawaii is also now a full member.

The department, though, could soon see an influx of cash once the legal battle between the Mountain West and Pac-12 is finalized. Poaching fees and exit fees are at the heart of the litigation. The next hearing in that case is set for Sept. 9.

Donations to the Cowboy Joe Club, the department’s lead fundraising arm, will also open up additional opportunities to retain and lure future student-athletes, Burman added.

“We are starting to see people donate,” he said. “That frees up money for revenue sharing through ticket sales, media rights, corporate dollars, television, etc.

“We are just getting started.”

– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

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.