The modern landscape of college football often focuses on Name, Image and Likeness valuations or immediate playing time when top prospects enter the transfer portal. Yet for the nation’s highest-ranked available quarterback, the recruitment process has taken a clinical turn, prioritizing long-term health over immediate impact. Programs chasing the most coveted arm on the market are pausing to ensure his physical durability matches his statistical production.

Recruiting visits typically revolve around photo shoots, steak dinners and campus tours designed to woo elite talent. In this specific high-stakes recruitment, however, the itinerary includes mandatory stops with team physicians and athletic trainers.

Coaching staffs are exercising caution as they attempt to secure a commitment from a player who could redefine their offense if he can stay on the field.

A new report indicates that every university hosting this prospect is conducting thorough physicals to gauge a recovery timeline. The concern centers on availability for spring practice, a crucial period for any transfer trying to learn a new playbook and build chemistry with receivers. While the talent is undeniable, the medical reality has added a layer of complexity to a frenzied race for his signature.

Medical clearance becomes primary hurdle for Sam Leavitt

Sam Leavitt, the former Arizona State standout and the top-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal according to On3, is undergoing medical evaluations at each of his campus visits. The scrutiny stems from a foot injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely.

During an appearance on the Crain & Company Podcast, Pete Nakos of On3 emphasized the uncertainty surrounding the timeline, stating that “every school that’s bringing him in on a visit is doing a medical evaluation to understand what his timeline looks like for recovery.”

The timeline for Leavitt remains murky following surgery for a Lisfranc ligament tear he suffered in October. While schools are eager to sign the talented passer, Nakos added that “it is unclear if he’d be available for spring football” after missing the back half of the season. It is currently unclear if Leavitt will be ready to take snaps when spring camps open across the country.

This medical uncertainty hovered over his recent trip to Baton Rouge. Leavitt visited LSU earlier this week and was spotted at a basketball game with head coach Lane Kiffin.

Despite the hospitality, the Tigers’ medical staff likely spent significant time assessing his surgically repaired right foot. The evaluation process is standard protocol, but carries greater weight given the severity of Lisfranc injuries.

The rigorous testing continues as Leavitt heads to Knoxville. Tennessee is the latest program to host the quarterback, hoping to add his experience to its roster. The Volunteers are in the market for a proven starter, but, like LSU, they must weigh his rehabilitation schedule against their need for immediate competition at quarterback. Kentucky also shared a visit with Leavitt.

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After a hectic 48 hours, quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is staying put at Washington.

Williams announced Tuesday that he intended to enter the transfer portal, but reversed course Thursday night, revealing on social media that he will remain with the Huskies.

“After thoughtful reflection with my family, I am excited to announce that I will continue my football journey at the University of Washington,” Williams wrote. “I am fully committed and focused on contributing to what we are building.”

The standout quarterback became the latest face of the debate surrounding name, image and likeness (NIL) and its enforcement when he announced that he was entering the transfer portal. Williams’ announcement came just four days after he signed an NIL deal to remain at Washington that was reportedly worth $4 million for one season. 

It was reported shortly after that Washington planned to pursue legal action against Williams for breach of contract. Williams’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, dropped him as a client on Thursday. 

“I have made the decision to end my representation of Demond Williams Jr. effective immediately due to philosophical differences,” Hendrickson wrote in a social media post. “Demond is an incredible talent and we wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”

Hendrickson is also the agent for Washington head coach Jedd Fisch. 

Williams just completed his sophomore season at Washington, which was his first as the Huskies’ full-time starter. He helped Washington go 9-4, completing 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also proved to be one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, rushing for 611 yards and six touchdowns. 

Demond Williams Jr. finds Denzel Boston for a 23-yard TD

Following a strong first season as a starter, Williams has been viewed as a potential Heisman candidate for the 2026 season. FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt placed Williams fifth in his initial Heisman rankings for next season. 

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If you’re a sports fan, you may be unaware of a very important fact: the College Football Playoff semifinals start tonight.

There are several reasons for why the actual CFP has fallen off the radar for sports fans. Week 18 of the NFL season and the first week of the NFL playoffs always present huge storylines, let alone the coaching carousel that is already underway. Then there’s the fact that the College Football Playoff had the spotlight to itself around the New Year’s Day holiday, which has historically been dedicated to the sport. Even the NBA has snuck into the headlines with the first blockbuster trade of the season, with Trae Young being dealt from the Hawks to the Wizards.

Miami and Ole Miss square off on Thursday night at the Fiesta Bowl while Indiana will play Oregon in an all-Big Ten affair at the Peach Bowl. But unless you’ve been following each program closely, you likely haven’t heard too much in the way of actual previews or analysis about the games.

Perhaps the biggest reason as to why the College Football Playoff semifinals have gone missing from our collective consciousness? Transfer portal and NIL drama are sucking up all the oxygen in and around college football.

Much of the consternation in college football over the current calendar is related to the timing of the transfer portal opening in early January. It’s why Lane Kiffin felt the need to controversially bail on Ole Miss and move to LSU with his team still very much alive in the national championship hunt. It’s why players on playoff teams are entering the portal before their season is done. And it’s why so many headlines and social media chatter is being dedicated to what will happen next season before this season is done.

The top ranked Indiana Hoosiers are a perfect example. Perhaps after their Rose Bowl thumping of Alabama, everyone has assumed that their job is done even though they have two more games to win before they can claim a national championship. But the focus right now is at least being shared between what Indiana is doing in the transfer portal for next season and Mark Cuban stepping up to fund NIL efforts and finishing the job for this season.

“Indiana is cleaning up in the transfer portal right now, even while they’re preparing for a National Semifinal.”

More from @joelklatt on how Curt Cignetti is reloading with @IndianaFootball. pic.twitter.com/CjFz9PnSaG

— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) January 6, 2026

NEW: Billionaire Indiana alumnus Mark Cuban is donating to the Hoosiers 2026 transfer portal class, @FOS reports💰

“Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”https://t.co/mXEX3QniMt pic.twitter.com/u5QgP3DQkC

— On3 (@On3sports) January 7, 2026

Of course, that’s nothing compared to the drama at Ole Miss, where the transfer portal isn’t just about Rebels players but coaches. The shadowy figure of Lane Kiffin is still looming large over the Ole Miss playoff run. And as Jimbo Fisher pointed out in a scathing condemnation of Kiffin’s behavior, the drama around which assistants will and won’t coach Ole Miss in the semifinals is likely because Kiffin thought his former team would lose to Georgia and be done with their season. On top of that, the future of star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was a huge question mark before he finally “agreed a new deal” with Ole Miss if he is granted eligibility to play next season.

Look around college football and so many headlines and social media conversations are geared towards what is happening in the transfer portal and not whether Oregon can avenge their loss to Indiana or whether Miami can physically dominate Ole Miss the way they did Ohio State.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams has caused a firestorm for breaking an agreement with his current school to potentially take more money from elsewhere.

Ohio State has lost several former four and five star recruits to the portal after their surprising quarterfinal exit to the Hurricanes.

Texas Tech landed top portal quarterback Brendan Sorsby with a $5 million offer.

New Penn State coach Matt Campbell has taken a huge chunk of his former Iowa State team with him to Happy Valley.

All of this transfer portal news is a boom for recruiting sites and others that make player movement part of the core of their coverage. But mainstream outlets are also forced to balance out their CFP output with daily updates, portal trackers, and headlines.

With the transfer portal only open from January 2-16, the college football world has no choice but to try to spin all the plates at once and keep track of all the news. Not only is it insane for the schools and programs to try to balance, especially those still competing for a title, but it’s insane for the health of the overall sport and keeping the focus where it should be.

The transfer portal will open and shut entirely within the College Football Playoff. Could you imagine a universe where NFL free agency kicks off the day after the Divisional Round and shuts down a few days before the Super Bowl? Could you imagine the NBA holding its draft during the middle of the NBA Finals? It would be ludicrous decision making that no sane person would ever sign off on — not just because it’s a nonsensical way to run a sport, but because it would take the attention off of its actual championship.

We are human beings. We are naturally inclined to be sucked in by drama. And the transfer portal fulfills all of our primal needs. The flips, the mysteries, the betrayals, the shocks, the surprises. It fulfills our natural thirst for intrigue and excitement in a way that breaking down Miami’s pass rush against the Ole Miss OL simply can’t. And the fact that it’s a true wild west experience with no rules, guardrails, or boundaries makes it all the more tantalizing.

College football has never been more popular as a sport across the nation in spite of so many unforced errors and own goals. Nobody in their right mind would want to divert attention away from crowning a champion during what should be the pinnacle of the sport and the entire reason for its existence. And yet, that’s exactly how college football is currently operating.

The simple fix, as suggested by Oregon coach Dan Lanning, is to move the College Football Playoff earlier so that it ends on New Year’s Day and the portal can be a true offseason activity. That way, the hearts and minds of the college football universe don’t have to be so divided and we can actually celebrate a national champion for one season before actually moving on to the next. Of course, since that seems like the right and easy thing to do, don’t hold your breath waiting on it to actually happen.

Q4 3:13 – Ole Miss 27, Miami 24

Huge mistake by Miami again. Trinidad Chambliss fires incomplete toward Harrison Wallace III but Ja’Boree Antoine had a hand full of jersey, drawing a pass interference penalty.

Three plays later, after a 19-yard scramble by Chambliss, Ole Miss finds the end zone. Chambliss calmly connects with Dae’Quan Wright for a 24-yard touchdown to put the Rebels up by a point.

The two-point conversion is good too as Chambliss finds Caleb Odom wide open.

After witnessing Troy Aikman’s tribulations with NIL at UCLA, Joe Buck has no interest in funding Indiana football.

Last month, Aikman told Richard Deitsch he was a one and done with NIL, claiming he wrote UCLA a sizable check to secure a star recruit who ultimately left for another school after just one season. Aikman was further miffed by the fact that he didn’t even get a thank you note for his donation.

It has been widely assumed that current Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is the player Aikman was referring to. And according to UCLA, school protocol prohibits players from knowing which donors contributed NIL funds, thus making thank you notes difficult. Considering NIL has turned college sports into the Wild West, it is odd that a line is drawn at players learning where the money comes from. Protocol or not, Aikman didn’t like his foray into funding college players, and it seems to have rubbed off on Buck.

The Monday Night Football play-by-play voice joined The Morning After on 101 ESPN this week where they discussed his alma mater playing in the College Football Playoff semifinals this week. As a former Indiana University student, Joe Buck is now in the unprecedented position of seeing his favorite college football team morph into a football powerhouse. Unfortunately for Indiana, Aikman’s experience with NIL has already soured Buck on the idea of donating to their football program.


“Troy has talked to me about what went on at UCLA and kind of what he got for the money that he donated and that will not be something that I will be partaking in,” Buck said.

“He left!” Buck added of the UCLA player that supposedly received a sizable check from Aikman. “You don’t get the money back from what I understand…it doesn’t seem like a great program for the donor.”

The good news for Indiana University, who boasts Mark Cuban’s pockets as an alumnus, is that Buck also claims the local wealthy farmers are heavily involved in supporting NIL.

“I’m not being a smart aleck about it, I think there are a lot of farmers around Indiana that are making money,” Buck said. “It’s almost like everybody has come out of the woodwork and it’s like, ‘Let me have my little piece of this’ because it’s been so long and they’re willing to send money in, from what I hear.”

It’s hard to argue with Buck and Aikman. Where’s the incentive to spend big dollars on a recruit who can leave after one season? And we’re not even going to get into the fact those players are prohibited from offering a thank you note in return. But hopefully for Indiana, those hardworking farmers don’t start taking NIL advice from Buck the way he did from Aikman.