The 2025 college football regular season is over and the time is now for ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit to hand out his personal awards for the year ahead of what’s sure to be an entertaining postseason. He calls them the Herbie Awards, which are given out to worthy somebodies across various categories.

For instance, you can go read who Herbstreit selected as his Offensive Player of the Year right here. But one of the awards Herbstreit came up with was called the Redemption Player of the Year, which he said is intended to award a guy who bounced back from an injury, a poor season the year before, or even someone who showed extraordinary growth from Week 1 to Week 14.

He nominated three players for the honor: Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Alabama linebacker Deonte Lawson, and Notre Dame defensive end Boubacar Traore. As you should already know, Herbstreit opted to give the Redemption Player of the Year honor to the most famous name in college football, Arch Manning, for navigating a difficult year into a very positive finish for he and the Longhorn program.

“I think he came in with unrealistic expectations,” Herbstreit said of the Texas QB. “When this season started, people were talking about, ‘He’s going to win the Heisman Trophy. He’s better than Payton. He’s better than Eli. He’s better than his grandpa. He’s going to win a national championship. It’ll be the first pick next year in the draft.'”

Obviously, the season didn’t turn out that rosy. For Herbstreit, it was seeing Manning undergo the ego hit and the piling on of critics but still turn his season around to finish so strong that impressed him so much.

“When that didn’t pan out in the first half of the season, people were very, very critical,” Herbstreit continued. To his credit, he blocked all of that out. Didn’t take any of it personally. If anything, I think it motivated him to go out and help his teammates win games. And I was really happy for him enduring that and coming out on the other side.”

In his first year as the full-time starter, Manning finished with just under 3,000 total passing yards while guiding Texas to a solid 9-3 season given the harsh schedule they were saddled with. After some early-season offensive struggles and two losses in their first five games, Manning and the Longhorn offense hit a groove as the Longhorns won six of their last seven.

Across Texas’ final five games, Arch Manning threw for 300+ yards in three wins against Mississippi State, Arkansas and Vanderbilt, and then led a 27-point outing and scored two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing, to lead Texas over rival Texas A&M.

More on College Football HQ

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez collected his fifth national award this season Friday evening as he was tabbed the winner of the Bednarik Award during the College Football Awards Show live on ESPN.

Rodriguez is the first Red Raider in program history to win the Bednarik Award, which is presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the nation’s top defensive player. The Bednarik Award selected Rodriguez over Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Texas A&M defensive end Cashius Howell.

With the addition of the Bednarik Award, Rodriguez is now the winner of the Butkus Award (nation’s top linebacker), the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s top defensive player), the Lombardi Award (nation’s top lineman or linebacker) and the Pony Express Award (nation’s top duo with David Bailey) this season alone. He is the third player in history to win the Butkus Award as well as the Nagurski Trophy and Bednarik Award in the same season, joining Miami’s Dan Morgan (2000) and Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o (2012). Rodriguez joins Te’o as the only players to also win the Lombardi Award.

Rodriguez, who was also tabbed a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation during the ESPN broadcast, has bolstered one of the nation’s top defenses, leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title in program history this season and their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Red Raiders enter a potential matchup with either No. 5 Oregon or No. 12 seed James Madision at 12-1 overall, marking the most wins in program history.

Rodriguez has now led Texas Tech to four-consecutive bowl appearances during his career after going from a scholarship quarterback at Virginia, to walk-on linebacker with the Red Raiders and now a national award winner. He was joined during the ESPN College Football Awards Show by his parents, Joe and Ann Rodriguez, and his wife, Emma.

Rodriguez enters bowl season as the FBS leader with seven forced fumbles and ranks among the top-15 players nationally with 117 tackles. He is the first FBS player since 2005 to record at least five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four interceptions all in the same season. His impact has bolstered a Texas Tech defense that leads the nation with 31 takeaways and ranks third nationally in scoring defense at 10.9 points per game. Rodriguez was responsible for nine takeaways himself — all in Big 12 play – thanks to his ability to punch the ball out and also read the quarterback in coverage.

Rodriguez is currently the highest-rated player in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus, grading out at 93.3 overall so far this season. He is the top-rated player in the country in terms of rush defense, receiving a 95.5 grade in that area for a Red Raider defense that is easily the nation’s best in stopping opponents on the ground. Texas Tech is giving up only 68.5 rushing yards a game thanks to Rodriguez, who also ranks fifth nationally in coverage with a 92.3 grade.

Established in 1995, the Chuck Bednarik Award is one of the most-prestigious honors in college football, awarded annually to the most outstanding defensive player. This accolade recognizes exceptional talent, tenacity and impact on the defensive side of the ball. The award is named in tribute to Chuck Bednarik, a revered figure in football history known for his remarkable career as a linebacker.

It’s a darn tootin’ time to be a lawyer in the college sports space, eh? As college footbal programs all around the country change coaches, hand out buyouts and sign ridiculous new contracts, even some former coaches are trying to get what’s theirs.

Just this week, as the dust seemed to be settling nation-wide on a chaotic spin of the coaching carousel this fall, we had Sherrone Moore’s firing at Michigan and the ugly fallout from that ordeal, plus the somewhat surprising retirement of legendary Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham, setting up a changing of the guard at Utah plus a brand new search in Ann Arbor — which may kickstart a whole other chain of coaching searches.

Amid all this talk of contracts and big buyout money, one former Nebraska coach, Scott Frost, has come out of the woodwork to sue Nebraska, alleging the ‘Huskers have shorted him on the agreed-upon buyout payments. Local news outlet WOWT had the news Friday evening:

“Former Nebraska football coach Scott Frost filed a lawsuit Friday, accusing the school of breaching his contract and mishandling millions in buyout payments and taxes,” they wrote. “In the complaint filed in Lancaster County District Court, Frost claimed the university wrongly stopped payments he said are owed for 2025 and 2026 under his employment contract. Frost is seeking a court order confirming Nebraska’s right to reduce those payments and seeking at least $5 million in damages.

Scott Frost was fired on the heels of a 10th consecutive loss in a one-possession game, this time to Georgia Southern, 45-42, following a poor start to the team’s season in 2022. At the end of that season, Nebraska placed former Baylor and Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule at the helm of the program, and he’s guided it ever since.

Scott Frost buyout details

When Frost was fired in September of 2022, his buyout came out to roughly $15 million, and that number would have been split in half had the Cornhuskers merely waited a few weeks, until Oct.1, to officially pull the trigger. Now, per Yahoo Sports, the argument centers on some tax mumbo jumbo.

“According to the filing, Nebraska told Frost in December 2022 that it planned to count the projected value of his 2025 and 2026 buyout payments as income on his W-2 for that year,” wrote Jim Recalto for Yahoo. “Frost argues that move was improper and left him with a $1.7 million tax liability for money that had not been paid.”

Yahoo adds: “Frost says those future payments were guaranteed under his contract and could not be reduced or taken away. However, he also claims the university said in the same email that the payments could later be adjusted, without explaining how or why.”

Seek out your local CPA for a better read on this situation, but from the bird’s eye view, it appears that Frost had future buyout payments lumped into the same year he was fired, which definitely heavied his tax burden vs. taken the payments over several years. Then, the university tried to adjust or change those payments they had already lumped onto the W-2 which Frost had been taxed for.

Essentially, the man was taxed on money he hadn’t yet received, and then when it came to receiving said money, the process for getting it was changed around despite the fact Frost was already liable for the money. At least, that’s how Frost’s side puts it. Nebraska may have some explaining to do here.

More on College Football HQ

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WNDU) – Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price used his Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) sponsorship money to buy Christmas gifts for three local children through the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program on Friday afternoon.

Price shopped for toys at the Walmart in Mishawaka as part of the nationwide program that provides hundreds of thousands of Christmas gifts for children each year.

College athletes earned nearly $500 million from NIL sponsorships this year. While some spend the money on jewelry or cars, Price chose to give back to the community.

“I’m just a kid from a small town: Denison, Texas. I didn’t come from much as a kid myself. As a guy who comes from a large family, I have a lot of siblings and little cousins running around that I helped raise. And I know it meant a lot to them, what I am doing in my position right now. It was truly a blessing to be able to be in this position to do that, do it for a lot of other kids in the community means a lot to me,” Price said.

Price has worked as a fifth-grade teaching assistant in his hometown of Denison, Texas, and coaches young athletes in Mishawaka. As the oldest of three children, he credits his humble upbringing for his charitable spirit.

For a 9-year-old boy, Price selected a monster truck, Legos and a football, thinking back on his own favorite childhood toys.

Price strives to make youth sports more accessible so all children can learn the same valuable lessons he did in athletics.

“The world is starting to become more individualized. People are starting to become more selfish and individual. So, just being able to stay around people, get outside. And the biggest thing is being part of a team. No one can take that away from you because of the relationships you make. So, just being able to be part of something bigger than yourself is what it’s really about,” Price said.

Price hopes his involvement will bring more attention to the Angel Tree program and encourage other college athletes to use their money to benefit local communities.

“It felt nostalgic doing a little Christmas shopping for a kid. I have two younger sisters, so this isn’t new to me. I used to help my mom out with getting them gifts. This is a time of joy and holiday spirit, and I think we take for granted some of that the older we get. Everyone deserves to have some joy during the season, so I’m here to help in any way that I can. If you’re in a position to do what you can to help others, I encourage you to do so, like I did today, and merry Christmas,” Price said.

The Salvation Army will continue accepting Angel Tree gifts through the weekend and will distribute them Tuesday.

Copyright 2025 WNDU. All rights reserved.

A fresh batch of questions about the University of Wisconsin football program landed in my inbox this week, and they hit right at the heart of where this team finds itself heading into a pivotal offseason.

This mailbag dives into the quarterback dilemma at the center of everything, whether Wisconsin can afford to be patient with internal development, and how much urgency should shape portal decisions moving forward. We also get into where NIL resources should be spent internally if the staff is serious about building continuity instead of constantly hitting reset, and which returning player could tell us the most about whether this staff is truly developing talent behind the scenes.

Inevitably, that leads us back to the bigger-picture question hovering over it all: why the administration is sticking with head coach Luke Fickell through all of the turbulence, and why they still believe there’s hope.

Some fair questions. Some uncomfortable ones. Let’s get into it.

Q: I know the instinct every offseason is to hit the transfer portal and go get another quarterback, but why not just roll with Carter Smith?

– Dave from Da Northwoods.

I understand the question, and honestly, it’s a fair one.

Carter Smith is absolutely a player this staff should invest in and develop. The competitiveness is evident. The mobility is real. He can move the chains with his legs and add a dimension to the run game that Wisconsin has desperately needed under center. And it’s probably not fair to make any firm declarations about what Smith is or isn’t as a passer yet.

Smith finished 26-of-46 for 201 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he added another 87 yards and a score on the ground, helping lead Wisconsin to late-season wins over a pair of Top 25 teams.

The Florida native was thrown into action late in the season behind a patched-together offensive line, running a limited offense, after spending most of the season with the third team or scout team. That’s not exactly a clean evaluation environment. Long term, that’s the kind of quarterback arc you want. Recruit a guy, develop him, let him grow, and eventually see the payoff. The problem is, this staff doesn’t have the luxury of time.

This is a win-now season. The 2026 schedule is a bit lighter. The administration has been very public about investing more NIL resources and private funding into the program. At some point, those words have to translate into action, or the credibility of everyone involved takes a hit. Fair or not, that’s the reality of where Wisconsin football is right now.

Because of that urgency, Fickell can’t afford to wager his entire future on Smith. You can’t go into a season like this hoping development catches up in real time at the most important position on the field. If this staff gets quarterback wrong again, or has to navigate injuries, there’s a very real chance they won’t be here in 2027 to see how Smith’s story plays out.

“We know that the QB position is gonna be really key and critical,” Fickell said. “We haven’t shied away from making sure our guys understand that.”

That’s why I still believe Wisconsin has to go out and get a major-impact quarterback in the transfer portal. Someone closer to the top of the market. Someone who can raise the floor of the entire roster immediately. Quarterback is arguably the quickest way to change the makeup of a team, mask flaws, and stabilize everything else that’s a work in progress.

The ideal scenario is spending big at quarterback and retaining Smith. Let him continue to develop without the weight of carrying the program right away. If Smith becomes the future beyond that, wonderful. That’s a win.

But you can’t stake the program’s immediate future on potential alone at this point. There were things to like from Smith, no question. There just isn’t enough margin for error anymore to wait and see if that’s enough.

Q: With so much roster turnover expected this offseason, is there one position group you’d prioritize using Wisconsin’s NIL resources to keep intact, rather than rebuilding it through the portal?

– Allen C.

In the portal era, there’s really no such thing as a position group that doesn’t need help. Even the healthiest rooms are usually forced to backfill snaps or bodies just to survive the standard offseason attrition. That said, if I’m picking one spot where I’d be intentional about using NIL resources to keep the core of current players intact, it starts with inside linebacker.

And not just because of the young talent everyone already knows about.

For me, it begins with Christian Alliegro. At 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, he looks exactly like what you want from a Will linebacker in this system, and the production backed that up. He finished the season with 53 total tackles, nine pressures, 8.0 tackles for loss, and four sacks. He brings size, range, and versatility, and he’s a player you can deploy in a lot of different ways depending on the matchup. Plus, he’s a leader in that room.

Then there’s Mason Posa, who might already be one of the most important defensive pieces Wisconsin has moving forward. Despite arriving on campus in the summer, Posa worked his way into a significant role and finished with a team-high 61 total tackles in just 363 snaps.

He added 14 pressures, 4.0 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery, earning third-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches. His 88.3 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus tells the same story the tape does. Posa can defend the run, hold up in coverage, and get after the quarterback. That’s the complete package, and he already plays like the heartbeat of the Badgers’ defense.

Cooper Catalano rounds it out. He’s more of a throwback type, an unheralded recruit who became Wisconsin’s all-time leading tackler in high school and carried that production forward. He finished with 56 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four pressures, and two sacks. Catalano feels like a true Mike linebacker, a gritty, physical tackler, and reliable. There’s a world where all three of these guys play significant snaps together, especially if the defensive line in front of them plays as it did in 2025.

That part matters. If Wisconsin can rebuild the defensive line this offseason, it opens the door for this group to be disruptive and impactful.

Tackett Curtis entering the portal made sense given how his role changed, and the addition of Iowa Central Community College transfer Taylor Schaefer gives the room some added depth. There’s also Thomas Heiberger, who finally got healthy late in the season and showed flashes after being a highly regarded recruit as an edge-rusher. If you can retain Heiberger as a depth piece, that only helps strengthen the room.

But zooming out, this is a room where I don’t think outside additions necessarily raise the ceiling much beyond what’s already here. What you have is leadership and multiple players with legitimate all-conference upside. That’s hard to replace, especially when you factor in the culture and energy this group provides. Now you just need some continuity.

If I’m allocating resources with an eye toward 2026 and beyond, inside linebacker is the room I’m doing everything I can to keep intact.

Q: Is there one returning player whose trajectory this season could say a lot about whether this staff is actually developing talent?

– BadgerDad78