Player Notes

Teams illegally asked Frank Gore Jr. to transfer. Why he stayed with Southern Miss football. ·

Mississippi Clarion-LedgerSouthern Miss football running back Frank Gore Jr. settled on his choice to put off his professional career fairly swiftly. A conversation with his coach, Will Hall, helped him decide to wait another season.But the modern college football world offers a new temptation, especially for standouts at the Group of Five level such as Gore, who ran for 1,382 yards last season. There ...

SMU running back Camar Wheaton suspended for Lousiana Tech game ·

SMU running back Camar Wheaton is suspended for the season opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday for violating team rules.Head coach Rhett Lashlee said the former five-star recruit from Garland Lakeview Centennial didn’t have a perfect attendance record during SMU’s second summer session.“We have a class attendance policy here. We go to class,” Lashlee said Wednesday after practice. “Here in the ...

No pressure for Purdue football quarterback Hudson Card going into opener with Fresno State ·

Lafayette Journal & CourierWEST LAFAYETTE — When Hudson Card transferred from Texas to lead Purdue football, it was met with instant expectations.Since the Boilermaker starting quarterback arrived on campus in January, coaches, teammates and media outlets have done nothing but sing his praises.Now, with the season opener against Fresno State just days away, it's time to find out if performance meets ...

James Franklin declines to name starting quarterback for Penn State's season opener ·

Days before Penn State’s season opener against West Virginia, the big question — the one most people know the answer to — has yet to be answered formally.Despite all signs pointing to Drew Allar leading the Nittany Lions on Saturday night, James Franklin didn’t name a starting quarterback at his Tuesday press conference.That begs the question: why? Why has Franklin not named Allar the starter?“We have ...

Penn State starting OL announces sudden retirement due to injury. What we know ·

Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, a redshirt sophomore and projected starter, announced his sudden retirement from football Wednesday night due to an unspecified injury.Tengwall was a top-100 recruit who was widely expected to have a bright future. The 6-foot-6, 317-pound OL was projected to be the Nittany Lions’ starting left guard.“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my retirement ...

OSU football: Beavers announce depth chart for opener ·

Oregon State has unveiled its first official depth chart for the 2023 football season, answering some of the questions fans have about the makeup of this year’s squad.The headline news that DJ Uiagalelei would be the starting quarterback was confirmed last week. During his press conference Tuesday, head coach Jonathan Smith said Uiagalelei won the competition with Ben Gulbranson and Aidan Chiles based ...

How Oregon football's Dan Lanning is preparing to lead Ducks for second season ·

After a successful 2022 campaign helping lead the Ducks to a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl win, second-year Oregon football coach Dan Lanning said the biggest difference between game week this year versus last is just knowing what’s coming next.“You never know what year one’s gonna feel like going into that first time,” Lanning said. “But it’s not the first time anymore, so certainly a different approach.”For ...

Venables makes his choice and it’s a doozy ·

Like, how is Tawee Walker, a walk-on junior, right there with Marcus Major atop the running backs list and how, somehow, are Jovante Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk behind both?Interesting, at least.But not the showstopper.That came early in the session thanks to a question from the great Berry Tramel.Venables was asked how he, specifically, needed to improve and how might he do that as a defensive minded ...

Kyle McCord earned Ohio State football’s starting job — and another chance to prove himself ·

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Kyle McCord could have followed the trend and left Ohio State football long before Ryan Day named him Saturday’s opening day starter at Indiana.When C.J. Stroud’s emergence in 2021 meant a likely three-year wait to take over the starting job. When Quinn Ewers’ arrival that same August unexpectedly — and, as it turned out, only briefly — inserted a competitor into his signing class.“Even ...

How Ohio State’s defense can prove it’s championship caliber against Indiana ·

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Quarterback news wasn’t the only thing to talk about on Tuesday.Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles talked to the media after coach Ryan Day, and gave a few updates about the defenses headed into the season-opening matchup against Indiana.With all eyes toward the offense early on, what can the defense do to prove that it can be a national title level defense? Is it still too early to ...

Recent Stories

2025 Draft: Previewing edge prospects

The edge rusher is a premier position in the a modern version of pro football always seeking ways to encourage more passing. The importance of franchise passers like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, and Jalen ...

2025 Draft: ILBs seek relevance, respect

Over the past few draft cycles, there has been a lack of a bonafide, blue-chip prospect at the interior linebacker position. In recent memory, we have heard differing opinions on who is the top linebacker and what is his value in a draft. The position of inside ...

Bet on future DBs—they can cover

As part of our series on football’s defensive back scene, the Hall of Football consulted our ever-evolving database of ~17,000 active college and high school players to evaluate the position's future, looking at the horizon at least six years down the road—approximately ...

2025 Draft: DBs have a tough act to follow

  The 2024 cornerback class was one of the deepest in recent memory, with elite talent at the top of the class and unprecedented depth that followed. While it will be tough for the 2025 class to replicate that amount of talent, there are potential stars at the ...

Heisman Trophy odds: keeping track

   The Heisman Trophy picture is constantly changing, and BetOnline.ag tracks those changes to create the best odds at any given time. It has been about half a year since they first posted odds on who may win the coveted Heisman. Check the changes and reasons ...

Seeking nuggets in pile of rookie DBs

Whether it be too little talent or too many rule changes favoring wide-open passing attacks, NFL secondaries no longer impact the game as they once did. Newcomers from the 2024 Draft are not likely to fix the first part of that issue. Only three DBs went in the ...

History of mystery behind decline of RBs

We began this series on running backs with a warning: “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be … running backs. Not anymore. Not unless something changes.” Apparently, mama listened or already knew. My concern over the demise of this once heralded position ...

Diving into Hall of Football database

Now that we have settled into the Hall of Football (HallofFootball.substack.com), here is our first dive into the massive database that has been at the heart of NFL Draft Scout for more than 25 years. Led by our player savant, Brian “Hitman” Hitterman, we gather ...

2025 NFL Draft: Running amok?

After coming off of a slim running back class in 2024, the 2025 draft includes more runners than usual as potential first or second-round picks. Optimistically there could be as many as seven good enough to go in the first two rounds. Realistically, there could ...

2025 Draft: Travis Hunter, a twofer?

It’s no secret Travis Hunter is the most dynamic and versatile player in college football. It’s not just that he plays both cornerback and wide receiver but that he plays both positions at a very high level. Hunter has become a trailblazer in college football ...

2025 Draft: Does James Pearce have Edge as No. 1?

Overview Edge rusher James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee is regarded as the top edge rusher in the SEC heading into the 2024 season. He is also projected as the top edge rusher for the 2025 draft, with many viewing him as the No. 1 overall pick. Teams and scouts ...

My backstory to EA's CFB relaunch

In the mid-1980s, I sat down with Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins and his programmers to create the underlying rating system for Madden Football.   That rating system is essentially the same as the one that drives EA’s College Football 25, the latest in ...