Player Notes

South Carolina’s Pete Lembo named Buffalo football head coach ·

UPDATED JANUARY 21, 2024 7:14 PMSouth Carolina’s football program will have to find another new coach to hire for the upcoming season.Associate head coach and special teams coordinator Pete Lembo was announced as the new head football coach for the University of Buffalo, the program announced Sunday afternoon. ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the news Sunday morning.UB Athletics will introduce Lembo ...

San Jose State hires former Navy coach Niumatalolo to replace Brennan ·

SAN JOSE – San Jose State is hiring former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo as its next head football coach, the school announced Sunday afternoon.“We are thrilled that Coach Niumatalolo has accepted the opportunity to lead our football program,” SJSU athletic director Jeff Konya said in a press release. “He is a proven winner and brought the Naval Academy to unprecedented heights by winning eight or more ...

Pitt adds high school wide receiver Tyreek Robinson to its class of 2024 ·

Pitt continued to add potential playmakers to new coordinator Kade Bell’s offense Sunday when coach Pat Narduzzi secured a verbal commitment from wide receiver Tyreek Robinson of Evangel Christian in Shreveport, La. Robinson announced his decision on his X (formerly Twitter) account.Robinson (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) is unranked among prospects in Rivals.com’s data base, but he fits the profile of Bell’s ...

Want a clue about Bill O'Brien running Ohio State's offense? His Penn State QBs gave raves ·

Columbus DispatchMatt McGloin was a fifth-year senior. Christian Hackenberg was a true freshman.They were the Penn State quarterbacks in Bill O’Brien’s two years as head coach of the Nittany Lions a decade ago.On Friday, Ohio State hired O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to lend an experienced hand to an offense that underperformed last year.McGloin’s and Hackenberg’s experiences ...

C.J. Stroud helping future Ohio State football players with big NIL donation ·

By Nathan Baird,COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the first Ohio State football stars to benefit in a big way from name, image and likeness income apparently decided to quickly pay it forward.THE Foundation, a non-profit NIL collective supporting OSU athletes, announced Stroud made a donation at the organization’s platinum level. According to the collective’s website, that requires a donation of $50,000-$100,000.That ...

Cover Five: Get to know Nebraska football's recruiting targets, including a 2025 quarterback ·

On a Memorial Stadium surface covered in snow, the red “N” at midfield shone brightly.Head coach Matt Rhule shared a photo of the scene to social media in the midst of a busy recruiting period for him and his coaching staff.Given the large number of 2025 and 2026 recruits on campus for a junior day weekend, a clearly defined path through the snow to midfield was just as symbolic as it was literal. ...

Jeramiah McCloud commits to Mississippi State football, Jeff Lebby's 2025 recruiting class ·

STARKVILLE — Jeramiah McCloud, who announced his commitment via social media, became the third member of Mississippi State football's 2025 recruiting class on Sunday and the first since Jeff Lebby was hired as head coach.McCloud is an unrated prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He's a defensive lineman out of Gadsden County High School in Havana, Florida.He is the second defensive ...

How Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin reacted to his first Buc-ee's experience ·

OXFORD — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin made his first journey to the land of brisket, gasoline and beaver nuggets over the weekend.That's right, Kiffin has discovered Buc-ee's.Buc-ee's is, by definition, a gas station chain – although that's a bit like calling a monster truck an automobile.Even if you've never been to one, you've probably seen a billboard if you've driven on the interstate anywhere ...

Amid turmoil, Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith retained key portal players ·

By Matt WenzelEAST LANSING – It was a simple question that produced a prompt response.After Jonathan Smith was hired as Michigan State football’s new coach, which players on the roster he inherited helped bridge the gap to a different staff?Defensive tackles Derrick Harmon and Simeon Barrow and offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark – all starters last season – were the names Smith rattled off without hesitation ...

Recruits reassert loyalty to KU in wake of Peterson reports ·

Updated 11:02 a.m. Monday:Co-defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson may have played a pivotal role in shaping the 2024 Kansas football recruiting class, but in the wake of Peterson’s reported departure for his alma mater Texas A&M, several signees asserted that their commitment to KU transcends the efforts of one man.Most notably, four-star defensive end Deshawn Warner — one of the highest-touted prospects ...

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 ...