Dell Sports – College Football News

The announcement of a move by Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference -- just a rumor a few days ago -- is imminent, multiple outlets reported Friday.The two traditional conference powers will inform the Big 12 on Monday that they won't renew their grant of media rights deal that expires in 2025, Horns247 reported. Once that happens, the SEC can take steps to vote on adding the two universities, and that process "could move quickly," per the report.To leave the league, the schools each would owe at least $76 million, ESPN reported.Texas and Oklahoma were founding members of the Big 12, and their departures will set off a ripple effect throughout the conference. Reports Friday indicated Kansas is seeking to join the Big Ten.Officials from Big 12 schools, not including Texas and Oklahoma, held a conference call Thursday night to talk about the league's future. An ESPN report indicated the league could reach out to other Power Five programs to assess their interest in joining, or see if Group of Five schools such as Houston, Cincinnati or UCF might want a spot in the Big 12.

Oklahoma State will honor Barry Sanders with a spot in its Ring of Honor and a statue outside Boone Pickens Stadium.He will take his place in the Ring of Honor on Nov. 13, when the Cowboys host TCU.Sanders, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a stellar career with the Detroit Lions, was a starter for just one season at Oklahoma State.In 1988, he ran for 2,850 yards -- an average of 237.5 per game -- and scored 44 touchdowns. He had four games with at least 300 yards rushing, and in one incredible three-game span, ran for a combined 937 yards and 13 touchdowns against Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech.He went on to win the Heisman Trophy and earn unanimous All-America honors after the 1988 season, which was his third at Oklahoma State. He spent his first two seasons in Stillwater as the backup to another future Hall of Fame member, Thurman Thomas.

The Pac-12 Conference is leaning toward a policy that would force teams to forfeit a game if they were unable to play due to an outbreak of COVID-19, new commissioner George Kliavkoff said Thursday.Kliavkoff made the comments to ESPN and cited a decision by the NFL earlier in the day. The SEC is also considering forfeits as a way to encourage athletes to get vaccinated."I'm leaning towards going back to the pre-COVID rules that had a team that was not able to field enough players to forfeit the game," Kliavkoff told ESPN. "We read with interest the notes from Commissioner (Roger) Goodell to the NFL teams that they're going to treat it as a forfeit and financially penalize the team that is unable to play. I don't know if we end up there or not, but that's where we're leaning."

Kansas could be on the move in an immediate response to the imminent exit of Oklahoma and Texas from the Big 12 conference.According to multiple reports, Kansas will hold a secondary call with Big Ten officials that could lead to the Jayhawks becoming the 15th team in the conference and the further weakening of the Big 12.Iowa State is also rumored to be considering leaving the Big 12 for the Big Ten.Oklahoma and Texas are close to finalizing a move to the Southeastern Conference that would cost the universities at least $76 million apiece, paid to the Big 12 as an exit fee. Texas A&M and Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2011.The Big 12 lost Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac-12 in 2011.

The entire Boston College Eagles football team is vaccinated against COVID-19, coach Jeff Hafley said, in accordance with a school policy requiring inoculation.One player who was set to return to the Eagles this season refused the vaccine and Hafley's response was to help that player find a new program and transfer."I never gave my opinion about it," Hafley said Thursday during ACC media day. "I just said, 'This is the school rule. If you don't want to get it, I'll support you.' We had one player who didn't want to get it, and we helped find him a new home."Hafley kept that ex-Eagles player anonymous.ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said this week that more than half of the league's 14 full-time programs have already reached the suggested 85 percent mark for player vaccinations.

Hall of Fame football coach Bobby Bowden is suffering from pancreatic cancer, his son and Louisiana Monroe head coach Terry Bowden said Thursday.Terry Bowden made the comments at Sun Belt media day in New Orleans, one day after Bobby Bowden announced that he had been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition."We've known for about 10 days," Terry Bowden said. "We've been preparing for this. We know when you have pancreatic cancer, which is what the disease is, you're probably talking months, not years, so we know that. We just think we've got some more good days ahead, and we're going to enjoy those together."I would plead that all people would respect the fact he needs to rest when he's up," the younger Bowden added. "He doesn't need a lot of phone calls, or a lot of people talking on the phone. You know my dad; he has never turned down an interview in his life. He'll be on his deathbed (doing) an interview the last minute he does it. But, that's Bobby Bowden."Bobby Bowden announced his terminal prognosis Wednesday in a statement.

Class of 2022 top-50 prep player Dani Dennis-Sutton out of Maryland committed to Penn State on Thursday.The four-star defensive lineman chose the Nittany Lions over Alabama and Georgia.The 6-foot-5 Owings Mills, Md., product is the No. 1 prospect out of Maryland, the ninth-best defensive lineman in the country and the 50th best overall, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He plays for McDonogh School.

Big Ten is expecting to rotate the location of its football championship game when its current contract with Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium expires after this season, commissioner Kevin Warren told NJ Advance Media at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday.The conference will do the same thing for its men's basketball tournament."We're going to sit down and figure out the best way to rotate it, probably take out a request for proposal for basketball and football," Warren told NJ Advance Media. "I'm open to any location our fans will travel to and enjoy in our footprint, anywhere from Nebraska to New Jersey."

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach is all for the expansion of the College Football Playoff -- he just has a different number of teams in mind than most.Asked Wednesday during SEC Media Days whether the current proposal of a 12-team model was enough teams, Leach said he preferred 64."It's never enough," Leach said. "But I'll tell you what, Dr. (Mark) Keenum, our president, is on that committee so I know they're in good hands and so I think that part's outstanding."I think 12 teams is a huge step in the right direction. I personally would like to see 64, and you could format it out pretty easily. But I think it's a huge step in the right direction and I look forward to it."It isn't the first time Leach, known for his eccentric personality and off-topic tangents during press conferences, has spoken of a 64-team football playoff. In one 2012 interview, he called 64 "ideal" and justified it by suggesting the regular season be cut to 10 games.

Big 12 athletic directors and CEOs will meet early Thursday evening to discuss the apparent intention of Texas and Oklahoma to leave the conference, multiple outlets reported.The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday that the two schools want to move to the Southeastern Conference, a shift that likely would lead to the emergence of four super conferences.The news comes as the SEC is holding its media days in Hoover, Ala. While commissioner Greg Sankey has stayed silent about the potential of adding Texas and Oklahoma, SEC presidents reportedly will meet Thursday in Alabama with expansion certainly a major topic to discuss.

The Miami Hurricanes suspended redshirt freshman safety Avantae Williams on Thursday after he was arrested and charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim.Williams, a consensus four-star recruit from DeLand, Fla., was ranked as the nation's No. 1 safety by Rivals and ESPN in the Class of 2020. He sat out last season due to an unspecified medical issue.According to public records, Williams, 20, was arrested by the Miami-Dade Police Department on Wednesday and jailed on a $10,000 bond.Williams was arrested after an argument with his child's mother, who is also pregnant with his baby, according to a police report obtained by the Miami Herald.The couple had broken up and Williams allegedly told the woman to move out of their residence. "When I return from practice you need to be gone," he told her, per the report. When he returned and she was still packing, he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and threw her onto a bed. Police said he grabbed her by the hair a second time and threw her outside the home, causing her to strike her head on the ground.

Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich revealed Wednesday that he has chosen not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and he will not be present at the Pac-12 media day in Los Angeles next week.Rolovich posted on his Twitter account, "As the Pac-12 Conference has required that all in-person participants at next week's Pac-12 Football Media Day be fully vaccinated, I will participate remotely and look forward to talking about our football team and the incredible young men in our program."I have elected not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for reasons which will remain private. While I have made my own decision, I respect that every individual -- including our coaches, staff and student-athletes -- can make his or her own decision regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. I will not comment further on my decision."Washington State University requires employees and students to be vaccinated in order to be on campus, but exemptions can be granted for religious, personal or medical reasons. It was unknown if Rolovich received an exemption.Washington State athletic director Pat Chun said in a statement, "Coach Rolovich and I have has multiple conversations regarding his decision not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. While WSU has a vaccination mandate, there are policies and procedures for employees to follow who are not vaccinated."As a department, we will continue to educate our student-athletes, staff and coaches on the benefits of vaccinations and do all that we can to protect the health and safety of those in our charge."

Texas and Oklahoma have approached the Southeastern Conference about joining the league, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.An announcement about the potential addition of the two Big 12 powers could come within a few weeks, the Chronicle reported, citing a "high-ranking college official with knowledge of the situation."The SEC has had 14 member schools has been at 14 teams since 2011, when Texas A&M and Missouri left the Big 12 and began play the following season.SEC commissioner Greg Sankey declined to comment about possible expansion, Sports Illustrated reported.While all sports would shift, football would be the biggest appeal to the SEC.

Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich appears to be at odds with university president Kirk Schulz, who said it is the expectation that all members of the campus community will be vaccinated for COVID-19 before returning to campus for the new school year.The statement Schulz issued late Wednesday came after Rolovich said he has chosen, for personal reasons, not to get the vaccine. Because he is not vaccinated, he must participate in the Pac-12 media day remotely. The conference is requiring everyone attending the event next week in Los Angeles to be fully vaccinated.Schulz said that is his expectation for the Pullman, Wash., campus."Washington State University expects all students, faculty, staff and volunteers to be fully vaccinated before the start of the fall semester," his statement read. "As the state's land-grant research university, WSU has an obligation to serve the public good and promote the health and safety of its communities. The science clearly shows that the COVID-19 vaccine nearly eliminates the chances of death or serious illness related to a COVID-19 infection and is a critical element in protecting public health locally and worldwide."Schulz said the university has an exemption process for people with both medical and non-medical reasons for not being vaccinated. Being unvaccinated will be more difficult for Rolovich to interact with his staff and team, however."Those requesting an exemption will be required to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing and may be subject to other public health measures when on WSU property," Schulz said.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said his league is keeping a close eye on possible expansion developments involving the Southeastern Conference.In his opening remarks at the conference media days on Thursday, Warren also announced the league was hiring former Wisconsin athletic director and head coach Barry Alvarez to oversee football operations.Alvarez would play a key role in any counter move from the Big Ten if Oklahoma and Texas apply to join the SEC, as has been reported."That's why I'm so thankful Barry Alvarez in joining us," Warren said. "These are all the kind of things, just collectively, that we as a conference will be able to think through, talk through. We are constantly evaluating what's best for the conference."The Big Ten is allowing individual institutions to oversee COVID-19 protocols with each school submitting a proposal in early August."We are right where we wanted to be in that it will be a decentralized process," Warren said, adding that the league will attempt to pressure-test university proposals. "We will have that done prior to our first game 37 days away from today."

Bobby Bowden has been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition, the Hall of Fame coach announced in a statement to the Tallahassee Democrat on Wednesday."I've always tried to serve God's purpose for my life, on and off the field, and I am prepared for what is to come," Bowden said in the statement. "My wife Ann and our family have been life's greatest blessing. I am at peace."The Bowden family asked for privacy as the 91-year-old deals with his health. Bowden tested positive for COVID-19 in October and also was hospitalized in June for five days."I feel fine but I can't do much," Bowden told the newspaper on July 5.Current Seminoles coach Mike Norvell took to social media to share his feelings on Bowden.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said Tuesday "our quarterback" has racked up nearly $1 million in endorsements, a presumptive reference to redshirt freshman quarterback Bryce Young.Saban made the comments speaking at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention. Young, who signed a deal with Creative Artists Agency on July 2, hasn't even officially been named the starter for the Crimson Tide this season.The NCAA allowed college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) on July 1."Our quarterback already has approached ungodly numbers -- I'm not going to say what they are -- and he hasn't even played yet. Hasn't even started," Saban said Tuesday. "... It's almost seven figures. And it's like, the guy hasn't even played yet. But that's because of our brand."Young is expected to be named the starter for the Crimson Tide after piloting the first team in the spring game.

The Southeastern Conference isn't planning to postpone football games this fall due to COVID-19.Speaking Monday at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala., commissioner Greg Sankey said the widespread COVID-19 vaccines have made it possible to play safely this fall. If a team faces a coronavirus outbreak, the game will not be rescheduled, he said.So far, six of the 14 football teams in the conference have reached 80 percent vaccination, Sankey said, declining to specify the teams.Last season, SEC teams played a limited number of games, and rosters had to meet a minimum threshold number for the games to go on. He said Monday that he has asked members schools to agree to remove the roster minimums and return to business as usual, pre-pandemic."That means your team needs to be healthy to compete," Sankey said. "If not, that game won't be rescheduled. And thus, to dispose of the game, the forfeit word comes up at this point."The SEC schedule last season was in a constant state of flux to accommodate moving games, and the conference added weeks at the end of the schedule for potential makeup games.

Florida running back Demarkcus Bowman will be eligible to play in 2021 after transferring last fall from Clemson, Gators head coach Dan Mullen told 247 Sports on Monday.Bowman transferred to Gainesville in October 2020, but the NCAA's new transfer rule allowing players to transfer once without sitting out is being retroactively applied to his move.The NCAA implemented the new rule in April.Bowman appeared in two games for Clemson last fall before leaving, carrying the ball nine times for 32 yards.

Malachi Nelson, the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2023, is scheduled to announced his college choice Sunday night.The Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School junior said Saturday he had whittled his choices to Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Southern California.Despite his proximity to USC -- Los Alamitos is about 25 miles south -- Nelson is expected to choose Oklahoma, according to recruiting analysts.The 247Sports composite lists Arch Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl-winning QBs Peyton and Eli Manning, as the nation's top quarterback and No. 1 overall player. His fellow five-star prospect Nelson is ranked No. 5 overall.He's not being eligible to sign a national letter of intent for about 18 months, but the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Nelson said he has seen and heard enough to make his college selection.