Incoming UAB freshman football player Jamari Smith drowned Wednesday afternoon in a lake in Lee County, Ala. He was 18."Our hearts are broken to learn about the tragic passing of Jamari Smith," UAB coach Bill Clark said in a statement Thursday. "We want to send our deepest condolences to the entire Smith family. Jamari was an upstanding young man with an extremely bright future. He'll always be a Blazer."Coroner Bill Harris told AL.com that Smith was swimming with friends at the lake when he apparently grew tired and slipped below the surface. First responders found him underwater and rushed him to the emergency room at East Alabama Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:05 p.m. No foul play is suspected, Harris told AL.com, and the case is being treated as an accidental drowning.

The University of Minnesota announced Wednesday that it has severed some ties with the Minneapolis Police Department, including contracting officers to provide security at home football games.The move announced by university president Joan Gabel comes two days after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being pinned down by white police officers executing an arrest.Gabel sent a letter to students, faculty and staff members Wednesday night, stating her instructions to university officials to "no longer contract the Minneapolis Police Department" to provide security large on-campus events, including Gophers football games."Our hearts are broken after watching the appalling video capturing the actions of Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers against George Floyd leading to his tragic death," Gabel said in her letter. "As a community, we are outraged and grief-stricken. I do not have the words to fully express my pain and anger and I know that many in our community share those feelings, but also fear for their own safety. This will not stand."Gabel said the university will also cease using the MPD for specialized services, such as "K-9 explosive detection units." Gabel said the MPD's role on campus will be limited to "joint patrols and investigations that directly enhance the safety of our community."

The Pac-12 conference announced Tuesday it will allow for voluntary, in-person athletic workouts for all sports beginning June 15.The ruling is subject to individual schools' decisions about their own campuses, along with any local government regulations in effect."As educational institutions, our highest obligation is to the health and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff," Pac-12 CEO group chair and University of Colorado chancellor Philip DiStefano said in a statement. "As we considered the pros and cons of taking steps that can pave a path to returning to play, those considerations were foremost, guided by the advice of our own medical experts along with public health officials."Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott added in a statement, "The Pac-12 is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes, and the decision to allow for voluntary workouts, subject to a determination by each school, is guided by the advice of our medical experts and will be supported by the detailed protocols established by our medical advisory committee in concert with our campus' own safety guidelines."As states have either already opened or begin to open up access to parks, gyms and other training facilities, student-athletes should have the option at this time to be in, what for many, will be a much safer environment on campus, where they can have access to the best available health, well-being and training support."The conference also laid out detailed protocols to be followed when athletes return.

Quarterback Peyton Ramsey's intra-Big Ten transfer from Indiana to Northwestern became official on Wednesday.Ramsey announced the move on social media in March, before Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald finally confirmed it.In addition, Fitzgerald announced the addition of punter Derek Adams, a transfer from Kent State. Both Ramsey and Adams are graduate transfers, making them eligible to play for the Wildcats in 2020."We are thrilled to welcome Peyton and Derek to our football family," Fitzgerald said in a team statement. "The graduate education opportunities at Northwestern are unparalleled, as is the opportunity to compete at the highest level of college football. We look forward to welcoming them properly when we all return to Evanston to prepare for the 2020 season."Ramsey will give Northwestern a much-needed boost at the quarterback position.In 2019, the Wildcats were 126th (of 130) teams in FBS in passing, averaging just 117 yards per game. Their six passing touchdowns were tied for second fewest in the nation.

Reggie Bush asked ESPN to remove a story from its website on Monday after the outlet ran quotes Bush gave to Playboy in an interview published last week.During the interview, the former Southern California star running back and Heisman Trophy winner was asked if he would ever consider going into coaching. The 35-year-old said no, and took the time to criticize the NCAA's recent support for student-athletes to sign endorsement contracts and receive payment for other work."Nope, no coaching for me," Bush said in response. "Maybe I'd take a front-office position, but I'm not trying to go back and coach. I would like to help people, but I'd rather just pop in for guidance. Guidance is the one thing that young athletes coming through the college system miss on so much. I missed on it. They're about to start paying college athletes. This is something that has never been experienced before, and it's going to destroy some people if their foundation is not in the right place.ESPN ran a story on the interview Monday, with the headline, "Reggie Bush says paying college athletes will 'destroy some people.'"Later in the day, Bush tweeted, "Dear @espn I did not speak to you, I never gave you approval to write this story, this is not what I said nor the context I said it in, and your trying to use my name with this bogus headline for clickbait. Let's not allow this to happen again."The network later issued a statement on air: "ESPN is trying to contact Reggie Bush for clarification."

Three-star quarterback Jalen Kitna of Burleson, Texas, committed to Florida on Tuesday.The son of former NFL quarterback Jon Kitna is the nation's No. 27 pro-style QB prospect in the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite.The younger Kitna broke the news on social media, tweeting "Committed" with an image of himself in a Gators uniform and the hashtag "ChompDown21."

Four-star recruit and top 10 OLB Junior Colson committed to Michigan on Sunday.The 6-foot-2 Colson, out of Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tenn., picked the Wolverines ahead of his home state Tennessee Volunteers, LSU, Ole Miss and Oregon among 30 offers.Colson is considered the nation's No. 8 outside linebacker and No. 116 prospect overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.Colson told 247Sports he's going to wear No. 5 and that the Wolverines plan to use him the way they used another player who wore that number."They want to use me like they used Jabrill Peppers," Colson told 247Sports. "I looked up to Jabrill since I was real young. I have a Jabrill Peppers jersey. It's a great fit."

Ohio State bolstered its 2021 No. 1 recruiting class with the addition of Arizona four-star cornerback Denzel Burke.The 6-foot Burke, out of Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., selected the Buckeyes over his other finalists: USC, Washington, Oregon, and Colorado. Burke had more than two dozen offers overall.Burke made his announcement on Twitter."I am grateful to all the schools that recruited and believed in me," Burke said. "I am extremely excited and blessed to announce that I will be continuing my education and football career at THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY!!!!"

Kentucky linebacker Chris Oats has been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical issue, the school announced.While the university did not divulge the severity of the situation, KentuckySportsRadio.com reported that the issue is considered "very serious." Coach Mark Stoops tweeted more information on Saturday, asking the Kentucky community to keep the Oats family "in your thoughts and prayers.""He's in the hospital due to a medical issue we can confirm isn't related to COVID 19. He's expected to move to a physical rehabilitation center in the near future, but beyond that his family has requested that their privacy be respected during this time," Stoops wrote.

The Big Ten is planning to allow member schools to make their own decisions about when to reopen their athletic complexes for on-campus workouts, ESPN reported.The approach is a break from the SEC and Big 12, which mandated uniform reopening dates for their schools. Instead, the Big Ten is deferring to NCAA and local guidelines for its universities to follow. It follows the path taken by the ACC, which also allowed its member schools to decide on reopening.Ohio State has set a date of June 8 to allow athletes back to campus, pending university approval. Illinois announced plans for a staggered return of its athletes that would begin June 3-8.

The Big 12 will let football programs hold voluntary on-campus workouts beginning June 15, a move that was approved Friday during a vote among the conference's board of directors.The decision comes on the heels of the Southeastern Conference's decision earlier Friday to allow football players to begin on-campus voluntary workouts June 8.Not only will Big 12 football players be able to use school athletic facilities, but they also will have access to support staff."We remain optimistic and are continuing to plan for football this season, and this is another positive step towards preparing for that," Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. "We were able to get some of our football coaches and staff in the offices this week, and all went well with the health and safety measures we put into place for that. We've also been working on plans, procedures and health and safety measures in order to get student-athletes on campus."Given the approval today by the Big 12 and our campus that we can bring football student-athletes back for voluntary workouts with our strength and conditioning staff on June 15, the wheels are now fully in motion to begin preparations for that."The start of voluntary workouts for football players will be the first wave in the return of student-athletes to Big 12 campuses. Volleyball, soccer and cross country athletes can return July 1 in advance of their fall seasons.Student-athletes in winter sports such as men's and women's basketball and can access Big 12 athletic facilities on July 15.

Mississippi State defensive back Jarrian Jones is transferring to rival Ole Miss, 247Sports reported Saturday.He played in 11 games for the Bulldogs as a true freshman in 2019, including one start at cornerback against Texas A&M on Oct. 26.Jones finished the season with 12 tackles, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery.

Mississippi State defensive back Jarrian Jones is transferring to rival Ole Miss, 247Sports reported Saturday.He played in 11 games for the Bulldogs as a true freshman in 2019, including one start at cornerback against Texas A&M on Oct. 26.Jones finished the season with 12 tackles, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery.

Another member of the Newton family aims to play quarterback at Auburn, as Caylin Newton announced Friday his intention to transfer to the school where his brother Cam won a Heisman Trophy.Caylin Newton, who played two-plus seasons at Howard, will have two more years of eligibility remaining, but he will have to make the Tigers' roster as a walk-on. He would be permitted to play immediately as a graduate transfer.Caylin Newton left the Howard program last fall, early in his third season after two impressive seasons. The 6-foot, 195-pounder was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference offensive player of the year as a sophomore after earning the conference's rookie of the year award as a freshman.He combined for 5,876 yards passing for Howard, with 41 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal in October after playing in four games in 2019."While I'm playing football, I want to be able to compete at the highest level and compete for a championship," Caylin Newton told The Undefeated in October.

Count Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley among the college football principals who believe June 1 is too soon for players to return to campus.Given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and known variables regarding the communicability of the virus in team settings, Riley is adamant that bringing his roster of more than 100 to Norman, Okla., is "ridiculous.""We're not the NFL," Riley told The Oklahoman. "There are some huge, huge differences in us being able to put on a successful season versus a professional league. We're not the NBA. We don't just have 15 players. This is a totally different deal. I do believe if we do it right and if we're patient enough on some key areas like when we bring our players back on campus ... that we will be able to play a season."Riley is in the outspoken minority on getting college football players together. Across the state, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said he wanted players back May 1.According to reports, Southeastern Conference programs voted to return June 1 with only one dissenting opinion -- Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer -- before the NCAA adopted that plan."This has nothing to do or very little to do with actually putting them in a weight room or workout facility," Riley said. "Sure, we can put 10 guys in a facility, social distance them, sanitize it and make it safe. That's not the point. We cannot control over 100 players for that amount of time and know exactly what they're going to do."These guys are 18 to 22 years old. They're going to socialize. They're going to want to be around each other. They're going to want to be around their peers. And that makes it dangerous, not only for our players, but also for our staff ... you've got a lot of staff members that are in a more susceptible age range."There is no requirement, per se, for Big 12 programs to bring players together in June.

Arkansas State agreed to a restructured contract extension with head coach Blake Anderson on Friday.Terms were not disclosed. Last season, Anderson earned $825,000, second among Sun Belt Conference coaches behind Louisiana's Billy Napier at $875,000.Anderson, 51, has posted a 47-30 record and earned six bowl invitations in six seasons in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves won Sun Belt titles in 2015 and 2016."Due to our unprecedented FBS success under a head coach with Blake's tenure, we started the process before the 2019 season to extend his contract," athletic director Terry Mohajir said in a statement. "During this process, it gave us an opportunity to restructure his contract as well to be more beneficial for all parties. We believe this strengthens the continuity for our emerging football brand with Blake serving as a strong leader for our young guys in their athletics and academic pursuits. He has been very instrumental in our development of lettermen who go on to be great alumni representing Arkansas State University so well."Anderson served as the offensive coordinator at North Carolina (2012-13) and Southern Miss (2010-11) before taking over at Arkansas State.

Southeastern Conference programs are clear to host voluntary workouts with student-athletes present on campus starting June 8.The SEC announced the decision with added social-distancing measures required on Friday in response to the NCAA this week clearing member institutions to host workouts starting June 1.During a meeting Friday with all 14 SEC universities represented by chancellors and presidents, approval was given for all programs to begin workouts while also operating under state and local guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic."The safe and healthy return of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and our greater university communities have been and will continue to serve as our guiding principle as we navigate this complex and constantly-evolving situation," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "At this time, we are preparing to begin the fall sports season as currently scheduled, and this limited resumption of voluntary athletic activities on June 8 is an important initial step in that process. Thanks to the blueprint established by our Task Force and the dedicated efforts of our universities and their athletics programs, we will be able to provide our student-athletes with far better health and wellness education, medical and psychological care and supervision than they would otherwise receive on their own while off campus or training at public facilities as states continue to reopen."In addition to college football, men's and women's basketball programs have permission for individual workouts on campus.Measures related to football starting fall camp and on-field team workouts are being discussed by the NCAA and could be put to vote the first week of June.The SEC dictated the adoption of additional safety measures for workouts to take place in June:--A three-stage screening process that involves screening before student-athletes arrive on campus, within 72 hours of entering athletics facilities and on a daily basis upon resumption of athletics activities

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Wednesday that social-distancing modeling done by the school shows that at least 22,000 fans could watch football games this fall, roughly one-fifth the capacity of Ohio Stadium.In a conference call with reporters, Smith said that the university has "played a little bit" with the concept of social distancing and that Ohio Stadium could support up to 40,000-50,000 fans, if guidelines are loosened. The stadium boasts a seating capacity of 102,780."We're fortunate, with 100,000 seats in the stadium," Smith told reporters. "So could we implement the current CDC guidelines, state guidelines around physical distancing, mask requirements and all those types of things in an outdoor environment and have obviously significantly less fans than we are used to?"I think it's possible. I just feel like we have the talent and skill and space capacity to provide an opportunity for a certain number of fans to have access to our particular stadium."Smith said Tuesday that football players would be allowed back to the athletic complex June 8 for voluntary workouts, with strict guidelines in place.

No college football in 2020 would come at the cost of $4 billion and the elimination of other non-revenue sports across the NCAA, according to a report from ESPN.Already facing massive reductions in revenue from the abrupt end of the college basketball season, including the absence of postseason tournaments in men's and women's basketball, schools are attempting to address the potential for an even bigger hit this fall if the coronavirus pandemic forces college football off the field.ESPN reported Thursday the loss could exceed $4 billion -- approximately $1.2 billion of it in ticket-related revenue -- and the ripple effects would last decades."If there's no football season, or if football season is interrupted or shortened, there will be a massive fallout," TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati told ESPN. "There would have to be massive cutbacks. Could the department go on? Sure. It would probably look smaller. There would potentially be fewer sports and much less programming."ESPN cited a study undertaken by Washington University's Dr. Patrick Rishe, who used public data and records to assemble the financial fallout that would follow the cancellation of the entire 2020 college football season.

Vanderbilt promoted Candice Storey Lee to athletic director on Thursday, making her the first woman to hold the job at the school.She also becomes the first African American woman to serve in the role in the Southeastern Conference, according to the conference.Lee has worked at the school for more than 15 years and had been interim athletic director since Malcolm Turner resigned in February."Candice is perfectly positioned to lead our athletics program to new heights of success on and off the field of play. She has the drive, creativity, and perseverance to help elevate our student-athletes, and the entire Vanderbilt Athletics program," incoming chancellor Daniel Diermeier said in a statement. "The progress that Vanderbilt Athletics has achieved in recent years, and our very high aspirations for the future, are grounded in the university's commitment both to academic excellence and to preparing our student-athletes to play and win in one of the most, if not the most, competitive conferences in the country. Candice is the living embodiment of these values and aspirations."She will have the title of vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs, as well as athletic director.