Dell Sports – College Football News

Wide receiver Trejan Bridges and running back Seth McGowan, suspects in an alleged armed robbery, won't be returning to the Oklahoma football team, coach Lincoln Riley confirmed."They're not members of our program anymore," Riley said Thursday. "We wish them the very best going forward."Police in Norman, Okla., said last week that they were investigating the players in connection with an alleged armed robbery on April 15. In searching Bridges' apartment the following day, they discovered a Glock .45-caliber handgun, loaded magazines, a bag of what appeared to be marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to a police affidavit obtained by The Athletic.No charges have been filed.Oklahoma announced the suspension of two unidentified players on April 16.

Texas Longhorns linebacker Jake Ehlinger, the younger brother of former Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger, was found dead at age 20 on Thursday, according to police in Austin, Texas.No details about the death were revealed by authorities after they received a call at 12:18 p.m. and responded at the 1200 block of West 22nd Street, an area west of the university campus, where they discovered his body. Police said Ehlinger's death is not considered to be suspicious.The younger Ehlinger had just finished his redshirt freshman season four months earlier, although he did not see game action. His brother Sam had just been selected by the Indianapolis Colts last Saturday in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.According to The American-Statesman, the Colts were assisting Sam Ehlinger in booking a flight to return to Austin to be with his family.

LSU quarterback TJ Finley has entered the NCAA transfer portal, 247Sports reported Thursday.Finley started five games for the Tigers as a true freshman in 2020.He completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 941 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 34 yards and one score.

Buoyed by his doctor's confidence that he would make a full recovery from COVID-19, Clemson star defensive end Justin Foster announced Wednesday he is ending his pandemic-induced retirement after only a few months.Foster, who earned All-ACC honorable mention in 2019, his first season in a starting role, missed the 2020 season after battling the virus in June of that year and later dealing with complications known as long-haul syndrome. He has asthma and allergies, as well.On Feb. 24, as Clemson's spring practice was getting underway, he announced he wasn't coming back for his final year of eligibility. He graduated in December.His football outlook changed in the last few weeks thanks to medical update, he said in a statement released by the school."I went to Duke (Medical Center) a couple weeks ago, and the doctor was positive on me recovering in the near future. In the next month or two, she thought, I'd recover enough to compete at the college level. ... She believed that I will be healthy and, for me, that was a big steppingstone," Foster said.

Former Texas linebacker Juwan Mitchell announced Monday he is transferring to Tennessee.Mitchell led the Longhorns with 62 tackles in 2020, with 4.5 tackles for loss, one pass defended and one fumble recovery. He played in nine games in each of the past two seasons for Texas and will be a senior in 2021.Mitchell entered the transfer portal after the 2019 season as well, but eventually removed himself and remained at Texas. This year, however, the Longhorns replaced coach Tom Herman with Steve Sarkisian, who's implementing his own staff, so Mitchell sought a new start.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Jameson Williams announced Monday he is transferring to Alabama.He entered the transfer portal last week after he was unable to win a starting position in spring workouts. He caught 15 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons with the Buckeyes.Williams posted two images on Twitter wearing a Crimson Tide uniform, with the caption "The Next Chapter."

North Dakota State's streak of reaching the FCS semifinals ended at nine with Sunday's 24-20 quarterfinal loss to Sam Houston State.The Bison last failed to reach the semis in 2010 when they lost 38-31 in overtime to Eastern Washington in the quarterfinals.The following season, the streak began as North Dakota State won eight national championships and lost in the semifinals to James Madison in 2016.

The Southeastern Conference had a record 65 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, breaking its own record of 64 set two years ago.SEC players accounted for 12 of the 32 first-round picks and six of the first 10.The first SEC player off the draft board was Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, the fourth selection by the Atlanta Falcons, followed in succession by wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) of LSU and Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins) of Alabama.In all, 10 members of the Crimson Tide were selected.

Kansas named Buffalo coach Lance Leipold to lead its beleaguered football program on Friday.Leipold received a six-year contract. Financial terms were not announced."It is an exciting and humbling opportunity, and this is a day I will never forget," Leipold, 56, said in a school news release. "We are going to build this program through developing players, discipline and determination. The philosophies engrained in our programs along the way will be key as we turn this around."He replaces Les Miles, who was ousted in March after an investigation showed inappropriate behavior with female students when he coached at LSU.The task ahead of Leipold is a big one. The Jayhawks haven't played in a bowl game since 2008. And since the departure of coach Mark Mangino after the 2009 season, Kansas is 20-108 under Miles, David Beaty, Charlie Weis, Clint Bowen and Turner Gill.Leipold spent the past six seasons with the Bulls, compiling a 37-33 record. But in the past three seasons, the Bulls were 24-10 and received three bowl bids.

An arrest was made in the weekend shooting of Central Michigan quarterback John Keller, who remains in critical but stable condition at a Michigan hospital.Kenneth Thomas, 21, of Detroit, was arrested Tuesday and arraigned Wednesday in Isabella County on 10 felony counts, including two counts of assault with intent to murder, according to mlive.com.The charges stem from an incident early Saturday at an apartment complex in Union Township, Mich., where CMU football players were having a party.A fight apparently broke out after a group that included Thomas was kicked out of the party. Witnesses told police that Thomas returned to a vehicle and retrieved a gun and fired multiple times into the apartment, according to the criminal complaint.Keller, 20, was shot in the chest. He was airlifted to a hospital in Flint and his condition is said to be improving, per an update to a GoFundMe page set up to help with medical costs.

Ole Miss fired offensive line coach and running game coordinator Randy Clements on Tuesday, three days after the Rebels held their spring game.Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin made the announcement after numerous outlets reported the story in the morning."After meeting with Coach Clements, it was determined that it's in the best interest of both sides to part ways," Kiffin said in a statement. "We're grateful to Coach for the job he did for our team over the past year, and we wish him and his family the very best moving forward."Clements, who has spent 30 years as a coach, joined Kiffin in Oxford after the former was named head coach in December 2019. Prior to that, Clements spent one season at Florida State.

Former New Mexico State linebacker Devin Richardson is transferring to Texas, 247Sports reported Sunday.The 6-foot-3, 237-pound Richardson had 69 tackles and two sacks in 10 starts as a redshirt freshman in 2019.The Aggies' 2020 season was postponed to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Richardson played in one game, registering eight tackles against Tarleton State on Feb. 21.

Central Michigan quarterback John Keller is hospitalized in critical condition after being shot at a party, police said.Keller, 20, was shot in the chest after a fight broke out at an off-campus party in Mount Pleasant, Mich., at about 1 a.m. local time Saturday, according to the Isabella County Sheriff's Department.Keller was transported by helicopter to Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Mich., and is "fighting for his life," according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family to help with medical expenses.

Texas landed the commitment of four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy, about a week after he asked for his release from his national letter of intent from Michigan.Worthy, who is ranked as the No. 8 wide receiver in the Class of 2021 by the 247Sports composite, announced his decision in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday.From Fresno, Calif., Worthy signed his national letter of intent with Michigan on Dec. 16. Worthy graduated early from Central East High School and planned to enroll at Michigan in the spring, but did not.On April 15, he requested a release from his commitment to Michigan, which coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines apparently granted."Since graduating (high school), I looked forward to starting my college football career at the University of Michigan," Worthy tweeted that day. "However, due to circumstances beyond my control, things did not go as planned -- and I have submitted a NLI release request.

Looking to move past multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct over the past decade, LSU announced Friday night that it was firing its law firm and wiping out the records of former running back Derrius Guice.The school also is banning Guice from future involvement with the Tigers in light of numerous allegations of sexual assault or misconduct during his time at LSU, 2015-17. In the past year, he was charged three times with domestic violence.The Taylor Porter law firm had represented LSU for 80 years but is out largely due to its perceived missteps regarding sexual misconduct allegations against then-coach Les Miles in 2013.LSU board chair Robert Dampf told The Advocate of Baton Rouge, La., on Friday, "These are difficult decisions, and the board has tried to work to get it right. We regret some of the actions we've had to take. But these are very complicated, fact-specific issues. They take time."The school recently suspended or transferred several athletic department staffers over their past actions or inactions regarding sexual-misconduct allegations.In 2013, Taylor Porter investigated allegations against Miles levied by a female student accusing him of unwanted advances. Miles denied the allegations then and continues to deny them. ESPN reported that the findings indicated only three of 16 LSU board members were notified of the investigation.

College football is keeping its options open for future expansion, according to a report Friday from the College Football Playoff management committee.The committee was presented with options ranging from six to 16 teams in the new system."Since January 2019, when the presidents charged us with taking a careful look at all aspects of CFP, including the format, this group has diligently evaluated options for the future," said Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the CFP. "Its efforts were delayed as a result of the pandemic, but it met again this week in Dallas, and we look forward to hearing more when its work is complete."I want to remind everyone that whatever recommendations the management committee may make, all decisions about our future format -- whether to remain at four teams or change to a different format -- will be made by the 11 presidents and chancellors who manage the CFP."Despite the recent proposals, Hancock said the CFP committee remains content with the current format for the time being."We are entering the eighth year of our 12-year agreement for the College Football Playoff and the management committee is extremely satisfied with the popularity and success of the CFP. It is wise and good management to review where we stand as we discuss what the future might -- 'might,' for emphasis -- look like."The CFP has a group comprised of four members -- Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame's athletic director Jack Swarbrick -- who are expected to report on potential future changes at a meeting which could take place as soon as this summer.Multiple conferences have pushed for expansion, including the Pacific-12 Conference, which has been left out of the playoff in five of the seven playoff seasons.

Alabama backup quarterback Jayden George has put his name in the transfer portal, 247Sports reported Friday.The son of former NFL quarterback Jeff George, he walked on with the Crimson Tide in 2019. He redshirted his first year on campus and didn't see action in a game last season.The 6-foot-3 George played in high school at Warren Central in Indianapolis and led his team to the Indiana Class 6A state championship in 2018.

West Virginia and Neal Brown have agreed on a contract extension that will keep the head coach in Morgantown through the 2026 season, the school announced Thursday.Brown, 41, had four years remaining on his original deal. In total, the six-year contract is worth $23.85 million with an average yearly salary of $3.975 million."Coach Brown and I are committed to the future success of our football program," West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said in a statement. "I am pleased with the upward trajectory of the program and its culture. Our student-athletes have excelled on the field and in the classroom, and the overall leadership of Mountaineer football is strong."

A rule change aimed at shortening overtime and reducing the risk of injury in college football was approved Thursday by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel.Under the rule, which will take effect at the start of the 2021 season, teams must attempt a 2-point conversion beginning with the second overtime period.In the first and second overtime periods, teams will continue to start with the ball at their opponent's 25-yard-line in an attempt to score a touchdown or field goal.If the game remains tied after two overtimes, the teams will not be given the ball to try to score touchdown or field goal. Instead, the NCAA is installing a 2-point shootout, similar to an NHL shootout.

Washington linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui will have surgery this week for a torn Achilles tendon and could miss the entire 2021 season, Huskies coach Jimmy Lake announced Wednesday.As a sophomore last season, Tupuola-Fetui led the Pac-12 with seven sacks in just three games. He made the All-Pac-12 first team and the Associated Press All-America third team.Tupuola-Fetui sustained the injury during a scrimmage drill on Friday. The expected recovery time is 6-10 months.