7:32 AM ET Back in October, Alabama coach Nick Saban finally waved the white flag. The longtime defensive connoisseur had seen enough. The idea that “defense wins championships,” much to Saban’s dismay, is a relic of college football’s past. “It used to be that good defense beats good offense,” Saban said before a win over
NCAAF
8:59 PM ET Former Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who entered the transfer portal three weeks ago, will transfer to Washington State, he announced Friday. Guarantano started seven games in 2020 for the Volunteers, and 32 in his career, before losing his starting job late in the season to Harrison Bailey. Washington State started true freshman
5:52 PM ET Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey will not return for the 2021 season after helping the team to a Big Ten West Division title in his only season as a Wildcat. Ramsey informed head coach Pat Fitzgerald and offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian of his plans Friday, a team spokesman told ESPN. He also posted
8:02 PM ET Indiana senior wide receiver Ty Fryfogle announced he was returning to play for the Hoosiers in 2021. Fryfogle had an opportunity to declare for the NFL draft after being named the Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year in the 2020 season but decided to use his last year of eligibility in
7:29 PM ET Boise State football is hiring Oregon defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, a former player and assistant at the school, as its next head coach, sources confirmed to ESPN. Avalos, 39, spent the past two seasons at Oregon, helping the Ducks to consecutive Pac-12 championships. He came to Oregon from Boise State, where he
6:22 PM ET Notre Dame hired Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman to take on the same role with the Fighting Irish, it was announced Friday. Freeman fills the vacancy left by Clark Lea, who left Notre Dame to become head coach at Vanderbilt. Freeman, who will also work with the linebackers at Notre Dame, had
4:14 PM ET Jim Harbaugh has signed a contract extension to remain Michigan‘s coach, he told 247 Sports on Friday. A source confirmed to ESPN that it is a five-year extension that includes a lower base salary and many performance incentives. Harbaugh had one year left on his initial contract at Michigan, which paid the
3:01 PM ET No. 3 Ohio State is boarding a plane to Miami as planned on Saturday to face No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, a school spokesman told ESPN on Friday afternoon, officially ending speculation that the biggest game of the season might have to be postponed. “The
10:59 AM ET A day after losing offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to Auburn, new South Carolina coach Shane Beamer has found his replacement. Carolina Panthers assistant coach Marcus Satterfield has agreed to a deal to become the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN. Satterfield spent this past season working as an assistant offensive line coach
12:54 PM ET Cincinnati starting quarterback Desmond Ridder, who guided the team to an American Athletic Conference title and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl this season, will return in 2021. Ridder announced his decision Friday in a video posted to Twitter, under the heading “One Last Ride,” that was also tweeted by the
11:23 AM ET Penn State coach James Franklin has hired Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, replacing Kirk Ciarrocca after only one season with the Nittany Lions. Yurcich had been the offensive coordinator at Texas in 2020 after one season at Ohio State in 2019 and six seasons as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma
7:00 AM ET Jackson He’s adventure as a foreign exchange student started ordinarily enough. A native of Shaoguan, China, a city in the Guangdong Province about 175 miles north of Hong Kong in the south of China, he was sent by his parents to San Diego, where the plan was to have him spend a
7:55 PM ET As Alabama prepares for Monday’s national championship game, multiple Crimson Tide players were honored with individual awards Thursday at the Home Depot College Football Awards. As expected, Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith won the Fred Biletnikoff Award (best receiver), while quarterback Mac Jones (Davey O’Brien) and left tackle Alex Leatherwood (Outland) were
6:05 PM ET Miami Hurricanes tight end Brevin Jordan declared for the NFL draft on Thursday. In a statement posted to social media, Jordan wrote: “The University of Miami has been nothing but royalty to me! Throughout my three years, I’ve learned so many values and lessons that I will carry with me for the
4:22 PM ET Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Thursday that his team is on track to play in the College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T against No. 1 Alabama on Monday despite ongoing coronavirus issues. In his first comments since reports earlier in the week that there were discussions about possibly delaying
4:19 PM ET Former Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker is headed to Tennessee, he announced Thursday on Twitter. “Dream chasing is an occupation, those with the job understand the process of manifestation. Committed,” Hooker said in a post on Twitter that featured a picture of Neyland Stadium and him in a Volunteers jersey. Hooker will
8:00 AM ET ESPN staff Complaining about the College Football Playoff has become its own form of sport for many fan bases around the country — usually those outside Tuscaloosa, Alabama, central Ohio and the southernmost Carolina. This year, those grievances grew louder, as a pandemic challenged the typical criteria for the committee, new rules
11:12 AM ET Adam Rittenberg Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Mark Schlabach Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia South Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and offensive line coach Will Friend