CFB DeptHITS: Monday, December 2
We have officially reached the 'post-season' in college football and the HITS will adapt to the news cycle which includes more coaching news, transfer portal buzz and, of course, CFP and Bowls...
As we move into the ‘post-season’ we are going to adjust to the news cycles as we are seeing a lot of coaching news, transfer portal buzz and plenty of player opt out and post-season games - both CFP and Bowls - to keep you up to speed on. We’ll break these into segments each day with the updates…
|||||| LATEST PLAYER STATUS UPDATES
Iowa ::: RB Kaleb Williams had a fantastic 2024 season, rushing 240 times for 1,535 yards and 21 touchdowns after battling for the starting spot early on. That is enough for him to announce his intentions to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. He is unlikely to participate in the Hawkeyes Bowl game.
Hawaii ::: QB Braden Schager was not able to suit up for the Warriors against New Mexico in week 14. That opened the door for backup Micah Alejado to post a line of 37/57 for 469 yards, 5 TD and no interceptions against the hapless Lobos defense.
TCU ::: WR Jack Bech suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the week 14 game. This injury appears to keep him out for a while and we'll track it as TCU moves into post-season mode with a Bowl game upcoming.
Jacksonville State ::: QB Tyler Huff injured his ankle in the week 14 game and did not return. Following the game, head coach Rich Rodriguez did not have an update on his status. The Gamecocks are prepping for the C-USA title game next week and will want their starting quarterback to be a part of it.
Arizona State ::: WR Jordyn Tyson is dealing with an injury to his collarbone and was not able to return after leaving the week 14 game against Arizona. His status going forward is going to be very much worth monitoring as he is an important part of the Sun Devil offense.
Notre Dame ::: RB Jeremiyah Love was injured in the week 14 game, left the field and did not return. His status is something to monitor as the Irish turn their sights to the CFP.
Texas A&M ::: RB Reuben Owens made his debut in 2024 after being severely injured in last seasons' Texas Bowl. He did get just three carries for 10 yards against that tough Texas front seven in his return.
Oregon ::: As expected, WR Tez Johnson made his return to the field for the Ducks in week 14 against Washington. He caught three passes for 36 yards and a score in the 49-21 win over the Huskies. The bigger news is that this Oregon team is getting healthy in time for the Big Ten Championship game and beyond.
USC ::: RB Woody Marks was hurt after six carries against Notre Dame in week 14. He had a big collision with an Irish defender, left the field and did not return. This is one to track as Marks has been their top back all season.
UTEP ::: WR Kam Thomas has been missing from the UTEP lineup since week 10 after it was announced he would be sitting out with a non-football related injury. He made his return to the field for the Miners in week 14. He led the team with four catches for 90 yards, including a 69-yard grab.
Pittsburgh ::: RB Desmond Reid did not travel with the Panthers to take on Boston College in week 14. He's out with an injury. Derrick Davis Jr. got the start and was banged up himself, giving way to Juelz Goff, who took 11 carries but found little to no running room, accumulating just 14 yards.
California ::: QB Fernando Mendoza had an illness that kept him out of the week 14 game against SMU. Chandler Rogers got the start and struggled to an 8/15 for 84 yards. The Bears turned to CJ Harris, who was similarly ineffective, going 6/11 for 75 yards and an interception in the blowout loss.
Michigan ::: RB Donovan Edwards leaves the field during the first half of week 14 against Ohio State. His last carry was with 4:17 left in the second quarter and we have not heard any updates on his status going forward.
Michigan State ::: TE Jack Velling is back for the Spartans after a little absense. He is off the injury report and ready to roll against Rutgers. He caught five of six passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.
Northwestern ::: WR Bryce Kirtz was injured in the week 14 game against Illinois early and was announced 'doubtful' to return. He did not return and that ends his career at Northwestern. He got better each year and if not for injuries this season, it would have been his best. He finishes with 132 catches for 1,779 yards and five touchdowns (all in 2023).
UTSA ::: WR Devin McCuin was back and made an impact in the tight loss to Army in week 14. He caught three passes, including a 23-yard touchdown strike from Owen McCown. He finished with three grabs for 82 yards in the finale. Meanwhile RB Robert Henry is announced 'out' pre-game and gave way to Brandon High Jr. who took 16 carries for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Duke ::: RB Jaquez Moore made his return to the field for the Blue Devils, joining Star Thomas in the backfield. As expected, Thomas still led the way with 14 carries for 66 yards and a score. Moore chipped in with nine carries for 41 yards. Having both around to stay fresh is the best case scenario and that appears to be the case for the upcoming Bowl game.
Virginia Tech ::: Redshirt freshman William "Pop" Watson III got the start for the Hokies as both Kyron Drones and Collin Schlee were not able to play due to injuries. He did a nice job, going 14/21 for 254 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He added 11 carries for 48 yards and another score. It's rare to be three deep at quarterback, but the Hokies appear to be just that.
Illinois ::: WR Zakhari Franklin was a bit banged up going into week 14 but has been cleared to play against Northwestern. He caught three of five targets for 54 yards in the game. He was banged up again and needed to go to the medical tent but did return to the game.
Washington ::: QB Demond Williams Jr. took the starting job over from Will Rogers in week 14. He was very efficient passing the ball, going 17/20 for 201 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions against a very good Oregon defense. He was not able to do much on the ground, as the Ducks front seven swarmed all day long in the 49-21 win.
Michigan ::: TE Colston Loveland will miss the week 14 showdown with Ohio State. This is a very impactful loss for an offense that may have trouble moving the ball on the Buckeyes as it is.
Maryland ::: QB Billy Edwards Jr. was still not able to go week 14 as injuries continue to sideline him. MJ Morris got the start against Penn State and expectedly struggled to 14/24 for 112, one touchdown and three interceptions for the Terps in the 44-7 loss.
|||||| COACHING NEWS AND NOTES
It’s upon us. The head coaches are getting axed and position coaches being replaced. It’s tough to keep up with it all, huh? Well, this may help. We’ve created a “Coaching Carousel” page at the site to help keep you up to speed. Of course, that’s in addition to these daily updates on the HITS…
Kennesaw State ::: The Owls have moved quickly to hire their next head coach, naming Jerry Mack as the new head man. He comes to Kennesaw from his role as the running backs coach for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. Prior to that, he was the running backs coach at Tennessee and has head coaching experience at the FCS level, having led NC Central from 2014-2017.
West Virginia ::: How quickly things can change. After his seat was warming prior to a successful 2023 season, Neal Brown had a new vote of confidence from the administration with a lot of talent returning to the 2024 squad. Unfortunately, things went south quickly and culminated in an embarrassing 52-15 loss to Texas Tech that sealed the fate. Brown was fired the following day. The Mountaineers are looking for their next head man.
UCF ::: Head coach Gus Malzahn has resigned to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. This move is becoming more popular for coaches who don’t seem to want to grind in the “new age” of college football. They would rather just call plays and not have to deal with the growing amount of time dedicated to keeping your own roster happy, while recruiting high school and the Portal and managing NIL expectations.
Purdue ::: The administration has made the "truly difficult decision" to fire head coach Ryan Walters following a 1-11 season. The Boilermakers were non-competitive in most games and their only win was week one against FCS Indiana State. It is time for a reset in West Lafayette. The search begins now.
Florida International ::: Head coach Mike MacIntyre has been fired. The search begins for a new head coach of the Panthers. He went just 12-24 in his three seasons at the helm and was not able to replicate his past successes at other smaller programs.
Texas Tech ::: Head coach Joey McGuire has fired both defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter and secondary coach Marcel Yates after a rough 2024 season defensively. Ironically, it comes after the Red Raiders put up their best defensive performance of the season in the finale against a disinterested West Virginia team, holding them to 15 points. It wasn't enough to save their jobs and McGuire begins the search to fill these roles.
North Carolina ::: Freddie Kitchens has been named the interim head coach of the Tar Heels as Mack Brown departs his role as head coach. Kitchens will coach the Bowl game and the search is on for the next head man in Chapel Hill.
|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL BUZZ
The official window for the transfer portal opens December 9th, but we are already getting wind of some big names heading that way. We’ll get you caught up on the big ones here and will be launching our official “Portal Tracker” feature at the site come next week.
North Carolina State ::: WR Kevin Concepcion will enter the portal after spending two seasons at NC State. He racked up 125 catches for 1,305 yards and 16 touchdowns in those two seasons, but his true freshman campaign was much more successful than his true sophomore season where the was a drop-off and inconsistency at the quarterback position. He will be the most sought after wide out on the market when it opens officially.
Florida International ::: WR Eric Rivers will enter the portal and look for a new place to deploy his skills. Those skills were on full display for the Panthers this year, catching 62 passes for 1,166 yards and 12 touchdowns. He followed up a solid 2023 with this breakout campaign and now will be in prime position to land at a top school with some NIL sure to come into play. He has one year of eligibility remaning.
Middle Tennessee ::: WR Omari Kelly, a transfer-in from Auburn and the teams leading receiver makes is known that he will re-enter the portal after on season for the Blue Raiders. He had a really good one, catching 53 passes for 864 yards and four touchdowns.
UCLA ::: Arkansas transfer WR Jaedon Wilson has made a verbal commitment to the Bruins for 2025. He did not crack the deep wide receiver rotation in Fayetteville and will try to do so elsewhere in 2025. He did catch 15 passes for 199 yards and 2 scores playing both out of the slot and outside for the Razorbacks in 2023.
LSU ::: QB Rickie Collins will enter the portal as he does not, for good reason, see a path to playing time for LSU. He's just a redshirt freshman and was a 4-star recruit back in 2023. He was Garrett Nussmeier's backup this season and he does possess a high upside. He will be sought after, likely by a good number of higher-level G5 schools for his services.
Virginia ::: QB Anthony Colandrea has announced his interest in other programs by entering the portal. He was benched in favor of Tony Muskett and it wasn't a great season for him when he did see the field. He will move on for 2025.
Louisville ::: DL Mason Reiger is entering the portal after beginning his Louisville career as a walk-on, he became a very productive player. He sat out this entire season with injury.
Oklahoma State ::: WR Da'Wain Lofton has announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal. He did not have a big role for the Cowboys this season after coming over from Virginia Tech. He will retain one year of eligibility and will spend it elsewhere.
Louisville ::: OL Madden Sanker has announced his intention to enter the portal when it opens December 9th — he was a 4-star recruit out of Georgia in the 2023 class. He did not see the field this year and will have four years of eligibility remaining.
Kent State ::: WR Chrishon McCray has announced his intention to enter the transfer portal. He was Kent State's leading receiver by yardage and touchdowns, grabbing 39 passes for 711 yards and nine scores for the Flashes. He will be one of the more sought after transfers this off-season.
Ole Miss ::: RB Rashad Amos' transfer to Ole Miss didn't work out the way he had hoped in a crowded room. The transfer-in from Miami (OH) did not work his way into the rotation and now he will re-enter the portal looking for a new home and an opportunity to impact games.
That’s the show for today. Hopefully you found it informative. If so, please subscribe (if you haven’t) and share with your friends. Thank you for the support.
