CFB DeptHITS: Monday, December 23
Cruising through the CFP and bowl games, while keeping up with the portal news and coaching changes. Get the 'need to knows' and a little more for you sickos. Plus, two bowl games today to preview.
Plenty of news to get you caught up on as the on-field results were less-than exciting, it won’t be long before these games give us all what we are looking for. Most teams now have turned their sights on 2025 and we are making sure we are keeping up with the fray. Over 2,100+ players we are tracking in our ‘Portal Tracker’ with now 30% of those (just under 650) already announcing their future homes for next season.
|||||| PORTAL MOVEMENT OF NOTE
Be sure to check out our full ‘Portal Tracker’ at the site. It includes not just names and positions, but actual player ratings that tell you how impactful each addition (and loss) is for each squad in the early going. More insights coming on a team-level, but for now, here is what you need to know:
Note: the number in [ ] is our proprietary player ratings (out of 20)…
Missouri ::: Eli Drinkwitz and the Mizzou offense have their quarterback for 2025 and its Penn State transfer Beau Pribula [16.1']. He heads from State College to Columbia and will most likely earn the starting spot. An exciting pickup for the Tigers as Brady Cook plays his final game in the upcoming bowl, Pribula has two years of eligibility left and is already grading out as a top dual threat option in this portal class.
Vanderbilt ::: WR Trent Hudson [15.1] burst on the scene in 2023 with New Mexico State and left for Mississippi State in 2024. He did not see the field due to injuries and perhaps other factors. He now heads to Nashville and we haven't forgotten about that big potential. Diego Pavia adds a weapon that we hope is given the opportunity to flash those skills in 2025.
Florida State ::: WR Duce Robinson [14.7] is moving cross-country to join the Seminoles from USC. He was one of the top recruits in the 2023 class. He started to show some of that big potential in 2024 with just under 400 yards receiving and five touchdowns. He'll now join the 'Noles and this offense looks to reach that high ceiling with a freak athlete.
Michigan State ::: OL Matt Gulbin [14.4] is moving to join Jonathan Smith's offensive line in East Lansing. He played primarily a solid left guard but also can play center if/when needed. He will likely either take Brandon Baldwin's spot at right guard or Luke Newman will move over there. They need an upgrade on the interior of the line and this is a good start. That versatility is a bonus.
Western Michigan ::: The Broncos are losing a really good running back as Jaden Nixon [15.2] is hitting the portal. He's a former Oklahoma State Cowboy and racked up 134 carries for 874 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He did share the backfield with a couple of other good ones in Jalen Buckley and Zahir Abdus-Salaam. He'll look for a featured role elsewhere with one season left.
Liberty ::: QB Ethan Vasko [16.1] had a delayed reunion with Jamey Chadwell as he stayed to get his starts at Coastal and now will head to Liberty to reuite with his old coach. And with Kaidon Salter moving on to Colorado, the door is open for him to take over the reigns of the offense. A solid replacement for Chadwell and the Flames offense.
West Virginia ::: What a story CB Jordan Scruggs [14.8] has been. He's come from the Division 2 level, to JUCO, to South Alabama and now lands at West Virginia for his final season. His rating has him as a well above average player and will make an impact for the Mountaineer defense in 2025.
Bowling Green ::: The Falcons got a big commitment from the FCS level as LB Gideon Lampron [14.3] is going to continue his career there. He rates out as one of the best players looking to level up this portal season. He racked up 82 tackles and seven sacks for the Flyers in 2024. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Georgia Tech ::: LB Melvin Jordan IV [15.2] has committed to the Yellow Jackets, coming in from Oregon State where he had a really sold season and is best known for his run stopping ability [15.3].
LSU ::: The Tigers are addressing a glaring need on the offensive line with the addition of Virginia Tech transfer Braelin Moore [13.7]. He will likely overtake DJ Chester [9.8] who did not grade out well at all despite playing a full-time role at the position in 2024. Chester is a redshirt freshman who needs to improve quite a bit to hold on to that job.
TCU ::: WR Jordan Dwyer [12.9] is heading to Fort Worth after showing up at Idaho last season, catching 68 passes for 1,015 yards and ten touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how he translates that success in the Big 12 next season. His rating has him in the middle-of-the-pack, but there is a slight variable in there for strength of competition.
Duke ::: Manny Diaz loves portal pickups like this one. S Caleb Weaver [15.8] is heading to Durham after showing out for the Bearkats in 2024. He racked up 72 tackles, had 25 stops and picked off four passes. He rates as one of the best in the portal and Duke is getting a really good one for his final year of eligibility.
North Texas ::: The Mean Green get a commitment from Sam Houston transfer CB David Fisher [13.6]. He should play every down and give a boost to a secondary that struggled in 2024.
Arkansas ::: A couple notable pickups for the Razorbacks on defense as Cincinnati transfer CB Jordan Young [14.6 / coverage] and S Quentavius Scandrett [13.4] are headed to Fayetteville. Young is a former 4-star recruit originally signed with the Florida Gators and is now heading back to the SEC. Scandrett spent this season at Eastern Michigan and rates out high. Young is likely to start and Scandrett will be a valuable member of the secondary rotation.
Miami (FL) ::: The Hurricanes continue to load up on defense with the signing of former Michigan State CB Charles Brantley [15.1]. He had three interceptions and six pass breakups for the Spartans this season and projects as an every down player for the Hurricanes in 2025.
Washington ::: LB Xe'ree Alexander [13.8] is heading cross-country from Orlando to Seattle as he announced his intention to join the Huskies for the 2025. The former Idaho Vandal racked up 54 tackles for the Knights and has two years of eligibility remaining. Also, the Huskies get a commitment from impact safety CJ Christian [14.8], also coming from Florida (FIU).
Alabama ::: The Crimson Tide are working their way into the portal mix as they land a top target in WR Isaiah Horton [14.1] from Miami and Colorado LB transfer Nikhai Hill-Green [13.7]. Horton was an important part of the Hurricanes offense with 56 catches for 616 yards and five touchdowns. Nikhai Hill-Green was a top linebacker for Coach Prime and the Buffaloes as he joins his fourth school.
Louisville ::: The Cardinals are getting a top defensive lineman in the portal. Coastal Carolina transfer Clev Lubin [16.4] announced his intentions to sign with Lousville. He absolutely dominated for the Chanticleers, with ten sacks and 27 hurries on the season. He is ranked #3 defensive lineman and #13 overall in our portal rankings.
James Madison ::: A solid get on the defensive line for Bob Chesney and JMU with the commitment of Lacota Dippre [13.9] from Charlotte. He'll add a rotational presence on the edge for the Dukes. He played just under 20 snaps per game for the 49ers and has three years of eligibility left. A name to watch.
Southern Miss ::: A full contingent of wide receivers have followed head coach Charles Huff and QB Braylon Braxton [15.0] to Hattiesburg and are joining the Golden Eagles. That includes Tychaun Chapman [12.6], Chuck Montgomery [12.4], Elijah Metcalf [11.9] and Bralon Brown [10.5].
Arizona ::: Houston Christian and Texas State transfer Ismail Mahdi [15.4] is also heading to Arizona, but he's going to top in Tucson to join the Wildcats. He put up some big numbers in Texas State's fun and fast offense and we'll see how he translates as he levels up. Quali Conley is out of eligibility and it is likely we'll see a similar workload for Mahdi in 2025.
Arizona State ::: The Sun Devils grab their next Cam Skattebo as Army transfer Kanye Udoh [16.0] is heading to Tempe for 2025. The hard running Udoh had a big season for the Black Knights and in a rare transfer out, we'll see how much of that production was driven by scheme and a killer offensive line.
|||||| COACHING MOVEMENT OF NOTE
Marshall ::: Tony Gibson has locked up his offensive coordinator and it's former Rich Rodriguez assistant at Jacksonville State, Rod Smith. He takes on the same OC/quarterbacks coach role at Marshall as he had in 2024 with the Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State ::: The Gamecocks found their next head coach and it's Charles Kelly, the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Auburn. He's been a part of a lot of big-time programs and even has been on staff for two National Championships. He gets his shot to run this program after having been an assistant coach back in 1994-98.
Indiana ::: Curt Cignetti has found his replacement for Tino Sunseri, who is headed to UCLA to join Deshawn Foster's staff -- and it's Chandler Whitmer, the former UConn quarterback who has spent time at Clemson and most recently at the NFL level. He was the Falcons pass game coordinator in 2024 and now takes on the offensive play calling duties in Bloomington.
|||||| BOWL GAMES TODAY
Don’t let these bowl games sneak by you as we are in this crazy news cycle. There are two more today that we have previews and picks over at the site if you are so inclined. Simply click the image to take you to them…
And, that’s our show for today. More bowl previews and transfer portal insights coming this week. Thanks for following along…