SOUTH BEND — Nine days into the winter transfer portal window, just one Notre Dame football commitment had gone public: Alabama graduate transfer defensive back DeVonta Smith. The former La Salle High star from Cincinnati, where he was a year ahead of Notre Dame running back Gi’Bran Payne, entered the portal on Dec. 14 and picked the Irish two days …

Officially, the statistics from Sunday’s Steelers-Eagles game say the Steelers lost one turnover, a fumble by quarterback Russell Wilson. Anyone who watched the game knows that’s not what happened. The fumble came when Wilson pitched the ball to running back Najee Harris, who dropped the lateral, couldn’t pick it up, and watched as Philadelphia’s Darius Slay fell on it. The …

Josh Heupel has Tennessee football in the College Football Playoff in his fourth season as Vols coach. The No. 9 Vols (10-2) play at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in the first round of the CFP at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will face No. 1 Oregon (13-0) at the Rose Bowl in …

As another disappointing New York Jets season nears its end, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has some thinking to do. Rodgers and the Jets have had a tough season, going 4-10 and struggling on both sides of the ball. When asked if the way he’s been playing has made him think ahead to next year, the 41-year-old quarterback told reporters on Wednesday …

SOUTH BEND − Welcome to their world. We’re hours out from witnessing college football history. It’s really happening. Soon. The sport’s first 12-team elimination playoff starts Friday (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC) when No. 7 seed Notre Dame (11-1) hosts No. 10 Indiana (11-1) in what promises to be a very cold and possibly very snowy Notre Dame Stadium. Three more games …

Patrick Mahomes seems like he’s on track to take the field on Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who left during a win over the Cleveland Browns early last week and was later diagnosed with a “mild” high ankle sprain, was a full participant in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. While things can still change, that’s a good initial sign …

TAMPA ― Florida football is taking a three-game win streak and a little swagger into its matchup with Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday at Raymond James Stadium (3:30 p.m., ESPN2). The Florida Gators (7-5) are vying for their first eight-win season since going 8-4 in 2020 and their first bowl win since beating Virginia 36-28 in the 2019 …

Minnesota’s Sam Darnold is just the third quarterback in NFL history to reach 3,500 passing yards, 29 TD passes and a 100-plus passer rating in his first 14 games with a team.Photograph: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Before this season, Sam Darnold’s strongest contribution to the NFL canon was “seeing ghosts”. Darnold was one of several quarterbacks selected early in the first …

Ethan Grunkemeyer’s first pass as a Penn State football player could now be one of his most important. The true freshman suddenly appears to be the top backup to starting quarterback Drew Allar. It’s quite a shift for the always-promising, but now quickly-relevant, QB who has not yet played a snap in college. If he, indeed, is listed as the …

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to trend toward playing in Saturday’s game against the Texans. For the second consecutive practice, Mahomes was a full participant despite suffering an ankle sprain during last Sunday’s win over the Browns. With Mahomes practicing fully for the first two days of the week, it appears that barring a setback, he will be on the field …

California v UNLV – Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Despite losing its starting quarterback after three games and head coach 10 days ago, UNLV had its best season in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 24th-ranked Rebels picked up their 11th win and first bowl victory in 24 years Wednesday night when they pulled …

The Saints have signed free agent running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the team announced. Edwards-Helaire will start on the team’s practice squad, which also gives him flexibility to go elsewhere if a contender has a running back injury. The team cut defensive tackle Kendal Vickers from the practice squad in a corresponding move. The Chiefs cut Edwards-Helaire earlier this week, and …

. It was a crazy day in terms of transfer portal recruiting for Michigan football. The Wolverines had appeared to have gotten a commitment and a signing from former Belleville (Mich.) five-star defensive tackle Damon Payne — who has been at Alabama since 2021 — but that’s when things went haywire. Payne had signed with the Wolverines, it was reported …

The Broncos will be short a starting cornerback against the Chargers on Thursday night. Riley Moss has been ruled out for the third straight week. Moss is dealing with a knee injury and was listed as a limited participant in practice the last two days, so a return in Week 16 after an extended break may be in the cards. …

Dec. 18—SEATTLE — Even with coach Jake Dickert leaving and players flocking to the transfer portal, Washington State will not opt out of the Holiday Bowl. WSU Athletic Director Anne McCoy confirmed as much Wednesday, indicating that the Cougars will be in San Diego to play Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl, set for 5 p.m. on Dec. 27. “We are …