College Football

TAMPA — For all of its maddening inconsistency in the 2023 regular season, for all its porous efforts that fans had difficulty digesting, USF’s defense left its loyalists with a surprisingly pleasant aftertaste. That 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl rout of a diminished Syracuse offense showed a national audience what Bulls fans had seen only in spurts in the preceding months. …

Gee Scott Jr. is back for a fifth season of Ohio State football. Scott is projected to lead an Ohio State tight end room this fall that includes Ohio transfer Will Kacmarek, returners Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman, and newcomers Max LeBlanc and Damarion Witten, who could move between the tight end and wide receiver position. Here’s what to know …

North Carolina is a focal point for Tennessee football recruiting, Vols coach Josh Heupel said Tuesday. “It is a border state,” Heupel said before Tennessee begins preseason practices Wednesday. “For us, we believe and look at it and view it as part of our footprint. We are intentional in how we recruit that state.” Heupel’s comments come in the midst …

NORFOLK — Norfolk State continued its progression into fall camp on Tuesday. Now that the Spartans are a week into practice, head coach Dawson Odums said his team is entering the “hardest” week of camp. “We’ve had some good days,” Odums said. “Guys are retaining information. This is the hardest week. That second week — pushing through, challenging themselves physically …

GAINESVILLE — They might not seem like much to the Florida Gators and their nine-figure athletic budget. One more staffer in Billy Napier’s army. Another piece of equipment. But if Napier’s team has a chance of making it to a bowl and returning to respectability, the additions could end up as two of the most important investments UF has made …

It may not sting as much as losing Trevor Etienne, but Florida football lost a key staff member to rival Georgia over the weekend when Mark Robinson left the Florida Gators for the Bulldogs to become their chief of staff. Robinson was hired as chief of staff for UF last January, essentially a front-office role to evaluate personnel in college …

There’s been another patch to the biggest sports video game in years. What’s in the latest College Football 25 patch? EA Sports detailed what was in the update on its Answers HQ page. The patch included mostly minor updates, including stability to the game’s servers. College Football 25 is the first game in the Orlando-based company’s college football franchise since …

Portland, Ore., offensive lineman Zac Stascausky de-committed from the Gophers recruiting class on Tuesday. The three-star, 6-foot-6 and 275-pound recruit first committed to Minnesota on June 8. He picked up a scholarship offer from Washington on July 19 and reportedly visited the Seattle campus last weekend. “After countless conversations with my family and coaches, I will be de-commiting from the …

WEST LAFAYETTE — Dillon Thieneman has played just 12 games in his Purdue football career. Already, the sophomore safety has a banner hanging in Mollenkopf Athletic Facility recognizing his All-American status as a freshman last season. He’s been Big Ten Freshman of the Year and all-conference. And now, preseason honors are rolling in prior to his second season in gold …

South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski throws a pass while warming up before the FCS semifinal game against Montana State on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, SD. South Dakota State quarterback and reigning Walter Payton Award winner Mark Gronowski was named to a 35-player preseason watch list for the 2024 Walter Payton Award Tuesday …

The second shoe has yet to drop in the NCAA’s investigation of Michigan football, but the first one has officially touched ground. And Jim Harbaugh was caught wearing the smelly cleat. The NCAA’s Notice of Allegations against the Wolverines recently went public, and while the basics of UM’s football follies already had been reported, the devil in the details finally …

Bartlett football is enjoying a more traditional offseason this summer. Second-year coach Chris Smith is in his first full offseason after departing Haywood to take the job in May 2023, just months before games began. “We feel a lot better about this year since they’ve had a full year in our weightlifting program and of course we’ve gotten to build …

Tight ends play a pivotal role on offense as both run blockers and pass catchers, and there are plenty of good ones in the Big 12. The conference boasts returning standouts such as West Virginia’s Kole Taylor and Iowa State’s Benjamin Brahmer. But it also features newcomers such as Utah’s Brant Kuithe and Houston’s Maliq Carr. Here are the top …

It’s a comeback season for many high school tailbacks in Oklahoma high school football. Several premier running backs had their 2023 campaigns cut short due to injuries, but they’re ready to replenish their teams’ backfield depth this year. For others, it’s time to build after breakout football seasons a year ago. Expect to see plenty of electric touchdown runs when these dominant …

Caden Gaston is a weapon. And any time the Nocona senior touches the football, he’s got a chance to score. “He’s just an athlete,” Nocona coach Brad Crutsinger said. “He’s one of the best athletes that I’ve ever coached. He’s really grown up a lot mentally. Athletically, he’s just able to do things that aren’t easy to do. He’s incredible.” …