Sports Al Dente

A day before Texas and Georgia played in the Southeastern Conference championship game, the Longhorns scored a surprising win over the Bulldogs on the recruiting front.

Justus Terry, a defensive lineman from Manchester, Georgia, announced on Friday that he would leave his home state to play for Texas next year. Terry, who was also considering Georgia and Auburn, was the top remaining uncommitted 2025 prospect in the country.

With Terry’s commitment, Texas now has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, according to rankings compiled by 247Sports.

“We’re super pumped about this recruiting class,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said on Thursday, before Terry made his decision. “This is a very talented group of players that I think not only fit the physical characteristics of what we’re looking for by position in our program, but I think meet the character and are going to fit nicely into our culture.”

Though there will be another signing period in February, 247Sports officials said Texas is expected to maintain its No. 1 spot. Most recruits from the Power Four conferences had already made their college choices this week.

As of Friday afternoon, the top 11 classes included eight Southeastern Conference schools and three Big Ten programs.

Alabama ranks second, Georgia is third, Oregon is fourth, and Ohio State is fifth. Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Tennessee complete the top 10, with Florida at No. 11.

Outside of the SEC and Big Ten, the highest-rated classes are Notre Dame at No. 12 and Miami at No. 14.

Terry is the second-ranked defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 10 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. With his commitment, Texas now has nine of the top 66 recruits in the 247Sports Composite.

Other Texas recruits ranked 66th or higher include safety Jonah Williams (No. 8), wide receivers Kaliq Lockett (No. 22) and Jamie Ffrench (No. 32), defensive lineman Lance Jackson (No. 25), all-purpose athlete Michael Terry III (No. 43), cornerbacks Kade Phillips (No. 54) and Graceson Littleton (No. 65), and linebacker Elijah Barnes (No. 66).

“I think it’s a really versatile class with a variety of positions, highlighted by high-level players,” Sarkisian said. “As always, we really pride ourselves on recruiting the high school ranks.

We think when we can get players in here young, then immerse them into our culture, into our off-season conditioning program, develop them as we go throughout their career, that’s when we really reap the benefits of having these guys in our program. This class is no different.”

With the early signing period ending on Friday, attention will now shift to roster building through transfers. The transfer portal window opens on Monday, though many college players have already made their intentions to transfer public on social media this week.

The early signing period was moved earlier this year to allow high school seniors to finalize their decisions before the transfer portal window opened.

This was the first signing period since the national letters of intent were replaced by financial aid agreements, which can include details about name, image, and likeness deals along with standard tuition and room and board agreements.

When Zach Kittley first met with Florida Atlantic President Stacy Volnick, he described himself as having a laid-back personality.

Volnick disagrees. That’s why Kittley is the new coach of the Owls.

FAU introduced Kittley on Friday, four days after he accepted the job to rebuild a program that once thrived under Lane Kiffin, with two 11-win seasons in a three-year span, but has struggled in the five years since.

“When I met Zach, I knew he would be a good fit for the culture that we have created here,” Volnick said. “During our first conversation, he described himself as ‘a chill person.’ Zach, this is our first disagreement. … You are a type-A-quadruple-plus personality. You are anything but chill. You are driven. You are focused on details. You value character and you know what you want to build here.”

FAU gave Kittley a five-year contract to rebuild the program, which finished 3-9 this season and 1-7 in the American Athletic Conference. According to FAU athletic director Brian White, Kittley was the top choice throughout the search.

“He’s won at every level,” White said. “And he’s been a difference-maker at every level.”

Kittley was Texas Tech’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Although he’s only 33, he was involved in the development of Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech before Mahomes moved to the Kansas City Chiefs and became one of the biggest stars in football.

“I took this job because of the players,” Kittley said. “I spent the last three days meeting with our current roster … and I can tell you I am 100% in the right place to lead these young men.”

Kittley replaces Tom Herman, who was fired two weeks ago with two games left in his second season at the school. Kittley had previous roles as offensive coordinator at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky before returning to Texas Tech — his alma mater — in 2022 as offensive coordinator. Under Kittley, the Red Raiders averaged 435 yards per game over the last three seasons, ranking 22nd among all FBS teams.

“I’m about to bring an exciting offense back to FAU,” Kittley said. “We’re going to light up the scoreboard.”

This season, Texas Tech ranked among the top offenses in the nation: eighth in yards per play, eighth in points per game, and 10th in yards per game.

“I took this job because I want to be here,” Kittley said. “I’m honored to be your head football coach because I know that we’re going to build a program here and we’re going to go win AAC championships. Florida Atlantic University could not be in a better situation than it is right now; an all-time high in enrollment, climbing the ranks academically across the country, and we will continue to carry on that mission during my time here as head football coach.”

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key signed a new five-year contract on Friday after leading the Yellow Jackets to their best regular season since 2018.

The school also approved a five-year extension for athletic director J Batt, keeping both Key and Batt at Georgia Tech through 2029. These contracts, approved by the board of trustees, added two more years to their original agreements. The financial details of the deals were not released.

Under Key, Georgia Tech (7-5, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) handed No. 14 Miami its first loss of the season and took No. 5 Georgia to eight overtimes before losing 44-42 in the regular season’s final game.

Georgia Tech is set to make its second consecutive bowl appearance under Key, who became interim coach in 2022 after Geoff Collins was fired with a record of 10-28 over three-plus seasons. At the same time, athletic director Todd Stansbury was let go, leading to the hiring of Batt.

Key stayed on as head coach after finishing the 2022 season with a 4-4 record. The Yellow Jackets went 7-6 in 2023, capped by a victory in the Gasparilla Bowl, and are now aiming for their first eight-win season since 2016.

Key, who has guided his alma mater past the struggles of the Collins era, holds an 18-15 record overall and a 14-9 mark in the ACC. He continued the progress by signing a recruiting class this week that ranks among the top 30 in the country.

“I am so proud and grateful to work with incredible coaches, staff and student-athletes every single day,” Key said in a statement. “Together, we’re building something special and I’m looking forward to continuing to work to return Tech football to where it belongs.”

The first conference championship celebration in Army history was taking place at midfield, and Bryson Daily made it clear that it wouldn’t last long. The Black Knights had their sights set on another trophy next week.

“Beat Navy,” Daily said.

He and Army should be a tough opponent for Navy — or anyone else they face.

Daily rushed for four touchdowns, tying the American Athletic Conference championship game record, and No. 24 Army completed a perfect first season in the league with a 35-14 victory over Tulane on Friday night.

Kanye Udoh rushed for 158 yards, including a 72-yard run that set up a Daily touchdown, and added a score of his own. Daily also ran for 126 yards, leading the Black Knights (11-1) to dominate AAC opponents with their powerful, clock-controlling rushing attack throughout the season, then using it perfectly in the championship game.

Army claimed its first conference title in its 134-year history.

Army’s regular season isn’t over, though, as they have one more game to play: a highly anticipated matchup against Navy next Saturday for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

“Now we’ve got the biggest game of the year coming up in eight days and we’re looking forward to that,” said Army coach Jeff Monken.

Daily had touchdown runs of 5, 3, 4, and 7 yards. The 221-pound quarterback’s four rushing scores brought his total to 29 for the season, breaking the AAC record of 25 set by Navy QB Will Worth in 2016. Daily, the conference player of the year, has scored multiple touchdowns in 10 straight games.

Before joining the AAC, Army had been an independent team since 1890, except for a brief stint in Conference USA from 1998 to 2004. Coach Monken had said earlier this week that Army needed to be in a conference to have a chance at the expanded college football postseason.

As cadets poured onto the field to celebrate with the players, it seemed clear that Army was happy with that decision.

Darian Mensah threw two touchdown passes for Tulane (9-4), which was playing in its third straight AAC championship game and had lost the last two.

The Green Wave had hopes of hosting the championship but lost to Memphis at home on Thanksgiving night, ending their 17-game winning streak in conference play.

Tulane struggled from the start on Friday, missing field goal attempts on their first two drives, fumbling a kickoff, and having a pass intercepted in their own territory on the next two possessions.

In the second half, Tulane barely touched the ball as Army controlled the clock with touchdown drives of 11 and 16 plays.

“When you start slow the way we did, missing two field goals early, you don’t do yourselves any favors,” said Tulane coach Jon Sumrall. “Because once they get a lead, a couple scores, it’s really, really hard to overcome.”

The temperature was 29 degrees at the start of the game, just the third December game in the 101-year history of Michie Stadium, and the cold weather called for a strong running game, which Army excelled at. Army came into the game leading the nation with 312.5 rushing yards per game.

The Black Knights gained 335 yards on the ground and converted 4 of 5 fourth downs.

Daily didn’t attempt a pass until the second half when he kept a scoring drive alive with a 9-yard completion on fourth-and-5.

The Green Wave had been asked about playing in the cold conditions along the Hudson River, and the weather may have played a role in their struggles. On their first drive, they attempted a field goal, but holder Brice Busch dropped the snap on the Army 27-yard line.

Army took advantage, going 72 yards in 11 plays to set up Daily’s 5-yard touchdown. Tulane moved inside the Army 20 on their second drive but missed another field goal attempt, this time from 38 yards.

Daily’s 4-yard run made the score 21-0 before Tulane finally got on the board with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Mensah to Mario Williams with 44 seconds left in the first half.

Army regained control in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 6 and a half-minute drive.

Bryson Daily was named the American Athletic Conference’s offensive player of the year, and he was also the MVP of the conference’s championship game.

Army coach Jeff Monken believes his quarterback deserves even more — the biggest award in college football. After the No. 24 Black Knights’ 35-14 win over Tulane on Friday night, Monken said Daily should be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony next Saturday.

“I don’t know that there’s anybody in the country that would balk at the idea of the starting quarterback of the Army Black Knights, who’s rushed for 100 yards in a game 10 games in a row on an 11-1 team that just won the conference championship, why doesn’t that guy belong down?” Monken said.

“There’s a lot of great football players in the country but there’s not one who means more to his team than that guy sitting right down there,” he added, pointing to Daily. “And so it’s the MVP of college football. Who’s most valuable to their team? I’d argue there’s not a guy in America more valuable to their team than Bryson Daily.”

Daily ran for four touchdowns on Friday, tying the AAC Championship game record. That gave him 29 touchdowns for the season, breaking the league’s record and tying No. 10 Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty — a Heisman contender — for the most touchdowns in the nation.

The 221-pound Texan rushed for 126 yards on 25 carries and has scored multiple touchdowns in 10 straight games. Army converted 4 of 5 fourth downs, and Daily had touchdown runs of 5, 3, 4, and 7 yards.

“The Bryson Daily guy is like a linebacker carrying the football,” said Tulane coach Jon Sumrall.

Daily gave credit to his offensive line, saying they played their best game of the season despite hearing that Tulane — the No. 2 seed and 4 1/2-point favorite — had the defensive strategy to stop Army’s top-ranked rushing offense.

“The line of scrimmage was getting moved 2-to-3 yards and by the fourth quarter 4-to-5 yards,” Daily said. “They played awesome just like they have all year.”

Army’s offense may be simple to predict but hard to stop, mostly because of Daily. The senior has rushed for 1,480 yards this season, despite missing one game due to injury and with one more game to play in the regular season.

That game will be next Saturday against Navy in Landover, Maryland. If Monken had his way, Daily would then head to New York with hopes of joining Army legends Felix “Doc” Blanchard, Glenn Davis, and Pete Dawkins as Heisman winners.

“I don’t have a vote in it and they’re not going to listen to me, but he belongs down there,” Monken said. “And I know that the college football world would be thrilled to see that, and how many times in history is there going to be an academy player that legitimately could go down there and everybody feels like that guy belongs? You know what, this is that time in history. That guy belongs down there, that’s what I think.”

After Ashton Jeanty dashed through UNLV’s defense for a 75-yard touchdown run in the Mountain West Conference title game Friday night, he didn’t do the Heisman pose. He didn’t even mention it afterward, choosing instead to let his performance speak for itself.

“I think the same thing week after week,” Jeanty said about the Heisman Trophy talk after No. 10 Boise State’s 21-7 win over No. 19 UNLV, securing a spot in the College Football Playoff. “Not only is this one of the best teams in the nation, but they’ve got one of the best players in the nation.”

Jeanty added another 209 yards, marking his sixth game over 200 yards this season. His total now stands at 2,497 yards, just 132 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders’ FBS season rushing record.

Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, who ran down the sideline for a few yards with Jeanty on his long run — the final game for Jeanty in Boise — wasn’t quiet at all after the game.

“In regards to the Heisman, I ask all voters to please just watch the film, watch the stats,” Danielson said. “That will show you that he’s the best football player in the country. … If you’re a Heisman candidate, you should play in a championship game. And to see what he did in a championship game for his team also speaks volumes.”

This comment seemed to be aimed at Heisman frontrunner Travis Hunter of Colorado, whose team missed out on the Big 12 championship game and won’t be making a playoff appearance.

But Jeanty will be in the playoffs too, even though the Heisman voting will have already been completed by then. He’ll have the chance to finish off one of the greatest rushing seasons in FBS history.

“He showcases week in and week out that he’s the best football player in the country and I don’t even think it’s close,” Danielson said.

The fact that Jeanty is even at Boise State this season, especially with the rise of NIL deals and transfer portals, is almost as impressive as his remarkable stats — 2,497 yards rushing, 29 touchdowns, and five runs of 70 or more yards.

Jeanty, who turned down several NIL offers from Power 4 schools last year, chose to stay at Boise State to do something special.

He took it all in on Friday.

“As soon as I woke up, that was all that was on my mind,” Jeanty said about his time at Boise State. “I was just so grateful for the program, the coaches, the community, and everybody that believes in me. I took it all in the whole game. It was just an amazing experience. I wouldn’t want to go out any other way.”

The playoffs begin Friday night for No. 10 Boise State and No. 19 UNLV with a winner-takes-all game for the Mountain West championship.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams this year, the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion automatically gets a spot. The playoff committee’s latest rankings, released Tuesday, confirmed that the Mountain West champion will be in.

Boise State (11-1, 7-0, No. 10 CFP) could even earn a first-round bye if the Broncos beat UNLV (10-2, 6-1, No. 20 CFP) for the second time this season.

“When you play in a championship game, you want to play the best,” said Boise State coach Spencer Danielson. “UNLV … is one of the best teams around. They’ve got a bunch of talent. They play well together. They’re very motivated and driven to win this game, just like us.”

If the title game is anything like the teams’ previous matchup this season — a 29-24 Boise State win — it will be a hard-fought battle. It will likely be much closer than last year’s title game when the Broncos easily won 44-20 over the Rebels.

BetMGM Sportsbook has Boise State as 4-point favorites.

“We’re thankful to have an opportunity for the second year in a row to be playing in the Mountain West championship game,” said UNLV coach Barry Odom.

“The guys that were here last year can use those experiences to maybe put us in a better situation this year on how we prepare, how we play and the understanding that we’ve been in a lot of big games this year already. We know a lot about our opponent, and on the other side, they know a lot about us.”

Everyone knows about Boise State’s star running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful, Ashton Jeanty.

The powerful back leads the nation in rushing with 2,288 yards this season, just 340 yards away from Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record. But in the teams’ first matchup this year, UNLV’s defense held Jeanty to 128 yards on 33 carries, his lowest yards-per-carry average of 3.9.

“(Jeanty) is a tremendous player,” Odom said. “I think he is the best player in college football. He’s got all the great traits you want to see in a running back — unless you’re trying to tackle him. We know it’s going to take all 11 guys. We need to try to eliminate as many one-on-one tackles with him as we can in that situation.”

The new 12-team College Football Playoff will be a different experience for many teams that have never been part of the four-team version. With the possibility of multiple postseason games, there will be more planning, travel, and activity involved.

For teams in the Championship Subdivision, this is something they are used to.

Travel, fatigue, and playing against unfamiliar opponents create busy weeks of preparation, and long travel times—sometimes crossing three time zones—can take away from the time needed to get ready to play.

“We have cut back. This is week 14 for us – 12 games, one playoff, and one open week,” said UT Martin coach Jason Simpson, whose team won 41-10 at 16th-seeded New Hampshire on Saturday. The Skyhawks will travel on Friday to Bozeman to play top-seeded Montana State the next day.

“It’s hard. These aren’t professional players,” Simpson said.

While the College Football Playoff may feel like a new concept for major college football, teams in the FCS have been dealing with this for the past 46 years, since Division I split. Like the CFP, the FCS playoffs started with just four teams in 1978, but expanded to eight in 1981 and to 12 teams in 1982, with the top four teams receiving byes.

Since 2013, 24 teams have competed in the FCS playoffs (except during the pandemic), with 16 teams seeded and eight teams getting a bye week before the competition begins.

Simpson’s team is appearing in the playoffs for only the third time. Playing on the road against the top seed, which is making its 14th appearance, comes with both advantages and challenges, according to Simpson.

“Our kids are excited,” Simpson said. “One of the things I use at practice every day is, ‘Is this practice good enough to beat the Montana States or North Dakota States of the world?’”

“Well, guess what? You get to find out on Saturday,” he added. “The scoreboard will tell you.”

This Saturday’s schedule also includes Montana, which is making its 28th playoff appearance, playing at South Dakota State, which beat the Grizzlies 23-3 in last year’s national championship game.

Taking things easier during practice is almost necessary, said Grizzlies coach Bobby Hauck.

“These seasons are getting longer and longer,” he said. “We’re starting earlier and earlier, recruiting is getting crammed into the summer more and more, and then you jump into the season and you’re looking at how many games.”

“It used to be that you played an 11-game schedule and that was it,” Hauck added, mentioning that the season can extend another month if a team keeps winning in the playoffs.

Montana has won national championships in 1995 and 2001 and will head to Brookings, South Dakota, as the 14th seed to face the third-seeded and two-time defending national champions.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” Hauck said, referring to the program’s history. “However, that’s good pressure. You don’t want to be in a place where that’s not a realistic goal.”

Villanova is another team that has a long trip ahead. The 11th-seeded Wildcats are traveling to San Antonio to play the sixth-seeded Incarnate Word.

Coach Mark Ferrante said practices may be shorter this week to help ease the fatigue from a long season, and he believes the loud, hostile environment will actually be beneficial for the Wildcats.

“I think sometimes our guys like playing away, especially if it’s a crowded stadium because there’s just a little more excitement in the air whether they’re cheering for you or against you,” Ferrante said.

Lehigh, coming off a 20-18 win at ninth-seeded Richmond, will travel to Idaho to play the eighth-seeded Vandals. Coach Kevin Cahill said practices will be less physical this week. The NCAA-provided charter plane will be a helpful perk, and Cahill is just happy to have another game to play.

“To play this time of year, you’re okay with it. You figure it out,” Cahill said.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter, a standout on both offense and defense, was named the Big 12 defensive player of the year, while Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders was chosen as the top offensive player, based on a vote by the league’s coaches released Thursday.

Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, in his second season as head coach at his alma mater, was named coach of the year. The Sun Devils (10-2) made their Big 12 debut this season and will compete in the Big 12 championship game against Iowa State on Saturday. They have already set a school-record improvement, winning seven more games than last year.

Hunter, who is also a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, is the first player in Big 12 history to record both an interception and an offensive touchdown in multiple games.

As a defensive back, Hunter has four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 catches and 14 touchdowns, totaling 1,152 receiving yards and ranking third in the league with 96.0 yards per game.

Sanders is the Big 12’s leading passer, averaging 327.2 yards per game. He has completed 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns for the Buffs (10-2).

Arizona State sophomore receiver Jordyn Tyson, who has 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns but will miss the Big 12 championship game due to injury, was named the offensive newcomer of the year. Colorado defensive end BJ Green II, who has 7 1/2 sacks, was named the top defensive newcomer.