Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

AP Poll After Week 4

After Week 4, the new AP Poll has been released:

1. Texas

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State

4. Alabama

5. Tennessee (+1)

6. Ole Miss (-1)

7. Miami (+1)

8. Oregon (+1)

9. Penn State (+1)

10. Utah (+2)

11. Missouri (-4)

12. Michigan (+6)

13. USC (-2)

14. LSU (+2)

15. Louisville (+4)

16. Notre Dame (+1)

17. Clemson (+4)

18. Iowa State (+2)

19. Illinois (+5)

20. Oklahoma State (-6)

21. Oklahoma (-6)

22. BYU (NEW)

23. Kansas State (-10)

24. Texas A&M (+1)

25. Boise State (NEW)

Dropped: Nebraska (22), Northern Illinois (23)

RV: WAZZU (67), IND (63), BC (55), UNLV (53), PITT (37), NEB (25), IOWA (24), JMU (11), SC (7), LIB (4), UCF (3), ARK (3), SMU (2), ARI (2), NAVY (1)

LSU Star LB Harold Perkins May Be Out for Season With ACL Injury

LSU’s star LB Harold Perkins was injured making a tackle during LSU’s win over UCLA, and did not come back in to the game after limping off the field.

LSU coach Brian Kelly said that more testing would be done before a report came out, but sources have disclosed to Matt Zenitz and 247Sports that it is believed to be a torn ACL and that Perkins will miss the rest of the 2024 season.

Nothing has officially been disclosed yet, obviously, but this would be a major loss for LSU’s defense, as Perkins has been one of LSU’s best defensive players each of the last 3 seasons, tallying 164 tackles, 28 TFLs, 13 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 7 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions.

Pete Thamel: Ewers Back for OU Game is “Overwhelming Expectation”

ESPN’s Pete Thamel recently shared via the College GameDay that we’ll get a sense at some point early this week on whether Ewers’ oblique injury has improved to the point that he can start practicing.

Thamel said, “I have a feeling we’ll be playing the will-he-won’t-he game for the Mississippi State game.” But what Texas fans want to know is will Ewers be ready for the Oklahoma game two weeks after; Texas has a bye following the Mississippi State game.

According to Thamel, “the overwhelming expectation is that he will be back in that game, barring any setbacks.”

Thamel also took some time to dispel any thought that Manning could play his way into the QB1 spot in Ewers’ absence, pointing out that Steve Sarkisian has continuously reiterated that this is a team capable of winning a national championship, and Ewers is the quarterback for that.

4-Star DL Isaiah Campbell Decommits from Clemson

Isaiah Campbell decommitted from Clemson over the weekend after originally committing to the Tigers back in late January.

Campbell has some official visits lined up to Tennessee on October 18th and North Carolina on November 15th. Campbell also unofficially visited North Carolina recently for their game against NC Central.

Campbell ranks as high as 31st nationally and 3rd at his position according to On3’s individual rankings. According to On3’s composite rankings, Campbell ranks 43rd nationally and 4th for his position.

Clemson’s 2025 class is now a little leaner, with only 8 4-star commitments and 13 commitments overall remaining, but the class still ranks 15th nationally and 2nd in the ACC behind only Miami and narrowly ahead of Florida State, who also has a lean class.

4-Star S Ladarian Clardy Commits to Ole Miss

Consensus 4-star S Ladarian Clardy committed to Ole Miss over the weekend over offers from Georgia, Michigan, Miami, Florida State, and others, with Washington making a big effort late to try and land Clardy.

Clardy described Ole Miss like a home away from home, complimenting the recruiting approach of the coaching staff and how they made him and his family feel at home.

He also gave some time to acknowledge that he loved Florida State, Washington, and UCF, but there was just something different about Ole Miss.

Clardy ranks 180th nationally and 16th for his position according to the On3 industry composite.

This is Ole Miss’ 8th 4-star commitment and 17th commitment overall for a 2025 class which ranks 21st nationally and 11th in the SEC.

Hugh Freeze on QBs Hank Brown, Payton Thorne: “I know there’s people open”

Auburn coach Hugh Freeze pulled QB Hank Brown at halftime of the game against Arkansas to put in Payton Thorne, and after the game, Freeze took some time to clearly and unquestionably critique his quarterback’s performance.

Freeze said, “I know that there’s people open, and I know that we’re running the football. We’ve got to find a guy that won’t throw it to those other team and we’ve got to find running backs that hold on to it… The scheme is what most everybody in the country is running, some sort of. But you’ve got to have a good quarterback in whatever system you’re going to choose.”

Brown and Thorne combined for just 285 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions against Arkansas in the Tigers’ 24-14 loss at home.

2026 4-Star QB Jake Fette Commits to Arizona State

Consensus 2026 4-star QB Jake Fette committed to Arizona State over the weekend over offers from most of the Texas P4’s: SMU, TCU, Baylor, and Texas Tech, among others.

Fette is a consensus 4-star from El Paso, TX, where he scored 40 touchdowns as a sophomore.

Fette ranks 131st nationally and 11th at his position according to the On3 industry composite, but he ranks as high as 54th nationally and 3rd at his position according to On3 and ESPN, respectively.

This is Arizona State’s first commitment for the 2026 class that Kenny Dillingham is putting together.

4-Star RB Byron Louis Commits to Florida State

4-star RB Byron Louis committed to Florida State over the weekend over offers from Ohio State, Miami, Colorado, and dozens of other schools.

Even though Louis is from further slightly south in Florida (Fort Lauderdale), Louis described every bit of Florida State as like home, “from the people down to the bricks on the school.”

From Louis’ first time at Florida State as a freshman in high school, he’s felt great about the school, and each subsequent visit continued to confirm those feelings.

Louis ranks 228th nationally and 17th at his position according to the On3 industry composite, but he ranks as high as 132nd nationally and 8th at his position according to the service highest on him (Rivals).

This is Florida State’s 10th Blue Chip commitment and 12th commitment overall for the 2025 class, a class which ranks 17th nationally and 3rd in the ACC.

Brent Venables on Benching Jackson Arnold for Michael Hawkins

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables benched Jackson Arnold in favor of true freshman Michael Hawkins against Tennessee, and Venables shared that it was due to turnovers.

Venables told ESPN’s Holly Rowe that “turnovers were a big factor on why he made a quarterback change in the first half and is going to stick with true freshman Michael Hawkins in the second half.”

Venables also was looking for the offense to run plays that were heavily reliant on timing, and with Arnold in there, the timing was all off.

Arnold struggled against Tennessee, going 7-for-16 for 54 yards, no touchdowns, an interception, and two fumbles lost. Turning the ball over 3 times in one half was all Coach Venables needed to see. It will be interesting to see who Oklahoma starts against Auburn this weekend, as Venables and Oklahoma are currently evaluating who to start moving forward.

2026 3-Star QB Michael Mitchell Jr. Commits to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is officially on the board in the 2026 class with its first commitment. QB Michael Mitchell Jr. committed to Vanderbilt over the weekend over offers from Ole Miss, Arkansas, Cal, Arizona State, and many of other West Coast G5 programs.

Mitchell also took other visits to Cal, USC, Ole Miss, and UCLA. Ultimately, Mitchell has decided to leave California and head out east for Vanderbilt.

Mitchell is rated as a consensus 3-star, with an On3 industry composite ranking of 377th nationally and 29th at the QB position.

As mentioned, this is Vanderbilt’s first commitment for the 2026 class.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (85) RB Brendon Haygood commits to Boise State

3-Star (85) ATH Kaimana Tufaga commits to San Diego State

2026 3-Star (85) QB Dayton Raiola commits to Nebraska

Unrated LB Braxtin McLester commits to Georgia Southern