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.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

East Carolina Beats Tulsa 38-31, On 3 Game Win Streak Since Firing Coach

Some mistakes from ECU let Tulsa stick around and made this a close game, but ultimately the now-bowl eligible East Carolina Pirates pulled this one out with a late goal line stop, 38-31.

ECU outgained Tulsa in total yardage (536-399), outperformed them in yards per play (6.78-5.78), picked up more first downs (27-19), and was more efficient on conversion downs (41.18%-23.53%). But losing the turnover battle 4-2 nearly did the Pirates in.

Even despite those statistical advantages, Tulsa got down to the 2 yard line of ECU before the 4th & Goal play came up a yard short.

Tulsa QB Cooper Legas was 20/32 for 293 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. He also led the Golden Hurricane with 43 rushing yards on 13 attempts. RB Bill Jackson only finished with 22 yards on 10 carries, while Lloyd Avant only managed 20 yards on 7 carries.

For the Golden Hurricane, though, it got a HUGE game out of WR Joseph Williams, who finished with 5/158/3.

ECU was more balanced, with QB Katin Houser finishing 24/37 for 314 yards, a touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Houser also ran for 29 yards. The rushing game was led by Rahjai Harris, who finished with a statline of 18/114/2. Marlon Gunn Jr. went for 8/52/1, and London Montgomery also found the end zone (4/21/1) on the ground.

4 different Pirates caught at least 3 passes and went for at least 60 yards: Anthony Smith (3/84), Chase Sowell (3/75), Winston Wright Jr. (9/68/1), and Yannick Smith (4/62).

#1 Recruit in 2025 Class, Bryce Underwood, Posts on Instagram About Michigan’s $10.5M NIL Offer

Michigan has continued in its aggressive efforts to land #1 recruit QB Bryce Underwood, trying to flip Underwood from LSU, where he’s been committed since early January.

It’s been reported by Michigan insiders that the Michigan NIL collective is currently looking to sign Underwood to a deal worth $10,500,000 over 4 years, which would be by far the highest-known financial package for a high school recruit since NIL started back in July of 2021.

However, Underwood shared a graphic that says, “#1 QB likely to decline Michigan’s $10.5M NIL offer.” Sounds like Underwood is sticking with LSU.

Florida QB DJ Lagway Health Update: Lagway No Longer on Injury Report

Florida QB DJ Lagway looked like he was going to miss a substantial amount of time before it turns out the injury was not as severe as originally feared.

Well, a little under 2 weeks after that injury, Lagway is no longer on the injury report after being listed as questionable last week. Therefore, he is full-go for the game against a ranked LSU team this weekend.

4-Star CB Graceson Littleton Commits to Texas

Consensus 4-Star CB Graceson Littleton committed to Texas yesterday after decommitting from Clemson a couple of weeks ago and taking official visits to Texas and Michigan.

Littleton said that he committed to the Longhorns because of their stability and culture, as well as how he sees himself as a fit in their scheme.

Littleton is ranked as high as 72nd nationally and 10th at his position according to 247Sports, but the On3 industry composite ranks him 99th nationally and 12th at the CB position.

Texas currently has 16 Blue Chip commitments and 23 commitments overall for the 2025 class, a class which ranks 5th nationally and 4th in the SEC.

4-Star EDGE Dawson Merritt Flips from Alabama to Nebraska

Consensus 4-Star EDGE Dawson Merritt has flipped his commitment from Alabama to Nebraska since committing to Alabama back on June 26th.

Merritt did not hear much from the Nebraska staff after he committed to the Tide, but the tide started to shift, so to speak, after QB Dylan Raiola suggested Merritt visit for the Colorado game back on September 7th.

Since Merritt got that thought in his head, he started to more strongly consider Nebraska before ultimately making the decision to flip yesterday.

247Sports is by far the highest on Merritt, ranking him as a Top 5 edge rusher and Top 85 prospect nationally, while the On3 industry composite more modestly ranks him 115th nationally and 14th at the edge rusher position.

For Nebraska, this is the 6th 4-star commitment and 20th commitment overall for a class which ranks 19th nationally and 6th in the Big Ten.

4-Star QB Tramell Jones Jr. Decommits from Florida State

4-Star QB Tramell Jones Jr. committed to Florida State back in April of 2023, but he decided yesterday to re-open his recruitment and decommit from the Seminoles.

Jones had been getting pursued heavily by Florida prior to decommitting, as the Gators are the top program to watch for in his recruitment.

Jones is rated a 3-star by both On3 and 247, but ESPN and Rivals gives Jones that 4th star.

Florida State still has 7 Blue Chip commitments and 12 commitments overall for the 2025 class, a class which ranks 24th nationally and 4th in the ACC, behind Miami, Clemson, and, now, Georgia Tech.

Lane Kiffin and Mike Elko Share Light Jabs With Each Other

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin recently griped about how few night games Ole Miss has been playing compared to some of its SEC counterparts.

During his weekly show, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said “another night game at Kyle Field. We appreciate those. Apparently, that’s all we play anymore …. we get them all and Lane wants more so that’s okay. Him and I, we’ll swap next year or something.”

Coach Kiffin then responded, quoting an article with the Coach Elko quote in it, saying “trade you anytime Coach. Not fair to our fans. Btw, check out QB play and scoring at night home and on the road🤔@CoachMikeElko”

4-Star WR Jaden Nickens Commits to Kansas for Both Football & Basketball

4-Star WR Jaden Nickens has committed to Kansas for both football and basketball while also holding football offers from Georgia, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State.

Nickens shared that he was getting recruited for basketball, and then the football staff started talking with him a couple weeks later. After they both got on the same page, he started to get recruited with offers to both programs.

Nickens has never even visited the Jayhawks’ campus, but he believes that with all of the Zoom calls he has done and the people he has talked to, he knows enough about both programs to make the commitment.

Nickens is nearly a consensus 4-star, only being rated a high 3-star by On3. According to the On3 industry composite, Nickens ranks 372nd nationally and 55th at the WR position.

This is Kansas’ highest rated recruit in the 2025 class, as he is the lone Blue Chip commitment for the time being. Kansas also has a total of 16 commitments for the 2025 class, a class which ranks 56th nationally and 11th in the Big 12.

3-Star CB Shamar Arnoux Flips from USC to Auburn

3-Star CB Shamar Arnoux flipped from USC to Auburn yesterday after originally flipping from Tennessee to USC previously during his recruitment.

Arnoux said of Auburn that it was a place that always felt like home and has been on his radar since 7th grade.

He is rated as a 4-star by Rivals, but is more modestly a 3-star by the other sites and the On3 industry composite. He ranks 452nd nationally and 43rd of the CBs according to the industry composite.

Auburn’s 2025 class is shaping up quite nicely as they are up to 28 commitments for a class which ranks 6th nationally and 5th in the SEC. For USC, the Trojans are down to 14th nationally and 4th in the Big Ten as they are down to 21 commitments.

3-Star EDGE Tyrone Burrus Flips from Louisville to Indiana

3-Star EDGE Tyrone Burrus flipped his commitment from Louisville to Indiana yesterday after committing to the Cardinals back in June.

For Burrus, Indiana’s coaches Pat Kuntz and Buddha Williams helped with making it an easy choice as his relationships with them were the strongest throughout the process.

Burrus is a consensus 3-star, but is a high 3-star on every platform. He ranks 527th nationally and 46th at his position.

Indiana and Coach Cig are now up to 21 commitments for a 2025 class which ranks 51st nationally and 15th in the Big Ten. Louisville is now down to 12 commitments for the 2025 class, and ranks 66th nationally and 17th of 17 teams in the ACC.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (86) DL Mason Clinton commits to Mississippi State

3-Star (81) CB Sage Salopek commits to Montana

Unrated EDGE Christian Smith commits to USF

Kennesaw State RB Qua Ashley entered the transfer portal

SMU CB Jahari Rogers announced transfer to Nevada

Missouri CB Boyton Cheney entered the transfer portal

Cincinnati TE Caleb Schmitz entered the transfer portal