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:

Ohio State Makes Ewers Uncomfortable All Night to Win Cotton Bowl 28-14

Ohio State beat Texas in the Cotton Bowl by a final tally of 28-14 in a defensive game.

Neither team looked great offensively, but Ohio State did finish with 6.49 yards per play to Texas’ 5.01 yards per play. The Buckeyes were also 3/10 on 3rd down, while Texas was marginally better at 5/15.

For the Longhorns, Ewers finished 23/39 for 283 yards, 2 touchdowns, an interception, and a scoop-and-score fumble. RBs Tre Wisner (17/46) and Jaydon Blue (4/16) tried, but just never really got anything going on the ground consistently.

Through the air, RB Jaydon Blue (5/59/2) caught both touchdown passes while Matthew Golden (2/51), Gunnar Helm (2/42), and Tre Wisner (6/42) were the next leading receivers.

For the Buckeyes, QB Will Howard finished 24/33 for 289 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. RBs TreVeyon Henderson (6/42) and Quinshon Judkins (9/36/2) did enough to keep the Buckeyes on the scoreboard and moving, at least a little bit, on the ground. Through the air, Carnell Tate (7/87), TreVeyon Henderson (1/75/1), and Emeka Egbuka (5/51) all eclipsed 50 yards. Jeremiah Smith (1/3) was held in check, though the focus on Smith allowed for Tate, Egbuka, and Gee Scott Jr. (5/30) to be more frequent targets for Howard.

For the defense, all of Sonny Styles, JT Tuimoloau, Ty Hamilton, and Jack Sawyer helped record at least half of a sack for Ohio State, while Sawyer also forced and scored on the scoop-and-score which was the dagger in this game.

With the win, Ohio State punches its ticket to the National Championship on January 20th against Notre Dame.

Georgia Transfer QB Carson Beck Commits to Miami

Georgia QB Carson Beck has committed to Miami out of the transfer portal after initially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Beck has one year of eligibility remaining, and quickly committed to the Hurricanes within a day of entering the portal with a do not contact tag.

Beck finished 2024 with 3,485 yards and 28 touchdowns, while also throwing 12 interceptions.

On3 currently ranks Beck as the top player in this transfer portal class as of now with an NIL valuation of $4.4M, ranked only behind Arch Manning, Shedeur Sanders (NFL-Bound), Travis Hunter (NFL-Bound), and Quinn Ewers (presumably NFL-Bound).

Syracuse QB Kyle McCord Declares for 2025 NFL Draft

Syracuse QB Kyle McCord announced via social media that he was declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

McCord had a very productive 2024 with Syracuse’s offense, leading the country in passing yards and breaking the single-season passing record in the ACC.

He threw for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns with the Orange en route to just the 3rd 10-win season in the last 32 years of Syracuse football.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers: Not Planning on Playing College Football

Texas QB Quinn Ewers recently did an interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, and naturally, one of the conversations which came up was what Ewers was planning on doing for the 2025 season and beyond.

But speaking with Thamel, Ewers was clear: he does not expect to play college football in 2025, either for Texas or for another program.

His exact words were, “No, I don’t.” Ewers also shared that he hadn’t paid attention to what any of the conversation surrounding his future was, but Thamel shared that Ewers is one of the most volatile prospects in terms of projection for the 2025 NFL Draft. Thamel said one NFL scout said they had a 2nd round grade on him, while another had him with a 6th round grade. But given that there are really only two quarterbacks – Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders – and about 6 teams looking for a quarterback, Ewers really could go anywhere as teams prioritize having a quarterback on a rookie contract.

Louisville Transfer OT Monroe Mills Commits to Virginia

Louisville transfer OT Monroe Mills has committed to Virginia out of the transfer portal after having spent 2024 with the Cardinals and a previous two seasons with each of Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

Mills understandably therefore has one year of eligibility remaining. In 2,335 snaps he’s allowed just four career sacks, which makes sense why Mills is currently ranked as the top OT in this transfer portal class, also ranking 18th nationally according to the On3 industry portal rankings.

Former Oregon, Current Transfer WR Ryan Pellum Arrested

Former Oregon WR Ryan Pellum has been arrested according to a report from KEZI.

Pellum was arrested after being accused of pistol-whipping a person on Christmas in an alleged incident in California. He was arrested in Springfield, OR on a warrant which was issued from his hometown of Long Beach, CA. He has reportedly been released on bail.

Pellum was a 4-star in the 2024 recruiting class before entering the transfer portal with a do not contact tag.

Iowa QB Mark Gronowski to Miss Significant Time For Surgery

Iowa transfer QB signee Mark Gronowski is expected to miss significant time thanks to a surgery. Coach Kirk Ferentz said that “Mark played last season with a common football-related injury. While he could have continued to play through the injury, Mark is choosing to have a procedure to address the issue, and we support him in his decision.”

Coach Ferentz continued in his statement, “Our sports medicine team thoroughly reviewed his records and has confidence he will be fully rehabbed in time to participate in our summer program. Mark will participate in all non-practice team activities while he recovers.”

Neither the school nor Coach Ferentz shared what the specific injury was or which surgery was being performed to address it, but Gronowski is not expected to be able to throw until June.

Report: LSU WR Kyren Lacy Wanted on Negligent Homicide and Felony Hit-And-Run of Ex-Marine

Baton Rouge television station WAFB is reporting that LSU WR Kyren Lacy is reportedly wanted on charges for negligent homicide and felony hit-and-run stemming from an accident on December 17, 2024 which claimed the life of a former Marine and injured two others.

Louisiana State Police investigators allege that Lacy sped from the scene of the 10 AM ET accident after initially being the one to cause the crash and did not report his involvement to police. Lacy would go on to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft two days later.

Lacy is also wanted on a charge of reckless driving, and WAFB’s Ethan Tuttle is reporting that Louisiana State Police is currently in communication with Lacy and his legal representation to turn himself in.

The police report claims that Lacy was driving a 2023 Dodge Charger and “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated No-Passing Zone.”

A northbound driver in a pickup truck abruptly hit the breaks and swerved to avoid a head-on collision with Lacy’s Charger, forcing a car that was behind the pickup to swerve, crossing the centerline and hitting another car traveling in the opposite direction head-on, all according to the police report.

A 78-year-old Ex-Marine, Herman Hall, was a passenger in the car that was hit head-on. Hall was critically injured and later passed away at a local hospital.

Former Colorado Coach Bill McCartney Passes Away at 84 Years Old

Former Colorado coaching legend Bill McCartney passed away yesterday at the age of 84.

Coach McCartney was the coach to lead Colorado to a National Championship in 1990, finishing 93-55-5 in his 13 seasons with Colorado, which also included an 11-1 season in 1989 (finished #4 after Orange Bowl loss) and an 11-1 season in 1994 (finished #3 after Fiesta Bowl win).

From 1989 until he left Colorado in 1994, Coach McCartney led the Buffaloes to a 58-11-4 record, with six consecutive finishes in the Top 25, with 3 finishes inside the Top 5.

Colorado was his only head coaching job, and he retired at the young age of just 54.

Coach Mac’s family released a statement, stating in part:

“Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor, and advocate for family, community, and faith. As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired. While we mourn his loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived and the love he shared with everyone around him. We are grateful for the outpouring of prayers and support during this time and ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult moment.”

Syracuse Transfer DB Marcellus Barnes Commits to SMU

Syracuse transfer DB Marcellus Barnes announced on Twitter yesterday that he has committed to SMU out of the portal.

Barnes has 3 seasons of eligibility (plus a redshirt year) remaining. Barnes was expected to visit Kentucky this weekend, but with this commitment, it would appear as though SMU was able to land Barnes before Kentucky could host him.

Barnes is ranked as the #16 CB and #123 player overall in the transfer portal according to the On3 portal rankings.

He played in 5 games in the 2024 season before injuries limited his season, but he was a 4-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class that was shaping up to be a big hit in Coach Fran Brown’s first recruiting class for the Orange. He was originally a Georgia commitment before following Coach Brown to Syracuse. Now, however, Barnes is headed to SMU.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

2026 3-Star (87) WR BJ Garrett commits to Syracuse

2026 3-Star (87) QB Derek Garcia commits to San Diego State

2026 3-Star (87) EDGE Max Carmicle commits to Northern Illinois

3-Star (85) WR Devin Ellison commits to Washington State

3-Star (84) IOL Xavier Spikes decommits from Georgia State

3-Star (82) WR Jami Williams commits to Ferris State (D2)

3-Star (81) CB Tyrone Cotton flips from South Dakota State to Washington State

3-Star (81) CB Trillion Sorrell flips from South Dakota State to Washington State

3-Star (80) ATH Damarius Russell commits to Washington State

2-Star (78) WR Carter Pabst flips from South Dakota State to Washington State

2-Star (75) ATH Dwataye Sams commits to Davenport (D2)

Unrated LB LaCorian Hodge commits to NC State

Unrated WR Matt Maxey commits to Kent State

Unrated TE Josiah Thomas commits to Western Carolina (FCS)