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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.

Cotton Bowl Releases Statement on Potential Weather Issues

The Cotton Bowl is set to be play on Friday night between Ohio State and Texas in Arlington, TX. In North Texas on Friday, though, there are freezing temperatures and potential snow expected, so the Cotton Bowl has released a statement on the impending weather.

“We are routinely monitoring weather reports and we are in close contact with AT&T Stadium and local officials. We always have plans for inclement weather. Should conditions warrant it, we will communicate to everyone attending and connected with this year’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.”

The expectation is the kickoff will go as anticipated at 6:30 PM CT on Friday night, but the forecast for Thursday has a 90% chance of snow with a Friday forecast with a 75% chance of snow, a high of 38 degrees, and a low of 30 degrees.

Sarkisian Downplays Cotton Bowl as a Home Game

As mentioned above, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are set to face-off in the CFP Semifinals in Arlington, TX, which is only a 3- to 4-hour drive from Austin.

Despite this and many people’s statements calling this a virtual home game for Texas, Coach Sarkisian is declining to adopt that attitude, at least publicly.

Coach Sarkisian shared, “I think both schools get the same number of tickets. I’m not certain. But I think everybody gets the same number of tickets. From that point, who’s going to buy the rest? You know, and I know we’ve got a great fan base that travels. I know Ohio State’s got a great fan base that travels. So, I don’t know. If it was at DKR, I’d probably say something – that would be like a home game. But, you know, it is what it is.”

Dabo Swinney Officially Announces Firing of DC Wes Goodwin

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney officially announced what has been reported as expected to happen in the near future: Clemson DC Wes Goodwin has been relieved of his duties and will not be back for the 2025 season.

Coach Swinney released a statement for Goodwin’s firing, who was promoted from an analyst role after Brent Venables left to be Oklahoma’s HC: “After meeting with Coach Goodwin on Sunday evening, I have decided to make a change at our defensive coordinator position. I want to thank Wes for his character, commitment, leadership, and dedication, as well as the relentless work ethic with which he approached his job every day. Wes has been a part of our program for 13 of the past 16 years, and he played an instrumental part in all of our success. I love Wes and his family and wish him all the best as he continues his journey. I know he has a bright future ahead.”

As for his replacement, Coach Swinney shared, “I will start the interview process immediately and will hope to have our new defensive coordinator named by the end of the month or sooner. Our staff has been hard at work on our roster, and we look forward to solidifying our defensive coordinator position to help lead this extremely talented group as we pursue our goals for 2025.”

Texas AD Chris Del Conte on NFL Links for Sarkisian

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared that Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian was potentially being linked to NFL jobs as those came open.

Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte wasn’t entertaining these thoughts, though. Del Conte told the Houston Chronicle, “we’ve got a game to play. I’m not going to comment. Somebody’s just creating fodder before our biggest game. That’s stupid.”

Oklahoma State Star S/LB Kendal Daniels Commits to Oklahoma for Final Year of Eligibility

Oklahoma State LB/S Kendal Daniels has committed to Oklahoma out of the transfer portal after having spent the last 4 seasons with the Cowboys. Daniels will have one year of eligibility remaining for the Sooners.

Daniels spent 3 seasons at safety, with 2023 being a breakout season of sorts, putting up 105 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, a forced fumble. His redshirt freshman, 2022 was also solid as his first season as a starter: 71 tackles and 3 interceptions; good enough production to be named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.

In 2024, Daniels transitioned to linebacker and finished with 64 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 7 passes defended.

According to the On3 industry transfer portal rankings, Daniels ranks 82nd nationally and 3rd at the safety position, but it’s unclear if the Sooners are going to use Daniels as a linebacker or a safety.

2027 4-Star EDGE Zane Rowe Decommits from Oklahoma

2027 4-Star EDGE Zane Rowe decommitted from Oklahoma yesterday after committing to the Sooners back on April 20th after originally being the first 2027 commitment.

When Rowe committed to the Sooners, he shared what really sold him was the passion and care for the players on and off the field. He also really enjoyed the family feeling he got from the program, the support from the fans, and the OU culture.

Rowe ranks 49th nationally and 8th at the EDGE position according to the On3 industry composite. His decommitment brings Oklahoma back down to 0 commitments in the 2027 class, but that recruiting class is so young, there are only a handful or so of commitments across the country already.

Notre Dame S Xavier Watts on Marcus Freeman’s Belief in the Players: It’s Refreshing

The Fighting Irish’s confidence has been at an all-time high lately as they carry a 12-game win streak into the Orange Bowl and are one game away from playing for a National Title, and veteran safety Xavier Watts has shared that this confidence starts at the top – Head Coach Marcus Freeman.

Watts shared, “just having a coach and a coaching staff – like you said, that aggressive mindset gives us the confident. That, ‘alright, these guys are all in. We need to be all in on the play call, too.’ So, when they go out there, and we need to go on fourth down, and they want to be aggressive, you need to go all in. Make sure you do your job and get it done. It’s just so refreshing to have coaches like that.”

Coastal Carolina Hiring Former QB Grayson McCall as Offensive Analyst

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Coastal Carolina is hiring former QB Grayson McCall to be an offensive analyst.

McCall spent 5 seasons with the Chanticleers from 2019-23 where he broke multiple school records and was a 3-time Sun Belt Player of the Year. He spent his 6th and final season of eligibility with NC State, but retired due to medical concerns after one too many head injuries cut his season short after 4 games played.

Even in his medical retirement announcement, McCall kept the door open to continuing in the game of football as a coach, and now he’ll be starting potentially climbing that ladder with the school that started his meteoric rise in college football – Coastal Carolina.

Former Iowa State QB, Hunter Dekkers, Prepping for the NFL Draft After NCAA Career Ended from Gambling Investigation

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, QB Hunter Dekkers is looking to make a run at continuing his playing career in the NFL.

Dekkers was the center of a gambling investigation at Iowa State three seasons ago, and last played college football in 2022, throwing for 3,044 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in his lone season as a full-time starting quarterback.

Dekkers spent 2024 with Iowa Western Community College, throwing for 3,825 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across 13 games, leading his team to an 11-2 record in the NJCAA ranks.

He allegedly used a DraftKings account in his parent’s name. Both him and some of his teammates later plead guilty to those charges of underage gambling the following month. However, now, Thamel is reporting that Dekkers plans to participate in the Hula Bowl after nearly a dozen scouts went to see him throw at Iowa Western.

Former Alabama and Georgia DB Jake Pope Commits to UNLV

Former Alabama, and then Georgia DB, Jake Pope has committed to UNLV out of the portal after not playing much for the Bulldogs in 2024.

Pope spent 2022 and 2023 with Alabama, redshirting in 2022 and playing primarily on special teams, but appearing in 12 games in 2023. In 2024, Pope appeared in just 4 games for the Dawgs.

As a recruit, Pope was a near consensus 4-star in the 2022 class before he committed to the Tide. After 2 seasons with Alabama, he was then a mid 3-star transfer portal option last year when he committed to Georgia, ranking as high as the 16th ranked safety, according to 247. His On3 transfer portal continues to tumble, though, as now Pope ranks 1,630th nationally and 149th at the safety position.

Still, given the high school pedigree and the experiences learning from Nick Saban’s and Kirby Smart’s staffs, plus Dan Mullen and what he is hoping to do at UNLV to build off of Barry Odom’s success, this is yet another interesting name to see if UNLV can help revitalize.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

Unrated QB Dominic Ingrassia commits to Cal