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.

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NCAA Expected to Approve Increase in Scholarship Limits

The NCAA is changing the scholarship amounts in various sports in short order on the heels of the House settlement.

Football is seeing an increase of 20 scholarships to 105. The biggest increase, however, is baseball, which is seeing an increase of 22.3 spots up to 34 total.

Basketball is getting a 2-person increase up to 13, softball is more than doubling, going from 12 to 25, and volleyball is also getting a noticeable increase from 12 to 18.

At SEC Media Days, both Mark Stoops and Lane Kiffin of Kentucky and Ole Miss, respectively, voiced concerns about that not being enough for the purposes of conducting practices.

CFP Executive Director: Strength of Schedule Is Very Important

The Executive Director of the College Football Playoff recently shared his thoughts on the CFP Committee’s criteria, and he said strength of schedule is very important to the Committee, especially with the expanded playoff.

“I will say that that team operates with great sophistication. There’s a lot of discussion there. They’re going to recognize that these changes [conference realignment] are happening and that strength of schedule is gonna matter. So there’s science in this. There’s art to this. We have the eye test, we have committee members that are very smart and very in depth in their knowledge of college football. So I think that [strength of schedule] is going to always be a top criteria…”

Lincoln Riley on Big Ten Benefit to Recruiting: More Interest from Midwest, Northeast

USC’s Lincoln Riley shared at Big Ten Media Days the benefit he is seeing in recruiting from the Midwest, an area which was previously a relatively uncommon area for USC to recruit from.

The fact that USC is going to be traveling to some more Midwest and Northeast area, Riley feels that’s accelerated recruiting efforts with some midwestern and northeastern recruits.

In the 2025 class, USC currently has recruits from 8 states and ranks 18th nationally according to On3.

Kirk Ferentz Shares What OC Tim Lester Brings to Iowa’s Offense

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz shared at Big Ten Media Days some of what new OC Tim Lester can bring to the table for an Iowa offense that has been downright abysmal in the last couple of years.

For Ferentz, he appreciated that Lester’s wide experience as a coach, including as a head coach, means that Lester better understands the complementary nature of the different units of the football team.

Ferentz described Lester’s installation and early returns as a “good transition” for the Hawkeye offense and described it as a “Shanahan-style” offense, which is high praise for Lester.

Florida Board of Education Approves NIL for High School Athletes

Florida’s State Board of Education ratified changes to the Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws yesterday to allow for athletes to participate in name, image, and likeness activities without forfeiting the ability to play prep sports.

The Commissioner of Education, ironically named Manny Diaz, shared that the FHSAA will not tolerate anyone attempting to take advantage of students just because the students now have opportunity to sign NIL deals: “Florida student-athletes are not pawns for your money-making scheme. We will maintain vigilance with that and continue to evolve with that as necessary.”

Odds Released for First Fired Head Coach in 2024

Odds were recently released by BetOnline.ag on the 1st coach to be fired, which ranks Billy Napier of Florida at the most likely candidate with 4-to-1 odds.

Arkansas’ Sam Pittman and Miami’s Mario Cristobal follow with 5-to-1 and 6-to-1 odds, respectively. Baylor’s Dave Aranda and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea round out the Top 5.

Perhaps most surprising is Ryan Day’s inclusion at 12-to-1. Further down the list includes some hot-button names like Deion Sanders at 50-to-1 and Lincoln Riley and Dabo Swinney, both at 25-to-1.

Cam Ward on Decision to Transfer to Miami and Pass on NFL Draft

QB Cam Ward was one of the biggest stories this past offseason, as he went from the NFL Draft to transferring last minute to Miami to play one more season of college football.

At ACC Media Days, Ward provided some insight into his decision, describing it as one of the most stressful times in his life. He said that every day his decision changed, but he says that if given the opportunity to make the decision again, he’d make the same choice to hold off on the NFL and transfer to Miami.

Ward said the NFL isn’t going anywhere, and he feels like he’s left a lot to prove at the Power [4] level of college football.

Rhule on 5-Star Dylan Raiola: He Was Born to Play QB

Nebraska Coach Matt Rhule shared some of his thoughts on true freshman 5-star Dylan Raiola.

Rhule shared that he believes Raiola was born to play quarterback, between both his physical ability, his ability to understand the game, and his ability to process what’s happening.

Some guys are impressive physical talents, and some guys are field generals who can use their minds to give them an edge. But from the sounds of it, Rhule believes Raiola excels in both regards, which really makes him a natural at QB.

Not only that, but Raiola did not let the fact that he was a big-time recruit – seen by many as a potential savior of sorts to bring back Nebraska to national relevance – prevent him from showing up and working hard right away. A work ethic like that earned him the respect of the locker room quickly.

James Franklin: We Love the Guys in Our WR Room

Coach James Franklin shared at Big Ten Media Days his thoughts on the wide receiver room at Penn State, which has projected to be a little thin, especially after KeAndre Lambert-Smith entered the transfer portal a couple days after the Spring Game.

When asked about Lambert-Smith’s transferring out, Franklin rebuffed the question and wanted to focus on the guys still currently in the program.

Franklin said that “we love the guys in our wide receiver room,” immediately highlighting Julian Fleming, the Ohio State transfer who was the #1 wide receiver recruit back in the 2020 class.

Harrison Wallace III and Kaden Saunders are also names to know for Penn State’s passing attack after the losses of Lambert-Smith of Malik McClain, who transferred to Arizona State.

Miami’s Mario Cristobal on What Damien Martinez Adds to Miami’s RB Room

At ACC Media Days, Mario Cristobal shared his thoughts on the skillset and veteran presence that Damien Martinez brings to Miami’s running back room.

Cristobal was impressed with Martinez’s ability to do it all in pass protection, as well as fighting through contact for extra yards on every running play, which highlights a tougher running style while still having a burst that is dynamic and explosive.

Cristobal is excited for what Martinez can add to a room which already features different skillsets with Ajay Allen, Mark Fletcher, Chris Johnson Jr., and Jordan Lyle.

With Fletcher and Martinez bringing more power, Johnson bringing blinding speed, Jordan being a combination of speed and power, and Allen’s agility, Cristobal likens it to a pitcher who has different pitches which can make opponents uncomfortable.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

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