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.

Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman Agree to Contract Extension

Notre Dame and Coach Marcus Freeman agreed to a contract extension yesterday, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

It is believed that the extension will be for an additional four years, which locks Coach Freeman in for 6 years in total, and is a deal which will make Coach Freeman one of the highest paid coaches in the country. Due to Notre Dame being a private institution, the specific amount was not disclosed.

Coach Freeman is now 30-9 at Notre Dame, going 0-1 following the bowl loss in 2021, 9-4 in 2022, 10-3 in 2023, and the Fighting Irish are now 11-1 with the first round playoff game coming against Indiana at home on Friday night.

AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti Desires Modernization Portal Timing After Marshall Opts Out of Game Due to Transfers

According to a report from the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti had some scathing comments regarding the transfer portal, specifically regarding the timing of it and how it impacts Bowl Season.

Pernetti shared that Marshall opting out due to losing too many players to the portal, “underscores a critical issue impacting college football. The timing of the transfer portal enables this behavior. … We need to modernize the bowl structure to preserve the integrity of college football competition and provide our student-athletes and fans with the very best experience possible.”

Auburn LB Coach Josh Aldridge Agrees to Be ECU’s New DC

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Auburn’s LB Coach Josh Aldridge has agreed to a 2-year contract to become the new Defensive Coordinator at ECU.

The deal is expected to be finalized in the coming days, but Coach Aldridge already has experience being a DC, as he is the former Liberty Co-DC.

Prior to spending two seasons with Auburn as the LBs Coach, Aldridge spent 4 seasons with Liberty, where he was Co-DC and LBs Coach in 2022.

ECU’s defense ranked fairly mediocrely in 2024, finishing 85th in scoring defense, 93rd in rush defense, and 96th in pass defense.

Penn State QB Beau Pribula Plans to Enter Portal

Penn State’s primary backup QB, Beau Pribula, is planning to enter the transfer portal.

Pribula finished the 2024 season with 230 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, while also adding 275 passing yards and 5 touchdowns. He was utilized in several games, primarily in specialized packages to keep defenses guessing.

This could possibly point towards QB Drew Allar returning to Penn State for the 2025 season.

Georgia Transfer CB Julian Humphrey Signs with Texas A&M

Georgia CB Julian Humphrey has signed with Texas A&M after visiting College Station this weekend. Humphrey signed with the Aggies over SMU, Florida State, Texas, and Oregon, among others, as the main programs most seriously vying for Humphrey’s talents.

Humphrey was ranked as the 2nd best cornerback in the transfer portal according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings after finishing the 2024 season, his redshirt sophomore season, with 10 tackles and 4 passes defended in 10 starts. Humphrey has two years of eligibility remaining and is not expected to be with Georgia for the rest of this year’s Playoff run.

Mississippi State Transfer QB Michael Van Buren Commits to LSU

Mississippi State QB Michael Van Buren has committed to LSU after a true freshman season where Van Buren played in 10 games. Van Buren finished with nearly 1,900 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions for a Mississippi State team that looked out of sorts at most every position.

Van Buren was a 4-star QB in the 2024 recruiting class when he committed to Mississippi State, but now he transfers to LSU, where 2024’s starter QB Garrett Nussmeier has already made his plans to return for 2025 public.

Northwestern Transfer CB Theran Johnson Commits to Oregon

Northwestern CB Theran Johnson has committed to Oregon after spending his first four seasons at Northwestern.

Johnson played in 33 games, finishing with 96 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 20 passes defended, and 3 interceptions. In just 2024, he finished with 46 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 11 passes defended, which earned him All-Big Ten Second-Team.

Johnson was one of the top cornerbacks in the portal, ranking 3rd at the position according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings.

Oklahoma Transfer RB Kalib Hicks Commits to Oklahoma State

Former Oklahoma RB Kalib Hicks has transferred from Oklahoma to Oklahoma State after spending his first two collegiate seasons with the Sooners.

Hicks played in five games this season and two in the previous season, but only had a grand total of 5 carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. Hicks has 3 years of eligibility in Stillwater.

Pop-Tarts Bowl Unveils New Trophy with Working Toaster In It

The Pop-Tarts Bowl unveiled a new trophy last night with a working toaster in the trophy, which is shaped like the Lombardi Trophy, aside from the obvious difference of, y’know, the toaster slots.

Not only that, but the Pop-Tarts Bowl will have 3 mascots of differing Pop-Tart flavors, with the MVP of the game getting to choose which of the mascots is eating in the post-game scrum. The flavor options will be frosted hot fudge sundae, frosted wild berry, and a mystery flavor.

Arkansas RB Braylen Russell Re-Entering Portal After Withdrawing Name Earlier This Week

Arkansas freshman RB Braylen Russell is re-entering the transferportal after entering and withdrawing his name from the portal earlier in this week.

After withdrawing his name from the portal, Russell evidently had a change of heart, tweeting last night, “Thank you Arkansas! It’s time to do what’s best for me and my family, #0 out.”

As a true freshman, Russell finished with 304 yards and 2 touchdowns on 47 carries.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (85) QB Sawyer Anderson decommits from Purdue

3-Star (83) S Tobi Adewoyin flips from Kennesaw State to Ball State

2-Star (79) IOL Devin Davis commits to Charlotte