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

Sam Houston Forces 5 Turnovers to Beat Georgia Southern 31-26 in R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Sam Houston was outgained by Georgia Southern by over 100 yards (393-267), but thanks, in large part, to a 5-1 turnover margin, Sam Houston won the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl 31-26 to get to a 10-3 record in just the 2nd season at the FBS level for the Bearkats.

Georgia Southern QB JC French was 20/33 for 212 yards, a touchdown, but, 4 interceptions. Sam Houston’s Jaylon Jimmerson had 2 of those interceptions, with the first of the game being a pick-six to put the Bearkats on the board, giving them a 7-0 lead.

French also finished with a rushing touchdown (16/34/1), while Jalen White led all rushers in this game with a statline of 16/90/1.

For receiving, 4 Eagles had at least 40 yards, with Derwin Burgess Jr. (6/56) and Josh Dallas (5/46/1) leading the way.

For Sam Houston, QB Hunter Watson was an efficient 23/28 for 213 yards and a touchdown, while also adding a pair of rushing touchdowns of his own. RB Jay Ducker finished with the most rushing yards for the Bearkats with 26, but that came on 10 carries with a long of 20 yards, meaning he averaged fewer than a yard per carry.

The leading receiver for either team in this one was Sam Houston’s Simeon Evans (7/85/1).

5-Star WR Dallas Wilson Requests Release from NLI With Oregon, Looking at Florida Instead

5-star WR Dallas Wilson has requested a release from his NLI with Oregon in an effort to end up with Florida.

Wilson originally committed to Oregon almost a year ago, back in January of 2023. However, after putting pen to paper during the Early Signing Period, Wilson is now looking to be released from that in an effort to go to Florida.

For Wilson, there are two main reasons for why he is looking to go to Florida instead of Oregon: proximity to home due to the health of a specific family member, and being able to play with DJ Lagway.

Wilson is rated a 5-star by 247, and is ranked 19th nationally and 2nd at the WR position according to the On3 industry composite.

ESPN Reporting Georgia QB Carson Beck “Exploring Surgery Options”

On3’s Pete Nakos first reported that Georgia QB Carson Beck is set to miss the CFP Quarterfinals for whichever team wins between Notre Dame and Indiana.

However, this story may go deeper than just the quarterfinals, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mark Schlabach, and Chris Low are reporting that Beck is “exploring surgery options”.

Currently, no one has been able to come up with a definitive injury timetable for Beck’s return, with backup QB Gunner Stockton the presumed replacement for Beck. With Beck exploring surgery, it will be interesting to see what chance he has to play during the CFP and ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Texas WR Isaiah Bond Doubtful Against Clemson

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Texas WR Isaiah Bond faces “long odds” to play this weekend against Clemson in the 5 v. 12 matchup.

Bond is currently working his way back from a high ankle sprain, an injury he has been dealing with much of the season. However, he aggravated it in the SEC Championship game, and now he will need to “significantly improve” if he wishes to play against Clemson.

Bond did not practice on Monday, according to Inside Texas’ Joe Cook. With Bond missing time, freshman Ryan Wingo has been taking his place.

Steve Sarkisian Vehemently Against JUCO Ruling: Totally Disagree

Texas Coach Steve Sarkisian recently took some time to discuss some of the implications of the court ruling allowing for JUCO seasons to not count towards eligibility, and he’s not a fan.

“I totally disagree with the… determination on this. We chose to go to Junior College football. That’s where we wanted to start and play our careers. So, I don’t understand it at all. We’re going to have guys 28-29 years old playing college football. What’s the point? I don’t get it. I don’t understand it. I totally disagree with it.”

Purdue Transfer EDGE Will Heldt Signs with Clemson

Former Purdue transfer EDGE Will Heldt has signed with Clemson over Texas A&M and LSU, who were also hot on Heldt’s tail in the portal. He is the first defensive scholarship player Clemson has added from the transfer portal, adding Heldt shortly after they added a productive wide receiver from the FCS ranks.

Heldt finished 2024 with 56 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 5 sacks. Due to that, Heldt is a consensus 4-star transfer prospect, with On3 ranking him as the top-rated EDGE in the portal.

Cal Transfer WR Nyziah Hunter Commits to Nebraska

Former Cal WR Nyziah Hunter committed to Nebraska out of the transfer portal yesterday after spending his freshman season at Cal.

With the Golden Bears, Hunter finished with 40 catches for 578 yards and 5 touchdowns. Hunter is one of the top WRs in the portal, as he rates out as a consensus 4-star portal target.

The On3 portal industry composite ranks Hunter in the Top 40 players nationally.

Former Nevada OT Transfer Isaiah World Commits to Oregon

Former Nevada OT Isaiah World is set to take over for Oregon at tackle, as World was a hotly contested prospect. Both Texas A&M and Nebraska were hot on his tail before he decided on the Ducks.

World was originally a prospect in the 2021 class, but has since worked his way into a sought after transfer portal player with at least one year of eligibility remaining. According to 247, World is the #1 tackle in the portal, and the On3 portal industry rankings places World 3rd at the position.

Duke QB Transfer Maalik Murphy Commits to Oregon State

Duke QB Maalik Murphy has committed to Oregon State out of the portal after he was a bit of a surprise transfer portal entrant after leading Duke to a fairly successful first season as a starting QB.

Murphy is coming off of a season where he threw for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns – both single-season records for Duke.

Now, Murphy heads out to Corvallis, Oregon to try and continue his career having entered the portal ranked as the 4th highest ranked QB according to 247 (and 14th highest QB according to On3).

USC RB Transfer Quinten Joyner Commits to Texas Tech

USC transfer RB Quinten Joyner announced his commitment to Texas Tech last night.

Joyner finished 2024 with 63 carries for 478 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had 125 rushing yards as a true freshman in 2023.

Perhaps most notably, Joyner was a great explosive threat, as he averaged 7.6 yards per carry, which was the highest in the Big Ten for that category.

Joyner still has 3 seasons of eligibility, which should make him a potentially appealing RB prospect for any program looking for a younger RB with home-run potential.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (88) ATH Jamar Searcy decommits from Washington State

3-Star (87) TE Bear Tenney commits to Utah

3-Star (86) WR TI Mims Jr. commits to South Alabama

3-Star (83) WR Nolan McWilliams commits to Idaho

2026 Unrated WR Brayden Stevenson commits to Nevada