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.

Two Starting OL from Notre Dame Expected to Enter Portal

Notre Dame starting OL Pat Coogan is expected to enter the transfer portal, already ranking 3rd nationally and 1st for the IOL position designation according to On3 and ranking 1st of players still uncommitted in the portal.

Fellow starter Rocco Spindler is also expected to enter the portal, as he ranks 33rd nationally and 3rd at the IOL position in this transfer portal cycle according to On3’s transfer portal rankings.

Both Coogan and Spindler are the top available players in the portal, with the next best players available including Johntay Cook II (92nd), Travor Randle (113th), and Ryan Pellum (139th). Considering Cook has had his fair share of drama and stories in the last few months, and Pellum is currently facing legal troubles, this should further hammer home just how big of gets Coogan and Spindler would be relative to the remaining players available in the portal.

Safety Rod Moore Returning to Michigan

Michigan S Rod Moore is returning to Michigan for the 2025 season, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Moore was out for the 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during a drill in March, but has been with the Wolverines for the past 4 seasons. In his time with Michigan, he has made 28 starts in 37 appearances, and has 141 total tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 6 interceptions, and 7 passes defended.

In 2023, Moore was All-Big Ten Third Team for his efforts, as he was a starter for a Michigan team that would go on to win every game en route to a National Championship.

Colorado and Deion Sanders Hit with Minor Recruiting Violations

Colorado’s Deion Sanders made a small gaffe when he mentioned QB JuJu Lewis by name during a livestream during the 2024 season on his weekly coaches show.

That’s a violation of NCAA rules, a violation which Colorado self-reported, removed the show in question from the Internet, and imposed “corrective measures” like additional rules education for Coach Sanders and a reduction of four in-person recruiting days during the Spring 2025 contact period.

Colorado also agreed to implement new controls on the weekly show to alleviate concerns of this becoming an ongoing problem.

According to NCAA rules, Coach Sanders was not allowed to mention Lewis by name until Lewis signed with the program. During the November radio show, Lewis had not signed yet.

GM Michael Lombardi on UNC, Belichick’s Plans for NIL

On yesterday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show, UNC GM Michael Lombardi spoke on Bill Belichick’s plans for how to navigate the NIL world.

Lombardi shared that it’s going to be contingent on performance and how the staff sees the player’s contributions, equating it to the NFL Draft:

“You know, the draft is money, OK? When you say that a guy is going to be an immediate starter and impact the team, that’s a top-10 pick, and that top-10 pick makes X amount of dollars. And if you say the guy’s going to be a potential backup player who could eventually start, that’s probably a fourth- or fifth-round pick. So that comes with a value.”

Lombardi also shared that having a structure is going to be key:

“There’s going to be a scale. You know, you come in, you earn this. If you start to play, you’re going to earn more based on how you start. There has to be a rhyme and a reason to what you’re doing. But if you randomly just give out, I’m paying this guy $750,000, I’ll pay this guy a million, I’ll pay …, then all the sudden, you don’t have any continuity within your program.”

Mack Brown Thanks EA For Adding Tylee Craft to CFB 25

UNC WR Tylee Craft passed away from cancer in October, and EA Sports added him into the game in the most recent update.

Coach Mack Brown tweeted last night appreciation for EA Sports for adding Craft into the game to honor him, saying, “A big thank you to @EASPORTSCollege for adding Tylee Craft to the video game in their recent update. Very kind of them to do that for his family and friends.🙏❤️🙏”

Alabama LB Deontae Lawson Injury Timeline: Won’t Be Back Until Fall Camp

Alabama graduate senior LB Deontae Lawson revealed on the Crimson Drive podcast that he will miss all of Spring ball and will not be available until Fall camp after undergoing leg surgery.

Lawson suffered the season-ending leg injury during the loss to Oklahoma, and then missed the final games against Auburn and the bowl game against Michigan.

Lawson also shared that before the season, he was intending to declare for the NFL Draft after this season, but with the injury and the length it would take to recover, he decided his intuition and faith was telling him another season at Alabama was best for him.

Missouri Officially Announces Derek Nicholson as New LBs Coach

Missouri and Coach Eli Drinkwitz announced yesterday that Derek Nicholson is the new LBs Coach for Missouri.

Coach Nicholson was most recently the LBs Coach and Co-DC for Miami.

Coach Drinkwitz said of Coach Nicholson: “Derek brings a wealth of experience with both as a coach, coordinator, and former NFL player. What stood out to us was his energy and passion for the game and his proven ability to develop high-level talent. We believe he’ll be a perfect fit to help mentor our ‘Death Row Defense’ as we continue to take these next steps forward as a program.”

He also has some experience as a position coach or coordinator with Akron, Louisville, Alcorn State, and Southern Miss.

UNLV Hiring Kenucky’s Jeremy Bruce as OLB Coach

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that UNLV and new Head Coach Dan Mullen are hiring Kentucky’s Jeremy Bruce to be the Rebels’ OLB Coach.

Coach Bruce’s resume includes stops at Wyoming, Fresno State, Oregon State, SMU, and Kentucky, as he was a LBs and DL GA for Oregon State from 2021-22. He then was a GA in 2023 for SMU on Coach Rhett Lashlee’s staff, and a GA for Kentucky in 2024.

Former Nebraska RB Calvin Jones Dies at 54

According to KETV NewsWatch 7, Nebraska RB Calvin Jones has passed away at the age of 54.

According to reporters, Jones’ passing was indicative of carbon monoxide poisoning, as he was found deceased in his basement after reportedly having issues with his furnace and using a generator to keep warm.

Jones led the country in 1991 with 8.3 yards per carry, and led the Big 8 in 1992 with 1,210 rushing yards, 7.2 yards per carry, and 14 touchdowns. From 1991 to 1993, Jones led the Big 8 in rushing and total touchdowns every season. With those stats and impact on the offense, he was All-Big 8 in both 1992 and 1993, and was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1994.

Jones finished his Huskers career with 3,153 rushing yards, 40 touchdowns, 304 receiving yards, and 42 total touchdowns.

Jones was a 3rd round pick by the Raiders in the 1994 NFL Draft, and spent 3 seasons in the NFL.

2025 Heisman Odds

FanDuel has already released it’s 2025 Heisman Trophy odds, with these names at the top:

1. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB (+900)

2. Arch Manning, Texas QB (+950)

3. Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB (+1100)

4. Drew Allar, Penn State QB (+1100)

5. Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee QB (+1100)

6. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR (+1700)

7. Carson Beck, Georgia QB (+1800)

8. Julian Sayin, Ohio State QB (+1800)

9. Dante Moore, Oregon QB (+2000)

10. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina QB (+2000)

11. John Mateer, Oklahoma QB (+2500)

12. DJ Lagway, Florida QB (+2500)

13. Kevin Jennings, SMU QB (+3000)

14. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss QB (+3000)

15. Miller Moss, Louisville QB (+3300)

16. Gunner Stockton, Georgia QB (+3300)

17. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M (+4000)

Other Commitments/Decommitments

2026 3-Star (86) WR Kenyon Alston commits to Illinois

3-Star (83) DL Luca Akirtava decommits from Arkansas State

3-Star (83) ATH Lono Chouteau commits to Sacramento State

3-Star (83) DL Samuel Toniolo commits to Youngstown State

2-Star (78) WR Carter York commits to South Dakota State

2-Star (77) WR Hudson Giarritta commits to Cal Poly

2-Star (75) LB Adrian Cooper commits to Northwest Missouri State