In partnership with

Looking for unbiased, fact-based news? Join 1440 today.

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Subscribe to 1440 today.

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.

Ryan Day on New DC Matt Patricia’s Fit So Far

With spring practice underway, Ohio State Coach Ryan Day shared how new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is seemingly fitting in with the Ohio State culture and locker room:

“A lot of energy. Building relationships right now, just getting started. But I think the feedback from our players has been good. I think they really enjoy the conversation, the extra time that they get the chance to spend some one-on-one time with Matt. His experience and credibility speak for itself. I think they know that, but now they’re getting a chance to meet him. I think it’s been great. Gotten some great feedback from the recruits as well, had a chance to meet with them. We’re just starting to dive into some of the different things we can do on defense.”

Baylor Expected to Name Aaron Hunt as GM

247Sports’ Matt Zenitz is reporting that Baylor is expected to name Aaron Hunt as its General Manager.

Hunt has been with Baylor since 2021 as the Assistant AD for Player Personnel. Well before that, Hunt played at Texas Tech from 2000-02, where he etched his name in the record book with 34 career sacks, still the Big 12 all-time number.

His involvement with Baylor has at least partially been in recruiting, where he helped the Bears recruit a Top 5 class in the Big 12 last cycle.

The Baylor front office is now rounding nicely, as former Georgia Player Personnel Coordinator Anthony Mauro was recently hired to serve as the Assistant GM.

James Franklin on Not Canceling Spring Game

Penn State’s James Franklin opened up recently on why he is not having the Nittany Lions cancel its Spring Game:

“I’ve been at Penn State now long enough to understand the impact Penn State football has on this entire community. And … a successful Penn State football program helps everybody out – the bars, the restaurants, the hotels. So, for me to, at any point, say we’re not going to have a Spring game, I don’t think that’ll make sense for a ton of reasons. The university schedules a ton of fundraising events around the Spring game, a lot of people are in town, it’s like a homecoming in the Spring. So that’s going to factor in always into our decision-making process.”

Coach Franklin also spoke on the fans and the value of spring practices and the game to get experience, “I know we have some real, real football people in our fanbase that want to watch and evaluate our roster, and get excited and have discussions at the barbershop, or at the water jug in discussing what Penn State football is going to look like next year. I also think it’s valuable for the media. So, for all those reasons, we’ll still do it, but it will probably be a little less plays and it’ll probably be a little shorter amount of time. It also probably won’t all be live, it’ll be a mixture of some live and some thud. I want it to be enough that you guys feel like it was worth it, and our fans feel like, ‘hey, I’ve got a pretty good feel for what Penn State is going to look like.’ And I also think that Jim [Knowles] being in the stadium for the first and calling from the booth, those things are important to get those reps and for him to evaluate our staff and for him to evaluate our roster. All 15 of those days are like gold.”

Former Georgia WR Rara Thomas Signs with Troy

Former Georgia, Mississippi State WR Rara Thomas signed with Troy out of the transfer portal yesterday.

Thomas was arrested on two misdemeanor battery charges and one felony cruelty to children charge, which he was indicted for on November 11th. Back in August, following the arrest, Coach Kirby Smart released Thomas. He also was charged in a separate incident for false imprisonment and domestic battery back in January of 2023, but the false imprisonment charge was later dismissed.

With the Bulldogs, Thomas finished with 23 catches for 383 yards and a touchdown in 2023. Before that, he spent 2 years at Mississippi State, where he had 44 catches, 626 yards, and 7 touchdowns in 2022.

Now, Thomas heads to Troy for his third school, with (presumably) one more season of eligibility.

Duke RB Al Wooten II Enters Transfer Portal

Duke RB Al Wooten II entered the transfer portal recently. Though he only carried the ball twice for one whole yard in 2024, Wooten did play at Mercer before this, where he was a solid producer for the Bears.

With Mercer in 2023, Wooten finished with 715 yards and 6 touchdowns.

5-Star CB Jorden Edmonds Commits to Alabama

5-star CB Jorden Edmonds committed to Alabama yesterday over offers from dozens of programs, including Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and others.

Edmonds shared with On3, “it came down to relationships, development and how I grew up following the program that helped me choose Alabama. I am from Pittsburgh, but my brother was an Alabama fan, and when I moved down to Atlanta in the 7th grade, I started to follow Alabama. From that point, I followed them, then when I started getting recruited by them, I knew I liked them a lot. My first visit was around January of 2024 and I got the offer. … I was leaning toward Alabama from the day I got the offer, but I liked Georgia, Tennessee and some other schools. The relationships developed and that is what took Alabama to the top.”

Edmonds is ranked highest by 247, which places Edmonds 10th nationally and first at the CB. The On3 industry composite ranks Edmonds 17th nationally and 2nd at the CB position.

For Alabama, this is the first 5-star, 4th Blue Chip, and 4th total commitment for the 2026 class, a class which currently ranks 5th nationally and 3rd in the SEC, behind only LSU and Texas A&M.

4-Star RB Kaydin Jones Commits to Oklahoma State

4-star RB Kaydin Jones committed to Oklahoma State yesterday over offers from Oregon, Alabama, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and others.

Jones was one of the top players in the entire state of Oklahoma, rushing for over 800 yards as a junior, which followed a 1,200 yard season as a Sophomore.

Both ESPN and Rivals rate Jones as a 4-star, while On3 and 247 have him as a highly rated 3-star. He ranks 321st nationally and 23rd at the RB position according to the On3 industry composite.

For Oklahoma State, this is the first Blue Chip commitment and 5th commitment total for the 2026 class, a class which ranks 43rd nationally and 7th in the Big 12.

3-Star OT Gavin Meier Commits to Minnesota

3-star OT Gavin Meier committed to Minnesota yesterday over offers from Auburn, Wisconsin, Indiana, and others.

Meier shared in his decision on Twitter that committing to Minnesota is a dream come true, and that he cannot wait to play at Huntington Bank Stadium with his new teammates for the first time.

Meier is rated as high as an 89 by On3, ranking 31st at the OT position. The On3 industry composite ranks Meier 565th nationally and 45th at the OT position.

For Minnesota, this is the 6th commitment for the 2026 class, a class which currently ranks 28th nationally and 9th in the Big Ten.

3-Star OT Tucker Smith Commits to Ohio State

3-star OT Tucker Smith committed to Ohio State yesterday over offers from Penn State, USC, Arizona, Kansas State, Minnesota, and others.

Smith only just received an offer, getting his offer while on a visit this past week. Now, less than one week later, he’s in the boat for the Buckeyes.

Smith is rated an 87 by both On3 and 247, where he ranks 721st nationally and 64th at the IOL position designation according to the On3 industry composite.

For Ohio State, this is the 7th commitment for the 2026 class, a class which ranks 6th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten, behind only USC and Oregon.

2027 3-Star S Mekhi Williams Commits to Florida State

3-star S Mekhi Williams committed to Florida State yesterday over offers from Colorado and Toledo.

His commitment to the Seminoles follows a visit to Tallahassee for what must have been a successful visit for the Noles.

Williams ranks 209th nationally and 20th at the safety position according to the On3 industry composite, but it’s still early in the recruiting cycle with plenty of names yet to be ranked.

He is the 2nd commitment for Florida State’s 2027 class, joining fellow safety Jaylen Scott.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (86) EDGE Joey Quinn commits to Vanderbilt

Unrated LB Keian Kaiser commits to Iowa State

2027 Unrated S Travis Miles commits to Syracuse