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.

South Carolina, Shane Beamer Agree to Contract Extension Through 2030

South Carolina announced that the program and Coach Shane Beamer have agreed to a contract extension through the 2030 season.

According to Kevin Miller of Gamecock Central, the extension also comes with a raise that starts at $8.15M and raises by $100k per year, so he will be set to earn between $8.15M and $8.65M by 2030.

Previously, Coach Beamer was ranked in the bottom quarter of the SEC in terms of compensation, but this extension and raise now more comparably places him relative to his finishes in the SEC.

Ohio State Phenom WR Jeremiah Smith Addresses Reports of Tampering

On3’s Pete Nakos reported yesterday morning that Ohio State phenom WR Jeremiah Smith was being offered between $4.5M and $5M to enter the transfer portal and go to another school.

Someone affiliated with Smith’s former 7-on-7 team tweeted that it wasn’t going to happen due to Smith and his family’s loyalty, which Smith confirmed with a simple 100 emoji.

As a true freshman, the 5-star receiver finished with 76 receptions for 1,315 yards, and 15 touchdowns. And with Smith confirming he has no plans of going anywhere, it would appear this is yet another win for a Buckeyes program which just won a National Championship and now retains arguably one of the most talented players in college football.

Ohio State WR Carnell Tate Also Expected to Remain at Ohio State Amid Tampering Offers

On3’s Pete Nakos and Steve Wiltfong are also reporting that Ohio State’s Carnell Tate has no plans of entering the transfer portal despite tampering offers of up to $1M.

Tate finished this past season with 52 catches for 733 yards and 4 touchdowns as a Sophomore and is expected to take a big step up now that Emeka Egbuka is moving on to likely be a first round pick, as Tate will likely slot in behind Jeremiah Smith as the WR2 for a Buckeyes team that has had a long history of elite wide receiver play.

Ohio State’s Ryan Day Responds to Tampering of Smith, Tate; Calls for Enforcement

Ohio State Coach Ryan Day responded to some of the tampering allegations for two of his top players, referenced in the above newsletter stories, on the Dan Patrick Show, sharing that “I think the first thing you have to do is bring in great people and great families, but you also have to value them and try to do everything you can to get what they deserve and what’s fair. But there’s also something to be said for being around a program like ours, and you think if it’s all equal, we’ll have our chance to get our share of guys. But it is different, there’s no question. I think as coaches, we’re all looking for a little bit more guidelines on this. Everything is so gray right now.”

Coach Day also called for enforcement, or at least an attempt at enforcement or better guidelines: “I think one of the big issues we have across the board in college football right now is enforcement. I mean, you know some of the stories of some of the things that have on just within the last couple of years or even in the past, but enforcement is really strained right now. So, until we start enforcing some of these rules, people can just call someone’s agent or someone’s parents and offer them a certain amount of money, and then it goes from there. That’s just part of it. There’s so many other things that come into play. That’s one of the things to me that I think we’ve got to get addressed in college sports and college football is enforcement. Because right now, there’s virtually none. And it’s gotten worse as time has gone on.”

UNC’s Bill Belichick Likens Tampering in College to the Pros

UNC Coach Bill Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL Coach of all-time, so he likely has a perspective that is fairly accurate.

Well, in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show yesterday, he likened the tampering going on with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate to the tampering that happens in the NFL all the time, apparently.

“It’s pretty similar to what we have in the NFL. As I said, it’s a little bit of a combination between the day when a couple of players after the draft, the undrafted players are negotiating to be on a roster, and free agency, just in general, where those couple of day – it’s called the legal tampering period, I think they call it, when you’re talking to agents, trying to work out deals with them, before the players are actually allowed to visit, and you’re allowed to talk to them. It’s not the same, but it’s a sort of a combination of those two NFL events. So, it is what it is. There’s a lot of money, promises, and opportunity being discussed, and everybody is in on it. The players, the teams that have the players, the teams that are looking for the players, and following the guidelines of the process, which are not as well-defined as they were in the NFL, but that’s what it is.”

Ryan Day’s Wife Reveals Coach Faced Extreme Backlash Following Michigan Loss

Coach Ryan Day’s wife Nancy shared with the Columbus Dispatch, via CBS Sports, that Coach Day received some ugly comments following his fourth consecutive loss to Michigan this past season.

“They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father’s footsteps and kill himself.”

She also shared that their 16-year-old son was receiving death threats on social media, and the family hired armed guards to protect their home.

“It’s very disappointing to me what some people are capable of, but you look at the news and you look at our society as a whole. People are very mean. They’re very negative. They’re nasty. I’m not saying everybody is, but there’s definitely a percentage of people that are just ruthless in their hate. … I think he, at times, second-guessed his decision to get into this and be in the spotlight that we’re in. He felt responsible and just felt bad that he had put us in this position. He promised us he’d get us out of it.”

Notre Dame OL Transfer Sam Pendleton Commits to Tennessee

Notre Dame OL transfer Sam Pendleton commits to Tennessee with three years of eligibility. Pendleton made starts in the first seven games of the season before seeing the field from a bench and special teams role for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Pendleton ranks 107th nationally and 11th at the IOL position designation according to the On3 transfer portal rankings.

Former UCF DC Ted Roof Sues School, Claiming Breach of Contract

WKMG TV’s Jamie Seh is reporting that former UCF DC Ted Roof filed suit against UCF, claiming breach of contract.

Following Gus Malzahn’s resignation as UCF’s Head Coach, the university adjusted Coach Roof’s compensation.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Coach Roof was to be paid for the remainder of his contract and any accrued incentives that it had yet to pay him upon his dismissal when he was fired on October 28th. The details of the suit aren’t clear, but Coach Roof is reportedly alleging that UCF unilaterally changed this agreement after Coach Malzahn resigned to become the OC at Florida State.

Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun Returning to Buckeyes in 2025

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun is returning to Ohio State in 2025.

Igbinosun transferred in from Ole Miss a couple years ago, and has since been a back-to-back All-Big Ten honorable mention.

In his two seasons with Ohio State, he has 104 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 14 passes defended, and 3 fumble recoveries.

With Ohio State’s defense largely leaving for the NFL, Igbinosun is projected to only be one of three defensive starters returning. According to Thamel, the opportunity to be more of a leader next season really appealed to Igbinosun.

Ohio State DL Hero Kanu Enters Portal

Ohio State rotational DL piece, Hero Kanu, has entered the transfer portal, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Kanu finished up his junior season having made 4 tackles across 123 total defensive snaps in 15 game appearances.

Across 3 seasons, Kanu has appeared in 29 games and has made 14 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Kanu was a 4-star prospect in the 2022 class and is headed to the portal with 2 seasons of eligibility remaining after redshirting as a freshman in 2022.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (87) OT Antonio Johnson commits to Michigan State

2026 3-Star (86) TE Joey Caudill commits to Michigan State

3-Star (85) DL Nicco Maggio flips from Wake Forest to North Carolina

3-Star (85) EDGE Kamden Laudenslager decommits from North Carolina

3-Star (84) QB Denzel Gardner commits to Southern Miss

3-Star (82) S Devon St. Clair commits to Charlotte

3-Star (82) IOL Elias Shamieh commits to Northern Arizona

3-Star (82) CB Josiah Young decommits from Northern Iowa

2-Star (78) WR Afy Ibekwe commits to Northern Illinois

Unrated RB Travon Pankey flips from South Dakota State to Washington State

Unrated TE Brown Reaves commits to Coastal Carolina