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.

Texas to Hire DBs Coach Duane Akina

Orangebloods’ Anwar Richardson is reporting that Texas is hiring longtime DBs Coach Duane Akina for the opening that was recently created as Terry Joseph left for a job in the pros.

Coach Akina was with Texas from 2001 to 2013 and was most recently at Arizona. He was hired by Mack Brown and remained with Texas for that time until Charlie Strong chose not to retain him. He then went to Stanford and worked there until David Shaw was fired. He went to Arizona for some time, and now he’s back on the 40 Acres in Austin once again.

James Franklin on Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen Returning for 2025

At James Franklin’s winter press conference, he spoke on RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, and their decision to return for the 2025 season.

“With Nick, it was a little bit like an Olu [Fashanu] situation where getting his degree, finishing what he started, taking a few more steps. I think that was a factor for him. I think with Kaytron, to be honest with you, one of the most exciting things about Kaytron is Kaytron’s never really had an off-season. Every off-season, he’s had some injury that has really limited his off-season development. So, you know, with him really having his first off-season where he’s been healthy, I think he’s really excited about what he can do, and I know we’re really excited.”

“I didn’t really know how it was going to go with either of those guys. But obviously, it worked out to be a positive. … I think that’s also telling, right, when guys like Olu and the guys that we had come back this year, I think that speaks to the culture in the room, and I think that speaks to the development that they’re getting, and the excitement about some of the things that we can do this year. So, I think it’s all those things.”

Missouri Not Holding Spring Game in 2025 or 2026 Due to Stadium Renovations

According to Eli Hoff of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri is not going to be holding a spring game in 2025 or 2026 due to stadium renovations.

Hoff shared on Twitter that “ongoing stadium renovations would need to be paused to a degree that the program doesn’t feel is worth it for an event that is rapidly becoming antiquated around the country.”

Hoff also shared, “other programs have canned spring games due to concerns over tampering, and this explicitly isn’t that. Purely stadium related.”

Former Penn State QB Matt McGloin Joining Bill O’Brien’s BC Staff as Offensive Analyst

According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, former Penn State QB Matt McGloin is joining Bill O’Brien’s staff as Boston College as an offensive analyst.

This is going to be McGloin’s first job in coaching, as he was previously in local politics as a member of the Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners in Pennsylvania.

McGloin is a former walk-on who worked his way up to be the starting QB for the Nittany Lions, winning the 2012 Burlsworth Award, for the top walk-on in the country.

Penn State went 8-4 with McGloin at the helm, as he threw for 3,271 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions.

Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm on Miller Moss Compared to Past UL QBs

USC transfer Miller Moss gives Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm a lot to be excited about, as Coach Brohm looks ahead to the 2025 season.

As for how Moss compares to past QBs, Coach Brohm sees a lot of similarities between Moss and previous Louisville signal callers: “I think he can throw a good football, he’s played a lot of games, he has a ton of experience. [He] had ups and downs, kind of like Tyler [Shough], kind of like Jack [Plummer], but I think he’s played against good football teams, and he’s been battle tested, and I think he’s picked up what we’ve done to this point very well. I think he’s a leader in a different way than Tyler, but he’s a very good leader.”

Last season, Moss threw for 2,555 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on a 64.4% completion percentage for USC.

UNC GM Michael Lombardi on Philosophy of Program Building at UNC

UNC GM Michael Lombardi recently spoke on his philosophy for building the program at UNC, and his plan is to start from the inside out:

“The great thing about football is you can study winning on any level and there’s a formula for why teams win and why teams lose. And if you pay close attention to it, it’s not that difficult. Football, … it’s about who wins the line and who controls the game.”

Lombardi continued, “there’s always two elements in a football game, who’s in the lead and who’s in control. … the only way you can get in control of the game is through the offensive and defensive lines. So, if you believe that philosophy, that’s building the team inside out from the lines to the receivers.”

Ryan Day on 7-Figure Donations to Mental Health Cause

Ohio State’s Ryan Day recently spoke on his decision to make 7-figure donations to mental health causes being researched and treated at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.

“The mental health thing has always been important to me based on the way that I grew up and some of the things that I experienced growing up. … It’s good for Buckeye Nation, for Columbus, for Ohio to see guys who are at the biggest stage, big strong guys who are still willing to say, ‘Hey, man, I’m struggling today. I need a little help.’”

Back in 2022, Coach Day and his wife Christina pledged $1M, recently donating another $1M to the cause.

Consensus 4-Star EDGE Trenton Henderson Names Top 10

Consensus 4-star EDGE Trenton Henderson has narrowed his recruitment down to his Top 10 programs: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Texas, USC, and Vanderbilt are the 10 programs to make the cut.

Henderson currently has two official visits planned: Auburn (May 16th) and Alabama (June 6th).

Last month he also shared that Florida and FSU are his top two contenders, but that he’s hoping to visit FSU to find out more on if that’s the program for him.

Henderson ranks 45th nationally and 5th at the EDGE position according to the On3 industry composite, but 247 is the highest on his talents, ranking him 12th nationally and 3rd at the position.

5-Star OT Felix Ojo Sets 5 Official Visits

5-Star OT Felix Ojo shared with On3’s Hayes Fawcett that he has set 5 official visits.

Ojo is visiting Ole Miss (April 18), Ohio State (May 30), Michigan (June 6), Texas (June 13), and Oklahoma (June 20).

The On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine currently heavily favors Texas (83.5%), with Oklahoma (4.6%), Ole Miss (2.6%), Ohio State (2.2%), and Michigan (2.2%) all well behind.

Ojo ranks as high as 10th nationally (On3) and 4th at his position (On3, Rivals). The On3 industry composite, however, ranks him 19th nationally and 3rd at the OT position.

Texas QB Commit Dia Bell Named 5-Star Prospect in Updated Rankings

Texas QB Commit Dia Bell was named a 5-star in the updated prospect rankings from On3.

On3 now joins ESPN listing Bell as a 5-star, as 247 and Rivals both tab him as a 4-star. This boost from On3 comes following a season which saw Bell win the Gatorade Player of the Year honors in the state of Florida.

The On3 industry composite rates Bell as a 5-star, ranking him 10th nationally and 3rd at the QB position.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (83) S Ryan Miller commits to Ohio

2025 2-Star (79) K Ashton Zamani flips from UCLA to Duke