Alabama LB Eyabi Anoma re-enters NCAA transfer portal

Two days after we learned that Eyabi Anoma was not attending classes at Alabama, it now appears he has decided to leave the university altogether.

The linebacker has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal for the second time this year, according to AL.com. 

Anoma previously entered the portal in February, but then changed his mind and withdrew his name 24 hours later. He took part in Alabama’s spring drills earlier this year and had a sack in the A-Day Game.

A former five star player according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, Anoma appeared in a dozen games for the Crimson Tide last season as a true freshman.

The Baltimore native was looking at a potential backup outside linebacker position this coming season after the Tide lost starter Christian Miller to the NFL Draft.

Anoma would become the sixth player to leave Alabama by way of transfer this year, following quarterback Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), offensive lineman Richie Petitbon (Illinois), defensive back Kyriq McDonald (Cincinnati), long snapper Scott Meyer (Vanderbilt), and quarterback Layne Hatcher (Arkansas State).

Notre Dame at Georgia date, time announced

Two years ago, Georgia and Notre Dame met in South Bend in a thriller that saw the Bulldogs come away with a one point victory en route to a CFB Playoff appearance.

This year, the two programs will square off again down south, this time under the lights.

CBS Sports announced on Wednesday that it will broadcast the rematch between Notre Dame and Georgia from Sanford Stadium on Sept. 21 at 8:00 pm Eastern.

Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl will call the game from Athens.

The game figures to be one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2019 college football season, as both teams have been in the playoff over the last two years. Notre Dame lost to eventual champion Clemson in last year’s semifinal, and Georgia beat Baker Mayfield’s Oklahoma squad in the 2019 Rose Bowl before falling to Alabama in overtime in that year’s national championship game.

This year’s Irish-Bulldogs matchup will be a measuring stick for the CFP Selection Committee and should loom large in both team’s resumes at the end of the season should either or both wind up in contention for the top four.

Georgia escaped from Notre Dame Stadium in 2017 after Davin Bellamy’s dramatic strip sack of Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush with under two minutes in regulation. The game was also noted for being the first career start for then freshman Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm.

The 2019 SEC on CBS schedule begins on Sept. 14 when South Carolina hosts Alabama at 3:30 pm Eastern following a yet to be announced 12:00 game on the network.

Ohio State self-reports 22 NCAA violations

Ryan Day is already paying for the actions of the past before he embarks on his own first full season as Ohio State’s head football coach.

Day and his coaching staff were told not to speak with any 2020 recruiting prospects on the phone from Feb. 6-18 as a result of punishments levied against the program by the NCAA after OSU self-reported seven impermissible phone calls in 2017 and 2018, according to Eleven Warriors.

The athletic department self-reported 22 NCAA violations in total both in football and basketball between May 1, 2017 and May 22, 2019, 16 of which were related to the football team and six in basketball.

Ohio State submitted violations to the NCAA including: impermissible text messages, impermissible phone calls, impermissible promotion, preferential treatment, one assistant was recruited before passing a recruiting exam, student-athlete reinstatement, impermissible publicity, promotion using a student-athlete’s image, impermissible publicity and inducement, an impermissible tweet, impermissible electronic correspondence, impermissible text messages, use of image/name/likeness, use of an outside consultant, Big Ten tender filing deadline missed, and financial aid coverage.

Most of the violations are minor in scope and are the kind routinely reported to the NCAA, but some did compromise Ohio State’s football recruiting efforts after the NCAA’s intervention.

Eleven Warriors reported that the Buckeyes’ football team exceeded its scholarship limit in 2017 because of a compliance issue, and the program had a reduction of one scholarship at what the NCAA would determine is the next available opportunity.

Ex-Clemson CB Kyler McMichael transfers to UNC

Kyler McMichael didn’t spend much time in the transfer portal.

The cornerback was a free agent for about 24 hours after making the official announcement that he would move on from national champion Clemson and to North Carolina.

“Beyond blessed and grateful to be apart [sic] of such an amazing team last year at Clemson, however today I begin my next Chapter in life as I redirect my journey and travel to Chapel Hill, to the University of North Carolina and become a Tar Heel,” McMichael said in a statement.

During his high school career at Norcross (Ga.), McMichael was recruited by UNC, who gave him an offer, and he was in attendance for a game at their stadium before ultimately deciding to sign with Clemson.

McMichael, originally a four star recruit, didn’t have much influence over the Tigers’ defense during their recent national championship run, playing on 101 snaps and recording two tackles in 12 appearances.

Going forward, McMichael will sit out the 2019 season and compete for a position with the Tar Heels next year as a redshirt sophomore.

247Sports ranked McMichael as the No. 8 cornerback and 56th best recruit overall.

Vols QB says Jim Chaney gives him more freedom

Entering his fourth season at Tennessee and his second as the Vols’ starting quarterback, Jarrett Guarantano has had to learn a new offense with every passing year.

Now, after the addition of Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator, Guarantano says the team is turning the page on a new era, one in which he will have a lot more influence.

“Coach Chaney gives me a lot of freedom right now,” he told 104.5 FM (Nashville).

“He really does. He allows me to call different plays. He allows me to change protections, and I handle the run game. Having Coach Chaney around, he’s definitely been a blessing for me, and I’m very excited for the role that I’m taking on with the offense. It’s been really good.”

Tennessee has been looking to forge some consistency on the offensive side of the ball, hiring Mike DeBord in 2016, Larry Scott in 2017, and Tyson Helton in 2018, before bringing in Chaney, who served as the Vols’ interim head coach in 2012, from Georgia this year.

Last season, Guarantano went 153 of 246 passing for 1,907 yards, throwing 12 touchdowns against seven interceptions, and ranking 11th overall in the SEC.

But Tennessee finished dead last in the conference in total offense and were the only team in the league that failed to surpass 4,000 total yards. Their 22.8 points scored per game were second to last, ahead of Arkansas (21.7).

Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt referred to Guarantano as “our quarterback” during the SEC Media Days and praised how well the 21 year old has handled the mental load of the position.

“The thing that excited me about Jarrett is, you can stand out on the field, you can see his arm talent, you know, me being in the meeting rooms, I know that football really comes easy to him,” Pruitt said.

“He picks up fast. He can handle a whole lot. What I see that excites me the most is the impact that he’s having on his teammates. I think that’s a true mark of a leader, having a positive impact on the people you’re around. I see him developing and doing that.”

Finebaum: Trevor Lawrence a better NFL prospect than Tua Tagovailoa

The honor of being the best quarterback in college football is up for debate, but most would admit that it’s a two man race between Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence.

Their teams─Alabama and Clemson, respectively─have met each other in the College Football Playoff in each of the last four straight seasons, and both have won the national championship twice.

As to which player is better between the two, SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum believes he has the answer.

“It’s Trevor Lawrence,” Finebaum told ESPN when asked which would make the better

NFL prospect in the future.

“He’s a little bigger, he has more command, and he was just really unbelievable. When you
stand on the field as we all did at the national championship game and watch him, he peers
over everyone. He was in total control. Remember last year, when Kelly Bryant was the
starter coming off of a playoff berth the year before? He lost his job four games into the
season, and Trevor never looked back.”

Between the two, Lawrence has a national championship after Clemson routed Alabama, 44-16, in the title game in January, but the Tigers and the Crimson Tide are expected to compete for the crown again in 2019 and both players are favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

Lawrence could widen the gap between himself and Tagovailoa, given the Clemson signal caller hasn’t even had a full season under his belt as the starter.

“I think he’s one of the best prospects I’ve seen in a long time,” Finebaum said.

“I don’t want to start that drum because he still has another year after this, but right now he’s better. I wouldn’t say significantly better, but he’s a better prospect than Tua. He could be significantly better a year from now.”

Both players were five star recruits, according to the industry-generated 247Sports
Composite, and Lawrence was crowned as the No. 1 player in the country by that service in
the 2018 signing class.

Harbaugh says Michigan could play two QBs in every game

Michigan hasn’t fielded a two quarterback team since hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach, but that could change when the 2019 season begins.

Harbaugh said that he is considering playing both starting quarterback Shea Patterson and backup Dylan McCaffrey in every game.

“Where it stands right now, and that could change later or not, is I see them both playing,” Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press.

“Where it stands right now, I see it as maybe redefining what a starter is…. I’m really not talking about playing them both at the same time [on a single play], when I say both in games it’d be they’re both playing quarterback during the same game. And in the way it stands now, in every game.”

Patterson has been somewhat inconsistent since arriving in Ann Arbor as a transfer from Ole Miss, and McCaffrey, a former four star recruit in high school, is seen as the heir apparent.

In 13 starts last season, Patterson completed 64.6 percent of his pass attempts, threw for 2,600 yards, and scored 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions. McCaffrey, brother of current NFL running back Christian, won the backup job last year and played in six games, with two of his 15 passes going for touchdowns before breaking his collarbone in November.

Patterson and McCaffrey both fully participated in Michigan’s spring camp at starter and backup, respectively, with redshirt freshman Joe Milton also getting reps as the No. 3.

What Lincoln Riley thinks of Sam Ehlinger

Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray are two Oklahoma greats who have expressed some dislike for Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, but one prominent Sooner says he is a fan.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley showed some respect for Ehlinger when speaking at the Big 12 Media Days recently from Arlington.

“I think he’s a really good player,” Riley said. “I really do.”

The two have already met on the field for a few games of national importance.

Ehlinger accounted for two touchdowns in what was the first Red River Showdown for both himself and Riley in the 2017 season, a five point Oklahoma victory.

The next season, Ehlinger dominated the Sooners defense, throwing for 314 yards, rushing for 72, and helping score five touchdowns in a 48-45 Texas victory.

The Longhorns finished 10-4 on the year with Ehlinger under center in 2018, and though they lost to eventual CFB Playoff participant Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, Texas beat out No. 5 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, a game in which Ehlinger was named MVP.

“I’ve been impressed with his improvement,” Riley said. “It certainly looked like he improved quite a bit as a thrower there last year, but he’s always been a tough, competitive kid.”

Tua Tagovailoa loses 15 pounds after Nick Saban’s challenge

Tua Tagovailoa heard the advice of Nick Saban to get in better shape for the coming season, and the Alabama quarterback responded in a big way.

During his appearance at the SEC Media Days this week, Tagovailoa said he lost around 15 pounds and noted that he feels a lot healthier as a result.

“I’m at a goal that I think I reached better than what I could think of for myself and what coach set for me,” Tagovailoa said. “Coach wants me at 218, and I’m about 215-214.”

Months after the end of the season, Saban publicly challenged his quarterback to get in better shape after Tagovailoa dealt with knee and ankle issues late in the 2018 season in games against Georgia and Clemson.

“I think being hurt was an issue for him at the end of the season and I think that he has to challenge himself to get back into great shape and overcome some of the things that happened toward the end of the year,” Saban said at the SEC Spring Meetings.

“I think he should take the perception that he has a lot to prove relative to how we ended the season. I think our whole team fits into that category.”

Tagovailoa said he gained some weight late last season after suffering an ankle sprain in the SEC Championship Game that required surgery and three weeks in a walking boot.

The quarterback was ultimately cleared to play in the College Football Playoff games against Oklahoma and then Clemson. He went 24 of 27 for 318 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Sooners, but the Clemson defense largely contained him in a 44-16 rout.

Tagovailoa enters the 2019 season as the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, boasting 5/2 odds, ranked ahead of Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (3/1).

Penn State suspends two players through July

The college football season isn’t set to begin for more than another month, but Penn State has already handed down a suspension for two of their players.

Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin announced that defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and running back Journey Brown will be suspended for the remainder of the month.

The players are being sat for what Franklin called a violation of team rules that dates back to spring practice and both will be back with the team on Aug. 1.

A junior, Gross-Matos led Penn State last season with eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss, while adding 54 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and fumble recovery.

He is also coming into the 2019 season as a candidate for the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award.

“I talk to him all the time,” Franklin said, via 247Sports. “He is doing great.”

Brown, a redshirt sophomore, sat behind Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders over the last two years, but Franklin has said the Meadville, Pa. product is developing into a player that could earn more reps in the future.

Penn State begins their season on Aug. 31 at home against Idaho.

BREAKING: Dez Bryant out 4-6 weeks (foot)

The relative absence of Dez Bryant in the Cowboys' last second victory over the Giants in each team's Sunday night opener has been discerned.

The All-Pro wide receiver broke a bone in his foot and will miss four to six weeks of game time following a surgery, according to NFL Media.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed the injury and the operation to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Bryant left in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 27-26 victory over New York after sustaining the injury and missed the Cowboys' final three possessions. He left the field for the team's locker room in the first quarter of the contest with what coaches told NBC was dehydration.

Cowboys come back, down Giants with seconds left

How Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning could look at themselves in the mirror on Monday morning only they know.

Jason Witten snagged two touchdown receptions to power the Dallas Cowboys past the New York Giants 27-26 on Sunday night. Witten's final, deciding grab came with seven seconds left on the clock.

What happened? Eli Manning decided to throw the ball away on a 3rd-and-Goal with a minute and a half left. It cost the Giants the contest. Manning called the play-action and rolled right. When nothing came open, rather than sit on the turf and let the clock bleed, the two-time Super Bowl champion threw the ball into camera row in the back of the end zone. 

Thereby stopping the clock. Which was all Tony Romo needed.

Dallas took over following Josh Brown's kick and, after a pair of gainers to Lance Dunbar for 24 and 16 yards, Jason Witten caught to the Giants 19. Terrance Williams snagged another heading out of bounds with 13 seconds left to set up Witten's go-ahead grab on the goal line.

Witten walked off the field with his fifth-career multiple reception appearance for the Cowboys, and his third against the Giants.

"My fault at the end of the game," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "Nobody to blame but me. Decision to throw the ball on third down was not a good decision."

Stat(s) of the night: The Giants matched their entire 2014 season tally for defensive touchdowns in their 2015 season opener. Their offense, however, could use some work. New York had all of 117 yards through three quarters and struggled to estabish anything much on offense during the game. Eli Manning only got over 100 yards passing in the third quarter and didn't register a touchdown.

How did it happen? Through what became a massive regroup for the Cowboys' offense. That rhythm took hold initially on the game's first possession, a 17-play, 79 yard plunder on the part of Tony Romo, but that was hunkered down in the red area by poor throws and penalties. It would be long, indeed, before the Cowboys would sniff paydirt again, and it would come by some controversy: what looked to be an incorrect pass interference call against Giants corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie preceded a touchdown to Gavin Escobar from 2 yards in the third quarter.

DRC returned a fumble for a touchdown and New York corner Trumaine McBride grabbed the remants of a pass for Cowboys catcher Devin Street for what looked to be a touchdown, but was called back following a review. Rashad Jennings rushed for a 10-point New York lead from the remaining yard.

MVP: Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. His composure in the deciding minute of the game earned the result for Dallas. He finished 36-of-45 for 356 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 80 percent of his passes on the night, mostly short gainers here and there through what remains of the Giants secondary group, working underneath to tailbacks and ends mostly.

Dare we say he was clutch? We dare. Sunday night's comeback was the 28th of his career since 2006, two more than Peyton Manning.

Giants leading Cowboys 16-13 through three

He almost did it again.

Odell Beckham nearly snagged another climbling, one-handed catch along the sideline against the Cowboys, but this one fell incomplete. His slant reception to the 20, however, was on the money, and helped set up Josh Brown's 30 yard kick.

Eli Manning engineered the Giants' first drive out of the halftime intermission to establish the rhythm that evaded them entirely in the first two quarters of play on Sunday night.

The Giants lead the Cowboys 16-13 after three quarters in Arlington.

How the Cowboys came away with only the 13 points through three quarters of their opening contest remains a mystery. 

Dallas marched over 79 yards in 17 plays to take the game's first advantage, but two consecutive turnovers late in the second quarter would bankrupt their original confidence.

Cole Beasley fumbled into the hands of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who scampered 57 yards, skirting past Romo on the way, for the Giants' first touchdown. Unai Unga collected Romo's next pass for New York and Josh Brown kicked to keep the lead after thirty minutes.

Dallas would respond as Tony Romo connected with Gavin Escobar in the back of the end zone to finally take something away from what otherwise was a productive outing.

Things settled down for the Cowboys on their first possession out of the break. Romo found tailback Joseph Randle on the drive's first four plays, including a 25 yard reception and a toss for Lance Dunbar to convert a 2nd-and-5. Randle carried again into the red zone and a questionable interference penalty against New York's Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie put Dallas on the 2-yard line.

Officials claimed the Giants defensive back tugged on Terrance Williams' shoulder, but no replay or series of replays could affirm such a view.

Randle and Darren McFadden traded quarters out of the Cowboys backfield, but Randle was the primary back and the most productive. 

Cowboys linebacker Randy Gregory had to be helped off the field after his leg buckled beneath him in a collision near the end of the third quarter.

Turnovers doom Cowboys as Giants lead 13-3

It was supposed to be the Giants no-name defense that allowed all the big plays, not that had them. But the under-appreciated unit is the reason the Giants lead the Cowboys 13-3 at the half on Sunday night.

A pair of back-to-back turnovers derailed the Cowboys' effort to close the first half. Tony Romo looked to mount a drive with under two minutes remaining after connecting with Dez Bryant on an 18 yard gainer, but Cole Beasley would lose hold of the following reception into the hands of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who trotted the other way untouched for a 57 yard fumble recovery.

Romo was intercepted on the following snap, his pass for Jason Witten flailing wide and into the clutches of Uani Unga at the Cowboys 30.

The quick change of fortunes in Arlington didn't preclude Eli Manning from being wobbly from under center, though. His 2nd-and-12 pass for Daniel Fells went very wide and a toss for Preston Parker went into the dirt. Josh Brown kicked from 40 yards to give the Giants a ten-point cushion.

After Josh Brown booted a 50 yard field goal for the Giants with 17 minutes left in the first half, one wondered if they would see the ball again.

The days of the Giants having a pass rush seem to be over. Tony Romo went 8-for-10 on the Cowboys' initial possession, a 79 yard, 17 play march to open the game that ended on Dan Bailey's 21 yard field goal after a series of penalities ended what looked to be a destined touchdown drive.

Three times the Giants tried to turn the ball over on their first drive and with three points they eventually came away.

Rashad Jennings appeared to fumble on his first carry of the season before a review overturned the initial call and Odell Beckham's drop was challenged (and lost) as a fumble. Giants tight end Larry Donnell added to the indecision by having what looked to be a fumbled reception overturned by officials as an incomplete pass, despite coming down with his hands around the football.

Eli Manning is 7-of-15 for 56 yards and Daniel Fells leads all Giants receivers with 22 yards on a pair of catches.

Cowboys march on Giants, take 3-0 lead

The Cowboys rushed on 69 percent of their first down plays last season, and with good reason. DeMarco Murray was back there and he eventually led the NFL in yards and touchdowns. With Joseph Randle handling the primary rushes for the Cowboys nowadays, that streak continued.

Randle carried for 28 yards on six carries as Dallas held the ball over ten minutes, culminating in Dan Bailey's 21 yard field goal after a 17-play marathon failed to strike paydirt.

Dallas leads New York 3-0 in the first quarter on Sunday night.

The battle between the Giants defensive front and the Cowboys offensive front was won by the latter party, as one would have expected. Cole Beasley caught into the red zone and Jason Witten inside the 10 to set up the scoring, when it finally came.

It seemed the Cowboys were entirely uninterested in finishing the job when they near the goal line.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie nearly came away with a costly interception in the end zone, battling a pass meant for Terrance Williams, foiling what was a perfect 7-for-7 drive for Tony Romo. A false start pushed a 2nd-and-Goal back five more yards and guard Tyree Smith was called for holding. Dez Bryant was ably covered by Prince Amukamara, and when he couldn't come down with the ball naturally looked for a flag.

It couldn't have been that he just didn't make a good play.

The good news for the Giants was that their unhinged secondary unit got plenty of opportunities to practice their tackling. They certainly can use it.