We may be in the thick of the NCAA basketball season, but that doesn’t mean that football news is nonexistent. In fact, around the country, coaching decisions are being finalized, student-athletes are still entering the transfer portal, and colleges are finalizing their recruiting classes.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the news stories from around the world of college football from this last week.
Dantonio Done At Michigan State
It has been a great ride for Mark Dantonio. After coaching at Michigan State for 13 years, he has decided to step down from his position as head coach.
Overall, he was 114-57 with the Spartans. This season, the Spartans did not quite live up to expectations but still managed a bowl win over Wake Forest in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Still, Dantonio has had a fantastic career for Michigan State, departing as the program’s all-time winningest coach, and now leaves the team scrambling to find a replacement. Interestingly, in terms of timing, Dantonio just received a $4.3 million bonus from the school.
It is not exactly clear what spurred Dantonio’s change of mind, given that it was as recent as the end of the regular season that he said he would be back next year. At this point, it doesn’t matter, though, as Dantonio is out, and the Spartans will look to find someone to keep the high expectations going for Michigan State moving forward.
Georgia Tops Rankings On National Signing Day
For the second time in three years, Georgia has been ranked with the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The Bulldogs were able to sign several top recruits, but most notably highly-touted offensive linemen Sedrick Van Pran and Broderick Jones.
The real key now is to see these top-ranked classes turn into national championships. While that will be determined next football season, the offseason is at least looking strong for Georgia.
Auburn Loses Leading Rusher
A big-time name is entering the transfer portal as Auburn running back JaTarvious Whitlow has decided to leave the school. This season, Whitlow rushed 156 times for 763 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 106 yards.
While those numbers do not jump off the page as super elite by college standards, it is worth noting that he did have to miss a couple of games due to a knee injury.
What was most interesting about the decision was the timing. Whitlow announced the decision on Wednesday, or National Signing Day. More than likely, the belief from Whitlow’s camp was that his announcement may drum up interest in schools that were unable to secure a premier running back through their recruitment class.
One thing is for sure, when Whitlow suits up next, it will be somewhere other than Auburn.
Mountain West Will Pay Boise State After All
A while back, Boise State had been contemplating moving conferences but came to an agreement with the Mountain West that would give them an incentive in TV bonus money if they stayed. All was going fine until the Mountain West just agreed to a new TV deal and said that once the contract was done with, Boise State would lose this extra bonus.
Upset by the new terms and without being notified, Boise State took legal action against the conference. While conflicts like this are never a good thing for a conference and one of its biggest draws, it appears this conflict has been resolved without any further legal action.
The Mountain West and Boise State agreed to keep the bonus in place, and Boise State has rescinded its complaint. Thus, Boise State will continue to get paid an extra $1.8 million for its home games, and for now, the conference has regained its stability.
South Carolina Gets Big-Time Recruit
While it was long speculated, it has finally become official that five-star recruit Jordan Burch is a part of South Carolina’s 2020 recruiting class. Burch, a defensive end, submitted the letter Thursday night, a day after the National Signing Day on Wednesday. The Gamecocks can breathe a huge sigh of relief as it means they got their guy.
Burch is ranked as the 17th player in the 2020 class and the No. 2 defensive end. Being from South Carolina, he decided to stay at home as opposed to going to a school like Clemson, Alabama or Georgia. This now makes 24 recruits for the Gamecocks this year and two of which are five-star recruits.
Texas Tech Quarterback Trying To Transfer
Former Texas Tech quarterback Jett Duffey entered the transfer portal this offseason. It appeared that he had found a new destination in Central Michigan, but that all fell through due to a Title IX complaint.
Long story short, Duffey had been accused while at Texas Tech by a female student of sexual assault. When Central Michigan learned of the accusation, it appears it lost interest in Duffey. While the case was resolved and Duffey was not formally charged, it appears the allegation was enough for Central Michigan to get cold feet.
Last year, with Texas Tech, Duffey was 239 for 367 for 2,840 yards. He also had 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions. On the ground, Duffey rushed 72 times for 212 yards and another score.
Regardless, while Duffey may be playing somewhere next year, it doesn’t appear that it will be at Central Michigan.
