We’re just a little under two months away until the college football season gets started, and while this isn’t the busiest time of the year, there’s plenty update you on. Also, make sure you check out our conference previews, and take a look at our industry best-ball drafts for both the Power 5 and Group of 5 prospects.
College Football News
*** We unfortunately have to open with sad news, as Hawaii announced on Friday that redshirt junior LB Scheyenne Sanitoa passed away on Thursday at the age of 21. No cause of death has been released as of yet for Sanitoa at this time. “It’s always heartbreaking to lose a member of our UH ‘ohana, particularly when it’s one of our young student-athletes,” a statement from the athletics department read. “Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, his teammates, and to all those who knew and loved him.” We also offer our very best to those parties as well, of course.
*** When Tate Martell announced his transfer to Miami and then we declared immediately eligible to play for the Hurricanes, the assumption was that he would be the starting quarterback to begin the season. You know what they say about assumptions, right? In his “State of the Program” piece for The Athletic, Manny Navarro writes that “it’s fair to consider” Miami redshirt sophomore QB N’Kosi Perry the early favorite for the starting job. A couple of things to keep in mind: First, there’s still a ways to go before Miami opens the year against Florida on August 23. Second, there’s still a ways to go before Miami opens the year against Florida on August 23. Yes, it was worth repeating. Perry was awful last year -- to be blunt -- but he’s been much improved this spring, reportedly, and there was a reason that the redshirt sophomore was considered one of the top quarterbacks in his class. There’ll be a short leash if he does win the job with Martall there, but, right now, looks like we’ll see someone else under center.
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*** Seth Littrell was rumored for a few jobs this offseason -- particularly the Kansas State opening after Bill Snyder retired -- and it appears that he’s been rewarded as a result for his decision to stay with the Mean Green. Littrell agreed to a one-year extension with North Texas that takes his contract through the 2023 season, and he’ll also get a raise to $1.35 million from the $1.2 he was earning before. He’s helped UNT become one of the best teams in Conference USA, and he’s gone 23-17 over the past three seasons while taking the Mean Green to bowl games -- all losses -- in that time frame. Littrell will likely be a hot commodity again if North Texas competes for a conference title again in 2019.
*** Supplemental draft alert! Washington State’s Jalen Thompson decided to enter the portal, but it wasn’t necessarily entirely his decision. That’s because Thompson was dismissed from the team after he tested positive for a banned supplement. We don’t know what that supplement is, but we do know that it’s not a steroid. This is a big loss for the Cougars, as Thompson was a stalwart in the back of the Washington State secondary. Teams are going to have to do their homework, obviously, but Thompson has a good chance of being drafted in the supplemental draft as he was considered a Day 2 prospect coming into the season. He works out for teams on July 8.
*** Another supplemental draft alert! We had another entry into the draft “class,” as St. Francis DB Bryant Perry entered the group. The defender isn’t well known, but he has broken up nine passes while intercepting one pass over 20 games. Unlike West Virginia WR Marcus Simms and Thompson -- who are also in the field -- it’s unlikely that Perry draws a draft pick.
*** This is more of a rumor than news, but hey, it’s July, and we never tire of draft talk. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah wrote to Instagram that Colorado junior WR Laviska Shenault‘s “competitiveness jumps off the screen,” in an Instagram post. In the post, Jeremiah breaks down some of the impressive highlights that the junior wideout made in 2019 -- and there were a lot of them, even with a nagging toe injury -- and he compares him to a combination of Mike Williams and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Wow. “He run blocks, pass blocks (from the wing) and attacks defenders after the catch,” Jeremiah writes. We like him, too.
Commitments
*** Washington received a verbal commitment from four-star 2020 C Myles Murao. Murao is a huge get -- literally and figuratively -- for the Huskies’ class, as he ranks as the second best center in the class, and he comes in 69th overall in the 247Sports composite rankings. Murao picked Washington over schools like Alabama, USC -- to which he was rumored often this winter -- LSU and Michigan. The Huskies lose Nick Harris as their starting center at the end of the season to graduation/the NFL, and while asking Murao to step right in might be asking too much, he certainly appears to have the talent to make an impact on the Washington offensive in the next couple seasons.
*** Oklahoma received a verbal commitment from four-star 2020 Bryson Washington. Washington made the announcement on Independence Day, pledging to the Sooners over schools like Texas, Alabama, Baylor and Auburn; among other high-profile schools. He’s considered one of the top safeties in the class -- ranking 15th at the position in 247Sports rankings, and he’s yet another four-star commit added to the class by Lincoln Riley and their staff. They’re good at this.
*** Mississippi State received a verbal commitment from four-star JUCO 2020 DE Jordan Davis. This is a big get for the Bulldogs, but also a big loss for Tennessee, as he had been previously committed to the Volunteers. He’s ranked not just one of the top EDGE defenders in the class, but one of the best players all together at the two-school level. As you likely know, the Mississippi State defense lost a pair of stars on the defensive line last year -- and a couple more solid depth pieces -- so adding a player that recruiting analysts believe can contribute immediately to help them -- albeit in 2020 -- is obviously a big get.
Quick Hits
Jason Munz of The Commercial Appeal reports the AAC will likely remain an 11-team football and basketball league for the next few years ... USC redshirt junior WR Keyshawn Young entered the transfer portal ... The Athletic’s Will Sammon notes that USF redshirt freshman QB Jordan McCloud is the backup quarterback ... 247Sports reports that uncommitted five-star 2020 LB Justin Flowe is considering Clemson, Alabama, LSU, and Georgia ... Iowa junior T Tristan Wirfs was cited for being in a bar after hours while underage ... Uncommitted five-star 2020 RB Kendall Milton will announce his college decision on July 29 ... Former Kansas State redshirt sophomore WR Hunter Rison has decided to transfer to Fullerton CC ... Four-star 2020 QB and Georgia commit Carson Beck plans to enroll in January ... Syracuse redshirt freshman LB Tre Allison has entered his name into the NCAA transfer database ... LSU is hiring former USC and UNLV HC John Robinson to serve as an adviser on the coaching staff ... Former Arizona State senior CB Dominique Harrison transferred to North Texas ... UNLV redshirt sophomore WR Randal Grimes received immediate eligibility from the NCAA after transferring from USC.
Marshall freshman DL Dante Walker has been released from the hospital after he was shot in the back on Saturday. Walker (6'3/240) is expected to make a full recovery ... UMass junior DB Malik Sanders has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal ... Clemson sophomore QB Trevor Lawrence will not be representing the team during the ACC Football Kickoff ... Former Iowa redshirt sophomore CB Trey Creamer transferred to Fort Scott Community College and has committed to Georgia Southern ... Louisville placed quality control assistant Cortney Braswell on administrative leave. This comes about on the heels of Braswell’s indictment by a grand jury on one count of theft of property ... Michigan and OL coach Ed Warinner agreed on a new two-year contract in April. Michigan also announced they came to an agreement on a three-year contract with DC Don Brown ... Georgia freshman QB D’Wan Mathis (head) has been cleared to lift weights and run. Mathis (6'4/185) underwent emergency surgery to remove a brain cyst near the end of May ... USC junior T Austin Jackson will donate bone marrow to his younger sister next week. Jackson (6'6/305) will undergo the surgical procedure in order to help his younger sister Autumn, who suffers from Diamond-Blackfan anemia ... Former Kentucky redshirt senior DE Jaylin Bannerman transferred to Utah State ... Former Rhode Island C Dwayne Scott is joining the Boston College program as a graduate transfer.
