The Oklahoma Sooners made the right decision to go after 2027 edge rusher Krew Jones, as he looks like he could play right now.

Landing four-star 2027 defensive end Krew Jones from Millville, Utah, significantly boosted the Sooners’ class this cycle. His only barrier to five-star status is the level of competition faced in high school, as his opponents lacked elite talent.

Jones has impressed at camps, where every player is evaluated by colleges, proving he's highly skilled. He ranks as the 20th-best edge in his class and the second-best player in Utah for 2027. The Sooners also secured 2026 edge rusher Dane Bathurst, who has prototypical senior size. As a junior, Jones is even larger, demonstrating the physical traits and athleticism he brings to OU.

He showed that in his most recent video, where he looks to be at a camp, just absolutely destroying offensive linemen. This isn’t new for Jones; he's shown these kinds of videos before. Last time, he was throwing offensive linemen around left and right, and in one play in particular, he threw a lineman onto his backside, almost as if he was the one doing the pancaking.

Krew Jones has all the tools necessary to be a great SEC edge rusher

Standing 6'4 and weighing 225 pounds, Jones has the ideal SEC edge rusher frame, complemented by long arms. Like many high school prospects, SEC weight training will help him fill out further. Recently, Jones excelled at an All-Star camp against top players, performing well beside his future teammates and current Sooners edge rusher Jake Kreul.

In the UA All-American game, Kreul was the standout, causing havoc, but Jones contributed with key plays. He recorded a sack by tracking the quarterback in the backfield as he tried to escape the pocket.

Jones is stronger, faster, and undeniably bigger. Both players put on a showcase for the country, demonstrating readiness for SEC competition. Jones made it clear: he'll be SEC-ready when he arrives on campus. This time, Jones was a standout. He showed that he can be scary as a pass rusher.

College football is in the middle of a transformative offseason. The NCAA has introduced rule changes, gambling scandals continue to surface, and now the sport faces major shifts in its postseason structure.

On Tuesday, college football coaches weighed in, setting the stage for sweeping changes to the College Football Playoff. Reports indicate that the AFCA board approved several measures that will shape the future of the postseason.

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In addition, conference championships appear to be nearing their end. So what exactly did the board approve, and how will these decisions impact the game?

The Big 24?

Speculation has steadily grown around College Football Playoff expansion, and that expansion now appears likely—with a significant caveat.

The AFCA board approved an increase in playoff teams but also set a cap on participation. Reports suggest that the number will land at 24 teams.

The playoff system began with four teams in 2014 and recently expanded to 12. Expanding to 24 would introduce logistical challenges, such as managing bye weeks, but it would also open the door for teams like the 2025 Notre Dame squad, which would have qualified under this format.

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Still, questions remain: Is 24 too many, or will officials settle on a more moderate expansion to 14 or 16 teams?

When It’s All Over

The AFCA also approved a measure requiring the College Football Playoff to conclude by the second week of January. This year’s Indiana–Miami (FL) national title game took place in the third week of January.

This adjustment moves the schedule up by a week and establishes a clearer timeline for the postseason. It also gives the NCAA greater flexibility when planning future schedules.

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This decision may ultimately prove the most impactful, as it paved the way for the sport’s biggest change.

The End of Conference Championships

Coaches have decided to eliminate conference championship games altogether. They viewed this move as necessary to accommodate both playoff expansion and the new January deadline.

One of college football’s most storied traditions will now fade away. The decision has already sparked debate among coaches, media members, and fans.

Some argue that conference championships have lost their significance. Others believe their removal marks the end of true conference supremacy.

Historic matchups like Alabama vs. Georgia in 2018 and 2012, or Texas A&M vs. Kansas State in 1998, will no longer have a stage.

Did coaches make the right call, or have they changed college football for the worse?

Florida Gators HC Jon Sumrall’s incredible energy has launched the program into a new stratosphere with recruiting.

Tuesday was a phenomenal day in recruiting for the Florida Gators.

Head coach Jon Sumrall landed not one, but two impressive recruits in four-star and top 100 offensive tackle Elijah Hutcheson and four-star safety Kailib Dillard. That raises the Gators’ recruiting class to sixth overall, and third in the SEC, according to Rivals.

Head coach Jon Sumrall has been on absolute fire in terms of recruiting with a lot of blue-chip talent.

Florida Gators are turning heads nationally

The vibes in Gainesville haven’t been this good in years, and Sumrall is crushing it with recruiting. After the second commitment of the day in Dillard, Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman couldn’t say enough good things about the job Sumrall is doing.

One thing we didn’t talk about enough in the Billy Napier era was how recruits viewed the program in terms of first impressions. It’s all anyone can talk about with Sumrall and his staff. The energy has been consistent ever since he arrived on campus.

That aspect isn’t just going to be huge for the Gators landing players before official visits happen. Imagine how impactful it’ll be once official visit season begins at the end of the month.

The Holiday Bowl and the newly returned Poinsettia Bowl, jointly operated by Sports San Diego, are both looking for a media partner, and The CW might just answer the call.

Late last month, college football insider Brett McMurphy of On3 reported that Fox Sports, which has televised the Holiday Bowl since 2017, would not bid on this year’s game. McMurphy also noted that ESPN, which broadcasts most college football bowl games and was the home of the Holiday Bowl from 1986 to 2016, is not interested.

According to Austin Karp at Sports Business Journal, The CW has emerged as a potential suitor for both games, and Fox hasn’t completely shut the door on the Holiday Bowl either.

“We have not had one group say they were not willing to take the call,” Excelsior Sports and Entertainment’s Tag Garson, who is assisting Sports San Diego in its media search for both bowl games, told SBJ. “When Fox passed on our final offer, it allowed us to go into the marketplace, and we have been talking to everyone. … We’re not leaving any stone unturned. … We’ve only been in the marketplace for a couple of weeks, so this is very new.”

The CW currently has the rights to the Arizona Bowl as well as ACC, Mountain West, and Pac-12 regular-season games.

“Based on the success of the bowl season last year and the Arizona Bowl, we’re taking a look to add to those to potentially add to our college landscape,” CW SVP/Sports Mike Perman told Front Office Sports last March.

Karp says that sources told him there is no animosity between Fox and the bowl games, and Fox could end up submitting a bid for the Holiday Bowl “under the right financial circumstances.”

The post The CW eying Holiday Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl rights but Fox remains in the mix appeared first on Awful Announcing.

Mark Cuban had one of the biggest assists in Indiana’s run to the national championship.

In Dec. 2024, Cuban, one of the Hoosier’s wealthiest alumni, was at IU’s first-round College Football Playoff game against Notre Dame, which the Fighting Irish won 27-17 . In the middle of the game, the former Mavericks majority owner found himself talking to athletic director Scott Dolson, a fellow IU alum, and university president, Pam Whitten.

The conversation would lead to Cuban opening his wallet for the most important player in program history: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza

“The first thing I said to Scott was, ‘Well, at least this year you’re not having to look for another football coach,’” Cuban told FOS in a forthcoming episode of Portfolio Players. “Because that was kind of a time-honored tradition in Indiana, always looking for a football coach. And so he’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s the positive.’” 

Until then, Cuban, who is worth $6 billion, according to Forbes, had never donated to IU athletics. His charity strictly focused on academics. That’s when Dolson made his pitch to Cuban to change that.

“[Dolson]’s like, we’ve got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in Cig’s system, we just need a litttttle bit more,” Cuban recalled. “I’m like, ‘How much is a little bit?’ And so he told me, and I’m like, ‘OK, you know, we’re on a roll, I’ll put up the money to get this quarterback.’”

It didn’t hurt that both Cuban and IU coach Curt Cignetti both hail from Pittsburgh and are just three years apart. Cuban was also familiar with Mendoza’s family, as Fernando’s younger brother, Alberto, used to interact with Cuban at Heat games when they were facing the Mavericks.

“I knew [Alberto] who was already on the team, was a Heat fan and he would sit behind the Miami bench, and when I would come to go to Mavs-Heat games, he was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m go to IU and da da da,’” Cuban said. “So we met. And so I’m like, OK, I’ll put up the money, and we can go get Fernando, and the rest is history.”

Cuban has never disclosed how much he’s given to Indiana for NIL, other than saying he increased his amount this past season amid IU’s 16–0 season that ended with a victory over Miami for the program’s first national championship. 

“Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year,” Cuban wrote in a January email to FOS. 

Mendoza was reportedly making $1.6 million in his final season at California in 2024, before netting $2.6 million to transfer to IU, according to Yahoo Sports. In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy, he led the Hoosiers to the national championship in his lone season in Bloomington. Last month, the Raiders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Cuban reiterated that he doesn’t donate with specifications and instead lets Dolson decide where it’s best used. 

“I just give Scott money and it’s up to him,” Cuban said. “We talk a lot, we talk about approach, understanding how to put together a team. Because I did it for 20-something years. So it’s not like I have to direct him to something specific. I understand how they’re approaching things.”

The post Mark Cuban Says He Paid for Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Deal appeared first on Front Office Sports.