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Former West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels is transferring to Rice, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
The Owls will be the fourth school of Daniels' college career. He began his journey at USC before moving to Georgia after two years. He was a member of the Bulldogs in 2021 when they won the College Football Playoff national title.
The 6'3" signal-caller then joined the Mountaineers for 2022 and threw for 2,107 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Rice is coming off its fifth straight losing season under head coach Mike Bloomgren, though the school did earn its first bowl berth since 2014. The Owls fell 38-24 to Southern Miss in the LendingTree Bowl.
Bloomgren is clearly counting on Daniels to inject some life into a passing game that averaged 232.9 yards per game. The unit will be losing leading receiver Bradley Rozner and Isaiah Esdale, who combined for 1,420 yards, but retain Luke McCaffrey. The Nebraska transfer had 58 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns in his first full year as a wideout.
Thamel noted Bloomgren and Daniels have some history. Bloomgren tried to recruit Daniels out of high school was he was Stanford's offensive coordinator and then again when Daniels entered the transfer portal.
You'd expect Daniels to open the 2023 season as the starting quarterback. TJ McMahon, the incumbent, finished with 2,102 yards, 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 10 appearances in 2022.
Assuming Daniels gets the nod, he'll have a stiff test right out of the gate. Rice opens next year on the road against Texas.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham named former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer its new head football coach on Wednesday.
The move comes as little surprise, as ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Tuesday night that UAB and Dilfer were "expected to come to terms in the upcoming days."
It would be Dilfer's first coaching job at the collegiate level after spending the past four years leading the Lipscomb Academy high school team.
Lipscomb is aiming to win its second straight Tennessee state championship Thursday, and John Brice of Football Scoop reported Dilfer has maintained a "laser focus" on that. However, he added the Blazers are "optimistic" about their chances of reaching an agreement after the title game.
The school's record across the longtime quarterback's coaching tenure stands at 38-8.
Dilfer was a first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1994 NFL draft. He also made stops with the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers during a 13-year pro career.
He earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Bucs in 1997 and captured a Super Bowl title with the Ravens in 2000 with plenty of help from one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
As well as coaching, the 50-year-old California native has worked as a football analyst for the NFL Network, ESPN and Fox Sports following his playing days. He's also mentored top quarterback prospects with the Elite 11 camp.
If hired by UAB, Dilfer will be tasked with continuing the progress started by Bill Clark, who guided the program to a 49-26 record across six years before retiring ahead of the 2022 season.
The Blazers have posted a 6-6 mark this year under interim head coach Bryant Vincent. They'll face Miami (Ohio) in the Bahamas Bowl on Dec. 16 looking to clinch their sixth straight winning season.
FIU Athletics announced the death of junior linebacker Luke Knox on Thursday. He was 22.
Panthers head coach Mike MacIntyre released a statement on Twitter:
Knox transferred to Florida International ahead of the 2022 college football season after spending his first four college seasons at Ole Miss. He's the younger brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox.
No further information about Knox's death was immediately released.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott offered condolences before Thursday's practice:
Knox joined the Rebels as part of their 2018 recruiting class.
The Tennessee native recorded 11 total tackles, two passes defended and a fumble recovery across his first three seasons before switching to tight end during spring practices in 2021.
He reunited with MacIntyre, Ole Miss' defensive coordinator in 2019 and a fellow alumnus of Tennessee's Brentwood Academy, by transferring to FIU.
Back at linebacker, he was competing for a starting role on the Panthers defense ahead of the team's season-opening game against Bryant on Sept. 1.
Knox, a business major, earned an Athletic Director's Honor Roll distinction at Ole Miss in 2020.
Marshall University has filed a lawsuit against Conference USA in an effort to make its move to the Sun Belt Conference this summer.
According to ESPN's Heather Dinich, the suit was filed Tuesday through the Cabell County Circuit Court in Huntington, West Virginia, and Marshall's goal is to sever ties with Conference USA so it can play in the Sun Belt during the 2022 football season.
A Marshall athletics spokesperson released the following statement to ESPN as well:
"For more than two months, Marshall University has attempted to reach a resolution with Conference USA regarding our decision not to participate in the league after this academic year; however, no progress has been made. The action we brought yesterday is the beginning of litigation intended to protect our rights, help us reach an agreement in a timely manner and clear the way for our shift in conference affiliation. We look forward to a successful resolution of this matter and a bright future with the Sun Belt Conference."
Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss all announced in June that they were leaving C-USA for the Sun Belt, but Conference USA still included all three teams in the 2022 football schedule it released this month.
Per Dinich, Conference USA filed a demand for arbitration this month, noting that in the league bylaws, a school must give the conference 14 months' notice before leaving.
Marshall claimed in its lawsuit that it informed C-USA it would be withdrawing from the conference on Nov. 1, Jan. 12 and Jan. 20. Marshall noted that it said specifically it would withdraw from Conference USA on July 1.
Additionally, Marshall said in the lawsuit that when it joined Conference USA, the league bylaws weren't attached to the agreement, and they didn't include mandatory arbitration in an instance of leaving the conference.
Marshall has played in Conference USA since 2005, following stints in the Mid-American Conference and Southern Conference. Marshall also played as an independent from 1970-76.
The Thundering Herd have been largely successful since joining C-USA, going 115-97 with 10 bowl appearances and one conference title.
Marshall won double-digit games in three consecutive seasons from 2013-15, and it has finished with a winning record in each of the past five seasons, including a 7-6 mark in 2021, which was the first season under head coach Charles Huff.
When the move to the Sun Belt becomes official for Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss, they will join conference stalwarts such as Arkansas State, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana and Troy.
The Miami RedHawks finished the 2021 season with a 27-14 win over the North Texas Mean Green in the Frisco Football Classic on Thursday at Toyota Stadium to finish with a 7-6 record. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
It was a fitting end to the season for the RedHawks, who won four of their final six regular-season games to become bowl eligible. It was also a nice bounce-back win for Miami as it fell short of winning the MAC East Division title with a 48-47 loss to Kent State on Nov. 27.
Before Thursday, Miami hadn't won a bowl game since the end of the 2010 season. It's also the team's third winning season since recording 11 winning campaigns in a row from 1995-2005.
Notable Stats
Brett Gabbert, QB, MU: 22/31 for 228 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT
Austin Aune, QB, UNT: 15/32 for 228 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INT and 9 CAR for 28 YDS, 1 TD
Jack Sorenson, WR, MU: 7 REC for 116 YDS
Kenny Tracy, RB, MU: 14 CAR for 92 YDS, 1 TD
Damon Ward Jr., WR, UNT: 6 REC for 70 YDS
Brett Gabbert, Miami Offense Dominate
It comes as little surprise Gabbert, the brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, had an impressive evening against the Mean Green.
The sophomore completed 22-of-31 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns against zero interceptions. It was his sixth straight game with at least 200 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
It has been quite the turnaround for Gabbert, who has upped his game over the last several weeks. Though it's worth noting the RedHawks had the best passing offense in the MAC during the regular season, having averaged 282.6 yards in the air over 12 games.
Gabbert entered Thursday's game with a 167.6 passing efficiency rating over his last five games, per Sports Reference. He also threw for 1,682 yards and 17 touchdowns against four interceptions in that span, so it should come as no surprise that he showed out against North Texas.
He made big plays when necessary, including an 11-yard strike to open up the second half to put Miami up 27-14, and didn't turn the ball over once.
It should also be mentioned that Miami entered Thursday's game with a subpar third-down conversion percentage at 38 percent, which ranked 79th in the FBS. Gabbert and Co. converted 50 percent (8-of-16) of their third downs against North Texas, which is a big reason why they won.
However, Gabbert isn't the only reason for Miami's turnaround success.
Senior wide receiver Jack Sorenson finished Thursday's game with seven catches for 116 yards. He entered with 961 yards and six touchdowns in his last seven games, a significant turnaround from the 329 yards and four scores he recorded in the team's first five games of the season.
Freshman running back Kenny Tracy was also impressive, finishing Thursday's game with 14 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. It was his best game of the season, as his previous high was 50 rushing yards.
Mean Green's Rushing Offense Suffers Without DeAndre Torrey
North Texas' offense had been very one-dimensional during a five-game winning streak to close out the regular season. The Mean Green averaged 283 rushing yards per game in that span, largely because of DeAndre Torrey.
Torrey, who recorded 1,214 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 12 games, missed Thursday's game against Miami for unspecified reasons. However, North Texas was expected to perform well on the ground against Miami as Ikaika Ragsdale and Ayo Adeyi entered having rushed for 511 and 479 yards, respectively.
But Torrey's absence was glaring, as the North Texas offense finished with just 89 rushing yards and two rushing scores among Austin Aune, Ragsdale, Isaiah Johnson and Adeyi.
Further highlighting the team's issues on the ground, the Mean Green entered Thursday's game averaging 246.2 rushing yards per game (fourth in FBS). They didn't even come close to that mark against Miami.
In addition, the Mean Green's passing offense underperformed. Quarterback Austin Aune completed 15-of-32 passes for 228 yards and no touchdowns against two interceptions. One of those turnovers was costly, as the RedHawks charged down the field for a touchdown to go up 20-14.
The Mean Green's offensive struggles highlight how well the RedHawks defense played. Miami's rush defense entered having ranked third in the MAC, allowing just 150.7 yards per game on the ground. With that said, it explains why North Texas' rushing offense struggled.
Western Kentucky scored a 59-38 victory over Appalachian State in the 2021 Boca Raton Bowl on Saturday at FAU Stadium in Florida.
A shootout was expected between the Hilltoppers and Mountaineers, who combined to average 77.6 points per game during the regular season, and the offenses delivered in a game that featured 1,246 total yards and 13 touchdowns.
WKU quarterback Bailey Zappe stole the spotlight with 422 passing yards and six touchdowns en route to setting the new NCAA FBS single-season records in both categories. He finishes the 2021 season with 5,967 yards and 62 scores through the air.
Zappe captured the yards record in the second quarter:
And the touchdown mark in the third quarter:
Here's a look at some of the bowl game's other standout performers:
The sides traded scores at a rapid rate until it was 24-24 late in the second quarter.
Western Kentucky seized control with a 21-0 run spanning from late in the second quarter until midway through the third. An 86-yard touchdown run by Whittington shortly after halftime really helped turn the tide in favor of the Hilltoppers.
Appalachian State couldn't keep pace as its offense sputtered in the second half.
WKU, which started the season 1-4, finished the campaign by winning eight of its last nine games to post a 9-5 record. The Hilltoppers also improved their bowl record to 5-2 since 2014.
Zappe is a name to watch as the 2022 NFL draft moves closer. What he lacks in size (6'1''), he makes up for with arm talent, specifically his throwing accuracy, and the ability to command a fast-paced passing attack. He could be a developmental middle-round pick in April.
Meanwhile, Appalachian State wrapped up its season at 10-4 following back-to-back losses in the Sun Belt Championship Game and the bowl game. It's also the team's first bowl loss since moving to the FBS level in 2014 after six straight wins.
The Mountaineers have still won at least nine games in seven consecutive years while emerging as one of the nation's premier Group of Five programs.
Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe broke the NCAA FBS records for the most passing yards and most passing touchdowns in a single season during the Hilltoppers' Boca Raton Bowl matchup with Appalachian State on Saturday.
Zappe broke the yards record, which was previously held by Texas Tech's B.J. Symons, in the second quarter:
He followed it up with the new touchdown mark in the third quarter, passing LSU's Joe Burrow:
The 22-year-old Texas native arrived to WKU as a graduate transfer ahead of the 2021 season after four years at Houston Baptist, an FCS program.
Zappe proved a perfect fit for the Hilltoppers' fast-paced offensive attack. He entered the bowl game having completed 69.2 percent of his throws for 5,545 yards with 56 touchdowns and 11 interceptions across 13 games. He added three rushing scores.
Western Kentucky's offensive scheme is a variation of the Air Raid created by the program's first-year offensive coordinator, Zach Kittley, who's accepted the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech for next season.
Zappe told ESPN's David M. Hale ahead of the bowl game he expects the reworked system to catch on elsewhere in the years ahead.
"There's a misconception of the Air Raid," he said. "This is not that. [Kittley] has made his own wrinkles, and I'm sure 10 years from now, we'll be talking about coach Kittley's Air Raid tree."
The quarterback's success following the transfer has helped bolster his NFL outlook heading toward the 2022 draft. He's a bit undersized at 6'1'', but his arm talent makes him a potential middle-to-late-round selection come April.
He'll head to the next level with a resume that includes the 2021 Conference USA Player of the Year Award and now a place in college football's record book.
Florida International University has reportedly hired Mike MacIntyre as its new head football coach.
According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, the Miami school and MacIntyre came to an agreement early Thursday morning and that the hiring is expected to become official later in the day.
MacIntyre served as the defensive coordinator at Memphis for the past two seasons, but he also has extensive head coaching experience at both San Jose State and Colorado.
The 56-year-old MacIntyre is set to replace Butch Davis, who was not offered a contract extension by FIU after going 1-11 this season.
While Davis' tenure at FIU started off well with an 8-5 record in 2017 and 9-4 mark in 2018, the former Miami and North Carolina head coach had a losing record in each of his final three seasons and went 24-32 overall.
MacIntyre has an impressive history of turning around struggling programs, which is likely why he was Florida International's choice.
When MacIntyre arrived as the head coach at San Jose State in 2010, the Spartans were coming off three consecutive seasons with a .500 record or worse and had reached only one bowl game in the previous 19 seasons.
San Jose State struggled to an overall record of 6-19 in his first two seasons, but MacIntyre went 10-2 in 2012 and helped the Spartans reach the Military Bowl.
That led to Colorado hiring MacIntyre, and he once again worked his magic there.
Before he was hired, the Buffaloes finished with a losing record in seven straight seasons and reached a bowl game only once during that time. After three more losing seasons to start MacIntyre's tenure, Colorado went 10-4 in 2016 and played in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
MacIntyre was named both the Associated Press Coach of the Year and the Pac-12 Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Colorado fired MacIntyre after back-to-back losing seasons in 2017 and 2018, leading to him becoming the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss in 2019 and at Memphis from 2020-21.
At FIU, the Miami native will look to return the Panthers to the level they occupied early in Davis' tenure when they reached three consecutive bowl games from 2017-19.
Southern Miss has reportedly agreed to join the Sun Belt Conference, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
A source told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg on Friday that the move is a "done deal" and would "probably" happen in time for the 2023 fall sports season.
Southern Miss currently plays in Conference USA. As Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported, six C-USA schools (UAB, Charlotte, Rice, Florida Atlantic, North Texas and UTSA) are set to join the expanded American Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles' move would continue the exodus of teams as Division I conference reshuffling continues.
After UAB left for the AAC, Southern Miss was the last remaining original member of Conference USA.
Per Rittenberg, the Sun Belt has also had talks with C-USA schools Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as James Madison out of the Colonial Athletic Association in the FCS.
The Sun Belt has not officially invited any of those schools, although conversations with ODU and JMU are reportedly further along than with Marshall. Only five members would remain in C-USA if ODU and Marshall leave: Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Florida International, UTEP and Louisiana Tech.
C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a statement there are teams interested in joining the conference:
We have a strong core of members to build around and are continuing to work to strengthen our league as we move forward. There are several institutions interested in joining Conference USA, both across FBS and FCS, some of whom we've already met with in person. Every step we take will be deliberate, strategically sound, and intentional.
Thamel provided some potential additions:
Conference USA was formed when the Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference merged in 1995.
The league has weathered exoduses before, including when the AAC welcomed Tulane, Houston, East Carolina, UCF, SMU and Tulsa over 2013 and 2014.
