Pac-12 Football

Former Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Khyree Jackson announced Sunday that he has committed to the Oregon Ducks.

Jackson spent his entire collegiate career at Alabama. He's entering his fifth-year senior season and his final year of eligibility.

Jackson is the third player to commit to the Ducks through the transfer portal, joining former Iowa linebacker Jestin Jacobs and former Alabama wide receiver Traeshon Holden.

Coming out of high school, Jackson played for two junior colleges in Texas and Mississippi. While playing for East Mississippi Community College in 2020, Jackson's draft stock rose significantly and he eventually earned a four-star prospect rating.

Although Jackson committed to Alabama out of EMCC, he received offers from Oregon, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma and many others.

During his first season with the Crimson Tide in 2021, Jackson appeared in just four games, posting seven tackles and two pass breakups. He struggled to gain consistent playing time at one of the United States' top collegiate programs, and that continued in 2022.

This season, Jackson appeared in just nine games, posting seven tackles and one tackle for a loss. He was suspended for the team's final three games for unknown reasons.

The arrival of Jackson in Eugene couldn't have come at a better time for the Ducks, which are set to lose top cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who has declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

The Ducks finished the 2022 season with a 9-3 record, fourth in the Pac-12 behind USC, Washington and Utah. They'll get the opportunity to tack on another win in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 28 against North Carolina.

Travis Hunter, the 2022 5-star cornerback who was recruited by Deion Sanders and joined him at Jackson State, may be sticking with his head coach and making the move to Colorado.

"When is Travis coming? Real soon. I saw (speculation) online the other day," Sanders said during an Instagram chat this week (h/t Nick Gray of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger). "What do you think Travis is going to do? What is wrong with y'all? What is wrong with y'all sometimes? Some of the stuff y'all say puzzles me, puzzles the heck out of me."

Sanders already introduced his son, Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders, as "your quarterback" during his Colorado introductory press conference. So the expectation is the young quarterback will follow his father to Boulder.

"He's going to have to earn it, though, believe that," Sanders added.

The young Sanders would be an upgrade for Colorado after he threw for 3,383 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions ahead of Saturday's Celebration Bowl. He completed 70.2 percent of his passes while also rushing for 174 yards and five scores.

While speaking with the team, Sanders indicated he would bring some players with him from Jackson State.

"We've got a few positions already taken care of because I'm bringing my luggage with me," he said. "I'm coming. It ain't going to be no more of the mess that these wonderful fans, the student body and some of your parents have put up with for probably two decades now. I'm coming. And when I get here, there's going to be change."

The hope in Boulder is that Hunter will be among them. The star freshman dealt with injuries this season but made an impact on both sides of the ball, recording 15 tackles and two interceptions on defense while adding 14 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns on offense.

There's no doubt that Hunter has electric talent, and his addition would be huge for a Colorado program that has had just one winning season since 2005.

If Sanders is going to transform the Buffaloes into a perennial contender, bringing stars like Hunter to Boulder will be key.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the winner of the 2022 Heisman Trophy, beating out Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and TCU quarterback Max Duggan for the honor.

Williams is the seventh player from USC to win the Heisman Trophy, joining Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinart (2004) and Reggie Bush (2005).

Williams, who followed head coach Lincoln Riley to USC from Oklahoma for the 2022 campaign, had been the favorite to win the Heisman for the last several weeks. He is the sixth quarterback since 2016 to take home the award, joining Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and Bryce Young.

The 20-year-old led the Trojans to an 11-2 record this season. They finished first in the Pac-12 before falling to Utah in the conference championship game and missing out on a chance at the College Football Playoff. USC will instead play in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane.

Williams has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns against four interceptions in 13 games, in addition to rushing for 372 yards and 10 scores. He'll have the opportunity to add to those numbers in the Cotton Bowl.

Williams is now being praised for his "incredible" season, with many saying his Heisman Trophy is well-deserved:

There will likely be many more awards to come for Williams in his football career. He'll have at least one more season at USC before being eligible for the NFL draft, where he is expected to be a first-round pick.

Four-star running back Dylan Edwards has committed to Colorado, per Hayes Fawcett of On3.com. He was previously committed to Notre Dame before announcing Thursday his decision to decommit from the Fighting Irish program.

Edwards cited the recent hire of Deion Sanders as a reason for joining the Buffaloes.

"I've known coach Prime since I was four years old," Edwards said, per Fawcett. "He was actually my coach with my dad when I was younger. We are like family. I'm coming to make make big plays and to be the best all-purpose player in the country."

Edwards, a 5'9", 165-pound running back out of Derby, Kansas, is the 10th-ranked running back in the 2023 class, per 247Sports composite rankings. He is also ranked as the second-best prospect out of Kansas behind quarterback Avery Johnson.

During his senior season at Derby High School, Edwards rushed for 1,900 yards and 32 touchdowns. Additionally, he is one of the fastest players in the country, running a 4.3 40-yard dash, per Fawcett.

Edwards was also the 2021 Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas after finishing with 3,214 total yards and 40 touchdowns.

247Sports' national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu wrote of Edwards:

"Very productive high school back who is dangerous in multiple phases of the game and can score from anywhere on the field. Has excellent acceleration and good top-end speed. One of his best qualities is the ability to change direction or elude a tackler without needing to throttle down. Is not a big back and is not likely to run through many tacklers in college, but is very slippery and hard to land a clean hits on for tacklers."

Colorado's roster is expected to undergo some major changes ahead of the 2023 season following the hire of Sanders. Shedeur Sanders, Sanders' son, is expected to enter the transfer portal and join the Buffaloes.

If Shedeur Sanders joins Colorado, he will likely be the team's starting quarterback.

However, Edwards may not see much playing time in his freshman season as Deion Smith and Anthony Hankerson are lined up to be the team's lead running backs.

No one can accuse USC quarterback Caleb Williams of lacking self-confidence.

The 2022 Heisman finalist believes his skill set compares favorably to Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes.

"I always said even in high school that I don't think there's anything—obviously, he's special, but I don't think there's anything that I can't do that he's doing out there," Williams told Zach Gelb of CBS Sports.

The comparisons between Williams and Mahomes have been ongoing throughout the 2022 season.

It's arguably an unfair comparison to make for Williams. Mahomes, now in his fifth season as a starting quarterback in the NFL, has completely warped what fans and analysts believe is possible at the position.

Throws like this are completely absurd, yet we just assume it's natural because Mahomes does something similar every single week.

Williams' raw ability might suggest he can make some plays that Mahomes does, but no one can predict it to happen before he proves it in the NFL.

Remember when draft analysts were comparing Zach Wilson's skill set to Aaron Rodgers?

For his part at least, Williams seems unfazed by the chatter.

None of the comparisons matter right now anyway because Williams isn't draft-eligible until 2024. He had a phenomenal sophomore season, throwing 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns for the Trojans.

Williams will likely be rewarded with the Heisman Trophy for his efforts in 2022. He will almost certainly be the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft when next season begins.

Despite receiving strong consideration for the Stanford head-coaching job, Jason Garrett will remain in his current position with NBC Sports.

Garrett announced on Twitter he won't be replacing David Shaw:

On Thursday, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic reported Garrett and Sacramento State's Troy Taylor were among the finalists to get the Stanford job.

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman was also among the candidates Stanford's athletic department met with. Mandel noted Roman, Bronco Mendenhall and Vic Fangio are no longer in the mix for the position.

Shaw made the surprise announcement that he was stepping down immediately following Stanford's 36-25 loss to BYU on Nov. 26.

"A week ago, 10 days ago, I was gung-ho to be the person to lead us there, and over the last few days I realized it was time," Shaw told reporters. "It was time for me to step aside, time for the next group to come in, and hopefully whoever they hire next wins more games than I do. That would be awesome."

The decision came as the Cardinal finished with a 3-9 record for the second consecutive season. They are 14-28 in the past four seasons and haven't made a bowl appearance since 2018.

Garrett joined NBC Sports as an analyst for NFL games and Notre Dame football in April. He spent the previous two years as offensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

The Giants hired Garrett in January 2020 after he was fired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The 56-year-old former quarterback had an 85-67 record in 10 seasons with the Cowboys.

In the wake of David Shaw's resignation as Stanford head football coach, the program is narrowing its list of potential replacements.

Per The Athletic's Stewart Mandel, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is one of the finalists for the job.

Sacramento State head coach Troy Taylor is also a finalist.

Shaw told reporters after the Cardinal's 36-25 loss to BYU on Nov. 26 he was stepping down after 12 seasons with the program.

"A week ago, 10 days ago, I was gung-ho to be the person to lead us there, and over the last few days I realized it was time," he said. "It was time for me to step aside, time for the next group to come in, and hopefully whoever they hire next wins more games than I do. That would be awesome."

The decision came after Stanford finished 3-9 for the second consecutive season. Shaw began his tenure with eight straight winning records from 2011 to 2018, but the Cardinal have had losing records in three of the past four years.

Mandel noted other candidates, including Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio, are no longer being considered for the job.

Taylor has a 30-7 record in three seasons at Sacramento State. The Hornets are getting set to play Incarnate Word in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs on Friday.

Garrett is serving as an announcer for NBC Sports. He covers Notre Dame football and is an analyst for Sunday Night Football and Football Night in America.

Prior to his broadcasting career, Garrett most recently served as offensive coordinator for the New York Giants from 2020 to 2021. The 56-year-old had a 10-year run as Cowboys head coach from 2010 to 2019.

The Cowboys went 85-67 with three playoff appearances under Garrett. He spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Cowboys and Miami Dolphins before becoming a head coach.

Alabama associate defensive coordinator and safeties coach Charles Kelly will join Colorado head coach Deion Sanders' staff as the Buffaloes' next defensive coordinator, per Brian Howell of BuffZone.

ESPN's Chris Low confirmed the news on the 55-year-old Kelly, who has coached at Alabama for the past four seasons. He notably worked as a defensive coordinator at Florida State under then-head coach Jimbo Fisher from 2014 to 2017. In between, he served as Tennessee's special teams coordinator and safeties coach.

Kelly also served as a defensive coordinator for Jacksonville State, Henderson State, Nicholls State and Georgia Tech throughout his career.

ESPN's Pete Thamel previously reported that Sanders hired Kent State head coach Sean Lewis to be Colorado's offensive coordinator.

Sanders, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back and returner who also played professional baseball, just led Jackson State to a 27-5 record over three seasons. The 12-0 Tigers won the SWAC, which gave them their second straight Celebration Bowl berth.

Sanders, Lewis and Kelly have a lot of work to do at Colorado, which has posted its fifth losing season in the past six years capped by an 1-11 mark this year.

Colorado is hiring Kent State head coach Sean Lewis to be its offensive coordinator, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

This is the Buffaloes' first major addition to their staff since naming Deion Sanders their new head coach.

Lewis went 24-31 in his five seasons with the Golden Flashes and led them to a bowl game in 2019 and 2021.

Focusing on the record alone doesn't do justice to the work the 36-year-old did.

Kent typically schedules challenging non-conference games to pad its financial coffers, meaning it's essentially guaranteed three losses every year outside of MAC play. In 2022, it played Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia all on the road.

Lewis also inherited what might've been the most difficult rebuilding job at the FBS level.

Kent State won 11 games and climbed to No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in 2012, but that was a significant outlier for the program. The Golden Flashes had just one bowl appearance before that, and they immediately fell back to earth after Hazell left for Purdue before the 2013 season.

Paul Haynes succeeded Hazell and compiled a 14-45 record over five years. Kent State never won more than four games in a single season.

The Golden Flashes enjoyed a level of success with Lewis they hadn't seen for decades, and they did it with an entertaining brand of football, too.

It was only a matter of time before Lewis left for greener pastures, with The Athletic's Justin Williams including him among the candidates for Cincinnati before the Bearcats hired Louisville's Scott Satterfield.

This move qualifies as a coup for Colorado since he presumably could've held out for another job if he had been so inclined. It's also an encouraging sign for the fanbase as to how Sanders will run things.

The Hall of Fame cornerback has never coached at the FBS level and remains somewhat inexperienced as a coach, having worked for three years at Jackson State. By poaching Lewis, he seems to be recognizing his own limitations and showing a willingness to empower his top assistants.

As much as Lewis is downgrading in terms of his title, going to Colorado and transforming the offense might be a better showcase toward putting him on track for an attractive Power Five gig down the road.

The Washington Huskies will get another year of Michael Penix Jr. under center.

Penix announced Sunday that he has decided to forgo the 2023 NFL draft and return to Washington for his senior season. He said it was "one of the hardest decisions" of his life, before closing his post by saying that he believes the team will reach new heights next year.

The 2022 season was Penix's first with Washington. He spent the first four years of his college career at Indiana, where he was plagued by injuries, including a torn ACL in 2018 and 2020. He never appeared in more than six games in a season with the Hoosiers, posting a 12-5 record.

It wasn't until this year that Penix broke out as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation.

The 22-year-old leads college football with 4,354 passing yards and 362.8 passing yards per game. In addition, Penix has completed 66 percent of his passes and tossed 29 touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Led by Penix, the No. 12 Huskies finished the regular season 10-2. They are set to face the No. 21 Texas Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29.

Penix's draft stock rose significantly this season, and he was expected to be a Day 2 pick at the latest had he decided to declare for the draft. Now that he's returning to Washington, he'll get to improve his draft stock even more.

With Penix's decision to return to Washington, the focus will be shifted to wide receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan, who both could declare for the 2023 draft.

Odunze put together his best season this year, catching 70 passes for 1,088 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games. He also rushed for six yards and a score. McMillan also had a career year, catching 71 passes for 1,040 yards and eight touchdowns in 12 games.

If both receivers return to Washington in 2023, the Huskies could make some serious noise in the Pac-12.