ACC Football

Keon Sabb, a Class of 2022 4-star athlete/safety from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, will attend Clemson, he announced Saturday on CBS Sports HQ.

Per 247Sports' composite ranking, the 6'2", 200-pound Sabb is ranked 60th in his class overall and ninth in Florida.

Brian Dohn of 247Sports offered a glowing scouting report for Sabb and compared him to the Denver Broncos' Justin Simmons.

"Excellent frame for free safety. Carries 175 pounds well and can easily add 20 pounds. High-level basketball player. Has skill set for free safety and nickel. Quick feet. Has loose hips and can turn and run with receiver. Drives well on ball in front.

"Tracks ball and is instinctive. Plays physical in run game. Needs to be more aggressive attacking ball. Often leads with shoulder rather than wrapping when tackling. Fine-tuning footwork important. Adding strength throughout frame needed. Multi-year starter at top 15 program with early-round NFL Draft ceiling."

Sabb is a three-sport athlete who also participates in basketball and track. He transferred to Williamstown from Glassboro High School, New Jersey, in Dec. 2019 before eventually moving on to IMG Academy.

Tim Hagerty, Glassboro's head football coach, offered these comments to Kevin Minnick of NJ Advance Media about the player: "His size, speed, he's the whole package. His grades are coming through in the right area, he's becoming more of a leader. I can't say enough good things about him. Every school in the Northeast has come through. I'm just waiting for it to spread south and west. It's only a matter of time."

Sabb earned 31 tackles and five interceptions during the 2019 season in addition to 29 catches for 376 yards and six touchdowns as a wideout, per Minnick.

He previously announced his top six of Clemson, Oregon, Penn State, Texas A&M, LSU and Georgia:

The 247Sports experts unanimously predicted that Sabb would choose Clemson, and that's where the safety will head. He joins a team that has won 10 or more games each of the last 10 years under head coach Dabo Swinney, a two-time national champion.

The last time the Clemson defense was on the field it gave up six touchdown passes to Justin Fields in a 49-28 loss to Ohio State, but Tigers defensive coordinator Brent Venables became the highest-paid assistant coach in college football Wednesday.

Clemson's Board of Trustees compensation committee approved a contract extension through 2026 that is worth $2.5 million annually, per David M. Hale of ESPN. The new deal pays him $100,000 per year more and adds another season to the contract he already had in place.

The contract also features bonuses for making the College Football Playoff and finishing in the top five in the country in total defense.

Venables' $2.5 million per year would have equaled Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkesian and Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele last season, but neither holds their previous assistant position heading into the 2022 campaign.

Texas hired Sarkesian as its head coach, while Auburn moved on from Steele after it fired head coach Gus Malzahn.

Clemson hired Venables in January 2012 after it lost 70-33 to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. The decision has paid off considering the Tigers have won two national championships and reached two more College Football Playoff national championship games since the move.

They are one of the powerhouses of the sport and will keep their notable defensive coordinator in place even though there were some headlines about him potentially becoming the head coach at Auburn.

Frankly, it would be a surprise if Venables doesn't cash in on the playoff bonuses on this new deal. The Tigers have been in the past six College Football Playoffs and are annual national championship contenders thanks in large part to the defenses Venables has helped build.

Under Venables, Clemson has been particularly known for its ability to pressure the quarterback. The Tigers have finished in the top 12 in the country in sacks every year since 2013.

If the defense continues to play like that, the Tigers will remain title contenders throughout this deal.

American Top Team owner and Miami Hurricanes football fan Dan Lambert will give every Miami Hurricanes scholarship football player $500 a month in exchange for advertising his Florida-based mixed martial arts gyms on social media, according to Dan Murphy of ESPN. 

If every player accepts the arrangement, Murphy will be on the hook for $540,000, per that report. 

"I want to help the kids. I want to reward them for what they do, and I want a better product on the field, too," he told Murphy. "I want to improve the reputation of the school and the team I love so much. I think it's a cool opportunity to get involved and make a difference."

It would be the largest reported endorsement deal for college athletes since the NCAA allowed college athletes to begin earning money off their name, image and likeness rights last week.

Lambert said he's consulted Miami's compliance department and has hired attorney Darren Heitner to ensure he's not breaking any rules with the deal. 

"There are improper ways of fans supporting their players, and now there is a legal way to do it," Lambert said. "And if there is a legal way, and you can dot the I's and cross the T's, I'm going to do it."

Heitner said the only stipulation the state of Florida has in place regarding NIL rights and contracts is that an entity that has financially supported a university cannot make NIL deals with its athletes. But American Top Team has no previous financial arrangements with Miami University.

"There's no prohibition on an entity who may have a booster as a member," Heitner said. "The only restriction is if the entity itself supports the institution or the athletic department."

American Top Team, a renowned MMA training facility, plans to offer every University of Miami football player a Name, Image, Likeness contract that could pay up to $6,000 per year.

Gary Ferman of CaneSport.com reported the deal will pay $500 per month and will be offered to every player in exchange for social media posts, personal appearances and other marketing avenues.

American Top Team founder Dan Lambert says he hopes to include other small businesses in his plan: 

"The NIL legislation is an amazing opportunity for businesses and fans to directly impact the lives of these players and the national reputation of our team," Lambert said. "I originally planned to just enter into deals with a few players and then it hit me that there is a way bigger play here. With the right contacts, effort and financial commitment, we can reach every player and get this city firmly behind this team where it should be. We can BRING BACK THE U." 

While $500 per month may not be a life-changing amount of money—especially with deals already reaching millions of dollars—it may provide some level of comfort for players.

A conglomeration of small businesses in the Miami area getting together and providing similar benefits to players who opt in could provide an entry-level salary for Hurricanes players who aren't targets for individual deals. 

NIL rules will come with an adjustment period for businesses and players alike, so an idea like Lambert's could gain some steam. 

Former Georgia and Miami football head coach and current ACC Network football analyst Mark Richt announced on Thursday that he has Parkinson's disease.

Per the Parkinson's Foundation website, the disease is defined as "a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing ('dopaminergic') neurons in a specific area of the brain called substantia nigra."

Possible symptoms include tremors, bradykinesia, limb rigidity, and gait and balance problems. Parkinson's is not a fatal disease but can cause serious complications.

Richt, 61, led the Bulldogs from 2001-15 before returning to his alma mater, Miami, from 2016-18. He went 171-64 over his coaching career and won 10 bowl games.

Richt is a two-time SEC Coach of the Year and one-time ACC Coach of the Year who also won the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in 2017. His teams finished in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll seven times.

He retired after the 2018 season and joined ACC Network in 2019. On October 21 of that year, Richt announced that he had suffered a heart attack earlier that morning but was "doing fine."

Well-wishes poured in on Twitter following the news about Richt, with some examples below from various media members:

Prior to his Georgia stint, Richt was a backup quarterback at Miami from 1978-82. He was a graduate assistant at Florida State from 1985-88 before moving onto East Carolina as its offensive coordinator in 1989.

Richt then headed back to FSU to work as its quarterbacks coach (1990-93) before adding offensive coordinator duties from 1994-2000. He coached two Heisman Trophy winners (quarterbacks Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke) and was on the staff of a pair of national champions in 1993 and 1999.

Richt has a book, Make the Call: Game-Day Wisdom for Life's Defining Moments, is set to be released on August 31.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has apparently had a change of heart regarding college athletes receiving monetary compensation.

Tigers running back Darien Rencher said on ACC Network's Packer and Durham (h/t ESPN's David M. Hale) that Swinney is "excited" that athletes get to profit off their name, image and likeness:

"He kind of catches some things that get out of context, but he's excited for us to make the most of the opportunity. He's equipping us with everything as much as they can to make sure we have as much content and as much connections as we can. I feel like Clemson's been set up to win for a very long time and now we kind of get released to be all we can be."

Swinney said in 2014 he'd "go do something else" if college athletes started getting paid.

With legislation set to go into effect in multiple states, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved interim measures that opened the door for athletes across the country to begin receiving money for their name, image and likeness starting Thursday.

Many people are having fun with Swinney's past comments:

As the winds began changing on the NIL front in 2019, Swinney appeared to have altered his stance.

"I’m hopeful that something positive can come from it," he said after the NCAA announced it was going to weigh possible NIL changes. "It’s really created great conversation and it sounds like they’re getting a group of smart people together to figure out what they need to do to address it, but keep it within the collegiate model and value education and all those things."

Regardless of what Swinney might have thought about paying student-athletes years ago, he and Clemson were bound to adapt to the times. Otherwise, the Tigers risked falling behind the top programs in the country. Legendary Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski did a similar 180 on one-and-done players.

The State noted Clemson has partnered with Opendorse since 2015 "for education and content delivery." Opendorse says it can "help athletes and their supporters understand, build, protect and monetize their brand value."

In July 2020, athletic director Dan Radakovich referenced Clemson's partnership with the company and wrote that Tigers athletes would "have the best tools at their disposal" if the NIL landscape changed.

For generations, college football coaches and administrators have worked to get a leg up on the competition. Name, image and likeness is the next front in the battle.

Highly touted defensive lineman Brenan Vernon committed to Notre Dame on Tuesday, announcing his decision on Twitter.

Vernon is the No. 18 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2023 class. He's also the sixth-best defensive lineman.

His decision comes as a bit of a surprise since five experts on 247Sports pegged the Mentor, Ohio, native to stay close to home and join Ohio State.

The 6'5", 245-pound standout spoke highly of Notre Dame after having made a visit to South Bend, Indiana.

"I love Notre Dame," he said to Bucknuts' Bill Kurelic. "As soon as I stepped foot on campus, it just kind of felt like I fit in. I felt it click, especially with the staff there, the guys like Marcus Freeman, Chad Bowden, coach Elston, such amazing guys down there. They make me feel like I fit in, like I’m family."

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports described Vernon as "tall and long-levered with tons of frame space moving forward," adding he could line up at multiple positions along the line at the next level.

Beyond the home-state connection, Ohio State seemed like an obvious choice for Vernon considering how well the Buckeyes have developed defensive linemen. Nick Young, Joey and Nick Bosa are the most obvious examples, while Tommy Togiai, Sam Hubbard, Dre'Mont Jones and Tyquan Lewis were all early to mid-round draft picks in recent years.

The Athletic's Pete Sampson explained what Vernon's commitment could mean in the bigger picture:

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN also explained how the hiring of defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is already paying dividends:

Freeman was a star linebacker at Ohio State before working his way up the coaching ladder. He had been Cincinnati's defensive coordinator for four seasons until taking the same role with the Fighting Irish.

OSU will almost certainly continue to dominate the Ohio high school recruiting landscape, but peeling off one or two blue-chip recruits every year could be big for Notre Dame.

Virginia Tech linebacker Isi Etute was released from jail on $75,000 bond Wednesday after being charged with second-degree murder.

According to the Associated Press, Etute will be placed under house arrest and electronic monitoring.

Etute has been charged with the May 31 murder of 40-year-old Jerry Smith in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Per Mike Niziolek of The Roanoke Times, prosecutors said in court Wednesday Etute told police he visited Smith's apartment on April 10 for oral sex after matching with someone named Angie on Tinder. Etute said that when he returned to the apartment on May 31, he discovered the person he matched with was a man.

Etute told police he punched and stomped on Smith, who he said did not attack him, and heard "bubbling and gurgling" as he left the apartment but did not call 911.

Smith was found dead two days later, and the medical examiner said Smith died of blunt force trauma to the head. The autopsy report said all the bones in Smith's face were broken and he had multiple skull fractures and missing teeth.

The 6'3", 205-lb. Etute is a Virginia Beach, Virginia, native who committed to playing college football for the Hokies last year.

According to 247Sports, Etute is a 3-star recruit who ranked as the No. 166 linebacker and No. 1,494 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class.

Etute enrolled early at Virginia Tech and was set to play his freshman season in 2021, but he is currently suspended from the university and the football team.

Just four months after transferring from Nebraska, quarterback Luke McCaffrey has left Louisville's football program.

According to Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports, Louisville head football coach Scott Satterfield announced McCaffrey's departure during an appearance on ESPN Radio 93.9 The Ville on Wednesday.

Satterfield noted that McCaffrey decided to transfer after it became clear that he wasn't going to beat out Malik Cunningham for the Cardinals' starting quarterback job.

McCaffrey is the younger brother of Carolina Panthers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of former Denver Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey.

As a redshirt freshman last season, McCaffrey appeared in seven games for the Cornhuskers and started two of them, although he was primarily the backup to Adrian Martinez.

McCaffrey completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 466 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions. While he struggled as a passer, he did plenty of damage with his legs, rushing for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 65 attempts.

At Louisville, McCaffrey was looking to take the starting job from Cunningham, who had an up-and-down season for a 4-7 Cardinals team in 2020.

Cunningham became the full-time starter in 2019, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,061 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and he rushed for 482 yards and six touchdowns.

He didn't take the step forward that the Louisville coaching staff likely hoped for and expected in 2020, though, completing 64.1 percent of his attempts for 2,617 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 picks, along with 609 yards and seven scores on the ground.

The door was open for McCaffrey usurp Cunningham with a strong performance during the spring, but Satterfield's comments suggest that McCaffrey didn't do enough to earn the job.

It isn't yet known where McCaffrey will transfer, but he will still have four years of eligibility remaining and a chance to reach his lofty potential once he makes the move to a new school.

Virginia Tech freshman linebacker Isi Etute was arrested in Blacksburg, Virginia, on a charge of second-degree murder.

Blacksburg police said Wednesday it is investigating the death of Jerry Smith, which has initially been ruled a homicide. Authorities said they identified Etute as an acquaintance of Smith's and person of interest while investigating the crime and subsequently took him into custody.

ESPN's David M. Hale shared a statement from Virginia Tech on the situation: "Blacksburg Police continues to lead this ongoing investigation, and the university will assist law enforcement agencies working the case in any way it can."

Etute is due to be arraigned Thursday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

The Virginia Beach native was the No. 166 linebacker in the 2021 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He was also the 39th-best player from the state of Virginia.

Etute committed to the Hokies in July 2020, and Hale noted he participated in spring practice after enrolling early at the school. Virginia Tech said in a statement (via Hale) he has been suspended from the team and university, and he is no longer listed on its 2021 roster.