College Football

5-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith announced his intention to play for Ohio State on Wednesday.

"What stood out to me the most was brotherhood and I could see it," Smith told Hayes Fawcett of On3. "It was obvious from the start with the players, with the coaches, and how they ran practice. I knew that there was no place like it and it was special, and it was a great opportunity I couldn't miss out on."

Smith is the nation's top-ranked wide receiver and No. 2 overall player in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He chose the Buckeyes over offers from Miami, USC, Georgia, Florida and Florida State.

The Chaminade-Madonna Prep product is listed at 6'3" and 185 pounds, already giving him the type of frame that should make him an instant impact player at Ohio State. He said the Buckeyes'. recent history of developing first-round talent at the wide receiver position helped make his decision.

"That means a lot to me," Smith said. "It shows me that Coach Hartline is developing guys. I know coach Hartline will develop me to be the best version of myself into becoming a first-round pick like he did with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave."

Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were both taken in the first 11 picks of last April's draft, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba could also come off the board in Round 1 next year. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a mortal lock for first-round status whenever he becomes draft eligible in 2024.

The departure of Harrison could open up a hole wide-open for Smith to step in and become the next great Buckeyes wideout. He has the type of top-end speed and athleticism that makes him an ideal fit in Ryan Day's uptempo offense.

Smith is the fourth player to commit to Day in the 2024 class. He joins 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, 4-star offensive lineman Ian Moore and 4-star athlete Garrett Stover.

Mississippi State will reportedly announce defensive coordinator Zach Arnett as its next head football coach following the death of Mike Leach, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.

It will reportedly be a four-year deal, though Thamel added that terms of the contract have not been finalized.

Leach died on Monday night after he was hospitalized for complications related to a heart condition, per ESPN. He was 61.

"We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world," his family said in a statement. "Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."

Leach was in his third season at Mississippi State after prior stints at Texas Tech (2000-09) and Washington State (2012-19). He was 19-17 with the Bulldogs and 158-107 overall in his coaching career.

"I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Mike over the last several years," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said after learning of Leach's death. "I never knew quite where our conversations were going, but they always made me smile. He was an offensive innovator who always did things his way and was admired for it. His teams were well-coached and extremely challenging to defend. They played with poise and toughness, which is a credit to his leadership."

Arnett's first game as Mississippi State's head coach will be in the upcoming ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2.

Arnett has served as Leach's defensive coordinator for the past three seasons with the Bulldogs. Prior to that, he held multiple positions for San Diego State between 2011-19, which included a promotion to defensive coordinator in 2018.

He also played college football at New Mexico as a linebacker.

Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt declared for the 2023 NFL draft Wednesday and announced he will not play in the Volunteers' Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson.

Hyatt recorded 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2022 season on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award.

Fellow Vols receiver Cedric Tillman previously announced his intention to enter the draft. Tillman is currently ESPN's sixth-ranked receiver and No. 40 overall prospect, while Hyatt is the seventh-ranked receiver and comes in at No. 44 overall. It's likely both players will find themselves hearing their names called on the second day of April's draft.

Hyatt, Tillman and quarterback Hendon Hooker helped spearhead Tennessee's explosive offense, leading the Vols to a 10-2 regular-season record. It's likely the only thing that prevented Tennessee from making the College Football Playoff was a shocking blowout loss to South Carolina last month.

Hooker suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Gamecocks. He turns 25 in January and is currently the fifth-ranked quarterback in ESPN's draft rankings behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson.

The Vols led FBS in yards per game (538.1) and were third behind only Washington and Western Kentucky among the sport's most prolific passing offenses.

Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy will leave college early and jump to the pros.

The junior told ESPN's Pete Thamel he will skip the Orange Bowl, forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the NFL draft. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranks Murphy as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

In 2022, Murphy racked up 40 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for a Tigers team that went 11-2. The native of Marietta, Georgia, ends his career at Clemson with 116 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and five pass deflections.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department named him as the most versatile edge-rusher in this year's class. Thamel noted, "Murphy is an end who is best suited for a 4-3 scheme, and he's expected to bring elite speed to that position." Murphy expressed confidence that his unique combination of skills will translate to the next level.

"There's that speed combined with very good strength in my long arm move," he said. "Just those two things, being able to be a very fast defensive end and a speed rusher that's very powerful at the same time. Having offensive linemen thinking about those two things that are polar opposites."

In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay predicted Murphy would be selected 14th overall by the Green Bay Packers. Murphy told Thamel that whichever team lands him will get "really just a very elite player, honestly. The sky is the limit. The harder I work, the better player I know I can be."

Murphy will be the latest in a long line of Clemson defensive linemen to be drafted in the first round, joining the likes of Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.

The Mississippi State football team will go forward with its ReliaQuest Bowl game appearance against Illinois on Jan. 2.

Interim athletic director Bracky Brett revealed the news to ESPN's Chris Low on Tuesday, one day after head coach Mike Leach died from complications of a heart condition.

The 61-year-old Leach coached at Mississippi State for three seasons after stints with Texas Tech (2000-09) and Washington State (2012-19). He led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record this season capped by a 24-22 victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.

The Bulldogs ended the season winning three of four games, including victories over Auburn (39-33 in overtime) and East Tennessee State (56-7).

Thanks to that stretch, Mississippi State earned its best season under Leach, who led six of his teams to top-25 finishes in the Associated Press poll. This year's Bulldogs team is currently No. 24.

Leach went 158-107 during his career. Seventeen of his 21 teams finished with winning records.

The ReliaQuest Bowl will take place in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET between the Bulldogs and Illinois, who also finished with an 8-4 record.

Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett will lead the team in the bowl game as its interim head coach.

Purdue named Ryan Walters as its next football head coach on Tuesday.

The announcement fills the vacancy created when former head coach Jeff Brohm left for his alma mater Louisville.

Walters, 36, becomes the fourth-youngest head coach in FBS after spending the past two years as the defensive coordinator at Illinois.

"Purdue is a world-class university, and our football program will pursue the same excellence exhibited across our campus," Walters said in a statement. "My wife Tara and I, along with our boys, are beyond excited to join the Purdue and West Lafayette communities. Boiler Up!"

Illinois currently has the No. 1 scoring defense in college football this season, allowing just 12.3 points per game en route to an 8-4 record. Only three of 12 opponents topped 20 points against the Illini this year, while even No. 2 Michigan was held in check before pulling out a 19-17 win.

It's been part of a massive transformation for Illinois, which went 2-6 during the shortened 2020 season with a defense that was tied for 97th in college football in points allowed (34.9 per game).

Walters turned things around after arriving in 2021, leading the 29th-ranked scoring defense (21.9 ppg), before putting together an elite unit in 2022.

The former Colorado safety transitioned to coaching after graduating in December 2008, becoming a student assistant for the Buffaloes. After stops at Arizona, Oklahoma, North Texas and Memphis, Walters spent six seasons at Missouri and worked his way up to defensive coordinator.

The coach will look to continue his success at Purdue, which went 17-9 the past two years under Brohm. The squad earned a trip to the Big Ten title game this year and will head to the Citrus Bowl against LSU with an 8-5 record.

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has died at the age of 61.

The school announced on Tuesday that Leach died due to complications from a heart condition.

"Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather," the Leach family said in a statement. "He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."

The university announced on Sunday that Leach had a "personal health issue" at his home and was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center by ambulance.

In a follow-up statement on Monday, Leach was said to be in critical condition.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley and Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who both played for Leach at Texas Tech, paid tribute to their former coach:

The University of Alabama issued a statement from Nick Saban about Leach:

Leach just finished his third regular season as Bulldogs head coach. He was hired in January 2020 to replace Joe Moorhead. The California native improved his win total in each of his three seasons at Mississippi State, including an 8-4 mark in 2022.

A graduate of BYU in 1983, Leach moved into coaching four years later when he was hired as the offensive line coach at Cal Poly. He went on to spend 11 seasons from 1989 to 1999 as an assistant and offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Texas Tech gave Leach his first head-coaching opportunity in 2000. He led the program to an 84-43 record in 10 seasons, including tying the school record with 11 wins in 2008.

Leach was hired to rebuild the Washington State football team in November 2011. He took over a program coming off five consecutive losing seasons. After a 3-9 record in his first season, the Cougars made bowl appearances in six of the next seven years.

Washington State won a school record 11 games during the 2018 season.

Leach went 158-107 with eight bowl wins in 21 seasons as a head coach. Current successful college coaches such as Riley, Sonny Dykes, Dave Aranda and Dana Holgorsen all worked under Leach during his career.