College Football

Much of the focus in the college football world is on bowl season and the upcoming College Football Playoff, but future championships could be won and lost before that on the recruiting trail.

This year's early National Signing period is from Dec. 21 through Dec. 23, and there are still a number of top options on the board as teams look to solidify their 2023 classes.

With that in mind, here is a look at the announcement schedules for some of the top unsigned players, per 247Sports.

• Damon Wilson, 5-star edge rusher: Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET
• James Smith, 5-star defensive lineman: Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET
• Qua Russaw, 5-star edge rusher: Dec. 21 at 12 p.m. ET
  
• Desmond Ricks, 5-star cornerback: Dec. 22 at 5:30 p.m. ET
  

One of the most interesting recruiting battles is for edge-rusher Damon Wilson considering it appears to be between Ohio State and Georgia. That those two teams will face each other in the CFP adds another layer to the recruitment.

In October, Peter Warren of On3 Sports suggested the Buckeyes held a "big lead," but On3's Chad Simmons said in December that Georgia was "the team to beat."

It is notable that the two crystal-ball selections on 247Sports are in favor of the Buckeyes.

The prediction here is Ohio State leans on legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who has coached the likes of Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Chase Young and others, and lands a major recruiting win.

It's not all bad news for the SEC, though, as cornerback Desmond Ricks will end up at LSU.

Ricks visited the Tigers for the Alabama game, which ended up being an electric atmosphere and one of the most memorable contests of the entire college football season. LSU earned the dramatic 32-31 win in overtime when head coach Brian Kelly elected to go for the two-point conversion following his team's touchdown.

It surely made an impression, and the two crystal-ball predictions on 247Sports are in favor of the Tigers.

It likely doesn't hurt LSU's cause that other commits have done their best to recruit Ricks using social media.

Kelly has plenty of momentum on his side after winning the SEC West in his first season as the head coach at LSU and now has the opportunity to bring in a top-five recruiting class with a strong push.

Adding Ricks would help him do just that.

Mickey Joseph, who was charged with felony assault after a Nov. 30 arrest, is no longer with the Nebraska football program.

The Associated Press noted Friday the athletic department released a statement saying Joseph is no longer affiliated with the team. The Cornhuskers named him their interim coach for the final nine games of the 2022 season after firing Scott Frost following a 1-2 start.

Joseph was charged with assault by strangulation or suffocation after a woman said he punched her, pulled her hair and put his hands on her throat.

While he denied the allegations, Nebraska placed him on administrative leave.

The AP noted it is not clear whether Joseph received severance pay following this decision. His contract stated the university does not have to pay out the remaining money if he is fired for cause following a misdemeanor or felony conviction.

Joseph is due in court on Jan. 30.

The Cornhuskers announced the hiring of former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule on Nov. 26. It wasn't clear in the immediate aftermath of the Rhule hiring whether Joseph would remain on the staff in another role.

Players at service academies across the United States, including Army linebacker Andre Carter II, may be prevented from playing professional sports right out of school if a bill being sent through Congress is passed.

A section of the National Defense Authorization Act states that not participating in active duty service after graduation from a service academy is considered "a breach of agreement to serve as an officer," according to Leo Shane III and Jonathan Lehrfeld of the Military Times.

The bill says a cadet or midshipman can't be employed as a professional athlete or otherwise until they have completed their commissioned service obligation. An explanation for authorization of the bill states:

"Service academy appointments are a zero sum game. Every appointment that goes to a graduate who does not complete his or her active-duty service obligation to pursue professional athletics could have been awarded to many other qualified young people who would have happily served their country."

Since 2019, some athletes from service academies have been able to apply to delay their active duty requirement and pursue a career in professional sports.

Carter, a 6'7", 260-pound linebacker, is likely to be a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The senior's best year came in 2021 when he posted 14.5 sacks, 41 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, one interception, two pass breakups, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 12 games.

This season, he had 3.5 sacks, 41 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two pass breakups in 10 games. The Black Knights finished the season 6-6.

If Carter can't play in the NFL immediately, it would be disappointing since he has dreamed about playing professional football his entire life. While Carter declined to speak to ESPN's Pete Thamel, his father, Andre, said Carter is "so upset."

"He was literally, visually upset because of the uncertainty. He was not happy. When you're in the military, everything is precise," his father said. "To have something at the eleventh hour kind of thrown out there when you are so used to having a regiment; he's in a fog about the whole thing."

Army head coach Jeff Monken told Thamel the policy change isn't fair to Carter, who could have left the service institution and played elsewhere:

"It's not fair. It's not fair to him. He was loyal to this team and institution. He could have left and he didn't. He still wants to serve. It's not that he doesn't want to serve. He wants to pursue the NFL and play, and then serve.

"I'm 100 percent against it."

If the bill is passed, players at service academies would need to complete two years of service before applying for an alternative service option. That could damage their chances of pursuing a career in professional sports.

The policy change could go into effect as soon as next week.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will have two of their best players available for their Dec. 31 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats after all.

Quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. plan to play in the Sugar Bowl, head coach Nick Saban told ESPN's Chris Low on Friday. Saban added the Crimson Tide aren't expecting any players will opt out of the game.

Young and Anderson are both expected to declare for the 2023 NFL draft. Their decision to play in Alabama's non-playoff bowl game is a surprise as many top draft picks over the years have opted out of their respective bowl games to avoid injury ahead of the draft.

With both Young and Anderson in the lineup, Alabama should undoubtedly have the edge over Kansas State.

The Crimson Tide finished the season 10-2 and just missed out on a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Young, who won the Heisman Trophy last season as the best player in college football, is in the midst of another strong season despite missing time with an injury to his throwing shoulder.

The junior quarterback has completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns against five interceptions in 11 games, in addition to rushing for 195 yards and four scores.

Anderson, meanwhile, won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy for the second straight season as the best defender in college football after posting 10 sacks, 51 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, one interception and one pass breakup in 12 games.

The 2022 campaign has been a disappointing one for Alabama. In addition to dropping two games and missing out on the CFP, the Crimson Tide also didn't appear in the SEC Championship Game.

Regardless, they still have the opportunity to close out the season on a high note with a win.

Kansas State finished second in the Big 12 this season with a 10-3 record, sitting behind 12-1 TCU, which is set to play in the College Football Playoff.

The top linebacker in the 2023 recruiting class is headed to the Texas Longhorns.

Tom VanHaaren of ESPN reported Anthony Hill, who was previously committed to Texas A&M before decommitting in November, chose the Longhorns on Thursday.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Hill is a 5-star prospect and the No. 19 overall player, No. 1 linebacker and No. 4 recruit from the state of Texas in the 2023 class.

Texas A&M landed the top-rated 2022 recruiting class by 247Sports' composite rankings, but it didn't even make a bowl game this season at 5-7 and is dealing with significant transfer portal fallout.

Cameron Ohnysty of USA Today's Aggies Wire noted 22 Texas A&M players have entered the transfer portal since Dec. 5. Watching a top-notch linebacker from within the state who was once committed to the program joining the rival Longhorns will surely do nothing to stop the negative momentum.

But A&M's loss is Texas' gain, as Steve Sarkisian has found plenty of success on the recruiting trail this year.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, the Longhorns have the No. 3 class in the country behind only Alabama and Georgia. This is a program attempting to rediscover its place as a college football powerhouse ahead of a move to the daunting SEC, which is set for 2025, and recruiting is the quickest way to do just that.

Hill is one of the star players of what is a potentially cornerstone class for Texas.

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports provided a scouting report for the "thumper" who plays off the ball and possesses the ability to rush the passer, stuff the run in the hole and pursue ball carriers from sideline to sideline.

He is "one of the most dynamic defensive prospects in Texas and the country for the 2023 recruiting cycle," Brooks wrote. "Not a 'tweener as much as a situation- and scheme-versatile chesspiece who should be able to stay on the field in all scenarios."

That will certainly work for Texas as it looks to build a roster capable of competing in the SEC.

The National Labor Relations Board's Los Angeles region has ruled in favor of USC football and basketball players seeking legal employment recognition, per Daniel Libit of Sportico.

The National College Players Association filed an unfair labor practice charge against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA on behalf of the athletes, and the NLRB found "merit" in it in Thursday's ruling.

NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said in a statement that all three bodies have "maintained unlawful rules and unlawfully misclassified scholarship basketball and football players as mere 'student-athletes' rather than employees entitled to protections under our law."

NCPA Executive Director Ramogi Huma said, "Gaining employee status and the right to organize is an important part in ending NCAA sports business practices that illegally exploit college athletes' labor."

Huma previously helped lead a unionization effort by Northwestern athletes.

While the NLRB's Chicago region ruled in 2014 that Northwestern football players should be considered employees, the national NLRB board declined to assert jurisdiction. Per Libit, though, it would have to assert jurisdiction with this case since it came through an unfair labor practices charge.

Barring a settlement, this case will go before an administrative law judge. Any findings from the judge can be appealed to the national NLRB board.

Thursday's ruling comes after the NCAA announced that Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will take over for the departing Mark Emmert as the organization's president March 1.

It is a new era for college sports thanks to name, image and likeness rules that allow athletes to make money, and Baker will be juggling how to proceed under such a system.

Thursday's ruling in regards to USC could be another challenge for the NCAA.

Baker has a background in politics, and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported those involved in the search saw him as "uniquely suited to the NCAA's present needs" because of a track record of "successfully forging bipartisan solutions to complex problems."

There will likely need to be a number of solutions reached as the NIL era continues, and Thursday's ruling could create another situation that has to be navigated by all sides.