Heupel and Tennessee reloaded since the apparent negotiating ploy by Iamaleava was flipped into a farewell letter by the Vols. And at the end of the day, as Heupel says, the Vols are just fine with the way it turned out.

"Ultimately at the end of the day, it's never about who's not in your building but about who is in your building. For us, you can lose a quarterback at a lot of different times: December transfer portal, spring transfer portal. You can lose one week 1, first quarter of the ballgame in your opener, and now you're on to number two through injury, right? You've got to have the next-man-up mentality," Heupel said Tuesday.

"At the end of the day, having guys that want to compete along with their brothers inside of that locker room, building that connection, but also having the right guys in there. At the end of the day, I'm really excited about who we have in there. The addition of Joey to who's already inside of that group, highly competitive guys that are smart, that have the physical traits to be successful. Teammates have grown to have great trust in those guys through the course of this off-season during the summer, and now it's about getting to training camp and going and competing. Somebody is going to earn the opportunity to be our starting quarterback through that process."

Heupel said expectations are unchanged even if his quarterback will be different. He also admitted losing Iamaleava was difficult "in that moment" for players.

Leadership, including from Heupel, opted for "immediate" and "transparent" communication with players about the decision to help them cope with the change and tried to answer any question for which he had answers.

Now he said he's interested in finding answers in fall camp to questions with too many variables to answer six weeks before the season kicks off.

Joey Aguilar, redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre are the competitors fighting to replace Iamaleava.

"We will have a competition at the quarterback position, three guys inside of that room, really proud of what they've done," he said. "Joey, since he got there in May, Merklinger and George MacIntyre."

Iamaleava gets a chance to tell his side of the story July 24 at Big Ten media days, but only if he chooses to do so. He reportedly received a $2 million per year NIL deal to transfer to UCLA. The former five-star recruit played 18 games at Tennessee. When he landed with the Bruins, it left Aguilar, who had transferred to UCLA, to go shopping for another new home.

When Tennessee starts the season in Atlanta against Syracuse on August 30, the Vols might have more than one quarterback in the mix.

"We've found a way to win with a lot of different quarterbacks throughout my career on the offensive side of the ball," Heupel said. "We're going to find a way to win with the guy that earns a starting spot as we go through training camp here in August."

Aguilar, a transfer from Appalachian State, endeared himself to team leaders quickly. He impressed junior linebacker Arion Carter in practices and workouts as decisive and willing to take risks to make plays, even if there are some tremors felt around the Tennessee program by players closest to their former quarterback.

"Having a guy like that leave with such character and such poise was a hard thing to do. But nobody's bigger than the program. We wish him the best where he is at. And I hope he has a great career and goes on to do great things," Carter said Tuesday. "I feel it didn't waiver from the agenda we had to step forward and do, especially with the new guys we have set, with the three quarterbacks in our room, with George, Jake and Joey.

"I feel we were able to crowd around those guys early and get those guys ready and prepare them over this course of these last few weeks. And these next few weeks going into fall and training camp for this 2026 season I feel very well where we're standing, but we have a lot to do and a lot to prove still."

Defensive tackle Nico Eason said he remains good friends with Iamaleava and wishes him "nothing but the best."

"His decision was his decision. I'm still rooting for him," Eason said. "I'm hoping everything goes his way. There's no hate at all toward Nico."

Freeze said Tuesday at SEC Media Days that the reshaped roster and experience on his side -- not to mention playing rivals Alabama and Georgia at home -- is enough to turn the tables in Auburn's favor in games like those against the behemoths of the Southeastern Conference.

Alabama was two scores better than the Tigers in 2024 (28-14) in the annual Iron Bowl, while Georgia beat the Tigers by 18.

Why does Freeze think this year will be different?

"Number one, playing at Jordan-Hare is a definite advantage in those games for sure," Freeze said. "And our roster is one that can compete with those teams. We've been in the games even the first two years, but we haven't found a way to win.

"And that's one of the secrets, I think, to our success this year is having guys that we think we've brought in that have the combination of all of it, not just skill set, but this guy's a winner and has been proven to win and now will help us get over the edge in all these close games like those two will be."

One of the guys Freeze views as a difference-maker is Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold. He's in line to be the QB1 for Auburn in the opener against Baylor and should be fully up to speed by the time the Tigers face his old team on Sept. 20.

Arnold was not viewed as the top prize in the transfer portal by every team and won few over with statistics. But Freeze said circumstances painted that picture, and it wasn't reality.

He was sacked more times than any quarterback in this SEC and sixth-most across all of college football last season.

"I loved Jackson out of high school. I think everybody did. He was a Gatorade Player of the Year, top quarterback in the country coming out. Boy, he fit everything that I believe in doing offensively, (offensive coordinator Derrick) Nix does too. We've been together a long time, and he just fits that," Freeze said.

"So I knew how I felt about him then, but of course you're doing this speed dating here and things weren't great statistically or whatever performance-wise. Then you have to do a deep dive into why was that, and can I get past whatever that was. When you evaluate it, you said it, he had several different play callers, injured offensive line and receivers, and yet when you pull all of his throws, I still saw that there it is, that's what I saw. There it is again. He still has that about him."

Freeze lauded the toughness Arnold brings at the position. He said the Tigers are offering him a needed restart to prove who he is as a player.

Arnold, also at SEC Media Days on Tuesday, said he has no ill will toward the Sooners for their decision to move in another direction. He was replaced as OU starter after only four games last season.

He wound up back in the starting lineup by the end of the season and beat then-No. 7 Alabama. That win opened Freeze's eyes because of Arnold's guts and big plays with his legs.

One of his next big chances to open some other people's eyes will be his SEC debut with Auburn -- in Norman.

"Things happen. Things happen for a reason," Arnold said. "Sometimes things work out the way it's supposed to be. You know, we're on God's timing, you know, not our timing. And, for me, I felt the best decision for me was to move on and move on somewhere else to get a fresh start, like you said, and go out and do what I know I can do with this Auburn squad this year."

Manziel declared for the 2014 NFL Draft after his redshirt sophomore season with the Aggies. He went on to sign a four-year, $8.2 million rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns, who selected the polarizing quarterback with the 22nd overall pick.

Dubbed "Johnny Football," Manziel believes he would have stood to earn considerably more in NIL over his final two years of eligibility than going to the NFL.

After becoming the first-ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, the Manning Award and the Davey O'Brien Award while throwing for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns as a freshman, Manziel threw for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns the next season.

"I tell people this all the time, and they asked me this, I really feel like I would have taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL," Manziel said on Always College Football, per On3.com. "I mean, that's really what it would have been. I mean, it is crazy times that we're living, and I think, you know, in a lot of areas, still figuring out exactly how to make it work the right way, where it's not just the biggest boosters and the richest schools. If you look at A&M, you know, I feel like we've put a ton of money in it to our NIL, and it hasn't necessarily translated onto the field.

Following two controversy-laden seasons, Manziel was released by the Browns and did not throw another pass in the NFL. After being out of football for two years, he played for Hamilton and Montreal in the Canadian Football League in 2018 and spent time with the AAF's Memphis express in 2019.

Manziel later played two seasons in the Fan Controlled Football League from 2021-22.

Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show," the five-star prospect chose the Longhorns over finalists Clemson, Oregon and presumptive favorite Georgia.

Atkinson, who plays at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga., is ranked No. 9 overall, No. 1 at his position and No. 1 in the Peach State by the 247 Sports composite.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Atkinson, who visited Georgia more than a dozen times during the recruiting process, made an official visit to Austin from June 20-22.

"I feel like I just encompass everything I want at Texas ... the way they have me playing is the best fit, and that's why I chose Texas," he said.

Atkinson recorded 174 tackles and 13 sacks while guiding Grayson to a 14-1 record and a Class 6A state title in 2024, per ESPN.

He is the third five-star pledge for Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, joining Florida quarterback Dia Bell and Texas athlete Jermaine Bishop. The class ranks No. 8 in the nation, per 247 Sports.

"Our team is going to be comprised of 54 percent first- and second-year players. Very big change for us," Smart said at SEC Media Days in Atlanta on Tuesday.

From Smart's vantage point, he has new names and faces, but the same standard and belief he brought to the Bulldogs from Alabama a decade ago. He said the program mantra in recruiting and the "strained" landscape of college football has been prioritizing relationships "over transactions."

That could mean finding an all-in freshman who fits the program over replacing a first-round pick with a high-dollar transfer.

It also gives Smart an unfamiliar baseline, going from "one of the most veteran teams I've been a part of" to the 2025 version where follow the leader might be a bit more literal than previous seasons.

"What do you get with that? You get youthful exuberance. We've had practices that have been spirited," Smart said. "We had a great spring practice that we talked about the words fire, passion and energy. I think the biggest thing that separates college football teams today is complacency among players versus fire, passion and energy among players. So we've tried to highlight those traits as much as possible with our players.

"Our players need to bring juice and energy each and every day. If they don't, they'll be confronted by the players that do. And if the players continue to do that, we'll have a successful season and a successful football team."

Smart is starting the season with a new QB1, albeit a familiar one, in Gunner Stockton. The quarterback jumped into the fray in the SEC Championship when Carson Beck was injured and then started the Sugar Bowl, a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame.

Already this offseason Smart has defended Stockton's potential with talk show host Paul Finebaum while taking multiple opportunities to remind his QB where he needs to be by the final Saturday in August.

Smart said he learned all he needed to know about Stockton being ready by watching him prepare. The line coaches commonly share about preparing like the starter is Stockton's modus operandi since he arrived in Athens.

"Gunner is a kid that leads from the front. Gunner is a winner," Smart said. "He comes from an athletic family background, his dad played at Georgia Southern, and he's the kind of kid you want at the front of the line, and he leads from the front. So I appreciate what Gunner does. He's going to be a big part of our program this year in leadership and doing that with the offensive players. He's already begun to do that in his leadership groups that he runs right now."

His sophomore quarterback is the embodiment of what Smart said the Bulldogs are trying to build around and a message to players and opponents of the complacency Georgia hopes to avoid.

"You can say what you want, but there's people more in college football today, especially in the SEC, that are comfortable with where they are," Smart said, listing examples from his coaching past from Julio Jones and Mark Ingram at Alabama to Georgia pupils such as linebackers Roquan Smith and Nolan Smith.

"(Thinking) 'This is a pretty good life. I'm earning 200K a year. I'm very comfortable.'

"You don't reach your goals being comfortable. You don't attain great success -- none of those people I mentioned before were ever comfortable. They were aiming at something. They had a goal. They wanted to go achieve it.

"I called and offered him (Will) Muschamp's (analyst) job, but he was overqualified," Smart said at SEC Media Days on Tuesday of his old boss at Alabama, who retired with six national championships in 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide in January 2024.

Saban worked as an analyst for ESPN and appeared on "College GameDay" last season while the Bulldogs were fighting their way into another SEC title game.

Smart, defensive coordinator under Saban in Tuscaloosa at the end of his time on the Alabama staff (2007-15) before taking over at Georgia, said he "almost laughed" when he first heard former Tide quarterback Greg McElroy fire up the rumor mill on Monday with the suggestion Saban would coach after this season. Not because it's unrealistic for the 73-year-old to take another job, but relationship dynamics might take the call out of his hands.

"Make no mistake about it -- the boss at home (Saban's wife, Terry) is going to make that call for him, not him," Smart said with a chuckle.

Smart isn't the only Saban associate speculating on the coach's comeback.

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, who worked for Saban as offensive coordinator (2014-16), said he suspected that the coaching legend would do a prompt U-turn after announcing retirement plans.

"I kind of thought it would happen after one year," Kiffin said.

"Those two words are probably the most important thing as we continue to move forward," Kelly said at Southeastern Conference media days on Monday.

The 63-year-old also placed responsibility on coaches and emphasized the moral aspect of NIL and the evolving landscape of college athletics.

"It's got to start with us. I mean, we have to be the stewards of this. There has to be a moral high ground," Kelly said. "I was at a speaking engagement a few weeks back, and every question about the NIL was trying to find a way around it, trying to find a way to bring in revenue in some other way.

"Sooner or later, we have to take a stand that transparency, consistency, ethics and morality are at the core of this."

LSU faced this reality firsthand when Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2025, flipped his commitment from the Tigers to Michigan in December. The quarterback will reportedly receive an NIL deal worth between $10.5 million and $12 million over four years.

Conversely, Kelly and his wife, Paqui, donated $1 million to LSU's NIL collective Monday as part of their "Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Fund." The Kellys launched this initiative shortly after Underwood's flip and pledged to match fan donations to the school's NIL collective up to $1 million.

While the Tigers lost out on their potential quarterback of the future, Kelly is focused on the man under center this season.

Garrett Nussmeier is entering his fifth season and second year as LSU's starting quarterback. He produced 4,052 passing yards and 29 touchdowns last season, but led the SEC with 12 interceptions thrown.

Kelly is confident Nussmeier will take a leap, but recognized that comparing him to the Heisman-winning LSU quarterbacks of the past sets lofty expectations.

"When you're comparing (Nussmeier) to Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow, that's a high bar for anybody, right?" Kelly said. "Garrett is at LSU because he loves LSU. He wants to lead our football team to a championship. If the Heisman follows with that, I think he's good with that."

One of Kelly's primary goals is to set the tone for the season in the first week. During his team at LSU, Kelly is 0-3 in season openers. The Tigers kick off the 2025 season at Clemson.

"We needed to do some things differently this year. That is embrace the opener. Embracing it in the manner that this is a big game," Kelly said. "It's a tangible goal for our football team to want to be 1-0. That's not, ‘Let's warm up into the season.' We want to be ready for this football game."

The fast-rising quarterback is now considered one of the top prospects for next year's NFL Draft, and with that national profile came attention from rival teams. Sellers' father told The Athletic last month that the family heard offers as high as a two-year, $8 million deal to transfer to another school.

But Sellers, a native of Florence, S.C., didn't budge.

"Everything I needed was in South Carolina," Sellers said at Southeastern Conference media days Monday. "Like I grew up there. My family's there. Anything I needed was an hour and five up the road for me. School pretty much takes care of rent and all that. So it's not like you really need too much. You know what I'm saying? ... There's no point in me starting over."

Head coach Shane Beamer added that Sellers is doing a summer internship in Columbia for his sport and entertainment management major. Sellers received high praise from Beamer, who said the quarterback "has not changed" since his ascent on the field.

"His life, his world has changed from last year at this time to right now because of what he did last season," Beamer said. "But he's got a great family around him. He came back in January knowing the things he needed to work on to get better at. He's done a great job of working hard and improving, all while staying grounded and staying the same person.

"I think we're going to be better around LaNorris as well on the offense, more depth and competition at pretty much every position I feel like. That's going to help him. He doesn't have to be Superman for us. Just continue to be the person he is, the leader that he is, and the player that he is, and watch him continue to take the next step."

In his sophomore season -- his first as a starter -- Sellers completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He added 674 yards and seven scores on the ground.

Most notably, Sellers helped the Gamecocks upset intrastate rival Clemson 17-14 on Nov. 30. He threw for 164 yards and rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score on a third-and-16 play with 1:08 to go. The Gamecocks went 9-3 in the regular season before a Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois.

Beamer promoted Mike Shula to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, noting Monday that Shula has "literally been in the shoes that LaNorris is in as he was a starting quarterback in this conference ... He's already made us better as an offense on and off the field."

Sellers will have some family even closer than Florence this year, as his younger brother, wide receiver Jayden Sellers, is a freshman on the 2025 team.

"Super excited to play with him," LaNorris Sellers said. "Last time we played together with him was my senior (year of high school), which was year three years ago.

"I was always quarterback. He played pretty much everywhere. And in rec league he played running back, receiver, DB. He played that up until last year, senior year. I think he's fully receiver now. But that's all we used to do, throw a deep field run and he'd catch it."

"That's fine," Sankey said as SEC media days kicked off in Atlanta. "We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That can stay if we can't agree."

Coaches in the SEC would like to see a 16-team playoff that follows the "5+11" model, made up of the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids.

The Big Ten has proposed a format where the Big Ten and SEC would each get four automatic bids, with two going to both the ACC and Big 12 and one more to the highest-ranked champion of another conference. The rest of the field -- either 14 or 16 teams -- would come from at-large bids.

"We had a different view coming out of (SEC meetings) around the notion of allocations, if you will," Sankey said, referring to automatic bids. "I think you'll probably hear that again from our coaches. The Big Ten has a different view, that's fine."

Although all sides at least seem to favor increasing the size of the field, Sankey said it's not a foregone conclusion.

"I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced," he said.

There is a Dec. 1 deadline to determine a format for the CFP in 2026 and beyond.

Anderson committed to LSU in December after he transferred from Oklahoma. He appeared in one game for the Sooners last season and did not have a catch, missing time with an undisclosed lower-body injury.

As a freshman in 2023, Anderson had 38 receptions for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns over 13 games (six starts) for the Sooners.

News of Anderson's involvement in an auto accident comes six months after Tigers quarterback Colin Hurley was seriously injured after a one-car crash near campus in January. Hurley has returned and participated in spring practice in April.

"It wasn't quite as bad as Colin Hurley's, which was life-threatening, but enough that he had to get checked in and stayed overnight for observations," Kelly said of Anderson at SEC Media Days. "But he comes out of it really good."

Anderson is expected to be available when LSU starts training camp.

Sun Belt officials reportedly approved the move on Monday to replace Texas State, which recently jumped to the Pac-12.

Louisiana Tech has been with Conference USA since 2013. The Bulldogs' basketball programs and other sports besides football previously were part of the Sun Belt from 1991-2001 before joining the Western Athletic Conference from 2001-13.

The earliest date Louisiana Tech can join the Sun Belt is 2026. It reportedly will cost the school at least $5 million to negotiate an exit from Conference USA.

The Bulldogs' football program has not finished above .500 since going 10-3 under former coach Skip Holtz in 2019. They were 5-8 last season under Sonny Cumbie.

The Louisiana Tech men's basketball team has topped 20 wins in 11 of the past 13 seasons but has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991.

The women's basketball team finished 18-16 last season and has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

The rising senior at Bowdon (Ga.) High School decided to stay in-state after making official visits to the Athens campus and his other finalists Florida and Texas as well as to Alabama and Auburn.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, Prothro is ranked the No. 25 player in the country, the No. 3 tight end and the No. 3 player in Georgia, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

As a junior, Prothro primarily played wide receiver and caught 56 passes for 1,203 yards (21.5 yards per catch) and 22 touchdowns as Bowdon won its third consecutive state championship in Class A Division II.

He also played safety and is a standout baseball and basketball player.

Prothro said he was impressed with UGA assistant head coach/tight ends coach Todd Hartley and the players he has met.

"It was really just Coach Hartley breaking down the film and making me feel at home," Prothro told DawgNation following his commitment ceremony. "As well as spending time with a bunch of the players and being around some of the tight ends in the room."

Georgia has the No. 2 recruiting class for 2026, per 247Sports, with 29 commitments, including two five-star, 20 four-star and seven three-star recruits. UGA got its quarterback of the future in five-star Jared Curtis of Nashville Christian School. He is the No. 4 player, No. 1 QB and No. 1 player in Tennessee, per the 247Sports composite.

Retzlaff contended the sex was consensual. The suit was dismissed June 30 but Retzlaff still faced a seven-game suspension for violating the school's honor code that prohibits premarital sex.

"After a lot of prayer, reflection, and conversations with those I trust, I've made the difficult decision to officially withdraw from BYU and step away from the BYU Football program," Retzlaff said on Instagram.

"BYU has meant more to me than just football. It's been a place of growth -- spiritually, mentally and physically. I'm grateful for every teammate, coach, staff member and fan who's supported me along the way. The relationships and memories I've made in Provo will always be a part of me."

Retzlaff will likely walk on to another program in coming weeks.

Retzlaff emerged as a star last season and the school has no clear-cut replacement for the 2025 campaign.

"We are grateful for the time Jake Retzlaff has spent at BYU," the school's athletic department said in a statement. "As he moves forward, BYU Athletics understands and respects Jake's decision to withdraw from BYU, and we wish him all the best as he enters the next phase of his career."

At this week's Big 12 media days, coach Kalani Sitake had little to say about Retzlaff.

"We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he's done for our program," Sitake said on Tuesday. "... It would be inappropriate for me to make a statement in his situation."

The lawsuit alleged that Retzlaff committed the assault in November 2023 at his home in Provo, Utah.

According to the suit, Retzlaff and Jane Doe started to watch a movie in his room and began kissing. The lawsuit says Jane Doe did not want to go any further and asked him to "stop," but Retzlaff eventually found a condom and assaulted her.

Retzlaff, a California native who began his career playing for Riverside (Calif.) City College, transferred to BYU prior to the 2023 season. After starting the final four games in 2023, he won a training-camp battle to become the Cougars' regular quarterback in 2024. He led them to an 11-2 record and an Alamo Bowl win over Colorado.

He finished the campaign with 2,947 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound redshirt senior had been expected to reprise his role this fall.

Now Retzlaff will seek to make an impact at another school.

"I'm excited to turn the page and embrace the next chapter," Retzlaff said. "My journey is far from over -- and I'm more motivated than ever to keep chasing my goals."

BYU opens the season Aug. 30 against visiting Portland State.

Wingfield transferred from Purdue to USC after the 2024 season, believing he could play one more season due to an NCAA waiver for players with at least one season at a non-NCAA program. He has been unable to secure that waiver, per the report.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound lineman began his career at El Camino Junior College, playing 22 games there from 2020-21 before competing at New Mexico (2022-23) and Purdue. His 2022 campaign ended with an injury in the season opener. He started all 12 games at right guard for the Boilermakers.

Wingfield is hiring attorney Darren Heitner and is expected to file a lawsuit for an injunction that would allow him to play this fall, per On3.

Wingfield originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft before entering the portal and committing to the Trojans in January.

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound prospect plays at University Laboratory High School in Baton Rouge. He chose the Tigers over Miami, Texas and Texas A&M in a ceremony that aired live on ESPN.

The ESPN 300 lists him as the No. 1 player in the Class of 2026. The 247Sports composite, which compiles and averages information from top recruiting sites, ranks him as the No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 5 player overall.

A multi-sport athlete, he won the Louisiana 3A discus championship in outdoor competition, as well as the indoor state title in the shot put.

He is the third five-star prospect to commit to LSU's 2026 class, joining wide receiver Tristen Keys of Hattiesburg, Miss., and edge Trenton Henderson of Pensacola, Fla. The 247Sports composite ranks the Tigers as having the No. 7 class in the nation.

"I'm not here to talk about my health, I'm here to talk about my team," Sanders said when pressed by a reporter to address his recent health challenges. "I'm looking good. I'm living lovely. God has truly blessed me. Not a care in the world. Not a want or desire in the world. ... I look good. I'm feeling good."

Neither Sanders nor Colorado officials have given specifics about the nature of the health issue the coach is facing. He has been away from Boulder, Colo., missing annual youth camps he normally would have attended.

When repeatedly asked about his health, Sanders insisted he feels "good" and turned the focus to his team.

"I never waver. I never say why me, regardless of what's ahead of me or what I see. ... I'm truly thankful," Sanders said of what motivates him. "Truly a go-getter. I want to win at all costs. I want to win the right way. I want to set the right standards. And I want to prepare these young men for life not just for football, I want them to be professional."

Sanders also shared his love for his fellow Big 12 coaches who he said have been supportive.

"The coaches of the Big 12 are incredible. I love them. They've been calling, checking on me, making sure I'm straight," Sanders said. "But you talk about knowing football, teaching football, communicating with their kids, none of this stupid animosity or jealousy. I love the coaches of the Big 12. I want to beat them all, but love them. I truly do."

Recent social media posts showed visits to Sanders' estate in Texas by former NFL cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and the rapper Lil Wayne. Sanders was seen in an Instagram video walking, a bit gingerly, with the rapper. However, he appeared to be walking normally onstage at Wednesday's press conference.

Sanders had previously addressed his health in a social media post on June 11.

"I can assure you all that everything is OK and will continue to be so," he posted to X. "... I'm excited to get back to Colorado to be at home with my staff, team & all associated to our program. When we arrive back to Boulder you will be updated on everything."

A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sanders required multiple surgeries for persistent blood clots in recent years. He had two toes amputated in 2021 to address clotting issues, but it is unclear whether that is related to his current health status.

The Buffaloes open the season at home on Aug. 29 against Georgia Tech.

Ferentz, 69, is under contract as Hawkeyes head coach at an average of $7 million per year through the 2029 season. But Ferentz said he expects to sign another contract with Iowa.

"I would think so," Ferentz told the Des Moines Register's 'Hawk Central'. "I think you almost have to in the world we're living in."

Ferentz has coached at Iowa since 1999 and has a 204-124 overall record, putting him one win shy of the Big Ten conference record for wins held by Ohio State legend Woody Hayes.

Hired by Hayden Fry as offensive line coach in 1981, Ferentz already holds Iowa's football coaching record for wins. He's approaching the mark for longevity, too. Fry retired at age 69.

"If you can't do your job, I have no interest in hanging on," Ferentz said in the interview. "I don't think it's going to come to that. I think it'll be how I'm feeling toward things. The other thing is, I'll have to figure out what it is I'm going to do when I get done."

Iowa was 8-5 last season and is on a run of 12 consecutive winning seasons.

The extension announced Wednesday was approved by the school's board of regents at its July meeting. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Fleck, 44, has compiled a 58-39 record since taking over the Golden Gophers in 2017, including 34-36 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota has won all six bowl games under Fleck, including the Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Virginia Tech last season.

All other head coaches in program history have won a combined seven bowl wins, and the Golden Gophers are 13-12 under all coaches.

Fleck is the only Gophers coach since 1905 to post nine or more wins in three different seasons.

The 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Fleck was a two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year at Western Michigan, where he went 30-22 from 2013-16.

"First of all, I love Jake Retzlaff," Sitake said Tuesday at the Big 12 Conference gathering in Frisco, Texas.

"We love Jake Retzlaff and appreciate all that he's done for our program. I think it would be inappropriate for me to make a statement in his situation first. I think that's his right. I think it's a private matter that he can speak for himself, and I'm going to give him the opportunity to do that."

Retzlaff is planning to transfer, according to reports, rather than return to the program where he faced a civil suit accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2023. The suit was recently dismissed but Sitake said three quarterbacks will compete for the starting job in 2025, but the list of candidates no longer includes Retzlaff.

Two transfers -- Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan and Bear Bachmeier from Stanford -- and holdovers from last season are competing with McCae Hillstead. Hillstead is the newest arrival after transferring from Utah State.

Replacing Retzlaff might be more of a concept than a reality.

He led the team in rushing and was responsible for more than 65 percent of the Cougars' total offense on the way to a 9-0 start in 2024. BYU finished with an 11-2 record and capped the season with a 36-14 blowout of Colorado in the Alamo Bowl.

BYU begins the 2025 season against Portland State on Aug. 30 before facing Stanford (Sept. 6), East Carolina (Sept. 20) and Colorado (Sept. 27).

--Commissioner Brett Yormark stands up for Big 12

A single representative in the expanded College Football Playoff from the Big 12 was not sufficient in the opinion of conference commissioner Brett Yormark.

Arizona State took Texas to double-overtime in the Peach Bowl, a quarterfinal in the first 12-team playoff, but Yormark said his league is the "deepest football conference in America."

The Big 12, ACC and Notre Dame are supporting a change to the current playoff model, counter the plan of the Big Ten and SEC to load the bracket with teams from their leagues.

For the 2026 season, with 16 teams expected to be in the playoff, Yormark has gained allies who are on board with granting automatic bids to the five highest-rated conference champions with the CFP selection committee deciding how to award 11 at-large bids. The Big Ten touts a model with its teams automatically receiving four bids, and four more going to the SEC.

"We want to earn it on the field. It might not be the best solution today for the Big 12 ... but long-term, knowing the progress we're making, the investments we're making, it's the right format for us. And I'm doubling down today on 5-plus-11."

--Scott Frost comes to grips with 'wrong move' to Nebraska

With 16 wins in five seasons at his alma mater Nebraska from 2018-2022, Scott Frost can agree with the sentiment that one can never go home again. He was hired as coach of the Cornhuskers following a 13-0 season at UCF in 2017.

"I got tugged in a direction to try to help my alma mater and didn't really want to do it. It wasn't a good move," Frost said Tuesday. "I'm lucky to get back to a place where I was a lot happier."

When Gus Malzahn departed UCF to become offensive coordinator at Florida State, the door opened for another return Frost never felt would happen. Now he's back at UCF with a new perspective.

Frost, 50, worked for the Los Angeles Rams as an offensive consultant last year and was introduced a second time as UCF head coach in December.

"Biggest thing I've learned, probably. ... You can't do anything alone," Frost said, arousing many corners of the Nebraska fanbase on social media with his final, lasting lesson.

"Don't take the wrong job."

The 6-foot-1, 225-pounder attends Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Fla., located about 120 miles from Florida's campus in Gainesville. Morris is ranked as the 12th linebacker in his class, 27th in Florida and 202nd nationally, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

He took an official visit to Florida on June 13, after previously visiting Texas A&M and Miami. Morris also held offers from Alabama, Georgia, Texas and other powerhouse programs.

"Just the atmosphere they have at Florida is unexplainable. If you've ever been to a Florida game, it's 90,000 people just in there rocking," Morris told Gators Online in May. "It's the crib. I'm from Florida, so it's right here."

The linebacker tallied 95 tackles, nine sacks and three forced fumbles en route to winning Ledger All-County Defensive Player of the Year. Morris also tacked on five rushing touchdowns for a Lakeland squad that went 13-1 and appeared in 5A state title game.

Morris is Florida's first linebacker recruit in the 2026 class and its fifth-highest rated prospect overall in the class. The Gators now rank 15th in 247Sports' 2026 team recruiting rankings with 11 four-stars and five three-stars.

"It's going back to the old Florida. How it used to be, and how it's supposed to be," Morris said to Gators Online about the school's recruiting.