UCF defensive end Josh Celiscar posted on social media Monday committing to Mike Elko and the Aggies. Celiscar spent the 2023 season with the Knights and played in all 13 games totaling 47 tackles, sixth most on the team.

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Celiscar spent each of the past four years at UCF developing into a two-time captain along the D-line. He had a breakout year in 2022 earning Honorable Mention All-American Athletic Conference recognition after posting career-highs three sacks and 54 tackles including 8.5 for loss.

Celiscar has 156 tackles in his career across 50 games, including 39 starts, and 24.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, five forced fumbles and three passes defended.

Elko will have a veteran presence guiding the defensive front in his first year in College Station. He made the move from Duke after former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher was dismissed last season.

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Elko will follow former Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher, who was fired on Nov. 12. 

“Coach Mike Elko is one of the best leaders and coaches in college football and has had high-level success at each stop of his career,” Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork stated in a release. “He is known amongst coaching circles as one of the best defensive minds in the country and has shown his ability to lead and turn around a program as a Power 5 head coach.” 

PODCAST: Week 13 almost had all-out chaos

Elko previously served as Texas A&M’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2018-21. 

Elko led the Blue Devils to a 16-9 record over one-plus seasons including a win in last year’s Military Bowl. 

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Georgia reclaimed the No. 1 spot and is now atop both the CFP and Associated Press Top 25 rankings. 

PODCAST: Week 11 Recap: Are things getting any clearer?

The Bulldogs won their 27^th-consecutive game in dominant fashion over No. 13 Ole Miss, holding the Rebels to three points in the second half while quarterback Carson Beck threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. 

Here are several players and notes to keep a tab on in this week’s Big Board. 

Taking a look at the Atlantic Coast Conference title picture 

The conference title picture is shaping up, and this week the ACC is under observation. 

No. 4 Florida State sits atop the ACC standings at 10-0 and 8-0 in conference play. The Seminoles have a firm grip on heading to the conference championship game under head coach Mike Norvell and quarterback Jordan Travis. 

Hot on the heels are the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals, who received their highest College Football Playoff ranking since 2016 last week when they checked in inside the top 10. 

While Florida State and Louisville won’t face one another in the regular season, it very likely could happen that the two face off in the ACC championship on Dec. 2. The Seminoles already have their spot sealed up. 

Louisville will have Miami and Kentucky to close out the regular season. Both of the Cardinals’ future opponents have been ranked this season, and it won’t come easy for them. 

READ: Georgia climbs to No. 1 in third CFP rankings

Awaiting a chance to be opportunistic are North Carolina and NC State, which are both tied for third in the conference at 4-2. 

The Tar Heels have Clemson and NC State to finish the year, and the Wolfpack will play at Virginia Tech this week. 

The ACC title picture is becoming clearer. Now it just remains to be seen who the Seminoles will face. 

Blake Corum, Jayden Daniels and Marvin Harrison Jr. 

Nine hundred nineteen yards, 10 touchdowns and three victories. 

That’s what Michigan’s Blake Corum, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. did last weekend by themselves combined. 

It’s time to start considering this trio as viable contenders for the Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football. 

Corum currently leads the NCAA with 18 rushing touchdowns. Daniels leads the country in passing efficiency at 202.12, and Harrison is second with 12 receiving touchdowns. 

Daniels had a more than impressive game against Florida last weekend. He passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns, then added 234 yards on the ground along with two rushing touchdowns, totaling five scores against the Gators. 

Harrison had a season-high three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ win over Michigan State. He ran in the first rushing score of his career from 19 yards out. 

Corum had a season-high 145 rushing yards in Michigan’s win at Penn State without head coach Jim Harbaugh. He also had two rushing touchdowns. 

Corum’s current Heisman odds are north of +25000, Daniels’ are +370 and Harrison’s are +600, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. With the regular season dwindling down, this trio could be waiting for their Heisman moments. 

The head coaching carousel is beginning to spin 

Every year in college football there is coaching turnover. 

That’s no different this season. 

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Texas A&M made the decision to fire head coach Jimbo Fisher despite more than $76 million remaining in his contractual buyout. It was the first head coaching move of the season. 

Boise State also fired head coach Andy Avalos on Sunday, and Penn State relieved offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich of his duties as well. 

Also, a head coaching job opened up in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State moved on from head coach Zach Arnett on Sunday afternoon. 

There will be more moves to come, but for now, these openings are available. Indiana and Iowa are also looking for new offensive coordinators in the Big Ten Conference as the Hoosiers moved on from Walt Bell and the Hawkeyes will replace Brian Ferentz. 

Among the names of potential head coaching replacements thus far include Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, Duke’s Mike Elko and Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. 

The post Big Board: Week 12  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Washington and Liberty are all 10-0 this season.  

PODCAST: Week 11 Recap: Are things getting any clearer?

The Flames have won each of their past three games by double figures. Quarterback Kaidon Salter has 2,184 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions. 

Here are some noteworthy quotes as focus turns from Week 11 to Week 12. 

Ross Bjork, Texas A&M 

Texas A&M made the decision to fire head coach Jimbo Fisher on Sunday, announcing the change in leadership. 

Athletics director Ross Bjork spoke about the process and reasons behind the decision in a press conference. As the Aggies are 6-4 and 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play, Bjork said the program has been “stuck in neutral.” 

“In my analysis I determined at this point, and for lots of reasons, our program is stuck in neutral,” Bjork said. “We should be relevant on the national scene. Something is not clicking, something is not working and therefore, something had to give in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential. As leaders every decision we make, or every decision we don’t make, has consequences. Consistency in how the program operates on a daily basis impacts the confidence level of every single person in the program and thus influences performance. Based on my experience, the best programs have confidence. The program has an established identity. The program maximizes the talent. The leadership is fully integrated in the university, the athletics program and its culture. I did not feel like we were meeting those standards of excellence and leadership.” 

James Franklin, Penn State 

James Franklin and Penn State suffered a 24-15 loss to the Wolverines, and it effectively dropped the Nittany Lions in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll to No. 12. 

Franklin hasn’t performed well in top-10 matchups. He’s 3-18 in those games, and he’s 12-26 in ranked matchups during his 10-year tenure as head coach. 

READ: Stat Pack: Week 11

The Nittany Lions tried a pair of two-point conversions at Michigan, one in the second quarter and another in the fourth. Quarterback Drew Allar failed both pass attempts, keeping it a 14-9 game with less than a minute to go in the first half and maintaining a 24-15 deficit with less than two minutes left in the game. 

“We felt like points were going to be hard to come by,” Franklin said. “We were down by four. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to get it back to a field goal game. Again, those were all the numbers we work through from an analytic standpoint as a staff. Everybody was comfortable with that it was the right thing to do. Obviously, we didn’t pick it up.” 

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss 

Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss suffered a top-10 defeat themselves at the hands of Georgia, dropping the game 52-17. 

The Rebels were in the game 14-14 early in the second quarter, but then gave up four touchdowns and a field goal as the Bulldogs ballooned the score to 45-14. They were held to just three points in the second half. 

Ole Miss’ record is 8-2 and good enough to be tied for second place in the SEC West Division at 5-2, right there with LSU. 

But that’s not where Kiffin and the Rebels want to be. They want to be on the other side of the top-10 bouts and coming out victorious, but they have to figure out how. 

“That’s a good question. I mean, we got to recruit at a higher level,” Kiffin said. “And I’m not blaming people, we got to coach better. But, you know, at some point whatever those stats are — we’ve signed one five-star, they’ve signed 24 or something. Those kind of do show up at some point. So we’d have to recruit it at a better level, do a better job on recruiting.” 

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The Broncos football program is dismissing Avalos after two-plus seasons at the helm, the program announced in a release. 

“I am grateful for the passion, effort and dedication Andy has given to our community and his alma mater while serving as our head coach,” Boise State athletics director Jeramiah Dickey stated in a release. “Andy will always be a Bronco and we wish him and his family all the best in their next steps.” 

READ: No. 3 Wolverines ‘didn’t flinch’ without Harbaugh at No. 10 Penn State

The move represents the second major head coaching change in college football this season as Texas A&M also relieved former head coach Jimbo Fisher of his duties. Programs such as Indiana and USC have moved on from coordinators, and the Broncos will reportedly be moving on from their head coach. 

Defensive coordinator Spencer Danielson will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. A national search for the program’s next head coach will commence, according to a release. 

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The Aggies program announced Sunday that the program will see a change in leadership and remove Fisher from his position. 

“After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President Welsh and then Chancellor Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision,” Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork stated in a release. “We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.” 

PODCAST: November crowns champions and who will step up in week 11?

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, “the future of Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher was discussed heavily in an executive session of a Texas A&M Board of Regents meeting on Thursday.” 

Fisher is in his sixth season as head coach of the Aggies. They have a 6-4 record and 4-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play. 

As a result of Fisher’s dismissal, Texas A&M will be on the hook to pay a buyout of around $76 million, and the university plans to “honor his contract in full,” according to Thamel. 

READ: No. 3 Wolverines ‘didn’t flinch’ without Harbaugh at No. 10 Penn State

According to Thamel, “associate head coach Elijah Robinson is expected to serve as the interim coach.” 

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