According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, former Alabama quarterback Julian Sayin will transfer to Ohio State.

READ: Buffalo names Pete Lembo next head coach

Sayin is a true freshman who early enrolled and joined the Crimson Tide this month. He was a five-star recruit and largely heralded as the top quarterback as part of the class of 2024.

Sayin was the No. 2 quarterback in his recruiting class according to Rivals. He was the No. 4 overall player in the class of 2024 and No. 1 player from California.

“Incredibly excited to join the team here at Ohio State,” Sayin told ESPN. “I held this program in high regard throughout my entire recruiting process and am looking forward to learning from some of the most talented players and coaches in college football and contributing to our team’s success.”

READ: Reports: Caleb Downs to transfer to Ohio State

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have done some retooling since falling to No. 9 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl and entering the offseason.

Day has added Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs and center Seth McLaughlin as well as Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins among others through the transfer portal.

READ: Ohio State hires Bill O’Brien as next offensive coordinator

Ohio State also named Bill O’Brien its next offensive coordinator. He’ll split duties with co-coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

Sayin will bring another arm into Ohio State’s quarterback competition going into the 2024 season. He’ll compete alongside Howard, third-year Devin Brown and fellow freshman Air Noland.

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According to Pete Thamel, former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard told ESPN that he intends to transfer to Ohio State.

READ: Reports: Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins enters transfer portal

Howard posted on X on Thursday evening his commitment to Ohio State.

The Buckeyes coaching staff “evaluated all of the top portal quarterbacks and arrived with conviction that Howard was the best among them, as they valued his arm strength, experience and dual-threat ability,” according to Thamel.

Howard transfers to Ohio State after four seasons with the Wildcats. He led them to a Big 12 Championship over national runner-up TCU during the 2022 season.

Howard’s passing and running combination reportedly won over the Ohio State coaching staff. In four seasons, Howard has 5,786 passing yards and 921 rushing yards.

READ: Georgia TE Brock Bowers declares for 2024 NFL Draft

This season, Howard had a career-high 2,643 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. He had 10 interceptions, but he also finished with a 61% completion.

Howard will be the second transfer quarterback at Ohio State under head coach Ryan Day. Day and the Buckeyes brought in Justin Fields during the 2019-20 seasons, and Fields led them to a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance.

Howard will arrive at Ohio State after former Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse in December 2023.

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On Tuesday, the Selection Committee released its fifth version of the rankings, with No. 3 Washington and No. 4 Florida State moving up one spot each and No. 6 Ohio State falling three places. 

PODCAST: Week 13 almost had all-out chaos

Sunday will be the day that the Playoff field will be set and unveiled, with the semifinal games taking place at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles and Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. 

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

Conference championship week will reveal true contenders 

Up until this point in the season, an array of teams had their hats involved in the mix to compete for berths in their respective conferences’ championship games. 

The field is set. 

On Friday, No. 5 Oregon and No. 3 Washington will face off one more time for supremacy in the Pac-12 Conference. 

Then, on Saturday, No. 18 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Texas will kick off the day in the Big 12 Championship. 

The Southeastern Conference title will be on the line between No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama. 

No. 2 Michigan will look to make it three-straight Big Ten Championship victories and play No. 16 Iowa on Saturday night. 

No. 4 Florida State is back in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game for the first time since 2014, and the Seminoles will compete against No. 14 Louisville. 

Teams such as Texas and Alabama are hoping for extra movement at the top of the CFP rankings to help their chances of getting in the Playoff. 

Others, such as Washington and Oregon, are playing for their Playoff lives. Winner goes on, loser goes home. 

How does Ohio State’s third-straight loss to Michigan affect the program? 

The Buckeyes have been on the losing side of “The Game” against Michigan for three years in a row. 

READ: Washington rises to No. 3, Buckeyes fall to No. 6 in 5th CFP rankings

That’s not the standard that Ohio State or head coach Ryan Day wants. Day has clearly stated the three goals he wants to achieve each season: beat Michigan, win the Big Ten Championship and win the national championship. 

Ohio State hasn’t checked any of those three boxes in several seasons. A third-straight loss to the Wolverines will serve as a greater awakening point for the program, though the first two also served as such. 

Day will have some adjustments he will need to make. He also must make sure his seat is safe as there will certainly be speculation whether he will remain Ohio State’s head coach entering the offseason. 

Whether Day is the Buckeyes’ head coach next season will be something that remains to be seen. Ohio State brought in Jim Knowles to serve as defensive coordinator after the first Michigan loss, and the Buckeyes named Brian Hartline offensive coordinator prior to this season. 

Ohio State must address the areas it needs in order to top Michigan once again, and Day will be at the forefront of discussions. 

Transfer portal season is heating up 

The first day that the transfer portal will open is Monday, and an influx of players are expected to enter this cycle as is the case every year. 

READ: Quotables: Week 13

The portal will already have entrants in the form of two Power 5 quarterbacks. 

Kansas State quarterback Will Howard announced Monday that he will enter the portal. Howard has spent the past four seasons with the Wildcats, and this year he has 2,190 passing yards and 21 touchdowns which are both career highs. 

Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke also announced Monday his intentions to enter the transfer portal. Van Dyke has 2,703 passing yards this season along with 19 touchdowns, which are both fifth-best in the ACC. 

The portal will open Monday and stay open until Jan. 2, 2024. It also coincides with the early signing period and National Signing Day which will take place on Dec. 20. 

Get ready for lots of roster movement. 

The post Big Board: Week 14  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

Last Saturday provided a jam-packed slate of football games, and perhaps the two biggest games involved offensive shootouts in Southern California and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 

PODCAST: Lance Leipold is the Exact Opposite of Deion Sanders

No. 5 Washington prevailed 52-42 over then-No. 20 USC in a high-powered game that featured five passing touchdowns between Michael Penix Jr. and Caleb Williams. 

On the other side of the country, No. 8 Alabama and No. 14 LSU engaged in a shootout of their own, and the Crimson Tide took the victory 42-28. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe had four rushing touchdowns in the win. 

Here are some of the top statistical performances from Week 7. 

Alan Bowman, Oklahoma State 

Alan Bowman didn’t have to throw for 605 yards on Saturday like he did while at Texas Tech during the 2018 season. 

What he did have to do, though, was take on an Oklahoma team ranked inside the top-10 in what will be known as the final “Bedlam” game before the Sooners depart for the Southeastern Conference next season. 

Bowman did more than enough, as the Cowboys thwarted Oklahoma’s comeback efforts and dealt the Sooners a 27-24 defeat, their second loss of the season. 

Bowman had 334 passing yards and completed 67% of his passes. While he didn’t have a touchdown through the air, he did have a 13-yard rushing score early in the second quarter. 

Oklahoma State ran for three touchdowns and 146 yards, and Stat Pack frequent running back Ollie Gordon II topped 100 rushing yards for a sixth-straight game by recording 137 yards and two touchdowns including the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter. 

TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State 

Top-ranked Ohio State found itself trailing at Rutgers during halftime on Saturday, and the Scarlet Knights had already gotten a boost from their running back Kyle Monangai. 

TreVeyon Henderson had opportunity to put the game on his back garnering the Buckeyes carries, and he made the most of it in as many ways as he could. 

READ: Reports: USC fires DC Grinch

Henderson rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown across 22 carries. It marks back-to-back weeks of at least 125 rushing yards as Henderson also had 162 yards at Wisconsin last week. 

Henderson began to really heat up in the second half. As the Buckeyes saw a 9-7 deficit entering the third quarter, Henderson provided an insurance boost on a 9-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the third quarter. 

Henderson’s second half saw runs of 27, 20, 9 and 8 yards. He also caught a team-high five receptions for 80 yards, a new career-high, as Ohio State came back to beat Rutgers 35-16. 

Will Howard, Kansas State 

In one of this week’s closest showdowns, No. 23 Kansas State took No. 7 Texas all the way to overtime 

Wildcats quarterback Will Howard keyed together big drive after big drive to will Kansas State back into the game. The Wildcats scored 20 unanswered points to tie the game at 27 points with 12:37 left in the fourth quarter. 

Howard finished 26-of-42 for 327 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Three of his touchdown passes came in the second half. 

Howard went 11-21 from the fourth quarter thereafter including a stretch of six-straight completions. He went 4-of-9 on the final drive of regulation that led to Kansas State kicker Chris Tennant making the game-tying field goal from 45 yards out. 

Howard’s 327 passing yards are a career-best and his four passing touchdowns tied the school record. 

Dillon Johnson, Washington 

It was a shootout in Southern California, and the undefeated Huskies prevailed over the Trojans 52-42. 

Johnson played a major part in the victory for Washington, rushing for a career-high 256 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson’s 256 rushing yards led all running backs this week. 

It was the first 200-yard game or four-touchdown performance by a Washington player since the 2017 season. 

Johnson took 26 of Washington’s 42 handoffs, and he averaged 9.8 yards per carry. His longest went 53 yards, and his longest touchdown run came from 52 yards midway through the second quarter. 

All four of Johnson’s final carries either went for a first down or a touchdown. His final score came from the 1-yard line and gave Washington its final bit of insurance to put USC away. 

Joe Milton, Tennessee 

No. 17 Tennessee had homecoming last weekend, and the Volunteers did everything they could to make sure they spent the weekend on a positive note. 

Tennessee defeated UConn 59-3 to win their 14^th-straight home game. The Volunteers scored three defensive touchdowns, a school record. 

READ: ‘Never lost the fight’: Swinney becomes Clemson’s all-time winningest coach

Quarterbacking the Volunteers was Joe Milton III, who went 11-of-14 for 254 yards and two touchdowns. Milton’s 78.6% completion is his highest in a win this season and third-best in a game this year overall. 

Among Milton’s passing touchdowns came on a 60-yard heave to wide receiver Ramel Keyton. Milton now has a passing touchdown in his past 13 games, and Tennessee has won five of its past six games. 

The post Stat Pack: Week 10  appeared first on Saturday Glory.

The Longhorns allowed Kansas State to score 16 points in the fourth quarter, and they surrendered 20 unanswered points as Texas watched its once 27-7 lead evaporate into a 27-27 deadlock after the Wildcats missed the extra point with 12:37 left.

PODCAST: Calculated Risk: Previewing a week 10 with plenty of intrigue

Texas kicker Bert Auburn made a 34-yard field goal to give the Longhorns a brief 30-27 lead with more than six minutes remaining. 

Kansas State then managed a nine-play, 66-yard drive down the field and into field goal territory. After three stops inside the red zone, Wildcats kicker Chris Tennant missed a 27-yard field goal try, and it seemed Texas had the game in hand. 

The Wildcats forced a quick three-and-out on the next series, and they got the ball back at their own 40-yard line with 1:18 on the clock. 

Kansas State quarterback Will Howard dialed up an 18-yard pass on fourth and six to move to Texas’ 27-yard line. With 1 second left, Tennant redeemed himself and made a long 45-yard field goal to send the game to overtime. 

Texas gained just one yard on its only overtime possession thanks to running back Jonathon Brooks, and it set up Auburn for a 42-yard field goal which he made. 

With its back against the wall, Kansas State had four plays to score the game-winning touchdown. Howard connected on a 19-yard pass to begin the series. 

But that was nearly all the Wildcats generated in overtime, as Texas defensive lineman T’Vondre Sweat made two key pass break-ups to seal the win. 

READ: Clemson snaps 2-game skid, beats No. 15 Notre Dame 31-23

Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy, playing for an injured Quinn Ewers, totaled 248 passing yards, two interceptions and a touchdown. Brooks had 112 rushing yards and a score while receiver Adonai Mitchell had 149 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

Howard finished with 327 passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception. 

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