The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Greg Schiano Retires at Rutgers on Eve of National Signing Day

Marissa Bleday
December 2, 2025


Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano informed players and staff Tuesday that he is stepping down, ending his second stint leading the Scarlet Knights on the eve of National Signing Day.

Schiano, 60, said he isn’t walking away from football entirely, and multiple people close to the situation expect him to explore opportunities in the NFL, potentially as an assistant. Schiano previously served as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has long maintained ties across pro circles.

“This isn’t goodbye to football,” Schiano said in a statement. “It’s a moment to step back from the day-to-day demands of being a head coach and re-center what I want the next chapter to look like.”

The timing is jarring: national signing day is Wednesday, leaving Rutgers in a delicate position with recruits set to finalize their decisions. Athletic director Pat Hobbs acknowledged the disruption and said the program will move quickly to stabilize the class and the roster.

“Greg restored belief in this program and represented Rutgers with tremendous pride,” Hobbs said. “We recognize the challenges this timing creates, and we will work through the night and into tomorrow with our student-athletes and recruits to provide clarity and continuity.”

Schiano went 31-41 in this second Rutgers run and finished 5-7 this season. Across both stints, he leaves with a 99-108 career record at Rutgers, a mark that still places him among the most consequential coaches in program history, credited with elevating the program’s relevance and identity.

Rutgers has not announced an interim coach or a timeline for a full search.

Power Four Head Coaching Changes

School	New Coach	From	Former Coach	Reason
Stanford			Troy Taylor	Fired
Florida			Billy Napier	Fired
Oklahoma State			Mike Gundy	Fired
Florida State	Glenn Schumann	Georgia DC	Mike Norvell	Fired
Wisconsin			Luke Fickell	Fired
LSU	Matt Campbell	Iowa State	Brian Kelly	Fired
Michigan State			Jonathan Smith	Fired
Syracuse			Fran Brown	Fired
Iowa State			Matt Campbell	Went to LSU
Rutgers			Greg Schiano	Retired

[toysoldier00]

Holy shit, those results were insane. Texas pulled off one hell of an upset.

Jeremiah cooked Michigan almost single-handedly.

Yep, Jeremiah played like the best player in the country in that one

Franny Brown fired

all my opps in hell in this chise

gotta love it

why the hate for Fran Brown?

it will be interesting to see how things diverge from here

starts immediately haha

LSU hiring Matt Campbell is disgusting. Basically B-tier Brian Kelly

I tried so hard to get Lane Kiffin to LSU, but couldn't manage it. Campbell was actually the most realistic option in the end.

[toysoldier00]

Florida Nears Deal With LSU DC Blake Baker After Kiffin Miss, Sumrall Stays Put

Marissa Bleday
December 2, 2025


Florida is finalizing a deal to hire LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker as its next head coach, sources told ESPN, turning to a rising defensive mind after striking out on bigger names in a search that has tested the patience of an already uneasy fan base.

The Gators made a push to lure Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin to Gainesville but could not close, and they also explored Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall before being told he would not leave New Orleans while the Green Wave remain in the middle of a playoff chase. With options narrowing, Florida pivoted to Baker, a highly regarded coordinator who has built a reputation for aggressive, pressure-based defenses and player development.

Baker’s availability also aligned with LSU’s transition. With Matt Campbell set to reshape the Tigers’ staff, Baker was widely viewed as a coach who could be displaced as Campbell installs his own coordinators and support structure, making Florida’s timing, and the opportunity to move from coordinator to head coach, particularly attractive.

Florida has not announced terms, and the deal is not yet signed, but the expectation is that it will be completed soon barring a last-minute snag.

The reaction among Gators fans has been muted to skeptical, according to multiple people around the program. After a search that included marquee names, the idea of landing a first-time head coach from a rival SEC staff has been met with disappointment, even as supporters acknowledge Baker’s upside.

If finalized, Florida would be betting on trajectory and scheme rather than splash, a choice that will be judged quickly in the SEC.

Power Four Head Coaching Changes

School	New Coach	From	Former Coach	Reason
Stanford			Troy Taylor	Fired
Florida	Blake Baker	LSU DC	Billy Napier	Fired
Oklahoma State			Mike Gundy	Fired
Florida State	Glenn Schumann	Georgia DC	Mike Norvell	Fired
Wisconsin			Luke Fickell	Fired
LSU	Matt Campbell	Iowa State	Brian Kelly	Fired
Michigan State			Jonathan Smith	Fired
Syracuse			Fran Brown	Fired
Iowa State			Matt Campbell	Went to LSU
Rutgers			Greg Schiano	Retired

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State Adds Late RB Gem as Jahkay McCallum Commits on Eve of Signing Day
By Colten Brooks on December 2, 2025


Jahkay McCallum has been one of the fastest rising senior running backs in America, and he lands with Ohio State.



Ohio State finally has its running back in the 2026 class, and it came the same way a lot of late-cycle wins happen in modern recruiting: a rapid rise, a fast-moving evaluation, and the Buckeyes trusting their eyes when the board reset in the fall.

Jahkay McCallum, a 4-star running back from Bakersfield Liberty High School in California, committed to Ohio State on Tuesday, giving the Buckeyes a much-needed skill-position addition one day before National Signing Day. McCallum is listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, ranked No. 329 nationally, the No. 42 player in California and the No. 28 running back in the class.

What makes the commitment notable isn’t just the timing, it’s how quickly McCallum went from “nice Group of 5 get” to “Power Four tug-of-war.” He was committed to San Diego State until his senior season detonated his recruitment.

As his film (and word-of-mouth speed) made the rounds, offers followed from programs like USC, Oregon, Utah and Ohio State, and suddenly the recruitment stopped being about projection and started being about who could win the closing stretch. The Buckeyes did, helped by a key turning point: McCallum’s first trip to Columbus, a week and a half ago, for Ohio State’s home game against Rutgers.

McCallum didn’t pretend it was some lifelong inevitability, either. He framed it like a decision that clicked once he saw the place and understood the opportunity.

“When I got out there, it felt real,” McCallum said. “The way they talked about how they see me fitting, how they develop guys, it wasn’t just hype. I can see myself in that room, with that speed, in that offense.”

Speed is the headline. McCallum is the type of runner who changes games with one crease. He’s a sub-4.5 guy right now with legitimate breakaway juice, the kind of acceleration that turns a good run into a 60-yard problem.

One coach familiar with his athletic profile put it bluntly in recent weeks: stay healthy, add strength, and McCallum could be the kind of back who tests in the 4.3s when it’s time for the NFL Combine. Ohio State is betting that the hardest part to find, the “you can’t teach it” trait, is already present.

The rest is the traditional Big Ten runway: add 10 to 15 pounds of muscle, learn to run through contact consistently, and polish the third-down elements of his game. McCallum’s pass-catching is still a work in progress, but he’s not being brought to Columbus because he’s already a finished product.

He’s being brought there because Ohio State believes that if you pair elite burst and open-field shiftiness with Big Ten development, you get a player defenses hate preparing for.

For the class, the ripple effect is immediate. Ohio State wanted a running back and, for a stretch, simply couldn’t land one. The staff explored multiple directions, including in-state options like Cleveland Glenville’s Courtney Roby, who is committed to Duke, but the Buckeyes’ pursuit never fully materialized into the kind of closing momentum they needed.

In the fall, they recalibrated their board, re-evaluated the pool, and landed on McCallum, a late-blooming senior whose trajectory fit what they were missing.

Now they have it: a true home-run threat added to a class that needed one more skill player with national upside. On the eve of Signing Day, Ohio State didn’t just fill a slot. It found a back with a gear most high school defenders never even get to see, because by the time they realize it’s there, he’s already gone.

Rank	Pos	Name	Height	Weight	High School	Home Town
	QB	Tyree Figurs	6'3"	190 lbs	Mission Hills	Mission Hills, CA
	HB	Jahkay McCallum	6'1"	190 lbs	Liberty	Bakersfield, CA
	WR	Ashton Ramsey	6'3"	190 lbs	Loyola Academy	Chicago, IL
	TE	Jordan Ivory	6'5"	235 lbs	Culver Academies	Culver, IN
	OT	Marcus Okam	6'7"	285 lbs	Pickerington Central	Pickerington, OH
	OT	Grady Austin	6'6"	305 lbs	Princeton	Cincinnati, OH
	OT	Derron Merriman	6'6"	300 lbs	Hilliard Bradley	Marysville, OH
	OT	Alex Jordan	6'7"	280 lbs	Paramus Catholic	Paramus, NJ
	IOL	George Crecelius	6'4"	285 lbs	Cy-Fair	Cypress, TX
	IOL	Thaddeus Roe	6'4"	290 lbs	Avon	Avon, IN
	IOL	David Weeks	6'4"	300 lbs	Janesville Parker	Janesville, WI
	DE	Deontae Savage	6'6"	240 lbs	Avon	Avon, IN
	DE	Ornell Mack	6'5"	240 lbs	Winton Woods	Cincinnati, OH
	DT	Vondree Eagles	6'3"	345 lbs	Reynoldsburg	Reynoldsburg, OH
	DT	Dillon Bridges	6'3"	290 lbs	Snider	Fort Wayne, IN
	LB	Pauly O'Dwyer	6'5"	215 lbs	Washington	Massillon, OH
	LB	Emmanuel Wooden	6'2"	210 lbs	Westerville South	Columbus, OH
	LB	Jaylen Smalls	6'2"	210 lbs	Glenville	Cleveland, OH
	LB	Avondre Lincoln	6'1"	200 lbs	Princeton	Cincinnati, OH
	CB	Teion Cherry II	6'1"	175 lbs	Wayne	Huber Heights, OH
	CB	Tremayne Shepley	6'1"	185 lbs	Greenville	Greenville, SC
	S	Bobby Jackson-Ruud	6'1"	190 lbs	St. Thomas Aquinas	Fort Lauderdale, FL
	S	Landon Bishop	6'0"	195 lbs	Whitmer	Toledo, OH
	P	David Procter	6'5"	170 lbs	Elder	Cincinnati, OH

[Captain Canada]

This boy cooking heading out of the regular season

Love the way you've really breathed life into something as simple as the coaching carousel. Again, really refreshing and a great amount of detail.

[Soapy]

why the hate for Fran Brown?

https://www.si.com/college/miami/footba ... fran-brown

[toysoldier00]

Final CFP Rankings Set the Board: Who’s In, Who’s Sweating, and What Championship Weekend Can Still Break

Marissa Bleday
December 2, 2025


The College Football Playoff committee’s final Top 25 heading into conference championship weekend did what December rankings are supposed to do: sharpen the picture, then leave just enough chaos on the table to make Saturday matter. Ohio State sits No. 1, followed by Georgia, Indiana, Oregon and Ole Miss, with Oklahoma at No. 6 and the rest of the field packed tightly behind them.

The full order: Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, BYU, Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Utah, USC, Texas, Virginia, Michigan, Arizona, Tulane, North Texas, Navy, James Madison, Iowa State, Boise State.

For the top tier, there isn’t much mystery. Ohio State is in even with a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten title game; at 12-1, the Buckeyes’ résumé would still be too strong to ignore.

Georgia is also safe even if it falls to Texas A&M in the SEC title game; an 11-2 Georgia with wins and weeks of top-five placement isn’t getting left behind. Indiana has already done enough that even a loss to Ohio State keeps the Hoosiers in at 12-1, while Oregon and Ole Miss are effectively clinched at 11-1.

Oklahoma, meanwhile, sits in that rare category of a two-loss team that has been treated like a certainty, thanks to signature wins and narrow defeats: the Sooners have the committee’s respect and, barring utter mayhem, they’re in.

From there, the committee’s message is simple: win your conference title if you want to stop checking the scoreboard. The Big 12 championship game between No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 9 BYU is a clean “winner in” scenario, with the loser immediately sliding into the messiest part of the bracket. The ACC is even harsher: No. 11 Miami vs. No. 17 Virginia is a de facto play-in, and the committee’s positioning makes it clear the loser doesn’t have an at-large cushion.

The Group of Five lane is its own separate knife fight. Right now, the committee is pointing everyone toward the AAC title game between No. 20 Tulane and No. 21 North Texas as the most likely path to the automatic spot, but No. 23 James Madison and No. 25 Boise State aren’t far enough back to feel safe if the weekend gets weird. One bid. Several teams acting like they’re entitled to it.

That leaves the bubble, and that’s where the real drama lives, because nine spots feel locked, and the sport always finds a way to complicate the final three.

Texas A&M is the cleanest stress test. The Aggies are No. 8, and the math is brutal: beat Georgia in the SEC title game and you remove all debate. Lose, and you’re an 11-2 team finishing the season with back-to-back defeats, at Texas, then against Georgia, with a résumé that suddenly looks thinner than its ranking. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko leaned into that reality after Saturday’s win, framing the week ahead as the whole point of the climb.

“This is where you find out what you’ve built,” Elko said. “If you want to be judged like the best, you go earn it against the best. We’ve put ourselves in position, now we finish.”

Notre Dame is sitting at No. 10, and in most seasons a 10-2 Irish team riding a 10-game win streak would sleep pretty well. The committee has them positioned as “probably safe if there are no bid thieves,” but also in a spot where they could get leapfrogged by the wrong combination of results. The résumé is real, wins over USC and Navy, plus Boise State, but the two early losses (at Miami, and to Texas A&M) still hang on the file.

Alabama and Vanderbilt are the SEC’s awkward mirror. Alabama is No. 12, propped up by a massive win at Georgia and a win over Vanderbilt, but weighed down by an ugly Week 1 loss to a Florida State team that finished 5-7 and a loss to Oklahoma. Vanderbilt is No. 13, a 10-win story with a legitimate league schedule, yet the committee has them staring up at Alabama because the losses were loud (at Alabama, at Texas) and too many wins were survival-mode close. Both teams need help, and neither controls the room.

And then there’s Miami, the committee almost dares you to overthink it. The Hurricanes are ranked 11th, and the message is unmistakable: beat Virginia and you’re in; lose and you’re out. No appeals. No style points. Just a straight line from Saturday night to Selection Sunday.

Championship weekend always promises clarity. This one promises clarity with a few trap doors, and the teams hovering around the cut line know exactly how fragile “safe” can feel in December.

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week	Up Next
1	Ohio State	12-0	45-22 Win at #18 Michigan	vs #3 Indiana
2	Georgia	11-1	15-3 Win vs Georgia Tech	vs #8 Texas A&M
3	Indiana	12-0	35-17 Win at Purdue	at #1 Ohio State
4	Oregon	11-1	38-19 Win at Washington	—
5	Ole Miss	11-1	52-35 Win at Mississippi State	—
6	Oklahoma	10-2	41-27 Win vs LSU	—
7	Texas Tech	11-1	28-10 Win at West Virginia	vs #9 BYU
8	Texas A&M	11-1	16-10 Loss at #16 Texas	at #2 Georgia
9	BYU	11-1	24-22 Win vs UCF	at #7 Texas Tech
10	Notre Dame	10-2	35-23 Win at Stanford	—
11	Miami (FL)	10-2	27-19 Win at Pitt	vs #17 Virginia
12	Alabama	10-2	54-14 Win at Auburn	—
13	Vanderbilt	10-2	21-19 Win at Tennessee	—
14	Utah	10-2	42-21 Win at Kansas	—
15	USC	9-3	24-23 Win vs UCLA	—
16	Texas	9-3	16-10 Win vs #8 Texas A&M	—
17	Virginia	10-2	28-19 Win vs Virginia Tech	at #11 Miami (FL)
18	Michigan	9-3	45-22 Loss vs #1 Ohio State	—
19	Arizona	9-3	31-24 Win at Arizona State	—
20	Tulane	10-2	30-29 Win vs Charlotte	at #21 North Texas
21	North Texas	11-1	54-17 Win vs Temple	vs #20 Tulane
22	Navy	9-2	36-3 Win at Memphis	—
23	James Madison	11-1	31-20 Win at Coastal Carolina	vs Troy
24	Iowa State	8-4	38-24 Win at Oklahoma State	—
25	Boise State	9-3	34-10 Win at Utah State	vs Hawai'i

[toysoldier00]

This boy cooking heading out of the regular season

Love the way you've really breathed life into something as simple as the coaching carousel. Again, really refreshing and a great amount of detail.

Julian Sayin went into Heisman mode over the last month, and we really exploded because of it.

Appreciate the feedback man! I do want this to feel like a real world, thus, all the extra detail.

why the hate for Fran Brown?

https://www.si.com/college/miami/footba ... fran-brown

ah

[six7]

greg schiano