College Football

The dynamic Colorado duo of Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders were honored by the school on Saturday with a jersey retirement ahead of the Black and Gold Spring Game.

Up first was Sanders, a somewhat more controversial choice for the distinction:

He was followed by Hunter, who became just the second Heisman Trophy winner in school history this past season for his exploits as both a wide receiver and cornerback:

Before Saturday, just four players—Byron 'Whizzer' White (No. 24), Joe Romig (No. 67), Bobby Anderson (No. 11) and the school's only other Heisman winner, Rashaan Salaam (No. 19)—had ever had their jerseys retired. None of the players from the school's 1990 national championship were given the honor.

Few will argue with Hunter earning the distinction, even if some folks felt the timing of the honor was a bit hasty. He's arguably the greatest receiver and cornerback to ever play for the program.

There was far more debate over Sanders, however, who despite holding a number of records at the school, didn't offer the same sort of pedigree that some felt other former quarterbacks offered without receiving the honor, like Darian Hagan.

There's no doubt that Sanders and Hunter, alongside head coach Deion Sanders, have helped usher in a new era of Colorado football. They are undoubtedly a huge part of the school's story forever. But this once incredibly prestigious honor for the pair came a bit early for some Colorado fans.

Michigan fans got a glimpse of their future quarterback on Saturday when Bryce Underwood led the Blue team to a 17-0 win over Maize in the annual spring game.

Underwood didn't have an efficient performance, finishing 12-of-25 for 188 yards, but the fans got sent home happy when he connected with Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker on the final play.

Even though the completion percentage didn't look great for Underwood, his pass-catchers weren't helping him out. He made a terrific throw down the sideline that should have been caught, but Jamar Browder was unable to corral the ball.

Underwood had an interception that was the result of redshirt freshman Channing Goodwin not finishing his route. It also didn't help matters that Michigan's receivers seemed to have difficulty creating space for the quarterback to have a window he could target.

Some growing pains are to be expected as these players have just started working together on the field. This is especially true for incoming freshmen, like Underwood, Goodwin and Browder.

Head coach Sherrone Moore spoke about Underwood's performance after the game, acknowledging some things need to improve going forward.

The most encouraging thing was that Underwood never seemed to get rattled by any of the mistakes. He showed good poise and accuracy when he had time to throw.

Underwood, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class, is going to be a huge factor for the Wolverines heading into Sherrone Moore's second season as head coach.

Quarterback was a huge problem for the Wolverines in 2024. Davis Warren, Jack Tuttle and Alex Orji combined for 1,655 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 13 games.

Underwood doesn't even have to be great in 2025 to be a huge upgrade on that group. If the Wolverines can pull average quarterback play out of him as a true freshman, they have more than enough defensive talent to win double-digit games.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders called for an NIL cap in college football, akin to the NFL's salary cap, in an interview with Jarrett Bell of USA Today that covered numerous topics.

“There should be some kind of cap,” Sanders said. “Our game should emulate the NFL game in every aspect. Rules. Regulations. Whatever the NFL rules, the college rules should be the same. There should be a cap and every team gets this, and you should be able to spend that.”

Bell added more insight from Sanders: "Such a salary cap, Sanders envisions, would adjust with different conferences and levels of competition, based on revenues."

There's certainly a wide gap between teams regarding NIL money in Division I FBS and even within the Power Four conferences. A study from NIL-NCAA.com shows the NIL money from the 56 public schools in power conferences. Texas is at the top in NIL collective funding with $22.2 million, while Houston is last at $2.1 million.

Sanders notably made the news recently for his efforts to try to organize a spring football scrimmage with another school (Syracuse took him up on the offer). However, the NCAA shot the idea down (for this year, anyway), citing a "competitive advantage."

Sanders doesn't buy that notion, though, and he pointed to the money as the real reason for teams' edges.

“The competitive advantage is the school that has hundreds of millions of dollars, and not us,” he told Bell. “You look at who’s always in the playoffs, you can look at their budget and look at this budget. That’s the advantage, not who has the autonomy to do a spring game.”

Ultimately, when Sanders talks, people listen, and what he says here perhaps rings true. There was already a wide gap between institutions in the pre-NIL era given how much richer schools could pour into their coaching staffs, facilities, recruiting efforts, etc.

But now that chasm is even deeper in the NIL era, and it perhaps signals a time where the true underdog story will find it near-impossible to come to light. Obviously, this is a situation to monitor moving forward, but Sanders truly feels something needs to be done.

“There’s a lot going on in college football, and the NCAA has just washed their hands and they walk away,” Sanders said to Bell. “As long as they collect those checks, they walk away instead of saying, 'OK, we’ve got to do something about this.' Because if you don’t, it’s going to keep spiraling.”

Former Notre Dame safety Kennedy Urlacher, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, is reportedly transferring to USC, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.

Urlacher registered 12 tackles and a pass defensed during his freshman season with the Fighting Irish.

Urlacher largely contributed on special teams for Notre Dame this past season, though he did appear in 14 games for a Fighting Irish team that made a run to the National Championship Game.

He was both a 3-star prospect coming out of high school and a 3-star talent in this year's transfer portal, according to 247Sports.

His football lineage is strong. His father spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears and was an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro selection, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000 and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. He had nine seasons with 100 or more tackles to go along with 22 career interceptions and 41.5 career sacks.

"I think even talking to Brian Urlacher he's able to tell Kennedy, 'Hey man, this game's gonna end, and so go somewhere where you can maximize your football opportunities. But understand, set yourself up for life after football,'" Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters after Urlacher committed to the school during National Signing Day back in Dec. 2023. "And I think that coming from the Urlacher family, a guy that didn't come here, but understood the value of Notre Dame, he had a huge impact on his son Kennedy."

After just one season, however, the younger Urlacher was ready for a change in scenery and will now join a USC team coming off a rough debut season in the Big Ten, going just 7-6 overall.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin is not impressed with Miami's reported decision to offer millions of dollars worth of NIL deals to transfer quarterback Carson Beck.

"Miami gave him 4.3 million dollars?" Kiffin asked at the 46:30 mark of Friday's episode of The Pivot Podcast. "Did they watch his game against us?"

Beck threw for 186 yards with no touchdowns and a late interception when Georgia, ranked No. 2 at the time, suffered an upset loss to Kiffin and No. 12 Ole Miss on Nov. 9.

Beck entered the transfer portal shortly after the end of Georgia's season and committed to Miami less than 24 hours later.

Shortly after the transfer, one of Beck's agents told Front Office Sports' Daniel Roberts and David Rumsey that Beck had earned "close to $10 million" in NIL deals earned through Miami's NIL collective and individual brand deals.

CBS Sports' John Talty and Chris Hummer reported in January that Beck was expected to receive a $4 million NIL package for the 2024 season, but that this amount was less than "an initial asking price industry sources believe would have shattered the highest paid NIL deal in college football history."

Kiffin noted he doesn't blame Beck for reportedly taking the lucrative deal with the Hurricanes.

"I don't ever get mad at the kids. It's not their fault. The system, you can go get it," Kiffin said. "It's free market with no cap."

Beck, who is rehabbing from a season-ending elbow injury, has not yet joined Miami for spring practices but was recently cleared to resume throwing. He'll be looking to up his NFL draft stock with a strong final college season next fall.

ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon says Deion Sanders didn't tell Colorado to retire the jerseys of his son Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.

“I have it on damn good authority, first of all, that this was going to happen," Wilbon said Friday on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. "I mean, this is anticipated from people who have been around Colorado for a long time because they knew immediately that folks would think that Deion spearheaded this, which I am told and I believe he did not.

"And people can say, ‘Well he had influence.’ Everybody has influence. Any football coach at any campus has influence. The athletic director did this. He did it. Not ordered by Deion. Wasn’t Deion’s hand moving him around like a marionette.”

The Associated Press' Pat Graham previously wrote that the decision to retire numbers in Boulder "is based on the discretion of the Colorado athletic administration and the current head coach."

Colorado announced on Monday that Sanders' No. 2 and Hunter's No. 12 would be retired on Saturday during the program's annual spring game.

The Buffaloes have previously retired just four numbers, most recently Rashaan Salaam's No. 19. Salaam played for Colorado from 1992 to 1994, and his jersey was retired as a posthumous honor after the 2017 season.

Athletic director Rick George said the decision was made because Sanders and Hunter had "led our team back to national prominence," per Graham.

Colorado went 1-11 in 2022 before hiring Deion Sanders, who brought Sanders and Hunter into the program and improved the Buffaloes' record to 9-4 by 2024. The Buffaloes still have yet to make it back to the College Football Playoff.

Some former Buffaloes players expressed frustration that Sanders and Hunter received the honor before team members who led Colorado to a national title in 1990.

When asked about the jersey retirements, Deion Sanders said Thursday that the decision wouldn't be under as much scrutiny if it didn't involve his son.

“We talking about Shedeur—we ain’t talking about nobody else. The only reason we are having this discussion is because his last name is Sanders," Deion said, per The Athletic's Justin Williams. "That’s it. It’s been so many things accomplished at this university expeditiously. It’s been unbelievable. And I think we should be appreciative. It’s a new day. We’re doing things a little different.”

Sanders' and Hunter's jerseys will be retired at halftime of Colorado's annual Black & Gold Day spring game, which will air Saturday on ESPN2.

Bill Belichick and North Carolina got a major addition to their roster out of the transfer portal on Thursday.

South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez, considered to be a 3-star transfer prospect by 247Sports, announced his commitment to the Tar Heels on social media.

Lopez entered the transfer portal in the winter, but ultimately decided to return to South Alabama. Earlier this week, he reentered the transfer portal and quickly emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the spring window.

Lopez, who is from Madison, Alabama, was considered to be a 3-star prospect and the No. 63 quarterback in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports Composite. He appeared in five games as a true freshman, starting the 68 Ventures Bowl against Eastern Michigan, where he completed 14 of his 19 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns along with 88 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

He became the Jaguars' starting quarterback in his redshirt freshman season a year ago, throwing for 2,559 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 starts. He added 465 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

One of his most impressive performances at South Alabama came in the team's Week 1 loss to North Texas when he tallied 494 yards of total offense, a program record for a single game.

While Belichick will likely spend the coming months evaluating his quarterback options, it's fair to assume Lopez could get the starting nod this fall. North Carolina's quarterback room features a freshman in Bryce Baker and senior Max Johnson, who played just one game last year before a season-ending injury. Quarterback Ryan Browne, who transferred to North Carolina from Purdue in December, entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Deion Sanders had a message for another college football program this week.

The Colorado head coach called out Virginia for tampering, saying the team "offered a bag" to Buffaloes defensive back Carter Stoutmire.

“Carter got offered a bag. … What’s the school that offered you the bag? Virginia. … Virginia, you got to stop,” Sanders said (15:30 mark). “I’ll let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it. Come on, now. Come on. We let you have one. I ain’t say nothing about it.”

Stoutmire, who joined the Buffaloes as part of Sanders' first recruiting class in Boulder, logged 42 tackles, seven passes defended and a forced fumble last year, appearing in all 13 games for Colorado.

After a solid sophomore season, Stoutmire was bound to get some interest from other teams this offseason if he had entered the transfer portal, but it seems Virginia might have tried to get in contact with him even if he never wavered in his commitment to Colorado.

Ultimately, Virginia's apparent attempt to lure Stoutmire into the portal didn't work as he's still a Buffalo heading into the thick of spring practice. Of course, the spring portal is still open for a few more days, but it seems like Stoutmire is staying put this offseason.

Colorado is coming off an impressive turnaround season that saw it finish 9-4, falling just shy of reaching the Big 12 championship game. The Buffs have a lot of talent to replace this offseason, namely two-way star Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, both of whom are projected top-10 picks in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Scouting Department.

The Buffs haven't been nearly as active in the portal this season as they were a year ago, but they still managed to land a talented quarterback in Liberty's Kaidon Salter and a handful of other pieces.

Steve Angeli, who was in the mix to be Notre Dame's starting quarterback for the 2025 season, is reportedly planning to enter the transfer portal, per ESPN's Max Olson.

Angeli, who has been with the Fighting Irish since 2022, was Riley Leonard's backup a season ago as Notre Dame reached the College Football Playoff title game. He was competing with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey for the starting spot in South Bend.

Angeli was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school and was considered to be the No. 21 quarterback in the Class of 2022 by 247Sports Composite. He picked Notre Dame over Arizona, Boston College, Georgia Tech and others.

Across 20 appearances, Angeli completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 772 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and an interception. He appeared in Notre Dame's CFP semifinal matchup against Penn State after Leonard exited with a potential head injury, leading the Fighting Irish 52 yards down the field to a field goal that made it a 10-3 deficit heading into the half.

Angeli enters the 2025 season as a redshirt junior with two years of eligibility remaining.

With many top transfer quarterbacks having already signed with their new teams, Angeli will quickly become one of the best available options for teams looking to add a quarterback through the spring transfer portal.

One possible fit for Angeli is Tennessee, which is looking for a new starting quarterback after parting ways with Nico Iamaleava last week amid contract negotiations.

Pete Nakos of On3 reported that the Vols "will evaluate Angeli, but Tennessee continues to wait to see how the quarterback market develops."

The Vols should have plenty of NIL funds now, considering Iamaleava was reportedly slated to make more than $2 million for the 2025 season. A big payday coupled with the prospect of being a starting quarterback in the SEC could be enough to sway Angeli if Tennessee pursues him.

As for Notre Dame, even after losing Angeli, the Fighting Irish have a pair of starting-caliber quarterbacks left on the roster. Both Carr and Minchey were 4-star prospects coming out of high school, according to 247Sports Composite, so Marcus Freeman likely won't have to dip into the portal to find his starter for the 2025 season.

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders doesn't understand why the jersey retirement of Shedeur Sanders has become a controversial topic.

"Not really," Sanders said when a reporter mentioned jersey retirements could be a "sore subject" while discussing Colorado's recent decision to do so for Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter (6:30 mark). "This is the first time I've ever seen it sore. I got, I don't know if you know it, I think every jersey I darn played in is retired, so I'm pretty familiar with this. It's never been sore. Let's get the elephant out of the room. I don't want to talk about this too long. I'm going to just talk briefly and let it go. We talking about Shedeur, we ain't talking about nobody else. His last name wasn't Sanders, we wouldn't have this discussion. Only reason we're having this discussion is his last name Sanders. That's it. It's been so many things accomplished at this university, expeditiously, it's been unbelievable. ... The root to all it, it's personal."

He added that Shedeur Sanders didn't care about the criticism being levied against his jersey retirement.

"Let's just get this straight," he said. "He's a Sanders, he don't care. Travis don't either. I don't either."

There shouldn't be much controversy regarding Hunter's jersey retirement—he's just the second Heisman Trophy winner in the history of Colorado's football program, joining running back Rashaan Salaam (1994).

But jersey retirements have been rare at the school.

According to David Ubben of The Athletic, "Colorado has retired just four jersey numbers in the program’s 122-year history. Byron 'Whizzer' White's No. 24, Joe Romig's No. 67, Bobby Anderson's No. 11 and Rashaan Salaam's No. 19 are the only other jerseys that Colorado's football program has retired. Salaam's No. 19 was the most recent. The Buffaloes retired his jersey in 2017, more than 20 years after his career in Boulder concluded."

So rare is a jersey retirement at Colorado that none of the players who led the team to a national championship in 1990 have received the honor.

Sanders' jersey retirement résumé includes a school record for career touchdown passes (64), the single-season record for passing yards (4,134 in 2024), winning the Johnny Unitas Award as the top quarterback in college football and being a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press this past season.

The timing of the jersey retirement is one of the reasons it has become controversial, however, alongside the fact that Sanders and the Buffs didn't even win a bowl game in his two seasons at quarterback:

Sanders is undoubtedly an important part of Colorado football history. But a jersey retirement is rarefied air, which has led to some debate about Sanders receiving the honor.