Big 12 Football

Deion Sanders' Colorado team had the best offensive player and defensive player in the Big 12 in the Buffaloes' first year back in the conference.

Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated relayed this season's Big 12 awards Thursday, and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders took home the Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Travis Hunter captured the Defensive Player of the Year.

Elsewhere, Arizona State's Kenny Dillingham won the Coach of the Year after putting his Sun Devils in position to make the College Football Playoff with a win in Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game.

Hunter winning Defensive Player of the Year is notable, as part of what makes him such a special playmaker is his ability to dominate on both sides of the ball.

The junior had 32 tackles, 11 passes defended and four interceptions while playing cornerback this season and added 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a wide receiver. His stamina alone stands out as he plays the majority of the snaps in every game, and his presence is a major reason the Buffaloes improved from 4-8 in 2023 to 9-3 in 2024.

Sanders was also a primary reason for the improvement, and the Big 12 found a way to recognize both stars by giving Hunter the defensive award and the quarterback the offensive one.

The son of the team's head coach completed 74.2 percent of his passes for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions. There were games when he had to put the team on his back, fight through questionable offensive line play and go into takeover mode, and that has surely caught the attention of NFL scouts.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Hunter as the best overall player and Sanders as the ninth-best player and second-best quarterback in its most recent big board of prospects for the 2025 draft.

Yet Colorado fell just short of the Big 12 Championship Game.

Dillingham's Sun Devils will take on Iowa State, and the winner will clinch a spot in the CFP field as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. Arizona State was 3-9 in each of the last two seasons, so its turnaround is perhaps even more impressive than Colorado's.

And the driving forces behind both teams were honored Thursday.

Amid the best season for Colorado football in at least eight years, there is optimism that Deion Sanders will remain with the program as head coach in 2025.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Rittenberg, one person with the Colorado program said that Sanders is "acting as if" he will be with the team next season.

"I think he's all-in," the person said. "Normally, you can tell when guys are fed up and they're trying to leave and they're unhappy. They're probably going to pay him a lot of money, extend his contract, keep him happy."

Another source connected to the program told Fowler and Rittenberg that the university gives Sanders "a lot of leeway" to make additional money off the field: "You can't watch football for 15 minutes and not see Deion."

Sanders' future is the biggest storyline for Colorado until there is a definitive answer one way or another.

There has been speculation for some time that Coach Prime might make the jump to the NFL. He's been connected to the Dallas Cowboys if they move on from Mike McCarthy, but he hasn't publicly shown any interest in the job.

ESPN's Adam Schefter noted last month it's not impossible to imagine a scenario in which Deion and Shedeur Sanders try to go to the same NFL team together.

Shedeur is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 draft class and could end up being the top overall pick depending on how things play out during the pre-draft process.

As things currently stand, the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears all have head-coaching vacancies going into the offseason. That list will grow when the regular season ends on Jan. 5.

Colorado has been doing well on the 2025 recruiting circuit. The team has the 37th-ranked incoming freshman class with 14 total commits, including six 4-star prospects. This group doesn't even include the transfer portal, which Sanders has used to dramatically overhaul his roster over the past two years.

The Buffaloes finished the regular season in a four-way tie for the best record in the Big 12, but they missed out on playing in the conference title game due to tiebreakers. They are projected to play in the Alamo Bowl against BYU on Dec. 28.

The Heisman Trophy favorites, at this point, are overwhelmingly Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, while Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel are considered long shots.

All make sense as potential finalists, but Hunter can't understand why Shedeur Sanders—widely believed to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft, if not the top option—isn't getting more love as a potential Heisman winner.

"How can you be the top quarterback pick in the NFL draft, and you're not even considered to be in the Heisman race?" Hunter questioned during Wednesday's episode of The Travis Hunter Show (13:20 mark). "How does that even work?"

Let's make the case.

Hunter is fantastic on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and receiver, evoking memories of former winner Charles Woodson. What he's done in 2024 is unique, and the sort of story that makes him an easy favorite for the award.

Jeanty has been ridiculous, with an absurd 2,288 rushing yards and 29 overall touchdowns, video game numbers that will always catch the eyes of voters.

As for the quarterbacks, Gabriel gets a bump for leading the top overall team in the nation, and the three players in question have offered a similar overall impact:

• Sanders: 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 74.2 completion percentage, four rushing touchdowns, 9-3 record for Colorado.
• Ward: 4,123 yards, 36 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 67.4 completion percentage, 196 rushing yards, four rushing scores, 10-2 record for Miami. 
• Gabriel: 3,275 yards, 24 touchdowns, six interceptions, 73.5 completion percentage, 175 rushing yards, seven rushing scores, 12-0 record for Oregon.

It's possible that Sanders is getting less love simply because his teammate, Hunter, is already considered the favorite for the award. Or perhaps it's that Ward and Gabriel have led their teams to better records and Gabriel, in particular, has Oregon undefeated in arguably the toughest conference in the sport.

Either way, Hunter doesn't like it. Maybe if he wins the Heisman he'll share it with Sanders.

Colorado is trending in the right direction under Deion Sanders, and the head coach surely hopes his newest recruiting class will help him keep that momentum.

The early signing period for the 2025 class started Wednesday, and the Buffaloes are putting together an impressive group.

As of Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET, they have the No. 37 overall class on 247Sports' composite rankings. That group features the following 13 players who have already signed their letter of intent (star rankings are per 247Sports).

• Julian Lewis, QB, 4-stars
• Chauncey Gooden, IOL, 4-stars
• London Merritt, Edge, 4-stars
• Adrian Wilson, WR, 4-stars
• Quanell X Farrakhan Jr., WR, 4-stars
• Carde Smith, OT, 3-stars
• Mantrez Walker, LB, 3-stars
• Antonio Branch Jr., S, 3-stars
• Zayne DeSouza, TE, 3-stars
• Alexander McPherson, DL, 3-stars
• Quentin Gibson, WR, 3-stars
• Corbin Laisure, TE, 3-stars
• Jay Gardenhire, OT, 3-stars

Quarterback Julian Lewis is the clear headliner, and he will be following in some big footsteps.

That is because Shedeur Sanders thrived under center for the Buffaloes this season and is a primary reason why they went 9-3 after finishing 4-8 during the 2023 campaign. Sanders has completed 74.2 percent of his passes for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2024.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked him as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft on its latest big board and called him the most accurate and most pro-ready among all the signal-callers.

Perhaps Lewis saw how Sanders thrived in Colorado's program and jumped at the chance to come develop at the Big 12 school.

While he surely won't have Travis Hunter to throw to after the two-way star goes to the NFL, he has some weapons joining him in this recruiting class. Wide receivers Adrian Wilson and Quanell X Farrakhan Jr. bring star potential, while Quentin Gibson provides depth.

This class also features two tight ends in Corbin Laisure and Zayne DeSouza, so there will be no shortage of options for Lewis to target and build chemistry with as he starts his collegiate career.

Protecting Lewis also seems to be a priority in this class, as offensive linemen Chauncey Gooden, Carde Smith and Jay Gardenhire are all heading to Colorado as well.

There is still time for Sanders to add to this group with the early signing period running through Friday ahead of the traditional February signing period. But it is off to a good start and seems to be a collection of talented prospects who can help build the momentum already in place at the program following the jump from 2023 to 2024.

Colorado two-way star athlete Travis Hunter joked that he'll only play the Buffaloes' bowl game for $5 million before clarifying that he is in fact participating in his team's final matchup of the season.

Hunter made the remarks on the most recent edition of his podcast (15:11 mark).

On Nov. 29, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said that the Buffaloes players will be participating in the team's bowl game.

Sanders didn't mention players by name during that statement, particularly Hunter and one of his sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who could potentially be one-two in the upcoming NFL draft.

But Hunter's podcast remarks made it even clearer that he'll be sticking around Boulder as Colorado gets ready for a bowl game.

It's unclear at this time where Colorado will go, but the latest projection from David Kenyon of Bleacher Report has the Buffaloes going to the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28 against BYU. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm also has that same prediction.

So fans will have one more chance to see Hunter, a near-lock to win the Heisman Trophy, play in college before heading to the pros.

For the season, Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns for the 9-3 Buffaloes, currently 20th in the Associated Press poll. He also amassed 31 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble.

UCF is aiming big in its search to find a replacement for Gus Malzahn at head coach.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, Antonio Morales and Ralph Russo reported Wednesday the Knights have "inquired about the availability of USC coach Lincoln Riley."

"Representatives from UCF reached out to Riley's representatives last weekend to inquire about his interest in making a move across the country, one source said," the report said. "Any discussions about adjusting the terms of Riley's contract would be between him and USC, sources said."

The Athletic said there's nothing yet to indicate Riley has any interest in ditching Southern California for Orlando, Florida.

The finances required to make this move happen are enough to cast doubt.

Riley is reportedly getting around $10 million a year for USC, so UCF would have to come close to that figure. According to USA Today, Malzahn's deal with the Knights averaged $4 million in base pay.

The Trojans probably won't do UCF a favor by firing Riley, either, because that would cost about $90 million, per Feldman, Morales and Russo.

The Athletic report also raised the possibility of USC in effect subsidizing his hiring at UCF by paying some of the difference between what he would've earned in L.A. and what he's getting from his new job. That could make sense if only because the outlay would be much less than his buyout.

More than anything, this development illustrates how badly Riley's tenure has unfolded.

If USC had re-established itself as a College Football Playoff contender by now, there's no chance UCF believes this is remotely realistic. The Knights might be playing in the Big 12 now, but USC is simply a better job all things being equal.

However, it has been downhill ever since the Trojans went 11-3 in Riley's first season. They won eight games in 2023 and slumped to 6-6 this year.

Riley hasn't advanced USC past where it was toward the end of Clay Helton's run, and the general perception around the Trojans might be worse than it was with Helton because of how high they set the expectations by bringing in a marquee coach as his replacement.

The market is speaking for itself with three 5-star recruits having decommitted from the program during the 2025 cycle.

It won't be shocking if USC eventually looks for an exit plan; it just probably won't be this offseason.

Florida Atlantic hired Texas Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to be its next head coach, per ESPN's Max Olson.

The hire makes Kittley, 33, the youngest coach in the FBS.

"Following an extensive search with a tremendous amount of interest from candidates across the country, Zach emerged as the ideal choice to be our next head coach," FAU athletic director Brian White said in a statement, per Olson. "He is a man of high integrity and character, with an incredible reputation in the profession for player development. Zach is one of the most innovative offensive minds in the game, and I am confident in his ability to build a championship program with an exciting brand of football that can be a source of pride for our fans, our alumni, and the FAU community."

FAU fired head coach Tom Herman after a 2-8 start to the season and an 0-6 start to conference play. Herman, who was hired ahead of the 2023 season, finished his tenure with a 6-16 record.

The hire marks Kittley's first head coaching job after spending just over a decade in various assistant coaching roles.

He was a student assistant under current Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech in 2013 and 2014 before becoming a graduate assistant from 2015 to 2017. During his first stint with the Red Raiders, he worked with Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

From there, he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Houston Baptist from 2018 to 2020 and spent the 2021 season in the same role at Western Kentucky.

In his stint with the Hilltoppers, he coached quarterback Bailey Zappe as he threw for 5,967 passing yards and 62 touchdowns, both numbers being single-season records in college football.

"I am thrilled at this opportunity to be the head coach at Florida Atlantic," Kittley said in a statement. "I am extremely grateful. I want to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White and President Stacy Volnick for believing in me to take over this nationally-regarded program. I know we can win here, and we have tremendous leadership from the top down to create a championship program.

Before hiring Kittley, Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis reportedly emerged as a candidate, though Ross Dellinger of Yahoo Sports was told the hire was "not happening."

FAU experienced a brief moment of success during current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin's tenure in Boca Raton. The Owls went 11-3 with a Conference USA championship in 2017 and had the same record and result in 2019, which was Kiffin's final year at the helm.

Since then, FAU has yet to put together a winning season, but it's now hoping Kittley can change that.

One star cornerback in the state of Colorado supported another Monday.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II wore a shirt advocating for Colorado cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy ahead of the AFC West team's matchup against the Cleveland Browns:

It seems like Surtain and other Colorado fans are going to get their wish, as Hunter is an overwhelming favorite to take home the coveted trophy.

According to DraftKings, the two-way star is -10,000 (bet $10,000 to win $100) as of Monday evening. That is well ahead of Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (+2,500), Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel (+30,000) and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders (+40,000).

That means this will surely be the first time someone who plays defense won the award since Michigan's Charles Woodson took it home in 1997 thanks in large part to his abilities as a cornerback.

Surtain is surely thrilled to see someone who thrives at his position in the college level receive such recognition, even if part of what has helped Hunter separate himself from the competition is his ability to take over games on both sides of the ball.

It also won't be long until Hunter joins Surtain in the NFL, as B/R's NFL Scouting Department projected him as the No. 1 overall pick in a November mock draft.

Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Nahmier Robinson, son of former NBA star Nate Robinson, plans to enter the transfer portal, according to Pete Nakos of On3Sports.

The freshman appeared in one game for the Buffaloes, recording a pass defended against the Colorado State Rams on Sept. 14. He retains three years of eligibility.

Under coach Deion Sanders, the Buffaloes finished the season 9-3 and boast a Heisman Trophy frontrunner in Travis Hunter.

Along with Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, who are both sons of former professional athlete Deion, Nahmier seamlessly fit into the dynamic of having a professional athlete as a father on the Buffaloes team.

"Robinson has good bloodlines," Brandon Huffman of 257 Sports said. "The son of former NBA all-star Nate Robinson, the younger Robinson, like his dad, is a two-way standout, but he's made the majority of his contributions in the secondary."

Nate, a 40-year-old former three-time slam dunk champion, played 11 years in the NBA after his college career at Washington. His most notable stints came with the New York Knicks, where he played from 2005 to 2010.

Coming out of Skyline High School in Sammamish, Washington, Nahmier received a limited number of offers, including from the Washington Huskies, Colorado State, and Portland State University.

"He doesn't boast great size, but he has tremendous instincts and ability to read the quarterback and break on the ball and break up passes," Brandon Huffman of 247 Sports said. "He's also a weapon as a receiver and with his speed and quickness and ability to show elusiveness in the open field, could be a contributor in college on offense."

Arizona Wildcats coach Chuck Cecil revealed he "didn't even know (he) was bleeding" after head-butting—or "love-tapping"—one of his players to fire him up.

The 60-year-old defensive assistant coach assured fans on social media that he was fine following Arizona's 49-7 loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

"Thanks for all the support and check-in's but I'm not entirely sure what all the fuss is about," Cecil shared on social media. "I didn't even notice I was bleeding, and it was a love tap, not a head butt! Clearly, turning 60 means I need to be a bit more careful with the thin skin, and maybe we should issue a disclaimer: 'Kids, don't try this at home; leave it to the professionals!"

Cecil, a former safety for the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Wildcats, played for the Packers from 1988 to 1992, recording 13 interceptions and 340 tackles during that span.

At Arizona, he finished with 21 interceptions over three years and won the 1987 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

Needless to say, the former Wildcat quite literally bleeds cardinal red and navy blue.

"Seriously, there's nothing that I love more (aside from my wife and daughter) than the University of Arizona, our players, and the incredible Wildcat community," Cecil wrote. "We need to come together, rally around our team/kids and work towards building a championship-winning program. That's my sole focus and the reason I returned from the NFL—to contribute in any way I can. Let's bear down and make it happen!"

Cecil has coached at Arizona since 2018, following a lengthy NFL coaching career with the Tennessee Titans, St. Louis Rams and Los Angeles Rams before returning to Tucson.