The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State Hires Tennessee WR Coach Kelsey Pope to Replace Brian Hartline
By Zachary Anderson on January 1, 2026


Pope will join the Buckeyes staff after a successful 5-year stint at Tennessee.



Ohio State has its successor to Brian Hartline. The Buckeyes are hiring Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope as their next receivers coach, filling one of the most high-profile position jobs in the sport after Hartline’s departure to become Wisconsin’s head coach.

Hartline stayed with Ohio State through the postseason run after it was announced in early December that he would take over in Madison, and he officially steps into that role following the Buckeyes’ season-ending loss to Miami.

Pope will replace Hartline as wide receivers coach only, not as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, and the timing makes it clear this was a move already lined up behind the scenes, waiting for Ohio State’s season to conclude before becoming public.

Pope arrives with a strong reputation as both a developer and recruiter. He has spent the last several seasons on Josh Heupel’s staff, coaching in an offense that puts wideouts in space, stresses defenses vertically and demands detailed route work to keep the timing clean.

Tennessee’s passing game has been one of the sport’s most receiver-friendly environments, and Pope has been a key part of maintaining that pipeline, both in terms of production on Saturdays and identifying athletes who fit the system on the trail.

For Ohio State, the hire is less about reinventing what the Buckeyes do at receiver and more about protecting an identity that has become synonymous with the program. Hartline turned the room into a national brand, stacking elite recruiting classes and sending a steady stream of wideouts to the NFL. Pope now inherits the expectations that come with that, along with a roster built to keep the standard intact.

The job is simple to describe and brutally hard to execute: keep Ohio State’s receiver room at the top of college football. Pope has the background, and now he has the stage.

 

[toysoldier00]

CFP Round 2 Recap: Upsets Defined the Quarterfinals

Marissa Bleday
January 1, 2025

The College Football Playoff’s second round was supposed to be where the favorites finally imposed order. Instead, it was the weekend the bracket flipped on its head, in Pasadena, Arlington and Miami Gardens, and where Indiana’s improbable ride kept gathering speed in the game that ended last, in New Orleans.



#9 Miami Hurricanes 34 at #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 27

The stunner came first at the Rose Bowl, where No. 9 Miami knocked off undefeated No. 1 Ohio State, 31-24, with the kind of ruthless efficiency that turns a heavyweight fight into a lesson.

Ohio State still produced points and yards, Julian Sayin threw for 362 yards and three touchdowns, and Jeremiah Smith was unstoppable for long stretches with 179 yards and two scores, but the game belonged to the moments Miami ripped away.

The first was a gut punch: Smith’s fumble at the goal line late in the third quarter, wiping away what looked like a tying touchdown. The second ended it: a fourth-quarter interception by All-American safety Zechariah Poyser that Miami turned into seven points and a 31-17 lead.



Carson Beck wasn’t flawless, but he was decisive. He finished 28-of-40 for 369 yards and a touchdown, repeatedly finding answers against coverage, and delivered the play that felt like it broke Ohio State’s control, a third-quarter scramble on third-and-long where the veteran quarterback shook off two would-be tackles to keep a drive alive.

Mark Fletcher Jr. didn’t run wild (41 yards on 20 carries), but his three touchdowns, paired with an offensive line that kept Beck clean, told the story: Miami didn’t need volume, it needed precision.

“That’s what we’ve been building,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “Not a perfect game, a connected game. When it mattered, our guys made winning plays.”

Ohio State nearly stole it back. Down 31-17 at the two-minute warning, Sayin hit Smith for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 31-24, the defense forced a stop, and the Buckeyes got the ball near midfield with a chance for one final act. But on fourth-and-2 with 38 seconds left, Sayin went back to Smith, and Poyser broke it up to seal the upset.

“Two plays changed everything,” Ryan Day said. “You don’t have to be perfect in January, but you can’t be careless.”



#5 Oregon Ducks 20 at #4 Ole Miss Rebels 23

In the Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss survived Oregon, 23-20, on a 32-second game-winning field goal by Lucas Carneiro, ending Dan Lanning’s season in the quarterfinals for a second straight year.

The Rebels controlled the early terms, taking a 13-3 lead into halftime and stretching it to 20-10 before Oregon’s rally arrived. It came in the most Oregon way possible, chaos created by the defense, as edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei sparked a fumble return touchdown that tied the game with 10:29 left.

But the Ducks never found the clean finish. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore piled up yardage (39-of-57 for 326), yet Oregon’s red-zone failures defined the night: five trips produced seven points.

The Ducks also went a brutal 6-of-21 on third and fourth down, possessions bleeding away one at a time.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, meanwhile, delivered the explosives Oregon couldn’t, finishing 23-of-38 for 314 yards and a touchdown as receiver De’Zhaun Stribling erupted for 152 yards and a score.

“That’s a grown-up win,” Lane Kiffin said. “Not pretty, but you don’t get style points in this round.”



#6 Indiana Hoosiers 30 at #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders 27

The late game in Bloomington delivered the most complete statement of the weekend. Indiana outlasted No. 3 Texas Tech, 30-27, and it felt like Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman résumé printed itself in real time.

Mendoza went 29-of-40 for 320 yards and two touchdowns, attacking every blade of grass and never allowing Texas Tech’s pass rush to take over.

The key statistic wasn’t even in the box score. It was that Texas Tech’s Nagurski winner David Bailey, the sport’s most feared closer, never got the signature moment. Indiana’s line allowed one sack and kept Mendoza clean enough to keep the game on schedule.



The Hoosiers had help, too.

Roman Hemby ran for 114 yards on 17 carries, and Mendoza’s receivers kept winning late: Elijah Sarratt and Jonathan Brady both cleared 100 yards as Indiana repeatedly converted in the most uncomfortable areas of the field.

Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton was terrific (28-of-34 for 337 yards and three touchdowns), especially when he hit a 43-yard strike to Reggie Virgil to pull within three late, but Tech couldn’t get the stop it needed. Indiana bled the final six minutes off the clock with the kind of control that used to feel impossible for this program.

“It’s not magic,” Curt Cignetti said. “It’s work, and belief. Our guys expect to finish.”



#10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 40 at #2 Texas A&M Aggies 6

And then there was the blowout: Notre Dame’s 40-6 demolition of No. 2 Texas A&M, a game that served as both revenge and warning.

The Irish, who lost 42-17 to the Aggies early in the season, treated the rematch like a personal reset. They led 23-3 at halftime, detonated the game with a 23-point third quarter, and were up 40-3 before A&M’s late field goal.



Jeremiyah Love powered it (145 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries), while CJ Carr looked like the quarterback Notre Dame hoped for all along, 25-of-33 for 299 yards and three touchdowns, with Malachi Fields catching two of them.

A&M never had air to breathe. Marcel Reed managed 172 passing yards, but two turnovers and constant stress kept the Aggies pinned in neutral.

“They were the more physical team tonight,” Mike Elko said. “That’s the truth, and it’s the part that hurts the most.”

When the dust settled, the playoff’s center of gravity shifted. Ohio State was gone. Oregon was gone. And Indiana, Indiana, was still standing, with the Heisman winner and a path that suddenly looks real.

[toysoldier00]

Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed Enters Transfer Portal Day After Sugar Bowl Blowout

by: Tyson Montgomery - January 2, 2026 - TyMontOn3



Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed announced Thursday that he is entering the transfer portal, a stunning decision that comes one day after the Aggies’ season ended with a loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

Reed’s move is one of the most surprising developments of the portal window, given Texas A&M’s breakthrough season and playoff appearance, a year that included some of the program’s biggest moments in decades. Instead, the Aggies now head into the offseason facing immediate uncertainty at the most important position in the sport.

Reed started all 14 games for A&M and finished the season completing 325 of 480 passes for 3,572 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also remained a significant part of the rushing attack, carrying the ball 143 times for 405 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

The timing adds to the shock: Reed helped guide A&M into the playoff field, then opted for a new destination as soon as the season ended.

Texas A&M is expected to explore options quickly, including the portal, to stabilize its quarterback room for 2026. Reed, meanwhile, immediately becomes one of the top names available at his position and will draw heavy interest across the country.

[Captain Canada]

Texas A&M got fraudchecked so hard their quarterback hopped in the portal

[toysoldier00]

Texas A&M got fraudchecked so hard their quarterback hopped in the portal

gonna be one of my favorite storylines of the next season #spoiler

[toysoldier00]

Ohio State’s 2026 Portal Priorities: Key Piece Here or There, Particularly in the Trenches
By Zachary Anderson on January 2, 2026


Edge Rusher seems to be a priority position for Ohio State with Caden Curry and his 11.5 sacks set to depart.



The transfer portal opens today, and Ohio State is entering it from a familiar place: loaded roster, championship expectations, and just enough pain from the Miami loss to make the offseason feel urgent instead of routine. This won’t be a portal cycle about collecting names. It’s about addressing the few spots where Ohio State’s margin for error shrank, especially when the games got tight and the weather got cold.

The Big Picture: Ohio State Doesn’t Need “More Talent”, It Needs Better Answers

Start with what isn’t a question. Quarterback is set: Julian Sayin is back after a Heisman runner-up season. Running back is set: James Peoples and Bo Jackson should return, and both are good enough to win with. Receiver is still stocked around Jeremiah Smith, even with Carnell Tate moving on. The Buckeyes don’t need to treat the portal like a roster reset.

But Ohio State does need to treat it like a roster upgrade in the right places. The loss to Miami didn’t just reveal a bad night, it exposed structural issues: the run game’s inconsistency, the dependence on explosive plays, and how hard it was to close out a quality opponent without clean, physical control up front.

Start Where Championships Start: The Offensive Line

If Ohio State wants to “fix the run game,” the portal’s most obvious target is the interior offensive line. Carson Hinzman and Ethan Onianwa are gone, and while three starters return, the Buckeyes can’t afford another season where the run game lives on highlight runs while the median carry is a shrug.

A veteran guard/center type with real snaps against real competition would raise the floor immediately, and more importantly, give Ohio State the flexibility to call games like it wants to call them, not like it has to.

This is also where the staff’s actions will tell the truth. If Ohio State hits the portal hard on the OL, it’s a tacit admission that “development” wasn’t enough to solve what showed up in the red zone and on short-yardage all year.

Edge Rusher Is the Defensive Need That Can’t Wait

Defensively, the portal priority is edge, and it’s the kind of need that becomes urgent based on what happens next. Caden Curry is gone, and Kenyatta Jackson still has an NFL decision to make. Ohio State can survive attrition at a lot of positions because it recruits like Ohio State, but pass rush is the one thing you can’t fake in the playoff. If the Buckeyes don’t love their returning edge rotation as it stands, this is the spot to buy a proven disruptor or two.

The wrinkle: Ohio State is also transitioning on the defensive line coaching front with the announcement of Larry Johnson retiring yesterday. That makes portal shopping here harder, because edge recruiting in the portal is fast, relationship-heavy, and competitive.

Tight End and Linebacker Depend on Departures

Tight end might be sneaky important. Will Kacmarek and Bennett Christian are graduating, Jelani Thurman could explore the portal after a redshirt year, and Max Klare has an NFL decision. If Klare leaves, Ohio State almost has to add a capable, catch-and-block veteran. If he stays, it’s still reasonable to add depth so the room isn’t one decision away from feeling thin.

Linebacker is similar. Ohio State likes the young talent, but if Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles both go pro, the Buckeyes lose not just production but leadership and communication. That’s when a veteran transfer, someone who can organize a defense and play on third down, becomes appealing.

The “Maybe” Positions: Receiver, Corner, Safety, Kicker

Receiver is the philosophical one. Hartline’s rule was basically “we don’t need transfer WRs.” With Kelsey Pope now coaching the room, it’ll be interesting to see if Ohio State’s stance softens for a very specific role player.

Cornerback likely stays in-house if Jermaine Mathews returns and the young guys are ready. Safety is better positioned than it sounds despite losing Caleb Downs, because Ohio State has bodies and upside already in place.

Kicker, though, is real: Jayden Fielding is graduating, and competition will be coming from somewhere.

Ohio State’s portal plan shouldn’t be complicated. Chase proven line help. Add pass rush if the board allows. Protect tight end and linebacker from depth swings. And don’t waste scholarships trying to look busy, the goal is to be harder to beat in the fourth quarter, not win January headlines.

 

[Count]

gonna be replacing a lot of 1st round talent and proven contributors. It'll be nice to add a few bridge guys in the portal

[redsox907]

goddamn the Aggies got slaughtered on national TV

[djp73]

Texas A&M got fraudchecked so hard their quarterback hopped in the portal

gonna be one of my favorite storylines of the next season #spoiler

ann arbor bound?

[toysoldier00]

gonna be replacing a lot of 1st round talent and proven contributors. It'll be nice to add a few bridge guys in the portal

yep, I had to get some key pieces in the portal this year, but I still don't think there's any way my defense is as good next season

goddamn the Aggies got slaughtered on national TV

and then lost all their best players to the portal. tough.

Texas A&M got fraudchecked so hard their quarterback hopped in the portal

gonna be one of my favorite storylines of the next season #spoiler

ann arbor bound?

not quite