USC: DART OUT, WILLIAMS IN?
Jaxson Dart, the young quarterback previously believed to be USC’s heir apparent under center, has entered the NCAA transfer portal, likely clearing the way for Caleb Williams — the most coveted transfer quarterback in college football — to join the Trojans.
The decision comes after a campaign in which Dart burst onto the scene as a freshman, establishing enough of a foothold as USC’s quarterback of the future to convince Kedon Slovis, the Trojans’ three-year starter, to transfer to Pittsburgh.
But Dart’s place in that future would be obscured just a few weeks later by the arrival of new coach Lincoln
Riley, whose departure from Oklahoma led Williams, the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2021 class, to announce he, too, planned to transfer.
Williams was in Los Angeles on Sunday, attending both a Rams game and a Lakers game courtesy of USC. By Monday, Dart was in the transfer portal.
Thompson-Robinson returns
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who led the Pac-12 in total offense this season, will return for a fifth year with the Bruins in 2022. Thompson-Robinson announced his decision on social media.
“I believe 2021 ended short so WE can go farther in 2022!” Thompson-Robinson wrote on Twitter.
Thompson-Robinson was a first-team selection on the All-Pac-12 team and was a second-team choice by coaches. He averaged 274.4 yards on offense and was second in the conference with 21 passing touchdowns.
Playoff hopes dashed
The College Football Playoff’s ambitions for expansion stalled Monday, when the sport’s leading power brokers proved unable to agree on a plan almost seven months after some of them publicly proposed a 12-team format.
The playoff, which currently features four teams each season, could still grow in the coming years and inject hundreds of millions of dollars a year more into the richest conferences in college sports.
But the addition of games as soon as the 2024 season is increasingly unlikely after months of turmoil, with the negotiations complicated at different moments by disputes over potential compositions of the playoff field, fears of protracted seasons and mistrust that flowed from a surprise round of conference membership shuffles.
Three days of meetings in Indianapolis ended without the unanimity required to make significant changes to the playoff.
Notable
Late Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and La Jolla Country Day and two-time Heisman runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford headline a list of 21 former players and coaches in this year’s College Football Hall of Fame class. The ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 6.
Riley has confirmed his full coaching staff for his debut season with the Trojans, a 10-man staff that includes Donte Williams, who will be Riley’s defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator after going 3-7 while serving as USC’s interim head coach following the firing of Clay Helton in September.