College Football News

Nebraska has suspended running back Anthony Grant for the start of spring practice, new head coach Matt Rhule announced Monday.

Rhule said Grant, who led the Cornhuskers with 915 rushing yards in 2022, is dealing with off-the-field issues and needs to improve his academics to get back on the field.

"Working on academics and general things," Rhule said. ... "That will be day by day. Good kid. Just have to get him going in the right direction.

Grant carried the ball 218 times and scored six touchdowns in 12 games last season, adding 18 catches for 104 yards and earning an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection.

It was Grant's first season with the Cornhuskers after he played at Florida State (2018-19) and the New Mexico Military Institute (2020-21).

Rhule also said kick returner and receiver Tommi Hill has been suspended for unspecified reasons, while tight ends Chris Hickman and James Carnie and cornerback Tyreke Johnson have left the team.

The Cornhuskers finished 4-8 overall (3-6 in the Big Ten) last season under former head coach Scott Frost and interim coach Mickey Joseph.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was arrested early Sunday on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and subsequently was suspended by the school.

Police in Columbia, Mo., booked Bailey at 2:46 a.m. Sunday. The 23-year-old was released on $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County (Mo.) Sheriff's Department.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Bailey had been suspended.

"We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey," Drinkwitz said. "He's been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies."

The Post-Dispatch said police records showed Bailey was pulled over for an expired license plate and lane violation. After a field sobriety test, he was arrested.

Bailey, a defensive captain last season, was set to return to Missouri this fall as a sixth-year senior. Last season, he started 11 games and recorded 57 tackles (8.5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks. He has appeared in 43 games with the Tigers since joining them in 2018.

Eugene F. "Buddy" Teevens, the winningest coach in Dartmouth football history, remains hospitalized in Florida following a bicycle accident, the school announced.

The accident involving Teevens, 66, occurred Thursday in the St. Augustine area, where the family has a home.

In a statement Saturday night, Dartmouth said the Teevens family wasn't accepting visitors.

"Out of respect for the family, updates on Teevens' condition will be made available in accordance with their wishes," the statement said.

Teevens played quarterback at Dartmouth in the late 1970s and was Ivy League Player of the Year in 1978. He has coached for more than 30 years -- 23 at Dartmouth.

Teevens' head-coaching jobs have taken him to Maine (1985-86), Dartmouth (1987-1991, 2005-present), Tulane (1992-96) and Stanford (2002-04).

His record at Dartmouth is 117-101-2, including 83-70-1 in Ivy League play.

His overall record is 151-178-2. He has been named Ivy League Coach of the Year twice -- in 2019 and '21.

Florida State and Georgia Tech will kick off the 2024 season in Ireland, both schools announced Wednesday.

The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be held at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Aug. 24, 2024.

It will be the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams and a home game for the Yellow Jackets.

"I am so excited for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, administration and fans for this opportunity," Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said. "When this idea was first presented to me, I was immediately intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the people in our program."

It will be the first time Florida State has played outside of the United States. Georgia Tech beat Boston College 17-14 at the same venue in 2016.

Virginia running back Mike Hollins returned to practice Tuesday, four months after being wounded in a shooting that killed three of his teammates.

The fifth-year senior was a full participant as the Cavaliers kicked off spring practice in Charlottesville, Va.

"Just to watch how he's attacked everything, could easily have made excuses, easily have overthought things and but he's taking it upon himself to respond and show perseverance and be resilient," Virginia coach Tony Elliott said, per ESPN.

"I think a lot of it is for himself, but the majority of it is for his teammates. There was a time when we didn't know if he'd ever have the chance to play to play football again. I'm just grateful to be on the grass, grateful to have an opportunity to be here at the University of Virginia and lead this program, lead these young men, all the guys that decided to come back and pick up the pieces and turn this tragedy into a triumph."

On Nov. 13, Hollins was one of four players shot on a charter bus after returning to campus from a field trip to Washington, D.C.

Hollins was shot in the back and spent a week in the hospital, including some time on a ventilator.

According to his mother, Hollins had returned to the bus to help others after the shooting started.

Teammates Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D'Sean Perry did not survive. Another student, Marlee Morgan, survived a gunshot wound.

A former Virginia player, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was charged with three counts of second-degree murder.

Hollins has rushed for 540 yards and seven touchdowns and added 24 catches for 197 yards in 30 career games with the Cavaliers.

"Just so happy for Mike, because we all know that as a football player that your time is going to come to an end," Elliott said. "You definitely wouldn't want it to come to an end in that fashion. So to see him to have another opportunity, just to go out on his own terms, makes it really special."

Fellow running back Perris Jones said seeing Hollins on the field is an inspiration to the rest of the team.

"Just the way he's carried himself throughout this tragedy and how he continues to carry himself, it's surreal," Jones said, per ESPN. "He is a strong man, and his fight every day encourages all of us to continue to fight and to do the best that we absolutely can because if he can do it, we can as well, so it's definitely motivating."

The Cavaliers canceled their last two games and finished 3-7 in their first season under Elliott.

Virginia opens the 2023 season on Sept. 2 against Tennessee in Nashville.

Former NFL All-Pro receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson will serve as an ambassador and consultant for Florida A&M.

The school announced his appointment Wednesday night.

"Anyone familiar with Chad knows that he has always been a great ambassador for FAMU," athletic director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes said in a news release. "It's time to make it official. I am happy that we could reach an agreement to formalize his role with the University."

Johnson, 45, will take part in special projects as identified by Sykes.

Raised in Miami, Johnson didn't attend the school but is a longtime fan of the program. He played in community college and then one season at Oregon State.

"I fell in love with FAMU after attending my first Classic in 1984 with my grandma, and the rest is history," Johnson stated.

Johnson was a second-round draft pick by the Bengals in 2001 and had seven 1,000-yard seasons in Cincinnati before spending his final NFL season with the New England Patriots in 2001.

He finished his career with 766 receptions for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. He remains the Bengals' franchise leader in many statistical categories, including career receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783) and receiving touchdowns (66).

More recently, Johnson was an analyst for Fox Sports during the 2022 World Cup.

LSU fifth-year running back John Emery missed the first day of spring practice on Thursday and won't return until he meets academic requirements, coach Brian Kelly said.

A Louisiana native, Emery was a five-star prospect and ranked as the nation's No. 2 running back -- No. 13 overall recruit -- in the 2019 class by the 247Sports composite. But he has failed to live up to expectations, largely because of academics.

Emery missed the 2021 season and the first two games of 2022 because of academic ineligibility.

"John is focused strictly right now on his academics," Kelly said. "He's got some marks that he has to hit from an academic standpoint before we talk about football with him. That was the deal with John and talking to his family. If his primary focus was academics and taking care of his degree, then we would have a conversation about football."

Emery has appeared in 30 career games (five starts) and run for 941 yards with 13 touchdowns at LSU. He has caught 33 passes for 262 yards and two scores.

The Tigers enter spring practice undermanned at the position. Josh Williams and Armoni Goodwin are out with injuries, with Goodwin's ailment expected to keep him out until preseason camp. Both players had their 2022 seasons cut short by knee injuries.

Noah Cain and freshman Trey Holly are the only available scholarship players, NOLA.com reported.