College Football News

Due to an evolving landscape in college football, the Heisman Trust is set to return the 2005 Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

Bush won the 2005 Heisman Trophy in his final season at Southern California, where he amassed 3,169 rushing yards, gained 1,301 receiving yards and returned kickoffs and punts for a combined 2,081 yards. He totaled 42 touchdowns and also threw a 52-yard touchdown pass.

According to ESPN, the physical trophy is being returned to Bush by the trust and a replica will be returned to USC.

"Personally, I'm thrilled to reunite with my fellow Heisman winners and be a part of the storied legacy of the Heisman Trophy, and I'm honored to return to the Heisman family," Bush said in a statement to ESPN. "I also look forward to working together with the Heisman Trust to advance the values and mission of the organization."

In 2005, Bush was named first-team All-American and the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year.

But he was stripped of his Heisman and his stats in 2010 after a four-year investigation by the NCAA showed that Bush and his family took improper financial benefits, including cash and paid-for housing.

When name, image and likeness legislation was enacted in 2021, Bush asked the NCAA to reinstate his status. The Heisman Trust said at the time it would consider giving back his trophy if the NCAA agreed to reinstate him, but the organization declined.

In part due to a 2021 Supreme Court decision that questions the legality of the amateurism model, the Heisman Trust said it was forced to reconsider "reinstating" the 2005 award and welcoming Bush back to the annual award ceremony. Fellow Heisman winners, most recently former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and Notre Dame wide receiver Tim Brown, said they would skip future ceremonies unless Bush got his trophy back.

"We are thrilled to welcome Reggie Bush back to the Heisman family in recognition of his collegiate accomplishments," said Michael Comerford, president of The Heisman Trophy Trust, in a statement to ESPN. "We considered the enormous changes in college athletics over the last several years in deciding that now is the right time to reinstate the trophy for Reggie. We are so happy to welcome him back."

Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun signed a contract extension through the 2029 season ahead of his 18th season with the Falcons.

"Thank you to General Richard Clark, (athletic director) Nathan Pine, and AFAAC for the Academy's sturdy commitment and support to help our football program build leaders of character for our country," Calhoun said in a statement on Tuesday. "Amanda and I are incredibly grateful for the tremendous people -- coaches, players, administration, faculty, the Foundation, staff, cadet wing, and their families -- that we are blessed to be alongside each day. Bolt Brotherhood!"

Calhoun is 130-82 as a head coach with 13 bowl game appearances at Air Force, where his record over the past four full seasons is 40-12.

Air Force has claimed the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy five times under Calhoun, who has eight seasons with nine or more wins.

"Coach Calhoun has had an outstanding career at Air Force over the last 17 years," Pine said. "He understands and embraces the mission of the Academy and leads our program accordingly. I am proud of the success we have enjoyed together over the last five seasons and look forward to continuing to build on that in the new College Football Playoff model. We are pleased to have Coach Calhoun continue leading our football program for the next six years and beyond."

Former Miami Hurricanes running back Henry Parrish Jr. committed to Ole Miss on Monday, returning to the school where he started his college career in 2020.

Parrish entered the transfer portal last Tuesday, the first day of the spring transfer window, and announced his decision to join the Rebels on social media Monday.

Parrish gained 625 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns for the Hurricanes in 2023. Across four seasons with Ole Miss (2020-21) and Miami (2022-23), Parrish amassed 2,057 rushing yards, 56 receptions for 384 yards and 17 total touchdowns (15 rushing).

He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Coach Lane Kiffin adds Parrish to the mix of potential running backs to replace starter Quinshon Judkins, who went to Ohio State via the transfer portal. The Rebels' second-leading rusher last season, Ulysses Bentley IV, returns after posting 540 yards rushing and five rushing and receiving touchdowns, and the team also added transfers Jacory Croskey-Merritt from New Mexico and Logan Diggs from LSU.

Games in the upcoming college football season might feel more like the NFL, after the NCAA approved rule changes that include new options for communications and a new automatic timeout policy.

According to new rules announced by the NCAA's Playing Rules Oversight Panel, in FBS games, teams will be given the option to use coach-to-player communications through a device in the helmet of one player.

Similar to the NFL, that player will be identified by a green sticker on the helmet, and communications will be cut off either when the ball is snapped or with 15 seconds left on the play clock, whichever comes first.

Additionally, the NCAA will implement a system like the NFL employing automatic timeouts with two minutes left in the second and fourth quarters. These will not be additional television timeouts.

Teams in all divisions will also have the option of reviewing in-game video on up to 18 active digital tablets in the coaching booth, on the sideline and in the locker room.

These proposals were approved Thursday after being introduced March 1, and will take effect for the 2024 season.

The Arizona State football program received four years of probation and an undisclosed fine for violations involving recruiting and using ineligible players during former coach Herm Edwards time in Tempe, the NCAA announced Friday.

In addition, four unnamed former university employees received show-cause penalties from 3-10 years in duration. The Sun Devils also had to vacate games in which ineligible players competed, saw scholarships reduced and received recruiting restrictions.

Arizona State, which self-imposed a postseason ban in 2023, remains eligible for bowl games following the 2024 regular season, its first in the Big 12.

Jason Leonard, the executive director of athletics compliance at Oklahoma and chief hearing officer for the NCAA committee on infractions panel, noted Arizona State's cooperation.

"The school's acceptance of responsibility and decision to self-impose meaningful core penalties is a model for all schools to follow and is consistent with the expectations of the NCAA's infractions program," Leonard said in a statement.

The trouble came to pass three years ago when Arizona State reportedly committed violations associated with the recruiting restrictions instituted during the COVID-19 "dead period."

The NCAA stated that Edwards, fired after three games in 2022, committed a "responsibility violation" and that ASU allowed "recruiting inducements, impermissible tryouts" and was found to have committed tampering.

"The COVID dead period rules were created not only for the sake of competitive equity but for the safety and well-being of prospective and enrolled student-athletes and their families," Arizona State president Michael Crow said. "ASU is disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of certain former football staff members who took advantage of a global pandemic to hide their behavior."

There were no further details provided as to the former employees' punishment.

One of those former employees is the school's defensive coordinator at the time, Antonio Pierce, who is now the head coach of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders.

Two of the four former employees are contesting their cases, the NCAA said, and a decision remains pending until those appeals are heard.

FedEx is entering into a five-year, $25 million name, image and likeness commitment that will benefit student-athletes at Memphis, particularly in the Tigers' football and men's and women's basketball programs, as well as additional women's sports.

The shipping giant, which launched its operations in Memphis in 1973, has annual revenues of $88 billion.

As part of the initiative, Memphis athletes receiving NIL funding will participate in FedEx initiatives via social media and in person around the city. The company supports events that include the FedEx/St. Jude Championships, the Southern Heritage Classic and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, all in Memphis.

"We evaluated the evolving NIL landscape, exploring how we can best deliver positive impact to student-athletes and connect them to meaningful opportunities for both themselves and the community and made the decision to reallocate marketing funds to an NIL platform," said Brian Philips, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer at FedEx, in a news release. "This gives us an opportunity to invest in bright, young athletes in our great hometown of Memphis, strengthening our connection to the next generation of leaders."

The program was announced Friday via a social media video that featured both FedEx employees and Memphis athletes.

The first FedEx in-person NIL initiative will be a tailgate event at Memphis' spring football game, featuring the women's soccer team.

Athletic director Laird Veatch told 929 ESPN radio in Memphis on Friday that the contribution includes a clause stipulating a 50 percent match and that the university will launch a campaign to raise $2.5 million per year.

Veatch acknowledged the boost the FedEx partnership will give to his department.

"It does elevate us to a highly competitive NIL space, and it's something that's sustainable at the same time," Veatch said. "If you ask many athletic directors around the country, I don't know that they'd be in a position to say that."

This is not the first partnership between the company and school. The campus has a degree program for FedEx employees and also boasts the FedEx Institute of Technology. Company CEO Fred Smith agreed to donate $50 million from his personal foundation for renovations for the Tigers' football stadium.

Arizona State quarterback Jaden Rashada will enter the transfer portal, he announced Thursday.

Rashada posted a message on Instagram thanking his teammates, coaches, strength staff and other support staff at Arizona State.

"With that being said I'll be entering my name in the transfer portal seeking the best fit for my career!" Rashada wrote.

Rashada is a former four-star quarterback prospect in the Class of 2023 best known for flipping his commitment from Miami to Florida -- then requesting release from his national letter of intent when an NIL deal with Florida's collective worth a reported $13 million fell through.

Rashada wound up at Arizona State and got into three games as a freshman, passing for 485 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He has been out most of the spring after needing thumb surgery.

Georgia is expected to pursue Rashada, On3 and 247Sports reported.