College Football Offseason Buzz: Lane Kiffin Adds Ed Orgeron To LSU’s Staff

This is college football. At some point, the games pause, but the news and drama never does. Here’s an offseason tracker for buzz across the college football landscape, including coaching changes, injury news, personnel moves and more. New LSU football coach Lane Kiffin has reportedly added former Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron to his coaching staff, Pete Thamel reported. Orgeron had a 51-20 record over six seasons as LSU’s head coach from 2016-2021, leading the Tigers to a College Football Playoff national championship in 2019 to conclude a perfect, 15-0, season. Following that season, though, the LSU program diminished both on and off the field. The Tigers went a combined 11-11 in 2020 and 2021, and had multiple scandals, the combination of which led to Orgeron’s departure after the 2021 season. Kiffin came to LSU from Ole Miss after the 2025 season, amid the Rebels’ CFP run. The addition of Orgeron brings a coach who understands the history and recruiting landscape at LSU. The Iowa Hawkeyes announced the hiring of former player and longtime assistant Tom Moore as a senior consultant to the head coach and offensive advisor. Moore will join head coach Kirk Ferentz’s staff at 87 years old. Moore brings decades of coaching experience in both college football and the NFL, including four Super Bowl championships. He also played on Iowa’s 1958 team that won a national championship and the Rose Bowl. Coach Kirk Ferentz and Moore have maintained a long-standing relationship rooted in their shared ties to Iowa and decades of involvement in football coaching circles. “I have known Tom Moore for over a decade and am thrilled that he has agreed to join our program in an advisory role,” Ferentz said in a statement. “Coach Moore has had a long and very successful career in football. He was a player at Iowa, coached at the collegiate level and spent many years working alongside Hall of Fame coaches in the National Football League. I am grateful that a four-time Super Bowl champion will share his wisdom and perspectives with us – coaches and players.” With the addition of Moore, Ferentz brings one of the most experienced voices in the game to his staff, and at 87, Moore is believed to be the oldest active coach in college football. Syracuse and Wake Forest will hold their 2027 opener in Canada. The Atlantic Coast Conference and ESPN Events announced Thursday that the Orange and Demon Deacons will meet for a Week Zero game at Toronto’s BMO Field. That game would take place either Aug. 28 or 29 and would air nationally on ABC or ESPN. This would be the first NCAA college football game played at BMO Field, which is home to the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC and the Canadian national soccer teams. It is also a host stadium for this summer’s FIFA World Cup. The game will count as one of Wake Forest’s home ACC games and as a league game. It will take place roughly four hours from Syracuse’s campus in New York. This is the latest of multiple international games played by ACC teams. Games on this fall’s schedule include North Carolina and TCU in Dublin, Ireland, as well as N.C. State facing Virginia in Rio de Janeiro. University of Nebraska regents on Friday approved a $600 million overhaul of Memorial Stadium that will make the 103-year-old venue more fan-friendly and increase revenue potential for the athletic department. The project will be funded by a mix of $250 million in philanthropic support and $350 million in private bond financing. Completion is targeted for the start of the 2028 football season. The Cornhuskers have played at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and will enter this season with an NCAA-record sellout streak of 410 games dating to 1962. Amenities throughout the stadium will be upgraded and a new concourse will connect the east and west sides. Planned capacity is 80,000, including 20,000 new chairback seats. Officials said the stadium would host concerts and other events year-round and annual stadium revenue would increase 40%, to an estimated $95 million. “Memorial Stadium is, of course, iconic in Nebraska and in all of college athletics,” university president Jeffrey Gold said, “and this project, which we are calling ‘Big Red Rebuild,’ is ambitious and strategic. The Big Red Rebuild is a fan-driven, once-in-a-multigenerational investment that modernizes Memorial Stadium while preserving its legacy, ensuring it remains a premier destination for college athletics and other year-round events.” Louisville and football coach Jeff Brohm have agreed to a contract extension through the 2033 season. The school announced the agreement Thursday, coming after Brohm has led Louisville to 28 wins in three seasons with his alma mater. That included the program’s lone appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in 2023. “This extension reflects the dedication and commitment of our players and staff,” Brohm said in a statement from the school. ‘We’ve made meaningful progress the past three seasons, and we look forward to continuing to pursue higher goals. ‘We are committed to putting in the work that is necessary to consistently compete for championships and play an exciting brand of football. We are proud of where we are but even more excited for the future that lies ahead.” The Louisville native is 28-12 in his three seasons, winning 10 games in 2023 followed by nine in each of the past two seasons. That made him only the second coach in school history to win at least nine games in three straight seasons. “Over the past three seasons, Jeff has clearly demonstrated that he is the right person to lead our football program, now and into the future,” athletic director Josh Heird said in a statement. Alabama extends Kalen DeBoer The Alabama Crimson Tide and head coach Kalen DeBoer have agreed on a new seven-year extension, per Adam Schefter. DeBoer was already under contract through the 2031 season after agreeing to an eight-year contract when he was hired ahead of the 2024 season. He will now add two more years to that deal, linking him to Alabama through 2033, and receive an increase in pay to an annual average value of $12.5 million. DeBoer has gone 20-8 in two seasons at Alabama, and has yet to lead the Crimson Tide past the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Kentucky lands a top QB recruit Momentum has been building for the Kentucky Wildcats football since the hiring of coach Will Stein and now the program has its first major recruiting win to show for it. The Wildcats landed a commitment from four-star quarterback Jake Nawrot out of John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is the No. 2-ranked quarterback and No. 40 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. Nawrot chose the Wildcats over Missouri, Oregon, Washington and Florida State, among several other Power Four programs. Nawrot is coming off a strong junior season. He led the Huskies to a 9-3 record while completing 71% of his passes for 3,078 yards and 41 touchdowns with just two interceptions, along with adding eight scores on the ground. Stein is entering his first season as the Wildcats’ head coach after spending the past three years as offensive coordinator at Oregon under coach Dan Lanning. Nawrot’s commitment marks one of the biggest recruiting wins in program history. With Nawrot’s commitment, the Wildcats’ 2027 recruiting class now ranks among the top 20 nationally. Virginia extends head coach Tony Elliot Virginia football coach Tony Elliott, coming off a school-record 11-win season, has agreed to a contract extension through the 2030 season. The extension was announced Wednesday by athletic director Carla Williams. The Cavaliers finished 11-3 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2025 and No. 16 in the final AP Top 25 poll. It was Virginia’s highest ranking in the last poll of the season since 1995, and Elliott was named AP ACC coach of the year. “We are extremely fortunate to have Tony Elliott continue to lead our football program,” Williams said in a statement released by Virginia. “His commitment to the values of the University of Virginia and his commitment to developing the whole person through football have been a blessing. His vision of building the model program has never wavered, despite extraordinary adversity. The future is bright for UVA football and we’re excited to continue this work together.” Virginia capped its season with a 13-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl after losing to Duke in the ACC championship game. It was Virginia’s first bowl victory since 2018. Elliott is 22-26 in four years at Virginia. “The commitment to football at the University of Virginia is real and palpable throughout our building,” Elliott said. ‘I’m proud of the foundation that we have laid and excited for what we can do together in the years to come.” TCU extends coach Dykes TCU and coach Sonny Dykes have agreed to a contract extension after back-to-back 9-4 seasons, the school said Friday. The private Big 12 school does not disclose contract terms, but his previously extended deal went through the 2028 season. This multiyear agreement would take Dykes at least a couple of years past that. Dykes is 36-17 in his four seasons with the Horned Frogs, who set a school record for wins while going 13-2 and making the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of his 2022 debut season after replacing long-time coach Gary Patterson. Dykes originally got a six-year contract, which was extended after that first season when they finished No. 3 in the final AP Top 25 college football poll. They were 25th in the final poll last season. “The opportunity to pursue a national championship, the College Football Playoff, and Big 12 championships exists right here in Fort Worth, and my family and I, as well as our entire staff, are excited to continue that pursuit as Horned Frogs,’ Dykes said. The Frogs will open next season against North Carolina in Ireland on Aug. 29, when they will have a new starting quarterback and new offensive coordinator. They finished last season with a three-game winning streak capped by a win over Southern California in the Alamo Bowl after their three-year starting quarterback Josh Hoover had entered the transfer portal and later joined national champion Indiana as the likely replacement for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles left for South Carolina and was replaced by former UConn OC Gordon Sammis. Virginia Cavaliers QB Chandler Morris denied seventh year Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was denied in his bid for a preliminary injunction as he seeks a seventh season of eligibility. Morris had filed a lawsuit in Charlottesville (Virginia) Circuit Court last month seeking the injunction after the NCAA denied his medical redshirt waiver and appeal. A circuit court judge ruled against Morris on Thursday. “The NCAA is pleased by the court’s decision today, which protects the integrity of collegiate competition,” the NCAA said in a statement. “As additional lawsuits challenging common-sense, academically-tied eligibility rules are filed, the NCAA will continue to defend against attempts to rob high school students across the nation of the opportunity to compete in college and experience the life-changing opportunities only college sports can create. “The NCAA and its member schools are making changes to deliver more benefits to student-athletes, but the patchwork of state laws and inconsistent, conflicting court decisions make partnering with Congress essential to provide stability for all college athletes.” Morris’ case is one of 71 eligibility lawsuits that have been filed. Of those cases, 33 preliminary injunctions have been denied and 13 have been granted. Twelve eligibility lawsuits are still pending in lower courts and 13 have been voluntarily dismissed prior to a decision on a preliminary injunction. The dispute surrounding the 25-year-old Morris involves his 2022 season with the TCU Horned Frogs and whether it should count against his eligibility. Morris suffered a knee injury that season and applied for a medical redshirt, but the NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season. West Florida moves up to Division I West Florida will begin the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I on July 1 and compete in the United Athletic Conference in football and the Atlantic Sun Conference in other sports, the school announced Thursday. The Argonauts have had one of the top Division II athletic programs and lead the Gulf South Conference in all-time championships and all-sports trophies. Their 15-sport program has won 11 national and 136 conference championships. The United Athletic Conference was established in 2023 as a single-sport football conference through a partnership between the ASUN and the Western Athletic Conference. The UAC plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The eight-team ASUN was founded in 1978. West Florida will not be eligible for NCAA postseason tournaments during the three-year reclassification process. The school will be eligible for ASUN and UAC championships immediately. NCAA sued by Heinecke over eligibility Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Owen Heinecke is suing the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility, according to court documents. Heinecke played briefly in three games of lacrosse at Ohio State in February 2022, costing him a year of eligibility. He transferred to play football at Oklahoma, then sat out a year because of injury. He was mostly a special teams player in 2023 and 2024 before breaking out last season with 74 tackles, including 12 for loss, and three sacks. Oklahoma submitted a request for an eligibility waiver, but it was denied in January, and an appeal was denied in February. An emergency hearing is set for April 16 in Norman, Oklahoma. The timing is critical — Oklahoma’s Spring Game is April 18 and the NFL Draft is April 23-25. Heinecke has hired an agent and participated in the Senior Bowl, Oklahoma Pro Day and the NFL Scouting Combine while trying to regain the year of college eligibility. Heinecke’s lawyers say he should get the additional year because of factors beyond his control. They say Heinecke lost his year of eligibility as a freshman because the Ohio State’s lacrosse coach ignored his request to redshirt so he could recover from high school injuries. They say the NCAA “breached its duty of good faith and fair dealing owed to Owen, and acted in bad faith, in denying Owen an additional year of eligibility so that he can compete as an intercollegiate athlete in the year 2026-27.” The filing says Heinecke wants to return to school to improve his draft stock and seek his master’s degree in accounting. Oklahoma is backing his quest. “OU fully supports Owen and his pursuit of a fair opportunity to continue playing the game he loves,” Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said in a statement. “We’ll stand firmly beside him as he works to do just that.” Warren Sapp leaving Colorado Pro Football Hall of Famer Sapp is no longer on Deion Sanders’ staff at Colorado after two seasons. Sapp joined CU during the 2024 season as the team’s senior quality control analyst and served this past season as its defensive pass rush coordinator. “Warren Sapp has resigned from the CU football coaching staff to pursue other opportunities,” Colorado’s athletic department said in a statement Feb. 26. “CU Athletics thanks Warren for his contributions to our football program over the last two seasons and for his commitment to our student-athletes.” Cincinnati suing former QB Brendan Sorsby The Bearcats are suing their former starting quarterback of two years, claiming that he breached his NIL contract by failing to pay Cincinnati a $1 million exit fee for transferring to Texas Tech in January, per ESPN. Sorsby reportedly signed an NIL contract with Texas Tech in the range of $4-6 million for next season and is being advised to not pay Cincinnati $1 million in estimated liquidated damages. Last season, Sorsby totaled 2,800 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, five interceptions and a Big 12-high 155.1 passer rating for the Bearcats, while completing 61.6% of his passes in 12 games. He also rushed for 580 yards and nine touchdowns. Sorsby spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Indiana (2022-23) before transferring to Cincinnati for the 2024 season. Virginia QB Chandler Morris seeking seventh year of eligibility Morris continued his fight for a seventh season of eligibility by filing a lawsuit against the NCAA, his agent confirmed. The NCAA denied Morris’ medical redshirt waiver and appeal last month, and he is seeking a preliminary injunction in Charlottesville Circuit Court. The NCAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morris could be making an argument similar to Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who received a preliminary injunction from a Mississippi judge on Feb. 12. Chambliss’ case was based on injuries severely limiting his playing time and not allowing him to make the most of his athletic eligibility. The 25-year-old Morris applied for a medical redshirt for the 2022 season at TCU after suffering a knee injury. The NCAA denied that request after Morris made limited appearances in three games later that season. Philip Rivers’ son commits to NC State Quarterback Gunner Rivers has committed to NC State — his father’s alma mater — he announced on Feb. 23. Rivers is a four-star quarterback at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama. His father coached his high school team as well, doing so before he made his return to the NFL in 2025. The younger Rivers threw for 2,813 yards, 44 touchdowns and five interceptions this season, leading his high school to the state title game. Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar denied sixth season Aguilar’s injunction for a sixth season of eligibility has been denied, and he will now go pro, per ESPN. Aguilar was previously granted a temporary restraining order in his lawsuit against the NCAA as he sought an extra year of eligibility, which would’ve enabled him to continue playing for the Volunteers this fall. Aguilar played the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Diablo Valley (2021-22), followed by two seasons at Appalachian State (2023-24) before transferring to Tennessee for the 2025 season. Indiana HC Curt Cignetti gets a raise The Hoosiers have raised their head coach’s salary to $13.2 million through the 2033 season, per ESPN. This deal comes in the wake of Indiana winning its first national championship in program history in January and already raising Cignetti’s salary to $11.6 million in October 2025. Moreover, this raise makes Cignetti the second-highest paid coach in college football. Since Cignetti took over in Bloomington for the 2024 season, the Hoosiers are a combined 27-2, highlighted by going 16-0 en route to winning the national championship last season. North Illinois head coach Thomas Hammock leaving for NFL Hammock is leaving NIU to become the running backs coach for the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks, according to CBS Sports. Over Hammock’s seven seasons as NIU’s head coach (2019-25), the Huskies went a combined 35-47, a stint highlighted by three bowl game appearances and a win at South Bend against Notre Dame in 2024. Hammock, who played running back at NIU, was previously a running backs coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 2014-18, among other assistant coaching stints. Four-star prospect de-commits from Michigan Peter Bourque, a four-star quarterback out of Massachusetts in the 2027 class, reopened his recruitment on Feb. 17. Bourque had been verbally committed to Michigan in Aug. 2025 under previous head coach Sherrone Moore. Michigan finds its DT coach The Wolverines are hiring Vanderbilt defensive line coach Larry Black to be new head coach Kyle Whittingham’s defensive tackle coach, per ESPN. Black was Vanderbilt’s defensive line coach from 2022-25 and previously held the same role at Toledo from 2019-21. In other news, Michigan has reportedly parted ways with general manager Sean Magee. Michigan is also expected to part ways with Sam Popper, its director of recruiting, and Albert Karschnia, its director of player personnel. SEC cuts massive checks to its members The SEC is distributing more than $1 billion to its 16 universities for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which ended last August. The total distribution jumped more than $200 million from the previous year. The current total includes $37.4 million retained by universities that participated in the College Football Playoff and bowl games. The amount distributed from the conference office, including bowl revenue retained by participants, averaged $72.4 million for schools with full year financial participation. Oklahoma and Texas, which joined the conference in July 2024, received distributions of $2.6 million and $12.1 million, respectively, related to CFP and bowl participation and designated NCAA funds. The $72.4 million average per school is approximately $18.6 million above the 2023-24 average of $53.8 million for full members. The payout for the 14 schools receiving a full share consists of revenue generated from television agreements, postseason bowls, the CFP, the SEC title game, the SEC men’s basketball tournament and NCAA championships. The Associated Press contributed to this report.