Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa on Thursday officially declared for the 2026 NFL draft, where he is expected to be among the first players selected. Mauigoa is ranked as the No. 1 offensive tackle by ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. in this year's draft. In his latest mock draft, Kiper has Mauigoa being picked No. 3 overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas must sit out the first half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Indiana on Monday night because he was called for targeting in the fourth quarter of the semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. Any player called for targeting is ejected from the game. If the targeting call happens in the second half, a player is ejected and suspended for the first half of his team's next game.
Barrow was with UM for the 2024 season, earning All-ACC First-Team honors, recording 30 tackles (13 solo), eight for loss, 5 1/2 sacks and one forced fumble in 13 games and 12 starts. He transferred to the Hurricanes from Michigan State, where he had 110 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks, 18 1/2 tackles for loss, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, along with two blocked field goals in 34 games and 30 starts from 2020 through 2023.
Stanford may be going into its toughest game of the season without its starting quarterback. Redshirt freshman Elijah Brown met with reporters on Tuesday, a sign that he could be making his first start of the season when Stanford visits No. 9 Miami on Saturday (4 p.m., ESPN) as a 30.5-point underdog. Ben Gulbranson, who won a position battle over Brown in fall camp, injured his knee in Saturday's 20-13 win over Florida State.
USF is 2-0 with upset wins over No. 25 Boise State and No. 13 Florida, but the start looks better on paper than it really is. The Bulls have been living off big plays, turnovers and opponent mistakes more than consistent, sustainable football. Against Boise, USF won 34-7, but the box score tells a different story. Boise actually had more first downs and controlled time of possession. They moved the ball well but lost three fumbles that killed scoring chances.
CJ Daniels made a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab and Rueben Bain Jr. had an interception on a thrice-deflected pass in the fourth quarter for the Hurricanes, who outgained Notre Dame 324 yards to 314. Malachi Toney had a touchdown catch and CharMar Brown added a TD run for Miami. CJ Carr, in his first start for Notre Dame, finished 19 of 30 for 221 yards with two touchdown passes and an interception -- plus a rushing score with 3:21 left
