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A’Shawn Robinson joins Heisman winner in rolling from Tide to NFL

By John TaylorJan 15, 2016, 4:26 PM EST
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Thursday, reports surfaced that reigning Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry would be leaving Alabama early for the NFL. Friday, Henry confirmed as much as a teammate joined him for good measure.

At UA’s annual draft prospect press conference, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson announced that, as most had expected, he too will leave eligibility on the table and make himself available for the NFL draft. Robinson told the media that he didn’t receive a grade from the NFL’s draft advisory committee, but people head coach Nick Saban knows in the league gave him a mid-first-round grade.

Henry, meanwhile, received a second-round grade from the advisory committee.

The 6-4, 312-pound Robinson was a consensus All-American in 2015.  he was also a finalist for the Outland Trophy and semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.

“I would like to say these two young men here have done an outstanding job on and off the field in the way they’ve represented The University of Alabama,” Saban said in quotes distributed by the school. “They’ve been great teammates for the other players on the team. They’ve been really good leaders. They’ve set a good example. Both have done things exactly like we’d like in this program from a personal standpoint, an academic standpoint and obviously, they’ve had tremendous success on the football field individually along with contributing to team success. …

” I know it’s always a difficult decision for these guys to make a decision about their future, but this is something we try to provide a great program for. We provide the best information possible, so they can make a very good business decision about their future, and I think both of these guys have done a really good job of doing the due diligence they need to do, so that they can make a decision.”

The previous two days, three draft-eligible Tide players — linebacker Ryan Anderson (Thursday), safety Eddie Jackson (Thursday), linebacker Tim Williams (Wednesday) — revealed on social media that they would be returning to Tuscaloosa for another season.  Two more, however, have yet to decide: defensive lineman Johnathan Allen and tight end and national championship game hero O.J. Howard.

Al.com is reporting that Howard is leaning toward a return, while Allen received a second-round grade from the NFL board.

Rutgers adds another Big Ten transfer with former Wolverine Michael Dwumfour

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By Kevin McGuireJan 20, 2020, 5:45 PM EST
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New Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has been tapping the transfer portal to help build the roster in his first year back with the Scarlet Knights. On Monday, Rutgers added another Big Ten transfer to the program with the addition of defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour. Dwumfour transfers to Rutgers from Michigan.

Schiano confirmed the latest addition to the program on his Twitter account.

Dwumfour will be a graduate transfer, so he will be eligible right away for Rutgers this upcoming season. Dwumfour played 33 games for the Wolverines, including 10 game sin 2019 with four starts. He will provide an instant upgrade to the Rutgers defensive line depth and should be thrown right into the mix for a starting job this fall.

Notably, Dwumfour is a New Jersey native. Schiano’s hiring at Rutgers has certainly had a bit of an initial impact in luring some of the state’s and regional recruits on the transfer market. Earlier this month, Rutgers welcomed Brooklyn, New York product and former Wisconsin wide receiver Aron Cruickshank (HERE).

Miami gets its QB with ex-Houston dual-threat D’Eriq King as grad transfer

Former Houston quarterback D'Eriq King is heading to Miami.
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By Kevin McGuireJan 20, 2020, 5:20 PM EST
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A day later, D’Eriq King is officially committed to the Miami Hurricanes. King brought his transfer process to a close on Monday afternoon with an announcement he is indeed committed to Miami. King shared the news with his followers on Twitter.

On Sunday, it was initially reported by Manny Navarro of The Athletic that King was scheduled to enroll and begin classes at Miami this week. Classes at Miami begin Tuesday. However, a quote of King relayed by a Houston-based media report shortly afterward quoted King as saying he had made no final decision and was still weighing some possible options. Other options were said to include Arkansas, LSU, and Maryland.

Miami was reported early on as a possible landing spot for King, along with Arkansas. Ole Miss had also been mentioned as an option early on. King initially started his transfer process by opting to redshirt the remainder of the 2019 season after a rough start to the year for the Cougars. He said at the time he had every intent on returning to the program in 2020, but his sudden announcement during the national championship game last week made it evident he was moving on. And now, of course, he has.

King appeared in just four games for Houston last season. In those four games, King passed for 663 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback also rushed for 313 yards and six touchdowns before redshirting the remainder of the 2019 season. In 11 game sin 2018, King passed for 2,982 yards and 36 touchdowns and rushed for 674 yards and 14 touchdowns. King is certainly a quality talent that will add to the Miami offense and inject some new life into the program. With the right help around him, King could help make Miami an ACC Coastal contender in 2020.

King will be eligible for Miami in 2020 as a graduate transfer.

Maryland RB Lorenzo Harrison III medically retires from football

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By Kevin McGuireJan 20, 2020, 4:28 PM EST
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Maryland running back Lorenzo Harrison III announced he is medically retiring from football. In a statement shared on his Twitter account on Monday afternoon, Harrison cited his history with knee trouble as a reason he is stepping away from playing football moving forward.

“[During] the last game I competed in, I suffered a severe knee injury,” Harrison explained. “Due to those circumstances which are far out of my control, I believe it is in my best interest to convert my focus from ball to the next great thing God has in store for me. With that being said, I am medically retiring from the game that has given me everything I could ever ask for.”

The last game Harrison played was on Sept. 27, 2019 at home against Penn State. In Maryland’s 59-0 loss to the Nittany Lions, Harrison had one rushing attempt for an eight-yard gain. It is in that game Harrison says his knee injury was suffered.

Harrison’s final two seasons in a Maryland uniform saw injuries get in the way of keeping him on the field and a part of the offense. Harrison rushed for 633 yards in 2017 and 622 yards in 2018 before being held to just 84 yards in 2018 and 70 yards in 2019 in a combined total of five games the last two years.

Report: Graham Harrell expected to stay at USC after interviewing for NFL job

USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is expected to remain with the Trojans after interviewing with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
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By Kevin McGuireJan 20, 2020, 4:07 PM EST
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USC head coach Clay Helton may not have to worry about finding a new offensive coordinator for the second striaght offseason. USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell is expected to stay with the Trojans after interviewing for a job in the NFL, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (via Twitter).

It was reported last week the Philadelphia Eagles were set to interview Harrell about their vacancy at offensive coordinator. Whether the Eagles or Harrell decided the fit wasn’t right is unknown at this time, but it is good news for USC either way.

Last year, USC lost offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to a head coaching opportunity with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Kingsbury’s stay in USC was brief, as he took the job as an offensive coordinator after being let go as head coach at Texas Tech earlier in the offseason. USC replaced Kingsbury with the hiring of Harell from North Texas. Last month, USC locked in Harrell to a multi-year extension in hopes of keeping Harrell from accepting any other position with another program. Texas reportedly had been interested in adding Harrell to its coaching staff in Austin.