After an awkwardly handled replay late in the first half of last weekend’s game between UConn and Syracuse, a longtime ACC official has quit his post over frustration with the way the review was handled, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Gary Patterson, who served as the head referee for Saturday’s matchup between the Huskies and the Orange and has worked as an official with the ACC since 2002, abruptly terminated his contract with the conference after the game.

The ACC confirmed Patterson’s departure from the conference’s roster of officials Friday but said that adjustments to officiating crews have already been made and that there will be no disruption to league officiating. Patterson had been scheduled to referee Saturday’s game between Pitt and West Virginia.

The sequence that reportedly led to Patterson’s departure began with 1:02 remaining in the half and UConn leading 14-3. Syracuse opened a drive at the Huskies’ 25-yard line, and on first down, quarterback Steve Angeli dropped back to pass. His arm was hit as he threw, and the ball went forward about 8 yards, landing on the turf.

The officials immediately ruled the pass incomplete. Syracuse then snapped the ball again with 58 seconds left on the clock, though about 25 seconds of real time passed between plays. The second-down throw was nearly intercepted before two UConn players collided and the pass fell incomplete, bringing up a third-and-10 with 53 seconds to go.

A flag was thrown after the play, however, and Patterson could be seen talking on his headset to the ACC’s command center for nearly 90 seconds before announcing that “replay had buzzed in prior to the previous play.”

Sources who have reviewed numerous camera angles of the sequence said there was no physical indication by any official on the field that they had been buzzed by the replay booth before the second-down snap. An ACC spokesperson said that officials were buzzed to initiate the review but that the timing was not ideal for it to be a seamless replay. The conference has addressed the handling of this sequence internally, the spokesperson said.

Officials reviewed the first-down play to see whether Angeli had fumbled, negating the second-down play, before ultimately upholding the original call of an incomplete pass.

Syracuse and UConn officials were told the referee had simply “not heard” the initial request from the replay booth before the second-down snap.

ESPN rules expert Bill LeMonnier, who has decades of experience as an official, said the series of events was uncharacteristic of how a replay would normally be handled.

“Let’s say they’re right up at the line, the ball’s being snapped, and the buzzers go off,” LeMonnier said. “It’s the referee’s discretion to shut the play down vs. saying it’s too late. It’s supposed to be in the referee’s hands.”

LeMonnier also said a flag thrown after the second-down play, which was presumably due to a high hit on Angeli by a UConn defender, was ignored, despite rules saying a personal foul would be enforced even during a dead ball period.

“The mistakes were completely created by either the replay booth or the command center,” LeMonnier said. “It’s not the fault of the officials on the field.”

Every play is subject to review. When officials are buzzed to begin the process, they get on the headset with the replay booth in the stadium and the ACC command center and the review is initiated.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation said the directive came from the ACC command center.

One source said Patterson was upset at the ACC’s interference in forcing a replay after the next play had already occurred, instigating his resignation. Patterson did not respond to requests by ESPN for comment.

After the second-down incompletion was wiped out, Syracuse went 61 yards on its next seven plays and kicked a field goal as time expired in the half. The Orange went on to win the game 27-20 in overtime.

For select games this season, the ACC has allowed cameras and audio access to the review process, offering transparency into the discussions between on-field officials and replay officials at the command center. Last week’s game between UConn and Syracuse, however, was not among those with command center coverage.

The Backyard Brawl is set to continue until at least 2036 after Pitt and West Virginia agreed to an extension of the series.

The two schools will face off Saturday for the 108th time in their history before taking a three-year break. The series will begin again in 2029 and be played each year thereafter until 2036.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled for what this means for both Pitt and West Virginia,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “But this goes far beyond four more games and the 75 miles separating us. This paves the way for future Panthers to carry on the history of this rivalry, while current ones get to forge new legacies for years to come. This extension isn’t just for Pitt and West Virginia, but for college football fans everywhere.”

The rivalry dates back to 1895, but it was interrupted after the 2011 meeting when West Virginia departed the Big East for the Big 12. Pitt joined the ACC a year later. The Brawl disappeared for 10 years until it was reignited as a nonconference matchup in 2022. Pitt holds an all-time edge, 63-41-3, and has won two of the past three.

The two schools had already scheduled games from 2029 through 2032 before Friday’s announcement of an extension.

West Virginia, which hosts Saturday’s showdown, will also welcome the Panthers in 2030, 2032, 2034 and 2036. Pitt will host the game in 2029, 2031, 2033 and 2035

Narduzzi was critical of West Virginia earlier this week, suggesting the Mountaineers could have added Pitt in 2026, too, after a home-and-home series against Alabama was shelved. Instead, the Mountaineers will face Coastal Carolina next season.

“I think our athletic director has reached out to them, and they already got it filled up, which means maybe they didn’t want to play us,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t know. They filled it up. I know if we knew that was going to happen, that would be our first call. Whatever. Can’t do anything about it. Stay in my lane.”

Narduzzi told ESPN earlier this week that “nobody’s chicken” and he may have gotten bad information but that he is eager to keep the rivalry alive, adding Pitt will “take Penn State, too” — referring to another heated rivalry that’s been played just four times since 2000.

College football programs are spending more money on their rosters than ever before entering 2025. Throughout the December and April portal windows, some splurged on six- and seven-figure deals with players available in the transfer portal whom they hoped could be difference-makers.

Entering Week 3, the return on investment is already showing up in a massive way. The national leaderboards for total offense, rushing, receiving, tackles and sacks are full of transfer newcomers who are starting and thriving at their new schools.

Here’s a ranking of the 10 most impactful transfer portal pickups so far this season and how they got where they are today.

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The level of hype Mateer had to live up to entering the 2025 season was borderline unfair. The Baker Mayfield comparisons began as soon as the Sooners started recruiting him. He and his offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle came in from Washington State, where they achieved a top-10 scoring offense in 2024, and were expected to instantly fix the worst Oklahoma offense since 1998 and totally flip the Sooners’ fortunes in the SEC.

Two games in, it sure looks as if they’re going to do it.

Oklahoma’s 24-13 triumph over No. 15 Michigan last Saturday was by no means a perfect performance, but it showcased the Sooners’ new QB1 and his ability to make magic happen. Mateer threw for 270 yards, rushed for 74, scored three times and filled up the highlight reel with his playmaking ability.

🔄 » 🎯@John_Mateer4 | ABC https://t.co/ScnrAujuXS pic.twitter.com/EOHBuLEGzl

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 7, 2025

“He’s an electric quarterback now,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “He’s a gunslinger.”

Mateer ranks sixth in total offense with 760 yards and seven TDs, has the fifth-most completions of 20-plus yards (12) in FBS and already has the second-best Heisman odds (+900), according to ESPN BET. We’re seeing growth week after week. Mateer has been a 77% passer inside the pocket so far this season, per ESPN Research, a big step up from 68% last season. But when he needs to escape pressure and be creative, it’s thrilling to watch.

There’s a reason why Mateer was No. 1 in our ranking of the top 100 transfers in college football. The redshirt junior has the potential to be an absolute game-changer for an Oklahoma program rallying from a 6-7 season in 2024. The No. 13 Sooners are about to play an absurdly tough schedule — all eight of their SEC opponents are currently ranked — but Mateer is inspiring hope this team can be a serious contender in the SEC title race.

Castellanos talked a big game this summer when it came to the Seminoles’ Week 1 game with Alabama. “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them,” he told On3. “I just don’t see them stopping me.” It turns out, he was right.

The speedy 5-foot-11 senior was as poised as it gets during a 31-17 stunner of then-No. 8 Alabama, producing 152 passing yards, 86 rushing yards (excluding a sack) and one rushing score to power an upset that practically nobody else expected.

Nine months after he was benched at Boston College and left the team in mid-November, Castellanos’ fortunes have dramatically changed. He got away from a bad fit with coach Bill O’Brien at BC by reuniting with his former UCF coach Gus Malzahan — now the offensive coordinator in Tallahassee. For a squad attempting to rebound from arguably the worst season in program history, Castellanos has brought a much-needed injection of confidence. That’s why he said what he said about Alabama over the summer. He was trying to get his teammates, who just went through a 2-10 season, to start believing again.

Castellanos masterfully executed Malzahn’s run-heavy plan for attacking the Crimson Tide defense, didn’t turn it over once and led a crucial 75-yard touchdown drive after the Tide cut it to a one-score deficit in the fourth quarter. Lots of newcomers stood out for Florida State, but none more so than their QB1.

Castellanos followed that up with an extremely efficient performance against East Texas A&M in Week 2, throwing for 237 yards and three TDs on 8-of-11 passing in a quarter and a half of action during a 77-3 blowout. He currently ranks seventh in FBS in QBR (88.9). In his postgame interview on ESPN after beating Bama, as he was mobbed by Seminoles fans rushing the field, Castellanos expressed his gratitude for where he’d ended up.

“They could’ve chosen a lot of guys out of the portal,” he said. “They chose me. They believed in me. I’m just thankful to be here.”

Arnold absolutely needed a fresh start and a clean slate by the end of his first season as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback. He played in an offense that lost all of its top receivers to injuries, fired its OC after seven games and gave up an FBS-high 50 sacks. He was benched during his first SEC start, was a backup for a month and was then brought back in to start. It would be extremely difficult for any QB to build confidence and play with consistency under those conditions.

When it became obvious Oklahoma was hiring Arbuckle and targeting Mateer, Arnold hit the portal and jumped at the opportunity to play for Hugh Freeze at Auburn.

“I’m obviously super appreciative of Coach Freeze bringing me in and really just believing in me when other people wouldn’t,” Arnold said last week.

Freeze has entrusted the QB with his offense, but Arnold is proving he can bring valuable versatility and attack what a defense gives him. His career-high 137 rushing yards and two rushing scores powered the Tigers’ 38-24 road win at Baylor. He got his talented receivers more involved during a 42-3 win over Ball State in Week 2, hitting 24 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three TDs.

Jackson Arnold takes it in himself for a TD 🔥@AuburnFootball pic.twitter.com/5iWfKWwNvg

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2025

Arnold currently ranks eighth in QBR (87.5), has forced the most missed tackles (13) among Power 4 QBs and hasn’t turned it over once in two games. Next week, he’s going back to Norman for a much-anticipated showdown with the Sooners to begin SEC play.

Beck transferring from Georgia to Miami in January was a decision that made a ton of sense for both sides. The Hurricanes got a gifted passer and proven two-year starter to take over for NFL draft No. 1 pick Cam Ward. Beck got a fresh start after an up-and-down junior season at Georgia, a chance to play his way back into first-round status after his elbow injury and remains one of the highest-paid players in college football.

But don’t underestimate Beck’s goals beyond individual ambition: He came to Miami to win big, to lift up the players around him and lead the program to the College Football Playoff. So far, he has been everything the Hurricanes needed.

Beck is healthy, highly motivated and back to playing his best ball. He has thrown for 472 yards on 78% passing (sixth best in FBS) with four TDs, zero turnovers and the fifth-best QBR (89.3) in the country through two games.

The big-game experience that Beck earned at Georgia showed up against No. 6 Notre Dame in the season opener as he led a go-ahead drive in the final minutes and notched his sixth victory over a top-10 opponent in his career. He started a blowout win over Bethune-Cookman with a school-record 15 consecutive completions and improved his record as a starter to 26-3.

🎯🔥

📺: ACCNX pic.twitter.com/zjEm5DV1mC

— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) September 6, 2025

There are plenty more big challenges ahead for the No. 5-ranked Hurricanes, but their new QB1 has already proved plenty to coach Mario Cristobal.

“He keeps getting better and better,” Cristobal said. “Every practice, every week, there’s just continued growth and development and, really, you see a growth in the appetite for more. He just wants to get better. He wants Miami to get better. He wants Miami to win and he’s all about team.”

Coach Eli Drinkwitz had a lot of experienced starting QBs to choose from in the December transfer portal window, but he and his staff prioritized the inexperienced Pribula. The redshirt junior came in with zero career starts after spending the past two seasons backing up Drew Allar at Penn State, and he had to win the job in fall camp and prove he was ready to lead this Missouri team.

So far, he sure looks ready. Pribula put together a career-best day against Kansas on Saturday, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-31 comeback victory. Down by three in the fourth quarter, Pribula led a 12-play, 75-yard drive with two fourth-down conversions and hit Brett Norfleet for a 27-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 to take the lead.

Last season, Pribula was dangerous in run packages in Andy Kotelnicki’s Penn State offense, gaining 242 yards on 6.4 yards per carry. He’s still making plays with his legs and rushed for 65 yards in his debut against Central Arkansas, but now he’s finally getting a chance to prove he can sling it and has the best completion percentage in the SEC at 79.1%.

He’s playing with a ton of confidence, and the Tigers did a good job of adding quality playmakers around him via the portal in running back Ahmad Hardy (UL Monroe), the SEC’s second-leading rusher, and top receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (Mississippi State).

Haynes, a former top-25 recruit, spent two seasons at Alabama and couldn’t quite break through as a featured back while sharing carries with Jam Miller and others in a run game that was heavily dependent on quarterback Jalen Milroe. In fact, he earned double-digit carries in only one of his 25 career games with the Crimson Tide.

He’s off to an explosive start through two games at Michigan, rushing for 284 yards and four touchdowns on 8.1 yards per carry. In his season debut, he put up a career-high 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns against New Mexico in a performance that Michigan coach Sherrone Moore called “pretty electric.”

Haynes followed that up with a career-best 19 carries against Oklahoma and burned the Sooners with a 75-yard breakaway run on the first play of the second half.

⚡️ on the first play of the half! pic.twitter.com/CEViDSTH17

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) September 7, 2025

Haynes is now the fourth-leading rusher in FBS, and he’s leading all backs with three carries of 50 or more yards on the season.

Delane could’ve gone pro after his junior season at Virginia Tech and would be on an NFL roster today. In fact, LSU coach Brian Kelly says Delane had the highest draft grade of any cornerback available in the portal this offseason.

But he bet on himself, believing one more big season on a bigger stage could dramatically boost his draft stock. LSU made Delane a major priority in its quest to build the top portal class in the country. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker pointed to how his defense helped Ennis Rakestraw Jr. become a second-round pick and helped Kris Abrams-Draine become an All-American at Missouri in 2023. For Delane, it was easy to say yes.

“I see the schedule, I see the platform, and it didn’t take too much convincing,” Delane said. “I was like, ‘This is all I need.’ I just needed an opportunity to show the world what I can do.”

Delane made himself a lot of money with his Week 1 debut against Clemson, earned a game ball and even picked up Bednarik Player of the Week honors. The third-year starter gave up two catches on 10 targets, broke up two passes and grabbed a third-quarter interception off Cade Klubnik in a 17-10 road victory. Delane excelled in press-man coverage and helped lock down Clemson receiver T.J. Moore in the second half. Delane doesn’t have the rare size of LSU’s 6-foot-5 freshman phenom DJ Pickett, but his experience absolutely showed up in a big-time test.

“This ain’t the goal,” Delane told his new team in the locker room after receiving his game ball. “The goal is the national championship.”

First Game as a Tiger ✔️
First Game Ball ✔️

What a performance by Mansoor Delane pic.twitter.com/lIiUdfC1aV

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 31, 2025

Lacy chose Missouri over Ole Miss and Alabama in December 2023. He ranked fourth among Missouri’s running backs in carries as a freshman, turning 23 attempts into 104 yards. Drinkwitz wanted to get Lacy more carries in November and did play him in six games, but a solid role never materialized.

Lacy entered the transfer portal on Dec. 16 and signed with Ole Miss on the same day.

“In this age and this setup and the two [transfer] windows and just how it is, there might be some instances it’s better to be second place coming out,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. “Someone else pays him Year 1, they don’t play as much and then they come to you Year 2. It’s just kind of part of the system we live in.”

Lacy was exactly what the Rebels needed. The SEC’s leading rusher has put up 246 rushing yards and four TDs with back-to-back 100-yard games, and his 21 forced missed tackles rank third most among FBS backs, according to ESPN Research. He turned a career-high 28 carries into 138 yards to beat Kentucky on Saturday.

Kiffin loves Lacy’s blend of physical running, exceptional change of direction and track speed and felt as if his team didn’t have that in 2024. He’s a 210-pound back who has already hit a max speed of 21 mph on his 42-yard rushing TD against Georgia State, according to data powered by Teamworks.

KEWAN LACY BREAKS FREE!

He has THREE touchdowns tonight 🔥@OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/EDJ30330gC

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) August 31, 2025

The Aggies pulled off a big-time pickup at wide receiver this offseason with the arrival of NC State transfer KC Concepcion, but don’t sleep on Craver and the immediate impact he’s having in College Station.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pound playmaker flashed his potential as a true freshman at Mississippi State last season with 225 receiving yards on just 11 catches over his first four games against SEC defenses, including a touchdown against Texas A&M. Craver missed most of the second half of the season because of injury and then a suspension, but he’d put enough on tape to be coveted by SEC personnel departments.

“If you ask any of our corners, he was the toughest cover that we had last year,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said this spring.

Craver has been instant offense for Texas A&M through two games, totaling 236 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 13 receptions with back-to-back 100-yard performances. The slot receiver leads all Power 4 wideouts with 138 yards after catch, per ESPN Research, and ranks second in the SEC in receiving. Concepcion is excelling early, too, with three receiving touchdowns plus a punt return TD.

This is a position group Texas A&M needed to get right for 2025, and they struck gold with both pickups. That difference should show up Saturday night against Notre Dame. Last season, A&M’s wide receivers combined for 69 receiving yards against the Fighting Irish. The Aggies are working with difference-makers now.

Lubin worked hard to get to this level and is proving he can play with the best. He began his career at Army in 2022 but said he felt it wasn’t the right fit and moved on to Iowa Western Community College, where he recorded 23.5 tackles for loss and earned NJCAA All-American honors. Last season, he was a first-team All-Sun Belt performer at Coastal Carolina with 9.5 sacks and the best pressure rate (17.2%) among all defenders in the conference, per ESPN Research.

There were some concerns during Lubin’s portal recruitment about his size, but the 6-foot-3, 250-pound edge rusher plays with a motor and nonstop effort level that Louisville co-DC and defensive line coach Mark Hagen compared to the Energizer Bunny during fall camp. He’s off to another disruptive start through two games with the Cardinals. Lubin is currently tied for second in FBS with 3.5 sacks and delivered a game-changer last week against James Madison.

Early in the fourth quarter of a 14-14 fight, Lubin easily won his matchup on a third-and-10 and slammed James Madison QB Alonza Barnett III down in the end zone for a strip sack that the Cardinals recovered to take the lead in an eventual win.

Clev forced it. AJ recovered it.

TOUCHDOWN CARDS!

📺 ESPN2#GoCards pic.twitter.com/WiYmNvPD6F

— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) September 6, 2025

Lubin is generating pressure on 23% of his edge rushes this season, according to ESPN Research. His track record certainly suggests he’ll keep adapting and disrupting when the Cardinals get into ACC play.