COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State‘s national championship football team will have some extra jewelry to show off on its visit to the White House on Monday.

The Buckeyes received three rings between the first and second quarter of Saturday’s spring game at Ohio Stadium.

“It’s a surreal moment. I love this place,” said defensive lineman Jack Sawyer, one of the team captains.

Players and coaches from the 2024 championship team received a ring for making the College Football Playoff, one from the CFP for winning it, and a championship ring from Ohio State.

Ohio State’s seniors — many of whom are preparing for the NFL draft in less than two weeks — showed off their rings during a ceremony at the 50-yard line.

“They’re champions. So yeah, it puts a smile on your face when you see it,” coach Ryan Day said after the spring game.

The top of the national championship ring opens and shows the scores of Ohio State’s four CFP games, with the 34-23 victory over Notre Dame at the top. Enclosed inside the ring are pieces of the confetti that dropped at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta after Ohio State won the game. The confetti is floating over a replica of the field.

All three rings also have Day’s mantra from the season of “Leave no doubt.” On the inside of the rings is a cross, signifying the team’s message and relying on its faith during the season.

“It makes it feel real. Been a long time coming for these rings but a combination of a lot of hard work, sacrifice and love when I see them,” quarterback Will Howard said.

Day originally planned not to have a spring game, considering the Buckeyes were only two months removed from playing 16 games. He originally planned on having an open practice with limited game action, but with the opener being against Texas on Aug. 30, Day reversed course.

“I’m glad we did the spring game. I wish we could have stayed out there for another four hours and get these reps and get these guys some work,” Day said. “We know who our first opponent is, so we know we have to hit the ground running. There isn’t much margin for error.”

Tennessee is moving on from starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, sources told ESPN, in the wake of his decision to not attend practice on Friday amid NIL contract discussions with the school.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel informed the team at meetings Saturday morning. Tennessee plays its spring game Saturday afternoon. Sources said Iamaleava missing practice Friday proved to be the tipping point.

The standoff between the two sides stemmed from Iamaleava’s contract, and the school decided to cut ties after those talks emerged publicly this week and Iamaleava subsequently skipped practice.

Iamaleava just completed his redshirt freshman season, which means he would have three seasons remaining at his next destination. The spring transfer portal opens Wednesday, and he is expected to be the most notable player available.

Iamaleava showed promise his first year as a starter, leading Tennessee to the College Football Playoff and a 10-3 season. He threw for 2,616 yards, 19 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He completed 63.8% of his passes.

The Vols’ offense finished No. 9 in the 16-team SEC in scoring offense last year in league play, and he was the league’s No. 10 quarterback in passing yards per game (200.6).

The move puts both Tennessee and Iamaleava in difficult situations heading into the 2025 season. Iamaleava’s departure leaves Tennessee with just two scholarship quarterbacks, neither of whom has started a college game, so there are going to be inevitable additions.

One factor looming over both sides is that SEC rules prohibit transferring within the conference in the spring if the player desires immediate eligibility. That means Iamaleava can’t go to an SEC school and no quarterback on an SEC roster can go to Tennessee if they hope to play in 2025.

Per ESPN sources, officials from Tennessee’s collective have already begun reaching out to third parties tied to potential Iamaleava replacements for 2025.

With Iamaleava’s future uncertain, collective officials began to make calls Friday to see what the potential market could look like. One quarterback got more money from his school Friday after Tennessee’s collective called third-party officials tied to him, a source told ESPN.

This move puts redshirt freshman backup quarterback Jake Merklinger in the driver’s seat to be Tennessee’s starter next year. It’s difficult, though not impossible, for a college quarterback to come in, learn the offense and win the starting job in summer camp. True freshman George MacIntyre is the backup, and Tennessee has a top-10 recruit in the Class of 2026, Faizon Brandon, committed. He is a five-star who is ESPN’s No. 3 overall quarterback.

The market for Iamaleava will be a fascinating one, especially if he’s seeking the same amount of money (in the mid-$2 million range). While there is available money in the system the next few months before the era of revenue share is codified, it’s difficult for a program to bring in a quarterback transfer with high-priced NIL demands in the late spring portal.

It not only is potentially disruptive for the current quarterback room, but it also could disrupt the locker room. Also, many schools have their quarterback salaries structured for 2025.

The move to cut ties with Iamaleava has unfolded as classic tale of modern college football, as Iamaleava arrived at the school with a historic contract reported to be worth more than $8 million over the life of the deal.

He now leaves both Tennessee’s quarterback room and his own future shrouded in uncertainty.

Quarterback Brendan Sullivan, who started games midway through the 2024 season for Iowa, entered the transfer portal Friday.

In a social media post, Sullivan said he “loved and enjoyed every second” he spent with the Hawkeyes but opted to enter the portal in his “best interest.”

pic.twitter.com/cLT7A2G6qE

— Brendan Sullivan (@bsully02) April 12, 2025

Sullivan, who transferred to Iowa from Northwestern last spring, took over for Cade McNamara midway through a game against his former team and then started the next two games against Wisconsin and UCLA. After missing two games with an ankle injury, he returned to start the Hawkeyes’ 27-24 loss to Missouri in the Music City Bowl.

In January, Iowa added quarterback transfer Mark Gronowski, who won 49 games and an FCS national title at South Dakota State. Gronowski underwent offseason shoulder surgery and has not participated in the Hawkeyes’ spring practices. He told reporters Thursday that he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery and has started to throw passes with the goal of being 100% by June 1.

Iowa also added Hank Brown, a transfer from Auburn who made two starts in 2024.

A native of Davison, Michigan, Sullivan completed 38 of 53 passes for 475 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding 150 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Hawkeyes. He started games for Northwestern in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, recording 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, but transferred after falling behind Jack Lausch on the spring depth chart.

Sullivan redshirted in 2021 and has one year of eligibility left.

“Someone is gonna get a great dude and a hell of a competitor in Sully!” Iowa general manager Tyler Barnes posted on X.