Former Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne is headed for his fourth Division I school; he told ESPN that he has committed to Bowling Green.
Pyne is 9-3 as a starter over his three previous stops. He started his career at Notre Dame (2020-22) then transferred to Arizona State (2023) before playing at Missouri last year. He returned to Notre Dame for a semester after ASU in order to graduate from the school.
Pyne took a visit over the weekend to Bowling Green and said he has been impressed with new coach Eddie George and the spread offense run by new offensive coordinator Travis Partridge.
“The opportunity to go play for Eddie George, a returning offensive line that’s strong and experienced,” Pyne said. “And a team that’s very good, played in three straight bowl games and can compete for a championship.”
The 24-year-old has two seasons of eligibility remaining. There should be a strong opportunity for him to earn the starting job at Bowling Green, as quarterback Justin Lamson left for Montana State soon after coach Scot Loeffler’s departure for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pyne said he’s excited about Bowling Green’s style of offense. George and Partridge had a productive spread style coaching at Tennessee State last year. Tennessee State starting quarterback Draylen Ellis finished in the top 15 in the FCS in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Pyne noted that Bowling Green played both Penn State and Texas A&M to one-score games last year on its way to a 7-6 season.
“The sell was the team is very gritty, works hard and wants to win games,” he said.
Pyne can’t jump into spring ball, as he already played in the spring at Missouri. He’ll enroll on May 18.
Pyne went 8-2 as a starter at Notre Dame, arriving there as an ESPN 300 recruit. He went to ASU for a year, where he emerged as the favorite to start in camp, but his season got derailed by injuries. He started just one game there, a loss to USC.
Pyne won his lone start at Missouri, throwing the game-tying touchdown pass to Theo Wease Jr. in the final two minutes. Pyne went 14-for-27 for 143 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
When asked what he has learned over his journey, Pyne said: “To persevere and never give up. I’ve never been scared of competition. I’ve always wanted to play ball and lead guys. What I’ve learned is that I love being able to get a group of guys and lead them.”
Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone entered the NCAA transfer portal Friday, sources told ESPN.
Stone, a former five-star recruit and the No. 6 overall player in the ESPN 300 for the 2024 class, made the surprising decision to enter the portal after playing in all 13 games as a true freshman with the Sooners. The 6-foot-3 313-pounder saw limited playing time, playing 88 snaps and recording 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
Stone was expected to compete for a more significant role as a sophomore, and Oklahoma coach Brent Venables recently praised him as the Sooners’ most improved defensive tackle this offseason.
The Oklahoma native finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida and was a significant recruiting victory for Venables and his coaching staff in August 2023. Stone chose the Sooners over Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida, Miami and Michigan State.
The SEC does not grant immediate eligibility to players who transfer within the conference during the spring transfer window, so Stone would need to sit out the 2025 season if he moves on to another SEC program.
Oklahoma returns its top three defensive tackles from 2024 in Damonic Williams, Gracen Halton and Jayden Jackson. It also added Trent Wilson, the No. 164 recruit in the ESPN 300 for 2025, as an early enrollee this spring.
Browne committed to rejoining the Boilermakers on Friday after entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt sophomore started two games for Purdue in 2024 but moved on amid the program’s head coaching change and went through spring practice under new Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick.
North Carolina landed a commitment from South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez on Thursday.
Browne and freshman Bryce Baker were North Carolina’s lone scholarship quarterbacks available for spring practice and were competing with three walk-ons while sixth-year senior Max Johnson recovers from a broken leg.
Browne threw for 636 yards, rushed for 240 yards and scored four touchdowns while appearing in nine games as Hudson Card’s backup over the past two seasons at Purdue, earning starts in losses to Illinois and Oregon.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood showed glimpses of the growing pains he will experience as a freshman and flashes of the promise that made him the nation’s top-rated high school football recruit in the Wolverines’ spring game Saturday.
Underwood was 12 of 26 for 187 yards with a scrimmage-ending, 88-yard pass to tight end Jalen Hoffman on a reverse flea-flicker in a 17-0 win for the Blue over the Maize.
He also recovered his fumble, had a pair of delay-of-game penalties, several errant throws – high and wide – and some dropped. Underwood lost 12 yards on two sacks and gained 17 yards on three runs.
“He did well,” coach Sherrone Moore said. “Made some really, good throws and had some things we need to clean up and get better at.”
As the Wolverines wrapped up spring football in front of about 40,000 fans at the Big House, all eyes were on Underwood and he has become comfortable with that.
“It’s just the pressure that came with my arm,” Underwood told The Detroit News earlier this spring. “I can’t stop that.”
Underwood was sacked on his first snap and his first completion went for a loss. He did throw some darts, usually in the flat, and was quick enough to escape collapsed pockets to pick up yardage with his feet.
Underwood is expected to compete with sophomore Jadyn Davis and Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene for playing time ahead of the season-opening game on Aug. 30 at home against Fresno State.
“It’s a battle,” Moore said. “It’s going to go all the way to fall camp.”
Underwood is motivated to start and kick off a legacy-building career with lofty goals.
“A couple of Heismans and at least one natty,” Underwood said last month in an interview on the Rich Eisen Show.
Underwood knows there will be people doubting he can live up to the hype.
‘He’s just a freshman. He won’t be good enough,'” Underwood said. “I might keep that chip my whole three years.”
He attended at Belleville High School, which is about 15 miles east of Ann Arbor, and flipped his commitment to Michigan after telling LSU coaches last year he intended to play there.
Tom Brady, a former Wolverine and seven-time Super Bowl winner, talked with Underwood during the school’s recruitment via FaceTime and Oracle founder Larry Ellison, one of the world’s richest people, also connected with him.
Jay Underwood told the Wall Street Journal that his son is expected to make more than $15 million at Michigan, but that doesn’t guarantee he will take the first snap next fall.
“He wants to earn everything,” Moore has said. “He doesn’t want to be given anything.”
Hoffman said Underwood has simply blended in with his teammates.
“He’s really humble, like not a big head, ego, nothing like that,” he said. “Comes into work and every day, he wants to get better every day. He’s not riding off his success in high school. He’s really trying to be one of those top players in college football.”
Underwood participated in practices with the team before it beat Alabama in a bowl game, enrolled in classes in January and gained a lot experience in 14 private practices before a public scrimmage.
“Football is football,” he told MLive.com. “School is a little bit more overwhelming now.”