Standout Virginia Tech corner Caleb Farley becomes second FBS player to opt out of 2020 season

By John TaylorJul 29, 2020, 4:49 PM EDT

Illinois can most certainly sympathize with the Virginia Tech football team.

It was reported earlier this week that Illinois’ Ra’Von Bonner was not going to play in 2020 due to what were described as personal reasons. The running back, an asthmatic, subsequently confirmed that he is sidelining himself over COVID-19 concerns.

Now, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com is reporting that Virginia Tech football player Caleb Farley is doing the same. The difference between Farley and Bonner? Bonner plans on returning to the college game. Farley, meanwhile, will spend the 2020 season training for the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Hokies defensive back is widely viewed as a likely first-round selection in the upcoming draft.

Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley, a projected first-round pick, is the first college player to opt out of the coming season, a source tells ESPN. Farley will spend the year training for the NFL draft. He has seen NFL players opt out and is uncomfortable with playing this year.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2020

Here is former Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley’a announcement that he is opting out of the college football season to train and turn pro, sent to ESPN: pic.twitter.com/5j4FmQvGKy

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2020

The loss for Virginia Tech football and its defense is a significant one.

As a redshirt sophomore last season, Farley led the ACC in passes defensed with 16 and was tied for second in the league with four interceptions. Following the regular season, he earned first-team all-conference honors.

A three-star 2017 signee, Farley missed his entire true freshman season due to injury.

Farley and Bonner are the first two known FBS players to opt out of the 2020 season. They will most certainly not be the last, especially for those, like Farley, have NFL draft aspirations.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.