QB Myles Brennan says he’s returning to LSU for final season

Associated PressDec 18, 2021, 11:32 AM EST

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

BATON ROUGE, La. — Fifth-year senior quarterback Myles Brennan has decided to exit the transfer portal and return to LSU under new head coach Brian Kelly.

Brennan announced his decision with a social media post on Thursday morning, about a week after 2021 LSU starting quarterback Max Johnson announced his intention to transfer out.

“There’s no place like home,” Brennan wrote. “Let’s ride tiger nation!”

Brennan started three games in 2020, throwing for 1,112 and 11 TDs against three interceptions, before a core injury ended his season.

He entered August camp competing with Johnson to start this season, but a non-football injury took him out of contention and he wound up not playing a single snap during the regular season before announcing in November he intended to transfer.

Brennan’s return means that in his final year of college eligibility he’ll be competing for snaps against current freshman Garrett Nussmeier and coveted recruit Walker Howard, who formally signed on Wednesday and will be a freshman next season.

Which QB starts next season will be up to Kelly, who coached Notre Dame to a 11-1 record this season before LSU lured him away from the Irish with a 10-year contract worth about $100 million. Kelly replaced Ed Orgeron, who agreed in October to step down after this season.

After finishing the 2021 regular season at 6-6, LSU received a bid to the Texas Bowl against Kansas State on Jan. 4.

It remains unclear who will play quarterback in that game. Nussmeier, who saw action as a reserve in four games this season, would be the most logical choice but for the fact that he could retain four full years of NCAA eligibility if he didn’t play anymore this season. Barring some sort of exception granted by the NCAA, Nussmeier would use up his freshman eligibility by playing in fifth game this season.

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.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.