The 2023 edition of March Madness wrapped up on Monday night, as the UConn men's basketball team took home their fifth national title in school history.
But while one of college sports' most exciting three weeks of the year was happening, there was still college football news going on. Although there wasn't a ton of big news across the college football landscape, we're here to catch you up on anything you may have missed while you were watching basketball.
Let's run through the biggest college football stories you may have missed during March Madness.
Several Big-Name Recruiting Prospects Announced Verbal Commitments
High school football recruiting is a 365-day job. So it's not surprising that during March Madness, a few big-name prospects announced verbal commitments.
On March 31, 5-star quarterback Jadyn Davis verbally committed to Michigan. The announcement came just a couple of weeks after he took an official visit to Ann Arbor. Davis, out of Charlotte, North Carolina, is the No. 4 quarterback prospect in the class of 2024. Michigan also landed 4-star running back Jordan Marshall to its 2024 class. The Wolverines beat out Ohio State, who was also recruiting Ohio's No. 3 ranked prospect.
Another 5-star, tight end Duce Robinson, verbally committed to the USC Trojans, 2023 class on March 30. The Phoenix, Arizona prospect is the nation's No. 1 tight end in his class, and the top-ranked prospect out of Arizona. Robinson committed to USC despite previous predictions that had him landing with Georgia.
Tennessee also landed a quarterback to its 2024 recruiting class. Four-star signal-caller Jake Merklinger verbally committed to the Vols on March 30. Merklinger, out of Savannah, Georgia, is the No. 5 ranked quarterback in the 2024 class, and the No. 9 overall prospect out of his home state of Georgia.
Florida State Will Open its 2024 Season in Ireland Against Georgia Tech
On Wednesday, March 15, Florida State announced that it would be opening its 2024 season against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. The game will mark an extension of the College Football Classic, which is played in Aviva Stadium in Dublin. 2023's matchup will feature Notre Dame and Navy on Aug. 26.
College football being played in Ireland is nothing new. As a matter of fact, college football has been played in Ireland quite a few times. 2024's matchup between the Noles and Yellowjackets will mark the sixth time in the last 12 years that college football teams have played in Dublin. In 2022, Northwestern beat Nebraska 31-28, and Georgia Tech beat Boston College 17-14 in 2016.
"I am so excited for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, administration and fans for this opportunity," Noles head coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. "When this idea was first presented to me, I was immediately intrigued by a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the people in our program. The way the 2024 season lays out with a third open date, the trip made sense from a football perspective as well.