CFB notebook: Alabama C Kennedy transferring to Tennessee

Alabama center Brandon Kennedy is headed to Tennessee as a graduate transfer, multiple outlets reported Friday. Kennedy will be eligible to play immediately for the Volunteers thanks to a new rule implemented by the SEC that allows graduate transfers to play right away for their new schools. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban earlier tried to block the in-conference transfer of Kennedy but said at the time he was only following league rules. The new rule was enacted June 1. The 6-foot-3, 301-pound Kennedy was a top backup on defending national champion Alabama's offensive line. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Kennedy was limited to three games in 2017 before sustaining a season-ending foot injury. He is expected to compete for a starting job at center or guard for Tennessee. --Wake Forest quarterback Kendall Hinton and tight end Thomas Cole each were suspended for the first three games of the season due to unspecified team rules violations, multiple outlets reported. Both players will be eligible to return for the Demon Deacons' matchup against Notre Dame on Sept. 22. "Kendall and Thomas made poor decisions and they take responsibility for their actions," Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said in a statement released by the school. "There are consequences to those decisions and we hope that they will each learn from this and continue to grow and mature." Hinton was expected to open the season as the starter but will sit out games against Tulane, Towson and Boston College. Sophomore Jamie Newman and freshman Sam Hartman are the top candidates to replace Hinton. A redshirt junior, the 6-foot, 195-pound Hinton has appeared in 17 games over three seasons, including four starts. He has passed for 1,502 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Cole appeared in three games last season. The redshirt sophomore is vying to land the backup job to starting tight end Jack Freudenthal. --Wide receiver Quan Shorts was kicked off the Texas Tech football team after police in Lubbock, Texas, arrested him on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. A Lubbock Police Department statement said officers were at an apartment complex as part of an ongoing investigation on Thursday afternoon when the 21-year-old Shorts was arrested. Details of the arrest have not been disclosed. Shorts was in Lubbock County Jail, where records listed no attorney for him. About two hours after the arrest, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury announced that Shorts had been dismissed from the team and a statement said the university would have no further comment. --Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder praised football coach Mike Gundy in an interview but said he would like to see Gundy be a better recruiter. Holder made the comments while appearing on the Pistols Firing podcast earlier this week. "He's really matured into a difference-maker as a coach," Holder said. "I would approach recruiting a little differently than he does. I'd want to finish higher in those recruiting rankings than we consistently do. I think that ultimately puts a ceiling on what you're able to achieve." Gundy, a former Oklahoma State quarterback, has a 114-53 record in 13 seasons and is the Cowboys' career leader in coaching victories. Oklahoma State's 2018 recruiting class was ranked 32nd in ESPN's national rankings. Previous Cowboys classes ranked 35th, 46th, 34th, 28th and 27th. Gundy has coached the Cowboys to three consecutive seasons with at least 10 victories, six 10-win seasons in the last eight years and six AP top-20 finishes since 2010. Gundy was the Big 12 Conference's Coach of the Year in 2010 and was selected Eddie Robinson national Coach of the Year in 2011, when Oklahoma State went 12-1 and finished No. 3 in the nation. "At the end of the day, (mega-booster) Boone Pickens, Mike Holder and Mike Gundy all want the same thing," Holder said. "We may not always agree on the best course to get there, but at the end of the day, Boone Pickens and I have always deferred to Mike Gundy because he's the guy in charge. "He's the one that will have the wins and losses next to his name in the record book, and that deserves autonomy over how you run your football program. "I would just say, 'Mike, you've got to change your thinking on recruiting a little bit.' That would be all." Pickens is an Oklahoma State alum and donor, and the Cowboys play in Boone Pickens Stadium. Holder played golf at Oklahoma State and served as men's golf coach from 1973 to 2005, when he became athletic director.