As the college football season reaches its midway point, plenty of playoff contenders suddenly find themselves dealing with season-ending injuries to notable players.
Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison, Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili and Texas defensive back Derrick Williams are out for the rest of the season, their coaches announced Monday. Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons also has an injury that puts his availability for the rest of the season in doubt.
All went down as part of a brutal weekend that included Florida quarterback Graham Mertz and Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton suffering season-ending injuries and Utah quarterback Cam Rising hurting his lower leg severely enough to keep him for the rest of the season.
Mertz and Pili both got injured in No. 11 Tennessee’s 23-17 overtime victory over Florida. Pili’s ACL injury leaves the Volunteers without one of their team captains as they prepare to host No. 7 Alabama on Saturday.
Pili’s college career is over. He is 26 and transferred to Tennessee from BYU. He suffered a season-ending triceps injury to start the 2023 season and has used not one but two medical redshirts. Injuries limited him to just seven games in two seasons with the Vols.
“There’s nobody that represents Tennessee better than him," coach Josh Heupel said Monday. “He’s a great leader and will continue to be that inside of our building. Just heartbroken for him and his family. A guy that does absolutely everything right. Special player, but special person. He’s got a great future.”
Heupel said either Arion Carter or Jeremiah Telander will take over for Pili in wearing the in-helmet communication device on defense.
Morrison, who has a hip injury, arguably was the top player to go down for the season over the weekend. The second-team preseason Associated Press All-America selection had nine career interceptions and was regarded as a possible first-round draft pick.
“Obviously it’s a blow to our team,” Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “You lose a captain, a great football player. You feel terrible for the kid because he gives football, he gives preparation everything he has. It’s just tough. But he’s a tough kid. He’s a tough individual. He’s been through this before, he’ll have surgery and get back to work to become the best version of Benjamin.”
Morrison is the latest notable Notre Dame defensive player to be lost for the season. No. 12 Notre Dame is ranked eighth in points allowed per game (11.7), 11th in yards allowed per game (270) and fourth in yards allowed per play (4.25), but the Fighting Irish already lost defensive linemen Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore to season-ending injuries.
The Irish now lose Morrison just three weeks after cornerback Jaden Mickey announced four games into the season that he was redshirting to preserve a year of eligibility as he prepares to transfer.
Morrison’s injury likely moves freshman cornerback Leonard Moore into a starting role alongside Christian Gray as Notre Dame prepares to face Georgia Tech in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian announced Monday that Williams also would miss the rest of the season. Texas officials haven’t specified the nature of Williams’ injury.
Williams had picked off a pass in a victory at No. 24 Michigan last month, and he forced and recovered a fumble in the top-ranked Longhorns’ 34-3 rout of Oklahoma on Saturday. His injury comes as Texas gets ready to host No. 5 Georgia.
Fans of No. 4 Ohio State are still awaiting word on the severity of the injury to Simmons, who was carted off the field during the Buckeyes’ 32-31 loss at No. 2 Oregon. Coach Ryan Day sounded pessimistic in his postgame news conference Saturday.
“I’ll have to get the update on Simmons, but it doesn’t look great in terms of him being able to come back this season,” Day said. “That’s a big hit for us.”
The notable injuries weren’t restricted to top teams.
Mertz tore the ACL in his left knee after throwing a touchdown pass in Florida’s loss to Tennessee. Mertz, a Wisconsin transfer, has suffered a season-ending injury each of his two years at Florida. He broke his collarbone in a game against Missouri last November.
His latest injury makes freshman DJ Lagway the Gators’ starting quarterback.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham announced Monday that Rising is out for the rest of the season after suffering a lower leg injury in a 27-19 loss to Arizona State on Friday that knocked the Utes out of the AP Top 25.
Rising, who is in his seventh season, already missed three games this season because of an injury to his throwing hand. He sat out the entire 2023 season with a knee injury.
Freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, will take Rising’s place. Utah went 2-1 in the three games Wilson started when Rising was out with the hand injury.
Colorado State coach Jay Norvell announced on social media that Horton would miss the rest of the season after getting hurt in a 31-24 victory over San Jose State. Norvell didn't specify the nature of Horton's injury.
Horton had 26 catches for 353 yards and one touchdown this season after recording back-to-back seasons with at least 1,100 yards receiving in 2022 and 2023. Horton, who played at Nevada from 2020-21 before transferring to Colorado State, was on the verge of setting the Mountain West Conference record for career receiving yardage.
Horton has 265 career catches for 3,615 yards. The MWC career record is owned by Rashard Higgins, who had 3,649 yards receiving for Colorado State from 2013-15.
AP Sports Writers Mark Long and Teresa M. Walker and AP freelance writer John Coon contributed to this report.
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Stanford running back Chris Davis Jr., left, reaches for extra yards as Notre Dame defensive back Benjamin Morrison, right, tackles him during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)
U.S. President Donald Trump says Iran has proposed negotiations after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic as an ongoing crackdown on demonstrators has led to hundreds of deaths.
Trump said late Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports mount of increasing deaths and the government continues to arrest protesters.
“The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night.
Iran did not acknowledge Trump’s comments immediately. It has previously warned the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has accurately reported on past unrest in Iran, gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross checking information. It said at least 544 people have been killed so far, including 496 protesters and 48 people from the security forces. It said more than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests.
With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.
The Latest:
Iran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.
Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square in the capital.
It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism,” without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago.
State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day.
China says it opposes the use of force in international relations and expressed hope the Iranian government and people are “able to overcome the current difficulties and maintain national stability.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Beijing “always opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs, maintains that the sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law, and opposes the use or threat of use of force in international relations.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned “in the strongest terms the violence that the leadership in Iran is directing against its own people.”
He said it was a sign of weakness rather than strength, adding that “this violence must end.”
Merz said during a visit to India that the demonstrators deserve “the greatest respect” for the courage with which “they are resisting the disproportional, brutal violence of Iranian security forces.”
He said: “I call on the Iranian leadership to protect its population rather than threatening it.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Monday suggested that a channel remained open with the United States.
Esmail Baghaei made the comment during a news conference in Tehran.
“It is open and whenever needed, through that channel, the necessary messages are exchanged,” he said.
However, Baghaei said such talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.”
The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, on Monday began calling out Iranian celebrities and leaders on social media who have expressed support for the protests over the past two weeks, especially before the internet was shut down.
The threat comes as writers and other cultural leaders were targeted even before protests. The news agency highlighted specific celebrities who posted in solidarity with the protesters and scolded them for not condemning vandalism and destruction to public property or the deaths of security forces killed during clashes. The news agency accused those celebrities and leaders of inciting riots by expressing their support.
Canada said it “stands with the brave people of Iran” in a statement on social media that strongly condemned the killing of protesters during widespread protests that have rocked the country over the past two weeks.
“The Iranian regime must halt its horrific repression and intimidation and respect the human rights of its citizens,” Canada’s government said on Monday.
Iran’s foreign minister claimed Monday that “the situation has come under total control” after a bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in the country.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran’s foreign minister alleged Monday that nationwide protests in his nation “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene.
Abbas Araghchi offered no evidence for his claim, which comes after over 500 have been reported killed by activists -- the vast majority coming from demonstrators.
Araghchi spoke to foreign diplomats in Tehran. The Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network, which has been allowed to work despite the internet being cut off in the country, carried his remarks.
Iran has summoned the British ambassador over protesters twice taking down the Iranian flag at their embassy in London.
Iranian state television also said Monday that it complained about “certain terrorist organization that, under the guise of media, spread lies and promote violence and terrorism.” The United Kingdom is home to offices of the BBC’s Persian service and Iran International, both which long have been targeted by Iran.
A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran, gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian government. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by early evening only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.
Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with the the demonstrators, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. A police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt.
The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.
Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Activists take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
