CFB notebook: Stanford RB Love will skip Sun Bowl

Stanford running back Bryce Love, who finished second to Baker Mayfield in the 2017 Heisman Trophy voting but had an injury-plagued senior season, announced this week he will skip the Sun Bowl game against Pittsburgh on New Year's Eve to get healthy and start training for the NFL Draft. Love rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, and he was the preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season. However, he gained only 739 yards on the ground and scored six touchdowns in 10 games. Ankle problems have plagued Love throughout his career. They affected his performance over the latter part of last season, and limited his production this season. He missed two games entirely and parts of several others. Love is rated the No. 1 running back prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com. --Quarterback Riley Neal, a three-year starter at Ball State, reportedly will transfer to Vanderbilt and be eligible to play next season. Neal confirmed to 247Sports.com that he will make a move to Vanderbilt as a graduate transfer. He had announced earlier that he would transfer from Ball State. Vanderbilt will need a new starting quarterback next season to replace Kyle Shurmur, who has been the Commodores' starting quarterback each of the past four seasons. Shurmur will play his final college game in the Dec. 27 Texas Bowl. --Reports are flying regarding the future plans of Georgie freshman quarterback Justin Fields, who was rated the nation's top recruit for 2018. Late Monday night, USA Today reported that Fields had informed Georgia of his intention to transfer to another school. However, ESPN.com and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Fields' family said the quarterback has not decided whether to transfer, and is only exploring that possibility. The Toledo Blade then reported that Ohio State is the front-runner for Fields if he decides to transfer. According to that paper, new head coach Ryan Day, who will replace Urban Meyer after the Rose Bowl, "is a primary reason for Fields' interest in the Buckeyes." It also has been reported that Fields will appeal to the NCAA to be granted eligibility to play in 2019 if he opts to transfer. Fields was rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 1 player regardless of position in the Class of 2018. --Kentucky senior linebacker Josh Allen was named the 2018 recipient of the Jack Lambert Award on Monday night. The trophy is distributed annually by the Touchdown Club of Columbus (Ohio) and presented to the national linebacker of the year. Allen's triumph represented the first time that a Kentucky linebacker won the award. Winning awards is nothing new for Allen, who recently claimed the Lott IMPACT Trophy as the college defensive player having the biggest influence on his team. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Allen already had won the Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player.