CFB notebook: UCLA LB Woods out for season

UCLA coach Chip Kelly announced Sunday that inside linebacker Josh Woods will miss the entire season because of a knee injury. Woods, who was slated to be a starter this season, sustained the injury during practice on Thursday. "It's a big blow," Kelly said, according to a Los Angeles Daily News report. "Just a great young man, everything you want in a football player. So it's hard for us to try to replace because we don't have that much depth at that position. But right now our thoughts are with Josh." Woods was slated to start at inside linebacker along with junior Krys Barnes. The Bruins are already thin at the position and Woods' injury is expected to bring either junior college transfer Tyree Thompson or junior Lokeni Toailoa into the starting lineup. --Penn State defensive end Torrence Brown became the third player in the last week with the Nittany Lions to announce his retirement from football because of injuries. Five players overall, including incoming offensive line recruit Nana Asiedu (heart condition), have announced their retirement from football after fall camp started. "Due to multiple injuries and surgeries, my career at Penn State has come to an end," Brown said in a statement shared on his Twitter account. "It has been tough coming to terms with this news but I know that everything happens for a reason and God will continue to guide me." Brown missed the majority of the 2017 season due to a knee injury suffered early in the year. He had hoped to return to the field this fall. Brown said he intends to follow through with the winter semester to earn his degree. Last week, Ryan Buchholz and Jordan Miner announced their retirements from the game. Quarterback Jake Zembiec also has retired due to a shoulder injury. --Georgia freshman running back Zamir White suffered his second ACL tear in nine months during a scrimmage Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. White, considered the No. 1 running back recruit in the country from the Class of 2018, tore the ACL in his left knee on punt coverage. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said the injury occurred on a non-contact play. White was to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, but there's a strong possibility that he could be out for the season. White had recovered from an ACL tear in his right knee that happened during the North Carolina high school football playoffs in November. "Yeah, he was on punt cover," Smart said. "He was covering a punt. And it was a non-contact injury. There was nobody really around. He and Mark Webb were kind of holding each other up. But we don't know anything yet. He's getting an MRI right now. So, it's a left knee. It's his non-surgical knee. I can't tell you much more than that." Georgia is preparing for its opener on Sept. 1 against FCS opponent Austin Peay. --Wisconsin starting wide receiver Quintez Cephus is leaving the team while he deals with a personal matter. Cephus learned that the Dane County District Attorney's Office is planning to make "unspecified charges" against him in Madison, Wis., stemming from an incident in April. He says he is innocent and wants to put his energy into clearing his name. "I have been wrongfully accused of unlawful conduct, and I am innocent of any allegations associated with this consensual relationship," Cephus said on Twitter. Cephus practiced with the Badgers on Friday before announcing his decision via social media a day later. The team was informed at a meeting Saturday. Cephus has discussed the situation with Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and reportedly has provided information to the athletic department staff during the three-month police investigation. Last season, Cephus ranked second on the team in receiving yards with 501 in nine games. His playing time was limited by a knee injury, but he was expected to be the Badgers' top wideout this year.