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Tag: Brian Kelly

  • The Top 3 Head Coaching Changes, Heading into the 26-27 College Football Season.

    It was an extremely busy coaching offseason, that really started halfway into last season.

    UCLA fired DeShaun Foster after only three games.
    Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy before the end of September.
    Penn State fired James Franklin on October 12th.
    Then LSU fired Brian Kelly just a weeks later on October 26th.

    It was absolute madness, how everything spiraled out of control so quickly in the coaching world.

    It left a lot of fans, not just of the teams effected, but also just college football fans in general, feeling a mixture of “WTF is going on”, and excitement at the chaos. I know that I certainly was. LOL.

    33 teams have new head coaches coming into the season, and I’m going to give you the best three of these hires, in order.

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    1) James Franklin to Virginia Tech.

    This was an ABSOLUTE STEAL by the Virginia Tech Hokies. They got a Top 10-15 head coach in football.

    Penn State suffers from elitist syndrome. They think they’re better than they really are, and it cost them dearly.

    Franklin went 104-45 at PSU, and took them to the College Football National Semi-Finals in 2025.

    The Hokies are getting a head coach that knows how to rebuild programs from the ground up, have success, and he’s a coach that players love.

    11 recruits flipped their commits from Penn State to Virginia Tech, including #13 ranked HB Messiah Mickens, and 4-star WR Davion Brown.

    2) Jim Mora to Colorado State.

    What a hire by the Colorado State Athletic Program!!!

    Mora took over a horrible Connecticut football program, and made them respectable.

    He went 27-23 in 4 seasons at the helm, including having back-to-back, 9-win seasons, in his final 2 seasons in Sturms.

    He takes over a program that only won 2 games last season.

    His proven track record in college and the NFL, bodes well for a Rams program looking to change their trajectory, in the newly revamped Pac-12 conference.

    3) Charles Huff to Memphis.

    Never heard of Charles Huff? Well, get used to hearing his name. I fully expect him to be coaching at a Power 4 school within the next few seasons.

    Replacing Ryan Silverfield (left for the HC job at Arkansas, who almost made this list) isn’t going to be easy, but Charles Huff is a guy who can do it.

    He went 32-20 in 4 seasons as the head coach at Marshall, and went 7-5, as the head coach at Southern Mississippi last season.

    He’s a coach that players love, as 17 Southern Miss players followed him north to play for Memphis.

    One of those players is HB Jaylen Carter who is expected to start, and share carries with former Ohio State/Colorado HB Dallan Hayden, as they sort out who is going to start at QB.

    Will it be former 4-star recruit and Ohio State/South Carolina transfer Air Noland or West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes (30 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs last season)?

    Who do you think was the best head coaching hire, in this last cycle?

    Drop your answer below or on my X/Twitter…..JoeAmerican6771.

    – by Sean McKenzie

    Stats courtesy of…..sports-reference.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, USAToday, kunc, and wreg.

  • College Football Week 9 Recap and Helmet Stickers.

    A collage of various college sports team logos displayed on a black background.

    I’d be remiss if I didn’t start this article, without mentioning that LSU fired head football coach Brian Kelly, late Sunday night, after their 49-25 loss at home, to #3 Texas A&M. Kelly had a 34-14 record over his four seasons at LSU.


    Personal opinion – It was a bad hire from the start. I said so at the time, and caught a lot of crap for it. I think that LSU thinks it’s a better job than it really is. IF I were Interim President Matt Lee, I would immediately go get Memphis Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield.

    Onto other business, it was a solid week of college football. We had 3 Top 25 upsets.

    Aforementioned Memphis Tigers defeated #18 USF 34-31, in a banger of a game. The Washington Huskies beat #23 Illinois, 42-25, and the Houston Cougars defeated #24 Arizona State 24-16, in one of the worst officiated games, that I’ve even seen. Absolutely disgraceful by that Big-12 crew.

    We had some close calls, as well. #4 Alabama squeaked by South Carolina 29-22. #6 Oregon eked out a 21-7 win over Wisconsin. #16 Virginia survived a scare from North Carolina, 17-16 in OT, and #22 Texas held off Mississippi State 45-38 in overtime.

    A clear cup of iced coffee topped with frothy cream, drizzled with syrup, in front of bright orange pumpkins and smaller decorative gourds against a rustic background.

    For the best coffee and lattes in Van Wert County, stop into The Rebel Bean in Convoy. Check out their Facebook page for hours and special drink menu. The friendly staff always makes you feel welcome.

    Indiana, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Miami, Vanderbilt, BYU, Texas Tech, Tennessee, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Michigan, all held serve as Top 25 teams and got the win.

    Time for your favorite part, it’s Helmet Sticker time. I thank you readers for the messages, telling me that you like this segment.

    (Team) North Dakota State Bison.

    North Dakota State University football helmet logo with a green and gold design, set against a stadium backdrop.

    The defending FCS National Champions and #1 ranked Bison, absolutely MOLLYWHOPPED their rival (then ranked #2) South Dakota State Jackrabbits 38-7 on Saturday. HB Cole Payton had 4 rushing touchdowns.

    (Offense) Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas Mean Green.

    A football player wearing a North Texas Mean Green jersey adjusts his helmet on the field during a game.

    This was the easiest choice so far this season.

    The freshman QB went 37 of 49, for a massive 608 yards, and 4 TDs, as he led the Mean Green to a 54-20 win over Charlotte. North Texas is 7-1 on the season, and still in the hunt, for that G5 college football playoff spot.

    (Defense) Cade Uluave, LB, California Golden Bears.

    A California Golden Bears linebacker celebrates a play on the field, wearing a dark blue jersey with the number 0, with teammates visible in the background.

    Cal is #0.

    The junior linebacker was all over the field, and causing havoc, as he did everything, he could in a double overtime loss to Virginia Tech.

    Cal finished the game 19 total tackles and 2 sacks.

    Who would you give a helmet sticker to?

    – by Sean McKenzie

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    Stats courtesy of…..NCAA.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, meangreensports, and SI.