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Tag: Bruins

  • The Best and Worst Coaching Hires in College Football…..So Far.

    A collage of various college football team logos, featuring mascots and symbols from schools such as Michigan, Alabama, LSU, and UCLA.

    This 2025-26 college football season has not only been completely wonky on the field, but also, off the field.

    So many head coaches were fired during the season, that it was hard to keep track of who was coming and going.

    The upheaval of not just the program and players on the teams, but also the families of those assistant coaches.

    This “win now mentality” at programs and with the donors, is actually hurting the programs, not helping.

    These schools like to complain that they’re “operating at a loss”, then they go and fire a head coach, that has a $33 million dollar buyout clause (Michigan State with Jonathan Smith).

    They wonder why a significant number of fans have no loyalty or sympathy anymore, THAT’S WHY!!!

    All that aside, I’m going to tell you which hires were good. Which hires were bad. Which coaches out there, deserve a chance at being a head coach.

    LSU Tigers logo featuring a fierce tiger's head on a purple and gold background.

    LSU has hired Lane Kiffin away from fellow SEC rival Ole Miss. I see a lot of media pundits giving this an A to A+ grade. I DON’T SEE IT.

    While I don’t think this move is as bad as the Brian Kelly hire (which I despised from the nanosecond it was announced), for what LSU wants to do, it isn’t all that much better either.

    Kiffin has a career record of 13-25 against Top 25 teams.

    He’s going to give the Tigers much more credibility in the south with recruits again, and the offense will be better.

    This is a simple B hire.

    Virginia Tech logo in maroon and orange against a smoky black background.

    Virginia Tech went out and hired former Penn State head coach James Franklin.

    The Hokies have been mostly irrelevant since Frank Beamer retired.

    This is an A hire.

    Franklin is a program builder. He did it at Vanderbilt, which had been a joke for basically a half century, and turned them into a consistent winner and to bowl eligibility. He took over a Penn State program that was dead in the water after the sex abuse scandal and took them to the College Football National Championship Semi-Finals, just last season.

    He knows the Eastern Midwest and Mid-Atlantic recruiting scene very well. We’ve already seen recruits that decommitted from Penn State, follow and announce their intentions to play for the Hokies next season.

    I’m not saying he’s going to bring a Natty to Blacksburg, but Virginia Tech will be an ACC power player as early as next season, and beyond.

    GREAT MOVE by VT.

    UCLA Bruins logo featuring a bear mascot holding a football, with a blurred football crowd in the background.

    UCLA has hired Bob Chesney away from James Madison, to be their next head coach.

    From all accounts, and from JMU fans that I’ve spoken to, he’s a good guy.

    Chesney is known for being a “turnaround artist”. He turned around programs such as Salve Regina (D3), Assumption University (D2), and Holy Cross (FCS), before going 20-5 at JMU.

    He has a long history of coaching at programs that have rigourous academic standards.

    The biggest problem is that he has 0 recruiting ties to the west coast, and doesn’t have the name recognition, that will keep players. The Bruins don’t have the cache to recruit nationwide, so keeping California kids’ home is paramount to their success.

    I’m rooting for the guy, and hope he brings glory back to the gold and blue, but right now, this is a D hire.

    A football coach at Indiana University, wearing a black sweatshirt with 'Indiana Football' printed on it and a red cap, gestures while on the field.

    If you’ve been following me on Twitter/X (JoeAmerican6771); I’ve been SCREAMING this guy’s name.

    Bryant Haines.

    He’s the current defensive coordinator for the Indiana Hoosiers and had the same role at James Madison. He followed Curt Cignetti from the Dukes to the Hoosiers.

    Yes, he’s an assistant coach.

    Yes, he doesn’t have head coaching experience.

    He’s had staggering success at JMU and Indiana, where he turned poor defenses into top ranked defenses.

    I STRONGLY believe that the aforementioned James Madison, should bring him back home, and make him their new head coach.

    They’ve seen him succeed not just on the field, but off the field in recruiting the Carolinas’ and VA/DC area. Which is vital to a program like JMU, because they don’t have a nationwide network.

    I think whichever team gets him, is going to get a gem.

    Stanford University logo featuring a red background with a green tree inside a white 'S'.

    The worst hire so far of this cycle, is the Stanford Cardinal hiring Tavita Pritchard as their next head coach.

    Yes, I understand that he played QB there.

    Yes, I understand that like Chesney above, he gets the difficulty of an academic power.

    The truth, and fact of the matter is that he was never going to get a head coaching gig other than Stanford. This was Cardinal GM Andrew Luck keeping this cheap and in house.

    To me, this is a F.

    BYU logo featuring a mountain lion with the letters 'BYU' below it, set against a navy blue background.

    Head coach Kalani Sitake will remain at BYU, after agreeing to a long-term extension on Tuesday.

    He had very heavy interest from the Penn State to make him their next head coach.

    Since taking over as the head coach of the Cougars in 2016, he has an 83-44 overall record at BYU.

    He has previous coaching stops at Oregon State, Utah, Southern Utah, and Eastern Arizona.

    All these stops in the Mountain and Western time zones, has allowed him to build a very solid recruiting base and pipeline.

    This is a solid A move by BYU.

    A hand holding a cup of iced coffee from The Rebel Bean, with frosty trees in the background.

    For the best coffee and lattes in Van Wert County, stop into The Rebel Bean. Check out their Facebook page for hours and drink menu.

    Question – With Penn State getting rebuffed, who do you think the Nittany Lions will end up hiring as their next head coach?

    – by Sean McKenzie

    Stats and information courtesy of…..NCAA and ESPN.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave and SI.

  • College Football Recap and Helmet Stickers for Week 8.

    A collage of various college football team logos, featuring prominent teams such as UCLA Bruins, Michigan Wolverines, and Texas Longhorns, arranged in a grid format.

    What an incredible week of college football we had on Saturday.

    We had MAJOR Top 10 upsets!!!

    It all started on Friday night, when the Louisville Cardinals upset (then #2) ranked Miami Hurricanes, 24-21. DO NOT look deep into this one, as it took QB Carson Beck throwing 4 INTs for it to happen.

    The Arizona State Sun Devils knocked off the (then #7) Texas Tech Red Raiders, 26-22, in game that came down to the wire.

    The UAB Blazers upset the (then #22) Memphis Tigers, 31-24, in a game that nobody saw coming.

    As I said in my Top 3 Games to Watch article, the best game of week, was between (then #13 and #20) Notre Dame and USC. The Trojans had no answer at all for the Fighting Irish’s running game, as ND won 34-24.

    Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, and Oregon, all took care of business, and got wins, to stay in the Top 10.

    Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Florida Gators have fired Billy Napier. Billy Gonzales has been named the interim head coach.

    So, without further ado, here are your Week 8 College Football Helmet Stickers.

    (Team) UCLA Bruins.

    Logo of the UCLA Bruins featuring a bear mascot and the team name.

    After starting the season 0-4 and firing their (now former) head coach Deshaun Foster, the Bruins have won 3 straight games. Not just any games either, they’re conference games. The UCLA Bruins are currently 3rd in the Big Ten, as they defeated Maryland 20-17.

    They needed something to jump start this program, and it’s working out quite well so far in the month of October, as interim head coach Tim Skipper, has this team playing hard and rolling.

    (Offense) Jeremiyah Love, HB, Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

    A Notre Dame player, wearing a purple jersey with the number 4, celebrates while running on the football field, holding a ball in one hand, with fans in the background.

    Jeremiyah Love was my #1 rated HB coming into the season, and he showed again, exactly why.

    The Trojan defense had no answer for him at all. He ran through them, around them, and any other adjective you can think of.

    He had 24 carries, for 228 yards, with a touchdown. He added 5 catches for 37 yards as well.

    (Defense) Treylin Payne, LB, Texas State Bobcats.

    Headshot of a smiling young male athlete with curly hair, wearing a red jersey.

    The Bobcat senior had an incredible 24 total tackles, in a 37-40, double overtime loss to Marshall.

    Who would you give a helmet sticker to?

    – by Sean McKenzie

    Stats courtesy of…..NCAA.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, CBSSports, and on3.

  • Week 6 College Football Recap and Helmet Stickers.

    A grid display of various college football team logos, showcasing colorful and distinct designs representative of each university.

    WOW!!!

    That’s the only word that can describe Week 6 of the college football season.

    Then ranked #7 Penn State got beat 42-37, by a UCLA Bruins team, that hadn’t won a game all season.

    Then #9 Texas lost to unranked Florida 29-21, in the swamp.

    FYI, the final scores of those games do not indicate the true picture of how bad PSU and UT actually looked on the field.

    Then #14 Iowa State could not overcome losing BOTH their starting CBs for the season, during the week, and lost to unranked Cincinnati 38-30.

    The #3 Hurricanes and then ranked #18 Seminoles gave us a great game, as Miami won 28-22.

    #10 Alabama got revenge on then ranked #16 Vanderbilt 30-14. In a game that was closer than the final score as well.

    Then ranked #24 Virigina beat Louisville, in overtime, 30-27. The ACC has been completely whack-a-doo so far this season.

    With so many performances to choose from, HERE are the Week 6 college football Helmet Stickers Awards.

    (Team) UCLA Bruins.

    UCLA Bruins logo featuring a smiling bear with blue and gold accents on a light blue background.

    The Bruins hadn’t won a game all season AND already fired their head coach. EVERYONE had written them off for this season, but they reminded the whole college football world to, NEVER POKE A BEAR.

    Congratulations to all the players and staff.

    (Offense) Blake Horvath, QB, Navy Midshipmen.

    A Navy Midshipmen quarterback gestures with the football, showcasing an impressive play during a college football game, with fans cheering in the background.

    When you hear “Navy football”, you think Option and Wing-T offense. However, in the 1st leg of the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy, Horvath set a school record with 469 total yards. He went 20 of 26 passing, for 339 yards, with 3 TDs and 0 INTs, as well as having 17 carries, for 130 yards, and 1 TD, in a 34-31 win over Air Force.

    (Defense) Nathan Voorhis, DE, Ball State.

    A Ball State football player, wearing a black and white uniform with the number 44, practices on the field. Coaches and teammates watch from the sidelines.

    The defensive end had 8 total tackles, and 3.5 sacks on the day, as his timely defensive plays, helped lead the Ball State Cardinals to a 20-14, come from behind win, over the defending MAC champion Ohio Bobcats.

    Who would you give a helmet sticker to???

    – by Sean McKenzie

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    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, yardbarker, and thestarpress.

    Stats courtesy of…..NCAA.

  • Week 1 College Football Helmet Stickers.

    A collage of various college football team logos arranged in a grid pattern.

    Week 1 of the college football season has come to an end. Except for the UNC vs TCU game tonight.

    Ohio State made Paul Finnebaum look like the clueless jackwang that he really is. Defeating Texas 14-7.

    Unranked Florida State coming off a two-win season, upset an obviously over-rated #8 Alabama 31-17.

    #9 LSU went into Death Valley and defeated #4 Clemson 17-10.

    #17 Kansas State BARELY avoided starting the season 0-2, defeating FCS North Dakota 38-35.

    The Arch Manning hype train proved to be what I said it was months ago. I did not, and do not believe he’s even a Top 5 college football quarterback right now.

    My Upset special for Week 1 did not come through, as the Toldeo Rockets fell to the Kentucky Wildcats 24-16.

    So, without further ado, here are my helmet sticks for Week 1.

    1) Florida State Seminoles.

    Florida State Seminoles logo featuring a Native American head, with a black and garnet color scheme, illuminated against a dark background.

    Coming off one of the worst seasons in program history. They went out and got another transfer quarterback from the portal. Tommy Castellanos had a history with new offensive Gus Malzahn; and they used it to pull off the upset of the season (as of now).

    2) Isaiah Chisom, Linebacker, UCLA.

    Portrait of Isaiah Chisom, a UCLA linebacker, wearing a blue UCLA football polo and smiling at the camera.

    The linebacker transferred from Oregon State to UCLA and had a whopping 17 tackles for the Bruins, in a 43-10 thumping at the hands of the Utah Utes. He was all over the field. The lone bright spot for a Bruins team that had so much hype around their new incoming quarterback.

    3) Eddie Lee Marburger, QB, UT Rio Grande Valley.

    Headshot of Eddie Lee Marburger, a quarterback from UT Rio Grande Valley, wearing a gray shirt with the university's logo, against an orange background.

    The transfer quarterback from UTSA, went 18 of 19, for 365 yards, with 5 TDs and 0 INTs. That’s a 94.7% completion percentage and a QBR of 343.0.

    Week 2 of the college football season begins on Thursday night at 6:00 PM (EST), with 5 different division 2 or division 3 games.

    – by Sean McKenzie

    Stats and scores courtesy of…..NCAA.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, uclabruins, and goutrgv.