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Tag: UConn

  • 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 Mid-Season Awards.

    A collage of various college sports team logos arranged in a grid format, featuring prominent colleges such as Florida State, Michigan, Auburn, and more.

    We are halfway through the 2025-26 college football season, and what an absolutely WILD ride it has been.

    Big name head coaches have already been fired this season. James Franklin (Penn State), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Trent Dilfer (UAB), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Brent Fry (Virginia Tech), and a few others.

    Teams that a lot of “media pundits” thought would be in the national title picture are fighting just to stay at .500, like Penn State, Texas, and Clemson.

    There have been teams that have “overachieved”, so far this season, like Indiana, Georgia Tech, USF, and Virginia.

    Heisman “front runners” like Arch Manning, Drew Allar, and Cade Klubnik, have not lived up to the hype.

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    The race for the college football playoff spot in the “Group of 5” is ABSOLUTELY LIT!!!

    Navy, Memphis, USF, Tulane, Western Kentucky, UNLV, San Diego State, and James Madison, are all either undefeated or only have 1 loss. As much we all love the “Power 4” conference games, the “G5” school games are just as fun to watch. I highly recommend everyone watch these games, as the race for that spot, is going to be so much fun.

    I could go on and out, but, without further ado, HERE are your mid-season awards.

    Heisman Trophy – Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt Commodores.

    Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia in action, displaying strong emotions on the field during a college football game.

    The Heisman Trophy is an INDIVDUAL award, not a team award.

    Without Diego Pavia, the Vanderbilt Commodores are probably 0-6, instead of 5-1.

    He’s the best dual quarterback in the country right now.

    He’s thrown for 1,409 yards, with 14 TDs to 4 INTs, as well as running for 60 carries, for 352 yards, with 2 TDs.

    Pavia IS Commodore football.

    Runner-up – Sawyer Robertson, QB, Baylor Bears.

    Coach of the Year – Curt Cignetti, Indiana Hoosiers.

    Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti on the sidelines during a college football game, wearing a red coaching outfit and headphones.

    Nobody, and I mean, nobody, including myself, thought that the Indiana Hoosiers, would be a Top 3 football team in the country.

    He won the award last season, and is the front runner this season, as they are currently undefeated (6-0) and ranked #3 in America. He has this team playing hard, playing fast, and most importantly, playing smart. Only 19 penalties in 6 games.

    Runner-up – Brent Key, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

    Bronco Nagurski Award – Bryun Parham, EDGE/LB, UConn.

    A football player wearing a dark blue uniform with the number 6, standing on the field and looking intently during a game.

    Boo Hoo Hoo, he doesn’t play for a “Power 5” school.

    Go watch the film, and tell me another player that is playing as consistently, and demanding the double and even triple teams, that Parham is?

    I’ll wait…….

    He has 47 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 3 fumble recoveries.

    He’s ALWAYS around the football and making plays.

    Runner-up – Aamaris Brown, DB, UNLV.

    – by Sean McKenzie

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

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, MSN, clutchpoints, and courant.

  • Week 3 College Football Recap and Helmet Stickers.

    Collage of college football team logos including Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M, and more on a dark background.

    What a Week 3 of college football!!!

    We had some incredible games, that came down to the wire and overtime.

    Georgia needed OT to beat Tennessee in Knoxville 44-41.

    Texas A&M scored a TD with only 13 seconds left, to beat Notre Dame 41-40 in South Bend.

    Vanderbilt upset (then ranked #11) South Carolina 31-7.

    The USF Bulls train finally ran off the tracks, getting beatdown by the Miami Hurricanes 49-12.

    Unranked (at the time) Georgia Tech upset (then ranked #12) Clemson, 24-21 on a field goal with no time left.

    There was a lot to choose from, so here are the Week 3 college football helmet stickers.

    1) Vanderbilt University Commodores

    Vanderbilt University Commodores logo featuring a black star with a white 'V' at the center.

    The Commodores are picking up right where they left off, from their magical run last season.

    Super senior QB Diego Pavia made plays when they mattered most. Throwing for 177 yards with 2 TDs and sophomore S CJ Heard was flying all over the field making plays and was a tackling machine on defense.

    This is a massive win for the program and head coach Clark Lea, as the Commodores continue to show the world, that they aren’t the loveable losers of college football anymore.

    2) Ahmad Hardy, Running Back, Missouri.

    A Missouri football player wearing a black jersey with yellow and white accents runs with the ball on the field during a game.

    The sophomore running back had 22 carries, for 250 yards, and 3 TDs, in the Tigers 52-10 win over UL Ragin Cajuns.

    He’s now 2nd in country in rushing yards with 462 yards, as he’s a key component in the Tigers (3-0) high powered offense, after the loss of WR Burden and QB Cook to the NFL.

    3) Bryun Parham, Linebacker, University of Connecticut.

    Two University of Connecticut football players celebrating on the field, wearing white uniforms with blue accents, amidst an excited crowd in the background.

    The Huskies 5th year senior had 10 total tackles and 3 sacks in a 44-41 loss to Delaware.

    The linebacker has had a long cross-country journey in his college football career. Starting at San Jose State, then a one year stop in Washington, before landing at UConn this season. He’s already doubled his season totals in tackles from last season and is currently tied for 1st in the nation in sacks.

    Who would you give a helmet sticker to?

    – by Sean McKenzie

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    Stats courtesy of…..NCAA.

    Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, thehour, and si.