Tag: Virginia Tech

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

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

December 2, 2025
College Football Week 9 Recap and Helmet Stickers.

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

October 27, 2025
College Football Mid-Season Awards.

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.

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.

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.

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.

October 13, 2025
5 Non-Conference College Football Games, You Should Pay Attention To.

As we come up on the midpoint of the summer calendar, we start counting down the days until the first college football game of the new season. 66 days by the way, as of this writing.

The first few weeks is mostly non-conference games.

There are always big games, like this year we have Texas traveling to Columbus to take on Ohio State.

In a big surprise for us college football fans, an SEC team is actually traveling, to play a big non-conference game at another school. They typically always, always make them a neutral site game, which is garbage for the sport.

LSU is heading northeast to play the Clemson Tigers, in Memorial Stadium.

Upsets always happen. Teams that have no business “staying close” to a powerhouse, almost beat them.

Example of that happened last season, as the Bowling Green Falcons from the MAC, almost beat Penn State (Big Ten) and Texas A&M (SEC). Losing both games ONLY by a combined 13 points.

So, without further ado, here are 5 non-conference games, that you should watch and pay attention to (in no particular order).

Toledo Rockets (MAC) at Kentucky Wildcats (SEC).
August 30th.
Game starts at 12:45 PM (EST) on SEC Network.

Kentucky is coming off a 4-8 season and ended HC Mark Stoops 8-season bowl streak. They are replacing starters at every skill position on offense and most positions on defense. Stoops hit the transfer portal hard, and got a lot of new players from G5 schools. Stoops hasn’t had consecutive losing seasons since 2015.

Toledo returns their starting QB Tucker Gleason, speedy WR Junior Vandeross, and 3 starting offensive lineman. HB Chip Trayanum transferred in from Kentucky and Ohio State. They also return their entire secondary from last season.

I am officially calling the upset in this one. The Rockets travel the 284 miles down I-75, and get their 2nd straight upset over an SEC opponent.

Auburn Tigers (SEC) at Baylor Bears (Big-12).
August 29th.
Game starts at 8:00 PM (EST) on FOX.

This game is getting a bit of buzz, especially from Josh Pate (check him out on YouTube. I listen daily). and rightfully so.

While neither team is going to win their conference, this game is going to shape their individual seasons.

Auburn has a new starter behind center in transfer QB Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), and a very good WR corps, with top WR transfer Eric Singleton Jr (Georgia Tech), and returning starters Cam Coleman and Malcolm Simmons. Defensive Coordinator DJ Durkins has DE Keldric Faulk (7 sacks) returning and 4 returning starters in the secondary. They only had 13 total takeaways though, so he’ll hope that number improves.

Baylor returns almost their entire offense from last season, led by QB Sawyer Robertson, was tied for the 19th ranked scoring offense in the country last season. On defense, the Bears hit the transfer portal HARD. Basically, shopping at the Big-10 store, bringing in players from Ohio State, Northwestern, and Oregon to make improvements on one of the worst defenses in the Big-12.

This game is going to be a shootout, and maybe even go into OT…..or 5.

West Virginia Mountaineers (Big-12) at Ohio Bobcats (MAC).
September 6th.
Game starts at 4:00 PM (EST) on ESPNU.

HC Rich Rodriguez is back in Morgantown for his 2nd stint, where he was 60-26 in 7 years the first time around. He has his work cut out for him, as he’s replacing all but 2 starters on offense. Good news is that 6 players followed Rich-Rod from Jacksonville State on this side of the ball. Bad news is that he’s replacing every single starter on defense. He’s really hoping that transfer DE Jimmori Robinson, who was C-USA DPOTY (10.5 sacks at UTSA) will lead the way.

QB Parker Navarro threw for 2,423 yards and ran for another 1,054 yards, and he returns for the Bobcats. 2 starting WRs and their starting TE also return, to lead a dangerous offense. The defense got absolutely smashed in the transfer portal. Only 3 starters return, and they’re all in the secondary.

It’s only 149 miles between these 2 schools; it’s not like they’re strangers. Expect some trash talk and points on the board in this one.

Boise State Broncos (Mountain West) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent).
October 4th.
Game starts at 3:30 PM (EST) on NBC and Peacock.

Notre Dame has arguably the best running back in American returning in Jeremiyah Love. They always have a good/great offensive line. The offense will go through the running game. On defense they have an excellent pair of CBs in Christian Gray and Leonard (trial by fire last season for Moore after Morrison went down). Though no starters return on the defensive line, they all played significant snaps last season, whether through rest or injury.

Yes, the Broncos lost Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty, but QB Maddux Madsen returns after throwing for 3,018 yards with 23 TDs to only 8 INTs. In front of him, 4 starters are returning on the offensive line. On defense, Boise State led the entire country in sacks last season with 55. 3 of their top 4 sack leaders are returning in DE Virgin-Morgan (10), S Seyi Oladipo (6.5), and DT Braxton Fely (5.5).

If you aren’t excited for this game as a college football fan, you aren’t a fan. How can you not be excited to see the Boise blue at Notre Dame Stadium?

If Boise State loses, they have NO CHANCE of making the college football playoffs.

Vanderbilt Commodores (SEC) at Virginia Tech Hokies (ACC).
September 6th.
Game starts at 7:30 PM (EST) on ACC Network.

Vanderbilt’s starting QB Diego Pavia is back for his final season, after throwing for 2,293 yards with 20 TDs to only 4 INTs, while adding 800 yards and 8 TDs rushing as well. They return 7 starters on a defense that only allowed 23.4 points per game all of last season. Their magical season last year, started by beat Virginia Tech at home.

The Hokies have a good dual threat QB in Kyron Drones. When he’s healthy, he’s as good as anyone in the country. Transfer HB Terion Stewart (Bowling Green) is going to give the offense some power and pop in the running game. On defense, they must replace their entire secondary and defensive line, but they return both starting LBs.

Clark Lea and Vanderbilt need to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke. What better way to start that process than back-to-back wins over a P4 school with prestige.

HC Brent Pry is on the hot seat in Blacksburg. If he loses to Vandy again, the cries for his job will get even louder.

– by Sean McKenzie

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

Pictures courtesy of…..wallpapercave, ESPN, athlonsports, and MSN.

June 29, 2025