08/09/2024
College Football Notes
By Bo Carter
The American Heart Association Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year sponsored by Accenture public voting is now online via the URL: https://bryantawards.org/fan-vote/. Early clubhouse leaders are Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, and Kansas’ Lance Leipold. Voting concludes at 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Friday, Jan. 10. TCU head coach Sonny D***s won in 2022 while the 2023 Bryant Award recipient was Florida State’s Mike Norvell.
Last week’s NFF College Hall of Fame on-campus salutes presented by Fidelity Invetsments® with presentations of Hall of Fame plaques were Saturday, Sept. 7, ceremonies will honor coach Frank Solich, Nebraska (vs. Colorado) and Steve Hutchinson, Michigan (vs. Texas). Upcoming Saturday is Tim Couch, Kentucky (vs. Georgia).
The 2024 season NCAA FCS Championship contest will be played on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in a primetime spot with airtime to be determined on the ESPN family of networks. Site will be Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, for the 15th consecutive year.
On Aug. 14 the NFF initiated the I Played the Game campaign to foster camaraderie among former players by encouraging them to share their personal stories and experiences on NFF platforms.
As part of this initiative, the NFF has developed an online form to gather information and build a comprehensive database of former players willing to serve as ambassadors for the game. This platform welcomes anyone who has ever played football, regardless of gender or level of play.
To access the website and contribute stories, please go to the link footballfoundation.com/iplayed.
The 66th NFF Awards Dinner is set for Tuesday, Dec. 10, in Las Vegas with sponsorship by the Las please access FootballFoundation.org.
Also on the NFF calendar:
Wednesday, Sept. 25 - Announcement of the 2024 Campbell Trophy® semifinalists; Oct. 23 - Announcement of the 2024 Campbell Trophy® Finalists and the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments. On-campus salutes to 2024 NFF College Hall of Fame inductees presented by Fidelity Investments are being scheduled and will be revealed in coming days.
The current longest NCAA FBS member streaks without a shutout through Sept. 11 are Florida with a NCAA-record 451 since 1988, TCU with 396 since 1991, Georgia with 374 since 1995, Virginia Tech with 372 since 1995, Nebraska with 353 since 1996 (the only Big Ten Conference team that has scored in every game in the 21st Century), Boise State with 341 since 1997, Alabama with 291 since 2001, and Clemson with 282 since 2003.
NFF College Hall of Fame Facts:
Some notable birthdates in NFF College Hall of Fame annals in the Sept. 9-15 time period are Sept. 9 (1878) Willie Heston, Galesburg, Ill.; (1908) Bill Murray, Rocky Mount, N.C.; (1941) Pat Richter, Madison, Wis.; (1944) Jim Grabowski, Chicago, Ill.; (1949) Joe Theismann, New Brunswick, N.J.; (1960) Bob Stoops, Youngstown, Ohio; Sept. 10 (1883) Andy Smith, DuBois, Pa.; (1902) Four Horseman Jim Crowley, Chicago, Ill.; (1936) Ron Harms, Houston, Texas; (1940) Buck Buchanan, Gainesville, Ala.; (1945) Marlin Briscoe, Omaha, Neb.; Sept. 11 (1897) Stan Keck, Greensburg, Pa.; (1908) Biggie Munn, Grow Township, Minn.; (1913) Paul “Bear” Bryant, Moro Bottom, Ark.; (1978) Ed Reed, St. Rose, La.; Sept. 12 (1891) John Brown, Canton, Pa.; (1964) Lynn Thomsen, Sioux City, Iowa; (1989) Andrew Luck, Washington, D.C.; Sept. 13 (1898) Glenn “Doc” Killinger, Harrisburg, Pa.; (1904) Joe Aillet, New York City; (1906) Chuck Carroll, Seattle, Wash.; (1915) Clint Frank, St. Louis, Mo.; (1922) Ziggy Czarobski, Chicago, Ill.; Sept. 14 (1907) John Baker, Denison, Iowa; (1934) Dicky Maegle, Taylor, Texas; (1948) Rich McGeorge, Roanoke, Va.; (1975) Troy Davis, Miami, Fla.; (1987) Michael Crabtree, Dallas, Texas; Sept. 15 (1887) John McGovern, Arlington, Minn.; (1894) Charles “Chic” Harley, Chicago; (1908) Gene McEver, Birmingham, Ala.; (1924) Jack Green, Kent. Ind.; (1928) Reds Bagnell, Philadelphia, Pa.; (1929) Jerry Groom, Des Moines, Iowa; (1940) Merlin Olsen, Logan, Utah; (1961) Dan Marino, Pittsburgh, Pa.; (1971) Will Shields, Ft. Riley, Kan.
Notable anniversaries of passings of NFF College Hall of Fame members are Sept. 9 (1963) Willie Heston, Traverse City, Mich. (on his 85th birthday); Sept. 10 (2022) Frank Cignetti, Indiana, Pa.; Sept. 11 (2010) Ron Kramer, Fenton, Mich.; Sept. 12 (2023) Roy Kidd, Richmond, Ky.; Sept. 13 (2000) Thurman “Fum” McGraw, Ft. Collins, Colo.; Sept. 14 (1950) John Maulbetsch, Ann Arbor, Mich.; (1972) Harry Kipke, Port Huron, Mich.; (2019) John Ralston, Sunnyvale, Calif.; Sept. 15 (1978) Larry Bettencourt, New Orleans, La.; (2001) Tank Younger, Inglewood, Calif.
Happy birthdays to NFF Hall of Fame members born Sept. 9 Jim Grabowski (a spry 80), Joe Theismann, Bob Stoops, Sept. 10 Ron Harms (a spry 88), Sept. 11 Ed Reed, Sept. 12 Lynn Thomsen, Andrew Luck, Sept. 14 Rich McGeorge, Michael Crabtree, Sept. 15 Dan Marino, Will Shields…
Schedules:
Northern Illinois scored the biggest upset in school history with a 16-14 shocker over Notre Dame at South Bend, Ind., last Saturday…Florida State became the first team to face two conference opponents in the first two games this outing – Georgia Tech in Ireland and Boston College in Atlantic Coast Conference activity…Mary Hardin-Baylor became one of the last college squads to start the campaign when the Crusaders traveled to historic Bethel (Tenn.) last Saturday…Kennesaw State of Conference USA and Louisiana of the Sun Belt Conference faced off last week in one of KSU’s final tuneups before the Owls first CUSA football clash on Oct. 4 at home against Jacksonville State…The Western Michigan at Tennessee contest has been moved back from the 2026 to the 2027 season…The Baylor at Utah and Arizona State-Kansas State contests among current Big 12 Conference members this fall will not count in conference standings as they were scheduled prior to the Utes and Sun Devils joining that circuit…Idaho chalked up another upset win by NCAA FCS members over FBS crews with a 17-13 triumph at Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference last Saturday…Texas topped Michigan 31-12 at Ann Arbor in the first regular-season meeting of the powers. UT downed the Wolverines 38-37 in a previous meeting in the 2005 Rose Bowl behind NFF College Hall of Fame QB Vince Young…Wisconsin survived an upset bid by stubborn South Dakota before topping the nationally-ranked FCS opponent South Dakota 27-13…Texas Tech traveled to Washington State in a so-called Mike Leach Classic to help celebrate the memory of the late coach who guided the two programs as head coach to a total of 16 bowl games over a combined 18 seasons with the two schools.
Good Works:
Oklahoma athletics is paying tribute to late Oklahoma Memorial Stadium sideline purveyor, lifetime Sooners enthusiast and Country Music Hall of Fame member Toby Keith, with a recorded rendition of his storied song Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue after the third quarter of each home contest…The Texags.com online store is hosting a warehouse sale for jerseys and Texas A&M T-shirts…Vanderbilt alumnus Muhammad Yunus has been appointed interim president of Bangladesh…Among Vanderbilt fall semester Lifelong Learning courses are the interesting Meditative Birding, How to Write a Memoir, Reading Shakespeare with Film, and Beginners Ukulele courses, among others…Several departments of athletics will be helping to gather funds during North Texas Giving Day on Thursday, Sept. 19…Former Nebraska-Kearney football standout and longtime Nebraska Huskers Mark Kurtenbach is wearing a special Nebraska belt buckle that his father wore to NU games for decades to carry on the family tradition.
Football Coaches:
Two-time defending NCAA FCS champion head coach Jimmy Rogers of South Dakota State told reporters that only eight of his 85 scholarship student-athletes received offers from NCAA FBS members…NFF College Hall of Fame standout at Florida State and head coach at Colorado Deion Sanders questioned some statements from ESPN talk show hosts about the relevancy of the Buffaloes program…Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray is back after a one-game, NCAA-mandated suspension…Army West Point head coach Todd Monken takes a conference-best 1.000 American Athletic Conference winning percentage into a Sept. 21 AAC tussle with Rice after topping Florida Atlantic in the Black Knights AAC debut.
Hometowns of more 2024 college head coaches – Millsaps: Brandon Lechtenberg, Butte, Neb.; Minnesota: P.J. Fleck, Sugar Grove, Ill.; Minnesota State: Paul Hoffner, Esmond, N.D.; Mississippi College: Mike Kershaw, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada; Mississippi State: Jeff Lebby, McGregor, Texas.
Directors of Athletics:
Santa Clara named Heather Owen director of athletics…UIC tabbed clinical professor and former faculty athletics representative Dr. John Coumbe-Lilley as interim AD…Pittsburgh director of athletics Heather Lyke accepted a multiyear contract extension as Northwestern made innovations toward acquiring her for the same post…New Missouri State AD Patrick Ransdell has inked a five-year contract with sterling bonus and other provisions, and he is dedicated to lining up nationally-known non-conference opponents in football as the Bears join Conference USA in July 2025…That’s the spirit: Nebraska AD Troy Dannen watched his daughter’s commencement ceremonies at Colorado last May from the comfort of CU AD Rick George’s office. Their two schools locked horns last week in their 73rd all-time meeting…Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts admitted that college athletics faces first-ever challenges in expenses from NIL and House NCAA settlement aspects but has some of the top minds in the business working to come up with cogent solutions…Northwestern welcomed new AD Mark Jackson who cited NU’s graduation rate of 98 percent for 2023-24 student-athlete seniors to lead the Big Ten Conference for the 19th consecutive year, 278 Academic All-Big Ten honorees from the Wildcats ranks and how NU plans to utilize its academic and financial assets to continue to be a force on the NCAA athletics’ scene in his opening remarks…San Diego AD Kimya Massey contends that many fans still get the University of San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego State confused at times and continues to market USD through past coaches and performers NFL coach Jim Harbaugh, Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear recipient Kris Bryant and MLB first baseman Connor Joe, among others…Toledo AD Bryan Blair in 2024-25 is emphasizing football game day experience, surveys with fans’ feedback, vetting for all areas of gifts to athletics, and creative means of securing overall revenue…Michigan AD Warde Manuel expressed concern about leaks to news agencies during the UM-NCAA investigation and how the Wolverines have put plans together to be compliant for multiple NCAA rules and recruiting…Indiana State AD Nathan Christensen evoked discussions from coaches, student-athletes and supporters as he sets goals for the future of USU athletics while stressing the need for growth competitively and financially in all areas…Illinois State interim AD Jeri Beggs is working on several ideas for helping offset financial challenges brought about by the House NCAA settlement…Arizona State AD Graham Rossini met with several area media members to express appreciation for solid coverage of ASU athletics and related events…Vanderbilt AD Dr. Candice Lee saluted football traditions tailgate area Vandyville, the Star Walk and the Spirit of Gold Marching Band as the ’24 season opened…Vanderbilt women’s soccer head coach Darren Ambrose started the ’24 outing with his 100th career victory…Eastern Michigan AD Scott Wetherbee has key projects in coming months such as facilities’ updates, making certain to keep key administrators on staff and treating the EMU position as if he had been an alumnus there…Appalachian State named Chris Wood senior deputy AD and chief revenue officer…Utah athletics chose Patrick Nowlin as the chief revenue officer…Pennsylvania named Denise Poole senior associate AD for student-athlete success role…Nevada cross country head coach and track and field assistant coach Kirk Elias will retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year…Eastern Kentucky added Bryan Hicks as deputy AD, Steve Fohl as associate AD for strategic communications; Corey Neal as senior associate AD for external affairs, Kirk Moats as senior associate AD for administration…Austin Peay deputy AD and chief operating officer Niesha Campbell gave some key insight on how she once served as an auditor n Wall Street before moving to the more enjoyable atmosphere of college athletics. Retired Texas A&M publicist Debbie Darrah took a similar path when she transitioned from the insurance industry in Dallas to the Southwest Conference to Aggies sports communications and numerous bowl media assignments…Steve Stroud is the new general manager of Tulane Sports Properties… UAlbany tabbed Cara White as deputy AD for administration, Travis Wilson as senior associate AD for internal operations and Melissa Peach as senior associate AD for compliance…Virginia selected Erich Bacher as associate AD for athletic communications…Nevada added Suzanne Affeldt as senior associate AD for development and engagement…USF tabbed Jeff Bromley as senior associate AD and Martin Salamone as associate AD for marketing and fan engagement…Delaware State named Pedro Swann baseball head coach…Western Carolina baseball head coach Alan Beck had his contract extended through June 2029…The Omaha Mavericks hired former MLB standout Darin Ruf as assistant baseball coach…Longtime Missisisppi State transportation director Everett Kennard is serving as a spotter in road games for the MSU football network…La Salle president Dr. Daniel L. Allen related thoughts about leaning into main college missions as well as key goals in La Salle athletics…Rutgers president Dr. Jonathan Holloway was queried about the future of Scarlet Knights athletics and locating a new AD…Troy chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. is retiring Oct. 1, 2025…Former Mississippi State and WKU men’s basketball head coach Rock Stansbury has left the Memphis Tigers as a 2024-25 assistant basketball coach…The latest position openings in athletics on D1Ticker.com are at Appalachian State, Austin Peay, Colorado State, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, High Point, Houston, James Madison, Minnesota, Missouri State, Monmouth, NC State, New Mexico, Northwestern, Northwestern State, Presbyterian, Rider, Rutgers, Saint Peter’s, SIUE, Tennessee, UC Irvine, USF, Utah Tech, UT Arlington, Villanova, and West Virginia.
The Conferences:
Army West Point and Navy find themselves atop the American Athletic Conference standings after Week 2 of the ’24 slate. The Black Knights scored a key AAC road win at Florida Atlantic while Navy topped Temple in the American opener for both those squads…The Atlantic Coast Conference’s ACComplish Greatness media campaign salutes what is now the second-largest FBS circuit nationally with 17 members. The ACC also initiated the ’24 NFL season with 28 alumni quarterbacks on 19 NFL clubs…Six of the Top Seven teams in the Sept. 8 Associated Press Top 25 FBS poll are members of the Southeastern Conference. No. 3 Ohio State of the Big Ten is fhe exception…Big 12 Conference quarterbacks averaged 290.4 passing yards per game for 16 contests in Football Week 1 to top all FBS circuits…The Sun Belt Conference reviewed after extensive tape study an officiating error made with three seconds left in the fourth quarter of a 34-31 Arkansas State win over Central Arkansas…Big Ten Conference administrators and coaches have been hearty in praise for the conference’s ultra-modern instant replay officiating center…The Big 12 also reported a major response and listenership for its new Tunein Radio device application to get live coverage of Big 12 football and multiple sporting events and apparently has put its discussions for membership with Connecticut on hold.
The Bowls:
The DIRECTV Holiday Bowl (one of a NCAA-record 44 postseason FBS contests after the ’24 regular outing) has been certified for Friday, Dec. 27, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif., with an 8 p.m. (EST) airtime and tentative telecast on FOX Sports with a contract to be signed…Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl chief executive officer Gary Stokan has advocated for more major neutral site contests in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Orlando, among others to spark intersectional interest with matchups such as Iowa and Ole Miss or Penn State and Vanderbilt…The Nos. 11-20 schools with most bowl appearances prior to ’24 are Michigan with 52, Clemson with 50, Florida State with 49, Florida with 48, Auburn with 47, Georgia Tech with 46, Arkansas with 44, Miami (Fla.) with 43, Texas A&M with 42, and Washington with 42…Kayla Beasley and Ashleigh Anne Binz have been selected as Cotton Bowl Athletic Association 2024-25 Fred McClure Interns.
The Players:
UNLV LB Jackson Woodard had 11 tackles against Houston and netted FWAA Bronko Nagurski Player of the Week laurels…Boise State RB Sire Gaines captured Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Week laurels with 110 yards rushing and two TDs in his first collegiate clash against Georgia Southern…Sacramento State transfer Cam Skattebo rushed for 262 yards to lead Arizona State past Mississippi State 30-23 in Tempe for the Sun Devils first in in eight tries over an extant member of the SEC. ASU had four previous wins over current SEC members Missouri and Oklahoma when those schools were members of the Big Eight and Big 12 Conference…Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Stars of the Week for the opening week presented by the Capital One Orange Bowl were Noah Burnette of North Carolina, Mitch Jeter of Notre Dame and Donnie Zvada of Michigan…UAPB QB Mekhi Hagens was highlighted for overcoming several layers of adversity to keep the starting job for his squad this year…SMU kicker Collins Rogers booted a school-record five field goals against BYU and became the Mustangs career leader in three-pointers made with 44. He also booted a career-longest 53-yarder against the Cougars…Abilene Christian QB Maverick McIvor passed for 506 yards on 38-of-51 tries in a 52-51 overtime loss at Texas Tech where he was a backup quarterback during the 2019-21 seasons…Colorado WR Jimmy Horn Jr. has jumped to a solid start after making 58 receptions for the 2023 Buffaloes…Houston Christian U. quarterback CJ Rogers gained ample experience as a transfer from Baylor and Texas State before joining the Huskies program…Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan, Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker , Texas Tech return specialist Drae McCray, and Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby received conference-wide kudos for early showings by the Big 12…Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty received the opening week Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award for his 267-yard rushing showing against Georgia Southern…Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. nailed down 12 total tackles and forced a fumble against West Virginia to take both Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Chuck Bednarik National Player of the Week for his initial game efforts…Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno captured the first Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week honor with a 52.2 average on six boots against Boston College…North Carolina DT Jahvaree Ritzie capped the first Outland Trophy National Player of the Week award for his superb effort against Minnesota on the road…Washington State QB John Mateer of Little Elm, Texas, welcomed his home state Texas Tech Red Raiders with 23 carries for 197 yards and one TD in a 37-16 win over the Red Raiders…Former Houston cornerback Latrell McCutchin competed against his second transfer destination after starting at OU when the Sooners downed the Cougars last Saturday. Houston almost upended the Sooners in Norman, Okla., before nationally-ranked OU prevailed 16-12…Mississippi State LB JP Purvis was cited for this continued leadership and improvement over the last two seasons…Former Baylor QB Jacon Zeno is in his third season as starting signal caller for UAB…Loyola Marymount standout Steele Venters is out for the season with a leg injury.
Around the Campus:
Penn State athletics netted a $10 million donation from an anonymous source for the Beaver Stadium Revitalization to total $45 million for the Founders Gift funding appeal…William & Mary athletics received a $6.5 million financial benefit from alumnus Rick Platt for facilities, men’s and women’s track and field/cross country programs…VMI athletics has an extended contract with Collegiate Sports Connect for talent networking and recruitment…SMU’s 44 victories from 2019-23 topped all 13 NCAA FBS schools within the state of Texas…Northwestern tops all NCAA and NAIA divisions with 34 football student-athletes who have attained undergraduate degrees while Montana paces NCAA FCS members with 28 graduate students on the ’24 roster…Boston College carried momentum from its Wasabi Fenway Bowl victory over then-American Athletic Conference champ SMU into the Eagles key, season-opening 28-13 win at Florida State…Virginia Tech honored the members of the 1999 Bowl Championship Series runnerup squad last weekend during the Tech-Marshall contest and has been wearing logos with 25 to celebrate the head coaching career with the Hokies of NFF College Hall of Fame mentor Frank Beamer…There were 43 NCAA transfer portal quarterbacks making their first start at new colleges in 2024, and NIL estimates for the top performers are in the $800,000-$1.2 million range…Michigan athletics joined several other major sports’ entities in agreements with the Legend Group for a 10-year partnership for handling all areas of UM merchandise…Arkansas devoted more time to form tackling drills last week before taking on Oklahoma State and 2023 Doak Walker Award winning running back Ollie Gordon III of OSU…Vanderbilt is featuring its Pepsi Four-Pack ticket and concessions’ discounts for later games this season while supplies last…Air Force completed its East Side renovations and suites prior to the AFA-Merrimack contest and received major kudos from fans and suite holders…SMU hosted the highest-ranked opponent in school volleyball annals last week and the first sellout in Mustangs v-ball history when Huskers fans turned out in droves. SMU surprised NU and a national television audience on the ACC Network with a 3-0 upset victory…Panini America has initiated the Panini College platform for NIL compensation for trading card and other income for student-athletes in football and women’s volleyball at Ohio State, Nebraska and Texas…Texas Tech athletics is remaining with Paciolan for future ticketing and marketing procedures…Tennessee has completed its season ticket sales with a sellout for 2024-25 men’s basketball…Manhattan athletics will sport a new baseball hitting facility with a generous donation from the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Foundation…Bellarmine athletics is returning its home basketball contests on campus at Knights Hall after playing at historic Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., for several seasons....Grand Canyon athletics produced a fictional takeoff on the EA Sports College Football 25 device game with a video game entitled College Basketball 25…Louisiana used a combined 184 yards rushing and three touchdowns by Zylan Perry and Elijah Davis to top Conference USA hopeful Kennesaw State 34-10…UAB was seeking to shake off a 1-6 record in Game 2 over the last seven seasons when the Blazers trekked to ULM last weekend but fell 32-6 to the Warhawks…Boise State has been on the road for its first two contests at Georgia Southern and Oregon but has its home opener Sept. 21 against Portland State…Alabama athletics now is using Dallas-based Anthony Travel for all travel management and additional services…Oklahoma State athletics is collaborating with local brewers for the introduction of Pokes Vodka…Oregon and Miami (Fla.) and their NIL football capacity and operations were lauded by three national agencies along with Ohio State’s pre-2024 usage of the transfer portal to shore up key positions…Paul Quinn College held a public memorial for former football student-athlete and deceased Dallas, Texas, law enforcement official Darron Burks last Friday…Oklahoma State’s 39-31 double overtime victory over Arkansas evoked memories of some of the longest OT contests in NCAA annals – many involving the Razorbacks. Some of the more notable extra-period contests by the Hogs were a six-OT clash against Tennessee in 2002, a seven-OT tussle with Kentucky in 2003 and a seven-OT skirmish with Ole Miss in 2001…Illinois has sold out its 2024-25 season ticket allotment for men’s basketball with a renewal rate of 93 percent from 2023-24 ticket purchasers…Omaha athletics tallied a school-best $6.1 million in fiscal year 2024 with $4 million going to the One Fund…Nebraska fans flocked to the Haymarket Square area for some newfound tailgate activity and pregame revelry.
Other Notables:
NFF College Hall of Fame Dr. Tom Osborne of Nebraska had a pleasant remember-when conversation with former Huskers LB Jared Tomich and retired Huskers assistant coach Charlie McBride before last week’s NU-Colorado classic tussle…College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame member Claude Felton will have an area of the Georgia Sanford Stadium pressbox named in his honor. Two other famed SEC publicists – Bob Hartley at Mississippi State and David Housel at Auburn – have had their longtime school associations’ football media facilities named in their memory and honor, respectively…Former Florida and Arizona State WR Ricky Pearsall was released from the hospital after an attempted robbery and shooting in San Francisco, Calif., where is a rookie wideout for the NFL 49ers…University of Calgary (Canada) DB Deane Leonard has made the NFL Los Angeles Chargers active roster for a third straight season…Members of the 17th College Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame Class of 2024 are Mike Schmidt, SS, Ohio U., 1969-71; Roger Clemens, RHP, San Jacinto (Texas) 1981/Texas, 1982-83; Mark Teixeira, 3B, Georgia Tech, 1999-2001; Bill Thom, P, USC, 1957-59; Jeff King, 3B, Arkansas, 1984-86; Woody Hunt, coach, Cumberland U. (Tenn.), 1982-2021; Murray Wall, P, Texas, 1947-50; Wilbert Ellis, coach, Grambling, 1977-2003; Randy Ross, SS, North Park (Ill.), 1981-84; Jim Paronto, Umpire/Administrator, 1973-2023; and Mike Fox, coach, North Carolina Wesleyan, 1983-1998; North Carolina, 1999-2020. The 1group will be inducted at the Night of Champions presented by Prairiefire on Feb. 13, 2025, at Overland Park, Kan. – the new home of the College Baseball Hall of Fame…Former Nebraska and NFL star Dominic Raiola quipped after the NU win last Saturday over Colorado that the Raiola family still was unbeaten against Colorado. His son Dylan led the Huskers past CU 28-13 after Dominic finished 4-0 in his college career against Buffaloes squads…The ECHL Allen (Texas) Americans hockey club re-signed the longest-tenured player in team history – 2013-14 Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year Award runnerup Spencer Asuchak for the coming campaign.
Media Musings:
Award-winning broadcaster Bob Behler is in his 39th season of college football play-by-play duties for Bucknell, Massachusetts and Boise State…ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro opined about the launch of ESPN+ in 2028 and how streaming has changed much of the landscape for sports broadcasting…ESPN and DIRECTV let their contract expire Aug. 31, and 11 million-plus DIRECTV subscribers were without ESPN and ABC Sports programming for more than a week. DIRECTV also contacted conference commissioners from 60-plus universities to request assistance in its challenges with ESPN and the Disney Co. as ESPN contracts expired with the satellite provider…The Aug. 31 Notre Dame-Texas A&M contest was the second-highest Nielsen rated lidlifter in ABC or ESPN annals at 8.2 million viewers just behind 10.53 million viewers for the 2022 Notre Dame-Ohio State first televised tile…Veteran ESPN and wire services’ sports reporter Ed Werder is joining the sports staff at WFAA-TV…ESPN’s First Take Show is making a special tour of HBCU campus sites and football programs in September…Tulsa (Okla.) World newspaper columnist Berry Tramel pointed out the impact of community college standouts such as current Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel had significant impacts at Oklahoma and on college football in the 1990s and 2000s and how the NCAA transfer portal has affected the recruiting of junior college stalwarts…ExtraPoints.com opined how the 12-team College Football Playoff will make November contests even more meaningful and how fans might respond if they have to purchase high-priced tickets for as many as three playoff contests for Nos. 9-12 seeded CFP entries…The Vanderbilt Hustler school newspaper expressed glee and somewhat disbelief about the Commodores upset win over ACC contender Virginia Tech in the ’24 lidlifter…Oddspedia.com chronicled the most festive and food-delicious tailgates nationally in both college and pro football…NJ.com writer Brian Fonseca went into some the details concerning former Rutgers AD Pat Hobbs and his August departure from the department…Warner Brothers Discovery will air the Players Era Festival on TNT, TBS, truTV, and Max…Greenfly Group senior customer strategist and marketing director is in the process of compiling a reel of all college athletics university and conference promotional videos for nationwide usage…Kosner Media’s John Kosner believes that 2024 television ratings will be slightly lower in November as fans look forward to the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff starting Dec. 20 and lasting until Jan. 20, 2025, with a bit of a saturation element. Others expect November rivalry games and qualifications for key conference titles will boost national television interest…The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds spoke with several student-athletes and head coaches about the NCAA’s new sideline to helmet technology. Georgia’s Carson Beck had no problems but FIU head coach Mike MacIntyre reported several foul-ups that made his team resort to hand signals and slowed down the Panthers offense…Vice president for ESPN Bet and ESPN Fantasy Mike Morrison says ESPN Bet is excited about financial spreadsheets for the groups through its first year of operations…College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame member and 44-year columnist for the U. of Calgary Dinos Jack Neumann chronicled the migration of some of the top high school football stars from South Alberta, Canada, to the Dinos program over several years. Newman also reminded Calgary supporters about upcoming Fifth Quarter tailgate parties beginning on Sept. 28 at McMahon Stadium…The LSU-USC ABC/ESPN telecast averaged 9.2 million viewers on Sept. 1 with a top Nielsen Ratings’ viewership at 11.1 million despite missing 11-million-plus homes blacked out by ESPN and DIRECTV in their contract dispute…JohnCanzano.com noted that Oregon is seeking anew premium seating plan for Autzen Stadium for additional revenue…Several media reports found that the Mountain West Conference and Pac-12 Conference still are seeking possible cooperative schedules for the 2025 football season but have to hold upcoming discussions to try and find a solution. The MWC also issued a statement that related that the MWC is focusing on the current season at this time (early September)…Sports Business Journal’s Terry Lefton projects an all-new set of personnel, financing, technical, and social media and operations for individual departments in college athletics by 2029…FootballScoop.com examined Power 4 conference starting quarterbacks and detailed that 72 percent of the group was in its fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh year of eligibility and that just 12 percent competed in its first or second season on the gridiron. Also, just nine student-athletes among the 68 listed originally signed with Power Four members. There were 59 transfers from other colleges, including 14 of the 18 starting quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference…ExtraPoints.com covered the first game at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium – temporary NU football headquarters while Ryan Stadium is rebuilt – and was wowed with the multiple views of Lake Michigan throughout the facility…Quip of the Week from one broadcaster unfamiliar with Texas geography: “I wonder if Little Elm’s (Texas) chief rival in high school sports is Big Elm?”
FWAA, CSC, NCAA, Etc.:
AFCA executive director Craig Bohl is being inducted into the North Dakota State Athletics Hall of Fame…Tom Jacobs, former chief operating officer for the Atlantic 10 Conference, is the new College Baseball Hall of Fame CEO and executive director…The FWAA-NFF Grantland Rice Super 16 FBS poll continues throughout the season and ends with the final survey after the College Football Playoff championship encounter on Jan. 20, 2025. The Top 10 teams from the Sept. 3 survey include Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan, and Miami (Fla.)……Vanderbilt is the FWAA Cheez-It National Team of the Week after topping Virginia Tech in the opener for both teams…The USBWA continues to accept entries from current or prospective members for the 2023-24 USBWA Best Writing Contest via the official USBWA.com website…College Sports Communicators featured in major online or social media posts in recent days are Doug Monson of Stonehill, Max Rottenecker of Wagner, Ryan Sakamoto of the Patriot League, Ben Blumenthal of Bucknell, and Quinn Schmidt of Colgate…Arizona State, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Rutgers, Tennessee, UCLA, and USC are conferring with NCAA enforcement and compliance officials concerning possible challenges and probes at their respective schools…The NCAA FBS and FCS Oversight Committees made final recommendations that the football transfer portal calendar be shortened to a single, 30-day period from Dec. 9-Jan. 7 for review and discussion by the NCAA Division I Council at its October confab…Members of the 1982-83 NC State men’s basketball team requested back compensation via jurisprudence for NIL usage from the NCAA, CBS Sports and TNT during the Wolfpack’s run to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship…Key NCAA committees are requesting a change to NCAA redshirt rules for other sports to comply with football provisions and eliminate the National Letter of Intent…U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken (an alumna of Stanford and California School of Law) in Oakland, Calif., has questioned some areas of the House v. NCAA settlement and asked plaintiff and NCAA attorneys to “go back to the drawing board” and answer several questions that she had about the ultimate settlement negotiations, which currently require $2.7-2.8 billion in NIL reparations to 2016=21 NCAA student-athletes on all levels…The California Senate enacted SB906 last week to require college NIL collectives to provide date on NIL agreements of $5,000 or higher along with a public denotation of services provided to both men’s and women’s athletics via NIL compensation…Attorneys representing six current and former collegiate women's rowers are requesting some amendments to allow women’s student-athletes to reap larger rewards in the NCAA House settlement…Legal authorities also are seeking some guidance for Ivy League athletics members who do not award athletics scholarships and how these youngsters might be affected in the long run by the House NCAA settlement.
30-
