In a college football era defined by transfer portals and NIL deals, one player just made a decision rooted in loyalty, legacy, and love for home.

Dante Kelly, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound safety and former 3-star standout, is coming back—not just to Mississippi, but to the same dirt roads and Friday night lights that shaped him. The Leflore County native is transferring to Mississippi Valley State University, bringing SEC experience and big-time potential back to Itta Bena.

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Kelly’s journey has taken him across conferences, but his story started on the fields just minutes from Rice-Totten Stadium. He led Leflore County High School to back-to-back district titles, earning Mississippi Small School All-State honors in 2022 with 105 tackles and 4 picks. He was ranked among Mississippi’s Top 50 prospects, eventually committing to Vanderbilt over offers from Power 4 programs.

“A very special player who I think one day will be a NFL talent. The sky is the limit for Dante,” said former coach Eric House. “The things that stick out with Dante is his physical attributes. He’s very athletic. What sticks out is definitely his speed especially his speed and agility for that size.”

But after a redshirt year at Vanderbilt and a short stint at Southern Miss, Kelly chose a route few former SEC players take—he came home to an HBCU. And not just any HBCU: Mississippi Valley State, a program with a proud past and a struggling present.

The Delta Devils went 1-11 last season. They haven’t posted a winning record in over a decade. But change is coming. With Terrell Buckley—former NFL star and Pascagoula native—now at the helm, Kelly’s arrival feels like the beginning of a cultural shift.

“We’re going to build a culture of accountability, hard work, and belief – because winning starts with the standards we set and the mindset we bring every single day,” Buckley stated.

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More than just a transfer, Kelly’s return is symbolic. It’s about believing in your roots when the spotlight fades elsewhere. In a region where football is religion and history runs deep, this move isn’t just about playing time—it’s about pride, purpose, and the power of coming home.

Delta Devils fans, take notice—Dante Kelly is back. And he’s not here to blend in. He’s here to change everything.

Related: NFL icon beams with pride at daughter’s HBCU graduation

Related: NBA legend steps up with major donation for HBCU

Five-Star Plus+ offensive tackle Jackson Cantell, the No. 1 overall recruit in 2026, committed to Miami over Georgia last week after the Hurricanes reportedly offered quite the deal for him in NIL. David Pollack doesn’t know if that number was worth it, though, even if he is the best in his class.

Pollack was critical of this expense during an episode of ‘See Ball Get Ball’ last week. He knows the value of the offensive line but, at the apparent price point as compared to the rest of the cost of a roster, Pollack isn’t sure if that kind of investment is worth it.

“It ain’t left tackle, homie. Like, it ain’t left tackle. If you want to spend this much money on a quarterback, we can have the conversation. I’m not spending $2 million on an offensive lineman. Like, I’m just not,” Pollack said. “An offensive lineman is obviously going to be in the mix, can be great, can control the game. The likelihood of them getting dinged up and hurt is highly possible. Like, you play a physical position up front like that, you’re going to get – it’s going to happen. Like, it’s just going to happen naturally. Quarterbacks obviously have a chance to stay healthier.

“Obviously, when your line of scrimmage is dominant, it makes life easy for you. I mean, that’s a great thing,” Pollack continued. “So, you know, if Miami has the funds and they can do this? I mean, it’s always at what cost? It’s always, like, where is the next spot that I don’t, that now that I have to fill a void, I have to fill a hole”

Cantwell, a Nixa, Missouri product, is a Five-Star+ prospect at No. 1 in the 2026 cylce per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. With that, he committed to Miami over Georgia, Oregon, and Ohio State. On3’s Pete Nakos reported Cantwell received an NIL offer in the $2 million range.

Still, Pollack just didn’t know about this fit for Cantwell in Coral Gables. Besides the payment, Pollack also doesn’t know how well Cantwell will develop, considering the program’s recent history with the offensive line under Mario Cristobal.

“Miami, since Cristobal has been there, okay? This is since he’s been there since the 2022 season,” Pollack prefaced. “They have no draft picks in 2022 on the O-line, no draft picks in 2023, a seventh-round pick in 2024, and a fifth-round pick in 2025. So, that’s what you’re telling me that, I’m going to get developed with and I’m going to? It’s not a knock. It’s the numbers. Like, it’s the facts.

“Now, listen. I’m not going to give him all of that because, when you start there, obviously, you’re starting from ground zero, you’re bringing in your own talent. But, because of the transfer portal, you have the opportunity to bring guys in really, really quickly that can play right now that can go and their offensive line has not been,” said Pollack. “Last year, it was pretty solid. Like, it was. They were physical enough to road grade for the run. They protected Cam Ward and Cam Ward made magic. But, you know, those are numbers that are real. Like, those are, Mr. PFF – those are numbers that they have and that they’ve accomplished in his tenure there so far at Miami.”

In the end, all that matters to Miami right now is that Cantwell committed to give the ‘Canes a Top-10 class now for 2026. Still, that price point for that position felt like a lot to Pollack.

“It’s a high investment,” said Pollack. “It’s a high investment in a guy on the offensive line.”

The rules in men’s college basketball are far from perfect.

The block/charge call, seemingly endless monitor reviews, and late-game fouling issues are just a few of the areas where tweaks could be made to enhance the overall product. The rules we have in place are what make the sport so entertaining and fun to watch, but we’d be lying to ourselves if we said there isn’t a need for improvement.

One potential change that’s recently become a topic of discussion is the movement to switch men’s college basketball from halves to quarters. For one, it would bring sport-wide consistency, as MBB is the only visible version of basketball still utilizing halves. But it would also reset team fouls after each quarter, reduce the number of commercials with fewer media timeouts, and eliminate the one-and-one free throws.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has already talked several times about wanting to extend the regular season to 40 games. But that’s more of a landscape-changing idea rather than a clean-and-cut rule modification. However, he’s into the idea of swapping out halves for quarters.

“I don’t know if I have a really intelligent answer on that. I do like consolidating it,” Pope recently said on The Sideline with Andy Katz. “(Men’s college basketball is) the only — not even the women — we’re the only remaining basketball entity that has halves.”

But if you ask Pope what rule change he’d like to see the most, his answer might surprise you. It’s one that makes plenty of sense, though.

“The change that I would really like to make, that I’d be super excited about? I’d like to be able to advance the ball out of timeouts,” Pope said. “I know it slows down the game, but it makes the game so much more interesting when, with 2.5 seconds or 1.5 seconds left, if you don’t have to go fullcourt, but you can advance it, you have a chance to get elite-level shots and decision-making.

“It extends the game to where you have two or three or four possessions, where in college you can only really squeeze in one because you can’t advance the ball.”

This is a rule already in place in the NBA and one that is widely loved. As a personal aside, I love the ability to advance the ball in the NBA after timeouts in late-game situations for the exact reasons Pope outlined. It creates additional drama and gives teams more opportunities to produce highlight plays and buzzer-beating outcomes. It’s much easier to craft a play with one second on the clock when the ball is at halfcourt compared to underneath the opposite basket.

Let’s make it happen, Pope.

Continuing with our plan this offseason to share some content that a couple members of our community have been creating for close to a year now!

I am happy to be able to announce that TFB supports The Champion Standard Podcast!

Our guys @soonerbrad and @Birddawg have been pumping out some high-quality podcasts that talk about Xs and Os, hot topics, and OU football talk in general. This podcast represents the views and opinions of Rob and Brad and TFB is not part of their operation, but we do endorse it wholeheartedly!

Each time a new podcast drops I will post it here for the community. Give the guys a listen, sub to their YouTube channel, and include their pods on your mobile devices!

Chomp Talk with Mossis Madu

As the Oklahoma Sooners step into the ring for round two in the SEC, few voices can balance nostalgia, realism, and insight like former Sooner running back Moses Madu. In his recent return to the Champion Standard podcast’s “Chomp Talk” segment, Madu joined hosts Rob and Brad to talk about everything from the Sooners’ running back room to the future of college football, NIL chaos, and why expectations in Norman might need tempering.

First Impressions of Jaydn Ott

“He Can Go”

The spotlight early in the conversation landed on Jaydn Ott, the highly-touted transfer from Cal who joins OU’s backfield this season. Madu admitted he didn’t know much about Ott when the news first broke. But after watching film, combing through social media clips, and digging into stats, his view changed dramatically.

“I was like, this kid can go,” Madu said. “He’s the closest thing to a home-run threat we’ve had in a minute—probably since Eric Gray.”

Ott, who led multiple statistical categories, brings speed, shiftiness, and breakaway potential. Madu noted that adding a player of Ott’s caliber deepens a running back room that already includes Xavier Robinson (whom both hosts are high on) and Taylor Tatum, despite the latter’s ball security struggles last season.

But Madu emphasized something else: contrast. Ott provides a different style from the power and burst of guys like Robinson. That contrast, he says, is vital if Oklahoma hopes to compete week in and week out in the brutal SEC.

NIL, the Portal, and the Semi-Pro Future

Madu, now a coach and full-time dad balancing softball games and recruiting trips, didn’t hold back on his views of how the college landscape has changed—and what it means for programs like Oklahoma.

“I really think the college game’s going pro. You’re going to see scouting departments just like the NFL. They’ll have guys watching film 24/7. The portal and NIL changed everything.”

That’s where Jim Nagy’s hiring as a behind-the-scenes football administrator stood out to Madu. The former Senior Bowl director and longtime NFL scout brings the kind of experience OU needs to navigate this new frontier. According to Madu, bringing in someone who’s negotiated with agents and evaluated talent at the pro level is more critical now than ever.

“In today’s game, a guy like Nagy is just as important as your strength coach or OC. Maybe more.”

But while Madu embraces the professionalization of college football, he also lamented what’s been lost—especially for players from his era.

“Back when I played, we had $150 a month after rent. I joke that my booster was my girlfriend’s mom,” he said, laughing. “Now these kids are getting life-changing money—and I’m not mad at it.”

Still, he sees the chaos. Players quitting mid-season, promises not being met, the portal spinning nonstop. He floated ideas like multi-year contracts and transfer windows—mechanisms that could inject structure into the madness.

OU’s 2025 Outlook: Brutal Realism

Perhaps the most sobering moment came when Rob asked Madu for his early prediction for the 2025 season.

“I don’t think we have to be on suicide watch like last year,” Madu joked. “But it’s gonna be tough. I’d be happy with seven wins.”

Seven wins? For a program of OU’s pedigree, that sounds low—but Madu laid it out clearly: it’s about the trenches.

“Skill guys? We’re fine. But we’re not there yet in the trenches. It’s different in the SEC, man. You feel it.”

While Rob and Brad were floating 8-9 wins, Madu’s view was grounded in recent history. Last year’s 6-7 finish exposed glaring holes on both lines, and despite a strong offensive line class and elite interior DL prospects like David Stone, Jaden Jackson, and Da’Jon Terry, Madu believes it’ll take time for the units to raise the bar. 

“That’s always the difference—Big 12 vs SEC. It’s the big boys up front.”

Brad countered that OU isn’t that far off—maybe one or two years from being ready—but Madu was firm: three to four years, especially with how everything reset after coaching changes and transfers.

The NIL Tug-of-War: Loyalty vs. Survival

Madu also touched on the deeper ethical tension NIL has introduced—what happens when tradition collides with cold, hard cash.

For kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, NIL is a golden ticket—not just for them, but for their families. But Madu still worries about what’s lost in the process: team loyalty, fan connection, and recruiting for the right reasons.

“We’ve got to find a way to keep the tradition of college football alive. Otherwise it just becomes another league.”

He floated ideas like player contracts, loyalty clauses, and caps—not to hinder players, but to protect the sport’s soul.

The Thunder Surge & J-Dub’s Bounceback

After the deep dive into football, the show shifted gears to basketball, with the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run in full swing. Rob and Brad praised the team’s resilience, especially in their Game 7 win against the Nuggets.

“They went on a 50–25 run to end the half—crazy,” Brad said.

Jalen Williams (J-Dub) finally had a breakout game with 24 points on 10-of-17 shooting, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) did what stars do, pouring in 35 effortlessly.

But the hosts were just as hyped about role players like Alex Caruso (+40) and Cason Wallace (+38)—guys whose defensive energy transformed the series.

“Caruso was like a human gnat on Joker,” Rob said.

They previewed the upcoming matchup against Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, predicting a bruising, physical series. Still, both hosts believed the Thunder were built for this—fast, deep, and tenacious.

“I called it months ago,” Rob reminded Brad. “This team will win the whole thing.”

Final Word: A Real One Returns

Moses Madu doesn’t sugarcoat it. His blend of affection for the program and realistic assessment is exactly what OU fans need right now. With the transition to the SEC, a brutal 2025 schedule, and uncertainty up front, OU is facing a prove-it year.

But that doesn’t mean it’s doom and gloom.

If Ott delivers, if the trenches develop, and if young pieces gel fast, Oklahoma could surprise some people. And with the sport evolving faster than ever, Madu’s perspective—that of a player, coach, and now Fan—might be the Sooners’ best reality check.

“I’m always rooting for ‘em,” he said. “But you’ve got to keep it real.”