Paul Finebaum revealed the biggest problem for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is being in the shadow of Nick Saban. It’d likely be a problem for any coach who followed, arguably, the greatest college football coach in the history of the game.

DeBoer won nine games last season under the weight of tremendous expectations. But missing the College Football Playoff last year put DeBoer in the crosshairs. It was just one year removed from him leading Washington to the national championship.

So even if DeBoer is successful this season, it will be compared to Saban’s trajectory and the latter’s success. It’s almost a lose-lose situation unless DeBoer wins a title.

“They were not happy with the end of last season and Kalen DeBoer, they believe, right this second is going to get them to the playoffs,” Finebaum said on Get Up. “But the problem is the shadow of Nick Saban. I was at an event two weeks ago in Birmingham that DeBoer and Nick Saban were both playing golf at this Pro-Am, and DeBoer looked like a lilliputian compared to Nick Saban. He sucked all the oxygen out of the room in interviews and everything, and as long as Nick Saban is around, Kalen DeBoer will be compared to him and it won’t be a good look.”

DeBoer led Alabama to the ReliaQuest Bowl, a loss to Michigan, last season after missing out on the CFP. He went 25-3 at Washington, winning the Alamo Bowl in his first year, as well as the Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) in his second season.

But there’s no doubt there’s a lot of pressure on Alabama this season. Considering DeBoer’s squad is No. 3 in ESPN’s FPI preseason top 25, the expectations are there to make a big leap in 2025.

“I think a lot of it was just the early piece, just understanding what the timing of it was in January,” DeBoer said of Year 1. “I think that was the hardest part. The season and the ups and downs, I’ve been part of that. I think the first year is always extremely hard because there are going to be things that come your way that you just know are going to be hard to handle. And a lot of times, it’s the wins and losses that I’m talking about …

“But we’re in a good spot right now because I think our guys have really found out who wants to be here. They’ve really dug in deep. We’ve got a great mix of upperclassmen that understand what it takes, mixed with some young guys that either got their feet wet last year or are coming in and have been really accepted in a way that they feel appreciated by the guys who have gone through it. So I’m really looking forward to this team, this next 6-8 months.”

For the second time in three years, Colorado College’s hockey television production team won a first-place award from the Sports Video Group (SVG) and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
 
The show open for the Dec. 13, 2024, game at Ed Robson Arena against Denver, 75 Years of Rivalry, won the Outstanding Live Non-Game Production category, selected by a panel of judges and announced at the 17th-annual SVG College Sports Media Awards in association with NACDA, at the SVG College Summit in the Omni Atlanta Hotel on May 28.
 
Other finalists in the category were from Auburn, Baylor, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Princeton, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech.
 
“It’s an honor to work with such an outstanding crew of professionals and student workers who consistently produce CC Hockey for viewers all across the country on TV and Streaming platforms,” said Kelly McCommons, Director of Technical Services & Video Production for Robson Arena. “This award showcases their hard work of storytelling, game production, and professionalism to a new standard.”
 
Colorado College was the only hockey production in the nation and NCHC school to receive a first-place award this year.
 
CC’s hockey game at Ed Robson Arena against Western Michigan on Feb. 1 was one of 12 finalists in the Outstanding Live Game Production/Collegiate Athletics – Championship category.

SEATTLE – After being selected as a WGCA All-American honorable mention last week, Vivian Lu added another accolade to her resume on Wednesday as the sophomore has been named honorable mention of Golfweek’s 2025 Women’s College Golf All-America team.

Lu is one of nine Big Ten women’s golfers named to an All-America team as Washington, USC, Ohio State, Oregon, and Northwestern were represented with honors.

The Auckland, New Zealand native was named to the Annika Award Final Fall Watch List at the beginning of her sophomore campaign.

She also earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team and WGCA All-American Honorable Mention after leading the Husky lineup in seven tournaments this season.

Golfweek’s 2025 Women’s College Golf All-America Teams

First Team

Carla Bernat, Sr., Kansas State

Carolina Chacarra, Sr., Wake Forest

Kary Hollenbaugh, Jr., Ohio State

Jasmine Koo, Fr., USC

Maria Jose Marin, So., Arkansas

Meja Ortengren, Fr., Stanford

Andrea Revuelta, Fr., Stanford

Kiara Romero, So., Oregon

Mirabel Ting, Jr., Florida State

Lottie Woad, Jr., Florida State

 

Second Team

Eila Galitsky, Fr., South Carolina

Megha Ganne, Jr., Stanford

Lauren Kim, So., Texas

Paula Martin Sampedro, So., Stanford

Farah O’Keefe, So., Texas

Catherine Park, Jr., USC

Louise Rydqvist, Sr., South Carolina

Amanda Sambach, Sr., Virginia

Kendall Todd, Sr., Arkansas

Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, Fr., Oregon

 

Third Team

Hannah Darling, Sr., South Carolina

Anna Davis, So., Auburn

Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, So., Texas A&M

Caitlyn Macnab, Sr., Ole Miss

Marie Madsen, Fr., NC State

Lauryn Nguyen, Sr., Northwestern

Patience Rhodes, So., Arizona State

Rocio Tejedo, Fr., LSU

Avery Weed, So., Mississippi State

Ashley Yun, So., Northwestern

 

Honorable Mention

Brooke Biermann, Michigan State

Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M

Pimpchompoo Chaisilprungruang, Charlotte

Lauren Clark, Kansas

Beth Coulter, Arizona State

Cindy Hsu, Texas

Grace Kilcrease, Oklahoma State

Chloe Kovelesky, Wake Forest

Mackenzie Lee, SMU

Vivian Lu, Washington

Ava Merrill, Vanderbilt

Megan Propeck, Virginia

Catherine Rao, Princeton

Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Arizona State

Andie Smith, Duke

Megan Streicher, North Carolina

Clarisa Temelo, Arkansas

Karen Tsuru, Oregon

Kelly Xu, Stanford

Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas

 

HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech Head Hockey Coach Bill Muckalt has named Benton Maass (pronounced MASS) an Assistant Coach with the Huskies. Maass comes to Houghton after one season as an Assistant Coach at Lindenwood. He played collegiately at New Hampshire and Minnesota State and appeared in 122 professional games in the AHL and ECHL.

“I developed a great relationship with Benton over the past year and know that he will be a great fit and valuable asset to Michigan Tech,” Muckalt said. “Benton is a tireless worker and has developed a skill for identifying top talent. He has demonstrated that he can relate and communicate effectively with today’s student-athlete and will work with our defense and penalty kill.”

“First off, I’d like to thank Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret and Head Coach Bill Muckalt for the opportunity to join the hockey staff here at Michigan Tech,” Maass said. “The hockey program has a long and storied history, and I’m excited to get to work with our student-athletes as we prepare for a successful upcoming season, both on and off the ice!”

As an Assistant Coach at Lindenwood, Maass helped develop the Lions in their third year of NCAA Division I hockey. The 2024-25 season included the most wins in program history, with key victories over Notre Dame, Omaha, and Wisconsin. Five players from the roster went on to sign professional contracts.

Maass played 64 games as a defenseman for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays during the 2023-24 season and tallied 27 points with eight goals and 19 assists, serving as an alternate captain. He skated in 55 games for the Stingrays in his first season with 11 points and 44 penalty minutes. He also played three career games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and was on the 2023 Calder Cup Championship Team.

The native of Elk River, Minnesota, was initially selected by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft after playing for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the NAHL and Elk River High School.

Maass played five seasons of college hockey, tallying 51 career points on 13 goals and 38 assists in 162 games. He began his collegiate career at New Hampshire from 2017-21 before transferring to Minnesota State for the 2021-22 season. At UNH, he was a three-time Hockey East All-Academic Team member and was an alternate captain for the 2020-21 season. The Mavericks won the MacNaughton Cup and Mason Cup as CCHA Regular Season and Tournament Champions and advanced to the Frozen Four NCAA Championship Game.

Former Husky Tyler Shelast will begin his fifth season as an Assistant Coach in 2025-26 after being the Strength and Conditioning Coach during the previous eight seasons. Coach Muckalt is in the process of hiring another Assistant Coach.

College coaches and international athletes are stuck in an unnerving limbo, saying they’re unsure how to plan for recent changes in U.S. student visa policy that could potentially wreak havoc on their rosters this year.

The State Department confirmed it has stopped scheduling interviews for new student visa applicants. A brief pause would not cause problems for most college sports teams — according to coaches and other specialists who spoke to ESPN — but if the pause stretches late into the summer, it could severely impact some athletes’ ability to reach campus in time to play in their upcoming season. Early summer is a crucial window when many incoming international students typically schedule their visa interviews.

“The main guidance we’ve gotten is don’t freak out yet,” said University of Tennessee Martin basketball coach Jeremy Shulman. “But that ‘yet’ has been the key word.”

Some coaches told ESPN that as much as a quarter of their roster might not be allowed to enter the country this fall if the pause persists.

Shulman — who expects to have 12 international players this year, the most of any Division I basketball team — said he has four players who now are unsure if they will make it to campus.

“It decimates our roster,” he said.

Vermont men’s soccer coach Rob Dow won the national championship last season with 10 international players, including five starters. Six months later, Dow said his plans to bring in “three blue-chip players” could be in doubt if those recruits are unable to enter the country.

None have visa appointments scheduled. He said he’s still trying to get more information.

“It’s just a ton of uncertainty,” Dow said. “Not really sure what is consistent here.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Tuesday that the pause “will go pretty quickly” once consulates and embassies are prepared. She said she expected an update in “a matter of days.”

Shulman has two recently committed freshmen who have yet to secure visa appointments. Two current players returned to their home countries to renew their visas, and they also have been unable to secure appointments. Shulman said he was “scrambling a little bit” for both his players and his program.

“We’re very concerned if we’re going to be able to get these guys even in the country,” Shulman said.

International students typically aim to complete the application and interview process well before their expected arrival date. Before the interview, they must complete an I-20, which the government calls a “certificate of eligibility for nonimmigrant student status.” Applicants also bring transcripts and other support materials the interviewer might request. People who run services to help students in this process told ESPN that 10-50% of the students they work with don’t have visa appointments yet.

A runner from Poland, who plans to compete for Texas A&M, told ESPN he is not concerned yet because Scholarbook — the international athlete placement agency that has helped with his recruitment — told him the pause shouldn’t derail his plans. He asked ESPN to withhold his name for fear of reprisal.

Others aren’t so sure, especially given the pace of recent immigration edicts from the Trump administration targeting international students. “The implication is that once they have everything figured out, they’re going to get the process back up and running,” immigration attorney Amy Maldonado said. “But I don’t trust them or believe anything they say.”

On April 22, the administration aimed to revoke all student visas at Harvard. The university sued the next day and won a temporary injunction. New plans are afoot to impose harsher visa restrictions on Chinese students.

One university international center director who spoke to ESPN on condition of anonymity said that if the pause takes a week or two, “it’ll be a minor inconvenience. If it takes longer than that, it’ll be a considerable inconvenience.”

The pause reportedly is to boost vetting of applicants’ social media posts. One Division I coach said he suggested that his current international players scrub — and possibly delete — their social media accounts since it’s unknown what the new vetting will be. Some reports say the vetting will include deleted posts.

Shulman and other coaches told ESPN it is too soon to know if visa uncertainty will force them to recruit fewer international athletes in the coming years. He termed it a “very tense and scary time.”

The pause is not believed to affect those who already have interview appointments. Current students shouldn’t be impacted unless their visa has expired and they’ve decided to travel outside the country.

Shulman said his two returning players have valid visas that expire later this year, but they went home to renew. It’s unclear why they have not been able to schedule appointments yet.

Dow, the Vermont soccer coach, said if he were not able to get those three international recruits in, it would impact the roster but suggested the deficit would still be manageable.

For other programs, he added, the deficit “might be five or six or nine or 10.”

Shulman and coaches in other sports said they aren’t enacting contingency plans yet, hoping it’s a short pause, but they can’t help but think about it.

“Families are really concerned because this is something most of them have invested a lot of time and money in the process,” said Philipp Liedgens, the director of operations for Keystone Sports Germany, an international athlete placement company. He said the recruiting process could take up to two years — only to experience these problems at the end. Some of those athletes “have no plan for anything else,” he said.

Thomas Bojanowski, the founder of Scholarbook, said he has seen a 25-30% drop in interest from future students in the past six months. Liedgens said his firm has seen enrollments for future classes drop nearly 50% in recent months.

Dow said he has been answering questions from recruits about what it’s now like in the United States compared to media reports from overseas. Universities are trying to answer as best they can. Coaches aren’t sure what to tell current players, either, when they ask if it’s safe for them to leave the country.

One Division I men’s tennis coach said he advised his international players against it.

Vermont has a trip to Europe scheduled in June. Dow said he’s still figuring out whether any of his international players may need to skip the trip because of immigration uncertainties.

Shulman said that while sports are part of this, these decisions impact them as students. Many use college athletics to get a quality education at an American university.

“These kids need and deserve this opportunity here in the States,” Shulman said of his own players. “And I’m hoping that we can get through so they get this experience.”

Last year, the NCAA reported that more than 25,000 international athletes were enrolled in schools across its three divisions. In Division I, international students comprised 30-64% of rosters in a variety of sports, such as tennis, ice hockey, soccer and field hockey, a 2023 NCAA document said.

More than 4,000 athletes come from Canada, and over 1,000 each come from the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Australia, according to the latest data provided by the NCAA. The international center director said Canadians should not be impacted because they typically do not have to sit for visa interviews.