A two-time Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year award winner, Jeff Jackson’s journey began in Roseville, Michigan. Growing up in the local rinks of a hockey-crazy town, it was inevitable that hockey would play a key role in Jackson’s future, especially after attending Michigan State University for college.

Upon graduation in 1979, Jackson’s path was clear, he jumped into coaching, beginning what proved to be a legendary career behind the bench.

He spent two years in the North American Hockey League, before arriving at Lake Superior State in 1986, a school of just 1,600 students located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, as an assistant coach. After four seasons, including an NCAA title in 1988, Jackson took the reigns as head coach in 1990.

During his six-year tenure as head coach for the Lakers, Jackson’s teams appeared in three national championship games, winning the title in 1992 and 1994, along with two CCHA regular season championships and four CCHA Mason Cup trophies.

In 1996, an opportunity arose to influence the development and advancement of the game in the United States when he was named the inaugural head coach of the newly formed USA Hockey National Team Development program.

During his four years with the NTDP, Jackson served as the head coach for the silver medal-winning 1997 U.S. Junior National Team, the highest finish for a U.S. team at the time, as well as an assistant for the 1998 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The accolades keep rolling in for rising senior Isaac Howard following a historic 2024-25 campaign, who was announced as the recipient of USA Hockey’s Jim Johannson College Player of the Year award on Tuesday. Howard is the fourth Spartan to earn this distinction, following in the footsteps of Jeff Lerg (2007), Ryan Miller (2001) and Mike York (1999). He’ll be officially recognized during the USA Hockey President’s Award Dinner on Friday, June 6 in Denver.
 
Howard previously became the program’s third all-time recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award after delivering a career-best 26 goals and 52 points across Michigan State’s 37 games. He ranked first nationally in points per game (1.41), was third in goals per game (0.70) and finished No. 23 in assists per game (0.70). In addition to being named a First Team AHCA All-American, Howard earned Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player and was First Team All-B1G.
 
The Jim Johannson College Player of the Year award was first established in 1994 and recognizes accomplishments of the top American-born player in NCAA Division I men’s college hockey. In 2019, the award was renamed in honor of Johannson, who won a national championship while playing at the University of Wisconsin and spent two decades as an executive at USA Hockey.
 
Howard is fresh off a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. The Hudson, Wis. native was named to the U.S. Hockey Men’s National Team in April, contributing an assist across four appearances in pool play in addition to an assist in an exhibition against Germany. Alongside Michigan State head coach Adam Nightingale who served as an assistant coach on Team USA, the pair helped the United State bring home its first gold medal at the World Championships since 1933.

 

 
 

It has been a great season for the Michigan State University men’s Hockey team this year. One of the best we have seen in many years, and the excitement has called the infamous Munn Ice Arena to be sold out for many of their home games this year.

Scroll to Bottom: Michigan State Hockey Over The Years

A certain player was just announced as USA Hockey’s Jim Johannson College Player of the Year, which puts him as the fourth Spartan to receive this award in the program’s history.

USA Hockey’s Jim Johannson Award

These awards first began back in 1994 and were renamed in 2019 to honor the former USA Hockey executive and national champion Jim Johannson. It helps recognize the top American-born player in the NCAA Division in men’s college hockey.

His name is Isaac Howard, and he is the lucky Spartan who got honored with this award. He joins Jeff Lerg, Ryan Miller, and Mike York, all previous MSU recipients of this award, and will be recognized in Denver at the USA Hockey President’s Award Dinner on June 6th.

Record-Setting 2024–25 Campaign

Howard had an amazing season, scoring 26 goals and 52 points in just 37 games during his 2024-2025 season, which was one of his career bests. He led the nation with a 1.31 points per game, and ranked third with 0.70 per game, as well as 0.70 assists per game.

International Glory in Stockholm

Additionally, Howard is also fresh off winning some gold from the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championships in Stockholm. Howard contributed with assists in both pool play and exhibition against Germany. He helped secure Team USA’s first World Championship Gold since 1933.

Additional Honors & All-American Teams

On top of it, Howard earned First Team AHCA All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year, as well as Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. He also got First Team All-B1G honors.

Michigan State Hockey Over The Years

 

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian refuted reports that the team is spending up to $35 to $40 million on its roster this year. Earlier this offseason, the report garnered attention across the internet, but Sarkisian clarified that his team has not spent that much on their roster.

“What’s frustrating on that was it was a little bit of irresponsible reporting,” Sarkisian said on College Sports on SiriusXM. “One anonymous source said that’s what our roster was. I wish I had 40 million on our roster, we’d probably be a little bit better team than we are. The idea to think that a lot of other schools aren’t spending money to get players. It’s the state of college football right now. It is what it is. We’re fortunate, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got great support.”

“What’s crazy about this day and age,” Sarkisian continued. “One guy writes an article from an anonymous source that says that’s what are roster is, everybody ran with it. And I’m talking real publications ran with it. … Nobody asked me one question.”

Sarkisian did express gratitude for the support and success the team has had, but made it clear that they are not spending that much on their players.

The Longhorns will return to play on Aug. 30, when they begin the 2025 season against Ohio State.

More College Football on Sports Illustrated

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Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith are the cover athletes for EA Sports College Football 26, the video-game developer announced Tuesday.

The electric sophomore wide receivers were picked for the second edition of the franchise’s reboot. Last year’s game was the first in 11 years and was among the best-selling video games in 2024.

Williams and Smith are posed together on the standard cover, while the deluxe edition also includes other players, coaches, mascots and former cover stars Reggie Bush, Tim Tebow and Denard Robinson.

The ‘26 edition will test if the franchise still has the same staying power it had when it was released annually in the early 2000s.

For the players who are featured in the game, it will certainly remain popular. Williams said in a statement released by EA Sports that the cover was “a dream come true,” and Smith called it “a tremendous privilege.”

“I’m proud to represent Ohio State alongside Coach (Ryan) Day while carrying the Buckeye legacy forward, celebrating the passion of our fans and the tradition of this incredible program,” Smith said.

Williams and Smith broke onto the national scene in 2024 with their miraculous catches on the biggest stages.

Williams’ spinning TD grab to help beat then-No. 2 Georgia looked like it belonged in a video game. It was one of many wowing plays from the young receiver. Williams finished his freshman season with 48 receptions for 865 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.

Smith was a major part of the Buckeyes’ run to a national championship. He regularly hauled in one-handers that decimated the confidence of his defenders. In a CFP quarterfinals win over top-seeded Oregon, Smith had seven receptions, 187 yards and two touchdowns. He finished his freshman year with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.

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