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Florida Gators Repeat National Championships Stand Apart in College Basketball History

Published

6 months ago

July 21, 2025

There have been nine repeat national championship-winning programs since the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939. The 2006 and 2007 title-claiming Florida Gators may be the most anomalous.

In 2026, organized college basketball turns 120 years old. Press Break will mark the occasion with the relaunch of The College Basketball 101, only expanded to The College Basketball 120, celebrating the 120 best players in the game’s history.

Compiling this list requires certain standard criteria, though admittedly a dash of Your Humble Author’s favorite unofficial metric, Vibes. Based on Vibes, a team that successfully ran it back for only the second time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to included at-large bids absolutely should have at least one representative on this player ranking.

But applying other criteria on which I’ve relied to determine these rankings, none of the 2005-06/2006-07 Florida Gators qualify. They’re not the only repeat champions without a top 120 all-time player, but they’re the only champs who don’t really come even close to boasting a top 120 player through the standards I set, which include National Player of the Year recognition and at least one 1st Team All-American selection.

Even more astounding is that in 2005-06, Florida produced only one 1st Team All-SEC selection, Joakim Noah. That’s particularly noteworthy, given the SEC nominated eight 1st Teamers, and both Alabama and LSU produced two.

Noah as the lone Gator netting 1st Team recognition in 2006 isn’t necessarily surprising, given the distribution of statistics on that roster. All five of Florida’s starters averaged at least 10.9 points per game, but no one put up more than Noah’s 14.2.

Noah and Horford each grabbed more than seven rebounds per game, which is impressive but not eye-popping for awards voters. The next season was similar statistically, with Lee Humphrey averaging 10.3 points; Noah posting 12; Brewer and Horford each going for 13.2; and Taurean Green scoring a team-high 13.3 points per game.

Noah earned 2nd Team All-American for his defense and rebounding, but was the only Gator on either the consensus 1st or 2nd Teams. He also wasn’t the SEC Player of the Year, say nothing of National: The former went to Tennessee’s Chris Lofton, who averaged 20.8 points per game in 2006-07 and was a 1st Team All-American in 2007-08.

The preceding is all to say that the repeat national champion Florida Gators have no representation in the upcoming College Basketball 120 — but that only serves to make those teams all the more special in the pantheon of college hoops lore.

The coming season marks the 20-year anniversary since that first of Florida’s two national championships. Combined with the 120th anniversary of organized college hoops and Press Break’s College Basketball 120 — and the Florida Gators heading into 2025-26 aiming to complete another repeat — this is an opportune occasion to celebrate Billy Donovan’s remarkable two-time title winners.

First, a rundown of the exclusive company the ‘06 & ‘07 Gators keep among repeat champions:

Big man Bob Kurland rivaled DePaul’s George Mikan as one of the first dominant centers in basketball history.

Adolph Rupp’s first two national championship teams featured three-time consensus All-American Alex Groza at center. Groza capped Kentucky’s second title campaign averaging 20.2 points per game — a pretty astronomic number for the era — and won assorted National Player of the Year honors.

Bill Russell. Need I say more?

Cincinnati’s repeat title teams are interesting from the perspective that they immediately followed the graduation of one of the greatest all-around players in basketball history, Oscar Robertson. The Bearcats thus predated Bill Simmons’ goofy “Ewing Theory” by more three decades.

However, Big O’s departure for the NBA left center Paul Hogue as Cincinnati’s star, particularly in the second Bearcats championship run. An honorable mention All-American in 1961, Hogue earned consensus 1st Team All-America in a 1962 that culminated in his winning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

The first of John Wooden’s consecutive championship runs at UCLA began with a backcourt of 1963-64 Oscar Robertson Trophy winner Walt Hazzard and sensational combo guard Gail Goodrich.

Goodrich, whose combined ability to score and distribute with equal efficiency, helped revolutionize the point guard’s role in the latter-half of the 20th century.

The most dominant stretch in major college sports history was a byproduct of UCLA building around one all-time great after another. From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Sidney Wicks to Bill Walton, the Bruins’ excellence coincided with all three garnering National Player of the Year honors.

The first repeat champions of the 64-team era just might be the only team to feature three top 120 players simultaneously with Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill.

The closest parallel to the ‘06/’07 Florida Gators is the most recent repeat champions, 2023/2024 UConn. UConn’s 2022-23 Final Four run even mirrors Florida’s in 2005-06 in that both teams endured midseason losing streaks that sent each team into March Madness somewhat overlooked, only for both to dominant on their ways to the crown.

In the 2023-24 season, however, UConn featured a 1st Team All-American in that NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Tristen Newton. He also shared a backcourt with Stephon Castle, a one-and-done freshman phenom.

With the NBA adopting its age limit in 2005, the star freshman phenom became a staple of college basketball for nearly 15 years until the introduction of NIL. By the time Castle co-starred at UConn, the one-and-done sensation as a tentpole of college basketball had faded; Duke’s Cooper Flagg prominence this past season is an outlier of the last five years.

From 2006 through 2019, however, blue-chip freshmen commanded the spotlight. Kevin Durant set the precedent almost immediately with his otherworldly lone season at Texas. At the same time, however, the Florida Gators set another precedent that proved true repeatedly in that era: Veteran rosters are better constructed for March success than those relying heavily on freshmen.

That’s not exactly revelatory. The physical differences alone that separate 22- and 18-year-olds are profound, say nothing of the skill sets that experience can help build.

Florida was revelatory in this era, though, for keeping its experienced lineup together to mount back-to-back championship runs. Predating the implementation of the NBA draft age limit, which in turn created college basketball’s one-and-done era, the influx of underclassmen into the draft lottery during the 1990s started to shape a common belief within front offices: Younger prospects are inherently better.

Organizations saw greater long-term value from potentially molding 20-, 19-, or — as high schoolers foregoing college altogether became more common after Kevin Garnett’s and Kobe Bryant’s successes — 18-year-olds, rather than banking on the experience and potential for immediate contribution from upperclassmen.

Add the mileage of college basketball as another negative against upperclassmen, and staying in college to develop became increasingly viewed as a negative. This was very much the prevailing sentiment by 2006, evidenced in 20-year-old Andrei Bargnani going No. 1 overall in that summer’s draft.

Also taken early in that draft was LSU freshman Tyrus Thomas, an SEC post counterpart to Florida’s Al Horford or Joakim Noah. Thomas wasn’t a two-week sensation who merely rode an impressive NCAA Tournament to the draft, having gone into LSU’s Final Four run as the SEC Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Still, an excellent postseason ensured Thomas’ draft stock would never be higher. The same presumably could have applied to Joakim Noah at the completion of his Most Outstanding Player performance in that NCAA Tournament.

Noah’s 16.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and absolutely staggering 4.8 blocks per game over Florida’s six postseason wins made him the biggest name in college hoops come April 2006. This was also at a time that, while the NBA philosophy on age vs. experience shifted toward youth, the traditional center was still a coveted commodity.

Case in point, three of the 2006 Draft’s lottery selections were old-school bigs who could be generously described as projects at the NBA level: Patrick O’Bryant, Mouhamed Sene and Hilton Armstrong.

Joakim Noah was a more developed traditional center in 2006, and could very well have parlayed his NCAA Tournament performance into a top-five pick. He instead opted to return to Gainesville, and so did Al Horford and Corey Brewer, rising NBA prospects in their own.

The simple decision for the 2005-06 Florida Gators to keep their lineup in tact went against the grain at that time in a way that defied NBA logic. It also did nothing to harm any of the Gators’ three primary pro prospects from damaging their chances.

Each of Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford played in the NBA through 2019. Horford’s still going through 2025 with little signs of slowing down, having played in 60 games this past season for the Boston Celtics.

Producing three decade-plus tenured NBA players is another rare accomplishment for the ‘06 & ‘07 Florida Gators. That none were among college basketball’s transcendent individual stars makes the feat all the more noteworthy.

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Trinidad Chambliss strikes NIL deal with Ole Miss, awaiting NCAA decision

Published

2 minutes ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Superstar quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has signed an Name, Image and Likeness deal to stay at Ole Miss that is if the NCAA will allow him another season.

Yes, yes, verily verily I say unto you as much as the NCAA shouldn’t continue to be a part of the Rebels’ future success it somehow always creeps back up again. There is a history here dating back to the days of Jerrell Powe where the NCAA dragged its feet on a decision only to stymie Ole Miss. Those long held memories and grudges from recruiting violations and investigations from the Hugh Freeze and Houston Nutt eras were an albatross for years in Oxford as well.

While the media and sources can say whatever positivity there is, the Cup is in the camp of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”

Chambliss is seeking a waiver for a medical redshirt from one of his seasons at Ferris State and is now under the legal counsel of Tom Mars (a name any long time Ole Miss fan will know). A sixth year of eligibility is not unheard of, and a denial of the waiver from the NCAA could open a can of worms into a lawsuit much like the efforts of Diego Pavia at Vanderbilt this past season.

The commitment of Chambliss to Ole Miss and from the Rebels to its starting QB is the first step or domino to fall, however. He is not ready to jump on the first train to Baton Rouge after the season ends giving the fanbase at least some assurance he could be in red and blue in 2026.

Chambliss came into the starting job after an injury to Austin Simmons who has announced his intentions to transfer. The senior from Grand Rapids, Mich. immediately provided a spark offensively and held onto the starting job for the rest of the season guiding Ole Miss to its first ever College Football Playoff berth. Then, as everyone in the country has seen, Chambliss won back to back playoff games to get Ole Miss in the national semi-final against Miami this week.

His 3,660 passing yards, 520 rushing yards and 29 combined touchdowns were good enough to get him to eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting. A return would easily put him among the favorites in 2026 after the incredible exposure of the CFP first round and quarterfinals.

Chambliss’ attorney is making the case on social media that dozens of pages of medical documents have been submitted to the NCAA to provide for future eligibility. Ole Miss can now do nothing but wait and hope.

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Trinidad Chambliss strikes NIL deal with Ole Miss, awaiting NCAA decision

Published

55 minutes ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Superstar quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has signed an Name, Image and Likeness deal to stay at Ole Miss that is if the NCAA will allow him another season.

While the media and sources can say whatever positivity there is, the Cup is in the camp of “we’ll believe it when we see it.”

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College Football Playoff Predictions: Nick Saban’s Coaching Tree on Display at Semis

Published

2 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Sith Lord Nick Saban is responsible for all of this — the four College Football Playoff teams, and their respective head coaches, left standing in this year’s postseason action.

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Miami’s Mario Cristobal and Ole Miss’ Pete Golding: Those are Saban’s former assistants at Alabama that became head coaches at Power 4 programs across the country. Those are men he recruited, developed and, as he often says, “left to go somewhere else” so that they could bring themselves closer to calling their mentor and boss a peer.

It’s not just that the 2025 CFP national champion will be a program that hasn’t worn the crown in at least 25 years (Miami) — or even once (Indiana, Oregon) — but also that none of their head coaches have either.

So it is with some glee, I’m sure, that Saban will watch one of these men lift the national title trophy and applaud them for winning their first. Leave it to me to remind that one apprentice who will ultimately clutch glory in a couple weeks: He’s got six to go before he even equals Sith Lord Saban (and Kirby Smart already has two).

[2025 College Football Playoff Odds: Lines, Spreads for Each CFP Semifinal Game]

Now, people of college football’s Galactic Empire, here are my latest CFP bracket predictions for the semifinal games:

CFP Predictions: Semifinals

Fiesta Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Winner: Miami

(Photo by Michael Chang /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has put together one of the most devastating defensive lines in the sport. That defensive line, led by edge rushers Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, has faced some of the most talented signal-callers college football had to offer in 2025: from former South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown, to former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway to Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed.

And the Canes’ defense beat them all.

Still, even Cristobal acknowledged during his first media availability ahead of the Fiesta Bowl that none of those quarterbacks bring the level of improvisation and outrageous acts of escape fit for Cirque Soleil that Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss does.

“We’ve faced some really good [quarterbacks] throughout the course of the year, especially in the last couple of weeks,” Cristobal said. “Watching him on film, he’s on a different level.”

[College Football Playoff Predictions: Ole Miss Has Momentum Ahead of CFP Semis]

Chambliss is the hottest passer in the country, the former Division II hero who toppled one of college football’s mythic-like giants in the Georgia Bulldogs defense. He did it with a Herculean act of labor — 362 passing yards, two touchdowns and one awe-inspiring drive to lead Ole Miss in a comeback win to take the Rebels as close as they’ve ever been in the last 64 years to winning the national title.

“He can do it all. He has excelled in every aspect of the game. He certainly brings a ton of energy to their team. He’s a limitless football player.”

And I’m still picking Miami.

That Canes defense bullied and dizzied No. 2 Ohio State’s offense like a Rubik’s Cube does a fully-functional adult. Perhaps Chambliss the rare nerd — like me — who memorized the algorithm to beat the Rubik’s Cube. But it took me three months. He’s got seven days. Good luck.

Peach Bowl: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon (Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET)

Winner: Indiana

(Photo by Melinda Meijer/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Perhaps it’s as simple as this: Among the good (Lane Kiffin?) and great (Kirby Smart!), it’s Indiana coach Curt Cignetti who took notes and listened to everything Nick Saban said simply so he could replicate it, just as the new era of college football ran Saban off to TV land and allowed Indiana’s head coach to pull out the 55-gallon drum of whoop-ass and pour it all over the sport.

For Cignetti, it’s no coincidence that all four head coaches in the CFP semis were assistants at Alabama for Saban at one point in a 15-year span — 2007 to 2022.

[The Big Picture: Is a CFP First-Round Bye Actually a Disadvantage?]

“I think everybody learned a lot from Nick,” Cignetti said at his first media availability ahead of the Peach Bowl. “He was a great mentor, very organized, detailed; had a plan for everything. Manage, lead, how to stop complacency, game day, recruiting, in recruiting evaluation, player evaluation. I mean, he had it all. And if you were serious about your career and wanted to be a head coach one day, you took great notes or great mental notes.”

“So I felt like after one year with Coach Saban,” Cignetti said, “that I had learned more about how to run a program than I maybe did the previous 27 as an assistant coach, and stayed with him for three more years. So there’s a lot of disciples out there doing well, and that’s why he’s the greatest of all time.”

Cignetti joined Saban’s staff in 2007 and left it in 2011 to become head coach at Indiana University-Pennsylvania, and he’s only held the title of head coach since. See that, kids? Sometimes, the right internship does prepare you for the job you want. But, like Cignetti at Alabama, make sure they pay you handsomely for your time. Your labor ain’t free.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.

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Kirby Moore Adds Brad Larrondo, Seven Assistants to Cougar Coaching Staff

Published

3 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

PULLMAN, Wash. (Jan. 5, 2026) – Washington State University Head Football Coach Kirby Moore Monday announced that Brad Larrondo has been named the program’s Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director / General Manager, while also naming seven more assistants to his first coaching staff in Pullman.

Larrondo is a veteran of college athletics for more than two decades. Larrondo brings a wealth of experience to Pullman having spent the previous three seasons working closely with Moore at Missouri. For the 2024-25 seasons, Larrondo served as the CEO of Every True Tiger Brands, an NIL Marketing and Branding agency for Missouri athletes. The NIL marketing and brand agency has established itself as a leading collective in college football. Larrondo spent the 2023 season as an assistant athletic director/director football external relations & recruiting at Missouri. Prior to Missouri, Larrondo was the football chief of staff for Bryan Harsin at Auburn for two seasons and served in a similar role under Harsin at Boise State.

“This is a transformational step for Washington State Football,” said Moore. “The work required to manage a roster, including contract negotiations, player evaluation, strategic planning, recruiting and retention requires full time focus. Brad’s extensive experience in the SEC will help us improve our process and program. I look forward to working alongside Brad as we look ahead to great things for WSU Football.”

Of the seven new assistant coaches, three will be on the offensive side of the ball and four on defense. The 2026 Cougar coaching staff will include Jack Abercrombie (offensive line), Andrew Browning (rush/defensive run game coordinator), Greg Burns (secondary/safeties), Derham Cato (run game coordinator/tight ends), Eti Ena (defensive tackles), Derek Sage (wide receivers/special teams coordinator) and Brandyn Thompson (cornerbacks).

“Adding these seven members to our staff is an exciting step for our program,” said Moore. “Each of them brings experience, energy and a clear commitment to developing our student-athletes on and off the field.”

Last week, Moore announced both coordinator positions, Trent Bray (defensive coordinator/linebackers) and Matt Miller (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), as well as Malcolm Hardmon (director of football athletic performance).

Below are brief overviews for the seven new assistant coaches:

Jack Abercrombie – Offensive Line: Spent past three seasons working alongside Kriby Moore at Missouri, the last two as assistant offensive line coach… in 2025, Missouri rushing offense ranked eighth nationally at 234.1 yards per game, led by consensus All-American running back Ahmad Hardy…has also coached at VMI, Mississippi State and Gannon.

Andrew Browning – Rush/Defensive Run Game Coordinator: Arrives in Pullman after spending previous eight seasons at California, last seven as defensive line coach…Cal’s defense posted 24-plus sacks in five of those seven years…also coached at UTEP for five seasons…began coaching career at Boise State in 2010, where he spent three seasons when Moore and Miller were teammates.

Greg Burns – Secondary/Safeties: A coaching veteran with nearly three decades working with defensive backs at both the professional and collegiate levels…has coached throughout the west, including stops at USC, UCLA, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State and most recently, San José State…played at WSU from 1991-95 under coach Mike Price and was a part of two bowl teams.

Derham Cato – Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends: Begins his Cougar coaching career after spending previous three seasons working alongside Kirby Moore at Missouri, the last two as tight ends coach…also has coaching stints at Washington, Davidson, Vanderbilt and his alma mater, Dartmouth…following college, played professionally in NFL Europe, the CFL and Arena League.

Eti Ena – Defensive Tackles: A veteran coach with two decades of collegiate experience…spent the past two seasons at New Mexico State preceded by two years at Hawai’i…member of Eastern Washington staff from 2016-21 as the Eagles reached the 2018 season championship game and 2016 semifinal…a native of Inchelium, Wash., graduated from Eastern Washington.

Derek Sage – Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator: Has spent two decades coaching collegiately, most recently working with tight ends at Toledo the past two seasons…making his second stint in Pullman after coaching outside receivers on Mike Leach’s staff in 2017…has also coached at UCLA, where he was tight ends/special teams coordinator, Nevada, New Hampshire and Wyoming.

Brandyn Thompson – Cornerbacks: Thompson arrives in Pullman after spending the 2025 season coaching cornerbacks at Cal Poly…also has coached at Sacramento State and Sacramento City College…2011 seventh-round selection in NFL Draft by Washington after playing at Boise State, where he was a teammate of Kirby Moore…played one season in Washington and then five in CFL.

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The Indiana model arrives at Oklahoma State, where new ‘triplets’ could star

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

When Oklahoma State hired coach Eric Morris, attention quickly turned to the spoils of the roster he left behind at North Texas.

Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was the crown jewel, the No. 3 overall player in Cooper Petagna’s 247Sports transfer rankings after leading the nation in passing yards. Running back Caleb Hawkins was close behind, the No. 15 recruit and No. 1 running back transfer after leading the nation in rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Wyatt Young came in at No. 43 after ranking No. 7 nationally in receiving yards.

In the first 48 hours of the transfer portal, Morris and his staff managed to lock all three players in. And now, the triumvirate is the perfect foundation to build the future of Oklahoma State.

College football transfer portal: Indiana, Oklahoma State among teams off to hottest starts in 2026 cycle

Cody Nagel

Mestemaker is one of the great stories in college football, a former walk-on who never started a varsity game in high school. In his second season, he threw for 4,379 yards and 34 touchdowns, the latter of which trails only Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza. Other major programs had interest in Mestemaker, but Morris closed the deal. Young was his favorite target, even posting a 295-yard game against Rice.

While 247Sports rated Hawkins as a high-end three-star recruit, the rest of the industry was far less optimistic. His only other reported offers were Emporia State and Central Oklahoma. However, Hawkins rushed for 1,434 yards and 25 touchdowns as a true freshman, one of the nation’s best seasons for a running back.

Immediately, the trio becomes the best set of “triplets” at Oklahoma State since the legendary 2017 combination of Mason Rudolph, Justice Hill and James Washington. And more importantly, the additions announce nationally that Morris and highly-touted general manager Raj Murti are ready to compete on the national stage.

“Having the relationships with the new coaches helped land all three guys, but they also had to pay them what they’re worth and pay serious money for the first time,” GoPokes’ McClain Baxley told CBS Sports. “Until this week, the highest reported player was running back Ollie Gordon in 2024 and that was less than $1 million. Oklahoma State has stepped up by making scoring points a priority and given other prospects in the portal something to think about.”

The Cowboys are coming off arguably the worst season in program history, a 1-11 disaster that lacked a single FBS win. Oklahoma State ranked last in nearly every category in the Big 12 as the final year of the Mike Gundy era ended with a thud.

Gundy was reluctant to embrace the new world of college football, often dismissing NIL and the transfer portal. It seemed to bottom out with a stunning 3-9 season in 2024, after which Gundy claimed he “bought” his first roster for 2025 with 65 new additions, plus nine new assistant coaches. Between bad identification and bad development, the Cowboys rated as one of the worst power conference programs of the past several years.

As of publication, Oklahoma State has 15 total commitments to hold the No. 2 transfer class in the nation. Eleven commitments are directly from North Texas. James Madison running back Ayo Adeyi also ironically started his career with the Mean Green and reunited with Morris in Stillwater.

The strategy echoes that of Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who brought 13 highly-touted transfers from James Madison in 2024. Now, many of them are All-Americans and the leader of the national title favorite. Like James Madison, North Texas finished 11-1 in Morris’s final season.

The transition to the major college level could come with complications. The Mean Green struggled against Tulane and South Florida, the two most talented teams they played in The American. North Texas is bringing several starting linemen, but it’s unclear how they’ll translate. Gundy’s disastrous finish leaves almost no existing foundation on the roster, especially in the trenches.

However, the triplets give Oklahoma State something to build around. The Cowboys are spending big money and competing with the best. With Morris’s history of creating the best offenses in college football, Boone Pickens Stadium should be rocking once more.

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How to fix the college football transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Your Sports Nation

Yahoo Sports Daily hosts Caroline Fenton and Jason Fitz are joined by College Football Enquirer host Steven Godfrey to discuss how to fix the college football transfer portal window. Watch the full episode of Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube or YahooSports.TV.

Video Transcript

My problem is the fact that the transfer portal opened on January 2nd when we We’re still in the middle of the playoffs.

So there areyes, That is athat is a problem.

So, if you’re the star of college football It is a major problem, yeah.

How do you fix that?

Yeah.

Well, you move it to April, but then we’d start Talking about this thing like it was a professional sport and people don’t want to do That.

Um, no.

We should get it, even though it is out of the way of the playoffs.

We should… What?

Now, whatever do you mean?

Are you implying that it’s a billion-dollar industry that people have made money off of for years, but all of a sudden, when the kids started getting paid, Everything was going to hell in a handbasket?

Except the television ratings are up and Interest has never been higher, so back of the line, nerds.

No, I’m sick of the idea of pearl-clutching over this.

Ah.

I think that it does need revision, and it does need a certain amount of… Again, I feel like I say this in some way, shape or form every time I’m on the show.

We talk about a problem in college sports.

We have no central governance, okay?

We have no one who is in charge of college.

Football, who’s looking out for just college football?

Everything is, like, feudal and it’s these little confederacies of conferences and they They can’t agree on much.

And so the portal is the latest example.

Now, before you feel bad for your local coach who is talking about how tough things are.

On him and his staff right now, the coaches voted for this date.

Okay?

The coaches wanted to have the portal here, And they didn’t want two portals.

So before you’re like, Oh, man.

It’s just so, it’s so tough on my coach right Now, think about just the distractions on and off.

No, no, no.

They wanted this.

What’s funny is some of these staffs aren’t even complete yet.

Next week, I’m going to Charlotte for AFCA, which is the college coaches convention where a A lot of these hires are still taking place, and it’s not, Like, the big ones.

It’s, “Do I have a linebackers coach?”

“Is this guy gonna go…” You know, “Is this assistant gonna go to this team?”

And so At the same time, you’re out there trying to make aggressive offers and also… By the way, it’s two-sided.

You are recruiting players who are in the portal, or might get in the portal, but then you’re also recruiting your players to not get In the portal.

So, is this an ideal system?

No, not at all.

I just don’t care if the kids are getting paid.

And the kids can move around.

That’s fine with me.

I mean, you look at the very top of this graphic right here.

You’re seeing two kids offensively who helped define North Texas’ season.

Especially Mesta Maker, who’s considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in this class.