The college football world has been abuzz for the past two weeks over the possibility of Nick Saban potentially returning to coaching. That possibility was first raised by Greg McElroy on ESPN.

It has since taken on a life of its own. FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd dumped more fuel on the fire recently when he suggested that a pairing with Arch Manning at the professional level might be enough to lure Saban out of retirement.

Cowherd had Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Thursday and broached the topic. He put Sarkisian on the spot, asking if he could see Nick Saban taking the jump back to the NFL.

“You already have him in Cleveland!” Sarkisian said with a laugh. “I heard you yesterday, you already have him in Cleveland, he’s coaching Arch. I only have Arch for one year? Shoot, I thought I was going to have him for two.”

After the two had a good laugh over that, Sarkisian attempted to tackle the question of Saban getting back into coaching a little more seriously. He has worked with Saban in the past, so he presumably has a better pulse on the head man than most.

“I don’t know. Hey, he is a great coach and I loved my time working for Nick,” Sarkisian said. “I mean he really is a fantastic coach. I think he feels really comfortable to me. He’s really good on TV, I think he enjoys what he gets to do. He’s playing a ton of golf, which he loves doing. I’m sure Miss Terry loves having him at home. So I don’t know. That’s obviously a personal thing as he grows.”

Saban has indeed quickly become a staple of ESPN’s College GameDay since retiring from his post at Alabama. He’s got some natural ability and his knowledge of the game is unparalleled.

As ESPN officially retires Lee Corso from the show this fall, it stands to reason that developing an heir of sorts is a priority. Could Nick Saban be that guy?

Well, the NFL calling would certainly throw a wrench into that. And Sarkisian didn’t completely rule that possibility out.

“I know he’s one of, if not the most competitive person I’ve ever been around, so I’m sure those competitive juices get flowing pretty good,” Sarkisian said. “But, man, he looks like he’s having a lot of fun doing television. He looks relaxed. He’s great for our sport. I know people are tuning in to hear his insight on all this stuff.”

Kentucky is making one more change before the start of fall camp next week. Eric Wolford is getting some help in the offensive line room.

UK announced Greg Frey is joining the staff as an assistant offensive line coach. He’s filling the absence left by Drake Jackson. A staple of the Big Blue Wall, the former Kentucky center spent two seasons on the coaching staff before taking a position as the offensive line coach this spring at Rhode Island.

Jackson was getting his start in the coaching ranks at Kentucky. Frey got his start almost 30 years ago while coaching alongside Mark Stoops at USF. The two were a part of the first coaching staff at USF when the program was created in 1996. Stoops was painting houses on the side at the time to supplement his paycheck. Frey spent 11 years coaching offensive and defensive linemen in Tampa.

“I’ve known Coach Stoops for almost 30 years, going back to our time together at South Florida,” Frey said in a statement. “He’s the all-time winningest coach at UK, has broken records, and accomplished what no one else has. Watching him build this program at Kentucky has been incredible, and it’s truly a blessing and an honor to join him again and be part of this journey.”

Frey’s journey through college football has taken him everywhere. He most recently was at Tulsa. Prior to that, he spent two years coaching David Cutcliffe’s offensive line at Duke. Over a three-year period, he bounced between Florida, Florida State, and Michigan. He had two stints a Michigan, including a three-year run with Rich Rod in Ann Arbor. Outside of his early years at USF, Frey’s longest stay at one place was in Bloomington. Frey spent six years at Indiana, and served as the assistant head coach to Kevin Wilson during his final year in 2016.

Throughout his travels, Frey has helped more than 40 players reach the NFL and has 21 all-conference players on his resume.

A dominant offensive line was the foundation of Mark Stoops’ success at Kentucky. That has not been the case in recent years. Frey is tasked to help Eric Wolford recreate that magic with a new-look group that features a projected three new starters from the transfer portal. “Big Men lead the way,” for Kentucky football and much of this season’s success will be determined on how well those Big Men perform in 2025.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The father of a Wisconsin school shooter must stand trial on charges he allowed her access to the guns she used in the deadly attack, a court commissioner ruled Thursday, rejecting arguments that he didn’t know she was considering violence and didn’t physically hand her the weapons at the school.

Dane County Court Commissioner John Rome issued the order in Jeffrey Rupnow’s case after a preliminary hearing, a routine step in the criminal justice process in which a court official decides whether enough evidence exists to order a trial.

Rupnow, 43, faces two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a minor and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 18 years in prison.

Deadly attack at Madison school

Rupnow’s 15-year-old daughter, Natalie Rupnow, opened fire in December at Abundant Life Christian School, a religious school she attended in Madison. She killed teacher Erin Michelle West and 14-year-old old student Rubi Vergara and wounded six others before she shot herself in the head.

Investigators recovered a 9 mm Glock handgun from the room where Natalie Rupnow died as well as a .22-caliber Sig Sauer pistol from a bag the girl was carrying. Also in the bag were three magazines loaded with .22 ammunition and a 50-round box of 9 mm ammunition.

Prosecutors charged Jeffery Rupnow in May, alleging in a criminal complaint that he told investigators his daughter was struggling to cope with her parents’ divorce and he bought her the guns as way to connect with her.

He also told investigators that he kept the guns in a safe but told her the code to unlock it, according to the complaint. The day before the school attack, the complaint says he took the Sig Sauer out of the safe so she could clean it, but he wasn’t sure if he put the weapon back in the safe or locked it.

Shooter declared a ‘War Against Humanity’

A search of Natalie’s room netted a six-page document the girl had written entitled “War Against Humanity,” the complaint said. She started the piece by describing humanity as “filth” and saying she hated people who don’t care and “smoke their lungs out with weed or drink as much as they can like my own father.”

She wrote about how she admired school shooters, how her mother was not in her life and how she obtained her weapons “by lies and manipulation, and my fathers stupidity.”

Rupnow looked on in silence Thursday as his attorney, Lisa Goldman, argued that he acted reasonably. Many Wisconsin parents teach their children how to shoot and Natalie passed a gun safety course, but he still took the extra step of keeping their guns in a safe, she said.

Rupnow had no reason to think giving her guns would cause more problems, Goldman said. He didn’t know how to access her social media accounts, Natalie rarely let him into her room and her therapy records from 2021 to the spring of 2024 showed no indication of suicidal thoughts, Goldman added.

Rupnow told Natalie that the gun safe code was his Social Security number in reverse but never gave her the actual number, Goldman continued. She questioned whether Natalie’s mother may have given her the number, pointing out that police never checked her mother’s electronic devices.

Goldman also argued that the school attack took place outside of Rupnow’s parental supervision — he was at his job as a recycling truck driver when Natalie opened fire — and he would have had to hand Natalie the guns at Abundant Life to be criminally liable.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne countered that Goldman should make her arguments at trial, not during a preliminary hearing.

Rome said in his order sending Rupnow to trial that giving his daughter guns could amount to giving her the pass code and giving her the Sig Sauer the night before the attack.

Parents charged in school shootings across the country

Rupnow is another in a line of parents to face charges in connection with a school shooting.

Last year, the mother and father of a school shooter in Michigan who killed four students in 2021 were each convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The mother was the first parent in the U.S. to be held responsible for a child carrying out a mass school attack.

The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting four people at a Georgia high school was arrested in September and faces charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for letting his son possess a weapon.

In 2023, the father of a man charged in a deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanors related to how his son obtained a gun license.

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Vergara in the fourth paragraph.

EASTON, Mass. (July 25, 2025) – Stonehill College’s Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics, Dean O’Keefe, has been appointed to the 2025-26 New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) Executive Committee, as announced Friday afternoon by NEWHA Commissioner Robert DeGregorio, Jr. O’Keefe will serve alongside Charlie Dowd of Sacred Heart University and Neil Duval of Saint Anselm College.

Since Stonehill College launched its NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey program and joined the NEWHA in 2022-23, O’Keefe has played a pivotal leadership role, serving as chair of the conference for the past two seasons. He also currently serves on the NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Committee. Previously, he was a member of the Hockey East Association Executive Committee, where he served as chair during the 2013-14 academic year.

A proud Stonehill alumnus and former student-athlete, O’Keefe became the first graduate in school history to lead the College’s athletic department when he was named Director of Athletics in July 2015. Under his leadership, Stonehill’s athletic program has grown to include 23 varsity sports and recently achieved full NCAA Division I membership following a successful transition from Division II.

Stonehill’s women’s ice hockey program made an immediate impact in the NEWHA, capturing the 2023-24 conference championship in just its second season. The Skyhawks earned the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament, marking a historic milestone for both the young program and the College’s broader transition to Division I.

Joining O’Keefe on the 2025-26 Executive Committee are Charlie Dowd, Deputy Athletics Director for External Operations at Sacred Heart University, and Neil Duval, Deputy Director of Athletics for Internal Relations at Saint Anselm College.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Frank Seravalli’s standout ice hockey playing days at Holy Ghost Prep continue to pay dividends during his adult career in the sport.

Seravalli, a Bucks County native now living in Churchville, was recently named varsity head hockey coach at regional powerhouse Germantown Academy in Fort Washington.

GA’s hockey alumni list includes former Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Mike Richter of New York Rangers fame, along with Yardley native Brian O’Neill, whose resume includes a stint with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.

Seravalli’s appointment was announced by Germantown Academy director of athletics Tim Ginter.

“We are thrilled to welcome Frank to Germantown Academy,” Ginter said in a press release. “Frank is a respected figure in the hockey world whose passion for the game is unmatched. His deep knowledge of the sport, vision for building a program and lifelong connection to GA make him the perfect leader to guide our program forward.”

Seravalli’s ties to Germantown Academy run deep.

He’s been a devoted fan of the Patriots’ ice hockey program for a number of years, dating back to his youth. Seravalli would often attend GA games at Face Off Circle rink in Warminster. He was particularly interested in the coaching style of long-time bench boss John Ioia, who was inducted into Germantown Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.

“That’s where my love for hockey began and those memories remain a powerful source of inspiration,” said Seravalli, a former Flyers beat writer/columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.

“Germantown Academy hockey has been one of the crown jewels of the Philadelphia region and is still the only school to send three players (Richter, O’Neill and David Sloane) to the NHL. There is a proud history and a passionate alumni base here. I’m incredibly thankful for the trust demonstrated by GA leadership and the athletic department. I can’t wait to dig in and put in the work.”

Seravalli brings a wealth of experience to the Germantown Academy program.

He currently serves as head coach of the 11U Philadelphia Blazers, and professionally as an insider and broadcaster.

As president of Daily Faceoff, he led a national network of digital hockey coverage and served as the site’s lead NHL insider.

A three-time selection to The Hockey News list of “100 People of Power and Influence in the NHL,” Seravalli has spent nearly two decades breaking league-wide news and offering expert analysis across international platforms such as TSN, Sportsnet and Amazon Prime.

Off the ice, Seravalli served as president of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association for six years and previously sat on the Holy Ghost Prep Alumni Association board. He holds a B.A. from Penn State and attended Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

The Patriots return 10 varsity letterwinners from their 2024-25 Independence Hockey League championship season, including five All-IHL selections.

www.flyingfishhockey.com

Originally Published: July 25, 2025 at 3:22 PM EDT