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Morning Buzz

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Morning Buzz

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Austin Karp: The time horizon for approval on the NFL-ESPN deal; WWE takes its talents to Disney; Callaway and Topgolf stay on track for a 2026 split and Kellanova partners up with U.S. Soccer

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White attends The Hollywood Reporter and SAG-AFTRA Celebrate Emmy Award Contenders
NFLPA interim Exec Dir David White sent a memo to players on Wednesday outlining what he sees as the “three most immediate priorities ahead” for the union. FilmMagic

NFLPA interim Exec Dir David White sent a memo to players on Wednesday outlining what he sees as the “three most immediate priorities ahead” for the union — restoring confidence, addressing time-sensitive challenges and laying the groundwork for success under permanent leadership. White wrote after recent events “damaged trust” between players and the union, “rebuilding that confidence is my top priority.” He noted there are “several immediate challenges” that he will work with the NFLPA’s “legal team and other departments to address.” White wrote he will work with elected leadership to “ensure there is a thorough and effective process for the selection” of the union’s permanent Exec Dir, with his goal for that person to take over an organization that is “stable, focused and has the strongest foundation possible for upcoming CBA negotiations” (SBJ).

On the pod this week, host Austin Karp breaks down a number of deals struck between the NFL and ESPN. espn images

On the pod this week, host Austin Karp breaks down a number of deals struck between the NFL and ESPN. And with the season fast approaching, Karp is joined by NBC’s Devin McCourty, CBS’ Jason McCourty and Fox’s Greg Olsen to look at what’s in store for 2025. An unlimited package on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer product will provide access to 47,000 live events per year.ESPN’s deal with the NFL was officially announced this week. Getty Images It’s been a busy summer for Disney and ESPN, from their long-rumored deal to acquire NFL Network, NFL RedZone and the league’s fantasy football assets to a new $1.6B pact with WWE. ESPN is also ramping up toward the launch of its DTC product. SBJ has covered ESPN’s moves extensively in recent weeks. TKO President & COO Mark Shapiro said that Zuffa Boxing provides TKO a “fourth tentpole sports asset” alongside UFC, WWE and PBR that has minimal downside. Getty Images TKO Group Holdings has plenty to celebrate this week, from its financial success to WWE’s new deal with ESPN. Amid a lengthy earnings call with analysts on Wednesday, TKO President & COO Mark Shapiro also dug into his company’s move into boxing, including both the upcoming Zuffa Boxing promotion and TKO’s role in promoting “super fights” that could each net the company an eight-figure sum.

TKO announced Zuffa Boxing in March, launching the joint venture alongside Saudi General Entertainment Authority chair Turki Alalshikh and Public Investment Fund subsidiary Sela. Shapiro explained this week that the boxing endeavor provides TKO a “fourth tentpole sports asset” alongside UFC, WWE and PBR that has minimal downside.

“This is low risk, and TKO received a roughly $10 million fee for serving as managing partner and providing day-to-day operational management oversight,” Shapiro said. “That’s all margin for us. TKO has no funding obligation.”

Shapiro also detailed how, separate from that joint venture, TKO will aim to deliver two to three boxing “super fights” each year, like the Canelo Alvarez–Terence Crawford bout to be held at Allegiant Stadium and broadcast on Netflix next month. Following its acquisitions of IMG and On Location earlier this year, TKO will have multiple avenues to monetize its involvement.

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DraftKings reported Q2 revenue of $1.51B, an increase of $408M, or 37% compared to $1.1B during the same period in 2024. Getty Images

DraftKings reported Q2 revenue of $1.51B, an increase of $408M, or 37% compared to $1.1B during the same period in 2024. Sportsbook revenue was up 45.3% in Q2 2025 at $997.87M from $686.89M in Q2 2024, while iGaming revenue was up 22.6% at $429.66M from $350.55M in 2024. The $1.51B in revenue, along with a net income of $158M and Adjusted EBITDA of $301M in Q2, set new records for the company. DraftKings is maintaining both its FY2025 revenue guidance of $6.2B-$6.4B and its FY2025 Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $800M-$900M. The company’s guidance now includes anticipated financial impacts from launching mobile sports betting in Missouri later this year as well as higher tax rates in New Jersey, Louisiana and Illinois (DraftKings).N/AAthletes First is tapping Sinclair’s AMP Sports to bolster the agency’s growing events scene. Sinclair and Athletes First Athletes First’s growing events scene is partnering with telecommunications giant Sinclair and its podcast and content division, AMP Sports. The multiyear deal will see AMP Sports serve as Athletes First’s exclusive sports media partner where it will be responsible for producing original content and brand activations for the agency’s Super Bowl hospitality destination, The Block, hosting live podcasts for Athletes First’s traveling college football experience (the Tailgate Tour), and developing new video podcasts using the agency’s roster. Content will be distributed across Sinclair’s 180 local TV broadcast stations and reach over 100 million homes, digital websites and social media platforms. Playbook REPS helped facilitate the deal between the two parties. Financial terms were not disclosed. Original content will include video podcasts, multi-platform shows featuring top athletes, TV broadcasts and digital content from live events as well as capturing behind-the-scenes moments. Both sides are actively looking and selling sponsorship rights to the content and events.

The partnership came to life when Eric Welles, SVP & Chief Digital Monetization Officer at Sinclair, attended last year’s The Block event in New Orleans. The event sprawled over four interconnected mansions across 25,000-square-feet close to Caesars Superdome and featured dozens of Athletes First clients like Dak Prescott, Ed Reed and Jahmyr Gibbs, and special live podcasts from Shaquille O’Neal and Marshawn Lynch.

“I immediately called the president of my company because I saw these brand activations going on. I’m like, ‘You gotta get over here.’ It’s better than any event I’ve ever been to at a major sporting event, period,” Welles said. “They [Athletes First] told me they don’t have TV exposure. So, in order to elevate what they’re doing, they needed a media partner to not only help them get more exposure and get other talent involved, but to get the access to brands, not just from a sponsorship perspective, but from a media perspective. We’re going to be their megaphone.”

Matt Shulman, Head of Properties at Athletes First, said he was challenged by agency CEO and co-founder Brian Murphy to create the biggest tentpole events that could “leverage big cultural moments” from the Super Bowl to primetime college football games. Sinclair and AMP Sports were a natural fit to help the agency reach a wider audience as it hosts 15 sports podcasts today.

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Sports Illustrated Tickets becomes Official Fan Experience partner of Birmingham City Football Club

Birmingham City FC have a new multiyear deal with Sports Illustrated Tickets that will create two new fan experience areas at St. Andrews @ Knighthead Park. The deal makes Sports Illustrated Tickets the club’s Official Fan Experience partner and is the ticketing platform’s first such relationship beyond America’s borders though, though the English Sky Bet Championship club is owned by Americans Tom Brady and Tom Wagner. The new deal will see the Kop Fan Zone at St. Andrews converted into the Sports Illustrated Tickets Fan Zone, as well as the creation of Club111, Presented by Sports Illustrated, a space featuring a curated menu, special guest appearances, and behind-the-scenes content. Club111 packages start at $226 per match.Sports Illustrated Tickets will also have a prominent presence across the stadium on matchdays, with its iconic branding featured on digital screens and perimeter boards. Birmingham City FC, which accrued a club record 111 points last season en route to winning promotion from Sky Bet League One as champions, kick off their Sky Bet Championship campaign this Friday.Tom Brady and Tom Wagner (far left) acquired controlling ownership of Birmingham City FC in July 2023. Getty Images Footballs, helmets and a NCAA national championship trophy sit on a table.The Southland Conference’s Opening Drive event July 21-22 showed off previewed the 2025 for its 10 football programs. Southland Conference The Southland Conference is set to announce a six-year extension of its media rights deal with ESPN through 2031, sources told SBJ. Financial terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, and an official announcement is expected today. Octagon served as the Southland’s media rights consultant during the negotiation process.The agreement notably includes a commitment from ESPN to televise one men’s basketball semifinal game and the women’s basketball championship game on linear annually. Those games had previously been aired on a case-by-case basis.ESPN’s full commitment of games on linear networks as part of the deal are slated to include:Men’s basketball championship gameWomen’s basketball championship gameOne men’s basketball tournament semifinalOne regular season men’s basketball gameAt least one additional football, basketball, softball or baseball contestOn the football side, ESPN will feature Southland programs in two additional FCS Kickoff weekend games over the next six years. ESPN has also committed to supporting production hardware requests from league members on a case-by-case basis.NEWTON, IOWA - JULY 13: #5: Pato O'Ward, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet during the NTT INDYCAR Series Sukup Race Weekend Race 2 at Iowa Speedway on July 13, 2025 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Perry Nelson/Lumen via Getty Images)The car in the Homeland Security account’s X post carried the No. 5, which since 2020 has been the one used by IndyCar’s lone Mexican driver, Pato O’Ward. Lumen via Getty Images The Department of Homeland Security is “standing by its ‘Speedway Slammer’ marketing” for the just-announced plan to house immigrant detainees at a northern Indiana facility, despite a rebuke from the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A DHS spokesperson said that the Trump administration “has no plans to change its marketing.” The DHS statement read, “An AI generated image of a car with ‘ICE’ on the side does not violate anyone’s intellectual property rights. Any suggestion to the contrary is absurd. DHS will continue promoting the ‘Speedway Slammer’ as a comprehensive and collaborative approach to combatting illegal immigration.” Earlier in the day, Border Czar Tom Homan said that he “didn’t know who came up with the name ‘Speedway Slammer,’ but said he hopes the name doesn’t become a distraction from the mission” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/6).

IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward — who drives the No. 5 car in the series, which is the same number of the car in the ICE post — said, “It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard.” O’Ward: “I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means. … I don’t think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least” (AP, 8/6).

Speed Reads…

San Diego’s Pechanga Arena will host the Nuggets and T’Wolves for a preseason game on Oct. 4, the “first exhibition game played there in 10 years” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/6).

Quick Hits…

“F— yeah, of course we would. First of all, we would do it. Second of all, to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit” — Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, on the band’s interest in playing the Super Bowl halftime show — especially since the 2026 game is at Levi’s Stadium, near their hometown (“The Howard Stern Show,” SiriusXM, 8/6).

“If there’s more money to be made in a place where you can sell 19,000 tickets every night instead of 9,000, maybe that’s the case but I don’t think it has to be the case. I think the team can continue to be successful here” –former Connecticut Sun CEO Mitchell Etess, on whether the Sun need to be moved out of Connecticut (HARTFORD COURANT, 8/7).

Morning Hot Reads: Big Mistake

The WALL STREET JOURNAL went with the header, “With One Colossal Mistake, the NCAA Lost Control of College Football.” On Tuesday, the NCAA gave the four richest conferences 65% “weighted voting across all Division-I committees.” Those four “had been quietly growing their influence for years.” But Tuesday’s move “elevates them far above their peers and gives them unprecedented sway over the future of the game.” How did this happen? It “all comes down to 40 years ago, when the NCAA made one colossal mistake.” In the early 1980s, the NCAA “thought that too many televised football games meant that people wouldn’t buy tickets to watch in person.” So they “limited broadcasts to one national game a week.” A group of “aggrieved schools” sued and won, and “control of football TV rights and the billions of dollars they would come to command slipped from the NCAA’s grasp forever.”

Also:

Social Scoop…

“The first man to observe bacteria & protozoa had a name containing the Dutch word for this much bigger creature.”

Off the presses…

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back pages and sports covers from some of North America’s major metropolitan newspapers:

Final Jeopardy…

“What is a lion?”

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NIL Funds Are at Top of Arizona State’s Christmas Wishlist

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December 25, 2025

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TEMPE — Fan support. Improving facilities. Competent head coaches. Nearly all of the factors that the Arizona State Sun Devils need to maintain quality athletic programs are in place.

Kenny Dillingham, Bobby Hurley, Molly Miller, volleyball coach JJ Van Niel, and many others have displayed marked moments of success during their respective tenures. Baseball, swim and dive, and volleyball have broken attendance records in the last year. The indoor practice facility for the football program appears to be well on the way to being constructed.

One thing that is missing is consistent support from within the sphere of NIL.

Arizona State was late in entering the “arms race” that name image and likeness has created – it has shown in recent years as well.

While the Sun Devils were able to accomplish things such as winning Big 12 titles in football (2024) and volleyball (2025), there are still limitations at the moment – this season of giving opens the door for individuals to make a difference that can shape the future of Arizona State athletics.

Dillingham Gets Honest About NIL Efforts

Dillingham was candid when speaking about the program’s NIL efforts last Saturday when interacting with media following reports that he had agreed to an amended contract with the university.

“Can we get people who aren’t involved, who maybe didn’t go to Arizona State who did go to Arizona State and are far away? Can we get the Phil (Mickelson) involved, like, get these guys involved in our program, the Jon (Rahm), can we get people back involved in this program, that and get them involved in a level that everybody knows, man, these guys love Arizona state.”

While the efforts the program has made since Graham Rossini took over as AD in May of 2024, they are still behind in many ways and surely could use a donor in a similar vein of Mickelson or Rahm.

This is a plan of attack that has proved to work in the past – as a high six-figure donation by program alum James Harden in 2024 likely funded the basketball program handsomely and was a big part in being able to keep stars such as Jayden Quaintance happy.

The effort didn’t work out long-term, but it shows that when the infrastructure is supported by passionate and influential fans – there are avenues any given program can take to reach the state of consistent contention

Read more on why the Arizona State men’s basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page when you click right here.

Please follow us on X when you click right here, as well as @khicks_21 for nonstop Arizona State coverage!



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Kirby Smart gives fiery response to question about conversations with players on future

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December 25, 2025

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Throughout the month of December, college football players everywhere are making life-altering decisions about their future. Many are even releasing well-crafted announcements over social media regarding whether they intend to remain with their current program to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Some upper classmen are even declaring their intention to enter next April’s NFL Draft or announcing postseason all-star game invites. And let’s not forget about National Signing Day on the first Wednesday of the month.

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At the same time, college football coaches are having often difficult and frank conversations with their current roster, while at the same time formulating a plan of attack ahead of Jan. 2nd, when the NCAA Transfer Portal opens for two full weeks.

It’s happening all over, … well, except in Athens apparently, where No. 3 Georgia (12-1) is busy preparing for a return to New Orleans for the College Football Playoff‘s Sugar Bowl national quarterfinal against No. 6 Ole Miss (12-1). Kickoff is set for 8 pm ET, New Year’s Day inside the Caesars Superdome. When asked about how he’s splitting his time between bowl prep and roster management at a recent press conference, UGA head coach Kirby Smart flipped the script regarding what he’s telling Bulldogs players that might approach him with concerns about their future.

“We’re focused on this team. I think it’d be remiss to say we’re focused on roster management. We’re not focused on it. We’re focused on prep and getting better,” Smart said Monday. “And for a while it’s been intrinsically looking at ourselves and asking each player: ‘Did you come here to develop? Did you truly come here to develop?’ Because if you did, all your buddies are out there right now, everybody’s announcing what they’re doing, announcing that I’m going into the portal, announcing that I’m re-signing. How about you announce that you’re getting better and you’re going to practice and actually do what (for the prior) 20 and 30 years college football players did before you, which was practice in December – when they’re on good teams – and get better.

“Because if you’re going to play somewhere else, you know what you need to do? You need to get better. If you’re going to play here, you know what you need to do? You need to get better,” Smart continued. “If you want to go to the National Football League and play, this is your last chance to get better. Because they’re not going to give you much opportunity, they’re going to cut you or keep you based on how you do, and they don’t get to practice in pads so many days. So development occurs in December for us, and that’s what we’ve been focused on.”



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Shane Beamer blasts report surrounding cost of deals signed by LaNorris Sellers, Dylan Stewart

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December 25, 2025

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South Carolina fans received an early Christmas present this week when superstar quarterback LaNorris Sellers and star pass rusher Dylan Stewart both inked new rev-share/NIL deals with the Gamecocks to return for the 2026 season. Sellers announced his plan to return on Monday on X/Twitter, while Stewart confirmed his return Tuesday on Instagram.

And while South Carolina’s Shane Beamer undoubtedly welcomed both back with open arms, the fifth-year Gamecocks head football coach shot down a Tuesday night report from Columbia’s SportsTalk Media Network suggesting the price tag for the two Gamecocks stars was “in the neighborhood of $5 million from the school’s rev share total.”

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“Sounds to me like you need some much better sources,” Beamer reponded on X/Twitter on Christmas Eve. “This isn’t even remotely close to being true. #AnythingForClicks #Merry Christmas”

Sellers has been one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in college football the past two seasons, combining on 5,915 total yards and 43 touchdowns as South Carolina’s starter in 2024-25. That included more than 2,700 yards and 18 touchdowns in a difficult 2025 season that saw Beamer part ways with offensive coordinator Mike Shula in early November. Beamer has since hired former Arkansas, FSU and TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles as the Gamecocks’ new OC ahead of Sellers’ third season as QB1.

“He’ll be the first to tell you he needs to play better, and we’ve got to coach him better,” Beamer said earlier this month, according to On3’s Gamecock Central. “We’ve got to be better around him, and we all have to be accountable. He understands that. … (And) all indications I’ve had from LaNorris are that he wants to be here. … He knows that the job is not finished, and there’s a lot of excitement about ’26, and he and a lot of our other players that are returning feel that same way.”

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-5 and 250-pound Stewart has totaled six forced fumbles, 11 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and 56 total tackles in 24 career games across his first two seasons in Columbia. Stewart is a former Five-Star Plus+ signee in the 2024 recruiting class as the nation’s No. 3 EDGE rusher and No. 17 overall player, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

“They’re extremely excited about what this team could be in 2026, and they’re a big part of that. There’s no question,” Beamer said on National Signing Day earlier this month. “I know there’s no sense of, ‘I’m not really sure South Carolina’s where I want to be.’ It’s them making the best decisions for them and their families and their futures.”





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Alabama football: Parker Brailsford spreads cheer, DeBoer talks Indiana

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December 25, 2025

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DeBoer spent one year as Tom Allen’s offensive coordinator, helping Indiana reach its first Florida-based January bowl game (at a time when that still carried greater meaning) in 2019.

And Cignetti spent four years as part of Nick Saban’s first Alabama staff, coaching wide receivers and coordinating recruiting for the program Cignetti eventually helped win a national championship.

But they’ve both distinguished themselves in their profession through their willingness to climb the coaching pyramid: From outside Division I, through lower levels as either a head coach or coordinator, all the way up to the sport’s biggest stage.

“Knowing coach Cignetti and — you referred to it — his path, nothing but respect for how he’s done it, how he’s gotten to this spot,” DeBoer said.



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Surprising List Of Colorado Buffaloes’ Biggest NIL Valuations

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December 25, 2025

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The Colorado Buffaloes are facing a mass exodus through the NCAA Transfer Portal. One reason that players enter the portal in the current college football landscape is due to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.

The current Colorado Buffaloes players with the highest NIL Valuation according to On3 are notable when evaluating who will be on the team next season.

Colorado Buffaloes NIL Julian Lewis Jordan Seaton Tawfiq Byard Deion Sanders Coach Prime Transfer Portal College Football

Oct 7, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks the sidelines as his team takes on the ASU Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Colorado Players With Highest NIL Valuation

  1. Jordan Seaton: $1.7M
  2. Julian Lewis: $1.1M
  3. Omarion Miller: $570K
  4. Jehiem Oatis: $390K
  5. Tawfiq Byard: $358K
  6. Dre’lon Miller: $321K
  7. Noah King: $315K
  8. Christian Hudson: $312K
  9. Carde Smith: $311K
  10. Zarian McGill: $119K

NIL valuations are not how much players are earning, but On3’s way of measuring a player’s projected annual value. It combines roster value and NIL value.

Colorado Buffaloes NIL Julian Lewis Jordan Seaton Tawfiq Byard Deion Sanders Coach Prime Transfer Portal College Football

Nov 29, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders looks on during the second quarter against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

One of the most significant aspects of the top 10 Colorado players is that only two are set to return to the team in 2026: offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and quarterback Julian Lewis. Offensive lineman Zarian McGill is also in the top 10, but is headed to the NFL in 2026.

The remainder of the top 10 in NIL valuation have announced their intention to enter the portal. With the number of players set to leave the team, the Buffaloes will lose several highly valued players.

MORE: Deion Sanders Reportedly Hires Familiar Name As Colorado Running Backs Coach

MORE: Why Shedeur Sanders Will Bounce Back From Late-Season Struggles

MORE: Insider Reveals Biggest Reason Behind Colorado’s Transfer Portal Mass Exodus 

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Jordan Seaton Highest NIL Valuation On Colorado

Seaton has the highest NIL valuation and is one of the most critical players on the Buffaloes. Seaton has been with the program for two years, both of which have been dominant. He missed three games due to a foot injury, but allowed just two sacks and five quarterback hurries over 328 pass protection snaps.

Seaton will be entering his third year with the program, which will likely be his last, as he could declare for the NFL draft after the 2026 season.

Colorado Buffaloes NIL Julian Lewis Jordan Seaton Tawfiq Byard Deion Sanders Coach Prime Transfer Portal College Football

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos offensive tackle Jordan Seaton (77) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After a 3-9 season, it was possible Seaton would enter the portal, but he is expected to return to the Buffaloes in 2026. Seaton will play a prominent role in Colorado’s offense next season, with Lewis set to be the team’s week 1 starter. As Colorado looks to take a step forward, having an elite player on the offensive line who is also a veteran on the team will be crucial.

Julian Lewis Ready To Lead The Buffaloes

Lewis is preparing for a big year with the Buffaloes after developing throughout the 2025 season. He was a big pickup in the 2025 recruiting class, initially committed to the USC Trojans before flipping to Colorado.

Lewis started in three games this season, his first being against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Nov. 8. Colorado coach Deion Sanders decided to redshirt Lewis, which meant the quarterback did not play in the final game of the season.

Colorado Buffaloes NIL Julian Lewis Jordan Seaton Tawfiq Byard Deion Sanders Coach Prime Transfer Portal College Football

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

“I’ve made a decision that JuJu is going to redshirt,” Sanders told the media when announcing the decision. “That’s my decision. I want what’s best for the kid, what’s best for his family, what’s best for this wonderful university that has given me the tremendous opportunity and given him the opportunity. I think for the program, it’s best for everyone, but mainly it’s great for him.”

Lewis passed for 589 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Buffaloes hired offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, who helped turn programs around by fixing the offense. With Marion and Seaton’s return, Lewis is set up for success in 2026 and beyond.

Though four games are a small sample size, the young quarterback has a high ceiling. He made some big throws, and with Marion, Lewis has the chance to take off in 2026.

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Biff Poggi should no longer be considered for Michigan’s HC job

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December 25, 2025

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Michigan will play in one final football game in 2025, as the Wolverines will take on the Texas Longhorns in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve (3 p.m., ABC).

The team will be without at least three players, as Derrick Moore, Jaishawn Barham and Giovanni El-Hadi are all skipping the game to prepare for the NFL Draft. Speaking to the media on Monday, interim head coach Biff Poggi didn’t think anyone else on the team would opt out of the game. However, his tune changed quite a bit just two days later, as he speculated on a Texas-based podcast called “The Stampede” that he may be down even more guys than that.

Players on the team were sent home to be with family for Christmas earlier this week, but Poggi doesn’t know how many of those players will come back on Friday when the team is slated to leave for Orlando.

“I think there’s a really good chance that we’re going to have many more opt outs for the game, unfortunately, because we’re in such a stat of flux,” Poggi said. “And when they get to the business side of it, they think, ‘Well, we don’t have a coach,’ or, ‘We’ve had this situation with our former coach, there’s investigations and all these things, I don’t know who’s going to coach me. Why do I want to play in that game?’ So I can see some of that happening, too. And I would tell you on (December) 26th, we’re probably going to have a significantly different roster than we had yesterday when we sent them home.”

Poggi also mentioned how he thinks “most of the guys opting out need to play … they need the film, and they need to play well,” and that “team the way you and I knew it is gone now. And now it is strictly a financial and a business decision, and the head coach and the position coaches really are not players in that discussion.”

In other words, the decisions the players are making are based on what their families and agent are telling them, and they are not consulting with their coaches one bit. And in other words — players are doing what’s in their best interest.

As a former hedge fund manager, Poggi should understand risk management and trying to generate the best returns possible. That’s why Poggi said he doesn’t want to “be the guy that talks them into (playing a bowl game), and then something happens.” So while he understands why the players are doing what they are doing, he isn’t exactly onboard with how the decisions are being made.

There’s a lot to digest in this podcast, and I think the main takeaway for me is that Poggi is not made to be a head coach in college football. And that’s fine — he’s been very successful and has made a lot of money doing other things. And if he wants to continue making an impact in the lives of young adults, he can still do that, but he should by no means be doing that in the position of head coach at the University of Michigan.

And if you need one more quote as far as why Poggi should not be considered any longer for this position — and this is a real quote, by the way — here you go:

“I would ask one thing, and I’m being very serious — you need to pray for us,” Poggi said. “Because we are going through things that no young kid should have to go through … just when you hit your knees tonight, you don’t have to pray that we win, I know that ain’t gonna happen, just pray that the good lord will give me the right wisdom to do this the way it needs to be done.”

Update: Some people are interpreting this as Biff saying he knows the Texas podcasters wouldn’t pray for Michigan since they’re playing in the bowl game, while others are interpreting it as Biff saying they won’t win the game. If he meant the former, I do sincerely apologize, but the way I initially interpreted it while listening to the podcast, it sounded like he was saying the latter, especially given other comments he’s made about how he was hoping to not play against Texas because they’re a good team.

With it being the holiday season, Coach Poggi, I will give you what you are requesting and I will pray for you and the players to get through this. You’re right — no young person should have to endure the things that they have endured over the last couple weeks. I can’t imagine being in college and having all that happen at once.

However, to go on an opponent’s podcast and air Michigan’s dirty laundry publicly is not something an interim head coach should be doing. Whether you realize it or not, you have given the players that are on the fence a reason to not come back for the bowl game (and beyond that).

If this podcast appearance didn’t eliminate Biff from consideration, I don’t know what will. But under no circumstances should he be legitimately be considered for this job any longer.

Merry Christmas, and thank God for Dusty May, Kim Barnes Arico and Brandon Naurato.



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