Empty the Call Sheet (Nov. 24)

From the plane home back to the West Coast, Yogi's weekly Sunday newsletter

I landed in Washington, D.C., on Thursday night and after getting a rental car, I drove to the nation's capital with the only goal to walk around, get lost in my thoughts and see the historical monuments. It has been about 15 years since being in D.C. and I was pumped to get a game at Maryland for the first time. I’ve been a fan of Mike Locksley for years, and after spending a little time with him during Big Ten Media days in July, I was looking forward to our conversation on campus. 

With each step, each monument, and each wave of snow flurries (not a typo!) got me thinking about leadership, politicking and conversations in the shadows on this iconic path. No, I’m not talking about a government centric movie or the current political landscape – I’m talking about college football. I joked with my broadcast partners that I was waiting for someone to come up from behind a tree and whisper, “You have no idea what’s about to happen…in college football.”

I spent the first half of my walk talking to coaches and agents, as well as current and former players. I wasn’t surprised to hear that backdoor deals regarding the portal are happening or that coaches are being interviewed for coordinator positions at different schools in Week 13. I was more bummed that the powers that be in college football have set a calendar that forces that to be a reality.

Prepping for Iowa at Maryland our crew also got word that walk-on, and one-time 4th string quarterback, Jackson Stratton would be making his first start for the Hawkeyes. As a former walk-on there are very few things that bring me more joy than to see a player who took the road less traveled and easily a more adversarial one, to be awarded a scholarship, let alone have an impact. I’ve always felt that it is much more challenging to earn a scholarship in college than in high school as a prospect. That view may be through my personal lens but I still believe it to be true.

On my flight home, after watching Stratton manage the game, keep his team in advantageous situations and never make the same mistake twice, I started to ponder the future of this sport we all love and the influences of this weekend's games on the expanded College Football Playoff. After all, writing this newsletter from the sky has allowed me to ponder many things this fall.

So as Week 13 comes to a close and Thanksgiving Week is upon us, I wanted to share a few things I’m grateful for, thankful for, hopeful about and flat out don’t like in college football where it stands today.

Grateful:

• Senior Day still being a thing. I hope there is never a day when Senior Days are a thing of the past. Development is still the answer for long term and consistent success and seniors are the reflection of that. 

• Parents. This past weekend and this coming weekend, parents will stand at the 50 yard line, receive a bouquet of flowers, pose for a photo with their child and take in one final home game. I can vividly recall my parents on Senior Day. While the photo was cool, what they often referred to as missing the most was the time with other parents. It’s a community and one that will forever be bonded together after long road trips and dramatic moments. 

• Fans. Amid so much change in this sport the fans have continued to show up. Walking into a venue each week allowed our Big Ten Network crew to walk the stands and connect to fans of various teams. Their energy was infectious and I’m grateful to have had countless new conversations in different stadiums across this nation. And the rushing of the field all over the West Coast last night was absolutely beautiful in Tempe and Corvallis.

Thankful

• Pac-12 After Dark. If you love college football or miss what you felt college football was about, Saturday night in Corvallis had it all. Ben Gulbranson led the Beavs to a come-from-behind win and Everett Hayes nailed the 55-yard game winner. Flying home and listening to longtime friends and colleagues Ted Robinson, Nigel Burton and Ryan Leaf on the plane had me beaming. Ted said a line in the 4th quarter that landed, “These two teams are Power Teams in college football.” I’d agree, and it’s not even close. Best part, next year they play twice!

• ASU hiring Kenny Dillingham. His presence, positivity and postgame interviews have been nothing but incredible for the Sun Devils. This has been a “Sleeping Giant” for over 20 years and if Arizona State can get to the CFP this year, that quote will meet reality.

  

  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

• ASU proving that football matters. With the news reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel of new contracts for offensive and defensive coordinators Marcus Arroyo and Brian Ward, the Sun Devils proved they want to compete with the blue bloods in college football. Props to AD and Y-Option alum Graham Rossini for fully investing in this program. Once their NCAA sanctions run their course, this program will be taken to even new heights.

• Fernando Mendoza. How can you not love college football after watching his postgame interview after leading his Bears to victory in THE BIG GAME!? He had me tearing up somewhere over Ohio. Memorial Stadium was rocking, Aaron Rogers and DeSean Jackson were on the field and Justin Wilcox’s team is now going bowling for the 2nd straight year. It was almost perfect… if only Roxy Bernstein was on the call. (He did thrive while calling Kentucky @ Texas on ESPN Radio)

  

  (Photo by Thien-An Truong/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

• Chip Kelly. If I had a game ball, I’d give it to Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. He chose happiness over stature when leaving UCLA and the Buckeyes are a game away from a rematch in the Big Ten title game of Ohio State against the proud program he once led, the Oregon Ducks. Y-Option will be there to cover it all.

• Big 12 remains upside down. One thing to never question is the heart of a Utah football team. They went back and forth with #22 Iowa State and the Utes had their chances, but a brilliant halfback pass led the Cyclones to take a late lead. Utah missed a potential game-tying field goal as time ran out. I could have never imagined this year's Utah team not going bowling but that is reality for the Utes. They head to Orlando for the holiday for a Friday night tilt against UCF in the new look Big 12. I’d imagine they finish strong and immediately turn the page to 2025 where many questions need to be answered. More on that on the Y-Option podcast.

• Crosstown Rivals. Rivalries always deliver and at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins and Trojans did again. Just seeing them in their home colors gave me the chills late into our flight. It was a game of inches as D’Anton Lynn’s defense rose up in a massive way and a 39-yard pass from WR Makai Lemon gave USC the spark they needed to achieve bowl eligibility. A huge game in LA next week is set for 12:30 PT with USC hosting Notre Dame and a chance to ruin the Fighting Irish CFP hopes. For the Bruins, it's all about continuous growth and it's clear that UCLA has done that. I've always felt that watching head coaches grow in real time is something not discussed enough. We will talk about DeShaun Foster’s inaugural season this week on Y-Option as I'll be calling their season finale against future Pac-12 member, Fresno State on BTN, also at 12:30 PT.

• My family. This year has been full of road trips I’ve never experienced and leaving earlier and returning later has been something new. My wife, Amy, and two sons have been nothing short of incredibly supportive. FaceTime’s from the field at 6am PST became traditional and some new treats or swag from B1G schools have been something our two boys have enjoyed. Spoiler, they love chocolate from Lincoln, Nebraska the most. 

• Our crew. Guy Haberman, Rhett Lewis, Denny Blount and our crew have been incredible this fall. TV crews spend a lot of time together and with so much newness this fall, everyone has poured into the relationship aspect. We gained new friends and hopefully provided an entertaining broadcast. 

  

Hopeful:

• Walk-ons remain a part of College Football. One of my conversations around the Lincoln Memorial was with a parent of a walk-on. With new roster sizes coming into effect this coming season, I’m being told that coaches are going to have to make brutal decisions in the coming weeks. Simply, many rosters sit around 120 players and only 85 of them currently are on a full athletic scholarship. Moving forward, at least how I understand it, rosters will be capped at 105 and all will be scholarship players. It’s a horrible decision by the NCAA and one could argue a decision they were backed into, but this should have been tiered over the next 5 years. There is a realistic world where every team in major college football has to cut over 20 players in January and due to the decision made, those walk-ons will either have to find a new place to play or quit playing altogether. I predict that the death of the walk-on will be dramatically missed by coaches, as the majority of college football programs I’m around have multiple starters who began their careers as walk-ons, and more importantly impact a team’s culture in powerful ways.

Don’t like

• The insane money being floated around NIL. I don’t blame any high school quarterback for getting paid as much as possible but I do worry how a player, who hasn’t done a single thing in a major college football practice, will navigate a locker room once on campus. Coaches will not only have to be at their best, but get a tremendous amount of support and add new skills to their leadership approach. I asked Elite 11 president Brian Stumpf about this in light of Michigan rumored to have landed a QB commit for $12 million:

  “I think it is, more than anything else (if true), a sign of just how much rocket fuel exists in the present-day state of college football to see an area of concern and just put $$$ towards it with little regard for the viability of said opportunity. More and more the past 2-3 years we’ve seen the savvy programs lean into investing in the transfer portal QB vs. the unproven (despite how many stars they may have) high school QB. So this situation could be a unique convergence of home state phenom x struggling powerhouse x over-exuberent booster with a platform… or is it free market turning back towards the best long-term investment to sustain success? As always, the last 2-3 weeks heading into National Signing Day will be fascinating to follow!”

• Impending roster turnover. I can stomach when a new coach arrives that they will likely flip their roster, but doing that every season seems unrealistic when it comes to sustained success. From what I’m told, there are various teams that may attempt to flip their roster come December. I get both sides, and if a school and their collective are going to fund a player at a premium level they desire premium results. Call me old school but I still believe that college football players need to develop, both physically and mentally, and that takes time, navigating adversity and a supportive community. Based on dozens of conversations with head coaches, the first part of development comes from trusting that the people leading you are looking out for your best interests in all phases of life. It’s a reason why Oregon is thriving. 

• The interviewing of coaches who are currently working for other staffs. This is not entirely new, but with the market for coordinators nearing $2 million this offseason there seems to be a race to lock in that coordinator ASAP. Because of the transfer portal, coaching staffs are looking to fill their high profile coordinator roles as quickly as possible. It makes complete sense, but it can derail a team coming down the stretch. My vote: if the portal calendar won’t move then move the season up a week so it allows coaches to breathe a little in November.

With all of that said, the one truth is that the 2024 regular season is almost complete. That also means that our first season at Y-Option is also nearing it’s end. Both Jim Thornby and I are so grateful that over 60,000 of you have chosen to read our newsletters, watch our podcasts and engage with us. We pour into this platform with the goal to offer each of you thoughtful dialogue in college football through the lens of the West Coast. We hope you have enjoyed it and also take some time to reflect, relax and watch some good football this coming Thanksgiving weekend.

As always, much love and many thanks,

Yogi