In The News

Chaos. That’s one of the words that can be used to describe the coaching changes taking place before the end of the season. Let’s look at why these coaches are changing teams so early, as well as some of the biggest names that will sport new colors next year. 

Why are so many college coaches leaving before the season’s end? Read on to find out our take and make sure to tell us which coaching change will be the best gift their program this holiday season by voting in the poll on our latest @TexasBowl Twitter post.  

It’s no secret that many of the top college football programs have elected to switch coaches before their season has ended this year. 

Why, you ask? One reason for this is a new set of recruiting rules implemented by the NCAA. Under these new guidelines, high school seniors are eligible to sign their letter of intent from December 20-22, in addition to the signing period that starts in February. This gives programs looking for new coaches an incentive to find new candidates as quickly as possible to begin working on recruiting their next wave of talent. These changes are all about the programs trying to save their recruiting classes and their future.

Let’s look at some of the top college football programs that have changed coaches:  

USC: One of the most significant coaching changes this year was USC hiring Lincoln Riley after parting ways with Clay Helton just two games into the 2021 season. Of course, no one knows if Riley will find success coaching the Spartans, but it’s safe to say that Trojan fans hope he leads USC back to being the powerhouse it was years ago. 

Oklahoma: After the shocking exit of Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma found themselves looking for someone to head their premier football program. The Sooners acted quickly, naming defensive coordinator Brent Venables as their next head coach. Venables has worked his way up the ranks in college football and now gets the chance to carve his own legacy in America’s most adored sport. 

LSU: Another signing that sent shockwaves across the college football universe was the Tigers stealing Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame after Ed Orgeron departed during the season. Kelly had been one of the most decorated coaches in college football the last 10 years as head of the Fighting Irish. Now he gets to step into the ring with some of the best programs in the SEC. 

Notre Dame: After Brian Kelly left Notre Dame after more than 10 seasons, Notre Dame stayed in-house, hiring defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman as their next head coach. Freeman has a lot of work to do to fill the shoes left by Kelly, but he has worked his way up through the ranks and has a shot to keep Notre Dame among the best in college football. 

Miami: Miami joined the chaos of the coaching carousel by hiring Mario Cristabol after the team parted ways from Manny Diaz. Cristabol, the former Oregon coach, spent 3 seasons leading the Ducks before making the move to Miami. Cristabol will be tasked with leading the Hurricanes out of mediocrity and back to the potency that once exuded from the program. 

Oregon: After Cristobal left for Miami, Oregon found itself as one of the premier programs without a head coach. That changed when they announced that they had hired Dan Lanning, the defensive coordinator from Georgia. Lanning was the leader of one of the best defenses in recent memory and now will try to bring that experience to the Ducks. 

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders moved on from Matt Wells after 3 years and hired Baylor’s associate head coach Joey McGuire as their new head coach. McGuire had success in his 5 years at Baylor, along with a pretty incredible high school coaching resume, and now gets his shot to make it at the next level. Integral to Baylor Football’s familial culture, Joey McGuire was highly valued and respected by the older players and was essential to the transition phase under Dave Aranda after Matt Rhule left for the Carolina Panthers. Many football fans speculate that McGuire could bring some interesting changes to the Texas Tech football program, and possibly bring it to a place of stronger contention with teams such as Baylor. 

In addition to thrilling games, exciting new prospects, and spectacular upsets, this season has also brought exciting developments in coaching changes. Time will tell how these new coaches mold with their new teams, in some cases as soon as bowl season. 

The AP Top 25 Poll has been officially released but things feel different this year. With nine of the top teams listed in this year’s poll not even planning on playing a fall schedule and very limited non-conference play, we are poised for the most unique college football season we’ve ever been a part of.

Overall, we’re excited to get college football safely rolling, no matter what it looks like. The countdown to kickoff can finally begin! Read on to see which matchups we get to look forward to from the Big 12 and the SEC in Week 1.

The general uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to this season along with an unusual off season, essentially non-existent preseason coupled with all of the normal uncertainties that come with the start of a new season—we are surely in for a wild ride in 2020. It almost sounds crazy to say that we are officially one month out from Week 1 of college football, and we can’t wait.

WEEK 1 – Saturday, September 26

BIG 12

Kansas at Baylor

(23) Iowa State at TCU

Kansas State at (5) Oklahoma

West Virginia at Oklahoma State (15)

Texas (14) at Texas Tech

SEC

(3) Alabama at Missouri

(8) Florida at Ole Miss

(4) Georgia at Arkansas

Kentucky at (11) Auburn

Mississippi State at (6) LSU

(25) Tennessee at South Carolina

Vanderbilt at (13) Texas A&M

At first glance, Week 1 seem fairly tame and easily predictable. But it’s 2020. Anything can happen.

Which matchups are you looking forward to? Let us know on Twitter @LSSETexans.

Texas high school star, NCAA All-American, Heisman Trophy Winner, NFL quarterback and most recently, Grandpa. Gridiron Legend and Texas native took some time to sit down with Texans TV's Drew Dougherty for the first series of virtual 'Let's Talk Football' chalk-talks with Texas Bowl VIP's.

The former Texas high school football star reminisced about his experience under the Friday night lights, playing for his father and current Somerset High School Head Coach, Sonny Detmer.

Detmer went on to become a two-time NCAA All-American and a major impact player for BYU. In 1990, Detmer was awarded the Heisman Trophy, the former NCAA star shared a little about how memorable it was to receive the honor.

Finally, it wouldn't be a Texas Bowl event without asking for way too early Bowl predictions! Detmer weighed in on who he thinks will be a force in college football this fall.

New Baylor head coach Dave Aranda joined Sports Radio 610’s Landry Locker, John Lopez and John McClain this Tuesday for an episode of In The Loop.

Hot off the heels of the NFL Combine, the conversation starts with 2019 LSU QB1 and potential top draft pick Joe Burrow and what his professional career might look like. When asked if Burrow could translate his one year of college football success to the NFL with potentially the worst team in the league as a top draft pick, Aranda replies, “if there’s a guy that can do it, it’d Joe.” Speaking to the senior’s winning season at LSU he explains Burrow’s cerebral approach to leading his offense, “you’re talking about an Offensive Coordinator who is playing quarterback.”

Aranda brings experience as a National Championship coach as well as 24 years of coaching before that to his new position as the Baylor Bears head coach. When asked what the most important thing his varied experience has taught him he says he learned, “you can be yourself. Connect with your coaches, connect with your players—they need to know you care about them—then you can take off from there.” About his squad’s first game at NRG Stadium for the 2020 Texas Kickoff against Ole Miss, Aranda says, “I’m excited about the challenge and I feel really good about our team. I know we’ll be prepared.”

September won’t be the first time Aranda makes an appearance in Houston in 2020. This Friday the Houston Rodeo is hosting Baylor night and the new head coach will make his rodeo debut. During his tenure as the University of Houston, he never made it out to the rodeo but he jokes, “I remember the traffic, though.” (Can we get an amen from all the Houstonians out there?)

Listen to the full interview below or at SportsRadio610.radio.com.

Don’t miss Aranda’s head coaching debut in Houston at NRG Stadium September 5 vs Ole Miss at the Texas Kickoff. CLICK HERE to sign up for the waitlist to be notified as soon as tickets go on sale.

Ringing in year three of the Early Signing Period era, National Signing Day 2020 was predictably less dramatic than 2020 class commitments in December. However, with an LSU National Championship and a shuffle of coaching staff in early 2020, there were plenty of question marks to keep things interesting. Keep reading for a breakdown of top classes representing each of the conferences in the Power Five, giving us a look at what to expect when College Football returns this fall.

SEC

1) GEORGIA. Overall, the SEC continues to absolutely dominate the college football recruiting world. Georgia, the three-time defending SEC East champions, claims the title of top recruiting class for the SEC and the country. Most notably, the Bulldogs are bringing in eight players all ranked in the top five of their positions. Outside of the impressive young players heading to Athens for their freshman season, they also snagged a very important piece for their offense: a replacement for Quarterback Jake Fromm. Wake Forest graduate transfer Jamie Newman looks to fill Fromm’s shoes for the Bulldogs in 2020.

2) ALABAMA. Another school hinging on the signing of a new Quarterback, Alabama takes second place in the SEC recruiting rankings for 2020. Ranked #11 in USA Today’s Final Chosen 25, Quarterback Bryce Young has all the skill to carry the Crimson Tide’s offense as the highest graded Quarterback they have ever signed. Young is supported by an incredibly talented cast of players including 14 that are ranked in the top 10 in their position.

3) LSU. Winning a National Championship and collectively signing a top five recruiting class is not a bad start to 2020. LSU’s class is led by #1 ranked Tight End Erik Gilbert, #1 ranked Cornerback Elias Ricks, #2 ranked Wide Receiver Kayshon Boutte and #2 ranted Outside Linebacker Phillip Webb. The Tiger’s defensive class took some hits with a few top prospects making other selections including McKinnley Jackson who selected Texas A&M and Jordan Burch who selected South Carolina.

BIG 12

1) TEXAS. The major headline for the Big 12 this Signing Day was Texas clinching the top spot for recruiting class rank over Oklahoma, namely due to the commitment of 4-star Defensive End Alfred Collins who chose to stay home and play for the Longhorns rather than accept Oklahoma’s offer. Overall, their 2020 class ranks in the top ten nationally with the help of the Big 12’s only 5-star recruit, Running Back Bijan Robinson who signed in December.

2) OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma follows Texas in the Big 12 recruiting class rankings with 23 total new additions, split evenly between new offensive and defensive weapons. A big win for the Sooners was the commitment of Riggie Grimes II, an Outside Linebacker listed as a top 50 recruit and the highest ranked recruit of their 2020 class.

3) TCU. The next in line for the conference is TCU who only signed 17 players in this cycle. Their 2020 class is led by Wide Receiver and Texas state high jump medalist Quentin Johnston who will fit in well with TCU’s athletic offense. Other highlights for the Horned Frogs include top 50 ranked Offensive Guard Altrique Barlow and 4-star Defensive Tackle Patrick Jenkins who will look to fill the hole left by Ross Blacklock who will participate in the NFL Draft later this year.

ACC

1) CLEMSON. Surprising no one, Clemson’s recruiting class claims the top spot in the ACC and the only ACC team with a top-10 national ranking. Arguably the biggest win for the Tigers was signing the number one nationally ranked recruit, Defensive Tackle Bryan Bresee. Dabo Swinney’s Tigers also claim the highest number of 5-star recruits of all 2020 classes with five signees coming in.

2) MIAMI. Following Clemson in the ACC, Miami took advantage of their large local recruiting pool, signing 14 in-state players which is two more than Florida State. Top picks in the Hurricane class include four 4-star recruits ranked in the top 150 nationally.

3) NORTH CAROLINA. The Tar Heels put together an impressive class for the 2020 season, rounding out their freshman crew with nine 4-star recruits, most notably lead by top-100 ranked Wide Receiver Josh Downs.

BIG 10

1) OHIO STATE. The Buckeyes take the top spot for 2020 recruiting class in the Big 10, signing arguably one of the greatest Receiver classes of all time lead by Julian Fleming (ranked #2 nationally), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (#28), Gee Scott Jr (#65) and Mookie Cooper (#91). Another notable freshman that will make an impact on the Buckeyes defense along with new Defensive Coordinator Kerry Coombs is 4-star athlete Cameron Martinez.

2) MICHIGAN. Behind Ohio State is their historic rival, Michigan. The Wolverines didn’t add any new prospects to their 23-man freshman class this past week, signing all prospects in December and not receiving any new commitments since. Focuses on this class seem to be adding more speed on offense and adding to their defensive front, with seven of their top ten recruits playing on the defensive side of the ball. 

3) PENN STATE. Penn State scores their fourth consecutive top-15 national recruiting class with the 2020 signees. The Nittany Lions continue their tradition of recruiting and producing exceptional Linebackers with the signing of Curtis Jacobs out of Maryland who was ranked the #2 Linebacker and the #24 overall recruit by 247Sports. 

PAC-12

1) OREGON. Though they didn’t pull a top ten national ranking, Oregon’s 2020 recruiting class gets top honors in the Pac-12. Signing 21 incoming players in December, the only player added to the class this week was 5-star recruit and long-time Alabama commit Defensive Tackle Jayson Jones. Jones joins two additional 5-star recruits in the Ducks 2020 class, Inside Linebackers Justin Flowe and Noah Sewell.

2) WASHINGTON. Despite an unexpected leadership transition from Head Coach Chris Petersen to new Head Coach Jimmy Lake in early December, the 2020 recruiting class for the Huskies went off seemly without a hitch. Ranked second in the Pac-12, Washington’s incoming talent is led by local 5-star Defensive End Sav’ell Smalls.

3) STANFORD. The Cardinals round out our 2020 recruiting review at the third ranked slot in the Pac-12. Most notable commits are the #1 ranked Kicker Joshua Karty. That name sound familiar? Probably because you’ve seen this INSANE video of Karty kicking a 70-yard field goal. If you haven’t, we suggest you watch. Along with Karty, Standford also adds 4-star Offensive Tackle and top 100 recruit Myles Hinton to the 2020 class.