Always College Football with Greg McElroy

Greg McElroy takes a look at the Madden Iamaleava-Arkansas situation and if recouping NIL via buyouts could become a regular occurrence moving forward. Greg then gets into spring game recaps for Texas A&M and South Carolina, discussing season outlooks for both SEC squads. Finally, Greg gives his take on Joey Aguilar to Tennessee, what’s going on with the CFP meetings and the changes that could happen because of them, how Oklahoma has raked in the portal and if Oklahoma State is poised for a bounceback season. | Always College Football Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg starts today’s show celebrating the career of the legendary Lee Corso before getting into some portal news and spring game recaps. Do we buy what Nico’s camp said about why he transferred away from Tennessee? And what will it look like now that he’s QB1 for UCLA? Plus, Steve Angeli is in the portal, David Stone returns to Oklahoma and more. Finally, Greg talks about Bryce Underwood’s spring game performance and why the CFB world is so consumed with starting true freshmen QBs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The spring transfer portal is open and players are jumping in every day. McElroy goes through the early contenders and gives you the needs that each team has. Will Alabama take a Tight End, will Texas, LSU, Georgia and Ohio State go after the same defensive lineman? Can Miami and Michigan bolster their wide receiver rooms and will Tennessee find help at quarterback? So many needs, so many questions and McElroy is here to try to give you some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tennessee drew a line in the sand and separated themselves from Nico Iamaleava. McElroy addresses everything from Nico’s camp, the impact it has on college football, what other coaches are saying about it around the country, what Tennessee will do next and options for Nico Iamaleava moving forward. Plus updates on the QB competitions at Alabama and Notre Dame and does Ohio State need to hit the portal to sure up their defensive line? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Steve Spurrier joins Greg McElroy to discuss how he handled QB Competitions at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, what he looked for when recruiting quarterbacks and when he knew it was time to make a change at the position. The HBC was also known as one of the best personalities in the sport so we decided to look at a few current coaches that aren’t afraid to step out of the coach speak. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all know Jeremiah Smith is the best wide receiver, but is he the best “football player” in college? McElroy goes through and lists the Top 10 wide receivers heading into the 2025 season and outside of Smith you will see other familiar names like Ryan Williams, Elijah Sarratt and Jordyn Tyson but watch out for transfers to Auburn, Nebraska and Missouri. Keep an eye on LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Clemson headlining some potential breakout WR players. Plus, updates from Ohio State’s QB competition, Clemson’s quest for a 1000 yard receiver and the future of CFB beyond 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Arch Manning’s pressure at Texas, Julian Sayin’s poor scrimmage, Ty Simpson’s potential upside at Alabama and the battle at Notre Dame between Steve Angeli and CJ Carr are just some of the intrigue coming out of spring camps. McElroy hits the mailbag to answer questions about all those quarterbacks plus talks about Stanford hiring of Frank Reich, the benefit of having NFL experience at the college level and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who are the 10 BEST coaches in College Football heading into the 2025 season? On this episode McElroy goes through and ranks 10 thru 1 based on longevity (which some coaches don’t have), program trajectory and year over year improvement and much more. It’s not just about where you coach but what you do with the resources made available to you, the list will surely be debated but truthfully probably the most accurate one out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who are the 25 BEST coaches in College Football heading into the 2025 season? On this episode McElroy goes through and ranks 25 thru 11 based on longevity (which some coaches don’t have), program trajectory and year over year improvement and much more. It’s not just about where you coach but what you do with the resources made available to you, the list will surely be debated but truthfully probably the most accurate one out there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ACC is maybe the most intriguing of any of the P4 conferences heading into spring practice. Will Clemson get back to a championship level, can Carson Beck take Miami to the CFP, can Louisville, Georgia Tech or NC State take the next steps and become contenders? Will SMU sneak up on anyone and how BIG will the Florida State bounce back be? McElroy gives you ONE big question for each ACC team as they enter spring practice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can the BIG 10 win THREE straight National Championships?! Maybe, but if they do, there will need to be some questions answered this spring, like does Penn State have a WR that will step up, is Dante Moore ready to take over at Oregon, and are there too many changes at Ohio State? Is Nebraska ready to breakthrough, can Michigan just reload on defense and who are the surprise teams from the BIG 10 that we should keep an eye on. McElroy goes through them all and gives you one big spring question for each. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Spring practice is kicking off in College Football and McElroy gives you one big question for each team in the SEC. Will someone separate themselves in the Alabama QB competition, who will step up around DJ Lagway at Florida and LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina? Can LSU, Tennessee and Ole Miss replace all the talent they lost around the line of scrimmage and just how good can Arch Manning be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ACC is ALL over the map this offseason. The Bill Belichick era got underway at North Carolina and we discuss the impact he will have on the Tar Heels, while Clemson and Florida State reach a revenue distribution settlement with the conference. Did this short term answer just make it easier for the conference to split up by 2030? McElroy explains. Plus, we give you a couple sleeper teams to keep an eye on as spring practice starts up and we hit the mailbag to find out who has the best defense in the SEC heading into 2025 and much more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is Oklahoma really a sleeper in the SEC? How big will Florida State’s rebound be after a humbling 2024 season? Will Auburn FINALLY get a winning record under Hugh Freeze and is Texas A&M poised for a big jump? Are USC and Nebrsaka ready to be contenders in the BIG 10, and just how good will Coach Prime and Colorado be after losing so much talent? McElroy takes a look at the expectations for SEVEN of college footballs biggest question mark teams heading into 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring practice is right around the corner so McElroy decided to look at the 12 teams from last year's CFP and tell you who he thinks could return to the CFP in 2025. Will the new quarterbacks at Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas be able to win 10+ games? Can SMU, Arizona State and Indiana repeat the Cinderella seasons from a year ago, can Tennessee and Oregon handle losing so much production and are Clemson and Penn State in the best position? McElroy breaks down strengths, concerns and the schedule for each of the 12 teams. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The B10 and SEC are pushing toward a 14 team playoff with automatic qualifiers, is it a hostile takeover by the two biggest conferences or an overreaction to something that we have seen coming. McElroy and Finebaum break down what it means for the SEC and BIG 10, if Sankey and Petitti owe ANYTHING to all of college football and what it means for Notre Dame the ACC and BIG 12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is running back making a comeback? Last year some bell cow backs like Ashton Jeanty, Cam Skattebo and Dylan Sampson carried their teams to the CFP while Ohio State, Penn St, and Notre Dame relied more on a tandem backfield. McElroy asks if it is more important to win a national championship with a “bell cow” or a deep running back room. Plus Ohio State has a new defensive coordinator what impact will Matt Patricia have, will the Texas offense look different under Arch Manning and why can’t the FBS just adopt the FCS playoff model. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are 13 teams that missed the 2024 College Football Playoff that McElroy thinks will be playoff contenders in 2025. Is Alabama ready to make the jump into the CFP in 2025? Can LSU and Miami start the season out with wins to push towards the playoffs? Can South Carolina improve on last year or will it be Florida or Ole Miss who make the jump into the CFP. Who from the BIG 10 and BIG 12 can make a run - is it finally USC’s chance or will Michigan bounce back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices