Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what's next.
R.I.P. Mike Leach
Mike Leach was one of the biggest names in college football in the past few decades for a reason. The Pirate introduced innovations to the game that continue to reverberate, and that'll be a part of his legacy as much as his outsized personality and the people who he helped mentor.
Leach's tree: Lincoln Riley, Dave Aranda, Sonny Cumbie, Dana Holgorsen, Seth Littrell, Art Briles, Ken Wilson, Neal Brown, Josh Heupel, Eric Morris, Sonny Dykes, Kliff Kingsbury, Ruffin McNeill and assistants Wes Welker, Bill Bedenbaugh, Robert Anae, Alex Grinch, Brandon Jones. https://t.co/UO3940VbZ1
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 13, 2022
There are a lot of things that have been written about the guy in the past week, but if you're so inclined, here's a handy Reddit post with a compilation of memoirs and obits for the guy, in addition to an old Q&A session he did on the site. Plus, our own Ramzy Nasrallah gives us his thoughts as well.
But now, the weather:
Bobby's Back!
Bobby Petrino is back in the college football coaching game, this time with UNLV as their offensive coordinator. The image of him sitting in a press conference with a neck brace, looking like a kid who just got caught smearing strawberry jam all over his face, is the stuff of legends, but let's be clear about what got him run out of Fayetteville:
But he also has met controversy along the way, most notably at Arkansas, when he was fired in April 2012 after school officials said he lied about a motorcycle accident while riding with a woman hired as a football staffer by Petrino and with whom he was having an affair.
Granted, that was a decade ago, and who knows where Petrino is in his life at the moment. People can change, and what better place to rehabilitate your image than in bucolic Las Vegas, Nevada??!
Michigan West
Erick All, Michigan tight end who missed significant playing time this past season, is headed to Iowa to hook up with former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara, who lost his starting job to J.J. McCarthy in September. Both are decent players, but they now instantly become the face of a Hawkeye offense that ranked 130th in total offense in 2022, with just 255 yards per game.
Sadly, Iowa doesn't play Michigan in 2023, but it will be interesting to see if these players can change the Hawkeyes' fortunes, or if they'll get subsumed by Brian Ferentz's gravity well of failure.
ICYMI
Arizona State Longsnapper Transfers to Ohio State, Also Some Other Guy Goes Elsewhere
Probably not that big of a deal, but Ohio State lost out on a quarterback recruit this weekend. There will be implications, but the good news is that when God closes a door to a quarterback, he opens a window for a longsnapper.
Stopping Georgia's Tight Ends Will Be Key
In addition to the above breakdown from our own Kyle Jones, we have some detailed thoughts about the Peach Bowl from several Ohio State players.
C.J. Stroud Would Like to Remind You That JSN is Human
Not having one of the best wideouts in America on the field this year was frustrating, but nobody knows what Jaxon Smith-Njigba went through this year better than his quarterback. Here he explains why he doesn't deserve grief over his decision to sit out the Peach Bowl.
Up Next
Most sports are hunkering down for a winter break, but there are a few events coming up:
- Men's basketball looks to take out their anger from a disappointing loss to UNC on the Maine Black Bears, Wednesday the 21st at 8:30 p.m.
- Wrestling has a dual against Northern Iowa in New Orleans, Monday the 19th at 3 p.m.
- Women's basketball plays in the San Diego Invitational, starting Tuesday the 20th at 6:30 p.m. against USF
But in between it's bowls bowls bowls! Enjoy.
