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.
DAN HURLEY REPORTEDLY LINKED TO THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
College basketball’s most eccentric head coach may soon make the jump to the professional ranks.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley — the architect of the Huskies back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2023 and 2024 — is being strongly considered to fill the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy after the organization fired Darvin Ham following the conclusion of their 2023-24 season.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Connecticuts Dan Hurley to become the franchises next coach and are preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to bring the back-to-back national champion to the NBA, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/6WPrigPvAW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2024
Hurley met with Lakers brass on Friday and was reportedly offered a contract totaling more than $100 million.
Hurley boasts a record of 292-163 across a 14-year college coaching career, including stints at Wagner, Rhode Island and Connecticut. In the last two seasons, The Jersey City, N.J., native has taken the Huskies to new heights, leading UConn to a 68-11 record en route to two national championships.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED
The dates and times of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff were announced on Wednesday, setting the stage for four straight weeks of high-stakes college football.
OFFICIAL RELEASE: The College Football Playoff has announced dates, kick times and broadcast information for the 2024-25 playoff, the first year of the expanded 12-team format.
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) June 5, 2024
Read more https://t.co/Ysq0kR5NfA#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/Lk6EqE37MM
The festivities commence on December 20, with a Friday night tilt at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and ESPN. TNT and ESPN share the three-game Saturday slate, with the World Wide Leader in Sports (and ABC) closing the First Round in the primetime 8 p.m. EST slot. The CFP will directly compete with the NFL on Saturday, going up against Houston-Kansas City and Baltimore-Pittsburgh during the afternoon.
The CFP Quarterfinals will be made up of the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, and played across New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The Fiesta Bowl will be the lone New Year’s Eve kickoff, and the Rose Bowl will maintain its normal 5 p.m. EST timeslot as a quarterfinal game while the Peach Bowl starts at 1 p.m. EST and the Sugar Bowl kicks off at 8:45 p.m. EST on New Year’s Day.
The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will serve as the semifinal games and will be played on separate nights. The Orange Bowl takes centerstage on Thursday, Jan. 9, with a 7:30 p.m. EST kickoff on ESPN. The Cotton Bowl takes over the 7:30 p.m. slot on Friday, Jan. 10, also on ESPN.
Finally, the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship will kick off from Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 20. The game will be played on ESPN.
OKLAHOMA WINS FOURTH-CONSECUTIVE SOFTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
No matter the sport, the Red River Rivalry runs deep, especially in a national championship setting.
Seeking its fourth-consecutive NCAA National Championship in softball, Oklahoma needed to overcome top-ranked Texas for the 2024 crown. The Sooners left little to chance against the rival Longhorns, sweeping Texas in two games to claim a four-peat for its Super Senior class.
FOUR PEAT#ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/AZeA5a30xq
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 7, 2024
The Sooners took Game 1 on the back of a dominant pitching performance from graduate pitcher Kelly Maxwell, who went the distance while allowing just four hits and striking out eight Longhorns in Oklahoma’s 8-3 victory.
In Game 2, Texas took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning but Oklahoma quickly responded with a three-run double by junior infielder Cydney Sanders in the bottom half of the inning. The Longhorns cut the lead to 5-4 in the top of the sixth inning, setting the stage for the Sooners to blow the game open with three runs in the bottom half of the stanza and close out Texas with an 8-4 win.
ICYMI
RYAN DAY THINKS REVENUE SHARING IS GOOD FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL, BUT DOESN’T WANT WALK-ONS TO GO AWAY
Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day emphasized his feelings that revenue sharing with athletes will be a key step to preserve the future of college football but noted that he is in favor of maintaining walk-ons on college rosters.
Eleven Warriors contributor Ramzy Nasrallah analyzes the path to Ryan Day’s current coaching staff, which has finally settled ahead of the 2024 season.
ROSS BJORK SAYS PROMOTING JAKE DIEBLER TO HEAD COACH WAS A “NO-BRAINER”
Incoming Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork emphasized his comfort in the decision to promote Jake Diebler to head coach of the Buckeyes men’s basketball program.
UP NEXT
- 83 Days: Ohio State football’s season opener vs. Akron
- 174 Days: The Game
