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.
Stanford Coach Troy Taylor Fired For Alleged Mistreatment of Staffers, Poor Performance
Treat people who help you with respect and gratitude, folks. After an ESPN report last week that found Stanford head coach Troy Taylor was the subject of two investigations into alleged mistreatment of female staffers, the Cardinal's head coach was fired by general manager Andrew Luck on Tuesday, marking the first time a college football head coach has been fired by a team’s GM.
NEWS: Stanford has fired coach Troy Taylor following last week's ESPN report that he was the subject of two investigations into treatment of female colleagues.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) March 25, 2025
GM Andrew Luck made the decision.
Taylor had previously received a financial penalty.https://t.co/3wsfpISZeI
According to documents obtained by ESPN, Taylor tried to have an NCAA compliance officer removed after she warned him of rules violations and made repeated "inappropriate" comments to another female staffer. Taylor signed a warning letter on Feb. 14, 2024 acknowledging he would be fired if such conduct continued.
Additional complaints were documented in a second investigation that ended last July, after Taylor signed his warning letter.
It didn't help Taylor's cause that Stanford struggled on the football field under his leadership. The Cardinal went 3-9 in each of his two seasons at the helm, making what is now four straight 3-9 campaigns dating back to the program's last two years under former head coach David Shaw. Stanford hasn't produced a winning football season since 2018.
“Since beginning my role as general manager, I have been thoroughly assessing the entire Stanford football program,” Luck said in a statement. “It has been clear that certain aspects of the program need change. Additionally, in recent days, there has been significant attention to Stanford investigations in previous years related to coach Taylor. After continued consideration it is evident to me that our program needs a reset. In consultation with university leadership I no longer believe that coach Taylor is the right coach to lead our football program.”
Taylor closes the book on his first FBS coaching job with a 6-18 record and a massive hit to his reputation. Stanford, meanwhile, is in the market for a new coach four months after the end of its 2024 season.
Colorado and Syracuse Denied Joint Spring Practices, Scrimmage
The primary topic of last weekend's Weekender was the joint spring practices and a scrimmage that Colorado and Syracuse were planning to hold together. Well, the NCAA is raining on that parade.
The NCAA's FBS Oversight Committee denied the teams' request to face each other in a joint spring game. Per its announcement on Friday, the committee at least “agreed to discuss, during a future meeting, a concept that could permit joint spring practices in future seasons.”
NEWS: The FBS oversight committee has denied Colorado and Syracuse's request for spring practice together.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) March 28, 2025
It's partly due to the late timing, and the topic will be discussed more in the future. pic.twitter.com/3Lx7HpHfUQ
It all begs the question: Why not? If schools want to practice against each other and give their players another look, let them iron out the details. The need for a long evaluation process and to push approval back until it can be discussed further seems unnecessary.
Indiana Basketball is Out of Players
New Indiana head coach Darian DeVries has to be looking around his offices like that one Will Smith meme.
No player from the Hoosiers' 2024-25 team will return for 2025-26 as all of them have either entered the transfer portal or run out of eligibility. That includes the team's brightest stars who could have been helpful in DeVries' first season, such as Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako.
Indiana has ZERO players left
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 28, 2025
Mackenzie Mgbako Portal
Myles Rice Portal
Malik Reneau Portal
Bryson Tucker Portal
Kanaan Carlyle Portal
Jakai Newton Portal
Gabe Cupps OSU
Oumar Ballo Grad
Luke Goode Grad
Trey Galloway Grad
Anthony Leal Grad
None remain. pic.twitter.com/Sv3SFsKKua
Bryson Tucker and Myles Rice were the last two players to depart from the Hoosiers' roster for the portal on Friday. It's a sign of the modern times in collegiate athletics, as improved athlete agency has created perhaps the most chaos in basketball, where teams rely on a handful of stars.
Ohio State has already snatched up one of Indiana's former players from the portal, guard Gabe Cupps.
ICYMI
Eight Ohio State Prospects Who Boosted Their NFL Draft Stock at Pro Day
Ohio State held its pro day on Wednesday, and more than 140 NFL representatives attended to watch 17 professional prospects from the Buckeyes' 2024 national championship team. Dan Hope compiled a list of the eight who improved their draft stock the most at pro day, including quarterback Will Howard, who had a fantastic throwing session.
Ohio State Men's Basketball Transfer Portal Targets
This is a pivotal transfer portal cycle for Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes after they missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year in Diebler's first season. Cupps already committing at guard, wing and center are the two biggest priorities left for Ohio State to address.
Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Hungry to Lead Ohio State's Defensive Line
With Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau both off to the NFL, it's Curry and Jackson's turn to bookend the Buckeye defensive front after waiting for three years behind the accomplished duo. Both of them are embracing a leadership role in kind.
What's Next
- Softball: vs. Indiana, 7 p.m. Monday
- Baseball: vs. West Virginia, 1 p.m. Tuesday
- Men's Lacrosse: at Johns Hopkins, 2 p.m. Saturday
- 13 Days: Ohio State football spring showcase
- 153 Days: Season-opener vs. Texas
- 216 Days: Jim Knowles returns to Columbus
- 244 Days: The Game
