Enhance your way of obtaining the latest college football news and stories with the CFB Newsletter.
College football is about to see a major influx in fandom, as EA Sports’ College Football 25 will release this week. That’s good news for content creators, and puts an added spotlight on lesser known schools and players – which is excellent for the sport. It also means there will be more college football news to report on as fans show greater interest. And as always, the CFB Newsletter is here to bring the most important news and stories to the forefront for college football fans each week.
College Football 25 Release
As most football fans know by now, EA Sports is set to release their newest game this week. While early access has already been granted (to some), the game officially releases on July 19. The gameplay seems fairly on par for Madden, although some fans have voiced displeasure over the tackling mechanics. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, it’s hard not to be excited over the first college football game in over a decade.
College Football 25 gameplay 😍 #CollegeFootball25 #CFB25 #ncaa25 pic.twitter.com/gaJdkjgQ7r
— Tubbylight (Bring NCAA Back) (@tubbylight) July 11, 2024
Remembering Monte Kiffin
On Thursday, NFL and college football legend Monte Kiffin passed away at 84 years old. Kiffin was a defensive guru in every sense of the word, spearheading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers en route to a Super Bowl victory in 2000.
Kiffin also played a major role on the college football side, as well. He won the national championship with Nebraska in 1970 and 1971 as the team’s defensive coordinator. More recently, he worked as a defensive assistant for FAU, and as a player personnel analyst for Ole Miss Rebels. His son, Lane Kiffin, is currently the head coach for the Rebels.
New Face in Syracuse
Former Delaware State tight ends coach Dimitri Hill will be joining Syracuse Orange, replacing Dwayne Scott as the team’s new assistant offensive line coach. Hill was an offensive lineman for Delaware State Hornets from 2012-15 before joining the team’s coaching staff after his playing career.
Under Hill, Hornets’ tight end EJ Core led the team with 391 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how Hill’s influence will help Syracuse football’s offense this season.
Will the Big 12 get even bigger?
With Florida State and Clemson speculated to leave the ACC (something we covered in our first CFB Newsletter), there’s a chance they find themselves playing in the Big 12. Fox Sports announcer Tim Brando believes the conference is in for a “banner year”. He also expects more conference realignment to occur.
“That’s why, the private equity, the selling of the naming rights of the conference, all of that is designed to sweeten the pot to make it more of a big-time hit financially for [Clemson and Florida State]. That’s what they want. They want Big Ten, SEC-ish money” Brando said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic” on Thursday.
Adding Clemson and FSU would be huge for the Big 12 conference. It would also lead to more opportunity for the Tigers and Seminoles. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see how this develops throughout the year.
NIL and Tampering?
For many, the introduction of NIL to college football has been a detriment to the sport. And now, there’s a handful of coaches claiming that NIL is also leading to tampering, as schools try to drag players away from other programs.
Speaking at the Mountain West Conference Media Days, Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell revealed that other programs attempted to poach players from CSU.
Jay Norvell on P4 schools trying to tamper with Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi & Tory Horton.
Said today that schools like Kansas State, Texas A&M & Ole Miss all went after CSU’s stars pic.twitter.com/doZIbNkB5M
— DNVR Rams (@DNVR_Rams) July 11, 2024
While college athletes deserve pay, NIL has turned the league into the wild west as teams continue to navigate its usage. Because of that, the NIL will likely be modified in the next couple of years.
