college coach trips football player

Woody Hayes Punched a Player and Never Coached Again

One of the most successful head coaches in college football history isn't even remembered for his wins, but for punching a player in his final game and ending his career .

Woody Hayes led the Ohio State Buckeyes football team for 28 seasons before losing his job due to socking an opposing player during a bowl game in 1978.

Woody Hayes Punch es Charlie Bauman

RELATED: Ohio State's Tattoo Scandal Ruined Jim Tressel's Coaching Career

Maybe the most important rule of coaching is not laying a hand on your own players. However, worse than that is hitting another coach's player. Wayne Woodrow Hayes was known for being an easily angered man on the sideline, but it all came to an end on December 29, 1978 at the Gator Bowl against Clemson.

With OSU freshman quarterback Art Schlichter   picking apart the Tigers' defense, Hayes chose to pass the ball instead of his usual runs off tackle.

With about two minutes left in the fourth quarter, trailing by two and closing in on field-goal range, Schlichter attempt to throw the ball to receiver Ron Springs. However, Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman had been pushed back into a passing lane and intercepted the ball. Bauman took off up the Ohio State sideline before being pushed down right in front of Hayes.

This is where one of Hayes' most memorable quotes comes into play: "Three things can happen when you pass the ball, and two of them are bad."

"There are 3 things that can happen when you pass, and 2 of them are bad" Woody Hayes. OSU vs MSU on @ESPNRadio pic.twitter.com/UhMhj9wQMF — Bill Rosinski (@RosinskiBill) November 20, 2015

RELATED: Ohio State's Infamous Tattoo Scandal Wouldn't Have Been an Issue Today

With the frustration of throwing an interception when he didn't really like passing the ball in the first place, his already boiling temper, and the player who basically just ended his season with a loss standing right in front of him, Hayes did something that people still remember vividly today:

Ohio State coach Woody Hayes grabbed Bauman on the collar of his jersey and swung his right fist into the neck area the defensive lineman. This immediately led to a large fight in front of the Buckeyes' bench, and Hayes being pulled away from Bauman and other Clemson players.

The cameraman caught the brawl between football players with ABC announcer Keith Jackson trying to make sense of the situation.

Coach Hayes' punch was immediately seen as an impossible thing to overlook. Athletic Director Hugh Hindman saw no choice but to fire the national championship-winning coach.

Hayes even stayed in the locker room after the game and had assistant coach George Hill attend the press conference in his place.

At the time of his dismissal, Hayes was just 65 years old. For comparison, Nick Saban will begin the 2020 season at 68 years old. Without hitting Bauman, he may have easily coached another few seasons, but instead never coached again and passed away in 1987 of a heart attack. He was 74.

Woody Hayes Coaching Career

??? Woody Hayes stands watch, and there's plenty of @OhioStateFB hardware to oversee inside. pic.twitter.com/TX5Rfntjo2 — Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) August 7, 2018

Beginning his tenure as a head coach at his alma mater, Denison University, he would eventually earn the head job at Miami University in Ohio. That led to his hiring by Ohio State University in February 1951.

During his 28 seasons in Columbus, Hayes led the Ohio State football team to five national titles, 13 Big Ten Championships, eight Rose Bowl appearances, and an appearance in the Orange Bowl in 1976.

His overall record as the head coach at OSU was 205-61-10. Much of his career was spent battling Bo Schembechler 's Michigan teams in what was called the Ten Year War . Schembechler's Wolverines won five of 10 football games between the rivals and tying one more. Hayes finished with a 16-11-1 overall record against Michigan during his career.

During this time, he was known for his extremely conservative style as both a football coach and person, running the ball the majority of the time and holding a distaste for passing the ball.

On the night of the 1978 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla. against the Clemson Tigers, his hatred for throwing would be confirmed in his mind at the end of the game, and it ended his career forever.

This post was originally published on April 7, 2020.

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Goon Over Miami: Jets Assistant Coach Apologizes for Tripping Dolphins Player

Dec. 12: New York Jets assistant Sal Alosi apologized after blatantly tripping Miami's Nolan Carroll on the sideline during Gang Green's 10-6 loss to the Dolphins Sunday.

New York Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi apologized after blatantly tripping Miami's Nolan Carroll on the sideline during Gang Green's 10-6 loss to the Dolphins Sunday.

The strength and conditioning coach was ushered out of New Meadowlands Stadium by a staff member, ignoring interview requests by the New York Post and protected by two security members at an exit.

After the Jets confirmed he was the guilty tripper and the NFL announced it was reviewing the play, Alosi apologized.

"I made a mistake that showed a total lapse in judgment," Alosi said in a statement, adding that he apologized to Carroll and Dolphins coach Tony Sparano .

"My conduct was inexcusable and unsportsmanlike and does not reflect what this organization stands for. I accept responsibility for my actions as well as any punishment that follows."

"The team is reviewing the situation and is looking into the appropriate next steps,'' Jets media chief Bruce Speicht said in a statement.

During the third quarter of the game, Alosi -- on the sidelines wearing Jets raingear and white tennis shoes -- appeared to stick his left knee out and tripped Carroll as the cornerback ran out of bounds on punt coverage. Carroll fell and had to be attended to by medical staff on the Jets sideline, before eventually returning.

Alosi, who was wearing a green hat at the time, conspicuously switched to a black hat in the middle of the game. Then he took the hat off altogether.

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Woody Hayes’ Ohio State coaching career ends…

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Woody Hayes’ Ohio State coaching career ends after punching a Clemson University player during a game in 1978

Ohio State Football Coach Woody Hyes is shown in 1978 delivering the famous punch that led to his firing as the Buckeyes' coach.

Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, upper left, is shown during an incident involving Clemson player Charlie Bauman (58) on the sideline during the Gator Bowl in this image made from television on Dec. 30, 1978.

At age 65, when most men are drawing Social Security checks, fondling gold watches and tussling with grandchildren, Woody Hayes didn’t know when to quit fighting.

A single, impulsive, almost painless punch on the shoulder pad of an opposing player in the final moments of his 321st game ended the career of college football’s fourth winningest coach on a note of shame witnessed by millions. Wood Hayes was fired Saturday as Ohio State’s football coach in the wake of Friday night’s 17-15 Gator Bowl loss to Clemson after he punched Clemson middle guard Charlie Bauman on the sidelines. Bauman had intercepted a pass by Buckeye quarterback Art Schlichter and allegedly taunted Hayes by waving the football in his face.

Although he had been named as probable successor to Hayes, Arkansas coach Lou Holtz reportedly told friends he had no intentions of leaving his present post. However, Holtz could not be reached for comment in Honolulu, where he is coaching the West all-stars in the Hula Bowl. “He might be on the beach,” said LSU’s Charlie McClendon, coach of the East. “After that Woody Hayes thing on TV, he might even be hiding out for a while.”

On his 65th birthday last Feb. 14, Woody celebrated Valentine’s Day by vowing to coach until he was 70. A sweetheart he was not, however, and there were reports Friday night that “an important announcement” was forthcoming after the Gator Bowl game. This was interpreted to mean Hayes would be leaving Ohio State as coach – voluntarily or otherwise.

In an interview with Columbus Dispatch sports writer Paul Hornung, Hayes said yesterday, staring at the boxes of books in his cubbyhole office: “I don’t know what I will do.” He ruled out coaching again pro or college.

In Hayes’ version, athletic director High Hindman cames to his room yesterday morning. Hayes reportedly told him: “I can resign or be relieved.”

At first, Hayes remained forever the battler and vowed “not to make it easy for them.” Later he thought better and told Hornung on the phone Saturday morning “I have resigned as of now” and, in keeping his promise to tell the Columbus sportswriter first “I called you.”

When the game ended Friday night, Bauman at first said Hayes had struck him. Later, however, the Clemson middle guard was vague, saying: “I think he might have hit me. I know he’s fired, but I want to see the game films before I say anything definite.”

Violence had been an ally and enemy of Hayes for most of his 65 year.

He learned it as a boy, fistfighting behind the barn of Cy Young in nearby Newcomerstown, Ohio. He refined it as a tackle on the Denison University football team in the mid-thirties. He successfully harnessed it on occasion at Ohio State as a teacher/coach, but never as a man.

Unfortunately, Hayes often unleashed that violence on those around him – members of the press, officials, his own players and, this last fatal time, on an opposing player.

Woody Hayes had become the Billy Martin of college football.

The success of Ohio State football in the last two decades escalated media coverage of Hayes’ misbehavior and he seemingly became more violent with age. Yet even on this occasion, with millions of TV viewers witnessing, Hayes got apparent sympathy from the ABC announcers. Only one replay of the incident was shown and that one from the a poor visual angle.

Announcer Keith Jackson told his ABC producer he had not seen the incident either on the field or on the monitor. “And he said he would not report to a national TV audience without seeing it,” said ABC spokesman Donn Berstein.

Thus a brilliant career that made him the second winningest active coach behind Alabama’s Bear Bryant (and fourth of all-time) was not only ended, but blighted. A career that spanned four decades and included national championships in 1954 and 1968, Big Ten titles 13 times, three Heisman Trophies and national Coach of the Year honors twice. He leaves a record of 238-72-11.

He was reprimanded by the Big Ten in 1971 for snapping two yard-markers across his knee during a loss to Michigan. He shoved a TV camera in the face of a cameraman in 1973.

The latest incident with Bauman was the fifth in three years. He reportedly went after a journalist covering the Ohio State-Michigan game in 1976, grabbing his throat. This year he charged a Chicago writer and called him “vicious.” Earlier in 1978, he lashed out at a TV sportscaster who had asked him about a TV poll that had called for his retirement. And last year he punched an ABC-TV cameraman in the stomach at the Michigan game.

Even success as a coach could not save him. And many Buckeye fans began to echo the sentiment expressed by the Ohio State student newspaper, The Lantern, which had called for his scalp and labeled his actions “wretched excess on the football field.”

All he had expected, said winning coach Danny Ford of Clemson, was an apology. “But I didn’t expect an apology this big.”

When asked how he compared Hayes with his former coach at Alabama, Bryant, Ford responded: “I don’t compare anybody with coach Bryant. There is only one great coach and he’s at Tuscaloosa (Ala.).”

Meanwhile Bryant, who is going after his fourth national title in the Sugar Bowl at Penn State, expressed sadness and called Hayes “a class person who was given his entire life to football.”

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Op-Ed: How can colleges afford to pay outlandish salaries to Lincoln Riley and other coaches?

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In recent days, college football coaches have been handed some of the most lucrative contracts the sport has ever seen. Lincoln Riley was hired by USC with a contract speculated to be worth $110 million. Brian Kelly was hired by Louisiana State University on a 10-year contract reportedly worth $100 million. At Michigan State, a coach who will not be vying for even a conference title will get a contract extension worth $95 million over 10 years , an amount he will receive in full if he is fired at any time without cause.

This is all possible, in significant part, because of the cap on the value of labor in college football. Simply put, players create the wealth in college sports but are only compensated in the form of scholarships. We are talking about one of the most egregious forms of systematic wage theft in American society today.

This “amateur” model of college sports yields $18.9 billion in annual revenue to universities and the NCAA, millions to coaches and athletic department officials , and essentially nothing to the athletes upon which the industry depends. The general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, Jennifer Abruzzo, issued a memo in September stating that college players are employees under federal labor law and should be entitled to labor law protections, including the ability to negotiate fair wages and workplace rights.

Commentary: Greed in college football: Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly are just the latest examples

During a 24-hour period, Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for USC and Brian Kelly ditched Notre Dame for LSU. College football has turned a corner and isn’t coming back.

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Needless to say, athletics department administrators have taken note. In a recent press release (which could be rightly described as “union-busting”) the organization representing athletic directors at Division I football programs nationwide stated that 85% of approximately 100 athletics directors surveyed said that they are “highly concerned about college athletes being classified as employees whether via legislative, administrative, or judicial means with possible corresponding benefits and protections such as the rights to organize, strike, overtime pay, minimum wage, health and safety protections, and more.”

Of course, these athletic directors benefit directly from the status quo. Four earn more than $2 million a year . Twenty-five earn $1 million or more, while 51 earn $700,000 or more. These numbers do not include athletic directors at a number of private universities.

Many players we’ve talked to are well aware of how they are being used. As one former Division I gymnast we interviewed puts it, “I honestly feel surprised that 15% of athletic directors put the athletes’ empowerment and health above their own self-interests.” She also points out, “How can athletes be denied the right that any self-respecting NCAA employee would insist upon for him or herself? What anthropology professor would ever agree to take a job that didn’t offer worker’s compensation or health benefits?”

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Lincoln Riley brought swagger and several new staffers to his introduction as USC’s new football coach. He also promised to deliver results. Quickly.

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Yet, athletes get no such protection or benefits despite working full time. Full-time employment is defined by the IRS as 30 or more hours worked in a week. Based on that definition and the NCAA’s own data , 19 different sports qualify as a full-time workload based on weekly hours worked. Notably, Division I football players work a median of 40 hours per week, while baseball players work even more at 42 hours.

The money thrown at failed or departing coaches is even more preposterous. Between Jan. 1, 2010, and Jan. 31, 2021, public schools in the top football conferences paid coaches in men’s and women’s basketball and football $533.6 million not to work. That number has only risen in recent months, with fired football coaches getting huge buyouts, including $16.9 million , $9.9 million, and $12 million at LSU, the University of Washington and the University of Florida, respectively.

For Danté Stewart, a former football player at Clemson, the position of athletic directors on college athlete employment rights cannot be divorced from the racial dynamics of college sport.

Notably, 83% of athletic directors in Division I are white, while athletes on men’s football and men’s and women’s basketball teams are predominately Black. In fact, Black athletes in the Power Five conferences are estimated to be losing out on $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion a year. “It’s a demonstration that college sport is a site of white male power,” Stewart says. “This is why I believe in unionization. Players have no one to defend their interests.”

This becomes particularly urgent in the context of occupational health and safety. While colleges sometimes cover costs for injuries caused by the sport, most athletes don’t receive health coverage for anything nonsports-related and none receive long-term coverage for health problems stemming from their time in college sports. Questions of health and safety are also compounded for players by the precariousness of their employment status. Scholarships generally need to be renewed yearly , which means issues with mental health or other injuries are often ignored or hidden for fear of losing scholarships.

What does this all mean moving forward?

“The reality is the NCAA system operates like professional sports,” says Brittany Collens, a former tennis player at the University of Massachusetts. “There can be a fair system that works for both athletes, schools, and athletic departments. It just requires effort and the right people behind it.”

There’s no reason to believe that those people are the athletic directors and football coaches currently living large on the uncompensated labor of the very college athletes they are charged with serving. But those athletes are not likely to tolerate having their interests denied and their voices silenced indefinitely. Time is running out.

Nathan Kalman-Lamb is a lecturing fellow in the Thompson Writing Program at Duke University. Derek Silva is an associate professor of sociology at King’s University College at Western University. Johanna Mellis is an assistant professor of history at Ursinus College. Together they host The End of Sport podcast.

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Traveling With The Team: Inside A Typical College Athletics Road Trip

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The football team travels to Sin City this week where they are sure to be met by a huge contingent of Cougar fans - because Cougar Nation is just that awesome. While all of you Vegas-bound, lucky you-know-whats can treat this as the wallet-draining vacation it is, make no mistake, it's all work for the members of the football program.

One of the main reasons the wonderful authors of this site asked me to come on board is because of my insight into the often-unnoticed inner-workings of the athletic department. In that vein, today's mission is to elucidate the chaotic excursions we call road trips.

Let me make one thing clear: Football road trips are a different monster than the basketball road trips of which I've been a part. However, I'm confident the basic fundamentals of the trips are similar enough that what I have to say rings true. So, without further ado...

What the general public often fails to realize about these trips is that the preparation begins months in advance. If you want to ensure the team a non-miserable traveling experience, it all comes down to having a good Ops guy. With the basketball team, these duties fell to Tim Marrion the past three seasons. (As a side note, I want to publicly congratulate Tim on earning the San Jose State assistant coaching position. He's going to be a phenomenal coach.) Now, back on track: Tim was responsible for planning and executing trips from the day the schedule was finalized until the team returned to Pullman. That's no easy task. From preparing flight and hotel arrangements for 25+ people to making restaurant reservations to finding gyms for practices, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle-and a lot of puzzles throughout the season.

As the trips get closer, there is an even greater amount of work that goes into them. From my standpoint as head manager, the nights leading up to road trips meant no social life, very little sleep and making schoolwork secondary. The night before every trip, the equipment manager's job is to pack up everything the team could possibly need throughout the entire hiatus from Pullman. For me that meant packing up a gear bag with extra spandex, socks, clipboards, play cards, jerseys, laundry detergent and a whole lot more. For the football team, their managers (of which four or five generally travel each week) are also in charge of packing up all the pads, helmets, shoes, headsets, and everything else that goes in that sweet new equipment truck.

In addition to packing extra equipment, the night before a trip also entails packing the players' carry-on bags consisting of their game jerseys, shooting shirts, practice gear, travel suits and occasionally other miscellaneous items, as to ensure nobody leaves the trip essentials behind. While I choose to believe our student-athletes are more than capable of packing their own gear, it is too much of a risk to leave it up to chance.

Almost all of the teams in the athletic department leave Pullman the day before the competition. While I believe the football team charters most of their trips, given how large their travel party is, the other teams tend to fly commercially. This means the buses typically leave Pullman fairly early in the morning en route to the Spokane airport. You know those horror stories every team complains about when it comes to traveling to Pullman? Yeah, well our teams get to experience them on every trip.

Once the team finally arrives at their destination, the rest of the day usually is fairly standard: check into the hotel, drop off the bags, leave for practice and then return to the hotel for dinner and study hall (often including proctored tests) before curfew. The astute reader will notice the inconspicuous absence of partying. Nothing. Under a good coaching staff (and WSU basketball does have a good coaching staff), it doesn't happen, so stop thinking it! While I'm aware it occasionally does happen with some collegiate teams, it's simply not the common occurrence people too often make it out to be.

As the players are confined to the hotel on these nights, most members of the staff (coaching and support) have other responsibilities. Road trips provide a great opportunity for some of the coaches to get out recruiting while the others watch more film and further prepare for the game. For our sports information director, Jessica Schmick, game-day-eves mean preparing all of the media information for the games. And for me (and now my apprentice and close friend, Devin Jones), well, those nights meant a lot of late night laundry runs. Fortunately, my naïveté often shielded me from fear and the realization I was walking down the dark alleys of such places as New York, Los Angeles and Oakland with giant gear bags on my back.

When game days arrived, game faces were the result. Wake up calls (led by yours truly and video coordinator Mike Simonson) rang 15 minutes prior to breakfast, followed by shooting and a walk-through of the scouting report at the arena. Four hours before each game, we returned to the hotel for a lovely catered meal featuring chicken strips and mashed potatoes (which somehow became my favorite meal). Players then began filing into our hotel room, where they got taped up by our top-notch athletic trainer Nick Gallotto-seriously, this guy is as good as they get. He's the incredibly stylish one that sat next to me on the end of the bench and always made me look bad. The bus would then leave the hotel in time for us to arrive at the arena an hour and a half before game time. Postgame processes are a story all to themselves, but for the sake of trying not to bore you anymore, I'll end the timeline there.

Now that the logistics of the trip are (superfluously) understood, let me stress something: Road trips were my single favorite part of working for the team. I know it may not seem that way given their business-like nature, but the camaraderie you build with others on the trip is one you cannot replicate in any way in Pullman, as great of a place as it is. Many of my greatest friendships in college were formed or enhanced while sitting in airports or at pre-game meals. Road trips were the most chaotic and stressful work-related experiences of my life, but I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

For all of you who are going to Vegas this weekend, go have a vacation you'll never forget (most likely by having a vacation you'll never remember). Just understand: There's an awful lot of hard work that goes into these trips from the team's perspective. So the next time you find yourself wanting to make assumptions about why a team didn't live up to its potential on the road, you can be sure it's not because of a lack of focus or responsibility.

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College football coaching carousel tracker: Grades, analysis on coach changes, 2023-24 firings and hirings

Another job has changed hands after shawn elliott left georgia state at the start of spring practices.

Nearly two months after the college football season ended, the coaching carousel is still spinning in spurts. The abrupt departure of Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott, who took a job on South Carolina's staff, created the latest vacancy at Georgia State. Dell McGee, most recently Georgia's run-game coordinator, was hired as Elliott's replacement. 

The coaching cycle has gone on for longer than usual this year. Boston College hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien after Jeff Haftley left to become the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Then, UCLA coach Chip Kelly left to take O'Brien's old post with the Buckeyes. It was a highly unusual -- and unprecedented -- move for Kelly to voluntarily leave a power-conference coaching position to serve as an assistant on another college staff. UCLA acted quickly, however, by hiring program great DeShaun Foster as Kelly's successor. 

All of this has merely added to a wild ride for coaching changes this offseaosn. Jim Harbaugh left Michigan to become the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. One of the most coveted jobs in the game was quickly filled, however, with the promotion of offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore .

Before that, Nick Saban's retirement from Alabama created a ripple effect from the power conferences on down. The iconic coach orchestrated a 17-year run that, by all accounts, represented a dynasty with six national championships and nine SEC titles. He is, without much hesitation, the greatest college football coach ever, and his departure had a profound impact on the coaching landscape.

Washington's Kalen DeBoer was hired to replace Saban, and though not a natural geographical fit, DeBoer is the type of proven winner and leader the Crimson Tide still desire. Arizona's Jedd Fisch was then named Washington's new coach with Brent Brennan subsequently taking over the Wildcats program from San Jose State. Former longtime Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo was then hired by the Spartans. 

Here's a look at the coaching carousel and grades for every filled vacancy. 

College football coaching carousel

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Deion Sanders becomes latest all-time-great-player-turned-coach

Shedeur Sanders takes it himself for the score and hits the Deion Shuffle as Colorado pads its lead to 36-7. (0:29)

The Coach Prime era for the Colorado Buffaloes has gotten off to an incredible start .

Deion Sanders has his squad firing on all cylinders, with a huge upset of the TCU Horned Frogs followed up by a dismantling of the Nebraska Cornhuskers . Colorado is No. 18 in the AP Top 25, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them improve on that ranking sometime this season.

It's not often that an all-time great like Sanders decides to become a coach -- and even then, it's no guarantee that they'll find success. Here are a few other superstars who made the transition, and how it worked out for each of them.

Ted Williams

"The greatest hitter who ever lived," Williams still holds the record for highest career on-base percentage at an astounding .482. Williams' managerial career started off quite well, as he led the expansion Washington Senators to an 86-76 record and won Manager of the Year. That was his last winning season, unfortunately. While his players agreed that his knowledge of hitting was unrivaled, the shine seemed to wear off after that magical first season. Williams would manage a 187-288 record over the next three seasons, and left the year after the Senators became the Texas Rangers .

Magic Johnson

Johnson's coaching career was brief, but it started off well. During his first retirement following a positive HIV diagnosis, Johnson came on to coach the Los Angeles Lakers in the final weeks of the 1993-94 season, replacing Randy Pfund and interim coach Bill Bertka. The Lakers responded well, winning five of Johnson's first six games, but the honeymoon was brief - a 10-game losing streak brought Johnson's managerial record to 5-11, and he resigned.

Torre's excellence as New York Yankees manager -- four World Series, six pennants, two Manager of the Year awards -- is so apparent that it actually overshadows his incredible career as a player. He put up 57.4 WAR over 18 seasons as a catcher and infielder for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves , St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets . Torre even won MVP in 1971, hitting .363 and knocking in 137 runs.

You can't hope to do much better than Iron Mike Ditka as a player or coach. As a bruising tight end with the Chicago Bears , he made five Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl and was named Rookie of the Year in 1961. As a coach, he led Da Bears to another Super Bowl championship in 1985. Though his coaching success didn't quite translate when he moved to the New Orleans Saints , his overall record of 121-95 speaks for itself.

Bill Russell

Eleven world championships. Five MVP awards. Twelve All-Star elections. Bill Russell's resume as a player speaks for itself. But during his last three seasons as a player, he also served as coach of the Boston Celtics , compiling a 162-83 record and winning his last two championships. Russell tried his hand at coaching after his retirement as a player, but with less success. He went 179-207 with the Seattle SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings over five seasons. To be fair, he didn't have Bill Russell on his roster in either of those stints.

Martin St. Louis

A five-time All-Star, 2003-4 MVP and Stanley Cup champion, St. Louis was a stalwart for the Tampa Bay Lightning during his lengthy career. He took over as interim coach of the Montreal Canadiens in 2021-22 despite little coaching experience and has led the team to a 45-64-10 record through his first two seasons.

Bird signed a three-year contract to coach the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and said that he had no desire to coach any longer than that. He made the most of those three years, however, leading the team to a 147-67 record and an NBA Finals berth in his final season. After losing 4-2 to the Lakers, Bird kept to his word and departed, although he'd return to the team as an executive a few years later.

The Logo became head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1976-77 season and had a brief but successful run. The Lakers made the Western Conference Finals in his first year, where they were swept by the Portland Trail Blazers . While they never were quite that successful again, they also never missed the playoffs during West's tenure. West finished with a 145-101 record after three seasons.

Wayne Gretzky

Gretzky was so far ahead of anyone else that's ever played professional hockey that if he had never scored a goal, he'd still be the all-time NHL points leader on assists alone. A few years after becoming part-owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, Gretzky was named the team's head coach. His on-ice success didn't translate, however, with the team never rising above fourth in the Pacific Division. Gretzky stepped down in 2009 after four seasons as head coach, with a 143-161-24 record.

While Kidd hasn't yet won a title as a coach to go along with his 2011 NBA championship as a player, his coaching record is mostly solid. As coach of the Brooklyn Nets , Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks , Kidd is 273-264 with four playoff appearances in seven seasons, and a Western Conference Finals berth in 2021-22. He'll be looking to bounce back this season from a 38-44 record in 2022-23.

Mike Singletary

Singletary embodied the tradition of dominant Chicago Bears linebackers in the 1980s, helping them win Super Bowl XX, making 10 Pro Bowls and, eventually, the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Samurai Mike made immediate waves upon taking over the interim San Francisco 49ers head coaching position in 2008, benching Vernon Davis during his first game for slapping an opposing player after a reception. Singletary had a 5-4 record with the team, which had started 2-5, and things were looking up. After finishing 8-8 the next season, the wheels finally came off in 2010. Singletary went 5-10 with the team that year and was fired after being eliminated from playoff contention.

Starr was the quarterback who won the first two Super Bowls ever, establishing the Green Bay Packers as an all-time great franchise. He won the league MVP in 1966 and only ever lost a single playoff game during his incredible career. Starr ended up coaching the Packers for nine seasons, but he never found his prior success, only making the playoffs once (in the strike-shortened 1982 season) and finishing with a 52-76-3 overall record.

Former Alabama football players thank retired coach Nick Saban for helping them reach NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Some Alabama players saw the signs of Nick Saban's impending departure from college football long before his January retirement announcement.

Others were every bit as surprised as the general public.

Still, the Crimson Tide players attending this week's NFL annual scouting combine shared one sentiment: Without Saban's mentorship, they might not be here — preparing for a pro career.

“It kind of hurt a lot of people’s hearts,” linebacker Dallas Turner said when asked about his reaction to the decision. "A lot of people think you can coach college football forever, but you really can’t. I feel like he opened up a lot of opportunities, touched a lot of hearts and touched a lot of minds, the players he’s coached.”

For Turner, the ties run deep.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

He credits Saban with helping him find the self-discipline to transform himself from a highly touted prep prospect into a college star and eventually into a 6-foot-3, 247-ound edge rusher who is projected to be a first-round pick in April's draft.

Turner also sensed there had been changes in his college coach over the past three seasons, and he wasn't alone.

Defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe, who overcame a career-threatening neck injury to receive one of the precious combine invites, also detected a difference when he viewed an image of a rain-drenched Saban walking slowly toward the locker room during a game last fall.

"When I saw that picture of him when we had that rain delay against USF, I kind of knew something was up,” Eboigbe said. “But it’s like anything. If you can’t give it your full go, you’re never going to cheat the game. I feel like once he realized he couldn’t give it his full go, it was time for him to step away.”

The players certainly understood the decision.

At 72, after winning 297 career games and cementing his legacy with seven national championships — six at Alabama, one at LSU — Saban had nothing left to prove.

They just didn't expect the end of the Saban era to come nine days after finishing the season with a rare loss.

“I thought he was going to coach until the wheels fell off, I didn’t think he was going to retire. When I saw it on Twitter, I thought it was like a meme,” defensive end Chris Braswell said. “Just his love and passion for the game, he's always talking about football, he lives, breathes, eats, sleeps, football, so I didn’t think he was going to retire.”

Nor did defensive back Jay Key, who also learned of the decision on social media.

Key said he came to Alabama so he could challenge himself to play at a higher level in the SEC and improve his pro prospects. But he also learned a valuable lesson from Saban — success comes with a price.

Key hopes new coach Kalen DeBoer will be as influential to the next wave of Tide players as Saban was to all those who called him their coach. Mostly, though, Key had a simple parting message for Saban.

“I thought he would coach a couple more years,” Key said. "He's definitely a legend, though he didn't show it. He kept going and doing the same thing for so many years, winning at the level he’s winning, and he didn’t really show it.

"The guy was getting old, he’s a legend, so hey, enjoy retirement, coach.”

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

College football might allow unlimited coaches soon. What would it mean?

In the deregulation era of college sports, players are getting paid. They have unlimited transfer opportunities. Schools can facilitate their name, image and likeness deals. Any team that wants to use technology such as helmet communication and sideline tablets can use it.

Up next might be the arrival of unlimited coaches.

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The Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee put forth a proposal this spring to remove the cap on how many of a program’s staffers can do on-field football coaching, while still limiting off-campus recruiting activities to 10 assistants (or 12 in the FCS) plus the head coach. This would mean hundreds of analysts and quality control coaches around the country could finally coach in practice, bringing a monumental change to the profession.

“The landscape has changed in college football,” said former Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl, who is now executive director of the American Football Coaches Association and sits on the oversight committee. “The competitive equity has changed.”

A similar proposal was quietly put forth more than a year ago after it was discussed by the NCAA transformation committee, and many head coaches expected it to pass, even hiring assistant position coaches in December 2022 with the expectation they’d be on the field. The Division I Council surprisingly rejected it.

Now it’s back, and Bohl and the AFCA are pushing for it hard. It will be voted on by the oversight committee on May 16. If it passes, it will go to the D-I Council again at the end of June.

There appears to be more momentum for it to pass this time. The myth of a completely level playing field is over. Players get paid; who cares if a few extra coaches work on the field in practice? But there are concerns about growing staff salaries and the possibility that the Power 4 will pull more coaches from the Group of 5 like they have with players.

After last year’s Council rejection, no one is 100 percent certain it will pass. If it does, it could further solidify the resource divide within the FBS. But coaches are adamant this needs to happen now.

“This is a hill the AFCA will die on,” Bohl said.

The NCAA has limited staff sizes since 1976, an attempt to keep programs’ staff expenses in the same ballpark. In 2017, it expanded on-field staff limits from nine coaches to 10.

The argument from coaches in favor of this change is an obvious one. It means more actual coaching jobs, which will help young coaches grow and provide more chances for older coaches to stick around.

“Man, I’m all for it,” Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire said. “I have some really good young coaches that have come up through GA to QC or analyst and it’d be great for their growth and great for us to let them coach.”

McGuire said his former quality control assistant James Lockhart IV didn’t want to leave Texas Tech but had to for an on-field job, which he got at FCS Texas-Rio Grande Valley in January.

Given the freedom to expand on-field staffs, college football programs would likely follow an NFL model, in which each position group would gain a second assistant, such as an assistant offensive line coach or assistant defensive backs coach. Most schools typically use their four allotted on-field graduate assistant spots for help at offensive line, defensive line, secondary and wide receiver. The change could also create coordinators without position responsibilities and more standalone special teams coordinators.

Will schools put different recruiters on the road, perhaps keeping an older coach at home? The proposal requires off-campus recruiters to regularly engage in on-field coaching. (Service academies would be allowed 14 recruiting assistants.)

There’s also a compliance argument for this to pass: The current rules are incredibly cumbersome and difficult to self-enforce, and it’s common knowledge within the industry that some schools already ignore them, letting an analyst or quality control assistant run special teams meetings. One compliance director told The Athletic that compliance staffs are simply too small and too busy to sit in every position room and monitor what goes on.

“One compliance department is not allowing anybody outside the 10 to coach, but another doesn’t look at what they’re doing,” Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield said. “The inconsistency is frustrating to the coaches doing it right.”

It’s unclear how this would impact graduate assistants, who are unpaid staffers often beginning their careers with the advantage of being allowed to coach on the field. This proposal also won’t change the Individual Associated With a Prospect rule , which has made it harder for high school coaches to move into college unless they get a full-time job. The IAWP rule will still apply to coaches who are not off-campus recruiters.

The arguments against the proposal start with costs. That’s why the Division I Council rejected it last year, one council member told The Athletic . Athletic directors expect that those quality control assistants and analysts will ask to be paid like the 10 full-time assistant coaches once their duties increase, which could further balloon football costs.

That could especially be true if Power 4 programs hire sitting Group of 5 assistant coaches for these new jobs, which could further accelerate the talent drain already in place with players and the transfer portal.

“It’s going to create more unintended consequences,” Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield said. “You’re going to see blueblood programs taking more coaches in the Group of 5. If you’re a MAC wide receivers coach making $80,000 and Michigan will pay you $150,000 to be on the field and you don’t have to go on the road recruiting, get to be with your family, a lot of guys are going to do it.”

Few Group of 5 coaches have lost more assistants than Western Kentucky ’s Tyson Helton, who has annually replaced several coaches hired elsewhere due to the Hilltoppers’ success. But Helton supports the proposal, saying it would actually help him backfill. When Helton lost offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to Texas Tech, he promoted quality control assistant Ben Arbuckle to coordinator. He would’ve liked to have Arbuckle on the field in a role before he took over that job. (Arbuckle left to become the offensive coordinator at Washington State after one season.)

“There’s a lot of value in it,” Helton said.

Some coaches and agents question how much staff movement there will be. If the rule passes in June, you won’t see coaches leaving their teams for new jobs right away before the 2024 season. Many schools already have people in place who were hired with the expectation this would pass. Staffs are already large.

“When I was at the USCs and Tennessees, the complaint from us coaches was that the staff was too big,” Helton said. “You’re walking down the hall and you don’t know somebody’s name. You’re flooded with bodies.”

There is such a thing as having too many coaches. The NFL doesn’t have a limit, but teams usually come in at around 22 or 23 to a staff. Bill Belichick famously had one of the smallest staffs in the NFL every year with around 17 coaches in New England.

“Each person had a defined responsibility (in the NFL),” said Silverfield, who worked as a Minnesota Vikings assistant from 2008 to 2013. “Staffs have grown, but there needs to be one voice in a room. You can’t have four guys coaching quarterbacks. At what point is it diminishing returns?”

A separate large bill is also coming due. Power 4 schools could soon have to pony up tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits, including House v. NCAA, and share revenue with players . Texas A&M athletics laid off more than a dozen staffers last month, citing upcoming changes to administrative structure. Schools may not have the money to dramatically grow the staffs they have in place.

Then again, football programs seem to find the money. Administrators hoped that pandemic-related budget cuts would rein in coaching salaries in 2020. They didn’t. Georgia just gave Kirby Smart a raise to $13 million annually.

“Competing for championships, the teams that want to do it will find a way, no matter what,” Silverfield said.

Less than a decade ago, the attention was on reining in the explosive growth in off-field coaches, led by Nick Saban’s army of staffers at Alabama. But times have quickly changed. With so many existential crises facing college sports, the NCAA has begun to pull back on the regulations. Players can do a lot more now. Soon, too, could the coaches.

“I’m a lot more concerned about other issues in college football,” Bohl said, “than an assistant quarterbacks coach.”

(Photo: Geoff Burke / USA Today)

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Chris Vannini covers national college football issues and the coaching carousel for The Athletic. A co-winner of the FWAA's Beat Writer of the Year Award in 2018, he previously was managing editor of CoachingSearch.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @ ChrisVannini

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• PRIME'S ISLAND

Colorado players rebuke negative report about Coach Prime, "Don't believe the lies"

Josh tolle | apr 30, 2024.

Deion Sanders doesn't get enough credit for the undertaking he has done in Boulder. It's easy to pick apart the way he has revitalized college football because nobody else has walked in his shoes.

While the transfer portal wasn't created when Sanders stepped into coaching, he just developed it into a tool to find better talent without going through a recruiting cycle. Not to mention, there isn't a flood of Hall-of-famers knocking down doors to coach. It's just not happening, which makes Coach Prime one of the rarest in the game. He has also bought in two other gold jacket guys with Warren Sapp on staff officially and Terrell Owens around unofficially.

All of this considered and still there are a few willing to throw dirt on Sanders' name. This was the case with a recent article published by The Athletic that offered the thoughts of former CU players who were removed from the program. Not only was this a one-sided piece that left many questions unanswered, it was a recycled write-up originally done by the Associated Press on Nov. 30, 2023 . Former Colorado player Xavier Smith provided the same narrative at the end of last year that he did now.

"We sat on the sofa, and he’s talking to us, but he’s not even looking at us,” Smith told The Athletic . “I’m looking Coach Kelly dead in his eyes. (Sanders) said he felt like I should hit the portal. He didn’t want me to waste a year thinking I could earn a spot.

“I was actually getting mad, like tears coming to my eyes. Because, bro, you never even tried to get to know me.”

Smith latched on to Austin Peay after leaving Colorado. His story was one of many written by The Athletic. But everyone who's no longer with the program is going to share details about their time with Coach Prime. Right, wrong, or indifferent... There is a common theme being presented and The Athletic wasn't interested in sharing both sides. They got what they wanted in their bend-the-block "drive-by" with old players gone from CU for well over a year and never played a snap under Prime, or ones that didn't fit the standard.

Let's talk about this from a realistic perspective. Coach Prime was hired to do a job. One that Karl Dorrell failed at with kids who barely beat Cal for a 1-11 record in 2022. It was one of the lowest points in school history. Why would he feel obligated to take on a bunch of athletes with no will to play the game he helped build? Seriously, Sanders is one of the only Hall-of-Famers who would be considered for an "Upper Room" in Canton. Any coach hired by an irrelevant program needs to change the culture and that's what he did.

Nobody in the conversation remembers how back Colorado was two years ago. The Buffs had 22 total touchdowns in 12 games, which is less than two per game. They doubled that last year with a total of 42. Once again, why would Sanders feel compelled to take on a bad team? The answer is he refused to accept failure. That's the real reason why people are upset. Coach Prime quickly discovered who was ready for the next level in Boulder and got rid of the ones who weren't willing to put in the work. Those ones aren't "hard to find" and typically have something to say about everything.

For context, here are the thoughts of current CU football players about the piece put together by The Athletic.

Tyler Brown, who waited out last year after the NCAA wrongfully denied his waiver, tells a much different story about Coach Prime and CU's staff. He was one of the rare ones that came from Jackson State and stuck with him all the way to Boulder.

"Absolutely frustrating seeing all these negative articles about my coach and our program," Brown wrote on X. "You work hard and you will be rewarded! Coach Prime and the wonderful staff at CU checked on me every single day and made sure I was okay when I couldn’t play! Don’t believe the lies"

Absolutely frustrating seeing all these negative articles about my coach and our program. You work hard and you will be rewarded! Coach Prime and the wonderful staff at CU checked on me every single day and made sure I was okay when I couldn’t play! Don’t believe the lies🖤💛🦬 https://t.co/0TnmNdzb0W — Tyler Brown (@t_brown56) April 30, 2024

Brown isn't the only one who came to Prime's defense and wanted to set the record straight. Check out the receipts.

Ion even remember him tbh. Bro had to be very mid at best. https://t.co/qwK48Ys0Et — Shedeur Sanders (@ShedeurSanders) April 30, 2024

I Haven’t Even Been Here Long ; This For Sure Was a Great Decision of Coming Here. Now This Is What Doing Stuff For Media. For Everyone That Got Some To Say 24/7 Grow Up Stop Being Scared Of Competition‼️ Everyone Got Goals‼️ https://t.co/j544qVVSLW — Kahlil Benson (@BensonKahlil) April 30, 2024

They really want you to prosper here not only as a player but as a man at CU. Everyone here gets love and is pushed and held accountable at a Pro Level. Everyone here gets equal opportunity to play. All these players aren’t telling the truth when they leave here.They just 50/50 https://t.co/v3dSpoO3l2 — Justin Mayers (@JustinMayers99) April 30, 2024

Have so much to say but not producing😂😂🤦🏽‍♂️ https://t.co/itJMYdS0ZS — Jaylen Wester (@JaylenWester3) April 30, 2024

I was running through the facility one day early on and Coach Prime stopped me and asked me what my name was, telling me that “he had seen me around but didn’t know my name.” He took the time to introduce himself and have a genuine conversation with the video intern. https://t.co/iM6E8z5NEA — Jacob Fineberg (@jacobfineberg12) May 1, 2024

The Appropriate Number Of Players College Football Teams Travel With

• Last updated May 10, 2024
• Difficulty Intemediate

• Category Travel

When it comes to college football, the number of players that a team travels with can make a huge difference in their performance. Packing too many players can lead to a lack of focus and cohesion, while bringing too few can leave a team at a disadvantage. Finding the appropriate number of players to take on the road requires careful consideration of the team's strategy, the opponent's strengths, and the limitations of travel accommodations. In this article, we will explore the factors that coaches and athletic staff should take into account when deciding on the optimal number of players to bring on a college football trip.

What You'll Learn

Typical squad size for college football travel teams, factors influencing the number of players on college football travel rosters, importance of proper roster management for college football travel, comparison of college football travel rosters across different divisions or conferences.

College football teams often travel with a large squad to ensure they have enough players to compete in games and handle any unforeseen circumstances. The size of the travel squad can vary depending on the policies of the specific team and the resources available to them. However, there are some general guidelines and typical squad sizes that can provide insight into the number of players a college football team may travel with.

On average, college football teams tend to travel with around 70 players for away games. This number includes all the players who are eligible and healthy to play, as well as any redshirt or reserve players who may be making the trip to gain experience and provide depth in case of injuries. It is important for teams to have enough players to fill all the necessary positions and handle any specific game plans or strategies they may have.

The exact breakdown of players in the travel squad can vary depending on the team's specific needs and preferences. Generally, the squad will include a balanced mix of offensive and defensive players, as well as special teams specialists. On offense, the squad may include quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, and other skill position players. On defense, the squad may include defensive linemen, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, and other defensive specialists. Special teams players, such as kickers, punters, and long snappers, are also typically included in the travel squad.

It is also common for teams to bring a few extra players in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances. These players may include reserve or redshirt players who are not expected to play but are traveling with the team for experience and to provide depth if needed. Additionally, teams may bring non-participating players, such as injured athletes or suspended players, who are unable to play but are still part of the team and provide support and motivation.

In addition to players, college football travel squads may also include coaches, trainers, equipment managers, and other staff members who support the team during games and travel. These individuals are crucial in providing guidance, medical assistance, and equipment to the players throughout their travels.

Overall, the typical squad size for college football travel teams is around 70 players, with a mix of offense, defense, and special teams specialists. The goal is to have enough players to fill all the necessary positions and handle any specific game plans or strategies, while also providing depth in case of injuries or unforeseen circumstances. Additionally, the squad may include coaches, trainers, equipment managers, and other staff members who support the team during games and travel.

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College football teams often travel with a specific number of players for their away games. The size of the travel roster can vary depending on several factors. These factors can include the team's budget, the level of competition, the distance of travel, and the overall strategy of the coaching staff.

One of the primary factors that influences the number of players on a college football travel roster is the team's budget. Traveling with a large number of players can be expensive, as it requires paying for transportation, accommodations, meals, and other expenses. Smaller programs with limited budgets may have to reduce their travel rosters to save money.

The level of competition can also impact the size of the travel roster. In high-profile games against strong opponents, teams may choose to bring more players to ensure they have enough depth and options on the field. However, in games against weaker opponents or non-conference games, teams may choose to bring fewer players and give more playing time to their starters and key reserves.

The distance of travel is another important consideration. If a team has to travel a long distance to play a game, they may choose to bring more players to account for potential injuries, fatigue, and other factors that may affect performance. On the other hand, if the game is relatively close to the team's campus, they may opt to bring fewer players and save on travel expenses.

The overall strategy of the coaching staff also plays a role in determining the number of players on a travel roster. Some coaches prefer to travel with a large roster to provide depth and options during the game. This allows them to make substitutions and adjust their game plan as needed. Other coaches may prefer to travel with a smaller roster to foster a sense of camaraderie and unity among their players. They believe that having a smaller, tight-knit group can improve team chemistry and focus.

In conclusion, the number of players on a college football travel roster can vary depending on several factors. These factors include the team's budget, the level of competition, the distance of travel, and the coaching staff's overall strategy. While there is no fixed number of players that every team travels with, the decision is typically made to balance financial constraints, performance considerations, and the team's unique circumstances.

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Proper roster management is crucial when it comes to college football travel. College football teams often travel to away games, and the number of players they bring along can greatly impact the success of their trip. It's important for coaches and team administrators to carefully consider roster size and composition to ensure a smooth and successful travel experience.

One of the first factors that must be taken into account is the size of the team's roster. College football teams typically have more than 100 players on their roster, but they cannot bring all of them when they travel. Each team is limited to a certain number of players who can dress and play in a game, usually around 70 to 80 players. Therefore, it is important to carefully select the players who will travel in order to maximize the team's chances of success.

Another consideration is the team's positional needs. Coaches must take into account the specific positions that need to be filled for a particular game. For example, if there are multiple injuries on the offensive line, the coach may choose to travel with extra offensive linemen to ensure there are enough players to adequately protect the quarterback. On the other hand, if the defensive secondary is performing well, the coach may choose to travel with fewer defensive backs and allocate those roster spots to another position group.

In addition to the number of players and positional needs, the coaching staff must also consider the overall dynamics of the team. Is it important to bring along certain players for moral support or leadership? Are there players who may benefit from the experience of traveling with the team, even if they are not likely to see playing time? These are important questions to ask when making roster decisions for travel.

Proper roster management also extends beyond selecting the players who will travel. It is important to take into account any special needs or accommodations that certain players may require. For example, if a player has a medical condition that requires specific treatment or monitoring, arrangements must be made to ensure that their needs are met during the trip. Additionally, players who have academic commitments or other obligations may need to be excused from traveling, and alternatives must be found.

Once the roster has been set for travel, it is important for the coaching staff and team administrators to communicate clearly with the selected players. They must provide them with all relevant information regarding travel arrangements, game preparation, and expectations. This will help ensure that the players are prepared and focused for the game, as well as alleviate any logistical concerns they may have.

In conclusion, proper roster management is essential for college football teams when traveling for away games. Coaches and team administrators must carefully consider the size of the roster, positional needs, team dynamics, and any special accommodations that may be required. Effective communication with the selected players is also crucial. By taking these factors into account, teams can maximize their chances of success and create a smooth and successful travel experience for all involved.

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The size of the travel roster for college football teams can vary depending on the division or conference they belong to. Each division and conference has its own rules and regulations regarding the number of players that teams can travel with for away games. In this blog post, we will compare the travel roster sizes across different divisions and conferences in college football.

Division I FBS

In Division I FBS, teams are allowed to travel with a maximum of 70 players for away games. This number includes players who are on scholarship and walk-ons. This roster size allows teams to have enough depth and flexibility to handle injuries and match-ups during games. However, not all 70 players are required to travel for every away game. Coaches have the discretion to select the players who will be on the travel roster for each game based on various factors such as performance, injuries, and team needs.

Division I FCS

In Division I FCS, the travel roster size is slightly smaller compared to Division I FBS. Teams in Division I FCS are allowed to travel with a maximum of 60 players for away games. Like in Division I FBS, the travel roster can include both scholarship players and walk-ons. The smaller roster size is mainly due to differences in funding and resources between FBS and FCS programs. Nevertheless, teams in Division I FCS still have enough depth to compete at a high level, albeit with a smaller pool of players to select from.

Division II

In Division II, the travel roster size varies depending on the conference. Generally, teams are allowed to travel with anywhere between 50 to 70 players for away games. This range takes into account the differences in resources and budgets among Division II programs. While some conferences may have more lenient roster size restrictions, others might impose stricter limits to ensure a level playing field. Coaches in Division II must manage their roster effectively to maximize performance and cover all positions adequately.

Division III

In Division III, the travel roster size is typically smaller compared to the higher divisions. Teams in Division III are allowed to travel with a maximum of 58 players for away games. This smaller roster size is mainly due to limited resources and funding available at the Division III level. Despite the smaller roster, Division III teams are still able to compete at a high level by prioritizing player development, team chemistry, and strategic game planning.

Conferences

In addition to divisional differences, the travel roster size can also vary among conferences within the same division. Some conferences may impose stricter roster size limits to maintain competitive balance, while others may allow more flexibility. It is important for teams and coaches to familiarize themselves with their specific conference's regulations to ensure compliance.

In conclusion, the travel roster size for college football teams can vary depending on the division and conference they belong to. Division I FBS teams can travel with a maximum of 70 players, Division I FCS with 60 players, Division II with 50 to 70 players, and Division III with 58 players. It is important for teams to manage their roster effectively and select the players who will best contribute to the team's success for each away game.

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Frequently asked questions.

College football teams typically travel with around 70-80 players for away games. However, the exact number can vary depending on factors such as injuries and team size.

College football teams travel with a specific number of players to ensure they have enough players to field a team during the game. Additionally, having a larger roster allows for flexibility in substitutions and provides depth in case of injuries.

While college football teams usually travel with a set number of players, they are allowed to bring additional players if needed. This can be done to accommodate specific game strategies, injuries, or other circumstances.

Not all players on a college football team travel for away games. The number of players that travel can vary, but usually, it is limited to those who are expected to participate in the game or serve as backups. Coaches and staff members also travel with the team.

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College football coaching carousel: What recent hiring trends could tell us about new coaches in 2024 season

It's hard to predict success in college football, but there are some interesting trends that apply to recent hires.

When power conference athletic directors are in the process of hiring a new football coach, they're essentially faced with two decisions: either take a swing at upside and identify an up-and-coming assistant or head coach at a lower level, or pay big money to lure a sitting coach with a comfortable job at one of the nation's premier leagues. Available resources play a huge a factor in the final call, but we've seen some schools pull off major coups in recent years. 

The 2021-22 cycle saw three coaches with job security at major power conference schools, two of which had led their programs to College Football Playoff appearances (Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly), leave for new jobs. The 2023-24 carousel broke that mark with four coaches moving from Power Four school to Power Four school. 

As a quick recap of the movement: Alabama hired Washington's Kalen DeBoer to replace Nick Saban; Washington filled its vacancy with Arizona's Jedd Fisch; Texas A&M lured Mike Elko away from Duke after the expensive firing of Jimbo Fisher; and Michigan State was able to pull Jonathan Smith away from his alma mater at Oregon State . 

There were even more -- what we'd call for this article's purposes -- "upside swings" (i.e. hiring/promoting assistant coaches or Group of Five head coaches): 

It's hard to predict success, no matter the coach's previous location. Of the two categories we've sorted coaches into since the 2021-22 cycle -- "Upside swings" and "Power conference to Power conference" -- the winning percentages are almost identical. 

Obviously, the sample size with former assistants and Group of Five coaches is larger and the hit rate is arguably more impressive, especially when you factor in initial contract numbers and relative expectations. But when you zoom in even further on the data from the last two coaching cycles and the ensuing seasons on the field, there are some interesting trends we can pull out and apply to the 2024 hires to sort of set the tone for their first year. 

Upside swings 

Recruiters win : Turns out, talent acquisition is very important when it comes to winning in college football. It's certainly one of the primary factors that programs should consider when hiring a new coach, especially if they're targeting assistants. 

Just look at the immediate success of Oregon coach Dan Lanning. During his stint at Georgia, in which he served as outside linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator, he was responsible for bringing in some of the most notable talent that went on to transform Georgia into the defensive Death Star it is today. Nolan Smith, a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft , and Nakobe Dean, who won the 2021 Butkus Award as the best linebacker in the sport, spring to mind. Lanning is now 22-5 in two seasons at Oregon, and the Ducks are recruiting at a ridiculous level both through the high school ranks and the transfer portal. 

Texas Tech's Joey McGuire is another great example. Though he may not have hauled in as many blue-chip prospects, McGuire established himself as one of Baylor's best evaluators and closers on the recruiting trail as an assistant from 2017-21. His deep ties to the state of Texas as a former head coach at Cedar Hill High School certainly help. 

McGuire's 15-11 record through two seasons is the best start for a Texas Tech coach since Steve Sloan, who had 16 wins from 1975-76. In 2022, he became the first Texas Tech coach to beat Oklahoma and Texas in the same season and posted the program's first winning conference record since 2009. On the recruiting front? The Red Raiders have signed five of the 20 highest-rated prospects in program history (according to the 247Sports Composite) through two full recruiting cycles under McGuire. 

This bodes well for Syracuse and Fran Brown. Though he's never been a coordinator at the power conference level, his recruiting bona fides are arguably more impressive than any other hire during the 2023-24 cycle. He was named 247Sports National Recruiter of the Year in 2024 after netting two five-stars and five top-100 prospects for Georgia's top-rated recruiting class. His impact is already being felt at Syracuse as the Orange boast an impressive 17-player transfer class headlined by former Ohio State starting quarterback Kyle McCord . 

Also keep an eye on new UCLA coach DeShaun Foster, who had a knack for identifying running back talent with the Bruins, and Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, the primary recruiter for stars like Daxton Hill and J.J. McCarthy during his time as an assistant with the Wolverines. 

Group of Five hires hit the ground running : Over the past two coaching cycles, former Group of Five coaches are 43-24 in their first season at the power conference level. All five that fit into that category -- Florida's Billy Napier, Alabama's DeBoer, TCU's Sonny Dykes, Auburn's Hugh Freeze and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell -- made it to at least a bowl game in their inaugural season. 

Admittedly, DeBoer and Dykes are doing some heavy lifting here. Dykes spearheaded a miraculous run to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022, while DeBoer transformed 4-8 Washington into an 11-win team that finished the year ranked top-10 nationally for the first time since 2016. 

What happened after that first year is a mixed bag. Including Napier, DeBoer was the only of three former Group of Five coaches to improve on his win total from 2022-23. The Huskies went 14-1 amid a run to their first CFP National Championship appearance ever last season, while Napier and Dykes -- who had to deal with several notable losses from that Cinderella team -- combined for a 10-14 record. 

So, good things could be in store for Curt Cignetti at Indiana and Willie Fritz at Houston. Fritz is entering a wide open Big 12 after leading Tulane to back-to-back 11-win seasons, while Cignetti never won fewer than 11 games in a full 12-game season at James Madison. 

Power conference to power conference

Program builders exceed expectations : What do I mean by program builders? Louisville coach Jeff Brohm is an excellent example. In 2017, Brohm inherited a Purdue team fresh off four straight losing seasons and immediately won seven games and produced the Boilermakers' first bowl win in six years. 

From there, Purdue went through some highs and lows while Brohm steadily molded the roster into his image. Then, in 2021, Brohm produced Purdue's first nine-win season since 1998 by beating a hot Tennessee team in the Music City Bowl. He followed that up in 2022 by guiding the Boilermakers to their first Big Ten Championship Game appearance since 2000. 

Louisville identified Brohm's success during the 2022-23 coaching carousel and went after him to replace Scott Satterfield. In his first season with the Cardinals, he went 10-4, finished runner-up behind Florida State in the ACC and gave Louisville its first ranking in the final AP Top 25 since 2016. This for a Louisville team that was picked to finish eighth in the conference in the ACC Preseason Media Poll. 

Washington's Jedd Fisch and Michigan State's Jonathan Smith fit that Brohm mold. Fisch won one game in his first season at Arizona (2021), improved to 5-7 in 2022 and just led the Wildcats to a 10-4 record, parlaying that into an opportunity with the Huskies and the Big Ten. 

A fellow Big Ten newcomer for the 2024 season, Smith embarked on an even slower but equally fruitful build at Oregon State. He had losing seasons in each of his first three years (2018-20) before breaking through in 2021 with a 7-6 showing. He raised the bar even further in 2022 with a 10-3 campaign, capped by a win against Florida in the Las Vegas bowl, and got the Beavers to 8-4 in 2023 prior to taking the Michigan State job. 

Strike while the iron is hot : College football always has been, and has become more so in recent years, a "what have you done for me lately" sport. As it turns out with these big-money hires, timing might just be everything. 

USC hired Lincoln Riley after a 2021 season in which he failed to win the Big 12 title and missed out on a New Year's Six bowl for the first time since becoming a head coach in 2017. In his first season with the Trojans, Riley did produce a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Caleb Williams , but the on-field results didn't necessarily reflect that; USC lost three games -- the most losses in a single season (to that point) in Riley's career -- and fell in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane. 

Things got significantly worse in 2023. With Williams back to helm the offense, USC dropped to 8-5 and lost four conference games in its final season as a Pac-12 program. 

Mario Cristobal is a similar story. Oregon hit its zenith under Cristobal in 2019 when it went 12-2, won the Pac-12 and beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks followed that up with another conference title during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. Oregon won 10 games in 2021 and made it to a third straight Pac-12 Championship Game, but the Ducks lost two out of their last three contests -- both to Utah -- and Cristobal bolted to Miami before he could coach in an Alamo Bowl loss to Oklahoma. 

Miami is now 12-13 after two years of Cristobal. Its win total improved by two games from 2022-23, but the Hurricanes have posted an ACC record of 3-5 in consecutive seasons. 

As outlined above, Louisville's hiring of Brohm is an example of good timing. He came to the Cardinals right after a surprising run to the Big Ten Championship Game. Most of the power conference programs that took a big swing this offseason got the timing right as well. 

Alabama hired DeBoer just days after he led Washington to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Fisch left for Washington after a 10-win season and Michigan State honed in on Smith after his 18 wins over the past two years. No telling how their new ventures will play out, but momentum is certainly on their side. 

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5 coaches who have to make Expanded College Football Playoff in 2024

N ow that the college football spring games have all but sprung us into the excitement again for the upcoming 2024 season, it’s time to start thinking once again about the new expanded College Football Playoff that will be moving to 12 teams this year .

The sport of college football is changing rapidly, with the expanded playoff being no exception. Over its long history, college football’s postseason has been nothing short of an unmitigated mess. Though bowl season had its time and place, it is now passe, with many iterations attempting to take its place over the years.

Over the past nearly quarter of a century, starting with the BCS, college football has been slowly amending systems to determine the best team in the country. Like the rest of the sport, none of the systems put into place have been perfect but have at least given, most of the time, legible results.

The playoff system, aptly known as the College Football Playoff , has been a commendable replacement for the BCS and anything before it with its original structure of four teams. But starting in 2024, that will see a major jump to 12 teams with attempts once again being made to show fairness and determine the best overall team in the country.

For some coaches, this sparks chagrin, while for others, it will ignite an opportunity for them and their teams who feel like they have always just been on the bubble. These are the coaches, however, who now must take advantage of this new opportunity and make the expanded College Football Playoff 12-team field in 2024.

James Franklin, Penn State

There has perhaps been no one in college football over the last few seasons that, although their record says they’re good, they simply don’t classify in the same category with the elite. That is, of course, Penn State.

If anything, head coach James Franklin has brought stability back to a program that had seemingly lost all that under longtime coach Joe Paterno, then followed by Bill O’Brien. Entering his 10th season at State College, Franklin has produced four 11-win seasons and one 10-win, with one of those (2016) leading to his one and only Big Ten Championship victory. This success has also garnered the Nittany Lions four top 10 finishes in the College Football Playoff, including one in the top five, yet, they have remained absent from the actual four-team field itself.

This would be a different story had the 12-team playoff been initiated going back to 2016 when the Nittany Lions would have reached the playoff six times by now. But they’ve always been on the outside looking in, while their rivals, Ohio State, Michigan, and even Michigan State, have been playing for national championships, making the field a combined nine times.

This upcoming expanded field is made for teams like Franklin’s Penn State, who have always been on the cusp of becoming a playoff team. The 2024 season has to be the time for Franklin and his Nittany Lions to make their first appearance.

Lane Kiffin , Ole Miss

I’ve tended to categorize Lane Kiffin and James Franklin and their respective teams in the same category last season, and even over the last couple of seasons. Kiffin and Ole Miss football, like Franklin and Penn State, have always been a bridesmaid and never a bride. At least Franklin has one Big Ten title under his belt. Kiffin doesn’t have that. But now Kiffin doesn’t need that to earn a playoff berth.

Again, the expanded College Football Playoff is made for teams like Ole Miss, who, thanks to their conference, can easily get a pass into the playoff with multiple losses. That’s the luxury of being in the SEC (or Big Ten if you’re Franklin), especially with the new expansions with the conferences and playoff format.

Ole Miss is coming off its best season in recorded history, finishing 11-2 with, ironically a bowl win over Penn State in last year’s Peach Bowl. Couple that with Kiffin’s excelling efforts in the transfer portal, coming out with the ranked best class, mixed with the current talent, and there’s no reason Kiffin and his Rebels should miss this year’s College Football Playoff.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson

After six straight appearances with two national championships, the Clemson football team and Dabo Swinney have been absent from the College Football Playoff the last two seasons. So the question is, how much longer will the Clemson brass put up with that?

Swinney and the Tigers still finished with a winning record last season, going 9-4, but it was their worst finish since 2010. Things seem to be on a bit of a downward trajectory over the last few years at Clemson. Again, no national titles or playoff appearances for that matter. But with the way that Swinney changed the culture and standard at Clemson, fans are beginning to become unhinged as the losses now are starting to slowly pile back up again.

The ACC is more or less Clemson’s to lose as they are still considered one of if not the best team in the conference. But Swinney has been non-submissive to the new ways of college football, namely the transfer portal, refusing to use it as a resource to enhance their team. That looked to show its effects last year. Will it again this year? Swinney needs to get the Tigers back into the playoff to perhaps get back into the good graces of Tigers fans.

Mike Norvell, Florida State

It will likely be a long while before Florida State football fans forget about being snubbed from the College Football Playoff last season. If the 12-team field would have been moved up to last year, the Seminoles would have been in, even without their starting quarterback. That’s why this year it is paramount they make the playoff.

Head coach Mike Norvell , if for nothing else, needs to prove that Florida State was no fluke last year. He doesn’t necessarily have to win the ACC, although he doesn’t have the same luxury as Big Ten and SEC teams. But, making the playoff will likely be considered a major must for the Seminoles by their fans in 2024. Getting snubbed last year to then follow up not making the expanded field the next would be crushing to Florida State and may not bode so well for Norvell, fair or not.

Ryan Day , Ohio State

Speaking of fair or not, one of the most winning coaches in college football over the last several years, Ryan Day, may have the most pressure out of any of these coaches on the list. Why? Because it’s The Ohio State.

Ohio State simply doesn’t excuse losing and not playing for national titles. Even with his 56-8 record, Day has yet to do something his predecessor did, which is win a national championship. Filling the shoes of Urban Meyer, who is considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, was never going to be easy, but doing so in Columbus, in his first head coaching gig mind you, was always going to be a tall order.

That’s why Day didn’t hold back this offseason and did everything imaginable to try to boost his team into the best version of itself possible in 2024. Day made drastic changes to his coaching staff, including adding former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator , to going heavily into the transfer portal for additions, and recruiting at a maximum level.

The real question now is what is acceptable for Day in 2024? Another loss to Michigan could be the final nail in the coffin. However, with the expanded playoff, Ohio State doesn’t necessarily have to beat Michigan to make the Big Ten title game and then make the playoff. They could still get in with two, maybe even three losses. But you have to figure that simply making the playoff may not be enough and that winning, or at least making the title game has to be the goal.

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