Week of 6/1

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I have no doubt that most of these headlines are covered on many other websites, but I mention them because they are the stories that have caught my eye during the course of the day….

June 1st:

  • Former Auburn football coach, Pat Dye, dies at 80. He endeared himself to Tiger fans for moving the annual Alabama-Auburn game from Birmingham to a yearly home-and-home series, and remaining competitive against Bear Bryant. Dye also coached at East Carolina and Wyoming, retiring with a 153-62-5 record in 19 seasons overall

  • LSU announced first-time matchups with SWAC members Southern and Grambling State. Southern, like LSU, is located in Baton Rouge, and they will make a crosstown visit on Sept. 10, 2022. While Grambling, which is located in northern Louisiana, will head south to Tiger Stadium the following season on Sept. 9, 2023. I think that this is great for all institutions involved!

June 2nd:

  • An announcement that shouldn’t have caught anyone by surprise - the 2020 Week Zero Notre Dame vs. Navy game will not be played in Dublin, Ireland. It will now be played for the first time ever at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD. These teams first met on the gridiron in 1927 and have played 93 games, with the Irish leading the series 77-13-1 (though two Notre Dame wins were later vacated).

  • Clemson WR Justyn Ross will now miss the 2020 season after being diagnosed with a '“congenital fusion” in his spine, which he has had since birth. This issue could also put his career in jeopardy. Justyn, who finished last season with 66 catches for 865 yards and 8 touchdowns, was expected to be the focal point of the Tigers’ passing game this year.

June 3rd:

  • This might not make the headlines of any site (except this one), but I got my first 2020 College Football Preview magazine…Athlon’s version. Didn’t take long for me to grab it and skim through its pages

  • Two days after Pat Dye passed away, we have lost another legendary coach. This morning, Johnny Majors, who coached Pitt to a national championship in 1976 and would later coach his alma mater (Tennessee) back to national prominence, died at the age of 85. Majors compiled a 185-137-10 record as a head coach (Iowa State, Tennessee, and two stints at Pitt), and he earned three national coach of the year honors

  • Michael Turk, after going undrafted and unsigned by the NFL, has had his NCAA eligibility restored. The Arizona State punter averaged 46.0 yards-per-punt last year - but he will have competition because the Sun Devils received a commitment from Florida State graduate transfer Logan Tyler - who led the ACC in yards per punt at 43.2. I hope that this opens the door for other college players who suffer the same fate as Turk

  • Montana State’s All-America linebacker and two-way player, Troy Andersen is expected to sit out the 2020 season due to injuries suffered at the end of last season. He has played quarterback, running back, and linebacker for the Bobcats, and last year he finished with 54 tackles (11.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks), an interception and five pass breakups on defense. Offensively, he rushed for 336 yards and seven touchdowns - while passing for another score

June 5th

  • Florida A&M announced that in 2021 they will leave the MEAC in order to join the SWAC. The school’s president believes the move will be favorable in terms of cost savings, re-establishment of long-term rivalries (older rivalries I believe - not major rivalriies) and the opportunity to generate more revenue. North Carolina A&T had previously announced their intention to leave the MEAC (in favor of the Big South), so this will weaken football in the MEAC significantly

  • Kansas has closed the book on former coach David Beaty, as they have reached a $2.55 million settlement. Beaty was owed $3 million according to the Kansas AD when he was fired back in November 2018 by the Jayhawks because he was fired without cause - except for a poor W-L record. But until now, the university had tried to find something on the coach so that they could avoid paying what Beaty was owed

June 7th:

  • Ken Riley, former quarterback, head coach (1986-1993) and athletic director (1994-2003) at Florida A&M passed away at 72. I remember him from his playing days with the Cincinnati Bengals as a great cornerback. Even though he picked off 65 passes in his playing career, good enough for fifth in NFL History, it astounds me that Riley is not yet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.