Always College Football with Greg McElroy

Greg McElroy talks with Michigan head coach Klye Whittingham about his move as the head coach of the Wolverines, how Jason Beck will unleash Bryce Underwood, expectations in the the BIG 10, what he is looking for in the spring game and much more. Plus, Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, Miami and Virginia Tech all have spring games this weekend and McElroy gives you his ONE thing he wants to see from each game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alabama held its spring game over the weekend and McElroy’s big takeaway is the quarterback competition between Mack and Russell is a LOT closer than anticipated. Florida and Tennessee also held spring games and McElroy breaks down the QB competitions and tells you why the Gators O-Line must improve this summer and why Tennessee’s defense will be the story for the Vols this fall. Plus, McElroy talks with Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding and the two discuss how Golding got buy-in from the Ole Miss team during the CFP, when he knew he was going to be the Ole Miss head coach, his support for Trinidad Chambliss, the Ole Miss transfer portal class and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lincoln Riley joins the show to discuss why his ‘big picture’ rebuild of USC is coming together, how he has handled the expectations, what the #1 recruiting class in 2025 means for the Trojans, why there will be little drop off in the WR room, if this is the year the Trojans break through and much more. Plus, McElroy gives some spring intel for USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington and asks who is the best team out West? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy breaks down President Donald Trump’s executive order on college sports from Friday. What does it mean? And what REAL impacts can it have? McElroy discusses all aspects of the order, including the five-year and one-transfer rules, how it can affect NIL but maintain the genuine spirit of NIL, and protect sports not named basketball and football. Plus, McElroy dives into the misconceived notions about the transfer portal right now before giving four BIG predictions on the future if the order does – or even doesn’t – make it to the finish line. | Always College Football Timecodes: (0:00) Intros (4:08) Trump’s Executive Order: What it means (8:58) The 5-year & 1-transfer rules (14:05) How the order can protect spirit of NIL (17:16) How the order protects smaller sports (19:35) HONEST take on the order (21:56) What to know about the SCORE Act (23:40) The GOOD NEWS about the order (25:04) Does the portal get TOO MUCH blame? (33:59) FOUR PREDICTIONS on the order’s potential impact (44:46) Thanks for watching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring practices are in full swing and McElroy is here to help you decipher some of the intel coming out. Mike Elko says Texas A&M has work to do, Michigan is building an offense around Bryce Underwood, Jamal Rule has impressed EVERYONE at Nebraska and Clemson finished up spring by naming a Vizzina as QB1 - but the backups are more of a story. Plus, McElroy looks at the quarterback competitions at Florida State, Tennessee and Florida and how much will Ole Miss really change in 2026? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring practices are in full swing and McElroy is here to help you decipher some of the intel coming out. Notre Dame’s RB room will be in good shape with the “floating little refrigerator” Nolan James turning heads early. The Muschamp Factor is in full swing with the Texas defense, the best WR room in Ohio State history is being thrown out (which says A LOT), Darien Mensah’s - Cam Ward comparison and Gunner Stockton looks to have taken the next step. All that plus the quarterback competition at Alabama, a deep WR room at Oregon and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy and Dan Orlovsky take a look at the top draft quarterbacks and breakdown what Fernanado Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck and Drew Allar do well and what they need to work on at the next level. Plus, the guys explain why Jeremiyah Love is the most complete prospect in the draft and the NFL should not overthink it, why Rueben Bain is the best DEFENDER in the draft, and debate who the best wide receiver is in the draft. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Day joins the show to discuss why the development of players at Ohio State is elite, what Arthur Smith will bring to the offense, why the culture stays the same even with 51 new faces on the roster, Julian Sayin’s progression and much more. Plus, McElroy looks at Ohio State’s biggest spring questions like who will step up at running back after Bo Jackson, will the young guys on the front seven develop quickly, and is this the deepest best wide receiver room that Ohio State has ever had? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marcus Freeman joins the show to discuss what Lou Holtz taught him, the “leave no doubt” mantra, why this is the best off-season of his career at Notre Dame, CJ Carr’s growth, the defensive line depth, the reason he is not worried about the running back room and so much more. Plus, McElroy looks at Notre Dame’s biggest spring questions: who plays where on the offensive line, will play makers step up at RB and WR and is this the best defense in the Freeman era? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helmets and Pads are cracking, whistles are blowing, coaches shouts can be heard echoing throughout a practice and just like that spring practice is here. IIn part of our SEC spring series, McElroy goes over the biggest questions for Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helmets and Pads are cracking, whistles are blowing, coaches shouts can be heard echoing throughout a practice and just like that spring practice is here. In today’s show McElroy goes over the biggest questions for teams like Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and others as they try to get an early lean on their teams in 2026. Plus, last week President Trump urged college sports leaders to return to the pre-NIL era. Is that even possible and what would happen if an executive order was put into place? McElroy explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cooper Manning joins Greg McElroy to discuss what it is like being a parent of an elite college football player, what people get wrong about raising athletes, how to convince young players to be humble and what it is like navigating today’s hyper-analysis of college football players as a parent. Plus, we hit the mailbag and answer questions about the “next Indiana”, the NCAA going nuclear, AD’s new dilemma and the potential of the Super League in the near future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kirby Smart and Mario Cristobal reminded all of us that college football is fun and we can joke with one another. The NCAA is trying to flex their muscles with some BIG punishments for teams circumventing the transfer portal and spring football is starting for Clemson, Nebraska, Missouri, USC and a few others and McElroy is here give his take on all of it plus tells you the BIGGEST questions that need to be answered in spring camp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Preseason hype is what college football fans LIVE for, but what happens if your team fails to meet those expectations? Don’t worry McElroy is here to give you a comprehensive "bounce back" guide for 10 teams in the 2026 season. South Carolina, Auburn, Illinois, Arizona State, Louisville and more have "February optimism" right now but still have the sting of the harsh reality of last year's failures. It’s time to move on from the disappointment to redemption as McElroy identifies personnel upgrades, portal wins, and favorable schedules for the upcoming season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Curt Cignetti joins Greg McElroy to talk life after winning the National Championship, how to prevent complacency, if he ever smiles, how Indiana identifies the RKG’s (right kinda guys), what Cig has seen from the new group coming in for 2026 and so much more. Plus, McElroy goes over why Joey Aguilar got denied another year of eligibility and what it means for Josh Heupel and Tennessee going into 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mario Cristobal joins Greg McElroy to talk about the culture he has cultivated at Miami, how the Canes can move forward but still acknowledge all of their accomplishments, identifying players that “fit” what Miami is looking for, what Darian Mensah brings to the team and so much more. Plus, McElroy goes in depth on why a lot of big non conference games are getting canceled, if it is good for the fans and the health of the sport and the pro’s and con’s of a 24 team college football playoff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy is joined by David Pollack to discuss why the BIG 10 is on such a roll and if it will stop anytime soon, why tampering and the calendar need to be adjusted sooner rather than later, if the NFL should “help” with college football and so much more. Plus, McElroy dives deep into the evolution of college football in 2026 and why the changes ON the field are here to stay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A sleeper isn't "trendy"; it’s a team with QB clarity, a defined identity, and a narrow schedule path. That is why McElroy has Utah, Florida, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and more as teams he thinks will be “sleepers” in 2026. Plus, McElroy explains why we are about to enter into a “quarterback reset” year. How fast can Sam Leavitt and Lane Kiffin build chemistry in the SEC? Will Darian Mensah be able to win tight games in November, can Michigan build a system tailored around Bryce Underwood’s strengths rather than forcing him into an old mold, can homegrown talent still win at Clemson in a portal economy and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McElroy continues with his 2026 National Title contenders with Alabama, USC and Penn State. Does Lincoln Riley have enough on the roster to make a run at the CFP and National Title, will Matt Campbell, Rocco Becht and the rest of the Iowa State transfers be enough for Penn State to make a serious run at a title and now that the roster is completely Kalen DeBoer’s will Alabama have enough fire power to get back to winning national championships? Plus, McElroy breaks down the impact of Trinidad Chambliss and Joey Aguilar’s court cases and what it means for roster development in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone agrees that college football needs a little help, whether it’s with NIL, the overall calendar or the College Football Playoff schedule (which is a whole other story in itself). McElroy lays out the reasons why anyone associated with college football should say “thanks but no thanks” to Roger Goodell and the NFL because it could be a Trojan Horse waiting to limit the sports potential. Plus, we continue our series on title contenders in 2026 with Michigan, Oklahoma and BYU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices