Robert Craft
Out Of A Legend’s Shadow?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Kalen DeBoer may have a long way to go to step out of Nick Saban’s shadow, but he is now guaranteed to surpass Saban in one area: Salary.
Alabama gave DeBoer a seven-year contract extension that will pay the coach $12.5 million this year.
That’s more than the $11.1 million Saban earned during his final season in 2023 — when he was the highest-paid coach in college football.
DeBoer’s first two seasons have led to some angst in the Alabama fan base and talk of a hot seat.
Athletic director Greg Byrne’s contract extension seeks to quiet that talk: DeBoer’s previous contract called for Alabama to owe him 90 percent of the remaining value of the contract if it fired him without cause.
Assuming that remains the case for this contract, Bryne is doubling down on his belief that DeBoer is the right man for the job.
DeBoer, 51, was hired to replace the retired Saban and earned $10.8 million in his first season, with his contract calling for raises of $125,000 per year through 2031.
Alabama’s first two seasons under DeBoer have been modestly successful: 9-4 his first season, missing the College Football Playoff; 11-4 his second season, making the CFP quarterfinals, where the Crimson Tide lost to eventual champion Indiana.
Saban coached Alabama to six national championships, most recently during the 2020 season, and in his final season had the Crimson Tide in the CFP semifinals, the final year of the four-team playoff.
When he retired, Byrne went outside the Saban coaching tree and the Alabama family to hire DeBoer, who had just coached Washington to the national championship game.
DeBoer’s new contract takes him through the end of the 2032 season, ending on Jan. 31, 2033.
“We are pleased to extend Coach DeBoer and are proud to have him leading the Crimson Tide football program,” Byrne said in a statement. “He is an excellent coach and has done a commendable job developing our student-athletes.”
Alabama hauled in the nation’s No. 2-ranked high school recruiting class for the 2026 cycle, continuing in the Saban tradition.
But the Crimson Tide also lost key pieces in the transfer portal, and the portal class did not rank among the top 25 in rankings.
DeBoer said in late January that he expected his team to be relatively young again, perhaps setting the expectations a bit lower once more.
Now he has a new contract that would seem to give him more leeway, though Alabama, like any SEC school, isn’t exactly hurting for money.
“This University has become a special place to us, and I look forward to working to ensure that Alabama football remains at the forefront of college football,” DeBoer said in a statement. “This program has a long history of success and an unmatched tradition that I was eager to be a part of two years ago, and I cannot wait to keep coaching our guys and bring more championships to Alabama.”
Alabama also announced a contract extension for men’s basketball coach Nate Oats, also through the end of the 2031-32 season.
Oats’ previous deal was set to expire after the 2029-30 season and pay him $6.02 million this year. His salary was increased to $6.275 million this year, with gradual increases to $7.25 million by the end of the deal.
Oats, 51, has led Alabama to five Sweet 16 appearances since being hired in 2019, including a Final Four two years ago.
Miami Defensive End Given Preferential Treatment In Car Crash Death?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
University of Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. was the driver during a traffic collision in the early hours of March 17, 2024, that resulted in one of the passengers, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, being severely injured, according to court documents.
Destiny Betts, who was one of four passengers, was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the crash report, and died from her injuries nearly three months later, on June 13, 2024.
Bain was issued a citation for careless driving, with police saying that he “operated his vehicle in a careless or negligent manner.” No field sobriety test was conducted.
The citation would eventually be dismissed, with the reason listed as “defective citation,” and Bain was never charged in connection with the crash.
According to a diagram in the crash report, first obtained Interstate-95 has five regular lanes and an additional express lane. The report states that Bain, (driver) was traveling northbound in the outside center lane when the left front of his vehicle collided with the right rear of another car.
The collision resulted in Bain’s vehicle going through two lanes on the right and hitting the east concrete wall before going across the entire six-lane highway. It hit the west concrete wall, where the vehicle eventually came to a stop.
In October 2024, the driver of the collided car sued Bain on a count of motor vehicle negligence, alleging that the wreck caused him physical injury along with mental anguish.
Another driver voluntarily dismissed his case with prejudice in June. Court records also show a mediation session was scheduled for March, including counsel representing Bain, Betts’ estate and an auto insurance company.
In a separate incident, Bain was issued another citation on Oct. 14, 2025, which indicated he was involved in another crash. The second citation was also dismissed due to a “defective citation.”
As with most prior legal situations, NFL teams will conduct their own investigations into the incident and make their own decisions based on all available information — including anything from law enforcement and whether or not Bain was up front about his incident during team interviews .
Bain is considered one of the top prospects in this year’s NFL Draft. Bain checks in at No. 9 overall and the third-best edge rusher, behind Ohio State’s Arvell Reese and Texas Tech’s David Bailey.
Despite his top-tier talent, questions have swirled around Bain leading up to the draft because of his arm length, which checks in at under 31 inches.
I’m curious on how the University of Miami has kept his driving history out of the media. With no field sobriety, test and lack of media, is this another prime example of an elite athlete getting away with crime?
Shiny Armor?
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
UCF Spring Football is underway, and the Knights have another opportunity to learn more about their reshaped roster under head coach Scott Frost as he enters his second first season in Orlando.
While expectations of another 2017-style undefeated run are unrealistic, optimism around this team is growing fast. UCF returns with a strong amount of production from last season while also adding key transfers, providing a much stronger foundation than it had a year ago.
Although the season remains months away, spring football offers the first real look at what this team could become in 2026. From position battles to scheme fits and leadership development, there is plenty to learn before kickoff arrives.
Here are the three offensive biggest questions UCF needs to answer during spring football.
How quickly can Alonza Barnett III take command of the offense? There is no question Alonzo Barnett III is the headline addition of UCF’s offseason.
Adding a projected starting quarterback who just led JMU on a run to the College Football Playoff immediately raises both the standard and the expectations for UCF entering the 2026 season.
Head coach Scott Frost and the staff believe in Barnett beyond physical tools. They view him as a proven winner, someone with the leadership, poise, and playmaking ability to elevate the players around him.
The biggest question, though, is how quickly that success can translate. Barnett spent the past four seasons at James Madison developing within one system and growing comfortable in that environment.
Now, he is being asked to step into a new offense, build chemistry with a new locker room and replicate that same production in essentially one offseason. No pressure, right?
One of the biggest focuses this spring is Frost and quarterbacks coach McKenzie Milton. They must work to build timing, chemistry and overall cohesiveness around football’s most important position on the field.
Can AJ Blazek fix UCF’s offensive line issues? The Knight’s offensive line enters spring as one of the biggest areas to monitor after difficulty and inconsistency in 2025.
The Knights endured the tragic loss of offensive line coach Shawn Clack early in the year, and even with Danny Hope stepping in to help stabilize the group, the unit never fully found its rhythm.
At times, the line showed flashes individually. Collectively they struggled, which led to costly mistakes, like penalties at the worst possible moments. Whether it was a holding call or a false start, it frequently felt like UCF’s momentum was being derailed during key second-half drives or comeback opportunities.
Now, UCF turns to new offensive line coach AJ Blazek to reshape the group.
Blazek wasted no time putting his stamp on the room, helping bring in four transfer portal additions to compete for major roles up front. While the tackle spots appear relatively stable entering spring, the biggest questions lie on the interior, where center and guard battles could play a major role in determining the offense’s ceiling.
Few position groups will be impacted more by UCF’s offensive line play than the running backs.
Who will emerge as UCF’s lead running back? The Knights brought in two experienced transfer backs in Duke Watson and Laden Chambers, both of whom are expected to compete for major roles in the offense. Each brings a different skill set, but both have the experience to help carry the load in Scott Frost’s system.
The biggest question is who will separate themselves as the true three-down back.
That battle becomes even more intriguing with Taevion Swint returning to the mix after missing last season with a meniscus injury. The former four-star recruit has worked his way back and gives UCF another talented option in the room if he is fully healthy.
Spring camp should provide the first real look at how the workload could be divided and whether one back is ready to take control of the position group.
Spring practices officially begin for the Knights on March 31st, giving UCF their first real chance to start answering these 3 questions on the field.
Jarring Loss
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
An uncomfortable silence filled Florida’s locker room in the aftermath of the contest between the Gators and Iowa Hawkeyes, save for sniffles and, from center Rueben Chinyelu, an uncontrollable sob.
The Gators, who’d played with a target on their backs all season long as the defending national champions, had suffered a one-point loss to Iowa less than 20 minutes earlier, with defeat having ended their season far sooner than the collective had expected and hoped for, with the team intending to make another deep run in March and into the first weekend in April.
The season-ending defeat came at the hands of an Iowa team that for much of the contest was more physical and carved up a UF defense that entered the NCAA Tournament as one of the nation’s best, and it was difficult for Florida to process what had occurred, as much as they tried, as tears flowed around the room, from players to managers and athletic trainers.
Micah Handlogten sat in his locker, tears filling his eyes – to his credit, he spoke openly on what the team had meant to him, how it felt to see his collegiate career potentially conclude barring a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA, less than an hour earlier.
The team’s reserves, who will have opportunities in the future to make another run in the NCAA Tournament, in Olivier Rioux, Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram, sat in silence.
Meanwhile, Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Xaivian Lee addressed the media nearby in the postgame press conference, with Haugh’s emotional dismay evident, a far cry from his exuberance nearly a year prior when he threw his hands into the air to celebrate Florida’s national championship.
There was no one in particular to blame for the loss the Gators just got beat, simple as that but more could have been done, and the Gators acknowledged as much.
A critical role player down the stretch, sophomore Isaiah Brown split a pair of free throws with eight seconds and change remaining in regulation, to give the Gators a two-point lead.
After connecting on the second attempt, Iowa beat Florida’s press and found Alvaro Folguieras wide-open in the corner for what would be the go-ahead three-pointer, and the Gators, after a timeout by the Hawkeyes, were unable to get a shot off in the closing seconds as Lee drove right and couldn’t get a clean look at the rim, instead attempting to find Haugh under the basket to no avail.
The loss will stick with the team beyond the weekend, and Brown won’t soon forget his timely misfire at the charity stripe, although he’ll look to use it as fuel to the fire in the years to come.
As Brown spoke, the sobs of Rueben Chinyelu could be heard nearby. The 6-foot-10 center, who finished with zero points and a lone rebound against an undersized Iowa frontcourt, couldn’t hide his devastation, even as associate head coach Carlin Hartman attempted to console the third-year big man who’d played a pivotal role in UF’s run to the national championship a season ago and had blossomed into one of the nation’s best defensive players as an upperclassman.
But Iowa didn’t go away, far from it, instead scoring five-consecutive points to swing the momentum back in its direction.
Post-defeat it’s even tougher, with players not wanting to think about the loss marking a conclusion to their time with a program, though Condon and Haugh in particular knew the questions would come.
Their decisions in the weeks if not days ahead will determine how Florida begins the process of moving on and regrouping for the 2026-27 season.
There were many skeptics from the jump this season, starting with Florida’s season-opening loss to Arizona in Las Vegas, a contest that may have been under-appreciated for its difficulty considering the Wildcats weren’t largely expected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
UF would suffer defeat three additional times in non-conference play to start the season with a 5-4 record, and many questioned whether or not the Gators would be capable of making another deep run.
Doubters soon turned into believers as the Gators won 21 of their next 23 games to win the Southeastern Conference regular season title and secure a second-consecutive No. 1 seed for the first time in program history.
That’s how Florida’s coaching staff will remember this iteration of the Gators: not for Sunday’s loss in Tampa, but for the team’s ability to overcome adversity, become a close-knit group and play their best brand of basketball into the closing months of the regular Hartman, who has been instrumental in developing Florida’s under-recruited frontcourt into the nation’s best, is hopeful it won’t be the final time he’ll coach the team’s forwards and centers.
Yet he knows the chances are slim to none the group does what they did a season ago and return for another ride. His support for them won’t wane, however, if the frontcourt comes to the determination that moving on is in their best interest.
Exit meetings will occur in the near future, after Florida’s decompressed and processed more of the end result, not that coming to an understanding and eventual acceptance will ease the pain of a jarring defeat.
That’s how this group will be remembered by those within the confines of Florida’s basketball program: as winners, many of whom achieved the ultimate goal of cutting down the nets as the last team standing in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Doing it once is rare enough hoisting the trophy in back-to-back seasons is an elusive feat experienced by just three programs over the last 53 years.
Gators Chomp Into Tournament
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Florida enters the 2025-26 NCAA tournament with +650 odds to cut down the nets come the national championship on April 6.
The Gators have the fourth-best odds to win the NCAA Tournament, and in their case repeat as national champions, behind Duke (+300), Michigan (+350) and Arizona (+400).
Florida was selected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in the South Region, marking the program’s fourth No. 1 seed selection in program history.
The Gators will make their 24th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and third in a row under fourth-year head coach Todd Golden, who has led Florida to a 6-1 record in the NCAA Tournament, including last season’s national championship.
UF enters March Madness as victors of 12 of the program’s last 13 games, including an 11-game winning streak in conference play to conclude the regular season, and a 71-63 triumph over Kentucky in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament, before Florida fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC semifinals, 91-74. The Commodores join the Gators in the South region of the NCAA Tournament bracket.
Florida faced two fellow NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds during the non-conference stretch of its 2025-26 season, falling to then-No. 13-ranked Arizona, 93-87, in its season-opener, and losing to No. 4 Duke, 67-66, on Dec. 2. UF also faced No. 2-seed UConn on Dec. 9, falling to the No. 5-ranked Huskies 77-73.
The Gators ultimately went 9-4 during their arduous non-conference slate before finding their groove in SEC play, going 16-2 against league competition, with ranked wins over No. 18 Georgia (92-77), No. 21 Tennessee (91-67), No. 10 Vanderbilt (98-94), No. 23 Alabama (100-77), No. 25 Kentucky (92-83) and No. 20 Arkansas (111-77).
As Florida’s backcourt made strides during that stretch, its dominance was primarily established through its frontcourt, led by leading scorer Thomas Haugh, forward Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu.
Haugh, Florida’s leading scorer at 17.1 points per game, has been instrumental to the Gators’ success in his first season as a starter. Among his handful of postseason awards, Haugh was named a Second-Team All-American by Sporting News, and a First-Team All-SEC selection by the conference’s coaches and the Associated Press.
Chinyelu, the SEC’s Defensive Player and the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, who also obtained First-Team All-SEC recognition from the AP and Second-Team honors from the league, concluded his second season in Gainesville and his third at the collegiate level averaging a double-double at 11.2 points and a conference-leading 11.5 rebounds, including 7.4 defensive boards, per game.
An All-SEC Second-Team pick by the AP and Third-Team honoree by coaches, Condon has averaged single-season career-highs of 15 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game in his second campaign as a starter.
Tasked with replacing its stellar trio of guards from the 2024-25 season in Waltet Clayton Jr , Alijah Martin and Will Richard , Florida brought in Boogie Fland and Xauvian Lee via the NCAA transfer portal this past offseason. While it took time for UF’s backcourt to gel, each player finished the regular season averaging double figures per game, with Fland scoring 11.6 points and Lee 11.5 points per matchup.
Additionally, Florida saw junior guard Urban Klavzar grow into a significant role as the Gators’ sixth man. Klavžar knocked down a team-high 2.1 three-point shots per game, averaging 9.7 points per contest, resulting in him winning the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Driving The Wrong Road
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Two Georgia Bulldogs football players were arrested on driving-related charges recently, per the Athens-Clarke County jail log.
Junior linebacker Chris Cole, who was fourth on the team in tackles last season, was booked on one count of reckless driving and one count of speeding over the maximum limit.
Sophomore edge Darren Ikinnagbon was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors: reckless driving, speeding and following too closely.
It is unclear if the arrests are connected to the same incident. The police report both players were arrested for driving 105 mph on an Athens highway, 40 mph over the speed limit.
Both players were driving 2025 Mercedes SUVs. They were arrested and released at separate times, within an hour of each other. The bonds were $39 for Ikinnagbon and $26 for Cole
While misdemeanor traffic charges typically do not lead to additional jail time, the program’s history with driving arrests could lead to harsher internal punishment for Cole and Ikinnagbon.
There have now been 13 known instances of Georgia Bulldog players being arrested on driving charges since the January 2023 car crash that killed player Devin Willock and staffer Chandler LeCroy.
In recent history, last November reserve offensive lineman Nyjer Daniels was dismissed from the program after being charged with a felony following a traffic arrest.
Last year, receiver Nitro Tuggle and offensive lineman Marques Easley entered the transfer portal shortly after traffic arrests for which they were charged with misdemeanors.
While details of this week’s arrests are not yet public, the players are expected to remain on the team.
Coach Kirby Smart said he has taken different steps to fix the issues, saying two years ago the program would withhold name, image and likeness payments from players who had traffic arrests or even citations. Suspensions and, in some cases, dismissals have also been issued, especially in the last year.
“Each case is a case-by-case basis,” Smart said last November after dismissing Daniels. “And we’ll always evaluate things on a case-by-case basis, based on the student-athlete’s history and the particulars of the case.”
Cole and Ikinnagbon released statements of apology.
“I recognize the seriousness of this matter and the responsibility that comes with representing the University of Georgia and our football program,” Cole wrote. “I understand that there are high standards for how we conduct ourselves, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I deeply regret the impact and negative attention this has caused for my coaches, teammates and family.”
It continues to amaze me how people excuse the behavior just because they’re football players. I’ve spoken to Bulldog fans who state comments like “no one else cares why should we” or “Well it’s just speeding” or “The Athens Police are out of control”.
We call them kids. They are not kids. They are adults. Yes, young people do stupid stuff. I did. We all did. But it does not excuse or even begin to justify their behavior.
I am not saying kick them off the team or drop an atomic bomb. At the same time, we all should face consequences for our actions, and the behavior should not just be blown off because fans care about their football team’s results.
We might need some legal insight from an attorney or paralegal. Are these players getting preferential treatment with fines and the amount of the bond set?
Florida Recruiting
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the highlight of Florida’s first offseason under new head coach Jon Sumerall has been the key talent retention, there is no doubt the program’s roster will look much different this season.
Sumrall and the new-look Florida coaching and personnel staff have accepted 30 commitments from transfers over the last month, in addition to 20 high school prospects, and two walk-ons.
Yet, the NCAA’s recent consolidation of its transfer portal windows has left Sumrall wondering if Florida has filled each of its positional needs ahead of the 2026 campaign.
“We don’t have the luxury of that second window now, so that’s a little bit more daunting, because you don’t get a chance — I’m not going to have any opportunity to watch this team practice and go correct in the second portal,” Sumrall said. “We just have to go watch them practice and try to fix it, or make somebody better or maybe move guys around. That’s a little bit more unnerving.
“I wouldn’t be upset as a first-year head coach if we had the second portal window. I used it to my benefit the last job I was at. I would be okay if they gave us an emergency second portal window.”
Florida has accepted at least one transfer commitment for every position group this offseason, from quarterback to long snapper.
But from Sumrall’s point of view, evaluating the overall quality of the class is not an easy task right now.
Florida took a handful of prospects with proven production, including 12 players with double-digit career starts, such as wide receiver Eric Singleton Jr, edge rusher Emmanuel Oyebadejo, safety DJ Coleman, offensive linemen Harrison Moore and TJ Shanahan Jr, who each project to earn first-team or significant rotational roles with UF.
On the flip side, transfer pickups like quarterback Aaron Philip, defensive tackle DK Kalyn, tight end Luke Harpring, offensive tackle Eadab Boyer and others — while expected to contribute in 2026 and potentially beyond — have yet to fully prove their worth at the college level, with limited playing experience on their résumés. Florida is, effectively, banking on their potential.
Still, Sumrall expressed appreciation for how Florida’s vast transfer class came together.
Gators’ General Manager Dave Caldwell is spearheading the effort to scout the portal market and narrow the list of quality prospects for Sumrall to evaluate and target.
In High School recruiting, the Gators are behind SEC heavyweights such as Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma programs that continue to hoard top-five classes. This sharpens how Florida’s progress should be measured.
Florida’s 2026 haul reflects targeted intention, with a class that features 13 four-star prospects among 20 total commits who cover multiple phases of the game.
Four-star wide receivers Davian Grocery and Justin Williams anchor the class at the top, offering production on the offensive side of the ball.
Key in-state additions such as cornerback C.J. Hester and safety Kaiden Hall reinforce Florida’s ability to compete for premium talent around the Sunshine State on defense.
In the new world of NIL recruiting both high school and transfer portal, the Florida Gators ranked 14th overall combined by on industry ranking. They are projected to be 26th in NIL spending for the 2026 season.
Overall, Sumrall’s first class with limited NIL money looks like a success.
SEC Shows The Money
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The SEC is college sports’ first billion-dollar conference. Or at least they’re the first to announce it.
The SEC made enough revenue this most recent fiscal year to distribute $1.03 billion to its 16 schools, the conference announced Thursday. That’s an increase from $808.4 million during the 2023-24 fiscal year.
That means SEC schools received an average payout of $72.4 million, up from $53.8 million in the previous year.
That payout also came in the last year before schools were required to share revenue with athletes, $20.6 million beginning this past fall. So,
if the current fiscal year payout ends up just a tick higher, the year-over-year increase would match what SEC teams are paying their athletes in NIL deals.
“As college athletics continues to undergo significant change, SEC universities are well-positioned to deliver new financial benefits for student-athletes while continuing to offer a transformative, life-changing college experience,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.
The timing for the SEC’s massive increase is no surprise: 2024-25 was the SEC’s first year in its new ESPN contract, as well as the first with Oklahoma and Texas in the conference, and the year in which the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams.
The Big Ten is also expected to go above the $1 billion mark. Its total revenue was $928 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year, and while that was the first for its new television package, it then added Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.
The vast majority of conference revenue comes from television contracts; ESPN is paying the SEC more than $900 million (the exact figure has not been revealed).
That number is expected to increase by around $5 million more per school next year with the SEC agreeing to add a ninth conference game for football.
Other revenue comes from the NCAA basketball tournament, bowl payouts, the SEC football championship game, the SEC men’s basketball tournament and NCAA championships.
The SEC generally has an equal distribution policy, but teams that make the CFP also receive direct payouts, which were included in the $1.03 billion figure. Texas, for instance, received $12.1 million just for making the CFP semifinals.
The SEC’s announcement just means More $$$$$$$.
Baker’s New Vendetta Against Atlanta Falcons
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Baker Mayfield might have extra motivation when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Atlanta Falcons next season, and it has everything to do with Atlanta’s new head coach, Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski, who is joining the Falcons after spending five years in Cleveland, was Mayfield’s coach during his first two seasons with the Browns (2020, 2021).
Their collaboration ended when the Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional 2024 draft pick (a fifth-rounder that became a fourth-rounder)
Based on his Tuesday evening tweet, Mayfield appears to be unhappy with how his tenure in Cleveland ended.
“Still waiting on a text/call from him after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage,” Mayfield posted on X on Tuesday night. “Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
Mayfield’s shot came in response to a reporter’s post asserting that Stefanski’s quarterbacks room in Cleveland was a “dumpster fire,” and that Mayfield and his successor, Deshaun Watson, had “failed.”
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield wrote.
The Browns selected Mayfield with the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he compiled a 29-30 record as a starter during his four seasons with the franchise.
His best season in Cleveland was Stefanski’s first (2020). Mayfield completed 62.8 percent of his passes that year for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and just eight interceptions.
The Browns went 11-5 and won a playoff game in the wild-card round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mayfield and the Browns weren’t able to match that success in 2021, however, and the franchise decided to part ways with the quarterback.
Mayfield’s time with the Panthers didn’t last. Carolina waived Mayfield in December 2022 after he went 1-5 as a starter.
The Rams later claimed Mayfield, and he played well enough in his four starts with Los Angeles that he earned a shot with the Bucs as a free agent.
After helping Tampa Bay win the NFC South in 2023, Mayfield signed a three-year, $100 million contract extension with the club.
While Mayfield resurrected his career as QB1, the Browns made one more playoff appearance after his departure but won just eight games through the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Did the Browns make Mayfield toxic? Or was he already that way and his environment just brought it to the surface? Whatever side you believe, one thing is certain: Mayfield will never change. He is who he is.
The Browns certainly did not set Mayfield up for success early in his career with three head coaches and three offensive coordinators in his first three years in the league.
Now the Buccaneers are facing the same hard questions Browns personnel once had to answer. Mayfield is entering the final year of his deal in Tampa. He has been a success for the Bucs, but is he worth a top-scale quarterback contract? If not, then what?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That goes for Baker Mayfield, too.
Champions
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As a south Florida breeze blew through the night, Miami native Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana Hoosiers ascended to the throne of college football — and entered the all-time lore of American sports.
Mendoza’s twisting, turning, bouncing-off-defenders touchdown in the fourth quarter will be replayed forever. This Indiana team broke all the molds, shed all their historical baggage and won the national championship.
Your 2025 Indiana Hoosiers. 16-0. National champions.The dream season is real.
Indiana. National champions. Of football.
The unflappable coach Curt Cignetti led a perennial bottom dweller to the College Football Playoff in 2024, boldly stated over the summer that wasn’t enough — hammering the phrase “No self-imposed limitations” — then marched his troops to a storybook season in his second year in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers are the first team in the history of any major-college sport to have the most all-time losses in a sport then go on to win a national championship.
“I don’t think there’s anything that compares to this, even if they don’t win Monday night,” longtime broadcaster Sean McDonough said during Friday’s CFP media day.
But they did win. The Hoosiers aren’t a plucky upstart or an underdog darling or any other warm and fuzzy placeholder.
The Indiana Hoosiers are the national champions of college football.
And they did so by marching through some of the biggest names in the sport.
Indiana finished the regular season unbeaten, then started their postseason march by handling No. 1 Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes, averaging 33.4 points per game, scored only one touchdown after an Indiana turnover deep in IU territory.
The Hoosiers postseason run is a noteworthy one: They crushed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl, then blew Oregon’s doors off 56-22 in a CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
When forced to play the Hurricanes on their home field for the national title, Indiana handled Miami 27-21.
Surviving multiple cheap shots from Miami that even rules analysts said should have been targeting, Mendoza pinballed himself into the end zone with 9:18 left in the game to give the Hoosiers a 24-14 lead.
It wasn’t any touchdown run. It was fourth-and-4 from the Miami 12, national championship on the line. Cignetti called timeout after third down, went for it on fourth down.
Mendoza bounced off at least six defenders before launching himself upward and sideways into the end zone. As he scored, television cameras shifted to his mother, who is in a wheelchair due to M.S., and Elsa’s reaction was one of joy, shock and near tears as she was hugged by family members.
Legendary play call. Legendary play. Legendary reaction.
Jamari Sharpe sealed the outcome when the Hurricanes had a chance to steal it away. Sharpe slipped inside a route by Keelan Marion and picked off Carson Beck on a first-and-10 from the Indiana 41, and. Sharpe made the smart play from Sharpe was— a poetic ending for a Curt Cignetti’s -coached team — taking a knee with 0:44 on the clock.
An excessive celebration flag was thrown on Indiana after Sharpe’s interception, but after years, decades, even generations of frustration, the world can throw an excessive celebration flag on Hoosier Nation and no one will care.
The Hoosiers have six wins over top-10 teams: No. 1 Ohio State (neutral site), No. 3 Oregon (on the road), No. 5 Oregon (neutral site), No. 9 Alabama (neutral site), No. 9 Illinois (home), No. 10 Miami (the Canes’ home stadium in the national title game).
In those six wins over top-10 teams, IU has won by a combined score of 227-86
As Mendoza stood on the field waiting to do the ESPN postgame interview, red and white confetti falling on his head, his gaze drifted upward and he seemed to mouth “Thank you” to no one in particular.
And this comes with tremendous synergy: 50 years ago, Bob Knight’s 1976 basketball team went 32-0 to win the national title. So Indiana has an unbeaten football national championship and an unbeaten basketball national championship.
The Indiana Hoosiers, national champions of college football.
