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Matt Fortuna

@mattfortuna.bsky.social

Subscribe to The Inside Zone ✍️ Subscribe to The Independent πŸŽ™οΈ Adjunct: DePaul. Past: ESPN, The Athletic, FWAA President

1,049 Followers  |  41 Following  |  1,818 Posts  |  Joined: 19.12.2024
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Posts by Matt Fortuna (@mattfortuna.bsky.social)

RIP, Coach Lou Holtz, whose family announced his passing today at the age of 89.

04.03.2026 22:06 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Clemson has hired Rich Bisaccia as special teams coordinator.

Bisaccia, most recently the Green Bay Packers’ assistant head coach, had coached Tigers running backs from 1994-98.

04.03.2026 14:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

AJ Redd. Million-dollar moment.

04.03.2026 03:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo is the ACC player of the year for the second straight season.

Hidalgo has also been named the ACC's defensive player of the year for the third straight season.

03.03.2026 22:04 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart will retire in June after 24 years leading the Wildcats.

He is currently the longest-tenured Power 4 AD in the country.

03.03.2026 18:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

Illinois has hired Montana DL coach Mike Linehan as defensive ends coach.

03.03.2026 17:07 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Why Bret Bielema and the Big Ten are arguing for a 24-team College Football Playoff The sixth-year Illinois coach goes long with The Inside Zone: "I think it’s gonna amplify what we’ve already seen to a thousand levels higher."

NEW: Illini coach Bret Bielema goes long on the Big Ten’s 24-team College Football Playoff proposal:

"I think it’s gonna amplify what we’ve already seen to a thousand levels higher."

SUBSCRIBE ⬇️

www.insidezonemf.com/p/why-bret-b...

02.03.2026 13:42 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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The Big Ten has not had a power like this Michigan team in years The Wolverines are the favorites to win it all. Their dominance in front of an electric Illinois crowd only reinforced that.

"This was never the best chance to win a championship. It was probably, that day, in less position to win a championship than anywhere else of all the schools we talked to at that moment."

Dusty May made a choice two years ago.

Big Ten hoops are better for it.

www.insidezonemf.com/p/the-big-te...

28.02.2026 04:57 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Illini coach Brad Underwood on Michigan:

β€œThey took the belt off and beat our behinds with it.”

28.02.2026 04:00 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Michigan is your outright Big Ten champion.

The No. 3 Wolverines smoke No. 10 Illinois, 84-70.

28.02.2026 03:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Aday Mara has taken over with 14 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half.

The big has 18 points off 8-9 shooting as Michigan tkaes a 65-52 lead.

28.02.2026 02:43 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Keaton Wagler with a 4-point play and I think I just ruptured an ear drum

28.02.2026 01:26 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Situated for what should be an awesome top-10 battle between Michigan and Illinois.

New Illini QB Katin Houser is here to pump the crowd up pregame.

28.02.2026 01:25 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Northern Illinois has hired Elon’s Chris West as defensive ends coach.

27.02.2026 16:17 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Sources: Penn State assistant QBs coach Trace McSorley is leaving for a job with the Buffalo Bills.

McSorley, the former Nittany Lions standout QB, had joined the staff of his alma mater last season.

@danieljtgallen.bsky.social first.

27.02.2026 01:16 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

DePaul coach Chris Holtmann on the Peacock postgame show:

β€œI don’t know who’s the best NIL value in the country, but Brandon Maclin’s gotta be up there. I’m not giving numbers out here, but I’m just telling you, we need to give him a bonus.”

26.02.2026 04:03 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

NEWS: USC will open the 2026 season on Aug. 29 at home vs. San Jose State, completing the Trojans' full schedule

25.02.2026 20:03 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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The Mountain West Conference has announced an updated opponent list with the addition of North Dakota State.

The league says the full schedule with dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

24.02.2026 20:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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I've found my favorite transfer of the 2026 cycle. Most impressive of all: He's probably about 20 years old, which means he got this name like 3 years into LeBron's career!!

24.02.2026 18:16 β€” πŸ‘ 103    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 8    πŸ“Œ 4
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Rondale Moore gave us all something special Reflections on a college football supernova, and his bond with a Purdue hero

RIP, Rondale Moore.

Reflections on a college football supernova, and his bond with a Purdue hero

www.insidezonemf.com/p/rondale-mo...

23.02.2026 18:15 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Alabama’s statement on Charles Bediako’s appeal:

23.02.2026 19:27 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Rondale Moore gave us all something special Reflections on a college football supernova, and his bond with a Purdue hero

RIP, Rondale Moore.

Reflections on a college football supernova, and his bond with a Purdue hero

www.insidezonemf.com/p/rondale-mo...

23.02.2026 18:15 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Thanks to the man @camronsmith.bsky.social for making the moment happen πŸ‘ŠπŸ€

23.02.2026 02:50 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

DePaul’s finally good enough to have bad losses and man, lemme tell ya, that was a bad loss.

22.02.2026 03:34 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Sources: Charlotte is set to hire Clemson deputy AD Kevin White as its next athletic director.

White has been at Clemson since 2022, and served as deputy AD at Northwestern before that, as right-hand man to now-ACC commissioner Jim Phillips.

21.02.2026 15:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Source: Wisconsin has zeroed in on Ari Confesor to be its next wide receivers coach.

Confesor, who was a record-setting receiver at Holy Cross, spent this past season working with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

21.02.2026 02:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Source: Michigan has officially hired Dave Peloquin as its next general manager.

Peloquin, who was a student manager at Notre Dame and went on to work for five different Irish football head coaches in the personnel department, spent this past year with agency Athletes First.

21.02.2026 02:49 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Inside the Indiana search to land Curt Cignetti Exclusive details on how the Hoosiers got their guy in 2023 and changed the sport forever

Curt Cignetti seriously considered staying at JMU when Indiana offered in 2023.

He was making $677K. JMU donors rallied to go past $1 million.

Two seasons, four contracts and one natty later, Cignetti is making $13.2M.

From national title week ⬇️⬇️

www.insidezonemf.com/p/inside-the...

20.02.2026 15:45 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

For context: Kirby Smart was the only known coach making $13 million this past season, earning $13.2M from Georgia.

Lane Kiffin's new deal with LSU averages to $13 million annually across seven years.

Now Curt Cignetti and Indiana join the $13 million club.

20.02.2026 15:38 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Source: Indiana and Curt Cignetti have agreed to a new contract.

The deal, which will remain through 2033 like the one agreed to in October, ups the national-title winner's average annual salary from $11.6 million to $13.2 million.

20.02.2026 15:35 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1