Matt Fortuna

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Pete and I talk Notre Dame’s QB battle and more on the latest episode of The Independent.

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Why Jack Kiser thinks this year’s Notre Dame team is more talented than last year’s, and what ND needs to do to maximize it.

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Thanks! He actually sold me on coming over around the CFP run. I try to be on as many platforms as possible these days.

Why Jack Kiser thinks this year’s Notre Dame team is more talented than last year’s, and what ND needs to do to maximize it.

SUBSCRIBE to The Independent ⬇️

🍎 Apple: apple.co/3qCY5Yu
🎧 Spotify: spoti.fi/45BMhEU
📺 YouTube: bit.ly/3Rruw7e

Illinois is No. 12, the Illini’s highest preseason coaches poll ranking since 1990, when they were also No. 12.

This is tied for the second-highest preseason coaches poll ranking in program history, behind only 1985 when the Illini were No. 10.

No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami and No. 9 LSU at No. 6 Clemson will also be top-10 matchups on opening weekend.

Texas-Ohio State will be a matchup of No. 1 at No. 2 in Week 1, per the USA Today preseason coaches poll released today:

Notre Dame DBs coach Mike Mickens is one of six inductees into the University of Cincinnati’s Athletics 2025 Hall of Fame class.

Mickens was a first-team FWAA All-American and a four-time All-Big East selection who remains the Bearcats’ career leader in interceptions (14).

🚨 NEW POD 🚨

Jack Kiser joins The Independent from Jaguars camp to talk a bit of everything.

His description of his Notre Dame finale was as raw as it gets.

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Stanford overnight made the hire of John Donahoe as its next AD official.

Donahoe is the former CEO of Nike, ServiceNow, eBay and Bain & Company.

He will start on Sept. 8.

Statement from the CSC on new guidelines in light of the House settlement.

Key phrase here for collective payments: “substance, not labels.”

Recorded today!

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Clemson is the overwhelming favorite to win the ACC, earning 167 of a possible 183 first-place votes from the media:

Syracuse will retire the jersey numbers of College/Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Monk (45) and field hockey national champion Alyssa Manley (5) on Nov. 29 and Sept. 26, respectively.

Monk is also scheduled to have his jersey (81) retired by the Washington Commanders on Nov. 2.

Hey, Notre Dame: You sure you don't want to join a conference? Was all of the gabbing from conference media days not convincing enough? No? OK then ...

Conference media days have come and gone, and if some of the coordinated comments from around the country taught us anything, it’s that staying independent has never looked so good for Notre Dame. ⬇️⬇️

www.insidezonemf.com/p/hey-notre-...

Colorado coach Deion Sanders and assistant athletic trainer Lauren Askevold say that Sanders underwent a procedure this offseason to remove a tumor and his bladder, and that he is now cancer-free.

Notre Dame was already scheduled to play at Wake Forest in 2027 as part of the ACC scheduling agreement, so this will still count as business as usual, with Wake presumably being the home team.

Notre Dame and Wake Forest will face off in the Duke’s Mayo Classic on Oct. 9, 2027.

Sources: Rutgers has zeroed in on LSU executive deputy AD Keli Zinn to become its next athletic director.

After 345 days spanning two different interim ADs, the Scarlet Knights appear to have finally found a full-time leader of their athletic department.

ESPN/NJ.com first.

Former Temple and Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins has joined South Carolina’s staff as a senior defensive analyst.

Collins served as North Carolina’s defensive coordinator last season.

Tony Petitti and the Big Ten have a plan. Is anyone else behind it? The Big Ten commissioner goes long with The Inside Zone.

Departing Vegas after productive Big Ten media days. Sat down with Tony Petitti yesterday for a lengthy conversation on the state of the industry and more.

This was as candid as I have ever seen the commissioner. ⬇️
www.insidezonemf.com/p/tony-petit...

Derrick Moore on proposed Ohio flag planting law:

“For like a whole month straight they had a picture of me w/ the flag on the field. And they pretty much said like ‘Criminal’ or something like that. I'm like: Bro, wow. Like, I'm a criminal now? …But all I gotta say, man: Hey, that’s Ohio for you.”

Michigan DE Derrick Moore smiles when asked about watching Ohio State win the national title after losing to UM:

“I congratulate them on a win, but you know it's not a real one if y'all didn't beat us.”

Interestingly enough, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore opens his press conference by thanking Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and VP A.J. Edds.

It appears all is water under the bridge between the Wolverines and their conference’s leadership.

USC HC Lincoln Riley on Notre Dame rivalry: “When I decided to take the USC job, my first thought was I get to coach USC-Notre Dame. … All these rivalries mean a great deal to me. Do I want to play the game? Hell yes.”

But adds his loyalty is to USC and a new CFP model could protect the series.

USC HC Lincoln Riley took his podium time last year to advocate for Mike Leach to make the College Football Hall of Fame, and he thanks the Hall this year for making that possible.

Now he’s advocating for Pete Carroll to get in, as Carroll did not coach enough games to qualify.

James Franklin: “It’s amazing to me that both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have a chance to be the all-time leading rushers in Penn State history, 1 and 2, and they’ve been sharing carries their entire career.”

James Franklin has talked up this being the best group of personnel he’s ever had it. Asked if that adds pressure:

“There’s a ton of conversations that are happening nationally, and we embrace that. … The reality is when it comes to local, these are always the expectations at Penn State.”

Washington coach Jedd Fisch calls the Big Ten the best conference in America, emphasizing that three of the last four national finalists were from this league and the fourth, Notre Dame, was from the Midwest.

He twice pronounced it “No-truh.” Old school.