The college football season is still more than three months away but the game is already making news. From new head coaches and their much younger girlfriends, to multi-million dollar indoor practice facilities, to twelve game schedules for FCS schools....the game continues to change.
The University of North Carolina's new head coach Bill Belichick has created some controversy surrounding his 24 year old girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. It had been rumored that UNC had banned Hudson from the football team but the University released a statement this week that Hudson was welcome to be on campus and she will continue to be in charge of the 73 year old Belichick's personal brand outside of football.
In an interview with CBS recently, Belichick was asked how he and Jordan Hudson met, and she immediately shut down the interview. Belichick would later blast CBS for asking a question like that because the agreement was to only ask football related questions regarding his new book, " The Art of Winning."
Sources close to Belichick are worried that his relationship with Hudson will tarnish the legacy of the six-time Super Bowl Championship coach. As someone who is the same age as Belichick, I say it's none of anyone's business.
Mississippi State University is building a $60 million indoor practice facility to be opened by the summer of 2028. The building will be named after MSU multi-sport star Billy Howard Sr. who was a standout in football basketball and track and was nick-named," Iron Man "because he played practically every minute of every football game for the Bulldogs. Planning is still in the design phase with groundbreaking scheduled for 2027.
FCS teams will be allowed to schedule twelve games beginning next fall, pending approval by the Division I Council at its June Meetings. Currently, FCS teams can play twelve games only during years with fourteen Saturdays from the first permissible date through the end of November.
The Tennessee Volunteers open the 2025 season at Syracuse on August 30th. The last time the Vols played at Syracuse to open a season was in 1998 when they won the national championship. In addition, the Volunteers have swapped Georgia and Florida on the schedule. Tennessee will host Georgia on September 13th while the game at Florida with the Gators is now on November 22nd. Tennessee will also have Oklahoma at home this fall on November 1st while the game at Alabama is once again on the third Saturday in October.... on the 18th.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com