Always College Football with Greg McElroy

The BIG Ten is going for their 4th consecutive National Championship with a handleful of legit contenders. McElroy goes through the entire conference and gives you the ONE question about each team heading into the summer. Can Josh Hoover really just replace Fernando Mendoza? Can two new coordinators maintain Oregon's offense and defensive dominance? Is Ohio State playing with a chip on their shoulder? Will Byrce Underwood make a sophomore step under a new coaching staff? Can Gary Patterson turn USC into a program that can win big games? Did Pat Fitzgerald walk into the best situation at Michigan State and are there any effects from the Demond Williams/NIL drama at Washington? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We all know Jeremiah Smith is the best wide receiver, but is he the best “football player” in college or does that go to Malachi Toney? McElroy goes through and lists the Top 10 wide receivers heading into the 2026 season and outside of Smith and Toney you will see other familiar names like Charlie Becker, Ryan Wingo and Duce Robsinson but watch out for Beau Sparks at Texas State and transfers Cam Coleman and Wyatt Young. Keep an eye on Michigan, Notre Dame and Alabama headlining some potential breakout WR players. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greg McElroy talks with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney about overcoming the disappointment of the 2025 season, the state of the Clemson program, how he can get the most out of this Clemson team in 2026, the ACC moving to a 9 game conference schedule and much more. Plus, McElroy looks at everything that has changed in the sport since the show started 4 years ago and wonders - what will the sport look like in four years from now? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the one question that is standing in the way of each SEC team? Can Alabama defense carry the program while the offense figures itself out? How fast can the culture be built in Arkansas and Kentucky? Can the Florida and Texas offensive lines hold up throughout the 2026 season? Will John Mateer, Marcel Reed and LaNorris Sellers put together a complete season? Are the Tennessee and Ole Miss defenses ready to step up? McElroy looks at every SEC team and gives one BIG question that must be answered for these teams to have a successful 2026 season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spring camps are over so we decided now was the best time to give you McElroy’s Top 10 QBs entering the 2026 season. Where will Arch Manning rank? How much does Dante Moore have to prove at Oregon this year? Where will CJ Carr and Jayden Maiava rank and who are the immediate impact transfers? McElroy goes over all of it plus gives you some honorable mention QBs who could work their way into the top 10 after the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New Florida Gators head coach Jon Sumrall joins Greg McElroy to discuss the message he is sending to his players and Gator nation, the portal class that was brought in, what the staff learned this spring, how the QB competition is shaping up, the partnership with Brad White and when he will know that the Gators are back. Plus, McElroy looks at the spring wrap up for Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State and North Carolina and gives you one thing to watch for. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A 24 team College Football Playoff feels like a matter of “when” not “if” with college football power brokers and a White House presidential committee meeting in North Texas this week. McElroy is here to break down what a 24 team CFP would look like, what the impact of the presidential committee is, the impact it will have on the regular season and why it will be a good thing for the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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