MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Moments before kickoff here, while on the podium during ESPN College GameDay’s live segment, Nick Saban offered millions of people watching from home his theory on the Big Ten’s most recent dominance of this sport.
In short, Saban attributed the Big Ten’s latest success to its schools using the loosening of athlete-compensation rules to coax Southern athletes — traditionally staying nearby in the SEC — to move north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
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“You’ll never convince me otherwise,” Saban said, “because people in the South would not go to the North unless you paid them.”
Twisting in the knife, Saban then slipped on the hat of the team he predicted would win it all: Miami.
And, in doing so, the Hoosiers — a confounding 16-0 two years after finishing 3-9 — delivered the Big Ten (those Northerners!) a remarkable and unexpected third consecutive title for the first time in 73 years.
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“People down South … they play some great ball and they’re very physical,” Indiana offensive lineman Carter Smith said afterward, “but, you know, some people just need to open their eyes and see what’s going on up here.”
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has turned a historic losing program into a national champion in just a two-year span.
(Carmen Mandato via Getty Images)
Up here? The land of cornfields and cattle. Motown and deep-dish. The Great Lakes and the Breadbasket. The Motor City and snowplows.
This is a place of hardworking, blue-collar folks who say things like, “You betcha” and “Uff da!” They slurp “pop” with their cheese curds and, on many weekend nights, get “schnockered” on some of the best beer you’ll ever drink.
But on this Monday, in one of the deepest geographically southern places in America, amid a perfect 60-degree day (a brisk summer night for Midwesterners), Indiana, the place of farmland and fall foliage, polished off one of the most dramatic turnarounds in industry history.
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“College football has changed quite a bit, the balance of power also,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said at the postgame news conference here.
Perhaps a new villain of college football is emerging — a conference so dominant that many nationally shake their fists in fury.
While the SEC failed to advance to a national championship game for a third straight year, the Big Ten three-peated — a stunning about-face in college football’s pecking order. A league that won three titles in 25 years, from 1997-2022, has claimed a trio.
“Just maybe another conference isn’t all superior in all the land,” says one Big Ten official, a jest at the SEC. “Just maybe!”
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Afterward, Big Ten officials, flooding the field in celebration, held up their ring, middle and index finger.
The last three football national champions derive from contiguous states inside a 300-mile radius mostly incorporating southern Indiana, central Ohio and southeastern Michigan.
“It’s unbelievable,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said. “It means so much for Indiana, but it means a lot for the entire league. What Indiana has done in two years, I’ve never seen anything like it in all of the years I’ve been in sports.”
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Said Petitti about the Big Ten’s three titles: “I feel like we’re just getting started.”
To put the Big Ten’s stretch in perspective, consider this: The last time the league won three straight football titles, the Nazis were gearing up for a takeover in Germany, the Manhattan Project began developing the atomic bomb and the iconic film Casablanca premiered.
In fact, it was so long ago that the Ohio State team that capped the three-year run in 1942 beat that season an independent football club called “Iowa Preflight,” and the Buckeyes’ only loss that year was attributed to a mass outbreak of an intestinal disorder from players drinking unsanitary water from a fountain.
You betcha, the Big Ten is back!
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“It’s Tony Petitti! He’s our guy!” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson screamed with glee into a reporter’s recorder.
Dolson’s quote came with intent, directing praise to a man who for many months now has been the target of national criticism for ideas (not all his but the league’s as a whole) that often rattle cages: a 24-team playoff format and the pursuit of private-equity, just to name a couple.
Some might say that Petitti is the bull and college sports is the china shop. But behind him is a league of administrators who are supporting and encouraging the decisions.
And now before him on the field is yet another one of his schools winning it all.
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“The Indiana story. I don’t think there’s anything else that’s been like this,” Petitti said. “What it means for Indiana and the fans … the transformation around this. Look at the turnout and what happened in the Rose Bowl, in Atlanta and what we’ve seen tonight.”
Despite playing in its opponent’s home stadium, Indiana fans — its red-clad legion — out-numbered Miami fans nearly 2-to-1.
Afterward, Dolson stood shocked.
“I can’t believe it,” he barely uttered out of his mouth.
Five years ago, Dolson and school president Pamela Whitten made a decision: Indiana must be good in football. Whitten said the staff “realigned the whole athletic department” and raised funds to transition to the world of NIL, the transfer portal and revenue sharing.
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The final piece happened two years ago, when the school spent $15 million to fire Tom Allen and replace him with the 60-something-year-old coach from James Madison.
“We happened to hire the best coach in America,” said Whitten, herself a southern lady, raised in Tennessee and educated in south Louisiana. “Indiana is the best university in the country and now we have the best football team in the country.”
The best school, the best coach, the best university.
The biggest alumni base in the country, too (more than 800,000).
Cignetti, his players and this crew of administrators managed to turn the losingest program in college football into the most winning in the last two seasons: 27-2.
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“It was because there wasn’t an emphasis on football,” Cignetti said afterward, explaining IU’s history. “Basketball school. You got to be good in football nowadays. We’ve got a president that comes from the South who loves football and an AD who is a tremendous fundraiser and the largest alumni base in the country.”
There’s one thing that Cignetti would like to get off his chest, too, he says.
In a comment maybe directed at his former boss, Saban, or others who point to cash as a reason for the success, the coach quipped, “Our NIL is nowhere what people think it is, so you can throw that out.”
The Indiana Hoosiers are the new kings of college football. They claimed their first National Championship, in football, Monday night defeating Miami 27-21. Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey join each other in Miami and discuss how the Hoosiers came away with the win.
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Then, the guys discuss Nick Saban’s comments from Monday night. On GameDay, Nick Saban made the claim that NIL is the only reason the Big Ten has been successful recently. The crew reacts to Saban’s comments. They also look at how Curt Cignetti turned this Indiana program into a national champion in just two seasons. Is Indiana the new blueprint for success? How should some of the other coaches around college football feel that Coach Cignetti was able to turn the program around so quickly?
Lastly, Andy, Ross and Godfrey talk about the latest drama with the transfer portal. It appears Miami is trying to lure Darian Mensah away from Duke. The problem is that Mensah has a very large NIL deal to be Duke’s quarterback, and they do not appear willing to let him out of it. The guys explain the whole situation and discuss how they think it might turn out.
Get caught up on College Football with College Football Enquirer.
Indiana wins the College Football Playoff National Championship Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
0:00:00 – Indiana Hoosiers with the National Championship
Naomi Osaka has experienced plenty of success at the Australian Open over her career. The 28-year-old has won the event twice, with her most recent win coming in 2021. While Osaka hasn’t won a major since then, she usually performs well at the event.
So it should come as no surprise that Osaka won her first-round match Tuesday. Osaka dispatched Antonio Ružić, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. With the win, Osaka advanced to the second round, where she’ll take on Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday.
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While Osaka did drop a set Tuesday, she was strong overall during the match. Osaka registered 11 aces vs. Cîrstea and had a 72 percent win percentage on her first serves. Her serves, which came in nearly 30 km/h faster than Cîrstea’s, proved to be a huge issue for her Croatian opponent.
Though Osaka deserves credit for her play, her outfit arguably received more attention after the match. Osaka was asked about her outfit choice, saying she modeled it after a jellyfish.
Osaka reached the third round of the Australian Open last year, and will look to once again make it to that stage if she can beat Cîrstea on Thursday.
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Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner advance to next round
It took Taylor Fritz a little while to get going, but the American pulled out the win in the first round of the Australian Open. After going to a tiebreak in the first set and then losing the second set, Fritz recovered to take the next two sets and defeat Valentin Royer 7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
Fritz, who came into the event ranked No. 9, picked up 24 aces in the win. With the win, he’ll take on Vít Kopřiva on Thursday.
Fritz has experienced success at the Australian Open in recent years, making it to at least the third round of the event in six of the past seven years.
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While things looked dicey for Fritz momentarily, Jannik Sinner had no such issues. The Italian advanced in just two sets (6-2, 6-1) over his first-round opponent, Hugo Gaston, after Gaston was forced to retire after the second set. Gaston, who was coming back from an Achilles injury in November, was emotional on the court following the decision to stop the match.
Sinner offered kind words to his opponent before leaving the court.
With the win, Sinner will take on James Duckworth on Thursday.
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🚨 Headlines
🏈 NFL coaching carousel: The Bills fired Sean McDermott after nine seasons, while the Giants (John Harbaugh), Falcons (Kevin Stefanski), Titans (Robert Saleh) and Dolphins (Jeff Hafley) hired new head coaches.
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🏀 Disaster for Golden State: Warriors star Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL during Monday’s win over the Heat, ending his season and likely altering Golden State’s plans at the trade deadline. Brutal blow.
⚾️ Bichette to New York: Bo Bichette is heading to the Mets on a three-year, $126 million deal. The former Blue Jays shortstop is expected to play third base in Queens despite having never played that position in the major or minor leagues.
🏒 Goalie fight! San Jose’s Alex Nedeljkovic and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky dropped gloves and fought during the third period of the Sharks’ win on Monday, marking the first fight between NHL goalies since 2020.
🏀 Wildcats, Huskies still on top: Arizona, one of three undefeated men’s teams (Nebraska, Miami-Ohio), remains atop the men’s AP poll. UConn, one of two undefeated women’s teams (Vanderbilt), remains atop the women’s AP poll.
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🏆 Hoosiers complete storybook season
(Yahoo Sports)
Indiana beat Miami, 27-21, on Monday night in South Florida to win the program’s first national championship, complete their perfect 16-0 season and author the greatest turnaround American sports has ever seen.
An unlikely champion: Indiana had 100-1 preseason odds to win the national title, making them one of the biggest long-shot champions in sports history. Add in their status as a perennial doormat and I’d argue only Leicester City’s unthinkable 2015-16 Premier League title (5,000-1 preseason odds) tops what Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers accomplished this season.
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“Back when I was waxing the staff table at [Indiana University of Pennsylvania] on Thanksgiving weekend … did I ever think something like this was possible? Probably not. But if you keep your nose down in life and keep working, anything is possible.”
— Cignetti, whose head coaching journey from D2 IUP (2011-16) to FCS Elon (2017-18) to FCS/FBS JMU (2019-2023) to the very top of college football after just two years in Bloomington is simply remarkable.
Iconic. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Highlight of the night: There were a handful of plays that defined this game — none bigger than Fernando Mendoza’s fourth-down TD run in the fourth quarter. It was a gutsy call by Cignetti, and the Heisman winner delivered, breaking multiple tackles before diving headfirst into the end zone for a 24-14 lead.
These days, the world of college football often feels chaotic, sometimes even dark. But this felt pure — not because it was Indiana, but because of how it happened. The fundamentals. The self-belief. The three-star recruits who played like superstars, turning everything we knew about college football upside down.
Game notes:
Welcome to the club: Indiana is the first school to win its maiden FBS national championship since Florida claimed its first title in 1996.
50 years later: Indiana now has the most recent undefeated national champions in both football and men’s basketball. Bob Knight’s squad went 32-0 en route to winning the 1976 title.
Double the hardware: Mendoza joins Derrick Henry (2015), Joe Burrow (2019) and DeVonta Smith (2020) as the only players to win the Heisman Trophy and the CFP title in the same season.
Midwest supremacy: The Big Ten has now won three straight national titles (Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana) for the first time since 1940-42 (Minnesota, Minnesota, Ohio State), with the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Hoosiers all located inside a 300-mile radius mostly incorporating southern Indiana, central Ohio and southeastern Michigan. Has the South lost football?
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game starters were announced Monday, with Lakers guard Luka Dončić (3.4 million) and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (3.2 million) receiving the most votes from fans.
How it works: Fans are responsible for 50% of the vote, while NBA players (25%) and a media panel (25%) account for the rest. For the first time in the exhibition’s near-75-year history, there are no positional requirements for lineups. That extends to the seven reserves from each conference, who will be selected by head coaches on Feb. 1.
(Yahoo Sports)
Notably absent: LeBron James’ 21-year streak as an All-Star starter has officially come to an end. He finished eighth in fan voting, one spot ahead of Rockets forward Kevin Durant and one spot behind Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.
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As a reminder: There’s a new USA vs. World round-robin format this year. Ideally, voting will fill the 24 spots with 16 Americans and eight internationals, forming three teams of eight. If those numbers aren’t reached organically, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will pick additional All-Stars so that each group hits its mark.
For the 15th consecutive season, either the Patriots or Chiefs have reached the AFC Championship Game. The last time both franchises failed to make it this far was in 2010, when the Steelers beat the Jets (in Gang Green’s most recent playoff game).
Denver is the biggest home underdog as a No. 1 seed in a conference title game since the 1970 merger after losing Bo Nix to a broken ankle. They’ll turn to backup Jarrett Stidham, who hasn’t thrown a single pass all season.
Fun fact: The coaching matchup in this game is Mike (Vrabel) vs. Sean (Payton), while the coaching matchup in the NFC title game is also Mike (Macdonald) vs. Sean (McVay).
NFC: Rams (+2.5) at Seahawks
The NFC West foes meet for the third time this season after splitting the first two games with nearly the exact same number of points scored (58-57) and total yards (830-829). The Rams were the No. 1 scoring offense during the regular season (30.5 points per game), while the Seahawks were the No. 1 scoring defense (17.2).
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Seattle is back in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2014, which had been the conference’s fourth-longest drought ahead of only the Cowboys (1995), Bears (2010) and Giants (2011).
Los Angeles has won 10 playoff games under Sean McVay, who has twice as many postseason wins before the age of 40 as any other head coach in NFL history. He turns 40 on Saturday.
Super Bowl odds: The Seahawks are favored to hoist the Lombardi Trophy (+150 at BetMGM), followed by the Rams (+220), Patriots (+250) and Broncos (+1300), whose odds cratered after Nix’s injury.
*Wild stat: Caleb Williams’ last-ditch heave marked the fourth time in NFL postseason history that a team scored a game-tying TD (plus the PAT) in the last 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. All four of those teams ended up losing in overtime (1987 Seahawks, 2004 Chargers, 2015 Packers).
🌎 The world in photos
(Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
🇺🇸 Honolulu, Hawaii — Chris Gotterup (-16) opened 2026 with a victory, winning the Sony Open by two strokes on Sunday to claim the first event of the new PGA Tour season, and the third of his young career.
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On the rise: The 26-year-old Maryland native, who turned pro in 2022, is up to a career-best ranking of No. 17 after becoming just the sixth golfer with at least three PGA Tour wins since the start of 2024.
Sadio Mané has cemented himself as one of the greatest African players ever. (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
🇲🇦 Rabat, Morocco — Senegal won their second Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, beating Morocco, 1-0 in extra time, after a pair of controversial calls in stoppage time led to a lengthy delay and a spectator brawl.
How it went down: Senegal had a goal disallowed and Morocco was awarded a penalty on two questionable calls just minutes apart. Furious, Senegal’s coach led his team off the field in protest as fans began brawling. Players didn’t return for 15 minutes, after which Morocco missed the penalty and Senegal ultimately won on Pape Gueye’s goal in extra time.
Federer waves goodnight to the crowd. (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
🇦🇺 Melbourne, Australia — The Australian Open kicked off on Saturday with its first-ever formal opening ceremony. 87-year-old Rod Laver sat courtside in the arena named for him and Roger Federer stole the show as the star of a pair of exhibition matches.
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More history for Djokovic: Novak Djokovic’s first-round victory was his 100th at the Australian Open, making him the first player to reach the century mark at three Grand Slams. He has 101 at Roland Garros, 102 at Wimbledon, and could reach 100 at the U.S. Open later this year (95).
Bryan Mbeumo celebrates scoring United’s first goal. (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
🏴 Manchester, England — Manchester United stunned Manchester City, 2-0, in Saturday’s Derby, snapping City’s 13-match unbeaten streak in interim manager Michael Carrick’s debut with the Red Devils.
Title chances dwindling: City, which managed just one shot on target in the loss, are now seven points behind league-leader Arsenal after going four straight matches without a win.
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📺 Watchlist: Tuesday, Jan. 20
Spurs vs. Rockets in an all-Texas clash. Who ya got? (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
🏀 NBA on NBC
Four Western Conference powers take the floor in tonight’s doubleheader, with the Rockets hosting the Spurs in the first game (8pm ET) and the Nuggets hosting the Lakers in the second (10pm).
Weathering the storm: Denver (29-14) has gone 7-4 since losing Nikola Jokić to a knee injury in late December. The three-time MVP is expected to return by month’s end.
⚽️ Champions League
Inter Milan hosts Arsenal (3pm, Paramount+) in a matchup between the first-place teams in Serie A and the English Premier League to headline the penultimate matchday of the league phase.
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Where it stands: With two matchdays left, the top eight teams in position to advance directly to the Round of 16 are Arsenal, Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester City, Atalanta, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid.
More to watch:
🎾 Australian Open: Second round (7pm, ESPN+; 9pm, ESPN2) … Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek headline the action in Melbourne.
🏒 NHL: Bruins at Stars (7:30pm, TNT); Devils at Oilers (10pm, TNT) … Edmonton’s Connor McDavid leads all players with 85 points (30 goals, 55 assists) in 50 games played.
🏀 NCAAM: UCF at No. 9 Iowa State (7pm, CBSSN); Indiana at No. 3 Michigan (7pm, Peacock); LSU at No. 16 Florida (7pm, ESPN2); No. 15 Vanderbilt at No. 20 Arkansas (9pm, ESPN)
⛳️ TGL: Jupiter Links vs. Los Angeles (7pm, ESPN) … Max Homa, Akshay Bhatia and Kevin Kisner vs. Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala.
Trivia answer: LeBron James (42,727 points); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387); Karl Malone (36,928); Kobe Bryant (33,643); Michael Jordan (32,292)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Sean Payton has to express confidence in Jarrett Stidham.
He has no choice. The AFC championship game will kick off Sunday and Stidham will be the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback replacing Bo Nix, who broke a bone in his ankle late in Saturday’s win over the Buffalo Bills. No matter how Payton feels about the situation, he has to tell the world and his team that Stidham will play well against the New England Patriots with a berth in Super Bowl LX on the line.
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But maybe Payton isn’t just trying to be a salesman. The past few years he has spoken a few times to the media about Stidham’s knowledge of the scheme and his work ethic. He said after announcing Nix’s injury on Saturday night that he has felt for a while that Stidham could start for a handful of teams. Stidham has started just four NFL games and hasn’t thrown a pass in either of the past two seasons, but that doesn’t mean he’s incapable. It just means he hasn’t played much because Nix was better.
When Payton was asked why he believes in Stidham, he mentioned the reasons he sees behind the scenes.
“It’s our three years here. In our three years, watching him day-in and day-out that you guys don’t have access to,” Payton said. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”
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Stidham will be the least experienced quarterback to ever start a conference championship game. His four starts are one fewer than Jeff Hostetler, who had five career starts (including playoffs) before he started for the 1990 New York Giants in the NFC title game against the San Francisco 49ers, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports.
Here’s the good news: Hostetler helped the Giants win a Super Bowl. Vince Ferragamo, who had six starts before the 1979 NFC championship game for the Rams, helped Los Angeles to win the NFC and the Rams led in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl before the Steelers rallied to win.
Whatever it’s worth, Stidham did play very well this past preseason. He was 30 of 38 for 376 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. It’s not like Broncos fans have much more they’ve seen to get excited about. Stidham did play fairly well in two regular-season starts for the Broncos at the end of the 2023 season (going 40 of 66 overall for 496 yards, two touchdowns and one interception), and the organization told everyone what they thought of him when they signed him to a new two-year, $12 million extension this past offseason. That’s good money for a backup quarterback. Now the Broncos look for their return on that investment.
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“One of Stiddy’s great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progressions in understanding plays,” Payton told the media on Sunday. “There’d be practices where I’m looking at [Broncos defensive coordinator] Vance [Joseph], like getting pissed off because Stiddy’ is making our defense look bad. He’s very accurate. He has a lot to his ball.”
The Broncos understand the challenge facing them. Payton will have them ready. They still have a top-flight defense that has been the foundation of their success all season. They will need Stidham to do his job when called upon. And maybe Payton is right, and his new quarterback will surprise everyone.
Panic meter: Not ideal for the Broncos, but maybe not the end of the road for them either.
Here is the rest of the panic meter, looking at the teams that exited the playoffs in the divisional round:
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Bills make a major change
The Bills certainly sent a message when they fired head coach Sean McDermott but not general manager Brandon Beane. Not only did Beane stay around, he got what looked like a promotion as president of football operations was added to his title. In essence, the Bills said Beane did his job and produced a Super Bowl-level roster, and McDermott was the problem.
Anyone who watched the Bills this season might disagree. The depth at receiver, which Beane did nothing at the trade deadline to fix, was egregious. The defense, particularly against the run, slipped. It’s hard to put all of that on McDermott.
Whatever the case, upgrading the roster around Josh Allen is the priority.. Allen wasn’t at his best against the Broncos, with four costly turnovers, but he’s clearly good enough to take a team to a Super Bowl. He just needs that team to be better. The Bills must believe Beane can pull it off. For Allen’s sake, they better be right.
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Panic meter: It’s OK for the Bills to have urgency, but now everyone remaining is under pressure.
What happens with Christian McCaffrey?
McCaffrey had a great comeback season. He missed almost all of last season due to injuries, then this season he had 2,126 yards from scrimmage. The 49ers, often decimated by injuries, rode him hard. McCaffrey had 450 touches, 413 in the regular season and 37 more in the playoffs. McCaffrey will be 30 years old next season. While it was great to see McCaffrey stay healthy all season, and he has had some high-usage seasons in the past, that workload is a little worrisome.
Saquon Barkley had 482 touches last season, including four playoff games (just two for McCaffrey; he’d have breezed past 482 touches in two more games), and slowed down considerably this season. In recent history, running backs hitting 400 touches in a season have been a great bet to regress the following season. The 49ers did what they had to do this season, loading up McCaffrey like there was no tomorrow. But there is a tomorrow and it’s worth worrying a bit about McCaffrey repeating his fantastic season.
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Panic meter: The history isn’t kind here.
What do the Texans do on offense?
There will be an offseason-long discussion about C.J. Stroud — do they sign him to a long-term contract? simply pick up his fifth-year option? neither? — but it probably doesn’t matter. Stroud isn’t going anywhere, at least not right away. The Houston Texans are stuck seeing it through with him.
The actionable discussion is what the Texans do around him. Stroud didn’t play great this season and really struggled in the playoffs, but Houston didn’t do much to help him last offseason. They didn’t do enough to fix a line that was still well below average this season. Nico Collins is good and a couple of rookies the Texans drafted have promise, but there’s still more work to be done at the skill positions.
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Stroud isn’t going anywhere. The Texans have to figure out a way to support him better. That means there’s a lot of work to be done this offseason.
Panic meter: At least the Texans know what they have to do.
Bears actually feel pretty good
Among the teams that lost in the divisional round, the Bears probably feel the best about what’s to come.
Caleb Williams made strides in Ben Johnson’s first season as his head coach. Chicago looked better than they have in years. We’ve seen many coaches have one big season to start and then fade quickly, but this doesn’t seem like that type of situation. If anything, another step forward from some young offensive players and a good offseason building the defense will make the foundation even stronger after a surprising NFC North championship season.
Count receiver Jaylen Waddle as an “explosive athlete” with the “ability to create separation at the top of the route” as well as anybody, Sullivan told a team reporter in an interview the Dolphins posted to YouTube on Sunday. Running back De’Von Achane “can strike from anywhere on the field,” Sullivan said. “He’s a home-run guy … a difference maker.”
The omission of Tagovailoa was not shocking. Former head coach Mike McDaniel benched the 2020 first-round draft pick with three games to play in the season after he’d thrown 15 interceptions and lost four fumbles in 14 games. McDaniel also said in the days between the Dolphins’ finale and his firing that “in 2026, I think there will be competition for our starting quarterback.”
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But when the Dolphins fired McDaniel later that week, creating a further leadership void alongside the midseason firing of general manager Chris Grier, the question resurfaced: Would Tagovailoa get another chance in Miami?
Tagovailoa completed 67.7% of pass attempts for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns amid his turnover uptick in 2025. But the interceptions brought down his passer rating to 88.5, 26th-best in the league after three straight seasons in the top-10.
A new regime could have restated its belief in him. Instead, the absence of a Tagovailoa discussion between Sullivan and the Dolphins’ in-house reporter spoke volumes.
Quarterback Malik Willis will be in demand as a free agent this offseason. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
(Patrick McDermott via Getty Images)
Multiple league sources told Yahoo Sports they expect the Dolphins to strongly consider Malik Willis for their 2026 starting quarterback position. Miami’s offensive coordinator decision will be a key prerequisite before moving forward with any formal plans. But after Hafley and Sullivan spent two years watching Willis at practice and in meetings, the connection makes sense.
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“I think Malik is on most people’s radar as a starting QB target in free agency, including them,” one NFC talent evaluator told Yahoo Sports.
Executive and coaching sources from other teams agreed, one noting that processing seemed to slow down for the “super talented” Willis in his limited action with the Packers this season while another expected Willis to be the Dolphins’ target “depending on OC.”
Willis was strong in limited action this season despite, as is standard for backup quarterbacks, playing in unideal circumstances and at times without reps during the week.
He completed 85.7% of his 35 pass attempts for 422 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while also running for 123 yards and two scores though he fumbled twice. The Titans’ 2022 third-round pick (86th overall), Willis spent two years in Tennessee before moving to Green Bay.
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He engineered a touchdown drive in one series of relief for the Packers against the Giants, and Willis accounted for 348 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens in a late December loss.
The Packers have a long history of developing quarterbacks, including first-rounders in Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love who grew into starting quarterbacks while sitting for multiple seasons.
Sullivan alluded to that history of “30 years of sustained success” in Green Bay during his sit-down.
And while he spoke often about draft-and-develop as his preferred roster-building method to free agency acquisitions, Sullivan’s discussions of evaluating football character and adversity response hinted at the comfort he may find in working with a quarterback who’s not a completely new colleague.
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Willis could sign a deal resembling what Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have signed in recent years with teams that believed they had upside as a starter. After Jones received $13 million last spring from the Indianapolis Colts, league sources see a reality in which Willis receives $15 million this spring in a multiyear deal with front-loaded guarantees.
If the Dolphins are interested, they’ll know whom to call. Willis’ agent, David Mulugheta, has negotiated the two biggest contracts in Packers history: Love and edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Tagovailoa’s contract won’t make Willis’ cost more palatable: Cutting Tagovailoa this offseason would leave the Dolphins on the hook for $99.2 million in dead cap space, compared to $31.8 million a year later.
But only two years ago, the Denver Broncos took on $85 million in dead cap space to release Russell Wilson and now they’re hosting the AFC championship game. And while finding a quarterback in the draft would be more cost-effective and in many ways more Packers-like, the Dolphins aren’t on the board until spot No. 11.
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A quarterback outside the top 10 in a draft class widely considered weak at quarterback is unlikely to fuel confidence in a player’s readiness for the present and future.
Willis could bridge that gap.
Sullivan could play coy on his interest, the new GM repeating multiple times this week that the Dolphins “don’t want a team full of mercenaries” and “free agency … can be dangerous waters if you don’t handle it the right way.”
But don’t expect the Dolphins to overlook the impending free agency of a quarterback whom Miami decision-makers know intimately. Willis’ services will be in demand. A logical suitor awaits.
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“It’s our job to make sure that through the draft and through the other avenues, we’re making this team as competitive as possible at every position,” Sullivan said, “because competition drives the individual to excellence.”
It seemed like a reasonable enough proposition: Hire a coach with a lengthy, proven track record of winning, give him control of personnel decisions to reshape the team in his preferred image, and sit back and watch the wins roll in. Easy, right?
And then Pete Carroll went 3-14 in his first and only season leading the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s worth remembering, in this era of rapid, quick-trigger coaching turnover, that a massive change in a franchise’s direction doesn’t automatically mean that direction will be positive.
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Nine coaches were relieved of their duties and another resigned during or after the 2025 NFL season, a phenomenally large turnover. When one-third of your league willingly takes on the most fundamental reorganization short of selling the team, something’s in the air. Something that smells a whole lot like impatience.
The success of the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots this season did more than turn the clock back to 1985 and the 2010s, respectively. Their quick turnarounds — a six-win improvement for Chicago, a 10-win improvement for New England — persuaded fans and itchy team owners alike that success for any team is just a head coach away. Throw in the Jacksonville Jaguars — the freaking Jaguars! — going from four wins to 13, and fans and owners have to be thinking that anyone can do this.
Bears head coach helped lead Chicago to its first playoff victory since the 2010 season. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
(Perry Knotts via Getty Images)
Here’s the thing: the fans and club owners might not be wrong. We already knew that the distance between the playoffs and unemployment is one missed field goal, as John Harbaugh and the Week 18 Baltimore Ravens can attest. And the distance between playoff success and an early exit is one miraculous catch, as the Los Angeles Rams have proven two straight weeks. Oh, and the difference between a castoff bust and a playoff-level quarterback is the uniform, as Sam Darnold has demonstrated the past two years.
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The right coach in the right situation can work miracles. Look at how Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson have transformed the Patriots and Bears into playoff-worthy (and, in New England’s case, potentially Super Bowl-bound) teams in just a single offseason. Look how Liam Coen has at last unlocked Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. These coaches have reinvigorated their entire organizations, top to bottom, and the results both on and off the field have been obvious. (We could throw in new national champion Indiana here too, from a believe-in-the-impossible standpoint, if not a roster-construction one.)
If you’re the New York Giants or the Atlanta Falcons, mired in years of mediocrity, you look at that kind of makeover and you think, why not us? If you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers or Buffalo Bills or Ravens, stuck in wild-card hell for nearly a decade, you look at the Bears, Jags and Patriots busting through that ceiling in just one year, and you think, we need some of that. If you’re the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns or Arizona Cardinals, tired of being a done-by-Halloween punch line, you look at how the Bears and Patriots have ridden high draft picks to success and you think, wait a minute, we’ve got high draft picks too!
And that’s how you end up with 10 head coaches updating their LinkedIn pages.
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We know, based on history, that roughly half of the teams in this year’s playoff field won’t be there next season. We can make some guesses as to who might replace them — Harbaugh might give the Giants the boost they need, Kevin Stefanski might get Atlanta to win more of the games it should win — but the only certainty in the playoff field is uncertainty.
It’s worth remembering, then, that as teams surge upward, other teams must give way. And you don’t need to look very far to see how two recent renaissances flamed out in a hurry. Dan Campbell took Detroit from three wins to the No. 1 seed in the NFC in just three years … and missed the playoffs this year. Dan Quinn took over a four-win Washington Commanders team and promptly led them to the NFC championship in 2023 … and then right back down to five wins this year. Kevin O’Connell has posted records of 13, 7, 14 and 9 wins over four seasons in Minnesota, pinballing in and out of the playoffs.
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Every NFL head coach knows this is a cruel and tenuous business, but the trend seems to be only accelerating. The only AP Coach of the Year winners since 2017 still with their team are Sean McVay and O’Connell. Three of the last four -– Vrabel, Brian Daboll and Stefanski twice! — were fired within two years of winning the award, and O’Connell, last year’s winner, might not have much latitude left either.
So, best of luck to the new and soon-to-be-new coaching hires. Your honeymoon will last only until your first loss. As you survey your new hometown … may we suggest renting rather than buying?
As the college football season comes to a close, fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth looks at the top players at each position. Which college stars have the potential to become future fantasy football stars?
Quarterback
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana University
6’5”, 225 lbs
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Heisman, National Champion and future No. 1 overall pick? There have been doubts about whether Fernando Mendoza is worthy of the first overall selection, but for fans who are looking for a proven winner, the Hoosier QB has done only that. After transferring from California, Mendoza entered the season ready to lead his team to new heights.
Many have compared his path to former No. 1 pick Joe Burrow, as well as his play style. The athleticism to escape in the pocket is there to add to his size and downfield accuracy. Like Burrow, the back shoulder fade is a unique specialty that has shone up time and time again in big moments. His ability to make NFL-level throws while moving into a pro-style system is notable. He may not come with the world-beating talent of past first overall picks, but experience and accuracy, along with his leadership ability, make him a worthy selection as a franchise changer.
Las Vegas needs a lot of help, but Mendoza is a good player to build around.
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Running Back
Jeremiyah Love, University of Notre Dame
6’0”, 214 lbs
Jeremiyah Love is the clear No. 1 RB prospect in a draft that is thin at the position. With so many free agent running backs available and several top prospects drafted in 2025, the landing spot for Love will be key (case in point, Ashton Jeanty).
The Notre Dame running back has a shot of being drafted inside the top 12 this April. Since 2015, six of the eight RBs drafted top-12 in the NFL Draft have finished top-12 in fantasy football their rookie seasons, averaging 17.7 PPG. The two that did not live up to expectations immediately were not complete busts, especially in terms of talent. Bijan Robinson and Jeanty both finished as the RB16 after entering rough situations in Year 1.
Love’s numbers were outstanding throughout his three-year career. In the last two years alone, the Heisman candidate ran for nearly 2,500 yards and added 35 touchdowns. His age and workload also stick out. In the world of NIL, fewer and fewer young prospects declare early for the draft, especially those without many touches. We see more examples like rookie RB RJ Harvey, who is 24 years old, and Jeanty, entering with 830 touches. Love will be drafted before his 21st birthday and has less than 500 touches under his belt.
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Wide Receiver
Carnell Tate, Ohio State University
6’3”, 195 lbs
Surprise, Ohio State has another Round 1 WR talent. It should be the school’s fifth straight season with a first-round WR drafted and potentially their fourth taken inside the top 12 over that span. Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson have all proven they can finish a season as a top-10 fantasy wideout. Tate isn’t as flashy as other top receivers, but he is a consistent player who could equal a safe pick. The tall, outside WR has incredible body control and contested catch ability that make up for his lack of elite speed.
The most comparable recent OSU WR, in my opinion, would be Emeka Egbuka. Tate’s better at the catch point, but they are both smooth and sound route runners who play all-around games. He could go inside the top 10 of April’s draft and will make an immediate impact.
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Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State University
6’2”, 200 lbs
Jordyn Tyson’s remarkable college career has been plagued by injuries, but his talent still makes him a clear Round 1 selection. He tore nearly everything in his knee at Colorado in 2022, ending a notable freshman season before transferring to Arizona State. In his games played over the last two seasons, Tyson has 1,817 yards and 19 TDs, although he only logged 21 games, missing both postseasons due to his injuries.
Tyson is an all-around receiver, whether it’s yards after catch, deep catches or blocking in the run game, after being coached by former Steelers WR Hines Ward. Tyson specifically shined against Texas Tech’s nationally-recognized defense, bringing in 10 receptions for 105 yards and a TD.
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Makai Lemon, University of Southern California
5’11”, 195 lbs
He won’t be most scouts’ No. 1 overall WR, but Makai Lemon’s production, on paper, is hard to beat. The USC WR produced 3.13 yards per route, the highest among Power 4 draft prospects and third in the country behind only Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas A&M’s Mario Craver. Lemon is an excellent inside receiver who can be a frequent target versus zone coverage while also bringing the uncommon deep-threat ability out of the slot.
Tight End
Kenyon Sadiq, University of Oregon
6’3”, 245 lbs
Rookie tight ends have made a tremendous impact for three consecutive seasons. Back-to-back overall fantasy TE1s in 2023 (Sam LaPorta) and 2024 (Brock Bowers), followed by Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland living up to the hype in 2025. Otherwise, the tight end position in fantasy has been a disaster outside of the first three players drafted each season.
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Drafting the talented rookie TE has given managers the best shot of real value later on in drafts. The combination of Sadiq’s athleticism and receiving versatility gives the Oregon prospect an undeniable ceiling.
Former New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora revealed this week that he recently was hospitalized for nearly a month and in a coma for five days. The two-time Super Bowl champion did not explain exactly what ailment he was dealing with, only saying he had gone through “some real adversity.”
“I went through some real adversity,” Umenyiora said. “I was in the hospital for almost a month. I was in a coma for five days, had some extensive surgery. I was in a really, really bad place. And I find out right then and there who actually loved me. Because there were some people who showed up every single day. There were some people who came to see me when I was in a coma. There were some people who traveled from all across the world to come see me when I was at my lowest points.”
Bell was singled out by Umenyiora as someone who was there for him during his recent health episode.
“This man right here was by my side,” Umenyiora said of Bell. “I remember when I got up and I saw him for the first time, I just started crying because I could feel the love. So don’t you ever mistake what we got going on up here for something that’s not real because this is real, and I love you, J Bell. I really, really appreciate everything you did. They told me that when I heard your voice, my heart rate started to spike, which was absolutely incredible.”
The 44-year-old Umenyiora, who was born in London, was a second-round pick in 2003 out of Troy. He played 11 NFL seasons with the Giants and Atlanta Falcons and was a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.
