Clemson's Expectations Continue To Rise & Syracuse's Fran Brown Changes The Game
The Tigers return 86% of their offensive production from 2024, the highest clip of any squad nationally.
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Dudes Of The Week 😤
Dan Mullen
Head Coach, UNLV
After spending three seasons as a studio analyst and color commentator for ESPN, veteran head coach Dan Mullen is finding peace in returning to the sidelines as UNLV’s head man.
The Athletic recently highlighted Mullen’s desire to lead a program after an underwhelming stint as Florida’s head coach temporarily derailed his career.
“I don’t like how it ended,” Mullen told The Athletic, regarding his departure from Florida. “I didn’t know whether I was going to get back into coaching. I’m in a much better headspace than where I was when I left Florida. I feel very fortunate that I get to maybe rewrite the ending.”
Mullen’s defensive coordinator, Paul Guenther, described him as “energized” and “excited” for the unique opportunity to revamp the Rebels’ culture.
This offseason, Mullen and his staff have garnered 39 commitments through the transfer portal, the fifth-most of any FBS team.
Ja’Juan Seider
Running Backs Coach, Notre Dame
Marcus Freeman’s new running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider is already generating momentum on the recruiting trail in less than 90 days on the job.
Seider landed the services of four-star tailback prospect Javian Osborne on Saturday, boosting Notre Dame’s 2026 recruiting class to No. 2 nationally.
Osborne, a Texas native, chose Notre Dame over Michigan, and resides as the nation’s sixth-best running back recruit per 247Sports’ composite rating.
The Fighting Irish now hold claim to 14 commitments within their 2026 class, highlighted by nine blue-chip commodities.
Arik Gilbert
Tight End, Savannah State
Although former five-star recruit Arik Gilbert hasn’t seen any in-game action in three years, the tough tight end is steadily making a comeback.
Gilbert, a former top 10 overall recruit, who landed at LSU in 2020 before transferring to Georgia and Nebraska, is now at Savannah State competing at the Division II level after battling off-field struggles.
During Savannah State’s recent spring game, Gilbert dominated the exhibition, highlighted by a hauling in a 39-yard touchdown reception to set the tone for Tigers’ attack.
In 2023, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule expressed his concern for Gilbert’s well-being after his time in Lincoln abruptly ended.
“When we took Arik, we knew we had a good group of people who could help him through some of the issues he’s dealing with in his life,” Rhule said. “Had been really proud of the job he had done in the spring and summer. To be honest, during camp he’s had some struggles. He’s been working to overcome them.”
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Mood Tracker Across Fanbases 🤯
Clemson 📈
Revived
Dabo Swinney’s bunch is set to return eight offensive starters in 2025, including star gunslinger Cade Klubnik.
With spring ball in the rearview mirror, USA Today recently ranked Clemson at No. 2 within the publication’s springtime re-rank poll.
CBS Sports’ Josh Pate is also buying into the Clemson hype based on a metric that has correctly predicted recent national title winners.
Pate noted that five of the last six national champions had the most first-round draft selections in the following NFL Draft cycle.
This year, Ohio State led the way with four first-round picks. Next year, based on an average of five “Way-Too-Early Mock Drafts,” Clemson is projected to have 3.2 players selected within the initial 32 picks.
Former ESPN draft guru Todd McShay is predicting six Clemson players to fall off the board during next year’s first round, including Klubnik, Peter Woods, Blake Miller, TJ Parker, Avieon Terrell, and Antonio Williams.
Michigan 📉
Anxious
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten in November 2023 for three regular season matchups as the fallout from the program’s sign-stealing investigation began to unravel.
In May 2025, the Wolverines are still facing repercussions from the same scandal orchestrated by former staffer Connor Stallions.
The university announced it would be handing head coach Sherrone Moore a self-imposed two-game suspension as punishment for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with Stallions while the pair were on staff together from 2021 to 2023.
Moore will be absent from all team activities during weeks three and four of the 2025 season. Notably, Moore’s suspension will not take place during Michigan’s first two weeks of the season, which includes a road trip to Oklahoma in week two.
The NCAA is still investigating the program’s advanced scouting scheme and has already delivered Michigan a notice of allegations, per CBS Sports.
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Who Made Money This Week? 💰
Fran Brown
Head Coach, Syracuse
Since NIL’s grand inception took place in 2021, most high-profile monetization efforts have focused on college athletes — and rightfully so.
This week, however, Syracuse’s Fran Brown became the first head coach to openly maximize his own NIL potential.
Brown signed with an NIL agency called NETWORK on Tuesday, which will aim to help the head coach elevate his brand and influence athletes on the recruiting trail.
“I figure there’s no better time to do it than right now,” Brown told Front Office Sports.
Brown said NETWORK will help him “take the next step in building my personal brand, exploring new partnership opportunities, and business ventures.”
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email at adam@brenemanmedia.com.
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Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
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