Stay ConnectedAdam Breneman’s College Football Show takes you inside the game with interviews featuring the biggest coaches, players, and decision-makers in college football, plus Adam’s analysis on the teams, players, and stories shaping the sport.
Breneman brings a unique perspective as a former 3x All-American at Penn State and UMass, former 5-star recruit, the youngest Power Four position coach in college football, and now a national college football analyst for CBS Sports.
Copyright: © Adam Breneman
In this episode of Next Up with Adam Breneman, presented by Teamworks, Florida State General Manager of Personnel Darrick Yray joins Adam to break down how a modern college program actually builds a roster from high school recruiting vs. the portal, to retention as strategy, to culture built through competition. He shares the lesson he’s learned from Mike Norvell’s consistency, why comparing NIL/revenue sharing to the NFL is “lazy,” and the single trait he refuses to compromise: “Do you love football?”
We also get into war stories of big recruiting wins like Luke Musgrave, evaluating players like that still sting Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, and how evaluation has evolved from DVDs to data dashboards without losing the human read on character. If you’re a coach, recruiting staffer, or player trying to understand what actually moves the needle in 2025 roster construction, this one is a masterclass.
This conversation is part of a larger look, presented by our partners at Teamworks at how NFL-style general managers are changing college football. Their end-to-end solution, Teamworks GM, is purpose-built for this new era.
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0:00 - Intro
1:31 - Darrick’s journey to Florida State GM
2:50 - West Coast Football vs East Coast Football
4:16 - Evaluating players: On and off the field
6:07 - Day to Day as Florida State’s GM
8:24 - Internal roster evaluation
9:31 - Roster construction
11:35 - Lessons from Mike Norvell
12:58 - Building culture in transfer portal era
14:59 - Favorite recruiting win
16:41 - Biggest recruiting loss
20:20 - Revenue sharing at Florida State
22:30 - Roster retention
25:05- Changes needed in CFB
26:42 - The power of Teamworks and analytics
30:48 - Evaluation success at Florida State
32:26 - Non-negotiable as a talent evaluator
33:49 - Advice to young people in sports
35:22 - Florida State’s season since beating Alabama
36:17 - CFB in 3 years
38:31 - Single transfer portal window
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Watch the full episode with Kenny Dillingham:
It’s rare to get a behind-the-scenes look at the hiring process of a head coach.
So I asked Kenny Dillingham about his journey— how it all unfolded, from the first phone call to his first team meeting.
Kenny Dillingham shared what it was like to land his dream job as the head coach of Arizona State Football.
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On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Virginia Head Coach Tony Elliott joins Next Up with Adam Breneman to talk culture, NIL, portal strategy, and what it really takes to get UVA to Charlotte. Elliott explains why he chose Virginia—elite academics, true alignment with AD Carla Williams and university leadership, and a faith-driven belief that he could build a program the right way. He details the foundation work most people don’t see: tiny standards (yes, flushing the toilets) that create accountability, consistency, and peer leadership in the locker room.
We get into the transfer-portal calculus and how NIL realities changed his roster math from a ~75/25 high school-to-portal split to more of a 50/50–60/40 approach. This offseason alone, UVA welcomed 54 newcomers (32 transfers, 22 high school), while still prioritizing academic and social fit in small classes with no “easy track.” Elliott shares how NIL has been a net positive putting players in the community, relieving pressure at home, and letting them focus on ball and school and why he keeps the program relationship-driven while the front office manages the transactional pieces.
Elliott also revisits the road win at North Carolina as a belief shift for the team and lays out the identity for 2025: a mission to “build champion men by serving their heart, not their talent,” core values of humility, effort, accountability, respect, and toughness, and a theme of TLC → CLT (team, leadership, commitment aimed at December in Charlotte). To get there, he says UVA needs full-program belief, better consistency in one-score games, and deeper competitive depth. He closes with his “why”: a faith-led calling to use football to help young people realize their God-given gifts.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:07 - Support from University
2:09 - First team meeting as Virginia Head Coach
4:20 - First month as Virginia Head Coach
5:45 - Deciding to take the Virginia job
8:46 - Alignment with Virginia Administration
10:49 - Advice to Coach Elliott Day 1 at Virginia
12:35 - Building a new culture as a Head Coach
15:25 - Building a CFB roster in 2025
18:04 - Evaluating players in high school and the transfer portal
20:16 - Being a players coach in a transactional era
22:12 - Positive part of NIL and Corner Media
23:35 - “Ah-ha” moment at Virginia
24:34 - Training camp message in 2025
27:10 - Tackling during fall camp
28:13 - What needs to happen to reach the top of CFB
29:02 - Coach Elliott’s why
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
This week on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Mississippi State Head Coach Jeff Lebby joins the show to talk about the journey of rebuilding a program in the heart of the SEC. From taking over a team that had seen four head coaches in five years, to bringing in more than 60 new players and creating instant belief, Lebby opens up on how he’s building stability and momentum in Starkville.
He shares what it means to shape the identity of Mississippi State Football around effort, physicality, and execution, and why he leans on tempo and explosiveness to make opponents “defend every blade of grass.” We dive into recruiting battles in the South, the role football plays in growing the Starkville community, and why alignment with the administration has been critical to the program’s rise.
Coach Lebby also reflects on the lessons from a 2–10 season, the importance of preparing his players for life beyond football, and his personal “why” that keeps him grounded through it all. It’s a candid look at what it takes to build a program in today’s college football.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
:50 - Reflections of first years at Mississippi State
2:24 - First adjustments when taking Head Coaching job
3:32 - Why Mississippi State
4:40 - First year at Mississippi State
6:45 - Momentum at Mississippi State
7:54 - Getting buy-in from transfer portal players
10:25 - Reflecting on 2-10 year
11:40 - Identity of Mississippi State Football
12:28 - Investment from University into football program
13:47 - Spring ball
14:40 - Installing Coach Lebby’s Offense
15:47 - Talent acquisition at Mississippi State
17:07 - Tennessee matchup preview
18:00 - Locker room after beating ASU
18:49 - Dealing with outside noise
19:46 - Approach to analytics
20:53 - Day in the life
22:48 - Growth of Starkville
23:37 - Preparing players for life after football
24:47 - Traits Coach Lebby looks for in young coaches
25:53 - Non-negotiables for recruits and portal players
26:45 - Coach Lebby’s Legacy
27:20 - Future of Mississippi State
28:07 - Coach Lebby’s why
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Watch the full episode with James Franklin: https://youtu.be/xPES1GMZl50
Everyone wanted Jim Knowles.
Ohio State. Notre Dame. Oklahoma.
But James Franklin and Penn State got it done.
When the best defensive coordinator in college football hit the market, Franklin didn’t hesitate — and it changed everything.
This wasn’t luck. It was leadership.
It was having the right people — like Pat Kraft — and the right support behind the scenes to win the battles that matter most.
For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: advertising@frontofficesports.com
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On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans. Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports. Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
This week on Next Up with Adam Breneman, Congressman Russell Fry joins the show to talk about the SCORE Act, his bipartisan proposal to bring stability back to college athletics.
Fry explains why the current NIL and transfer portal landscape feels like the Wild West, and how the SCORE Act aims to create a single national standard. We dive into what the bill means for athletes, schools, and fans: protecting student-athletes from predatory agent contracts, ensuring financial education, preserving Olympic and non-revenue sports, and guaranteeing that players can profit from their name, image, and likeness.
The conversation also covers why athletes should remain student-athletes rather than employees, the balance between revenue sharing and true NIL deals, and the NCAA’s future role if the legislation passes. Congressman Fry shares his perspective as a lifelong South Carolina sports fan, and why he believes this bill is crucial to saving the future of college sports.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:34 - South Carolina Football
2:09 - Why College Athletics matter so much
3:28 - Congressman Fry’s journey
4:20 - Breaking down the SCORE Act
6:16 - Pillars of the SCORE Act
8:06 - How the SCORE Act Affects Agents
10:14 - Salary cap vs true NIL
11:51 - President Trump’s support on the SCORE Act
12:56 - Student-Athletes as employees
14:32 - Feedback on the SCORE Act
15:46 - SCORE Act in Congress
16:42 - Most consistent pushback on the SCORE Act
17:27 - Misconceptions about the SCORE Act
18:08 - NCAA’s role in SCORE Act
19:10 - Implementation of SCORE Act
20:30 - Watching college athletics change
21:49 - Giving student-athletes a voice
22:56 - Why the SCORE Act matters
23:53 - Charlie Kirk
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
The structure. The discipline. The standard — every single day.
Manny Diaz saw it up close under James Franklin at Penn State.
Not just talk about toughness and culture.
A masterclass in how to live it.
Diaz broke it down on Next Up.
Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/XZQ3WPnFoX4
For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: advertising@frontofficesports.com
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On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans. Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports. Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Watch the full episode with Brennan Marion: https://youtu.be/PjQvDIYZtE0
They passed him over. He kept showing up.
From coaching at NAIA schools to inventing his own offense…
Brennan Marion’s story is what college football is all about — grit, faith, and never skipping a letter on the path to greatness.
For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: advertising@frontofficesports.com
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On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork joins Adam Breneman for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on leading one of the biggest brands in college sports. Bjork reflects on his first days in Columbus—pinch-yourself moments in the same department as Woody Hayes and Jesse Owens—while laying out how he’s protecting a strong culture and modernizing the Buckeyes’ athletic department for what’s next.
The episode digs into his overlap with Gene Smith and the simple advice that set the tone, the confidential process behind landing the Ohio State job, and first impressions of Ryan Day’s leadership and locker-room culture. Bjork walks through his game-day routine—from Skull Session to the AD suite to the sideline—and why he wants to feel the emotion right alongside fans and players.
Bjork explains Ohio State’s approach to revenue sharing and NIL, including how they allocated $18M across sports, why the next arms race is building the NIL infrastructure itself, and how donor strategy and facilities now balance performance, recovery, and revenue generation. He also shares his view on the future of governance in college athletics, the College Sports Commission, potential federal legislation, and what smart playoff expansion could look like. We wrap with his hiring philosophy, the best part of the job, lessons from Western Kentucky, and his “why”: giving young people the chance to reach their full potential through sport.
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:53 - First Days as Ohio State AD
3:40 - First Changes at Ohio State
6:18 - Advice from Gene Smith
7:31 - Process of getting Ohio State AD job
13:18 - First impression of Ryan Day
17:04 - Game Day as Ohio State’s AD
20:35 - Improving the Ohio State Football program
22:35 - NIL and Revenue Sharing
28:30 - Future governance of college sports
31:16 - How many teams in CFP?
33:27 - Hiring coaches as an AD
35:04 - Best part of the job
36:00 - Advice to Ross at Western Kentucky
37:04 - Ross Bjork’s why
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
Drake Lindsey wasn’t supposed to be here. An underrated recruit from Arkansas with no SEC offers - now he’s the starting quarterback at Minnesota, leading a Big Ten offense at just 19 years old.
We talked about his rise, the mindset shift that changed everything back in January and what it really takes to walk into a locker room and earn the respect to lead it.
Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/jSyuZFPP_SQ
For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: advertising@frontofficesports.com
SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@NextUpWithAdam?sub_confirmation=1
FOLLOW NEXT UP WITH ADAM:
INSTAGRAM | https://shorturl.at/d9IdQ
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TIKTOK | https://shorturl.at/qasuc
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APPLE PODCASTS | https://shorturl.at/mW49D
On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans.
Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports.
Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.
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