Phantom Island

As of this recording, Lane Kiffin is the head coach at Ole Miss. HOWEVER: this episode has Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discussing how the race for his services has changed leaders over the last week, where the runners up may turn next once he makes a decision, and the impact this all has on schools ranging from Mizzou to Penn State. (But not Arkansas. At least not totally.) This is a preview of...

Paid subscribers to Phantom Island send questions to Steven Godfrey, and Steven Godfrey answers those questions, including which currently not open SEC job he thinks is most likely to be looking for a new coach, a Penn State possibility of interest, some attempts at positivity about the MAC, a wrasslin' story, and throwing something at Ryan during the recording of this episode. This is a preview o...

As the WNBA grows in popularity, a raw nerve in the game has also gained greater exposure: longstanding friction over how women's basketball is officiated. Sports Illustrated staff writer Emma Baccellieri joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the history of players and coaches frustrated with the refs, why things boiled over so publicly in the 2025 season, how this issue isn't exactly like the usual complai...

Jobs open every college football season, and, when they do, they are immediately sorted and ranked. Some jobs are good, some are not, and every job opportunity can be compared to and weighed against another. On this episode, Ryan Nanni asks Steven Godfrey how much the talking points about "good jobs" actually matches with what the candidates for them care about. What do coaches want to see from ne...

For decades, Canadian football has coexisted along its American counterpart with a variety of distinctions in field layout, rules, and strategies that make the game very similar to what you see in the United States but different enough to stand out. But some of those distinctions are getting shaved down, as Rodger Sherman, author of Sports! , joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the NFL-ification of the Ca...

Steven Godfrey once again answers questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island, with topics ranging from an update on the Arkansas search, what to do about good upstarts stuck in lackluster NFL home venues, a lot of Godfrey's feelings about Georgia Southern, why "Mama called" feels different in this coaching cycle, and germ warfare for new parents. This is a preview of the full episode, which...

In 2022, Vanderbilt announced they were bringing back women's volleyball as a sponsored sport, but it took three years to hire the coaches, recruit the players, and get the team ready for competition. Ryan Nanni talks to head coach Anders Nelson, athletic director Candice Storey Lee, and sophomore libero Hailee Mack about their experiences reviving the program, spending a year on campus without an...

Auburn has moved on from Hugh Freeze, and so has Steven Godfrey, who joins Ryan Nanni to talk about how a simple search could go sideways despite better leadership on the Plains, what to do with Jimbo rumors (and SABAN TO LSU?? ones), and why you're not getting A Big Ole Godfrey Rant on this episode. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomislan...

Strength of schedule gets thrown around as a seemingly easy way to separate the brave from the weak in college football, but how should we actually think about this metric? ESPN's Bill Connelly, author of Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football and Parker Fleming, proprietor of CFB Graphs , join Ryan Nanni to talk about what goes into a strength of schedule measure...

On this episode, Ryan Nanni is joined by guest Yaron Weitzman, NBA writer and author of the new book "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers" to review Year 1 of the J.J. Redick era. Has the criticism of hiring LeBron's podcast cohost worn off? How did Redick handle bringing Bronny James into the fold? What did the trade for Luka mean for expectations in J.J.'s first year, a...

When Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni started recording this episode, there were 10 FBS programs looking for a new head coach. Thanks to LSU, that number jumped to 11 before this was published, but Godfrey is not stopping there. He'll walk you through the dominoes and decisions that could lead to forty different schools (at least) starting 2026 with new leadership – and it doesn't even get particular...

Steven Godfrey responds to questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island, including: What's next for the Mike Bobo Renaissance? Does an active coach carousel season dissuade certain teams from firing their coaches? Could Sonny Dykes become a late candidate for several open jobs? And how do you manage the growing calendar of an active young kid? This is a preview of the full episode, which is a...

The Seattle Mariners present a unique case for the unaffiliated fan who wanted to jump on their bandwagon in the postseason. They've had a number of nationally intriguing players but no World Series appearances, an extended playoff drought, and minimal friction with the rest of baseball. Though, as you'll learn, not zero friction. This leads Steven Godfrey to ask: Are the Mariners the easiest team...

With two more FBS jobs open in this season's carousel, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss the end of an uninspiring tenure for Billy Napier at Florida, wonder what Colorado State looks for after Jay Norvell, engage a handful of Tallahassee hypotheticals, and explain what's different about Lane to the Gators this time around. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subs...

Steven Godfrey answers questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island, and on this episode all those questions concern the coaching carousel. Is incoming private equity fueling coaching terminations? What does the first day of a coach getting fired look like? How much does playoff access matter to attracting coaching talent? And could James Franklin and Matt Rhule just swap jobs? This is a prev...

Faking injuries has been a part of football for decades, though how and when it's used as a tactic has shifted, as has the response it elicits from opponents and league officials. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss the history of pretending to be hurt, what the NFL and college football have done to combat the practice, and get some on-field perspective from Marshall Newhouse on how players feel...

The sudden departure of James Franklin from Penn State brings about questions for all kinds of schools, including Wisconsin, Nebraska, Florida, Auburn, Indiana, Virginia Tech, and the Tennessee Titans. (OK, not that last one.) Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni examine what the search will look like for Franklin's successor, his mitigation future, and what schools that haven't made a move yet but might...

The University of Wisconsin is home to a normally steadily football team that's hit a stretch of alarming decline, a men's basketball team that's reinvented itself, an incredibly popular volleyball team, and an ongoing dynasty in women's hockey. How do Badger fans juggle the emotions and different expectations of that universe, and why does Minnesota pop up across basically all of them? We talked...

Not long ago, a college kicker lining up for a 50+ yard field goal attempt sent terror and doubt into the hearts of that team's fans, and an NFL kicker lining up from 60+ yards was a rare sight. Rodger Sherman, author of the Read Rodge newsletter, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss how those trends have changed over the years at both levels, why kicking is unique in its historical assessment, and how we...

Steven Godfrey takes questions from Phantom Island paid subscribers and discusses Tony Elliott snatching his job from the jaws of defeat, what Memphis does if Ryan Silverfield leaves, whether athletic directors hesitate to fire coaches they hired to avoid looking bad, how the MAC could change its television options, and a lot more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid...

Basketball games on aircraft carriers! Baseball at a (very muddy race track)! Multiple iterations of outdoor hockey! Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review some of the history of sports being played outside their usual settings and look for patterns that explain what makes these unorthodox setups so appealing to the organizers. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Arkansas got stomped by Notre Dame, fired Sam Pittman, and noted that yes, interim coach Bobby Petrino wants the full time gig. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss what this search will look like for the Hogs, as well as examining how Todd Grantham managed to get fire a week after Mike Gundy's dismissal, what two G5 programs with struggling legends might do next, and some thoughts about the Beli...

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to talk about why Mizzou doesn't get the SEC benefit of the doubt, the blooming FCS to FBS coach pipeline, an early ranking of the Big 12, what to make of Bill's numbers about Indiana, and plenty more. Be sure to order Bill's new book ! This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today...

Steven Godfrey has a well-documented love of Thursday night college football classics, but the sport and its broadcasters don't seem as invested in these games as they once were. Ryan Nanni brings some numbers to the conversation to show how the Thursday night game has changed and both hosts consider whether the NFL's really to blame. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michae...

Steven Godfrey takes questions from Phantom Island paid subscribers to explain why being first to market may not help Virginia Tech or UCLA, how to shoot your shot as a school looking to hire a new coach, which game he'd pick to go back in time and attend in person, and how the last year or so of his podcast life has unfolded. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subsc...