Is it just me, or does he sound like Gruden?

Had to ask the bookstore staff to get it from the back, but very excited to dig into Seth Wickersham’s new book. (And a big congrats to him on release day!)

I read this story by Tom Junod on this day every year. Still, in my eyes, maybe the greatest piece of journalism I have ever read. esquire.com/news-politics/…

Outstanding writing in here! Congrats to all the Football Writers Association of America winners!

The ducks and boars thing is quintessential Pat Forde. The early-season hot streak on picks is a Bryan Fischer thing (though, he'll soon learn why they can afford to build large casinos). I offer some solutions to UF+Va Tech, should they decide to rotate coaches. Fun for all.

A true Tennessee legend 👏 Candace Parker won two national titles with the Lady Vols and now she's coming back to Knoxville as this weekend's guest picker 🍊

Well done, Ian O'Connor

Column: Alex Golesh and his family arrived in America with $400 and a work ethic. That's basically it. A football know-nothing from Russia became a coach, and now he leads the trendiest team in the country, South Florida. bit.ly/4migTTR

All the links that matter... FULL SHOW - Napier Watch | Others Receiving Votes youtu.be/Uig9jPAzvZ0 AP Poll Rant youtu.be/j8OnIcnXGDc WEEK 3 PICKS - UGA-Tenn wll be ELECTRIC youtu.be/wT3BMATf8fo AUDIO: Spotify: tinyurl.com/t3nahdwr Apple: tinyurl.com/v5efy6nd

A thousand thanks to Rece Davis and Jen Lada for their time and insights today to a packed room of UT College of Communication & Information students, faculty and staff. RD and Jen were terrific—as always. Looking forward to Saturday’s College GameDay .

Very kind of Rece and Jen to make time for the students. As always, they were fantastic and insightful.

Read it. Loved it. Recommend it. Ivan Maisel’s research and reporting is otherworldly, and his writing is honest and unsparing. A portrait of an extraordinary coach and a flawed man from a distant era.

A heartfelt thank you for making AMERICAN KINGS an instant New York Times bestseller.

A thousand thanks to Michael Wilbon for spending part of his morning with our UT School of Journalism and Media Sports Commentary class. His career experiences, perspective and insights are extraordinary. We're grateful that he shared them with us. We owe you one, Mike.

New story: The serape, the street fighter and the Las Cruces swagger that transformed Vanderbilt. QB Diego Pavia is the driving force, but he leans on a father figure coach, Jerry Kill. “He’s just looked out for me, cared for me when no one did.” bit.ly/3K9E2KP

Once again, a stellar story from Pat Forde.

🏈🚨 New pod: historic lightweights invade the Top 25 -- trend or blip? Vandy surges. UCLA flounders. VT's search. What we know, and what we're not sure about. Game picks. Drunk driver in a Barbie jeep. Gene Wojciechowski Bryan Fischer podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/van…

Will Bryan Fischer ever get a Lock of the Week wrong? (Not so far.) Are Pat Forde and #20 Vanderbilt Football the new IT couple? Is it time for Dabo to depart? Who really is going to pick the next UCLA coach--and will it matter? And yes, Barbie jeeps...

Marvel at the absolute lack of decor in Pat Forde podcast cave. Interior design aside, our fearless podcast leader guides us through LOTS of college football topics. And as always, are the educated dart board game picks.

What Bill Plaschke said…Mike was lovely, kind man, and a terrific editor.