Pat Murphy took over as Brewers manager from close friend Craig Counsell after 2023.
Murphy, 66, has children ranging in age from six to 39.
Murphy ‘thought the time had passed’ to become an MLB manager.

MILWAUKEE — It’s the Day After, and Pat Murphy arrives to his Milwaukee Brewers office with a large mug of coffee, notebook in his hand, and a soul to bare.

He warmly welcomes you, proudly talks about the personal photographs and pictures in his office, and if you truly want to know about the 66-year-old former boxer with three failed legal marriages, kids ranging from 39 to 6, the son of an alcoholic father who nearly spiraled down the same path, well, pull up a chair and listen.

Murphy, whose team just got done celebrating their emotional National League Division Series victory over their rival Chicago Cubs, waving the white “L’ flag during their team picture to mock the Cubs, still smells the stench of champagne in the hallway.

He didn’t have a single drink, or even a sip of the Korbel Brut champagne or Budweiser that were wildly sprayed in their clubhouse, avoiding all of the temptations of alcohol.

“When I used to drink,’ Murphy says, “I wanted to either fight or (expletive).

“Both of them lead to bad things.’

Murphy doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t even smile. But facts are facts.

“Drinking is everywhere in this game,’ Murphy says during his wide-ranging 90-minute interview with USA TODAY Sports. “But I can’t. I watched the disease kill my dad. I watched it kill (former Oakland Athletics All-Star pitcher) Bobby Welch. It’s just too personal.

“I don’t care if people drink and laugh at me for awhile, but I can go out and hang with you and you’ll think I’m drinking.’

Murphy, who grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., and fought, drank and played sports having no idea what he was going to do with his life, still has trouble believing he’s the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.

He couldn’t even manage his personal life, so how in the world was he going to lead a major-league team?

Murphy had to wait until he was 64 years old before even getting this opportunity, which happened only after his close friend departed, with his bosses and loyal fanbase still calling it an ultimate act of betrayal.

Murphy was set to leave for the Cubs, too, joining Craig Counsell. He had already spoken to the club, began negotiations, and figured he’d spend another five years as Counsell’s bench coach.

He told the Brewers he was bolting if they had no intention of making him manager. He certainly wasn’t going to stay as a bench coach for a new manager. The Brewers called him during the General Manager Meetings at the Omni Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., made no promises, but they would interview him. He was instructed to drive over from his home in Chandler, Ariz., for a formal meeting.

“I remember sitting there for two hours with all these (expletive) nerds in the room,’ Murphy says. “And they were an hour late to begin with. I think they were interviewing Don Mattingly or something. I mean, I didn’t even get a drink or a cracker. I’m like ‘guys, what the (expletive)? What the (expletive) do you want me to tell you. You already know me, right?’

“I’ve been here eight (expletive) years, I need an answer pretty soon.’

Pat Murphy ‘thought the time had passed’

It has turned out to be one of the Brewers’ best decisions since hiring Bob Uecker as their broadcaster. They have cut payroll and dealt away their top players, but they have won back-to-back NL Central titles, winning more games than any team in baseball this season, and here they are in the National League Championship Series, playing the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers.

“The Average Joes,’ Murphy says, “aren’t Average (expletive) Joes anymore.

‘We pulled it off.’

The Brewers, in perhaps their biggest postseason series victory since winning the pennant in 1982, knocked off their hated rivals and celebrated deep into the night. Three times during the celebration they even played the “Go, Cubs Go’ victory song, laughing and singing it louder as the night dragged on.

“That song can get so damn annoying,’ Murphy says, “especially playing them 13 times a year. It was just a great night. I’ve had some great moments in uniform, but that might have been the biggest one considering the rivalry, and having my three boys there (Kai, 25, a minor-league outfielder in the Padres organization; Austin, 10, a fifth-grader; Jaxon, 6, who’s in first grade). I wish my daughter (Kelli) was here, because that would have made it perfect.’

Kelli, who’s married to former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star third baseman Pedro Alvarez with two children, promises to be on hand if the Brewers make the World Series.

It looks like a longshot at this juncture with the Brewers losing the first two games of the National League Championship Series in Milwaukee, with Game 3 at Dodger Stadium, but they’ve been surprising folks all year. Why stop now?

The Brewers certainly don’t have the financial resources of the Dodgers with a payroll that’s more than $250 million less than the Dodgers. They don’t have the star power, with the Dodgers having four MVPs and two Cy Young winners.

It’s so lopsided on paper that Murphy even sent Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, a text message. He pleaded with him to have his Dodgers players use gloves on their opposite hands during the series to even things out – or he’d have to make up concoction to blackmail him.

“I usually don’t laugh out loud when I get something funny in a text message,’ Friedman said. “But with Patty – that’s what I call him – I’d say 80% of the time I do.’

Yes, like the very first text message Murphy sent to Friedman in December 2023.

“Andy, look at you grinding deep in the weeds to find those hidden gems,’ Murphy said. “Ohtani, Yamamoto, it’s similar to us with signing Collin Rea and Joe Ross. Also, need to apologize for announcing [Eric] Haase on the same day as Ohtani.’

Murphy, of course, is accustomed to the underdog role. No one thought he would manage again in the big leagues again after going 42-54 as the San Diego Padres’ interim manager in 2015. He interviewed three times, and nearly landed the New York Mets job before they hired Carlos Beltran and then Luis Rojas. He was on the Texas Rangers’ short list before they chose Chris Woodward. The Baltimore Orioles asked for permission to talk before they turned to Brandon Hyde.

Now, here he is, about to join Hall of Famer Bobby Cox as the only managers to win consecutive National League Manager of the Year awards after leading the Brewers to 190 victories, back-to-back division titles – while payroll was cut by about $40 million.

“There were times when I thought the time had passed,’ Murphy says. “We had so much success and I wasn’t getting that many interviews. I had people telling me, ‘Yeah, you’re too old.’ I heard that I’m hard to work with and things like that.

“I didn’t lose hope, but I thought about going back to college to coach.’

‘Friends beyond the game’ with Craig Counsell

When Murphy was coaching baseball at Notre Dame, when he first met a scrawny freshman named Craig Counsell in 1989 out of Whitefish Bay, Wisc.

“I was tough on him, really inappropriately tough,’ Murphy says, “but I was inappropriate on everybody. I was a football coach, you know what I mean. My mentality was just to (expletive) bury guys, make them understand, brainwash them if you will. By the time Counsell was a junior and senior, he knew I had great respect for him because of the way he went about it.’

The next thing Murphy knew, he was helping negotiate Counsell’s $5,000 signing bonus with the Colorado Rockies and they became best of friends. Counsell joined the Brewers front office in 2012 after his playing career, and Murphy moved onto Arizona State, leading the Sun Devils to four College World Series appearances, before being forced to resign after an NCAA recruiting investigation. He joined the San Diego Padres, managed in the minor leagues before becoming the interim manager in 2015 but was let go after the season. Counsell, who became manager of the Brewers midseason, rescued Murphy by having him join his staff as bench coach.

“I was supposed to mentor him but he ended up teaching me the big leagues style, how the game is played up here,’ Murphy says. “He doesn’t know he did that, but being in that position, I was forced to learn. He did a ton more for me than I ever did for him.’

That’s why Murphy winces about Counsell being vilified in MIlwaukee. Counsell is booed by the fans at every opportunity, while certain members of the Brewers organization still refuse to talk to him, angry he would leave them for their hated rivals.

“I hate that,’ Murphy says. “If you know him and his family, they love Milwaukee.

‘Couns wouldn’t talk to opposing players every much, but if there was a kid from Milwaukee, he’d be talking to him. He loved Milwaukee. And any high school basketball player that came to the game, he’d talk to them. That’s what pains me.’

When the Brewers knocked off the Cubs in Game 5 last week and the team celebrated wildly in the clubhouse, can you guess who was waiting in the hall for Murphy? Yep, Counsell, who hugged Murphy, and even hugged his son, Kai, wishing them the best through October.

“I mean, we’re friends beyond the game,’ Murphy says. ‘That will never stop. We’re not acquaintances; we’re real friends. His kids and [wife] Michelle are important to me. My kids are important to him.’

It’s the kids that override everything for Murphy. He can have the gruff exterior, use profanity as a verb or noun, tell off-color jokes and is completely unfiltered.

Yet, as competitive as he is, as badly as he wants to beat your rear-end, nothing in life means more than his family. He raised Kai since he was three years old. He has his 10- and 6-year-old boys stay with him during the summer in Milwaukee and the winter in Phoenix. The boys will even accompany him to his postgame press conferences, with 10-year-old Austin answering questions Wednesday at Murphy’s press briefing at Dodger Stadium.

“I’ve got to be honest,’ he says, “I don’t do this to try to look good. I’m not trying to look good, because parenting is really hard coaching. That’s what it’s about for me.

“My whole life is my kids and my job and it’s always been that way.’

If he wasn’t devoted to parenthood, well, he wouldn’t have been three times.

He got married the first time because his girlfriend was pregnant, producing Kelli, their 39-year-old daughter.

He got married the second time in 2000 because his girlfriend was pregnant and now they have 25-year-old son Kai, who Murphy raised since he was three.

“So back in the day, when you got a woman pregnant and had a kid, you got married,’ Murphy says. “You needed to give the baby a name.’

The only wedding that was planned wound up ending after seven years. They met at a club while she was on a work-release program and suffering from alcohol and drug problems. Murphy visited her a few times in jail, they hit it off, got together when she got out and quickly married.

“I had people stand up at the wedding with two volunteers from the 7-11,’ Murphy says, “I paid them $150 bucks apiece.’

Bruce Springsteen is like ‘church’ for Pat Murphy

Murphy never needed anything fancy. He used to go down to Billy Harris’ Boxing Club in the south side of Syracuse to learn how to fight. He won two tournament as a kid and wound up in about 20, maybe 25 fights in his life.

“I mean, I won a lot, but I wasn’t very good,’’ he says. “I kind of picked the targets that I wanted to fight. Football, basketball, baseball, that was my life. But I loved sparring, and boxing was just something that I was better than all the kids in my neighborhood.

“So I went to the gym where they’d bring in these kids from work-release programs and they wanted to kill me. I just wanted to fight and win. They wanted to kill. When you start getting into the ring with guys that are desperate, I knew this wasn’t a sport for me.’

Murphy laughs, sits back and looks around his office. There are pictures on his desk. On his walls. On his coffee tables. And yes, even on his body, if you count the tattoos. He looks at the eight pictures on his wall to his right every day, pointing to each one as an inspiration.

There’s Satchel Paige on the left holding a baseball wearing a Kansas City Monarchs jersey: “This is competing with freedom. Doing the right thing, playing against adversity.’

Mariano Rivera tipping his cap to the crowd: “Humility’

Jackie Robinson sliding home: “Fighting for diversity.’

Muhammad Ali standing over Joe Frazier and taunting him: “Iconic, with a bigger picture in mind.’

Bob Welch pitching for the Oakland Athletics: ‘Friendship. My closest friend in the world, addiction got him, too.’

Ty Cobb sliding home with spikes up: “Relentless and ruthless.’

Roberto Clemente sliding with his hands up in the air: “What he meant for giving.’

And Derek Jeter rounding the bases with his right arm thrust into the air: “Ultimate teammate. It wasn’t about talent, it was about teammate. A winner.’

“I picked those pictures up,’ Murphy says, “because those people remind me of that.’’

There are dozens of pictures of his family, former Brewers greats, and four pictures alone of Uecker, the Hall of Fame broadcaster who is talked about with reverence every day in the Brewers clubhouse.

“We would sit right there on the couch, do these pre-game interviews for three minutes,’ Murphy says, “and then just talk for an hour. He loved the players, and they loved him back. He wanted to be in that clubhouse every day.

“He was a Hall of Famer, but he didn’t act like a Hall of Famer. He didn’t act like he was better than you. He was just Bob.

“That’s why I got this.’

Murphy pulls up his sweatshirt sleeve, and there it is, high on his left arm and his lower shoulder – a tattoo of Uecker’s uniform patch.

“That’s how much he meant to me, to all of us,’ Murphy says.

So why get the tattoo now?

“I was waiting,’ he says, “for a special time.’

His office also has pictues and a book featuring Bruce Springsteen, and Murphy has ink on his arm and his back in tribute of Springsteen, including the words ‘no retreat, no surrender.’

There’s rarely a day that goes by when Murphy isn’t listening to Springsteen, having attended 10-15 of his concerts, though he prefers some old R&B or soul. Give him The Temptations or Bill Withers any day.

And yet, it’s Springsteen’s lyrics, his voice, that soothes Murphy, almost as if “The Boss’ is speaking just to him.

“It was 1980,’ Murphy says. “I was seeing a girl, and her brother was in love with Springsteen. We were in Hollywood, Florida. Now, his music wasn’t really my cup of tea. I grew on all Black music. But I went to this rock-and-roll concert because of this girl.

“When I saw the show, I go ‘it’s OK’ but this guy has just played for five (expletive) hours. He did like eight curtain calls. He kept coming back. I’m like, ‘this is incredible.”

When Murphy became the Notre Dame coach, one of his players talked him into going to another Springsteen concert. He started listening to the lyrics, loving “halfway to heaven but only a mile out of hell.’

“So I start listening more, and more, and more, and I got hooked,’ Murphy. “Now, it’s all I play in my car. I’m in a different mode when I listen to it. … It’s not even like music to me. It’s more like church. That’s why I got the ‘no retreat, no surrender’ on my arm. I’ve got ‘The Boss,’ tattooed on my back.

“He’s just different. … I’ve had chances to meet him backstage, but I didn’t want to meet him like that. I want him to just sit and let me (talk) with him for 10 minutes.’

Murphy read an inspirational note to his players Wednesday, reminding them that they were obliterated the first four games of the season, losing by a combined score of 47-15 to the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals, then turned around and won more games than any team in baseball.

“This is more an opportunity than anyone knows,’ Murphy said Wednesday. “If I was to tell this group after their 0-4 starts with the worst run differential in baseball history, ‘Hey, you’re four games from the World Series,’ you’d take it.

“Whatever that mountain is, we’ll take it. Whatever has happened in the past, has happened in the past. … There’s a lot of reason to doubt. There’s a lot of daunting scenarios out there. But it’s not time to think, complain or explain.

“It’s time to go.’

Murphy has never stopped going his entire life.

He sure ain’t about to stop now.

(This story has been updated to correct transposed wording.)

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This year’s trade deadline could be full of eager buyers with nearly half the league two games above .500.
Several strong teams not only have draft ammo to consummate a trade but the cap space to absorb a big contract.
One very old and two very young QBs could seemingly use some help.

Half a dozen weeks into most NFL seasons, generally speaking, the cream begins to separate itself – or it’s at least obvious who the primary threats to capture the Lombardi Trophy are.

Not so much in 2025.

This year, it’s readily apparent who’s curdled, the New York Jets still winless while five other teams are stuck on one victory – though even one of them, the decimated Baltimore Ravens, might actually be buttermilk if QB Lamar Jackson and enough of his injured teammates return in time to initiate a salvage operation.

Otherwise? Twenty of the league’s 32 teams are currently sitting at .500 or better – 14 of them amazingly sporting a winning percentage of .667 or better. Aside from being anomalous, this is significant for another reason: if so many squads, including a few surprise outfits, remain highly relevant as the Nov. 4 trade deadline draws nearer, a glutted market of buyers could materialize as clubs attempt to outrun the pack.

Here are seven who could be especially aggressive in the coming weeks:

Dallas Cowboys

What a surreal season already in Big D. Jerry Jones’ trade of DE Micah Parsons in late August set the tone for his season – and seemingly impacting the league at large – while simultaneously fueling the owner’s many critics. Yet Jones’ acquisition of WR George Pickens in the spring is proving to be an inspired stroke for a club that’s 2-3-1 but could easily be 5-1. Armed with an extra first-round draft pick in 2026 and more than $30 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap, to absorb a significant contract if he chooses, Jones indicated earlier this week that he’s willing to be active.

‘We have thought all along that if we see a way to improve this year with a trade at the deadline, then we’ll take advantage of it,’ Jones said. ‘That’s what we positioned for to start this year, was to have ammunition to do things if we have an opportunity.’

Perhaps he’s just playing to his fan base. Perhaps the return of WR CeeDee Lamb and LB DeMarvion Overshown will have the same effect as infusing new players into the lineup. But Jones also knows his Parsons-less defense, which is ranked dead last in the league and currently suspect at every level, is probably untenable for a team that will officially be three decades removed from its last Super Bowl appearance next January. 

Detroit Lions

The only team in the league that’s existed for the entirety of the Super Bowl era, which dates to 1966, but never played on Super Sunday views Dallas’ drought with envy. Yet despite Sunday’s loss in Kansas City, the Lions are again in a solid spot for their long-awaited breakthrough. However, a battered secondary looms as an Achilles for a team that was a No. 1 seed in last season’s playoffs but was fatally undermined by injuries on defense. Whether that means finding another pass rusher to complement DE Aidan Hutchinson, targeting healthy defensive backs or general depth, the Lions have a $27 million slush fund at a time when their historically rare championship window could – and maybe should – be cracked even wider.

New England Patriots

Look who’s sitting atop the AFC East for the first time at any point of a season since 2021. Not only are the Pats scheduled to have at least three additional draft picks in 2026, they have nearly $55 million in cap space – most in the league by far – that would enable them to go big-game hunting, if they so choose, while maximizing the flexibility to juice the roster given ascending QB Drake Maye can’t even begin broaching a raise from his rookie contract until the 2027 offseason. New England doesn’t necessarily have a glaring issue, though – as with most defenses – more production from and depth for the pass rush would most certainly help.

Philadelphia Eagles

Maybe the highly scrutinized issues of the defending champions are a bit overblown – after all, Philly didn’t really begin what turned into an unstoppable roll in 2024 until Week 7. And yet, in the absence of a Zen transplant for WR A.J. Brown, perpetually aggressive EVP/GM Howie Roseman obviously knows his roster could almost certainly benefit from another offensive lineman, depth at wideout and – most notably – help at pass rusher and in the secondary. Roseman might need to restructure a deal or two if he winds up pursuing a bigger fish like Cincinnati DE Trey Hendrickson, but he’s always willing to use his draft capital as ammunition and has an extra third-rounder in 2026 at his disposal.

Pittsburgh Steelers

As many pearls as coach Mike Tomlin has dropped in press conferences over the years, it was pretty out of character for him to single out one of his AFC North rivals – bemoaning the Browns’ intra-divisional trade of QB Joe Flacco, whom Pittsburgh will have to face in its Thursday night matchup with the Bengals in Cincinnati. But being proactive in the market has become something of a necessity in the modern NFL amid a rise of more aggressive general managers and dedicated analytics staffs which can pinpoint prime transactional opportunities. Even the historically conservative Steelers have made six deadline deals since 2020, GM Omar Khan importing both WR Mike Williams and OLB Preston Smith a year ago … for all the good it did.

Entering Week 7, the Steelers are quite surprisingly 2½ games clear of the divisional field. Yet for a team nearly nine years removed from its most recent playoff win and betting big that soon-to-be 42-year-old QB Aaron Rodgers can change that, this isn’t the time to get conservative as clustered as the AFC is and with the dormant Ravens and Bengals banking they can hold out for resurrections when and if their injured QB1s return. Barring some restructures, Khan doesn’t have a lot of financial flexibility (roughly $6 million in cap space). But it likely wouldn’t take much creativity – or money – to import, for example, another off-ball linebacker and/or depth at receiver … say WR Allen Lazard, a favorite teammate of Rodgers with the Jets and Packers who could certainly serve a tactical purpose here.

Seattle Seahawks

They made some lower-level pre-deadline deals last year, coach Mike Macdonald’s first in Seattle, but not enough to get them on the right side of a tiebreaker that cost them the NFC West crown (and a playoff berth in general) in 2024. The ‘Hawks are currently in a three-way tie atop the division and appear like the healthiest and possibly most balanced group relative to the Rams and 49ers. Now in his 16th season as GM, John Schneider has typically kicked over every personnel rock seeking an advantage – never afraid to take a risk in a bid to better the roster and now also much better attuned to what Macdonald wants and needs. And with more than $20 million in the cap bank, it shouldn’t be all that difficult for Seattle to pursue interior O-line help or certainly reinforcements for the second and third levels of a defense that was recently scalded by Tampa Bay and doesn’t have a takeaway this month.

Washington Commanders

Losers of three of five while battling the injury bug, falling to the Cowboys this weekend could drop Washington into a last-place NFC East tie at a time when expectations have spiked coming off last year’s unexpected run to the conference championship game. Like New England, the Commanders have something of a unique opportunity – flush with cap space (more than $25 million) and propelled by a young franchise quarterback, reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who’s at least two years away from his first significant NFL payday. A young-ish secondary needs to perform better, last year’s pricey acquisition of veteran CB Marshon Lattimore has yet to return much on the investment of multiple mid-round picks. The real issue could be a leaky run defense – one ravaged by the Bears in Monday night’s loss and surrendering nearly 150 yards per game over the past three weeks.

U.S. Olympian and Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk had surgery on Thursday, Oct. 16 on his injured right thumb and will miss a big portion of the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan, Italy.

Even though that’s a bad thing for the Senators, the decision bodes well for Team USA.

Tkachuk will miss six to eight weeks, the team said, or be out as late as mid-December. The Olympics start in February, meaning he’ll be back in plenty of time as the NHL sends its players for the first time since 2014.

If he had rehabbed for the original timeline of four weeks and returned, there was a chance he could have made the injury worse and missed the Olympics. But the ligament surgery ideally will take care of the problem.

How was Brady Tkachuk injured?

Tkachuk was cross-checked into the boards in the first period by Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi on Monday, Oct. 13. Tkachuk returned to the game but was unable to play the final nine minutes.

Tkachuk brothers named to U.S. Olympic team

Tkachuk and his brother, Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, were among the first six players named to the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team. They played key roles in the 4 Nations Face-Off, scoring goals and engaging in fights in the opening seconds of the first game against Canada.

Matthew Tkachuk is out until at least December after having offseason surgery for a hernia and torn adductor muscle suffered at that tournament. He missed the rest of the regular season but returned for the playoffs and led the Panthers to a second consecutive Stanley Cup title.

Their father, Keith, played in four Olympics for Team USA, winning silver in 2002. He also won a title at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

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The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game is heading back to the Windy City.

On Thursday, the league announced Chicago will host the 2026 WNBA All-Star game on July 25, following the 2025 edition in Indianapolis, which raked in an average of 2.2 million viewers. This marks the second time the WNBA All-Star Game will take place in Chicago, which previously hosted the league’s midseason event in 2022.

‘The Chicago Sky are thrilled to welcome the 2026 WNBA All-Star game back to Chicago,’ Chicago Sky chief executive officer and president Adam Fox said in a statement. ‘We can’t wait to build on the success of the previous All-Star Game and celebrate the explosive growth of the league by showcasing the WNBA’s biggest stars on a world-class stage.’

The 2026 WNBA season and subsequent All-Star Game is contingent on the league and the WNBPA finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). If both sides don’t reach a deal before the CBA expires on Oct. 31, or an extension isn’t agreed upon, the league will temporarily shut down until a new agreement is signed. That could jeopardize key league events, like the draft lottery, expansion draft and even the season, depending on how long the impasse lasts.

Many of the league’s stars, including Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier, used the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis to send a message to the league with black pregame warmup shirts that read, ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us.’

During her annual press conference ahead of the WNBA Finals earlier this month, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she ‘wants much of the same things that the players want’ and assured ‘we can get a deal done.’ Despite ongoing CBA negotiations, the league moved forward with announcing the next host city for the 2026 All-Star Game on Thursday.

“The WNBA is thrilled to bring AT&T WNBA All-Star back to Chicago, which will undoubtedly deliver unforgettable competition and community outreach,” Engelbert said.

The All-Star weekend festivities in Chicago includes the 3-point contest and Kia WNBA skills challenge on Friday, June 24 at Wintrust Arena, home of the Chicago Sky. The 2026 All-Star game will be held at the United Center, home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls on Saturday, June 25.

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Rumors equal raises. Big job openings, like the one at Penn State, means college football coaches are about to cash in.
Arkansas and UCLA hunting for coaches, too. Florida, Auburn and Wisconsin could open.
Eli Drinkwitz says ‘noise’ is college football’s biggest problem. OK then.

Does Eli Drinkwitz like money? Because, if Missouri’s coach likes money and wants more of it, this is how it works.

Rumors equal raises.

Drinkwitz grumbled this week about the college football rumor mill suggesting he’s a candidate for other jobs, while Missouri hunts a College Football Playoff bid.

“I think the No. 1 issue right now amongst college football is the noise that’s associated with people’s programs at all points of the season, whether good, bad or indifferent,” Drinkwitz told reporters.

If coaching hot boards and rumors amount to college football’s No. 1 issue, then life is good.

How’s a man supposed to focus on ball, when some outlet lists Drinkwitz among candidates who make sense for Penn State? (Drink does make sense for at least a sniff from Penn State, by the way.) Heck, I don’t know, maybe just don’t click, and focus on ball.

Drinkwitz moaned “there’s no such thing as journalistic integrity” on social media and Twitter is filled with “a bunch of bull crap.”

Duh.

If you go on Twitter looking for substance, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Delete your apps, do your job, let the rumors swirl, and let your agent negotiate for you a big fat raise (or get you a job offer). That’s the biz. And it ends with everyone getting paid.

College football coaching carousel about to get piping hot

This will be the wildest spin around the coaching carousel since 2021, a year that accelerated salaries, lengthened contracts and fattened buyouts. LSU, USC, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Miami and Notre Dame hired coaches that year.

Now, James Franklin’s firing at Penn State is about to make a lot of coaches even richer — and not just the coach Penn State hires. A whiff of interest (real or imagined) from Penn State will help trigger a pay raise for coaches who stay put. A round of raises will reset the pay scale, and then even more coaches will cash in.

UCLA and Arkansas also are hiring. Florida, Auburn and Wisconsin could open in the weeks ahead.

What’s that The O’Jays sang? Money, money, money, money. Money!

And here’s Drinkwitz playing the world’s tiniest violin. Since the 2021 season, his salary has more than doubled. He joins Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin and Kentucky’s Mark Stoops as coaches earning $9 million who’ve never made the playoff.

Winning helps. So do firings and subsequent rumors.

Coaching searches result in raises and bigger buyouts

Here’s how it works: A notable program fires its coach. The fired coach receives a sweet buyout, aka failure money. Rumors swirl around potential replacement candidates. Agents gin up interest. Myriad coaches receive raises and fattened buyouts. The school needing a coach hires someone to a fat salary with a whopper buyout. Years later, that coach will get fired, collect his whopper buyout, and the process repeats.

Let me take you back to 2021. LSU fired Ed Orgeron less than two years after he led the Tigers to a national championship. USC fired Clay Helton, too. Multiple reports connected Franklin as a potential candidate for LSU and USC. Jackpot!

Penn State awarded Franklin a 10-year contract extension, increased his pay, and guaranteed he’d receive his full compensation through the end of his term whether he succeeded or failed.

Franklin’s teams struggled in 2020 and 2021, but no biggie, because rumors are gold. Jimbo Fisher and Mel Tucker also parlayed the 2021 rumor mill into monster deals.

That’s how $76 million and $49 million buyouts are born.

I’ll reiterate: Rumors equal raises. Next comes the failure money.

Fisher and Franklin got fired within a few years of their 2021 reups. They’re now the record holders for the largest buyouts in college football history. Tucker broke the mold. Michigan State fired him for cause, negating his buyout, for what it deemed his “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a woman who’s not his wife.

Athletic directors specialize in spending other people’s money

It’s as South Florida coach Alex Golesh put it this week: As a coach, either the rumor mill connects you to job openings, or you’re probably on the hot seat yourself.

Put differently, a coach is either on his way to a raise, on his way to a new job, or on his way to buyout bliss.

More than 20 coaches entered this season with a buyout that would exceed $30 million on Dec. 1. More than 30 coaches are earning at least $7 million in compensation this season.

Come next year, you better believe there will be coaches earning $10 million who’ve never coached in a single playoff game.

It’s a runaway train, in part because, unlike professional franchises, there’s no team owner evaluating the finances and running the operation like a business that demands profits. The athletics directors and school chancellors and presidents approving these contracts and buyouts don’t own the team. It’s quite easy to spend other people’s money.

ADs want to find a coach who’ll make them look good. If they think they can lure one in by spending money carefree, like a drunk on a bachelor party, they’ll do it, because it’s not their money anyway. If that coach shows he’s halfway to competency, the AD is happy to spend more of someone else’s money to fatten the coach’s salary to ensure he won’t fly the coop.

That’s the biz: Hirings, raises, firings, buyouts, rumors and whining, while everyone gets rich.

Keep up with the latest news and analysis from college football’s top two conferences: Check out our Big Ten Hub and our SEC Hub to get school-by-school coverage from across the USA TODAY Network.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

Shae Cornette has been named the new full-time host of ESPN’s ‘First Take,’ joining the popular Stephen A. Smith-led program.
Cornette, who joined ESPN in 2020, has previously been a fill-in host for the ‘First Take’ and primarily anchored ‘SportsCenter.’
Cornette replaces Molly Qerim, who departed the show in September after a 10-year tenure.

ESPN has named Shae Cornette as the fulltime host of the popular debate show. Her first official show will be Nov. 3, although she has been a fill-in host over the past month.

‘Hosting ‘First Take’ is no easy assignment. It requires confidence, toughness, and real sports insight — and Shae brings all of that and more,’ Smith, who’s also an executive producer on the show, said in a statement. ‘I’ve seen her command the desk with poise and passion every time she’s hosted. She’s the real deal, and I’m thrilled to have her officially join the team.’

“I feel ready to step into this role and know I can add to the already successful brand that First Take is,” Cornette said. “From my days in radio to hosting ‘SportsCenter’ and now ‘First Take,’ my journey at ESPN has been one of growth, challenge, and opportunity. ‘First Take’’s energy, perspective and passion represents everything I love about sports, and I’m excited to bring more of that to the debate desk every weekday morning.”

Cornette joined ESPN in 2020 after spending time at multiple radio and TV stations in Chicago. She has become a regular ‘SportsCenter’ anchor and studio host for both radio and television. Her last ‘SportsCenter’ will be Oct. 25.

Stream ‘First Take’ on ESPN+

“Shae is meticulous in her preparation, connects naturally with our show’s high-profile personalities, and has a unique ability to keep lively debate engaging and on point,” ESPN executive vice president David Roberts said in a statement. “Her professionalism, presence, and energy make her an ideal fit for First Take and a great addition to one of ESPN’s most successful franchises.”

‘First Take’ airs Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. ET to noon.