Good in the Game 8/27

Coming soon to a pair of headphones near you!

August 27, 2024

Good morning, football fans! If last weekend’s slate of college football was the appetizer, this weekend is certainly a main course — and we’re hungry for football!

The trailer for the National Football Foundation’s Good in the Game Podcast, hosted by 2022 Hall of Fame inductee LaVar Arrington, has dropped!

The podcast will be released twice a month, with Arrington telling stories about the good in the game through exclusive interviews, in-depth discussions and analysis featuring some of the biggest names in the game!

The NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards Presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, which honors individual high school football teams for excellence in the classroom, has found an ever-expanding platform.

As part of their support of the awards, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation has donated a brick outside the stadium to honor the top team in the country each year. Three recipients of the NFF Hatchell Cup Presented by "The Original" Bob's Steak & Chop House, which goes to the top team, have been honored thus far: Cathedral High School (IN), Cypress Woods HS (TX), Grundy Center High School (IA). Click here to learn more about the Rose Bowl Brick Campaign and click here to learn more about the Academic Excellence Awards and the Hatchell Cup.

Photo: College Football Officiating’s Steve Shaw

Before you sit down and get comfortable on your couch to watch your favorite team this week, there are some important rule changes to college football this season that we’d like to go over! The NFF has partnered with College Football Officiating (CFO) every season since 2011 to keep fans aware of changes to the rulebook, and 2024 offers some big adjustments.

COME JOIN US IN LAS VEGAS!

The 66th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas will be here before we know it, and tickets are going fast — buy yours now to ensure you get the NFF discounted rate!

The College Football Hall of Fame celebrated its 10th Anniversary in Atlanta with a Football Fest that attracted hundreds of fans with a wide range of activities, including an epic performance by Grammy-winning artist Antwan “Big Boi” Patton of the famed Outkast. Fans were treated to performances by marching bands, cheerleaders, and local team mascots all while playing on inflatables and testing their football skills at several stations.

The milestone celebration also featured the unveiling of several brand-new innovative exhibits inside the Hall, which was a “Coca-Cola Free Admission Day.” Since its relocation to Atlanta in 2014, the Hall has drawn local and national fans to the city’s sports, entertainment, and tourism district to honor the individuals, traditions, and passion that define college football and experience “Game Day” every day.

Photo: Andrew Nelles/USA Today

Is football participation on the decline? Certain coaches think so, but the numbers say otherwise — high school participation numbers have increased each of the past two seasons.

NFF CEO Steve Hatchell mentioned rule changes to make the game safer as a catalyst for that increase in an article published in The Athletic recently.

More than eight million participants competed in high school sports during the 2023-24 school year, and if you’re thinking that seems like a lot, it is — eight million is a national record!

It appears 11-player tackle football and girls flag football are two of the biggest drivers of growth, too.

📰: Participation in High School Sports Tops Eight Million for First Time in 2023-24
National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

Photo: USC Athletics

Pete Carroll is headed back to the University of Southern California as a professor!

Carroll, who went 97-19 with the Trojans from 2001-09 with a pair of national championships during that time, will teach a class this spring, although details have not been announced.

Photo: AP Photo/David J. Phillips

Have you ever dreamed up an epic college football road trip?

You’re not alone — check out the Associated Press’ itinerary to see every AP Top 25 team this season!

Photo: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

The Northants Ducks, South Coast Spitfires and the London Fruit Bats are gaining in popularity. That’s right, flag football is rapidly catching on across the pond in the UK!

The Guardian recently reported that participation numbers in the sport are expected to reach 100,000 by 2026.

Videos of college football walk-ons earning scholarships have a 100% click rate from us.

Here’s a great one from NBC News to get you even more excited for Saturdays this fall.

Joe D’Alessandris, offensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens and Hall of Fame member at Western Carolina, has passed away. He was 70.

Mike Stensrud, an All-American defensive lineman at Iowa State in the late 1970s, has passed away. He was 68.

Ken Miller, a long-time coach in the Canadian Football League with Toronto, Saskatchewan and Montreal, has passed away. He was 82.

John Lee, who starred at Nebraska under Tom Osborne and finished third in Lombardi Trophy voting in 1975, has passed away. He was 71.

The NFF would like to congratulate and celebrate six colleges and universities kicking off inaugural football seasons this fall — Anderson University (S.C.), Calvin University (Mich.), Centenary College of Louisiana, New England College (N.H.), Simpson University (Calif.) and William Woods University (Mo.)

You can read more about these six schools, and the overall growth we’re experiencing in college football, here!

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