Woah! Looks like college football fans’ woes won’t end anytime soon. Just when they thought the 2024 season had been the season of the worst heartbreaks, 2025 came with an evil grin at them. Last season saw some of the hardest farewells, including Jim Harbaugh from Michigan and GOAT Nick Saban, ending his Alabama chapter. All this happened at the beginning of last year. So, it’s obvious fans get haunted by the ‘this time, that year’ flashbacks. And guess who sprinkled some more panic? 

That’s none other than the ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum. After all, speculations around Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman and Colorado Buffaloes HC Deion Sanders’ flip to the NFL do not look good for the college football future.   

Wise words from Paul Finebaum

Well, not every college football program got lucky to make it to the final run for the title. Yes, that’s where Freeman and Ohio State Buckeyes HC Ryan Day turned out to be the most fortunate. But not to forget, whatever the outcome is, the head coaches can slip at any moment into the NFL.

The Buffs HC Deion had been under the NFL radar for quite some time now. As per the reports, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have already conversed with Coach Prime. They might trade up their 12th pick to land Shedeur and woo his dad to seal the deal.

On the other hand, rumors are swirling how Freeman is potentially making the NFL leap with the Chicago Bears. Now that’s a major concern. This was then taken up on ESPN’s The Matt Barrie Show. 

On his show, the host Matt Barrie took the college football coaches’ names and shared how he “still wants the guys that are really good at their job” to stay.

However, he won’t be holding any grudge against them if they swap the wagons. That’s when he had advice for college football officials to buckle up. “I don’t know who the adults in the room are. They need to understand and protect these brands that they have with these coaches because once one or two of them figure out it’s better in the NFL, Paul, there’s no going back.” After that, Finebaum shared his take on the situation. 

The ESPN analyst popped the bubble that the college football fans are living in. Yes, it is considered the second-biggest sport in the country. But at the end of the day, the NFL takes away all the attention. Finebaum dropped some reality check, “We’re taping this on Thursday of the national championship weekend and Matt it’s hard to find a college football conversation on ESPN right now.” So, enough is enough. 

Just playing games is not working for college football anymore. Finebaum tried to raise a sense of urgency as he suggested, “College football has to find a niche…because just sticking games on random Thursday and Friday nights like we saw last week doesn’t work very well.”

Now, is it really that serious? 

How Deion Sanders and Marcus Freeman keep the programs on their toes 

Absolutely! Even though Deion never directly opened up about his NFL intentions, he had been pretty clear about his one condition. In an interview, Coach Prime, shared, “The only I would consider is to coach my sons…SONS.”

Now a few days back on the Dan Patrick Show, even Deion’s closest pal doubled down on the possibility. Robert Griffin III shared, “I’ve talked to Deion, and I knew months ago that the only way he will go to the NFL is if he had an opportunity to coach his sons.” 

So, the Buff’s future now depends on the NFL programs and whether they can hop in Shedeur and Shilo on the same boat. And what about Freeman? According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, “The Bears have done extensive research for months on Marcus Freeman. He is only 39 years old. It would not be a shock if at some point he at least considers going to the NFL.” 

Now, if you think you only have to worry about Deion Sanders and Marcus Freeman about taking that NFL leap, hold on! Sadly, they are not the only targets. Texas Longhorns HC Steve Sarkisian too joins the fray. He is already running strong with a resume with NFL stints. So, if the Deion Sanders plan fails, the Dallas Cowboys will probably lure him away.

College football must now find ways to keep the NFL suitors at bay.