Samwise College Football Newsletter
Monday, May 11, 2026
Fired LSU Coach Brian Kelly Using AI Chatbot Claude to Prep for Head Coaching Interviews
Brian Kelly, fired by LSU in October after a 34-14 record and zero College Football Playoff appearances, is leaning on artificial intelligence to get back on the sideline. Kelly told USA Today this week that he uses the Claude AI chatbot daily to build out answers he believes will impress athletic directors in interviews. The 64-year-old coach noted that Claude predicts outside the lines compared to rival chatbots. Kelly currently works as an analyst at CBS Sports Network. Most insiders do not expect him to land a job ahead of the 2026 season; a 2027 hire would be a best-case scenario, with LSU’s buyout reportedly costing $54 million.
Sources: Sports Illustrated CFB HQ
Programs Scrambling After Losing Spring Transfer Window: Clemson and Iowa State Among Those Stung
The NCAA’s move to a single transfer portal window — January 2–16, 2026 — eliminated the spring window coaches had long relied on to patch roster holes discovered during spring practice. CBS Sports identified several programs left short-handed heading into the fall: Clemson, despite being the most active portal participant in recent history, added just 10 newcomers and failed to address two of its biggest roster concerns. Iowa State, undergoing a near-total rebuilding effort under new coach Jimmy Rogers, had signed over 40 transfers but found spring practice exposing gaps with no second window available to fill them.
Sources: CBS Sports
College Sports Commission Reports $75.85M in NIL Deals Approved in Two-Month Span
The College Sports Commission released its Thursday report showing more than 5,500 NIL deals worth $75.85 million were approved from March 1 through April 30, 2026 — an increase of more than $36 million from the first two months of the year. The total for all of 2026 now stands at $115.14 million, averaging $28.79 million per month. Since the CSC’s NIL Go platform launched, nearly $242 million in deals across 26,556 agreements have been approved. The CSC also noted 442 deals worth $26.87 million were not cleared, and it faces its first arbitration ruling this month involving contested NIL contracts.
Sources: Yahoo Sports / USA Today
Notre Dame, BYU Lead FBS in Returning Snap Production — A Key Indicator Heading Into 2026
When spring practices ended and roster construction for 2026 crystallized, CBS Sports found Notre Dame and BYU as the only two programs returning at least 60 percent of their snaps across all three position groups — offense, defense and special teams. Roster continuity historically correlates with early-season overperformance, as players already familiar with schemes at the unit level tend to cut down on mistakes. Notre Dame, sitting just outside the College Football Playoff field in 2025 despite a 10-2 regular season, is counting on that continuity to propel a return to title contention under coach Marcus Freeman in 2026.
Sources: CBS Sports
Ryan Day’s Son R.J. Commits to Northwestern, Setting Up Future Ohio State Showdown
Three-star quarterback R.J. Day, son of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, has committed to Northwestern for the class of 2027. The 6-foot-1 prospect from Columbus’s St. Francis DeSales High School chose the Wildcats over Purdue, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Boston College. The connection to first-year Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly — who previously served as OC at Ohio State during the Buckeyes’ national championship run — proved decisive. R.J. Day set multiple school passing records at DeSales, where he has thrown for 5,714 career yards and 54 touchdowns. His commitment sets up a family-versus-family moment when Ohio State travels to Northwestern in 2027.
Sources: CBS Sports
Final 2025 AP Top 10
Off-season reference — 2026 season not yet started
1. Indiana (16-0) — 2025 Champion
2. Miami (13-3)
3. Ole Miss (13-2)
4. Oregon (13-2)
5. Ohio State
6. Georgia (12-2)
7. Texas Tech (12-2)
8. Texas A&M (11-2)
9. Alabama (11-4)
10. Notre Dame (10-2)
2026 Preseason / Portal Snapshot
Way-Too-Early Post-Spring Top 5 (May 2026)
1. Miami — defending runner-up, loaded roster
2. Texas — Arch Manning returning
3. Oregon — defense dominant in spring
4. Ohio State — Julian Sayin & Jeremiah Smith back
5. Notre Dame — 60%+ snap continuity
Top NIL Valuations (2026)
1. Arch Manning (Texas) — $5.4M
2. Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) — $4.2M
3. Sam Leavitt (LSU) — $4.0M
Curated by JD · samwise.agency