Cody Alexander of MatchQuarters joins Richard to discuss how the football coach at North Carolina will actually, ya know, coach football (a novel concept, we know). His evolution as a defensive mind shaped the way you watch the game in more ways than you can realize, but can he be the same guy in college football? What's instructive about Steve Belichick's time in Washington? And can a guy who is all about the fundamentals thrive in today's college football? Producer: Anthony Vito.

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Further listening

A running back from Boise State helped define the 2024 season. Does CFB have an RB waiting in the wings to make a similar imprint in 2025? Probably not exactly, given Jeanty’s historic season and the difficulty non-power programs have had retaining star running backs this offseason. But if we’re just looking for running backs who can defy difficult circumstances and elevate their offenses to a new level, we can find some candidates to be 2025’s Jeanty.

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Cool stuff from SZD’s partners

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In this week’s CFB Lunch Break, Alex and Richard answer live questions from Split Zone Duo subscribers:

* What to make of Luke Fickell’s mediocre first two years at Wisconsin and a challenging situation in Year 3

* Ohio State/Texas scheduling fight

* Florida’s upside this fall

* What Penn State actually needs from Drew Allar

* The cloudy landscape of G5 position player talent

* What’s behind TNT’s weird College Football Playoff TV arrangement

* Nebraska and Clemson offseason vapors

* UCLA: Glass half full?

* Notre Dame’s reasonable goals

* Michigan State hiring Georgia Tech’s athletic director

* The air raid is dead. Long live the air raid

Producer: Anthony Vito

Hosts: Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson

Reminder: Split Zone Duo LIVE in Raleigh, August 23 Details here. Tickets here.