Welcome Back to the Tradition's Finest Podcast! Episode 138 - "The Bust of All Time Episode" includes a discussion of the following sports-related topics: - NCAA: News & Storylines - - NCAA College Football: Posthumously, Mike Leach is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, following an adjustment to eligibility criteria for coaches - - Leach, whose use of the Air Raid offense, widespread coaching tree and distinct personality left a significant impression of the sport, had been kept off previous ballots because his career winning percentage at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State - 158-107 (.596) - fell just below the previous threshold of .600 - - In 2025, the National Football Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, announced that the winning percentage required for coaching eligibility would be adjusted to .595, whereas the other requirements for coaches to become eligible for selection, including ten or more years as a HC and at least 100 games coached, have not changed and/or remain the same - - Leach died in December 2022 at the age of 61 from complications related to a heart condition, while still coaching at Mississippi State - - **NOTE: He won division titles at both Texas Tech and Washington State, where his 2018 team finished the season ranked No.10 nationally, and guided teams to bowl appearances in all but two seasons at his three (3) head coaching stops - - Leach's previous ineligibility for the Hall of Fame garnered extensive criticism of the process involved in selection, from many coaches, media members & fans - as Leach coached or hired many notable coaches throughout his pristine career, including USC's Lincoln Riley, TCU's Sonny Dykes, Oklahoma State's Eric Morris, Baylor's Dave Aranda & Tennessee's Josh Heupel, among others - - Similarly, Jackie Sherrill, who had a career winning percentage of .592 at Washington State, Pitt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, also appeared on the ballot for the first time, as Sherrill had six (6) AP top-10 finishes, including a No.2 overall ranking while at Pitt in 1980 - - Other notable players on this year's ballot include Auburn QB Cam Newton and Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 and 2011, respectively, as well as Ohio State LB A.J. Hawk and Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon, both national award winners - - **NOTE: The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine (9) coaches from the FBS level, and 99 players & 39 coaches from other NCAA or NAIA divisions, while the next Hall of Fame class will be announced in January 2027, during the College Football Playoff. . .Q: What are your thoughts on the late Mike Leach being included on the HOF ballot for the first time after the career winning percentage for eligibility was adjusted to .595?. . ."You Can't Make This Up:" Jordyn Adams spent the better part of eight (8) years pursuing one sports dream, but now he's returning to another: The former five-star football recruit & first-round MLB draft pick has enrolled at SMU and plans to join the Mustangs football program, a source confirmed to CBS Sports - - Adams was once considered one of the country's premier high school athletes - a standout WR at Green Hope High School in Cary, North Carolina - he finished his prep career ranked as the No.3 WR in the 2018 class and the No.14 overall prospect nationally - - **NOTE: The only WRs ranked ahead of Adams in the Class of 2018 were future NFL stars: Amon-Ra St. Brown & Ja'Marr Chase - - While in high school, Adams signed with North Carolina and intended to play both football & baseball, but those plans changed when the Los Angeles Angels selected him with the No.17 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and signed him away from college on a deal worth more than $3 million, which was a decision that launched a professional baseball career that stretched from 2018 up until just a couple weeks ago, when he last appeared in a Triple-A game on May 20 with the Nashville Sounds - - Adams made his major league debut in 2023, as he appeared in 17 games for the Angels that season and returned for 11 more games in 2024, after which point, he departed the Angels' organization, spending time with the Baltimore Orioles and Milwaukee Brewers' organizations - - In total, Adams played 38 MLB games, collecting 13 hits, six (6) runs scored, one HR and five (5) RBIs - as he spent the bulk of his career in the minor leagues, appearing in 678 games and accumulating more than 2,400 at-bats, while showcasing the athleticism that once made him one of the nation's top football recruits - - After his baseball career came to a close last month, rather than continuing to pursue another opportunity in the MLB, Adams has elected to revisit the sport many believed could have carried him to a professional career as well - - As for now, Adams remains eligible to play college football for SMU, but the NCAA continues to debate significant eligibility changes, for instance, last month ...
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