The Inside Zone

Everyone over Monday night? Good! 1. More tampering! Oh my! Imagine if someone fired a football coach, hired a new football coach, got his superiors to double his salary, then left his job 10 days later for another job — just two years after he took that job — and then watched his trusted lieutenant leave his job in part because of the boss’s initial departure, before ultimately deciding, more than five weeks later, that he wanted to reverse course and go back to his old job.

Wisconsin-Notre Dame is two months from today, for those keeping track. Can’t wait. 1. Bryce Underwood comments? Bryce Underwood came under fire this past week — for comments he made two weeks earlier. Welcome to the modern sports world, sophomore. No one said it would be fair. More to the point, Underwood’s semi-controversial comments came during his youth football camp, held June 20 at Saline High. The Inside Zone is a reader-supported publication.

PSU is now an Adidas school. (Photo: Penn State Athletics.) Happy Bobby Bonilla Day to those who celebrate! 1. Change is in the air It’s July 1, which is always a banner day in college athletics. And while there are no seismic shifts such as UCLA and USC to the Big Ten this year, there are a number of changes happening across the country to keep tabs on. That’s what we’re here for. The Inside Zone is a reader-supported publication.

Stay cool this week, fellow Midwesterners! 1. Notre Dame is where NFL players send their sons to school Notre Dame added to its NFL lineage last week, landing commitments from 2027 four-star receiver Julius Jones Jr. and brother Andre Jones, himself a three-star 2028 safety. They are, of course, the sons of Irish running back great Julius Jones.

Wherever Rick Pitino was, you could bet Kenny Klein wasn’t far away. (Getty) Sad to begin today’s column with some tragic news in the college athletics community. 1. RIP, Kenny Klein There’s very little I can say about Kenny Klein that isn’t already out there. But that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? The man was universally loved, both personally and professionally. The longtime Louisville and St. John’s PR pro died this week at the age of 66.

Happy Wednesday. Anyone else think Aday Mara to OKC may end up being the most impactful draft move for next season? 1. Michigan madness You know what’s crazy? Michigan has won two national titles apiece in football and men’s basketball since 1989 — and three of the four head coaches who started those seasons weren’t there the following season.

Dusty May is off to the NBA. Is his successor already in Ann Arbor? (Photo: David Kabira) One of the least-talked about under-currents throughout this past men’s college basketball season was the bubbling resentment opposing Big Ten coaches had toward Dusty May. May took over Michigan two years ago and was given a big budget. He used that budget to poach players from other schools. Other schools then privately fumed. That’s the game, however. And it’s a game that May played better than anyone.

Photo: YouTube screengrab Hope my fellow dads had a great Father’s Day! 1. A new day on the lakefront EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern has gone eight straight seasons without finishing in the top-10 of the Big Ten in scoring offense.

Happy Friday. Maybe one day I’ll stop celebrating this past week. But that day is not today. Enjoy the weekend, folks. 1. A good time to be Irish Notre Dame added a five-star commitment on Tuesday. Did it seem understated? As if it barely made a ripple nationally? Telling, isn’t it? Downingtown East (Pa.) five-star edge rusher Abraham Sesay pledged to the Irish. He’s a top-30 prospect, ranked No. 22 overall by 247Sports and No. 27 by Rivals.

June 17. Any notable sporting events happen on this date? 1. Moving forward Start with the quote to end all quotes, the one that perfectly sums up the Brendan Sorsby scandal and so much else going on in the world: “If Hannibal Lecter ran a 4.3, we’d probably diagnose it as an eating disorder.” Matt Miller@nfldraftscout Steve Keim's famous quote keeps coming to mind this morning.