Advertise on podcast: Phantom Island

With Maryland parting ways with Mike Locksley, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni ring the opening bell on the 2026 coaching carousel by examining the theory that a shallow candidate pool has made schools more patient. Which names should you expect to see on early lists as jobs open, how much do those lists shift depending on the program, and who might change their fortunes down the stretch? This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

FloWrestling's Jon Kozak joins Ryan Nanni to discuss how 5-for-5/NIL/the transfer portal/the Protect College Sports Act have altered the landscape of men's collegiate wrestling, what the future looks like for women's wrestling in the NCAA, and the best way to get your start as a fan of the sport. (Bonus: There's a Steven Godfrey story about his own history as a wrestler.) Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

The recent major motion picture Digger has provoked backlash from critics and generated disappointing box office numbers. It has also inspired social media user No Escalators, who usually spends his time advocating on behalf of UConn sports, to campaign on behalf of the film with incredible fervor. On this episode, Ryan talks to Mr. Escalators and special guest Jason Kirk about the movie, what might be driving the bad reviews, and the process of defending a box office bomb (and future cult classic?) online. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey review the discussion surrounding Deshaun Watson's early success on the field this season, examine the baseline narrative football embraces compared to basketball and baseball, and consider why some of the league's media partners lump everything under the adversity level. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Matt Stahl of AL.com joins Ryan Nanni to discuss his recent stories on college football's problem with extreme heat, what teams and conferences can do to address warmer games early in the season, why NFL fixes prove harder to apply to this level, and whether anything will actually change moving forward. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

David Covucci, founder and proprietor of FOIAball, joins Steven Godfrey to discuss the growing push to tap fans as sources of revenue for college athletic departments, from rising ticket prices to pleas to donate your grocery store rewards points. How does the new era of fundraising change the relationship between fans and schools, and what does it mean for the future of the sport to lean even more heavily on its audience for cash? This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Brian Shearer, the Director of Competition and Regulatory Policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss a recent paper put out by his team titled "How to Save Audiences $11 Billion on Live Events." They discuss the differences between sports crowds and concert audiences, why franchises and owners haven't spoken out against the ticket companies as musicians have, and what the prospects for regulatory improvement look like. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Members of the Phantom Island community send Steven Godfrey questions, and, on this episode, he answers them on topics ranging from what USC really wants from a coach, what the trajectories look like for a couple of previously hot coaching prospects off to slow starts, why things are working so well for Chip Kelly at his latest stop, and an extended soliloquy about coffee making. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Parker Fleming joins Steven Godfrey to discuss explosive plays in college football, why they matter more in a game where tempo has started to fade, the differences between explosive runs and explosive passes, how to possibly find more explosives in the portal, and much more. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey returns from a long day on the phone to talk with Ryan Nanni about possible rumblings all over college football. Listen if you'd like to compare Lincoln Riley's current school and his old one, hear about the North Carolina coaches that aren't Bill Belichick, and see if Ryan can summon a candidate to Tallahassee that will generate great chaos in the Sunshine State. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Jen Ramos-Eisen, freelance baseball and labor writer for Defector (amongst other places) joins Ryan Nanni for a review of Year One of the WPBL. How was the actual baseball? What were the pros and cons of holding all the games in Illinois? Why was the television production so uneven? And what's actually going on with the league's finances and governance? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to review the history of college football coaches returning to their old, successful stomping grounds. Get ready to hear about Greg Schiano, Scott Frost, and Mack Brown (but also Jeff Tedford and Bill Snyder!) and the common patterns that explain why this move often doesn't go the way the nostalgic might hope. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Zach Osterman and Mike Niziolek combined their experience on the Indiana football beat to write Unthinkable to Unstoppable: How Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers Stunned College Football, and they sat down with Ryan Nanni to talk about the decision to write this book after the 2025 season and not after the stunning turnaround of 2024, how Cignetti built a team with pieces he knew and pieces he didn't, and what other programs should – and should NOT – try to mimic from this Indiana run. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Arkansas State Head Coach Butch Jones sat down with Steven Godfrey before the start of this football season to discuss the realities of building and sustaining a program in the world of the transfer portal and NIL. How do you build culture when your roster turns over so frequently? Have coaches shifted their perspective on what it means to lose your best players to the portal? And when does a team find its identity in this new system? This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

Steven Godfrey has football opinions about the LSU-Ole Miss showdown in Week 3, but what he really wants to talk about with Ryan Nanni on this episode is the cultural history of this rivalry, how Lane Kiffin distracts from it, and whether this game will lead to the kind of anger and chaos lots of people think might come to pass in Oxford. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.