COACH IS JOINED BY Tony, and later Dennis, to break down the administrative battles currently dominating college football, with a heavy focus on the recent SEC meetings and the legislative stall of the Protect College Sports Act in Congress. The hosts highlight the growing frustration from university leadership—specifically Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and Georgia President Jere Morehead—over the lack of national, enforceable regulations for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. They emphasize that without immediate congressional intervention to establish a clear, nationwide framework, conference commissioners are preparing to explore dramatic self-governance measures to prevent the complete destabilization of the sport.

The conversation then transitions to the immediate on-field consequences of this evolving landscape, particularly the contentious debate surrounding the SEC’s push for a nine-game conference schedule and the resulting threat to marquee non-conference matchups. Tony and Coach evaluate how the volatile transfer portal disproportionately impacts rebuilding programs like Arkansas, which has struggled to retain talent against Texas-based schools, while praising Vanderbilt for its positive momentum fueled by significant facility upgrades and unified administrative alignment under Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. The segment wraps up by acknowledging that adapting to these shifting rosters is the new baseline for coaching survival, capped off with a brief nod to the physical intensity of the ongoing NBA playoffs.

COACH IS JOINED BY Tony, and later Dennis, to break down the administrative battles currently dominating college football, with a heavy focus on the recent SEC meetings and the legislative stall of the Protect College Sports Act in Congress. The hosts highlight the growing frustration from university leadership&mdash;specifically Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and Georgia President Jere Morehead&mdash;over the lack of national, enforceable regulations for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal. They emphasize that without immediate congressional intervention to establish a clear, nationwide framework, conference commissioners are preparing to explore dramatic self-governance measures to prevent the complete destabilization of the sport.
The conversation then transitions to the immediate on-field consequences of this evolving landscape, particularly the contentious debate surrounding the SEC&rsquo;s push for a nine-game conference schedule and the resulting threat to marquee non-conference matchups. Tony and Coach evaluate how the volatile transfer portal disproportionately impacts rebuilding programs like Arkansas, which has struggled to retain talent against Texas-based schools, while praising Vanderbilt for its positive momentum fueled by significant facility upgrades and unified administrative alignment under Chancellor Daniel Diermeier. The segment wraps up by acknowledging that adapting to these shifting rosters is the new baseline for coaching survival, capped off with a brief nod to the physical intensity of the ongoing NBA playoffs.

Not many analysts in the midsouth have as much football expertise as Doug Mathews brings to the microphone every Saturday morning. It’s Forklift System’s Football Saturday on 104-5 The Zone.

Mathews, best known for his 10 seasons as Running Backs Coach and Defensive Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, tells it like it is and lets you take show where you want to go every weekend.

Forklift Systems Football Saturday covers all the big games across the nation, including all the action within the Southeastern Conference. It’s the perfect preview before you catch your favorite team play Saturday afternoon. Featuring long-time college football writer Tony Barnhart and NFL analyst Charles Davis.