I do smile, and I am happy, at times: The 2025 college football season in quotes
Dave WilsonJan 12, 2026, 07:55 AM ET Close Dave Wilson is a college football reporter. He previously worked at The Dallas Morning News, San Diego Union-Tribune and Las Vegas Sun. It’s hard to believe the amount of drama that was packed into the 2025 college football season. The Lane Kiffin soap opera, in which he…
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Dave Wilson
It’s hard to believe the amount of drama that was packed into the 2025 college football season.
The Lane Kiffin soap opera, in which he was linked to four different jobs while leading Ole Miss to the playoff, was like a miniseries complete with horrible breakups and airport meltdowns. Along the way he trolled Hugh Freeze, who was fired at Auburn. He trolled just about everyone else, too. Then he did an interview at the Oxford airport and scrammed out of town.
The Penn State coaching search meandered. Brian Kelly vanished into the night in Death Valley. Mike Gundy is gone, a huge void in the Quotes of the Year universe.
Notre Dame skipped a bowl game after getting left out of the College Football Playoff. Then Miami and Indiana bullied their way into the national championship game, giving us new blood for the first time in years.
Let’s rewind for a bit. Here are the quotes that explain the 2025 college football season.
Coach Corso, signing off
“It was an amazing feeling. You can’t explain it. I wish I could, but I’m numb. It was overwhelming. It feels like I was dead and all this just happened. When a person dies, he’s laid in his grave site and people say nice things about him. I felt like I was watching and I was dead, and I was seeing it live.”
— Lee Corso, 90, on the massive celebration around his final “College GameDay” before Texas-Ohio State in Week 1 in Columbus, where he first donned a Brutus Buckeye head in 1996 while making his pick, changing sports pregame shows forever
Professor Swinney nailed it
“It’s like getting the final exam Day 1 of class. They made a 65; we made a 58. Neither one of us were great.”
— Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on his evaluation of No. 9 LSU’s 17-10 win over No. 4 Clemson in Week 1. Both teams finished the season 7-6.
“Hey, listen, if Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way. But I’m going to go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach. Hell, I’m 55. I’ve got a long way to go. Y’all are gonna have to deal with me for a while.”
— Swinney, after the Tigers’ 34-21 loss to Syracuse that dropped them to 1-2
Heisman moments
“The truth is you don’t need the most stars, hype or rankings. You just need discipline, heart and people who believe in you. And you need to believe in your own abilities. I hope this moment shows you that chasing your dreams are worth it. No matter how big or impossible they seem.”
— Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a two-star recruit and transfer from Cal, in his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech
“F the voters.”
— Vanderbilt quarterback and Heisman finalist Diego Pavia, in a post on Instagram after Mendoza won the award. He later apologized, saying that “to be so close to my dream and come up short was painful” and adding that Mendoza was a deserving winner.
Farewell to a Quotes of the Year icon
“It was 15 degrees and sleeting. … When we broke the huddle, Nebraska’s defensive line had their shirts tied up like this [raising his shirt for reporters]. And I thought, ‘This is not good.'”
— Now-former Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy remembering his first career start against the Cornhuskers in 1986 before redshirt freshman quarterback Zane Flores‘ first start against No. 6 Oregon this season. The Cowboys lost 69-3 to the Ducks, and Gundy, in his 21st season in Stillwater, was fired Sept. 23 after a 1-2 start including a 19-12 loss to Tulsa.
I’m sure he appreciated the kind words
“Sounds like he’s doing amazing with that.”
— Lane Kiffin, at SEC media days on Hugh Freeze’s golf game after his golf photos and single-handicap index scores became the subject of public discussion amid Auburn recruiting woes
Recalling Baton Rouge
“LSU won the football game. Won the game. I don’t know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy? … I’m not trying to embarrass you, but it was a stupid question.”
— Tigers coach Brian Kelly, after being asked about his offense’s struggles in a 20-10 win over Florida
“This journey began with great expectations with my own vision of how to get there. Sometimes the journey does not end the way we hope.”
— Kelly, in a statement after being fired as head coach at LSU, where he went 34-14 and was dismissed after a 5-3 start in 2025
“I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward is not selecting our next coach.”
— Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on LSU’s athletic director, who hired Kelly and would part ways with the school just days after Landry got involved in the coaching situation
Can we kick it? Yes, we can?
“Just wanted to see if we could. It’s like asking your parents if you can do something that you know they probably shouldn’t let you do. … They said yes. What were we supposed to say?”
— Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz on the Tigers’ illegal free kick after a touchdown and ensuing unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Kansas in Week 2 that prompted the Big 12 to suspend the officiating crew for Week 3
Rocky year in Boulder
“Don’t indict us just based on a group of young kids that probably was intoxicated and high simultaneously. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that as well, but the truth is going to make you free. But BYU, we love you.”
— Colorado coach Deion Sanders, after Buffaloes fans chanted “F— BYU” and “F— the Mormons” during the Cougars’ 24-21 win in their first visit to Colorado in 44 years
The Penn State odyssey
“We have the best college football fans in America, a rich tradition of excellence, significant investments in our program, compete in the best conference in college sports and have a state-of-the-art renovated stadium on the horizon. I am confident in our future and in our ability to attract elite candidates to lead our program.”
— Penn State AD Pat Kraft, announcing the Oct. 12 firing of James Franklin, which involved a $49 million buyout
“I was in shock. I’m still working through it myself. It feels surreal.”
— Franklin, on “College GameDay” on Oct. 18
“If I don’t get this right, my career is over. Understand that: If I don’t hire the right person, my career is over. So it’s very serious to me. This isn’t, like, what people just think. You all are going to graduate and move on. If I don’t find the right person, in two years they will fire my ass and I don’t get another AD job.”
— Kraft, from a meeting with a group of Penn State team leaders, on audio that was leaked late in the 58-day search that saw several coaches get new contracts, including Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko
As the search continued and BYU’s Kalani Sitake became one of the leading candidates, the CEO of Crumbl cookies even got involved.
Some people are not replaceable. Sounds like it is time for me to get off the sidelines and get to work.
— Jason McGowan (@jasonmcgowan) December 1, 2025
"It's a dream come true for me. It's one of the greatest honors of my life, and I couldn't be more grateful to be here."
-- Former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, who was hired as Penn State's coach Dec. 8, at his introduction
"There probably will be a Netflix documentary at some point."
-- Kraft, after the long, winding Penn State search was complete
Feeling the cheesiest
"It sure felt good kicking Oklahoma's ass in Dallas. It felt good kicking A&M's ass in DKR. And it felt good tonight kicking Michigan's ass, so appreciate Longhorn Nation. Hook 'Em Horns, baby!"
-- Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, on the Learfield/Texas radio postgame show after the Longhorns' 41-27 win in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
"Nothing against the Citrus Bowl, but I think he played in it twice. I don't want to have to play in it twice."
-- Texas quarterback Arch Manning, the MVP of the Citrus Bowl, on whether he had any bragging rights over uncle Peyton, who was the 1997 Citrus Bowl MVP
He'll do anything for love (but he won't do that)
"I think the idea is that Coach Dykes is scared of the Iron Skillet game. Five outta the last six is what we won. I think that's a Meat Loaf song, right? Five outta six ain't bad? So yeah, I ain't too scared."
-- TCU coach Sonny Dykes, on the Frogs' 35-24 win in the 104th and final SMU-TCU Iron Skillet rivalry game after winning his final two games on the SMU side and then winning three of four on the TCU side, referencing the 1970s power ballad "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad"
Trust the process, but verify with 'Miss Terry'
"Yeah, I called and offered him [Will] Muschamp's job but he was overqualified, so he wasn't interested. ... Make no mistake about it. The boss at home is going to make that call for him, not him."
-- Georgia coach Kirby Smart at SEC media days, making light of rumors that Nick Saban was considering a return to coaching by saying he would offer him an off-the-field analyst job and adding that Terry Saban will be the one to decide if he ever coaches again
Another Cig burn
"We figured we would just adopt the SEC scheduling philosophy. Some people don't like it. I'm more focused on those nine conference games."
-- Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, taking a shot at the SEC's nonconference schedules at Big Ten media days on why the Hoosiers paid $500,000 to cancel a nonconference series with Virginia and replace it with games against Kennesaw State and Austin Peay
Freeze's finale
"I don't know if I'm going to walk outside and my car is going to start or not. I think it is. I have an expectation it will. But if my car doesn't start enough, then I will evaluate that and make decisions about my car. But that's not my expectation at this point about our football program."
-- Auburn athletic director John Cohen, to AL.com on Oct. 18 when asked whether he expected Hugh Freeze to be the Tigers' head coach in 2026
"I wish I could ask for patience, but that's not something that people want to give in this day and time, and I understand that. I just think we're so dang close."
-- Hugh Freeze on Nov. 1, the day before he was fired after going 15-19 on the Plains, including 1-4 in the SEC this season
That's a lot of dough
"We know that as Red Raiders, no one tells us what to do. We make our own decisions. This situation is on me. I leaned into throwing tortillas at the beginning of the football season. Now I must ask everyone to stop."
-- Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt after the Big 12 changed its rules for objects thrown on the field to include a 15-yard penalty along with a $100,000 fine, potentially a very costly one for the Red Raiders' tortilla-tossing tradition
Michigan's mess and makeover
"It has been five years of, let's just call it what it is, a malfunctioning organization where there's something every year. ... The program means a lot to me. And it's one of the things I want to fix before I go smoke myself to death with cigars."
-- Michigan interim coach Biff Poggi, who took over after Sherrone Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, which ultimately led to Moore being arrested for allegedly assaulting the staffer
"Michigan is a special place -- a legitimate opportunity to win a national championship. It has happened here. So, I looked at it as a final challenge."
-- Kyle Whittingham, 66, who stepped down after 32 years at Utah -- 21 as the head coach -- saying, "I'm a free agent, I'm in the transfer portal" shortly before the Michigan scandal happened, with the timing aligning for both parties
It just means more
"He said something about [then-Bulldogs defensive coordinator] Todd Grantham and collapsed."
-- Suzanne Frederickson, on her late husband Lawrence Stockton, Georgia quarterback Gunnar Stockton's grandfather, who died of a heart attack in the parking lot outside the Georgia-Florida game after the Bulldogs lost 34-31 in 2010. Gunnar Stockton said the memory inspires him to want to "beat them bad in Jacksonville." The Bulldogs won this season 24-20.
He's all about The U
"We were on a tarmac and we asked the pilot to delay -- this is a flight during recruiting and fundraising where Miami was on the verge of not having a player drafted for the first time in I don't know how many decades. Then finally, late in the seventh round, a player was selected. ... I chose to leave my place on the West Coast to come back and do Miami the way Miami should be done. That's what we've been doing."
-- Miami coach Mario Cristobal at ACC media days on the lack of talent the Hurricanes had when he arrived from Oregon in 2022, and how he has worked to rebuild the program, culminating in a national championship game appearance this year
Fighting for more (Prime) time
"You've got the right man. I promise you, you do. And I'm going to prove that to you. Just give me an opportunity and a little more time, and I'm going to prove that to you."
-- Deion Sanders, amid a 3-9 season in which Colorado went 1-8 in the Big 12
Glad we cleared that up
"I've never filmed any of you guys when you're using the bathroom, so I don't know what faces you make when you're doing that."
-- Texas coach Steve Sarkisian, after being asked whether Arch Manning had an injury when it appeared he was wincing while he short-hopped a ball to a receiver in a 38-7 win over San Jose State during some early-season struggles
So long to the head Hog
"I understand. I get it. If I was a fan, I'd be mad at me too, you know? I'd be frustrated as hell with me."
-- Arkansas coach Sam Pittman after a 56-13 loss to Notre Dame on Sept. 27, on questions about his job security. Pittman, in his sixth season, was fired the next day.
Hail to Pitt, or whatever
"Absolutely not. It's not an ACC game. Glad you brought that up. I'd gladly get beat 103 ... or 110-10 in that game. They can put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two. Again, our focus is on Notre Dame and getting as many wins as we can."
-- Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi when asked if the Panthers' Nov. 15 game against No. 9 Notre Dame was a "must-win" game. Pitt kept it much closer, losing 37-15. It followed that by beating Georgia Tech but then lost 38-7 to Miami to close the season.
Dabo Caliendo
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables returned to the Clemson sideline Nov. 8 for the 24-10 win over Florida State during the Sooners' bye week to watch his son Tyler, a safety, play for the Tigers. Swinney seemed to enjoy having his former defensive coordinator back around, doing an impressive impression.
Dabo Swinney's impression of Brent Venables may have been the highlight of last night. pic.twitter.com/Qc1AJqjLBw
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) November 9, 2025
The Fighting Irish: Fightin' mad
"As a team, we've decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season. We appreciate all the support from our families and fans, and we're hoping to bring the 12th national title to South Bend in 2026."
-- Notre Dame, in a statement attributed to the 2025 team, after being left out of the College Football Playoff field
"We were definitely being targeted. ... The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we bring tremendous football value to the ACC, and we didn't understand why you would go out of your way to try to damage us in this process."
-- Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, accusing the ACC of promoting Miami at the expense of the Irish
"I think Pete's, his behavior has been egregious. It's been egregious going after [ACC commissioner] Jim Phillips when they saved Notre Dame during COVID. ... The chair said that as Notre Dame and Miami got closer together, head-to-head would be a factor, OK?"
-- Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, at a Sports Business Journal forum, noting that one of his teams, BYU, got left out despite a strong résumé because of its two losses
How it started, how it's going
"They don't have Nick Saban to save them. I just don't see them stopping me."
-- Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos, a transfer from Boston College, before his first start for the Seminoles in Week 1 against Alabama. FSU beat the Crimson Tide 31-17.
"I've actually won a championship, and we're going to do it again. We're going to do it here. That might piss people off. So be it."
-- Florida State's Mike Norvell, after dropping to 4-5, saying he had "elite level confidence" he could right the ship in Tallahassee in the future. The Seminoles finished 5-7 this season.
The long and winding Lane
"It just became time. I talked to God, and he told me it's time to take a new step. It's a new chapter."
-- Lane Kiffin, on why he was leaving Ole Miss for LSU
"We're going where? Oxford? They'll be shooting missiles at us."
-- LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry, when he was told leaders were flying to pick Kiffin up at the airport near Ole Miss rather than in Tupelo, Mississippi as originally planned
"I'm not changing who I am. I ain't changing what the hell I wear. I'm [not] going to yoga ... I ain't doing any of that s---. I am who I am."
-- Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, during his first session with reporters after being named the replacement for Kiffin, who often posted pictures of his visits to yoga classes
"He's just keeping it real. He's not two-faced like Kiffin was."
-- Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, on Golding
"I think that people get really upset when you leave somewhere because they feel hurt because you're doing a really good job. They ain't going to the airport and driving from all over to say those things and yell those things and try to run you off the road if you were doing bad."
-- Kiffin, on the Ole Miss fans' vitriol when he was leaving Oxford
"My next-door neighbor was Aaron Hernandez, and this is still more chaotic than when the helicopter was flying over the street."
-- Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, a former New England Patriots assistant, on the Rebels' post-Kiffin playoff run in which newly hired LSU assistants were still coaching for the Rebels
Short, but to the point
#Mizzou brought a fan onto the field to kick a 45-yard field goal for a chance to win $25k. Instead, he pulled up his shirt to reveal "F KU" on his chest and kicked the ball at the Kansas sideline.
Border War, baby.
— Eli Hoff (@byEliHoff) September 6, 2025
Chapel Bill's beginnings
"We have a lot of experience in dealing with kind of what the college football landscape is now. ... Mike has done a great job of -- it's reinforcing the roster."
-- North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, at his first ACC media days, on how he and general manager Michael Lombardi added 70 new players
"We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team because everybody who's involved in our program has had some form of aspect in pro football. ... We can walk into any school and say, 'We're North Carolina, we have the greatest coach in the history of football, and we have a great university. Come play for us.'"
-- Lombardi, in February, on the way he planned to build the UNC program
"They outplayed us, outcoached us, and they were just better than we were tonight. That's all there was to it. They did a lot more things right than we did."
-- Belichick, after North Carolina got blown out by TCU 48-14 in the season opener, giving up more points than he allowed in any of his 333 NFL games
"We signed players who didn't have offers or offers that they didn't want. Kind of slid through the cracks in terms of the recruiting process. We signed players in the transfer portal that were available. We were late in the running on a lot of them. ... We ran out of time. We did the best we could."
-- Belichick, in mid-October, on how the Tar Heels constructed his first roster in Chapel Hill before the Tar Heels finished 4-8
We're going to need to see some proof
"I do smile, and I am happy, at times."
-- Cignetti, known for his stone-faced demeanor, before the CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The No. 1 Hoosiers beat No. 5 Oregon 56-22 to continue an undefeated season and earn a spot in the national championship game.
