Phantom Island

Steven Godfrey takes listener questions on football, life, and his latest sports media venture. He argues in favor of the 3-3-5, considers the future of Washington State, explains where to find coaches who don't want to jump all over the country, offers some advice on attending games solo, and provides his thoughts on the latest iteration of a Superman movie. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscri...

Here's how the narrative used to work in college football: when a coach struggling to win found himself working for a new athletic director, his chances of getting fired went up significantly. The AD, the all-powerful head of a college's sports programs, simply wouldn't owe any loyalty to an underachiever they hadn't hired.

So Ryan Nanni looked at the last four years of coach firings, compared them to a four year stretch from a deca...

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to review the underappreciated qualities of Louisville and SMU, assess Boise State and Arizona State trying to maintain momentum, name the thing Bill's looking for Clemson to do against LSU, play a terrifying game of Two Coaches Control A James Bond Villain Death Trap, and lots more. Be sure to order Bill's forthcoming book! This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid ...

ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to talk about his forthcoming book, preview the fortunes of Virginia Tech, Cal, NC State, discuss the value of returning production versus transfers with experience, explain the ongoing challenges with previewing teams, and 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...

Hugh Freeze has spent this summer 1) losing a decent number of Auburn recruits to other schools and 2) playing a lot of publicly-recorded golf. These two facts have combined to create some stress for Freeze, which Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni use to unpack the myth of the grindbro head coach, the future of our expectations from this job, and why Tulsa's embracing the links skills of their coach. Phantom Island is presented by Home...

NC State often finds itself in tricky spots – drawing less national attention than UNC or Duke, succeeding in football just enough to create expectations that then go unfulfilled, and wrestling with a legacy in men's basketball that can feel like it's fading further into the past. We talked to James Curle, Alec Lower, and Joe Ovies to learn more about what makes the Wolfpack fan base tick, whether they think NC State is a football ...

Men's and women's flag football will be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the NFL announced earlier this year that they're open to letting pro players participate. Rodger Sherman joins Ryan Nanni to discuss which details haven't been figured out yet, what the international competition looks like, and why a 5'7" quarterback who will be nearly 40 might be America's best hope for gold. Phantom Island is presented by...

On this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey takes questions from listeners on topics ranging from expectations for Sherrone Moore, if and how you can get a lifer in the Group of Five, advertisements on uniforms, and navigating the future of your child's fandom. Of note: Godfrey's answer to one question about Scott Frost was recorded before Frost decided to go scorched earth on Nebraska, so, uh, yeah. Forget all of that.

This ...

Steven Godfrey is joined by Hector Diaz on this episode to talk about works, shoots, and the ways in which wrestling fans want to discern what's real, what's "real," and what's neither. You'll also get some good Godfrey stories about his days working in pro wrestling, as the two discuss the ways in which real life informs and shapes the storylines in the ring. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.

The New York Knicks came two wins away from playing in the 2025 NBA Finals, but they still made the somewhat surprising decision to can the coach who'd helped turn the franchise around, Tom Thibodeau. Host Ryan Nanni brings on Neil Paine, writer for ESPN, NASCAR, and his own Substack, to look at what the numbers say about teams that have bailed on successful coaches in hopes of improving their fortunes even further. Why does this m...

The map of college hockey champions and teams that claim titles in baseball and softball don't overlap very much, and that gives Steven some questions to bring to Ryan. Does the regional nature of these sports put a limit on their potential success? Should we live in a world with more Arizona States starting hockey teams? And will the traditional Big Ten teams ever take baseball seriously again? Phantom Island is presented by Homef...

On this edition of the show's mailbag, Steven Godfrey considers the future of Georgia Tech after losing their athletic director, how adding another triple option team changes things in the AAC, getting recruited as a specialist, whether Billy Napier is an FFC, and what recent moment of parenting has made him most proud. This is a preview of the full episode, which is available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign ...

If you can get a head coaching job in the National Hockey League, there's a decent chance you'll have a shot at a second, third, and maybe even a fourth somewhere down the line. This isn't quite as true in the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball, so Steven and Ryan discuss their own theories for what makes retreads more prominent in hockey before asking an actual expert, ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, for his insight into this phenomenon. P...

The union of numbers and words continues as ESPN's Bill Connelly sits down with Steven to talk about the challenges of building experienced rosters in the MAC, whether Kirby Smart will find his next evolution, the potential of a USC-Illinois showdown, and a whole lot 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 Homefie...

As two children of the 1990s, our hosts have an obligation to remember the teal-tinged days when the Charlotte Hornets, Carolina Panthers, and Florida Marlins first came into being. But this episode isn't just about Remembering Some Franchises. Steven and Ryan review the history of expansion in the four major men's sports in the US, put hockey to one side, and then ask where, when, and if we'll see new teams in the NFL, NBA, and Ma...

After years of tumultuous relationships and mixed results in the Big 12, Texas moved to the SEC and things turned out...totally fine, with a national championship in softball, a run to the Final Four in women's basketball, and a football appearance in the SEC title game. But there's lots to unpack about the Longhorns all the same. How do they feel about the resumption of the A&M rivalry? Which Big 12 team will they miss facing?...

Get ready to catch the bouquet, as the original marriage of numbers and words is back with special guest Bill Connelly. Topics include Rice’s move to the triple, Houston vs. Madison, an attempt to predict fortunes in the Big 12, and whether Godfrey can be talked back into Clay Helton. 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 presente...