Claim OwnershipPhantom Island
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Every week, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni walk you (and one another) through a question from the sports world. While they don't promise any conclusive answers, you'll get an interesting and thoughtful look at topics from a variety of perspectives. This feed is also home to Steven and Ryan's other work, including The Single Wing, where Godfrey answers listener questions, We're Not All Like This, Ryan's interview series profiling different sports fanbases, and more. Find out more at https://www.falconscottproductions.com/
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Even before the 2025 college football season really got under way, Tulane's Jon Sumrall was being floated as a top name for a number of theoretical SEC openings. On this episode, Ryan Nanni asks Steven Godfrey what exactly made Sumrall an attractive target - and eventual hire at Florida - to get a better sense of what the market values from up-and-coming head coaches. 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.
David Covucci, founder of FOIAball.com, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss how journalists use open records laws, the art of crafting a good FOIA request, what the job of a FOIA response officer is like, the challenges of navigating open records systems in different states, and why this all means dozens of colleges had to tell David how much they spent on elaborate balloon displays. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
At three different points during his introductory press conference in Baton Rouge, Lane Kiffin claimed an angry Ole Miss fan had tried to run him off the road while he was driving to the airport to leave Mississippi. One problem: when Mississippi Today dug into that story, they couldn't find any police records to back it up. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss Lane joining an interesting set of coaches who have previously alleged that they were threatened or harassed by fans, only to have those stories look doubtful upon closer examination. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
As the coaching carousel creaks to a stop (hopefully), Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni pause to discuss the changes UCLA and Michigan State made, the ones Wisconsin and Maryland didn't, very different decisions by Tulane and USF, the plight of Southern Miss, the risk-reward move Kansas State is embracing, Jason Candle finally getting poached, and plenty 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.
Matt Rh-, no wait, Kalani Sita-, hmm, no, ah yes, here it is. Matt Campbell has accepted the Penn State job, so Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni sit down to recap how this search played out over many, many weeks. What fissures within the Penn State fanbase does Campbell have to navigate? Why did other candidates get close to the finish line before bowing out? And does the messy process actually matter for the long-term success of the Nittany Lions?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.
Former UNC football player and current TarHeel247 analyst Michael Felder joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the football failures of Bill Belichick's first year in Chapel Hill. Where did the defense find improvement over the course of the season? Was the offensive failure an issue of identity or execution? What's the case for optimism in year two? And what does Felder think is the root problem that will determine whether this team ever works under Belichick? 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.
What do A League of Their Own, White Men Can't Jump, The Mighty Ducks, Ladybugs, and The Cutting Edge all have in common besides being sports movies? They were all released in 1992, and most of them did pretty well at the box office. (Sorry, Ladybugs.) To determine what happened to a genre that once enjoyed so much success, Steven Godfrey talks to critic and USA Today writer Cory Woodroof about changes in the film industry and the audience experience, and where sports movies still have a shot. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
In the wake of Lane Kiffin leaving for LSU, it wasn't surprising that Jon Sumrall, Alex Golesh, and Eli Drinkwitz all ended up with SEC jobs. But none of them necessarily landed in the spots many assumed they'd move to! Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss:How Sumrall went from assumed Auburn head coach to cold at Florida to Kiffin's successor to the choice in GainesvilleWhy Drinkwitz decided to pass up a shot at LSU, Florida, and Penn StateThe Kiffin move that forced Ole Miss's hiring decisionKentucky and the enduring power of rivalry hateThe long, winding Arkansas search and how it ties in with Oklahoma StateThis 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.
It's an early drop of our usual Friday episode, as ESPN's Bill Connelly joins Steven Godfrey to plot out first-round playoff games of narrative or meteorological interest, review the surprising (in a good way) teams from every FBS conference, and take a little bit of preview time for the FCS playoffs. Don't forget to buy Bill's book, Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football.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.
In 2007, the NFL played its first regular-season game in London, leading to years of speculation that the team could move a team to the UK. Relocation seems unlikely to happen, but Roger Goodell and the league still talk about the possibility of an English franchise playing American football. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss why a European team appeals to the NFL, what hurdles that effort would face and whether it'd be easier to put a single team in London or create an entirely new overseas division.Research on this episode was conducted by Ryan Fortune. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
As of this recording, Lane Kiffin is the head coach at Ole Miss. HOWEVER: this episode has Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discussing how the race for his services has changed leaders over the last week, where the runners up may turn next once he makes a decision, and the impact this all has on schools ranging from Mizzou to Penn State. (But not Arkansas. At least not totally.) 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.
Paid subscribers to Phantom Island send questions to Steven Godfrey, and Steven Godfrey answers those questions, including which currently not open SEC job he thinks is most likely to be looking for a new coach, a Penn State possibility of interest, some attempts at positivity about the MAC, a wrasslin' story, and throwing something at Ryan during the recording of this episode. 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.
As the WNBA grows in popularity, a raw nerve in the game has also gained greater exposure: longstanding friction over how women's basketball is officiated. Sports Illustrated staff writer Emma Baccellieri joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the history of players and coaches frustrated with the refs, why things boiled over so publicly in the 2025 season, how this issue isn't exactly like the usual complaints about officiating in sports, and what the WNBA can do to improve things. Emma's also the co-author with Jordan Robinson of Court Queens, on sale in March 2026. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
Jobs open every college football season, and, when they do, they are immediately sorted and ranked. Some jobs are good, some are not, and every job opportunity can be compared to and weighed against another. On this episode, Ryan Nanni asks Steven Godfrey how much the talking points about "good jobs" actually matches with what the candidates for them care about. What do coaches want to see from new landing spots? How does that change depending on the situation? And is this process too subjective to really fit into a ranking at all?This episode was originally only available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today - but we're making it available to everyone! Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
For decades, Canadian football has coexisted along its American counterpart with a variety of distinctions in field layout, rules, and strategies that make the game very similar to what you see in the United States but different enough to stand out. But some of those distinctions are getting shaved down, as Rodger Sherman, author of Sports!, joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the NFL-ification of the Canadian Football League. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
Steven Godfrey once again answers questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island, with topics ranging from an update on the Arkansas search, what to do about good upstarts stuck in lackluster NFL home venues, a lot of Godfrey's feelings about Georgia Southern, why "Mama called" feels different in this coaching cycle, and germ warfare for new parents. 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.
In 2022, Vanderbilt announced they were bringing back women's volleyball as a sponsored sport, but it took three years to hire the coaches, recruit the players, and get the team ready for competition. Ryan Nanni talks to head coach Anders Nelson, athletic director Candice Storey Lee, and sophomore libero Hailee Mack about their experiences reviving the program, spending a year on campus without any games on the schedule, and playing the first home match outside on Wyatt Lawn. Match audio courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
Auburn has moved on from Hugh Freeze, and so has Steven Godfrey, who joins Ryan Nanni to talk about how a simple search could go sideways despite better leadership on the Plains, what to do with Jimbo rumors (and SABAN TO LSU?? ones), and why you're not getting A Big Ole Godfrey Rant on this episode. 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.
Strength of schedule gets thrown around as a seemingly easy way to separate the brave from the weak in college football, but how should we actually think about this metric? ESPN's Bill Connelly, author of Forward Progress: The Definitive Guide to the Future of College Football and Parker Fleming, proprietor of CFB Graphs, join Ryan Nanni to talk about what goes into a strength of schedule measurement, how the Playoff Committee should think about SoS in their rankings, whether schedule strength can actually influence who teams choose to play, and plenty more.This episode was originally only available to paid subscribers – go to phantomisland.show to sign up today - but we're making it available to everyone! Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
On this episode, Ryan Nanni is joined by guest Yaron Weitzman, NBA writer and author of the new book "A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers" to review Year 1 of the J.J. Redick era. Has the criticism of hiring LeBron's podcast cohost worn off? How did Redick handle bringing Bronny James into the fold? What did the trade for Luka mean for expectations in J.J.'s first year, and what do they look like now? And will new ownership mean yet another change in the direction of this franchise? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.Want to attend the first live Phantom Island show on Friday, November 14 in Athens, Georgia? Click this link for tickets and more details!
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