Phantom Island

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 Gainesville
• Why Drinkwitz decided to pass up a shot at LSU, Florida, and Penn State
• The Kiffin move that forced Ole Miss's hiring decision
• Kentucky and the enduring power of rivalry hate
• The long, winding Arkansas search and how it ties in with Oklahoma 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.

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.