Manny, Grace, and Ari take shots at Mitch while he's away on today's edition of Stars Matter. The crew also take shots at dissecting each CFP semifinal matchup from a recruiting and roster construction angle. How does Michigan's team composition compare to Alabama, who has the highest average player rating of all time? Washington has killed it in the portal, but will it be enough to overcome Texas' player development? Plus, Signing Day fallout.

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Stars Matter: How Texas-Washington & Michigan-Alabama compare in recruiting and roster construction

Welcome to Until Saturday, The Athletic's NEW college football podcast. This is your home for everything college football. Join Ari Wasserman, David Ubben, Nicole Auerbach, Max Olson, Chris Vannini, Sam Khan Jr., and The Athletic's CFB staff as they break down the game we all love.

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What happened to Colorado's players that weren't deemed to be Louis? Max Olson takes us behind the scenes of 20 Buffaloes players that were cast off when Deion Sanders took over the Boulder based program. Ari Wasserman and Chris Vannini then discuss the buzz about a Group of 5 playoff. Is a postseason imminent for the G5? What's incoming AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti's philosophy compared to Mike Arresco, and what's Ari's biggest sticking point in this? Do college football fans still follow their favorite player(s) after they leave for the NFL? We asked you, the listeners, and reacted to your responses.

Read Max's story:
https://theathletic.com/5449961/2024/04/29/deion-sanders-colorado-transfer-portal-2023/

Rundown:
- What happened to Colorado's castoffs? (3:00)
- Group chats and players' feelings on being cut (7:30)
- Transfer portal news: Miami, Auburn, K-State makin' moves (19:30)
- Is a Group of 5 playoff imminent? (41:00)
- Do fans follow their favorite player(s) after leaving their program? (58:00)

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What happened to Colorado's castoffs? Miami & Auburn's portal splashes

Ari Wasserman and Chris Vannini sat down right after the NFL Draft to share their biggest takeaways from Thursday night. Michael Penix Jr. and Atlanta is a curious case, but the dude can rip the football. J.J. McCarthy left an impression on Ari as a teenager in high school, but will his spunk and skillset translate? Bo Nix, Penix, and McCarthy all being selected in the top-12 has us wondering, are NFL teams terrified of next year's crop of college quarterbacks? The wide receivers in this class were all-timers. Later, Scott Dochterman joins the podcast to discuss Reggie Bush being reunited with his Heisman Trophy, and what it says about the current climate of CFB. If we could change one thing in the sport's history, what would it be? How is NIL impacting the Draft, and will Iowa hit the transfer portal for a QB?

Rundown:
- Michael Penix and J.J. McCarthy (3:00)
- Are NFL teams terrified of next year's QB class? (14:30)
- Wide receivers & favorite picks from the first round (18:00)
- Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy is returned...but why the long wait? (25:30)
- Changing CFB history (45:30)
- How NIL is impacting the NFL Draft (51:00)
- Iowa spring check-in & QB situation (1:01:30)
- ACC update (1:07:30)
- Iowa gambling probe update (1:09:00)

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Is the NFL terrified of next year's CFB QBs? Changing college football history & Reggie Bush justice

Ari Wasserman welcomes Bruce Feldman to the podcast ahead of the NFL Draft to analyze prospects he believes are polarizing based on their body of work in college. Ari questions Michigan QB's J.J. McCarthy's draft stock, which has soared to astronomical heights. Bruce shares his opinion as well as that NFL sources and CFB head coaches to provide a comprehensive picture of what the NFL community thinks of McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Brock Bowers, and more. Plus, who are some of Bruce's under-the-radar prospects? Later, the pair whip around the country to programs who just concluded their spring games. From Michigan and Texas to South Carolina and USC, the guys dish on several important teams. Lastly, we rifle through our mailbag and answer your questions!

Rundown:
- NFL Draft analysis + which players has Ari miss the mark on? (3:30)
- Understanding the J.J. McCarthy hype + Maye and Williams (8:45)
- Why is Brock Bowers considered elite? (18:15)
- Under the radar prospects (22:30)
- Spring games observations: Oklahoma (30:30)
- Duke and Maalik Murphy intrigue (33:00)
- Texas and Arch Manning (36:00)
- Is Florida State a top-15 team? (41:00)
- Are we overlooking Michigan? (43:30)
- USC and Miller Moss (48:30)
- South Carolina's place in the expanding SEC (54:30)
- Texas A&M's defense (56:00)
- Mailbag: Can't miss games this season (59:30)
- Mailbag: What to make of Colorado's team construction? (1:04:00)

Subscribe to the Until Saturday newletter: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852
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NFL Draft prospects vs CFB eye test + Spring games observations with Bruce Feldman

The spring portal continues to rewrite the record books. Max Olson joins Ari to contextualize data, trends, and share his portal intel. Shilo Sanders' social media post directing transfers to message him or his brother, Shedeur, drew skepticism from college football fans. Was too much made of Sanders' invitation? Ari believes so, while Max thinks this was a smart way to circumvent tampering rules. The Portal Authority shares his thoughts on RBs Alton McCaskill and Damien Martinez, CB Tacario Davis, DT Damonic Williams, and he and Ari determine if your program should recurit some of the more intriguing transfers using the N.I.L. scale. The Athletic's Notre Dame scribe Pete Sampson hops on afterward to spread the word about the Irish's spring ahead of their spring game this weekend. What does Pete think of OC Mike Denbrock, Riley Leonard's injury, the WR and OL rooms, the returning production on defense, and expectations for South Bend's team and Marcus Freeman in 2024?

Rundown:
-Dissecting portal data (2:45)
-Colorado's portal activity by the numbers (11:00)
-Shilo Sanders' IG post & was this a smart move? (17:00)
-TCU's big loss + pocket watching (26:30)
-N.I.L. scale: Cormani McClain, Keandre Lambert-Smith + more (37:30)
-Notre Dame spring game preview + 2024 expectations (51:00)
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Portal intel & Colorado's sneaky smart move + Notre Dame's high expectations in 2024

The spring transfer window opened Tuesday morning, and players flooded the system. The number of entrants were over double that of last year's opening day. There are new reasons for fans to be excited and loathsome of the portal, but what's the consensus? Do fans love or hate the spring window? Ari and Chris discuss the pros and cons of the structure as well as standout players on the move. Later, Chris breaks down Michigan football's NCAA violations stemming from impermissable contact during COVID. Kennington Smith III and Seth Emerson then join the podcast to debrief us on Alabama and Georgia's spring games. Kenny shares what the atmostphere was like at Kalen DeBoer's first A-Day with over 70,000 fans in attendance. Plus, what positions do the Crimson Tide need to patch through the portal? Carson Beck shares his thoughts on the Bulldogs' G-Day, and Seth opines on the skill position talent that stood out in the spring game.

Rundown:
- Spring portal opens & players flood in (2:30)
- Do fans love or hate the portal? (6:30)
- Notable players on the move (21:30)
- Colorado's portal departures & G5 movement (30:30)
- Michigan NCAA violations, penalties (39:30)
- Alabama, Georgia spring debriefs (44:00)

Subscribe to the Until Saturday newletter: https://theathletic.com/newsletters/until-saturday

Call/text the Until Saturday phone and leave us a question for a future mailbag and/or Sunday Sound-Off podcast: (316) 462-9852

Subscribe to Until Saturday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbhfrD1COvG40Mk7vvgaHIQ
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Stars Matter: How Texas-Washington & Michigan-Alabama compare in recruiting and roster construction

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