Podcast
Phantom Island
Hosted by Steven Godfrey & Ryan Nanni
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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Episodes
- The Single Wing: Lane's Future and CFB's Past (PREVIEW)May 15, 2026 · 3 minOn this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey answers subscriber questions about alternative Nick Saban timelines, nostalgia for College GameDay, the Fuente and Pry eras at Virginia Tech, and how the new Pac-12 will sit in the eyes of the Playoff Committee. Oh, he also has some thoughts on That Lane Kiffin Profile. 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's really happening between private investors and college sports?May 13, 2026 · 1 hr 5 minRyan Nanni is joined by Sports Business Journal's Ben Portnoy to discuss how we can make sense of the steady trickle of news linking universities and conferences to private capital/equity, why investors think college sports are a good place to park millions of dollars, what schools actually plan to do with new capital, and whether this will close financial gaps between programs or widen them. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- RE-RELEASE: A (mostly) Jordon Hudson-less Assessment of UNCMay 11, 2026 · 1 hr 25 minFormer 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? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Let's Fix Week Two of the CFB Schedule (PREVIEW)May 8, 2026 · 9 minIt's early May, which means it's the perfect time for Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni to sit down and scheme up a plan to build a Week 2 in college football that helps address realignment fatigue, geographic rivalries, and NFL creep. And we'll only need the cooperation of Oklahoma, Air Force, USC, Missouri, Miami, Baylor, Cal, Notre Dame, Maryland, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and a few dozen others to make it real. No sweat! 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.
- Why are sports teams becoming landlords?May 6, 2026 · 1 hr 3 minSteven Godfrey is joined by Lindsay Crosby, host of Braves Today , to discuss The Battery, the mixed-use development that opened in 2017 with retail, office space, and residences that functions as one little mini economy all benefiting the fortunes of the Atlanta Braves. What did people think of The Battery when it was announced? Why do so many other teams want their own version? And could Cobb County children one day go to Braves Elementary before growing up to buy houses from Braves Homebuilders? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- RE-RELEASE: The Sports and Politics Venn DiagramMay 4, 2026 · 1 hr 17 minA Phantom Island subscriber asks Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey whether labor discussions in sports will change the way we think about the topic in the broader world, and that prompts a much longer conversation between the two about media work as advocacy, sports as an escape from the burdens of politics, and, yes, the Josh Pate interview of Trump. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: On Bias and Braves Hats (PREVIEW)May 1, 2026 · 6 minSteven Godfrey returns to take questions from Phantom Island listeners on a variety of subjects, including the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga, flag football's emergence as a college sport, the reasonable outlook for Rich Rodriguez in his second year back in Morgantown, and a partial review of Godfrey's collection of Atlanta Braves hats. 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.
- Will Connecticut ever keep a pro sports franchise?Apr 29, 2026 · 1 hr 6 minRodger Sherman, writer of Sports! , joins Ryan Nanni to discuss the sale and impending move of the Connecticut Sun to Houston, which will end nearly a quarter century of WNBA play in the Nutmeg State. How does the Sun move evoke painful memories of Hartford losing the Whalers? Statistically, where does Connecticut fall amongst other cities and states in the pro sports pecking order? And is the absence of prominent pro sports good or bad for UConn? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- How to write a coach profile (and how to quit doing them) (PREVIEW)Apr 24, 2026 · 15 minRyan Nanni sits down with Steven Godfrey to review a classic of offseason sportswriting: the coach profile. Examining the work Godfrey did interviewing coaches from James Franklin to Tom Herman to Geoff Collins, this episode explores how these pieces come together, what agendas they serve for both sides, whether you can get actual journalism from these stories, and why Godfrey eventually decided to abandon the format. 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.
- Can a pro wrestler succeed without WWE?Apr 22, 2026 · 46 minSteven Godfrey is joined by Hector Diaz to discuss recent WWE Hall of Fame inductee AJ Styles and how his path in the world of wrestling reveals about the business – the fights over the "right" kind of body frame, the challenges of promoting talent outside of WWE, and the reality that all bumps count the same. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: Usurper Edition (PREVIEW)Apr 17, 2026 · 15 minTypically, the Single Wing is where Steven Godfrey answers questions from Phantom Island subscribers about football, the media, and life in general. But today, Ryan Nanni steps into the parasocial chair to discuss whether Indiana will be the exception or the rule, why lawyers love to get into sports media, mourning the end of being a parent to just one child, and important SEC breakfast comparisons. 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.
- Why can't we trust stadium attendance numbers?Apr 15, 2026 · 54 minRyan Nanni is joined by David Covucci to discuss FOIAball's recent story comparing actual attendance at college football games to the claimed numbers. When is a sellout not really a sellout? Why don't colleges give accurate information when technology gives them much better headcounts? And what was behind the NCAA's initial push to track – and potentially punish – programs with low turnout? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- What can golf do about its addiction to Tiger Woods?Apr 8, 2026 · 1 hr 15 minKevin Van Valkenburg of The Fried Egg joins Ryan Nanni to review how Tiger Woods came to be so essential to the existence of the modern golf industry, why he's persisted as a foundational figure despitely largely disappearing from competition, what makes golf particularly ill-suited to moving on from him, and what a healthier relationship between Tiger and the game might look like. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The President, the Second Circuit, and Alabama walk into a bar (PREVIEW)Apr 7, 2026 · 7 minApril started with three things that point towards the possible future of college athletics - a White House executive order, an Ivy League court win, and Alabama AD Greg Byrne pondering whether the SEC will have to kick out cheaters in the future. Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey discuss how these all intersect and who actually wants to be in charge of intercollegiate sports in the future. 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.
- The Single Wing: The Drop-Down Dilemma (PREVIEW)Apr 3, 2026 · 4 minOn this edition of the Single Wing, Steven Godfrey answers questions from Phantom Island listeners on topics from Sonny Dykes talking transfer interceptions to grill and smoker strategies to when and why a program might consider dropping from FBS to FCS. 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.
- Is Ohio State's media stranglehold an outlier?Apr 1, 2026 · 1 hr 17 minD.J. Byrnes, proprietor of The Rooster and frequent burr in the saddle of Important People in Ohio, joins Steven Godfrey to talk about his reporting on The Ohio State University, the media landscape in Ohio and around the Buckeyes, and the many bombshells Ohio State is trying to smother. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Sports Courts, AFCON, and the Philosophy of Overturning Games (PREVIEW)Mar 27, 2026 · 14 minRyan Nanni sits down with Steven Godfrey to explain what happened at the end of stoppage time in the Senegal-Morocco AFCON Final and the lengthy appeals review that followed. This turns into a conversation about whether or not Godfrey would accept the overturning of the 28-3 Super Bowl in Atlanta's favor and the time the Hawks and Heat had to replay part of a game weeks later because the officials forgot how to count to six. 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 if we merged the men's and women's Final Four?Mar 25, 2026 · 56 minRachel Bachman, senior sports reporter for the Wall Street Journal, joins Steven Godfrey to talk about the comparative economics of March Madness for men's and women's basketball. Did the NCAA shortchange the women by continuing to bundle their rights with other sports? Why does the current setup force fans to choose between one tournament or the other? And could/should we host both Final Fours in one location? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: A Surprisingly Football-Heavy March Episode (PREVIEW)Mar 20, 2026 · 4 minSteven Godfrey takes questions from the Phantom Island audience and turns them into this, the Single Wing, where he discusses Coach Transition Etiquette, the theoretical rise of G6 super scheduling, whether NIL will change professional rookie finances, Godfrey's Letterboxd top four, 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.
- Should the United States change how it funds its Olympians?Mar 18, 2026 · 1 hr 3 minHow does an episode go from Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey discussing the Toyota Corolla to Ryan bringing on Rodger Sherman to consider why there is no simple term for "an athlete who competes in skeleton?" When it's time to discuss the differences between how the U.S. funds its Olympic athletes and how most other countries do it, of course. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber. Read Rodger's work at his newsletter, Sports!
- How did the sports world respond to the death of Martin Luther King Jr.?Mar 11, 2026 · 53 minEarly in the evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered at the Lorraine Motel. The NBA and NHL were in the middle of the playoffs, Major League Baseball was nearly to Opening Day, and many other sports had space lined up on the calendar. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review how each league responded to the assassination of the civil rights leader, where the relationship athletes had to King influenced reactions, and what, if anything, we might learn from the past about how teams and leagues handle events like the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- A frantic tour of the G5's scheduling chaos (PREVIEW)Mar 9, 2026 · 4 minSomehow, Louisiana Tech's lawsuit against Conference USA leads to a discussion about scheduling irregularities involving the MAC, the Mountain West, and various FCS programs. (Ryan is still not confident he understands what's going on.) 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.
- The Single Wing: Let's Remember Some Viruses (PREVIEW)Mar 6, 2026 · 5 minOn this edition of Phantom Island's regular mailbag, Steven Godfrey answers listener questions about the anxiety of rooting for TCU, the weariness of pulling for Wisconsin, how oddball coaches function with boosters and players, what Godzilla teaches us about parenting, and Minor League ballpark advice. 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.
- Who's winning the SEC-Big Ten war outside of football?Mar 4, 2026 · 1 hr 1 minExpansion in the Big Ten and SEC gets analyzed through a football-first lens, but what have Oregon, Washington, UCLA, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Missouri done to raise the fortunes of their conferences in other sports? Ryan Nanni walks Steven Godfrey through the last couple years of gymnastics, soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball to see which conference wins this part of the battle. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Sports and Politics Venn Diagram (PREVIEW)Feb 27, 2026 · 4 minA Phantom Island subscriber asks Ryan Nanni and Steven Godfrey whether labor discussions in sports will change the way we think about the topic in the broader world, and that prompts a much longer conversation between the two about media work as advocacy, sports as an escape from the burdens of politics, and, yes, the Josh Pate interview of Trump. 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.
- How does the College Sports Commission actually work?Feb 25, 2026 · 51 minNIL may feel like a completely unregulated economy, but, formally, it's under the supervision of a relatively new group: the College Sports Commission. And reviewing NIL deals for "fairness" isn't the only piece of their jurisdiction. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss the scope and makeup of the CSC before Ryan interviews David Covucci of FOIAball about the pitch decks he got a hold of which reveal the thinking and architecture behind the CSC's clearinghouse. (You'll be shocked to learn we have some questions and concerns.) Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: The Honolulu Springboard (PREVIEW)Feb 20, 2026 · 3 minSteven Godfrey takes questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island on topics including Dabo Swinney's next act, the future at USC if Lincoln Riley flops, who might embrace artificial intelligence in playcalling, a brief rant about Wicked , and an Indiana Football Philosophy of Dating. 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.
- Can This Podcast Change Your Team's Future?Feb 18, 2026 · 1 hr 32 minIn December 2025, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni sat down with one simple task: to use the ongoing struggles of the Buffalo Sabres to discuss the frustration of rooting for a team that starts with success before wasting away into mediocrity, usually under bad ownership. But then the Sabres had the gall to completely turn their season around. So you're still getting the original episode, with some healthy "hmmm about that" on either end. Contact Steven today about dismissing your franchise, which will immediatley improve them. With special contributions from Victoria Zeller. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Putting All-Star Games Under the Microscope (PREVIEW)Feb 13, 2026 · 4 minChances are the 2026 Pro Bowl Games came and went without you even noticing, and the NBA's All-Star Weekend is dredging up the usual arguments about format and motivation and so on. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni look at these two events and their counterparts in Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the WNBA, and Major League Soccer to examine whether All-Star events still serve their original purposes and what can still make them effective entertainment. 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 Makes An Offensive Line Coach Good?Feb 11, 2026 · 54 minMike Golic Jr., former Notre Dame offensive lineman and current TV/podcast/etc. delight, joins Ryan Nanni to talk about the job of an offensive line coach. What can you watch for that suggests a line is probably well-coached? How do OL coaches work with tight ends?How is the job different in college versus the NFL? And do defensive linemen and offensive linemen really see the world differently? Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: A Farewell To WaPo (PREVIEW)Feb 6, 2026 · 5 minOn this edition of the Single Wing, host Steven Godfrey takes questions from the Phantom Island audience about topics from his thoughts on the shuttering of the sports desk at the Washington Post, strategies for thriving as a member of the sandwich generation, and his feelings on the current state of pro wrestling. 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.
- How do college football fans feel at the end of the 2025 season?Feb 4, 2026 · 1 hr 8 minRyan Nanni and Steven Godfrey asked Phantom Island listeners for their thoughts, feelings, and conclusions on the college football teams they root for, and this episode reviews those results to see which programs most exceeded expectations, which coaches lost the most fan confidence, and which games were most satisfying to win or most painful to lose. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Your Earliest Look at 2026's Coaching Carousel (PREVIEW)Feb 3, 2026 · 4 minSteven Godfrey spent January at the American Football Coaches Association Convention and the National Championship, which provided him with plenty of theories and discussion points to share with Ryan Nanni on which coaches will be attractive on the market next year, what seats will enter 2026 the hottest, and where Indiana's success will create additional pressure. 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.
- Why don't the Winter Olympics add more events?Jan 28, 2026 · 43 minRodger Sherman, proprietor of Sports! , joins Ryan Nanni to discuss why the Winter Olympics so rarely expand their repertoire while the crowded summer games are constantly rotating in new events. There's also a lot of talk about blimps and dogs, some of which is related to the topic at hand. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Numbers & Words: The Roster Lessons to learn from Indiana and Miami with Parker Fleming (PREVIEW)Jan 23, 2026 · 6 minIndiana's run to a national championship set off lots of reactions about how their roster was assembled, but Ryan Nanni enlisted the help of Parker Fleming for this episode to determine what we can actually learn about how the Hoosiers (and the Hurricanes) built teams that made it to the final game of the year, what red herrings we should avoid, and how our understanding of how you put a roster together is changing. 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 does passing for 4,000 yards really mean?Jan 21, 2026 · 53 minJon Bois, one of the excellent minds at Secret Base , joins Ryan Nanni to talk about a very particular NFL statistical quirk. Namely: the Chicago Bears are the only franchise to never have a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards. Why is this milestone appealing? What does it actually mean to break through it? Which passers have kept other teams from joining the Bears on this list? And why should Raiders fans get free NFL Sunday Ticket next season? You can sign up for the Secret Base Patreon right here! Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: The Search for Stability (PREVIEW)Jan 16, 2026 · 9 minAs college football approaches the end of the 2025 season, Steven Godfrey takes another set of questions from paid subscribers to Phantom Island. Would a superleague bring stability via centralized decision making? Will recent transfer shenanigans impact what happens to the portal going forward? Is Matt Campbell done moving after taking the Penn State job? What’s the biggest What If? of the 2025 season? And who does Godfrey want the Falcons to hire? 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.
- Should the NBA shorten its regular season?Jan 14, 2026 · 1 hr 15 minSince the 1967-68 season, the NBA has assigned 82 games to each of its teams. But basketball, the league's geography, television, and the physical qualities of the players have changed drastically since then, leading some notable players and coaches to push for the league to shorten the regular season. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni discuss the cases in favor of that move, consider the counterarguments, and briefly brush up against the Billy Joel vs. Garth Brooks argument. Research on this episode was conducted by Ryan Fortune. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- 70,000 Indiana Fans (and Ryan) Attend Their First Rose Bowl (PREVIEW)Jan 9, 2026 · 4 minPhantom Island is not a travel show, but Ryan Nanni decided to go to this year's Rose Bowl, which happened to be Indiana's first trip to Pasadena since 1968, and that felt like a good thing to discuss with Steven Godfrey. This conversation covers the value of the Rose Bowl Game vs. the Rose Bowl as a home stadium, the joy of being physically present for sports, and whether whatever comes next will or should impact the moment Indiana fans felt on New Year's Day. 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.
- The FCS Championship Finishes Its First Nashville Year (PREVIEW)Jan 8, 2026 · 8 minIn this bonus episode for paid subscribers, Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni review their experiences attending Montana State's overtime win against Illinois State in Nashville, including the NCAA-ness of this event, the mood amongst Bobcat fans throughout the wild fourth quarter, and Bill C's perspective on the game. 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's to be done about the Group of Five and the CFB Playoff?Jan 7, 2026 · 1 hr 22 minThe inclusion of Tulane and James Madison in the 2025 College Football Playoff set off a wave of anti-G5 backlash that only got worse once both teams lost in the first round by multiple scores. Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni chatted with Rodger Sherman about what's driving that frustration, what makes these G5 teams different than their predecessors, and some possible changes that could make everyone happier. (Though never truly happy, of course.) Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- The Single Wing: Your 2025 Holiday Non-Football Questions (PREVIEW)Jan 2, 2026 · 4 minIn Part Two of the Holiday Single Wing, football is put to the side as Steven Godfrey answers questions from our subscribers about negotiating the terms of holiday travel, divulging the truth about Santa, his offseason pop culture plans, and being a parent in a world that doesn't always feel like a great place to be raising a child. 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.
- Who benefits and suffers under college hockey's new eligibility framework?Dec 31, 2025 · 56 minFor players in the US and Canada, the road to the NHL used to be divided into two primary paths: play in the Canadian Hockey League or for an NCAA men's hockey team. But thanks to recent rule changes, CHL players can now jump to college hockey. Ryan Nanni walks Steven Godfrey through what that means for both groups, the impact on college rosters, the other leagues that stand to lose out in this new arrangement, and how this change is prying open the door, at least a little, for some former professionals to get NCAA eligibility. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Not-An-Emergency Discussion: Michigan Unexpectedly Opens, Kyle Whittingham Unexpectedly Finds A New Job (PREVIEW)Dec 29, 2025 · 3 minBecause Steven Godfrey and Ryan Nanni are fools, they believed the coaching carousel for 2025 to be largely complete. Then Sherrone Moore was fired for cause and arrested, and the Wolverines spent about two weeks rumoredly attached to several candidates before hiring Kyle Whittingham. With the dust settled (for now), we sat down to discuss how Utah-lifer Whittingham even became available, what expectations look like for his tenure, and whether a larger accounting for the problems inside the athletic department at Michigan will happen. 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.
- The Single Wing: Your 2025 Holiday Football Questions (PREVIEW)Dec 26, 2025 · 5 minPart One of this Holiday Single Wing has Steven Godfrey taking football questions from subscribers on topics ranging from why Curt Cignetti has done more at Indiana than Lance Leipold has at Kansas, an early assessment of Pete Golding, the balance of football power in the state of Florida, and what it really looks like to survive as an independent program in the playoff era. 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.
- Was SEC Speed Real? (Live in Athens)Dec 24, 2025 · 46 minOn November 14, 2025, Phantom Island held its first live show in Athens, Georgia, and we picked a topic suitable for the location: was the SEC's proclaimed speed advantage real? (And, if so, what happened to it?) Part trivia contest, part guy remembering, and part amateur data analysis, this episode walks through the concept of SEC Speed as both discussion point and measurable trait. Phantom Island is presented by Homefield and produced by Michael Surber.
- Why did Jon Sumrall get assigned a premium seat on the coaching carousel? (PREVIEW)Dec 19, 2025 · 7 minEven 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.
- What do open records laws have to do with balloon displays?Dec 17, 2025 · 53 minDavid 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.
- Why do coaches claim to be victims of threatening fan behavior without evidence?Dec 10, 2025 · 57 minAt 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.
- Not-An-Emergency Discussion: Final Decisions in the Big Ten, Big 12, and G5 (PREVIEW)Dec 9, 2025 · 5 minAs 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.