Dawgs Podcast

This episode details; losing sophomores Quel’Ron House/Rolyns Aligbe/Drew Steffe to the portal, specifics for all in their potential reasons with also how they’ll be remembered, returning Jalen Haynes/Jaheem Webber/Luke Walsh/Caden Hawkins/Daniel Pauliukonis, the importance in keeping most of these young guns, tidbits from another Tim Leonard interview discussing the state of the program, ALL the recent MVC news headlined by Ben Jacobson leaving UNI for Utah State amongst other things, also ALL the recent portal interests/offers in almost all being non-D1, Jeremiah Jackson coming up just short in the state championship & our excitement levels for him to get here AND our final thoughts as the offseason rolls on.

This Nick solo episode details; THE OFFICIAL EXTENSION OF HC NICK HILL, if it was the right choice, other reasons as to why letting him coach-out this Make-Or-Break season on his final year was the correct way to go (personally), comments from Tim Leonard on why it made sense to him along with the contrasting expectations of football compared to Bryan Mullins for basketball in the many similarities, him indirectly proving that the football bar is way lower, the official NOW 11-game schedule after Sacramento State (and NDSU) jump to the FBS, how/why they couldn’t find a replacement, adding FOUR new coaches to the staff including officially replacing Mac McLeran, touching on the extra 10 high school adds a month ago, PRO DAY results, quick other FCS news AND a sneak peek to the Spring as workouts begin tomorrow & our excitement to seeing their practices/Game next month.

This episode details: recapping the STL trip as a whole, dissecting the Salukis’ inevitable first round loss in one they had in the bag, mistakes & lack of scoring doing them in, how every other game went to the very end in UNI cutting the down the nets, Jeremiah Jackson playing for his Regional title game, topics of our season in review including talking every player with the team’s biggest downfalls, projecting what the offseason SHOULD in how they should built the proper team to get over A HUMP in this conference AND our final thoughts as a quick offseason with moves will begin before we know it.

This episode details: Noah’s thoughts on the Dawgs’ strong regular season finish, prefacing how different the Valley has been this season, dissection of the official awards announcements with some gripes especially no Salukis being on All-Defense BUT Quel’Ron making All-Second Team & Rolyns getting on the Most-Improved Team, notables from the Coaches Monday media scrum, initial keys to victory inside Enterprise Center, our rubber match game v. the Drake Bulldogs who provide a tough matchup, what ALL needs to happen to move onto Friday to face the top seeded Belmont Bruins, our picks for Dawgs-Of-The-Tournament & who we think will cut down the nets on Sunday AND our final thoughts as the best weekend of the year begins in what’s WIN OR GO HOME.

This Nick solo episode details; sweeping the Purple Aces in a fun & challenging game to end the regular season, finishing 16-15 (10-10) which didn’t seem likely 1.5 months ago, indeed ending with a win streak not seen in 19 years, proving to be a dominant road team with a 7-8 overall record, a above .500 Quad 1 record, final weekend outcomes, initial bracket reaction, Jeremiah Jackson winning his Districts, Ty Laur’s season coming to an end with Nick in attendance, OUR own MVC award predictions AND a sneak peek to our Arch Madness preview in a couple days.

This Nick solo episode details; winning six+ games at the end of a season for the first time since 2010, everything great from Senior Night, starting slow but having a BIG run halfway through to seal the deal in an expected win, final thought on having to vitally play better inside Banterra NEXT SEASON AND BEYOND, ALL recent matchups, the most updated probabilities with a weekend left, reiterating the tie-breaking scenarios, Jeremiah Jackson playing in his District Championship, Ty Laur playing in his hosted regional final Friday that we will be in attendance for, Luke Susko’s interview on local Texas TV AND a quick preview of the rescheduled game IN Evansville v. the Aces in Game 20.

This Nick solo episode details; SWEEPING the Panthers but also our SECOND ever Iowa swing, first win in McLeod since going back-to-back in 2017 & 2018, how they got it done on the back of their elite defense once again, the many stats after-the-fact via Luke Martin, Quel’Ron winning MVC POTW, OTHER MVC recent/upcoming scores down the stretch, what Arch Madness looks like at the moment, Ty Laur winning his first regional matchup, Jeremiah Jackson getting a final push for KY Mr. Basketball here before his districts, Luke Susko being on local TX TV AND a second preview as the Sycamores come to town for OUR SENIOR NIGHT.

This Nick solo episode details; an early mention of Drake’s inevitable downfall, ending a skid v. them, Damien Mayo carrying the way once again from deep in a performance that would’ve had us definitely lose if it didn’t happen, clutch plays down the stretch from others to seal the deal, final thoughts on some nerves potentially facing them again in STL with the way they can shoot, other recent/upcoming MVC matchups, what Arch Madness looks like if it started today, a quick commits update AND the second Panthers preview as they have won five of their last six in being one of the hottest teams lately.

This Nick solo episode details; our EIGHTH STRAIGHT loss to rival Bradley, making a run to get it tied at halftime then screwing the pooch at home in the 2H once again, NOT MAKING A SINGLE THREE, other key Valley outcomes, standings & upcoming matchups with very few remaining, Luke Susko breaking his HS’s all-time rebounding record previously held by Marcus Smart AND the second preview of the Drake Bulldogs up in Des Moines in what remains very important for Arch Madness seeding.

This Nick solo episode details; the INSANE run to start this game that led us to believe the route would continue all the way, the heat-check shooting and success galore, UE indeed storming back uncomfortably, holding Leif Moeller to a career worst game, finding ways to finish the job, other MVC games/standings/tourney-look, Ty having his Senior Night AND a preview of the hot Bradley Braves who come to town Sunday afternoon & once again find themselves at the top of the league.

This episode details; our second straight road kill, dissection of a relatively dominant 2H win in pulling away, spread scoring along the way with also being led by Rolyns’ monster rebounding game in reaching a number not seen since Thik Bol a decade ago, around the MVC scores & updated standings, Xavier Johnson having a good recent outing overseas, a Ty/Jeremiah/Susko check-in as their strong seasons slowly dwindle down AND the first Evansville preview as they come to town fresh off a big recent win themselves.

This Nick solo episode details; losing FOUR STRAIGHT to the rival Racers, Damien Mayo returning but barely playing with re-aggravating his toe off the bench, the initial carry over on defense that had us starting strong, the offensive explosion in the final 26 minutes from Murray, tipping the cap to an impressive showing by the opponent, other MVC games & standings check, Jeremiah & Ty’s recent outings and a preview of the first matchup with the Indiana State Sycamores in the bottom of the league.

This Nick solo episode details; THE ROCK FIGHT ROADKILL UP IN NORMAL, the elite defense this team all of a sudden has had since the start of 2026, Damien Mayo NOT PLAYING after a sudden toe injury, overall dissection of the main parts of this low scoring victory, moving UP in NET, acknowledging how up & down this continues to be, updated defensive stats in conference for us, MVC games/standings/probabilities, Luke & Jeremiah update AND the second preview of the high-scoring Racers as they come to town in a huge Friday evening in Banterra.

This episode details; Tim Leonard’s recent comments with Luke Martin, the unfortunate departure of LB coach Mac McLeran, Michael Lindauer officially becoming QBs coach, Aiden Quinn declaring for the NFL Draft, ALSO KEEPING Chris Presto/Vinny Pierre/Gavin Shepard/Andrew Behm/Jake Parrella/Lem Wash, the awesome accepted waivers for Derek Harden Jr. & Coleon Smith, THREE new 2026 HS commits, ALL new transfer portal commits with which ones stick out, former players finding new homes including Kayleb Wagner landing at previously played D2 Thomas More, a recap of the incredible National Championship where Illinois State lost in heartbreaking fashion, quick talk on their future after such a great run that will set them up for more success, WP POTY Beau Brungard returning to YSU, a mention of how great of a Special Teams season PJ Jules had AND final thoughts on what’s already been an impressive offseason FOR AN ALL-IN 2026.

This Nick & Noah episode details; BLOWING AN 18-POINT LEAD, always taking one step forward & two steps back, now blowing late leads in three out of the past four home games, what went RIGHT in the 1H then to just go wrong in the 2H, acknowledging these were the giveaways that lost Bryan Mullins his job, one of our best game dissections, Valley games/standings, Jeremiah dropping 28 again recently and a short preview of our second matchup with the preseason favorite Redbirds as the team heads to Normal on Tuesday.

This Nick solo episode details; SCOTT NAGY FINALLY GETTING HIS 600TH CAREER VICTORY, being the 13th active & 70th ever coach to do so, achieving it in surprising blowout fashion of the UNI Panthers, the vital return of Quel’Ron House, Rolyns Aligbe with a career performance, what this win could mean moving forward, around the Valley scores/standings/probabilities, commits update and a second preview of the very hot & dangerous UIC Flames in their trip to Carbondale.

This Nick solo episode details; the city of Evansville scrapping the game THREE HOURS BEFORE, the teams/staff/officials staying at a hotel ATTACHED to the Ford Center, shockingly even not playing the next day, WHEN and HOW they could reschedule down the road in luckily only being 100 miles apart, other MVC matchups, Ty Laur getting to 1K career points, a mention of what-could-have-been with Keaton Wagler who visited this past summer & is tearing it up at Illinois AND a preview of part one with Northern Iowa as they come to Carbondale.

This Nick & Noah episode details; THE CURRENT STATE OF THE PROGRAM after what was solidified as the worst loss of the season, Q & Isaiah being out for the foreseeable future, every tidbit on the worst 1H we can remember, Scott’s postgame comments, other topics of inside info on if the players have checked out, how co-fans are treating the current product, Scott perhaps being the wrong hire, where to go from here, recent/upcoming Valley games with also standings/news topics, Noah’s thoughts on Ty/Jeremiah/Luke’s senior seasons so far and the first preview of the last place Aces on what will be a very snowy Sunday standalone.

This Nick solo episode details; back-to-back late squandered HOME leads that leaves fans in even more heavy disappointment, bigger picture takeaways from it in acknowledging the effort was as good as it’s been while also being undermanned in not having Isaiah Stafford again BUT also no Quel’Ron House, other takeaways including Tyler Lunblade NOT SCORING, around the MVC scores/standings, commits update headlined by Jeremiah Jackson winning MVP of a titled tourney AND a second preview of the tough Valpo Beacons as we head to their place looking to try & sweep.

This Nick solo episode details; a loss that we surprisingly had not seen this season with blowing many leads, also squandering many late opportunities with poor decisions, other specifics on what happened in our third OT loss of the season, around the Valley scores/stats/standings, Ty Laur getting back in the win column & being at the SIU game, Jeremiah Jackson leading the way for St. Xavier and a quick second preview of the Belmont Bruins as we look to sweep.

This Nick solo episode details; our bad beginning-to-end loss up in Chicago to the Flames, why effort was the major lacking point through most of it, one step forward & two steps back after the great Belmont win, why Scott can’t consistently rally the troops to sustained success, recent/upcoming MVC matchups & another look at the updated standings, a recap of watching Ty Laur in person in what was a injury-plagued loss, Luke Susko continuing to explode in the box score and a preview of our first matchup with the new-look & less-dangerous Drake Bulldogs under coach Eric Henderson.

This Nick solo episode details; getting the first win in Nashville as Valley foes in CLUTCH fashion thanks to Quel’Ron House at the buzzer, every tidbit including how the Bruins were NOT again at full strength BUT how we also did very well guarding Tyler Lundblade, notables from Scott on ‘Inside Saluki Athletics’, around the MVC with scores/standings, an update on all three commits including another MONSTER game from Ty Laur and the first preview of the UIC Flames in what always seems to be crazy games with them everywhere but definitely up in Chicago.

This exciting new-year episode details; THE MAJOR COMEBACK OF QB1, overall thoughts & discussion on potentially why with what’s also ahead to make sure this final year is what it needs to be, DJ’s words himself via the team & StrongDawgs, other fellow All-Americans Paul Geelen & Jeremiah McClendon officially declaring for the NFL Draft, Allen Middleton returning after a lackluster season at Bowling Green, the many transfers leaving headlined by now Donnie Wingate & Ryan Schwendeman, ALL new portal offers, Noah’s thoughts on the new JUCO commits & the 10-man HS signing class, our own preview of the National Championship as Illinois State tries to pull off the improbable v. Montana State, Beau Brungard taking home Walter Payton AND our final thoughts looking ahead to an ALL IN 2026 off-season.

This Nick solo episode details; the first Valley too-close-for-comfort victory, finishing the 1H strong but allowing poor 2H FT shooting to almost give it away, recent/upcoming MVC matchups, other conference news including new injury report notices AND a preview of the very good Bruins of Belmont as the Dawgs head to Nashville on Sunday.

This Nick solo NYE episode details; opening news on DJ Williams officially getting his waiver for next season BUT uncertain yet on WHERE it will be, he/Geelen/McClendon earning All-American honors, other players receiving accolades, the list of players graduating earlier this month, a couple players exiting in portal headlined by Cejai Parson, Eddie Robinson officially RETURNING, many quotes via StrongDawgs from AD Tim Leonard discussing non-conference scheduling with also the future of Nick Hill amongst other things, TWO new JUCO additions for next season, discussing the 10 freshmen signees with which even DID NOT sign yet along with Decari Farley being a STATE CHAMPION, a final update on the NFL Dawgs AND a recap of 2025 as a whole as we look ahead to more important decisions going down in 2026. Happy New Year!

This Nick solo NYE episode details; opening remarks on this 0-3 start, the very productive return of Prince Aligbe, how many runs this game displayed with us YET AGAIN not being able to finish after clawing back, other MVC matchups, KENPOM/NET update, Jeremiah/Ty/Luke check-in and a preview of our first matchup with the scrappy Beacons of Valpo on what should be yet another all-around fun New Years Day afternoon day inside Banterra.

This Nick solo episode details; rinse-and-repeat late loss, how the Dawgs mucked it up with having a chance to force OT but turn it over in the final seconds, Prince Aligbe missing his SECOND straight game in what we’ve been told is a “stupid” off-court issue, KENPOM update, recent/upcoming MVC matchups, Jeremiah/Ty/Luke check-in and a preview of the deep/talented Racers of Murray State in our biggest rivalry in the league.

This Nick solo episode details; yet another disappointing ending of a game to get us under .500 v. D1 opponents, Prince Aligbe not playing due to “Coaches Decision”, dissecting the tale-of-two-halves for BOTH teams, why this group continues to squander winnable games, reiterating upcoming Valley matchups and a preview of our first matchup v. the Bradley Braves as the team heads to Peoria in what continues to be a tough stretch to end 2025.

This Nick solo episode details; another frustrating late loss that we thought ended a couple games ago, dissecting this 6-5 non conference record including how many miles the team traveled, what exactly happened with too many turnovers & a major rebounding edge, Rolyns being under the weather but put up a career game, Scott postgame/Tuesday quotes, updated KENPOM/NET, Around the Valley with any new standings/awards pick we have before all conference games begin, what Ty/Jeremiah/Luke have been up to AND a full preview of our MVC opener in hosting the preseason favorite rival Redbirds of Illinois State in our first matchup.

This Nick solo episode details; the surprising blowout victory over the new OVC-favorite Skyhawks, tidbits including why Isaiah Stafford wasn’t in attendance & how our athleticism showed majorly in many highlight plays, key performances led by a career one by Max Pikaar, updated KENPOM rankings, upcoming league matchups as non-con winds down AND a preview of the 8-1 Richmond Spiders as the Dawgs return to the road.

This Nick solo episode details; recapping the biggest win of the Scott Nagy era, Drew Steffe & DAMIEN MAYO both being reasons in each half to propel us to staying in the game & winning, dissecting how this could be this season’s turning point to better results & success, other recent MVC non-con matchups, updates on Luke/Ty/Jeremiah as they all are dominating in their early seasons AND a full preview of the interesting new OVC-favorite Skyhawks of UT Martin as they come to town with their almost-all roster of international talent.

This Nick solo episode details; the inexplicably poor shooting performance in Memphis that derailed any chances, why it will be the downfall of this team if it continues, talking the 1-4 road trip, the “better” performance back at home v. Little Rock but had a very dicey first ~30 or so minutes, how the team FINALLY found an identity lineup AND clutch factor, around the Valley, updates on Ty/Jeremiah/Luke as their senior seasons have started, the main preview of the daunting Panthers of High Point under a new coach & continuing to dominate AND a small mention of this team potentially having a disastrous December.

This Nick solo episode details; a quick update on the commits ALL keeping their season’s alive deep in the playoffs, dissecting the dominant season finale road victory over rival ILST, why/how it still wasn’t enough to get into the field, what players/coaches were saying afterwards to plead their case, the official FCS playoff bracket with our title picks, DJ officially being a finalist for Walter Payton POY, NFL Dawgs, a FULL recap of this season with many topics including our Dawgs of the Season & which players we’d like to keep long term, our official goodbye to ALL the great seniors, a quick mention on Nick Hill’s status and a final look ahead as this is officially the most critical offseason of his career. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This episode details; the pathetic tournament broadcast that wasn’t even worth watching for free, dissecting what was the team’s BEST game of the season so far over a bad Delaware team, Scott’s comments on Isaiah afterwards, yet another close & unclutch defeat to UAB, why this team can’t defend a full 40 minutes OR SHOOT IT WELL, conversation of Scott saying the schedule did them no favors when they easily could’ve been 4-0, other MVC MTE matchups, picks/preview of Nick’s Memphis Tigers on Wednesday who are reeling AND picks/preview for the underwhelming Trojans of Little Rock when the team returns HOME this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This Nick solo episode details; back-to-back tough finish true road losses, usual dissection including how well the Bison shot from three along with us from the paint, main takeaways & Scott’s meltdown postgame, recent/upcoming matchups for MVC teams and BOTH previews for our two opponents down in Florida: Delaware Blue Hens & UAB Blazers, looking to bounce back.

This Nick solo episode details; frustratingly losing our longest game in program history, injury notables before/during the game, dissecting every detail from start to finish in the 5 OT affair, what went wrong including many awful calls along the way, some bigger picture takeaways including Nick Hill’s future, addressing the regretful post to Saluki radio after the game, recent/upcoming MVFC final matchups, updates on the five commits going 4-0 to extend their seasons, NFL Dawgs check-in AND a small preview of the Redbirds in the final game of the season in one that we hope goes well for the many great seniors.

This episode details; the beyond tough finish over in Reno as the Dawgs looked as good as they could v. the Wolfpack, the unfortunate ending of regulation that led to the downfall of OT, main takeaways with everything including acknowledging this team is very good, other MVC team recent/upcoming non-con matchups, addressing the reported news of Kennard dealing with trouble over in Provo, quick talk on the solidification of our three commits signing the dotted line AND a preview of the NDSU Bison is what’s the finale of the three-game set in us looking to SWEEP.

This Nick solo episode details; the very disappointing loss over in Ohio where the Dawgs had a stellar chance to finally get their biggest win of the season, main dissection & takeaways including more mistakes by Coach Hill throughout, final thoughts in what’s led to DO-OR-DIE mode in the last two games, other MVFC matchups in the final weeks, updates on the commits’ playoff statuses including a DECOMMITMENT from one, NFL/former Dawgs check-in and a FULL preview of the South Dakota Coyotes in a pivotal matchup for both where we also will honor great seniors.

This Nick solo episode details; every tidbit from the Dawgs’ second consecutive blowout W to start the new season, box score & player dissection, other recent & upcoming non-con games for other MVC foes, a quick mention of updated mid-major rankings and a breakdown of the Nevada Wolfpack in what should be a great/challenging first real test in the first of FIVE straight away from home.

This episode details; EVERYTHING from the dominant 1-0 start including main takeaways of playing 12 players when the team expectation was less, wider points on understanding that will inevitably happen but also knowing the team can pull it off consistently for a while, other MVC team opening matchup results with what’s ahead the rest of the week AND a preview of the UMKC Roos out of the interesting Summit League as they come to town on Friday in our final home game for a month.

This episode details; braving the rain from beginning-to-end down in Murray, Dawgs getting the job done in the elements, Cejai Parson & Lem Wash having great days, other crazy MVFC & FCS upsets this past week, standings/rankings/bracketologies refresh, NFL update with Branson beating Jeremy & PJ again getting in the box score, A NEW OL COMMIT with ALL of the others’ updates here at playoff time, what other big matchups are this week AND a preview of the Beau Brungard-led Penguins in what’s a MUST WIN for both teams over in Ohio.

This episode details; dissecting both Exhibition victories with pros/cons & our fun Lindenwood experience, touching on two big rule changes for this upcoming cbb season, noteworthy news around the MVC including Zoom Media Day tidbits & other exhibition outcomes, a quick recruiting update with an impressive new 2026 offer, many Season topics (main themes, strengths/weaknesses, X-factors, Top 5 category team stat potentials, ranking player importance 1-14 & overall/MVC record predictions), our own initial Valley standings/awards predictions AND a quick preview of our opening opponent in the McKendree Bearcats of D2.

This episode details; the outstanding Homecoming weekend in every facet from tons of former players in attendance to the big crowd, the game itself handling the UNI Panthers as expected, biggest takeaways, other recent MVFC matchups, updated rankings, NFL Dawgs including Jeremy/Branson facing off after this BYE for both, TWO NEW COMMITS along with updates on the others as their seasons wind down, upcoming Valley games AND preview of the rebuilding Murray State Racers as DJ & Shug make their return.

This Nick solo episode details; back-to-back disappointing MVFC losses to top teams, overall dissection with what went wrong even from Nick Hill’s perspective, more talk on where this team now stands, other recent conference matchups & news, a NEW COMMIT with the some of the other’s recent/upcoming games, NFL/former Dawgs check-in AND a preview of our Homecoming matchup v. UNI in what is another busy weekend in Carbondale.

This penultimate episode details; what we saw from the team’s multiple scrimmages this past weekend, our thoughts on yet ANOTHER set of new team jerseys, dissecting the MVC schedule with toughest stretches & timeframes, the ridiculous new top five team Preseason Poll & 39-man Watch List, other rankings from KENPOM/Rocco/Fieldof68, recent notables for non-con opponents, an update on recruiting including many new offers & visits for 2027+, short notes around the Valley and finished off with previews of our Exhibition games v. Austin Peay & Lindenwood with what we would like to see.

This episode details; another disappointing trip to Fargo in a tale-of-two-halves, more dissection of what was a turnover-laced defeat, the weekly team injury update, other recent MVFC outcomes, refreshed Top-25’s, NFL/former Dawgs check-in, weekly commits update, upcoming MVFC matchups and a preview of the better-than-expected Fighting Hawks of North Dakota in what hopefully can be our first legit W of the season.

This episode details; the great Family Weekend crowd of over 10,000, everything from yet another blowout victory including notable injury updates, box score notables & overall pros/cons takeaways v. the Sycamores, FCS PFF grades, other recent MVFC matchups, more national news/topics, commits’ games & recruits on campus, former/Pro Dawgs update, upcoming MVFC games AND a full preview of the defending champion Bison as the Dawgs head to Fargo looking to prove they belong at the top of the Subdivision.