Best of ‘The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations’ Season 2

Joel Klatt welcomed eight of the top head coaches in college football on his podcast this summer in the second installment of “The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations.”

Klatt spoke with Michigan‘s Sherrone Moore, Texas‘ Steve Sarkisian, Colorado‘s Deion Sanders, Nebraska‘s Matt Rhule, Ohio State‘s Ryan Day, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Penn State‘s James Franklin and Oregon‘s Dan Lanning about the different challenges each one has in 2024, their thoughts on Nick Saban’s sudden retirement and the state of the game.

FOX Sports Digital detailed each interview with an extensive transcript of Klatt’s Q&As with the coaches, which can be found below.

All eight interviews can also be listened to on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. You can watch the entirety of all eight interviews on the official YouTube page of “The Joel Klatt Show.” Additional video clips from each episode can be found across FOX Sports’ social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

Here’s a recap of each episode.

EPISODE 1: Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore

The second installment of “Big Noon Conversations” began at the home of the defending national champions, with Klatt heading to Ann Arbor to interview the new Michigan coach. Moore and Klatt discussed Michigan’s path to winning the national championship, recalling the Wolverines’ game-tying drive in the Rose Bowl. Moore relived his infamous postgame interview from Michigan’s win over Penn State, when he served as the Wolverines’ interim head coach. He also shared when he found out he’d replace Jim Harbaugh, revealing the promise the former Michigan coach made to him.

Watch the full episode here: Michigan’s Sherrone Moore on winning a title & taking over for Jim Harbaugh

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Sherrone Moore reveals promise Jim Harbaugh made before becoming Michigan’s coach. 

EPISODE 2: Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian

Following Texas’ best season in 15 years, Klatt made the trip to Austin to speak with Sarkisian in the second episode of the series. The Texas coach opened up about building a “culture of vulnerability” with the Longhorns. Sarkisian also shared the impact Saban and Pete Carroll had on his coaching career, telling Klatt there’s one big lesson he learned from both coaches.

Watch the full episode here: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian on the SEC move & learning from Nick Saban & Pete Carroll

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Steve Sarkisian explains how he’s created a ‘culture of vulnerability’ at Texas.

EPISODE 3: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders

Klatt made his way back to his alma mater for the third episode, interviewing Sanders after a headline-filled first season in Boulder. Sanders shared his vision for Colorado in 2024 and beyond with Klatt. He continued to put to rest any speculation that he’ll leave the program following the season, when his sons are expected to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, saying, “I plan on being here and being dominant here.” He also told Klatt that he wants to be remembered for his work as a coach rather than his Hall of Fame career as a football player.

Watch the full episode here: Deion Sanders on the attention on his program and his future at Colorado

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Deion Sanders on future at Colorado: ‘I plan on being here and being dominant here’.

EPISODE 4: Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule

In the episode following Klatt’s interview with Sanders, he spoke with the coach on the other side of the Colorado-Nebraska rivalry. Rhule exuded confidence about what he’s building in Lincoln after going 5-7 in his first season, telling Klatt at one point, “it’s a matter of when,” for the Huskers to make the College Football Playoff. In addition, Rhule shared the expectations he has for highly-touted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola and what he learned from his tenure coaching the Carolina Panthers. 

Watch the full interview here: Matt Rhule on returning Nebraska to prominence & expectations in Year 2 

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Matt Rhule expects to turn Nebraska into title contender: ‘It’s a matter of when’. 

EPISODE 5: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day

Klatt made his way to Columbus to interview the Ohio State head coach for the second straight season. The two discussed the busy offseason the Buckeyes had, which included landing a handful of big-time transfers and hiring Chip Kelly to be the offensive coordinator. As Ohio State is practically pushing all of its chips to the center of the table in 2024, Day told Klatt that he’s “trying to go from really, really good to absolutely great” after narrowly failing to get over the hump in each of the last three seasons.

Watch the full interview here: Ryan Day on the pressure, expectations and changes at Ohio State

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Ryan Day seeks to turn Ohio State from ‘really good’ to ‘absolutely great’ in 2024

EPISODE 6: Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer

Klatt also made the trip to Tuscaloosa for a second season of “Big Noon Conversations,” but he spoke with a different head coach this time around. DeBoer detailed his path to becoming Alabama’s head coach with Klatt. He revealed the timeline of events during the week that Washington lost the national championship game to when he was first contacted about the job. DeBoer also shared that he had a conversation with Saban and that he doesn’t feel intimidated by replacing him.

Watch the full interview here: Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer on following Nick Saban and the future of the Tide

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: Kalen DeBoer can’t help but feel ‘confident’ in replacing Nick Saban at Alabama

EPISODE 7: Penn State head coach James Franklin

The Penn State coach joined Klatt on “Big Noon Conversations” while he was out west for a Big Ten meeting. As college football enters a new era in 2024, Franklin shared with Klatt the optimism he has for the Nittany Lions. He believes they’ll benefit greatly from the expanded CFP field. Franklin also shared the high hopes he has for his standout 2022 recruiting class, recognizing that it could be the group of players that finally gets him over the hump in Happy Valley.

Watch the full interview here: James Franklin on the perception of Penn State & a wild NFL Draft night

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: James Franklin, Penn State in position to ‘flourish’ with new 12-team playoff

EPISODE 8: Oregon head coach Dan Lanning

The second edition of “Big Noon Conversations” concluded with the coach that Klatt has said he’d buy the most stock in: Dan Lanning. Lanning, a former Alabama assistant, discussed the impact Saban had on his coaching career, but was forthright on why he didn’t want to replace him in Tuscaloosa. He also shared his adaptive mindset as a head coach and how that has helped him build Oregon into a program with legitimate national championship hopes entering the 2024 season.

Watch the full interview here: Dan Lanning on preparing Oregon for Big Ten & learning from Nick Saban

Read FOX Sports’ story on the interview here: How Dan Lanning embraced change, learned to adapt in current college football landscape

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