Unless you’re a fan of Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, or some big-brand school, it can be hard to keep up with your favorite team’s news. Smaller schools don’t get the same kind of coverage as the big CFB brands, which is why we at EssentiallySports are committed to fixing that problem.

Every day, we go through some of the biggest news from some of the lesser-covered schools in our Talking CFB articles, so here’s everything you won’t see on ESPN that you need to know about.

Maryland hires search firm to assist in Mike Locksley replacement search

Maryland fired long-time head coach Mike Locksley earlier this season, and they’re already beginning their nationwide search for the next leader of their football team. To aid them in their process, the university has hired search firm ZRG Turnkey.

If you’re not a diehard fan, this probably sounds a bit strange, but it’s fairly common at the college level. Universities will hire these third-party firms because they can help gauge a coach’s interest, but one of the main reasons is that it prevents details of the search from getting out. Writers and other reporters can file an FOIA request and access emails, memos, or other details about the coaching search, but since these firms are private, they don’t have to comply with FOIA requests.

This is all a part of the process for Maryland.

Memphis HC Charles Huff addresses exit rumors

Memphis head coach Charles Huff is expected to have his name in the ring for a few head coaching jobs this offseason, and he’s already getting ahead of it with his team. He spoke with his players weeks ago to inform them that they might start hearing his name linked to other schools, and he did so because, if he didn’t address it, it would only create anxiety in the locker room.

Huff will likely have an opportunity to at least interview for another head coaching job this offseason, so we’ll see if he takes it. But according to him, he will always be open with his players about the process, even if it’s something they don’t want to hear.

Ex-N.C. State HC doesn’t hold back on firing

N.C. State quickly followed Maryland in firing their head coach, Dave Doeren, this past weekend. Doeren did not speak with the media for several days after his firing, but he let his feelings loose at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Pre-NIL transfer portal, when I took this job, I knew what it was, and I felt like we had a plan,” Doeren said. “I was able to thrive, developing players often under the radar, underappreciated players, diamonds in the rough. It really changed in a tough way when NIL and the transfer portal started, not just at NC State, but for a lot of schools. Retention and acquisition is expensive and very competitive in this space that we’re in now. And everybody has different money. They say there’s a cap, and they say there isn’t. And I think that’s the one thing that people need to understand. There’s haves and have-nots when it comes to how much money schools have in this space.”

Doeren did a lot of good at NC State. He won 98 games, was bowl-eligible 11 times, and became the program’s all-time wins leader in 2023, but even he can’t overcome the lack of money in the NIL era.

“For this program to become what is wanted and expected, the resources need to match the expectations,” Doeren continued.

Has NC State set their expectations too high? It’s going to be hard for them to find a better coach than Doeren, but we’ll see if they can.

Northern Illinois AD addresses Rob Harley’s job security

Thomas Hammock put NIU in a very interesting spot. In February, Hammock, who was the head coach at NIU, left to take the running backs coach job with the Seattle Seahawks, leaving the Huskies without a head coach. And since the traditional hiring cycle was over, NIU decided to promote defensive coordinator Rob Harley to interim head coach. Whenever there’s an interim in front of your name, you know you’re not going to last long.

After a 0-7 start to the season, NIU athletic director Sean Frazier was asked whether or not they’d fire Harley midseason, and he was very firm in saying they would not do that. He will be their coach for the rest of the season, and once it’s over, they’ll begin a search for their new head coach.

San Diego State turns to redshirt freshman QB

San Diego State has been starting senior quarterback Jayden Denegal for most of the season, but he suffered an injury against Fresno State just a couple of weeks ago and was unable to play in last week’s contest. Redshirt freshman Stone Saunders took over under center, and while he threw a couple of picks, he also had 369 passing yards and two touchdowns while leading the Aztecs to 49 points.

On Monday, SDSU’s coach Sean Lewis told reporters that Denegal is still day-to-day, so Saunders will start this week. It is a bit weird that a coach would rule out his starting quarterback, who is “day-to-day,” five whole days before their next game. Maybe Denegal is more hurt than they’re letting on, but this could also be a soft benching, given how well Saunders played last week.

FSU President addresses frustration surrounding Mike Norvell’s 3-4 situation

Ever since Florida State missed the College Football Playoff as an undefeated ACC Champion, things have gone downhill. Mike Norvell was touted as one of the best coaching minds in college football, but the Seminoles have gone 2-10 and 5-7 in 2024 and 2025, and are off to another slow start in 2026.

Through seven games, the Seminoles are 3-4, and it’s gotten so bad that FSU president Richard McCullough had to address the fanbase.

“I hear you. I understand your frustration. And I share your expectations for Florida State Football and Seminole Athletics. McCullough said in a letter to the fans. “”Would we like this work to move faster? Absolutely. But meaningful, lasting change requires us to make the right moves in the right order, at the right time…We are not asking you to lower your expectations. We are telling you that we share and embrace them. We are not asking you to ignore the results. We are committed to changing them. And we are not asking you to believe that everything is fine. We know it isn’t.”

Whenever anybody has to put out a letter like this, you know you’re in a bad spot. He’s just trying to sell tickets for the rest of the year until he can get rid of Norvell and try again with another coach. It’s really, really hard to win a fanbase back once they’ve lost all hope in you.

UTSA HC Jeff Traylor addresses speculation linking him to Baylor job

After years of disappointment, Baylor fired head coach Dave Aranda, and reports now say that UTSA’s Jeff Traylor is one of the top contenders for the job. But he’s trying to quiet down the rumors and keep his team focused on winning games.

“I signed a 10-year contract here,” Traylor said. “My wife and I love it. We’ve got some things to finish here. There are things we’re moving towards. We’re getting closer with our rev-share number, we’re getting closer with our staff, we’re getting closer to getting our indoor built. As long as those things continue to move — it’s never going to move fast enough for me, I think y’all know me well enough — but as long as it’s moving in the right direction, Cari and I plan on riding out our full contract here. We love it here.”

This is the epitome of coach speak. Dave Aranda was making nearly $5 million per year at Baylor. Right now, Traylor makes about half of that at UTSA. Money talks, and Baylor has a lot of it. They could offer him well over $5 million a year, and Traylor would be hard-pressed to turn it down.

Delaware QB bounces back from injury with back-to-back record-tying performance

Delaware starting quarterback Nick Minicucci was forced to miss Delaware’s first two conference games of the season after suffering a lower body injury, but he was back on the field last week against Missouri State, where he tied a program record, and on Tuesday night when Delaware took on Western Kentucky, he once again lit up the stat sheet.

Last week, Minicucci threw for 225 yards and five touchdowns, tying the program record for most touchdowns in a single game. Then, this week, Minicucci completed 28 of his 32 attempts for 414 yards and four touchdowns, but the most impressive part was how he started. Minicucci completed his first 18 pass attempts of the game, setting another program record for the most consecutive completions.

Minicucci has been lights out since returning from his lower body injury, and it makes you wonder if the Blue Hens could’ve beaten Liberty and MTSU if he started.

FCS Program Albany emerges as playoff contender after dramatic turnaround

Back in 2023, Albany went on a magical run. After a 3-8 finish in 2022, Albany won 11 games and reached the FCS semifinals before being blown out 59-0 by South Dakota State. Over the next two seasons, Albany won a total of six games, but in 2026 they’re 5-3 to start and have a 3-1 conference record, putting them in contention to reach the FCS playoffs again.

This week, Albany will host a 7-1 Campbell team that hasn’t lost to an FCS opponent all year. This will be their first big test of the season, and if they can find a way to topple Campbell, the playoffs are certainly in reach for the Danes.