College Football

Best of 'The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations' series

Updated Aug. 11, 2023 8:17 p.m. ET

Joel Klatt's summer podcast series, "Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," featured seven episodes where FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst sat down with some of the biggest names in the sport to discuss the state of college football.

Klatt’s list of guests included the following combination of coaches and commissioners across the college football landscape: Colorado coach Deion Sanders, Alabama coach Nick Saban, Ohio State coach Ryan Day, UCLA coach Chip Kelly, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

Here's a recap of each episode, which can be found in its entirety on both Apple and Spotify, in addition to 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.

FOX Sports also featured complete in-depth write-ups from each episode, which can be found below, as well as on FOXSpots.com and the FOX Sports app.

Best of Joel Klatt's "Big Noon Conversations"

Check out the best of Joel Klatt's "Big Noon Conversations" series, including Deion Sanders, Ryan Day, Nick Saban, Chip Kelly and more!

EPISODE 1: Colorado head coach Deion Sanders

In the first episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt went back to Boulder, Colorado to sit down with Coach Prime. The two discussed why Colorado was the right choice for Sanders and how he felt about the criticism he received. They got into how Prime’s now-infamous "I’m bringing my luggage, and it’s Louis [Vuitton]" line originated before Sanders shared the story of what happened right after that meeting. Coach Prime also revealed what he likes and doesn’t like about the transfer portal and name, image, likeness (NIL).

Watch the full episode here: Deion Sanders picking Colorado, Louis luggage comments, NIL & more

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Deion Sanders in Joel Klatt interview series: ‘I got to get it now’

EPISODE 2: Alabama head coach Nick Saban

In the second episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt spoke with Saban in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The two discussed what still drives the seven-time national champion coach. They also dove into the challenges of coaching in the modern era of the sport with the transfer portal, opt-outs and NIL. Coach Saban went into whether the relationship between student-athletes and their university is properly balanced at this moment. They also discussed whether parity is possible in college football before concluding the conversation with a job offer.

Watch the full episode here: Nick Saban on the challenge of coaching in the modern era of CFB

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Nick Saban in Joel Klatt interview series: 'We need to create some balance'

EPISODE 3: SEC commissioner Greg Sankey

In this episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt went to Birmingham, Alabama to sit down with SEC commissioner Sankey. In this wide-ranging conversation, the two discussed Sankey’s influence in the landscape of the sport and whether there needs to be an overarching body overseeing college football. Sankey also gave his thoughts on the future of the College Football Playoff and what areas he feels need to be addressed before the two discussed scheduling in the sport and the challenges that are unique to the SEC.

Watch the full episode here: Greg Sankey on the future of the playoff & scheduling in the SEC

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Joel Klatt goes one-on-one with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on expansion

EPISODE 4: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day

In this episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt went to Columbus, Ohio to sit down with Day. The pair discussed how different Day’s job is now from the time he began as head coach at Ohio State. They also got into the larger issues facing the sport and how much the NFL should be used as a model for the college game. Coach Day discussed how the expanded playoff will impact top programs like Ohio State. He then went into how frustrating the targeting rule has become and why common sense needs to be applied more in those situations. They wrapped up with a list of coaches that he admires in the game.

Watch the full episode here: Ohio State coach Ryan Day on using the NFL as a model for CFB

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Ohio State's Ryan Day tells Joel Klatt what college football could take from NFL

EPISODE 5: UCLA head coach Chip Kelly

This episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations" featured Klatt sitting down in Westwood, California with Coach Kelly, who began by detailing why he thinks college football is as good as it has ever been and why "there’s no crying on the yacht." The pair discussed Kelly’s influence at the forefront of offensive schemes in the sport and how that was actually born out of necessity. Kelly got into his concerns about college football becoming too transactional rather than transformational for the players before closing with what he loves most about his job.

Watch the full episode here: UCLA's Chip Kelly on creating offensive schemes & no crying on the yacht

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Chip Kelly explains to Joel Klatt why CFB has ‘never been in a better place’

EPISODE 6: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark

In this episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt headed to Dallas to sit down with Yormark. The two dove right into the big question surrounding the conference as the commissioner outlined his criteria for potential expansion. He also detailed what he feels was his biggest win in his first year in charge of the Big 12. They discussed the current state of NIL and the transfer portal and the commissioner detailed why he feels it’s been a "disaster" so far. Finally, Yormark detailed why he believes he is absolutely the right person to lead the conference going forward — and why he wouldn’t necessarily be a good fit at other conferences.

Watch the full episode here: Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark on expansion and his biggest win

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Brett Yormark ‘willing to disrupt’ as he guides Big 12 into the future

EPISODE 7: Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti

In the final episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Klatt sat down with the new commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, Tony Petitti. They began by discussing what the commissioner hopes to accomplish early in his tenure. Petitti went into how his background as a TV executive and at Major League Baseball has prepared him to oversee the Big Ten’s $7 billion media rights deal. He also reflected on his time at ABC during the creation of the BCS. The two finished by discussing the importance of incentivizing top-level regular season success in the expanded playoff era.

Watch the full episode here: Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti on his TV background and first 100 days

Read FOX Sports’ in-depth piece on the interview: Tony Petitti on succeeding as Big Ten commissioner: ‘It starts with relationships’