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USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell details why the Indiana job 'didn't feel right' for him
Clemson WR coach Tyler Grisham says the Tigers have a 'room full of starters' in 2025 Brad Brownell admits the Indiana head coaching job has always held a special place in his heart. A native of Evansville, Indiana, and lifelong Hoosiers fan, Brownell spoke with IU during its latest search. But in the end, he stayed where he felt most at home — Clemson. 'The Indiana job was 'the job,'' Brownell said Tuesday. 'I spoke with them, but I was never 'the guy.' It didn't feel right at that time.' Now entering his 16th season with the Tigers, Brownell is fresh off agreeing to a new six-year deal worth $27.5 million. The contract, signed in April, also includes a clause allowing him to step into a special assistant role to the athletic director if he ever steps away from coaching — a unique offering that further cemented his decision to stay. 'It's something we talked about when the Indiana thing was going on,' he said. 'That was something that I knew Clemson could offer me that another school could not.' Despite the allure of IU, Brownell and his family have embraced life in Clemson. The warm weather, lake living, and community connection all factored in — as did his growing legacy with the program. He's Clemson's all-time winningest coach with 292 victories, and he's led the Tigers to five NCAA Tournaments, including the 2024 Elite Eight and 2018 Sweet 16. 'There's a million reasons to stay here,' Brownell said with a grin. 'The warm weather and the lake, those aren't bad.' Clemson is riding a wave of historic success under Brownell, winning a school-record 27 games in 2024-25, finishing 18-2 in the ACC, and posting four wins over Top 25 opponents, including Kentucky and Duke. The Tigers also went 9-1 on the road in league play — the best mark in school history. Over the last three seasons, Clemson has amassed 74 wins, more than any other stretch in program history, and posted a .717 winning percentage in ACC play. Since 2017-18, the Tigers rank fourth in the conference in total wins and league victories. Brownell emphasized that the timing of the Indiana discussions came during a critical point in the Tigers' season. While he was honored by the interest, he ultimately trusted his instincts. 'You talk about it with your family — where do you see yourself, what do you want to do?' he said. 'And we just felt really at home here.' With a long-term plan now in place and his roots firmly planted, Brownell remains focused on building Clemson into a consistent national contender. 'I've poured my heart and soul into this place for 15 years,' he said. 'Tremendous highs, difficult lows, but unbelievable experiences. And we're not done yet.' Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Indianapolis Star
21 hours ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
'I'm a control freak.' Why Curt Cignetti takes control of GM duties as Indiana football coach
LAS VEGAS — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti looked genuinely puzzled at Big Ten media days Tuesday when he was asked about how the program was determining the amount each player gets from revenue-sharing. "I decide that," Cignetti said, "I'm the GM and head coach." Indiana's athletic department started directly paying student-athletes on July 1 as part of the House vs. NCAA settlement. The football program will receive 70-75% of the $20.5 million the Hoosiers are allowed to share with athletes as outlined in the court settlement. It essentially creates a salary cap for all Power Four collegiate programs, and many of teams have adopted an NFL-like model with a general manager to help with roster management. Cignetti didn't sound like he's in a hurry to upend a decades-long approach that he's relied on to reach the Big Ten with him on top of the organizational chart. "I'm a control freak," Cignetti said. "I'm organized, I'm good with numbers. My name is on this. I spent a lot of years getting to this point, I'm the best one to do it." Cignetti told reporters it's not a heavy lift thanks to the autonomy he gives his longtime coordinators Mike Shanahan and Bryant Haines. Cignetti doesn't call plays and isn't in every offensive and defensive team meeting throughout the offseason. He also benefits from the athletic department's support that handles much of the backend work on contracts that a dedicated GM might also be responsible for. "We got the right set up," IU athletic director Scott Dolson said in March. "The set up we have in our department, we have the mechanics of creating contracts and balancing those contracts with NIL deals. The set up is good as anybody." Cignetti also shot down the possibility of revenue-sharing upsetting IU's team chemistry thanks to the potential financial disparity among players as it seeks a second straight CFP berth. "I think word gets around what everyone is making, but I haven't seen that affect the team dynamic up to this point," Cignetti said. "I think at the end of the day, everyone wants to be as good as possible. We recruit a certain kind of guy, then my job is to get everyone to buy into our team goals." It's why Cignetti stressed the need for players to ignore all the "clutter" on social media throughout the offseason. "They know what the goals are and why they are here," Cignetti said. "They know what's accepted and expected, tolerated and not tolerated if they want to be on the team."
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
'We are going to dominate.' Indiana football players know goal with schedule criticisms
LAS VEGAS — Indiana football players have largely ignored the debate amongst league administrators, coaches and fans about the program's strength of schedule, but that wasn't an easy task for the Hoosiers in attendance at Big Ten media days Tuesday. The discussion dominated the conversation after coach Curt Cignetti kicked the hornet's nest by telling reporters that IU was just adopting the "SEC scheduling format" in response to a question about the program canceling a future home-and-home series against Virginia. Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher, defensive end Mikail Kamara and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt had no problem with Cignetti firing back at the team's detractors. "Everybody is always gathered around to hear what he's going to say next," Fisher said, with a laugh. The complaints about IU's schedule started back in the fall as they entered the College Football Playoff picture. The Hoosiers made the field with the second-lowest strength of schedule among non-automatic qualifiers (ranked No. 35). Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. While the canceled series against UVA doesn't start until 2027, it sparked a fresh round of criticism over IU's nonconference schedule for 2025 that includes games against Old Dominion (Aug. 30), Kennesaw St. (Sept. 6) and Indiana State (Sept. 12). The game against Kennesaw State replaced a previously canceled game against Louisville. "I don't really understand the stance that's an easy schedule when a lot of teams are getting these FCS and Group of Five schools, and we still have nine conference games," Fisher said. "I think our schedule will be alright, but it's a disrespect to the Group of Five teams as well. There's talent there. It's a weird stance." Fisher, along with Kamara and Sarratt, were major contributors for Cignetti in 2023 when James Madison knocked off Virginia. Hoosiers running back Kaelon Black had the go-ahead score in the 36-35 win with 55 seconds to go. That same year, Akron nearly pulled off a stunning upset over IU at Memorial Stadium. After the Zips missed a 32-yard field goal that would have on the game on the final play of regulation, the Hoosiers escaped with a win in the fourth overtime with the teams trading two-point conversion attempts. Those are near-weekly occurrences through the first month of the season and why Kamara argued that the Hoosiers don't get enough credit for the one-sided nature of last year's wins over FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte. Indiana outscored their three nonconference opponents by 126 points while out-gaining them 1,625-559 in total yards. "We didn't just squeak out a couple wins, we were blowing teams out by 40," Kamara said. "It's the same thing this year. We are going to dominate and let people say what they want to say. I have no control over the schedule; it's nothing for me to stress over." He also pointed out that many people predicted the Hoosiers to lose at least one of those games before the season started. "I really don't listen to it, especially since last year they predicted us to go 2-10," Kamara said. "Y'all predicted to lose every single game, how easy could the schedule have been?"
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Squid Game To The Trauma Code: Top 5 Korean Dramas Ruling Netflix In 2025
Last Updated: Squid Game season 3 also managed to attract impressive views. In just four days, the final season gained over 70 million views. We're halfway through 2025, and it's already shaping up to be another blockbuster year for K-dramas on Netflix. From Squid Game to Gyeongseong Creature, Korean dramas continue to dominate global viewership, proving time and again that K-drama fever is here to stay. So far this year, Netflix has released 18 new and returning K-dramas, captivating audiences worldwide. Here's a look at the most-watched Korean dramas on the platform in 2025: Squid Game Season 2 As the second season of Squid Game premiered in the last week of 2024, the majority of its viewership occurred in 2025. As per official data, in 2025, Squid Game season 2 was streamed for a total of 84,03,00,000 hours, equating to 117.3 million views, making it the most watched K-drama on Netflix in 2025 so far. Following the second season, Squid Game season 3 also managed to attract impressive views. In just four days, the final season gained over 70 million views. When Life Gives You Tangerines After the massive success of the Squid Game franchise, Park Bo Gum and IU's When Life Gives You Tangerines secured the second place of most-watched K-dramas this year so far. The slice-of-life K-drama was watched for a total of 577,000,000 hours, which equates to 34.8 million views. Alongside the leads, Moon So Ri and Park Hae Joon also delivered incredible performances in the show. The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call When done right, medical dramas become some of the best-performing television shows of all time. After The Good Doctor, Hospital Playlist, and Doctor Stranger, The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call joins the list of one of the most loved Korean medical dramas. With over 30 million views, this K-drama marks the third position in the list. Weak Hero Class 1 Weak Hero Class has been the standout performer on Netflix. Starring Park Ji-hoon, Choi Hyun-wook, Hong Kyung, and others, Weak Hero is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name. Trailing behind When Life Gives You Tangerines and The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call, Weak Hero Class 1 was watched for 122,900,000 hours, which equates to over 22 million views. On the other hand, season two of the drama, Weak Hero Class 2, premiered exclusively on Netflix this year, bagging 19 million views so far in 2025. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Park Bo Gum Gets A Sweet Surprise From IU On The Final Shoot Of The Seasons
Last Updated: IU also apologised to Park Bo Gum for not being able to attend his music program. South Korean singer and actress IU just gave her When Life Gives You Tangerines co-star Park Bo Gum a pleasant surprise. She sent a heartfelt message to him during the final shoot of The Seasons: Park Bo Gum' s Cantabile, which he co-hosts. While her message certainly left him emotional, what came after it brought tears to his eyes. The two stars share a close bond ever since they worked on the Netflix K-drama, which took the world by storm. They have always spoken highly of one another and supported the other whenever needed. So, the latest gesture made by IU was not something totally out of the blue. As Park Bo Gum was preparing to wrap up the show, a video message started playing. In it, IU congratulated him on the successful run of the show, saying, 'As much as it's your last shoot of The Seasons, I wanted to congratulate you via this video message." Further, she apologised for not being able to appear on any episodes of the show. The singer added, 'When you had your first broadcast, I said that I would definitely appear on the show. I apologise for not being able to keep my promise to be a guest. I'm really, really sorry. But you know my heart's sincerity and that I watched the broadcast almost every week, right? You were the best as an MC." Bo Gum shook his head softly, assuring her that it was alright. She continued, 'I was able to enjoy singer Park Bo Gum, performer/ musician Park Bo Gum, so it was great. You were really amazing on Cantabile. I'm so sorry about not appearing that…I'm here." Then came the twist. With a bunch of flowers in her hand, she entered onto the stage. She got down on her knees and presented the bouquet to her friend, who was already overwhelmed by her kind gesture. IU patted his back to calm him down. Park Bo Gum Got Emotional Seeing IU On The Stage Bo Gum had tears in his eyes when IU introduced herself as his 'friend." Seeing him all emotional, the audience, in harmony, said, 'Don't cry." IU even shared that she wanted to keep her appearance as cheerful as possible and did not want to make him cry. To this, the actor asked, 'What are you doing (here)?" She then explained that she had been waiting for the right time to surprise him, and she managed to squeeze in some time between her drama shoots. Furthermore, Bo Gum told the audience that he did not want to burden her by asking her to attend the show. So, he was as surprised as anyone in the room. Park Bo Gum and IU played the lead couple in When Life Gives You Tangerines, which premiered earlier this year. First Published: July 23, 2025, 09:13 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
