By SuperWest Sports Staff
Sports
Updated UNLV Rebels All-Time Football Seasons
After last year’s 10-4 campaign, UNLV football has played 48 seasons at the FBS level, dating back to 1978.
During that time, the Rebels have compiled a 273–393–4 (.410) record through the 2025 season.
Since the program’s initial season, UNLV has appeared in seven bowl games, winning four, and two conference championships.
The Rebels have produced one consensus First Team All-America player in punter Joe Kristosik, who averaged a national-best 46.2 yard per punt average.
UNLV begins its 49th season under second-year head coach Dan Mullen in a retooled Mountain West Conference.
—Conference affiliations—
- Mountain West Conference (1999–present)
- Western Athletic Conference (1996–1998)
- Big West Conference (1988–1995)
- Pacific Coast Athletic Association (1982–1987)
- Big West Conference (1982–1995)
- NCAA Division I-A independent (1978–1981)
The table below gives an all-time season rundown with Conference, W-L record, win percentage, coach, and bowl game, if any, for each year.
| Year | Conf | W | L | T | Pct | Coach(es) | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | MWC | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | Dan Mullen (10-4) | Frisco Bowl (L) |
| 2024 | MWC | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | Barry Odom (10-3) Del Alexander (1-0) | LA Bowl (W) |
| 2023 | MWC | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | Barry Odom (9-5) | Guaranteed Rate Bowl (L) |
| 2022 | MWC | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Marcus Arroyo (5-7) | |
| 2021 | MWC | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | Marcus Arroyo (2-10) | |
| 2020 | MWC | 0 | 6 | 0 | .000 | Marcus Arroyo (0-6) | |
| 2019 | MWC | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | Tony Sanchez (4-8) | |
| 2018 | MWC | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | Tony Sanchez (4-8) | |
| 2017 | MWC | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Tony Sanchez (5-7) | |
| 2016 | MWC | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | Tony Sanchez (4-8) | |
| 2015 | MWC | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | Tony Sanchez (3-9) | |
| 2014 | MWC | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 | Bobby Hauck (2-11) | |
| 2013 | MWC | 7 | 6 | 0 | .538 | Bobby Hauck (7-6) | Heart of Dallas Bowl (L) |
| 2012 | MWC | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 | Bobby Hauck (2-11) | |
| 2011 | MWC | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | Bobby Hauck (2-10) | |
| 2010 | MWC | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 | Bobby Hauck (2-11) | |
| 2009 | MWC | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Mike Sanford (5-7) | |
| 2008 | MWC | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | Mike Sanford (5-7) | |
| 2007 | MWC | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | Mike Sanford (2-10) | |
| 2006 | MWC | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | Mike Sanford (2-10) | |
| 2005 | MWC | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | Mike Sanford (2-9) | |
| 2004 | MWC | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | John Robinson (2-9) | |
| 2003 | MWC | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | John Robinson (6-6) | |
| 2002 | MWC | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | John Robinson (5-7) | |
| 2001 | MWC | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | John Robinson (4-7) | |
| 2000 | MWC | 8 | 5 | 0 | .615 | John Robinson (8-5) | Las Vegas Bowl (W) |
| 1999 | MWC | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | John Robinson (3-8) | |
| 1998 | WAC | 0 | 11 | 0 | .000 | Jeff Horton (0-11) | |
| 1997 | WAC | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | Jeff Horton (3-8) | |
| 1996 | WAC | 1 | 11 | 0 | .083 | Jeff Horton (1-11) | |
| 1995 | Big West | 2 | 9 | 0 | .182 | Jeff Horton (2-9) | |
| 1994 | Big West | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | Jeff Horton (7-5) | Las Vegas Bowl (W) |
| 1993 | Big West | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | Jim Strong (3-8) | |
| 1992 | Big West | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | Jim Strong (6-5) | |
| 1991 | Big West | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Jim Strong (4-7) | |
| 1990 | Big West | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Jim Strong (4-7) | |
| 1989 | Big West | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Wayne Nunnely (4-7) | |
| 1988 | Big West | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Wayne Nunnely (4-7) | |
| 1987 | PCAA | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | Wayne Nunnely (5-6) | |
| 1986 | PCAA | 6 | 5 | 0 | .545 | Wayne Nunnely (6-5) | |
| 1985 | PCAA | 5 | 5 | 1 | .500 | Harvey Hyde (5-5-1) | |
| 1984 | PCAA | 11 | 2 | 0 | .846 | Harvey Hyde (11-2) | California Bowl (W) |
| 1983 | PCAA | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | Harvey Hyde (7-4) | |
| 1982 | PCAA | 3 | 8 | 0 | .273 | Harvey Hyde (3-8) | |
| 1981 | Ind | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | Tony Knap (6-6) | |
| 1980 | Ind | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | Tony Knap (7-4) | |
| 1979 | Ind | 9 | 1 | 2 | .833 | Tony Knap (9-1-2) | |
| 1978 | Ind | 7 | 4 | 0 | .636 | Tony Knap (7-4) |
Continue Reading
Hangman Adam Page has become one of the most popular faces in all of professional wrestling. The one-third of the AEW World Trios Champion was recently referenced by former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. During a live event hosted by Wrestling Xtreme Mania in India, Jinder used one of Hangman’s signature moves.
Hangman has made a name for himself competing in some really gruesome Texas Death Matches. He defeated Jon Moxley in a Texas Death Match last year at All In: Texas to win the AEW World Championship. He choked out Moxley by wrapping a steel chain around his neck and hanging him outside the ring from the top rope.
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal also used that same move during a recent live event in India. He was facing Sha Samuels in a match where he used Hangman’s move on him where he choked him with a belt. As soon as the fans saw the move, they starting chanting for Hangman Adam Page. A fan shared the clip of the incident on X.
Check out the clip here:
It is clear that the fans in attendance loved to see Jinder pay tribute to the former AEW World Champion.
Hangman Adam Page will face MJF at AEW Revolution
This year’s AEW Revolution is set to be one of the company’s biggest shows of the year. MJF succesfully defended his AEW World title against Brody King at Grandslam: Australia and will now be walking into the show as Champion. However, a ghost from Max’s past has his eyes set on the World title.
Hangman Adam Page defeated Andrade in a Number 1 Contender’s match at Grandslam: Australia to punch his ticket in the AEW World title match at Revolution. He will be facing MJF for the Championship at the event next month. After MJF’s succesful title defense against Brody, Hangman came out to confront him and signed the contract for the match.
It will be interesting to see who will leave AEW Revolution as Champion.
Read all the hottest WWE news from Sportskeeda by choosing us as your preferred source. Click HERE.
Edited by Ishan Dubey
Miley Cyrus has officially announced she is returning for a Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, set to premiere on March 24, 2026. This date marks exactly 20 years since the very first episode aired on Disney Channel back in 2006.
Rather than a scripted reboot or new episodes, the special will be an unscripted celebration of the show’s legacy. Filmed in front of a live audience, it will feature an in-depth conversation between Miley and Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, as they look back on how Hannah Montana came to be and why it still means so much to fans today.
20 years of Hannah Montana: Miley Cyrus reunites with her roots for a landmark Disney special
When Miley Cyrus first appeared on Hannah Montana in 2006, few could have predicted just how big the show and its young star would become. Cast as Miley Stewart, a normal teenager living a secret double life as pop sensation Hannah Montana, Cyrus became the face of a generation growing up on the Disney Channel.
The series became an instant hit, and her songs like Best of Both Worlds turned Cyrus into a chart-topping artist, while sold-out tours and merchandise made Hannah Montana a global phenomenon. In an official statement announcing the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, Miley Cyrus stated:
‘“Hannah Montana’ will always be a part of who I am. What started as a TV show became a shared experience that shaped my life and the lives of so many fans, and I’ll always be thankful for that connection. The fact that it still means so much to people all these years later is something I’m very proud of. This ‘Hannahversary’ is my way of celebrating and thanking the fans who’ve stood by me for 20 years.”
When the series concluded in 2011, Miley had leveraged the platform Disney provided to create a devoted global fanbase. And this initial backing became the foundation upon which she gradually built her public image. This helped her to evolve with confidence into the solo artist which she is known as today.
After leaving Disney behind, Miley Cyrus created her identity in pop music. Her 2013 album Bangerz marked a major turn in her singing career, producing chart-topping hits like Wrecking Ball and We Can’t Stop, both of which dominated global charts.
She continued to provide major hits in the following years with songs such as Malibu to the rock-infused Midnight Sky. Her biggest win came in 2023 with Flowers, a global self-love anthem that broke streaming records and earned her two Grammy Awards.
Because of her successful music career and widespread popularity in both the music and film industries, Miley Cyrus also appeared in an episode of Netflix’s Black Mirror. In Season 5, Episode 3, titled “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” she performed all of the featured songs herself.
In that episode, she played pop star Ashley O, a character whose glamorous public image hides a darker reality. Cyrus recorded and performed the episode’s standout tracks, including On a Roll, which cleverly reworked Nine Inch Nails’ Head Like a Hole.
Edited by Suchita Patnaha
Jannik Sinner has made it clear that, even with the Winter Olympics taking place in his home country, he has no regrets about choosing tennis over winter sports.
Speaking during a media interaction, Sinner was asked whether, in an alternate universe, he could imagine himself as a Winter Olympian rather than a professional tennis player. His answer was direct.
“Honestly, I’m very happy being a tennis player,” Sinner said.
The world No. 1 admitted that the Winter Olympics have been hard to ignore, especially with Italy hosting and the country fully absorbed in the event.
“When you see the Winter Olympics, they’re very impressive. Especially being in Italy, being an Italian, you feel the tension. It’s incredible to watch every sport that’s on,” he explained.
Sinner also revealed his personal connection to winter sports, particularly skiing, which he grew up around in northern Italy.
“I would love to ski a bit more. Every winter I have this feeling that going to ski is something very, very beautiful,” he said. “But I also have to be very careful. Things can change very quickly and go wrong very quickly.”
For now, Sinner prefers to enjoy the spectacle from a distance while staying focused on his tennis career.
“Watching on TV is a bit more relaxing,” he added. “I’m very happy to be a bit outside and see it from a bit far.”
Be careful with first love, my father once told me. It only comes once. That has to be true but I’m here to tell you: I got it right my third time around.
My first serious relationship was with a set of Wilson Staff irons, stamped Dynapower on their backs, with red dots on their soles, along with the words Fluid Feel. Wilson Staff was the crown prince of elite irons in the mid-1970s, and I saved up for months to buy this secondhand set for $100.
Later, I replaced them with a set of made-in-Japan PRGRs, blade irons with a dull matte finish, as handsome as a club could be, though part of the attraction was their space-age shafts, black graphite and chosen to match the player’s swing speed. These PRGRs cost a fortune but I was a bachelor and what else would I spend my disposable income on?
And then I fell for Ping. It wasn’t love at first sight. The courtship unfolded over time, during an extended honeymoon of a kind. (It had no ending date.) Christine and I were married in the fall of 1990, and in February 1991 we flew to France, where I had a one-week caddie tryout with an American journeyman on the European Tour, Peter Teravainen, a Yale grad with an economics degree and a mind that ran to numbers and logic.
It was a period of heightened awareness for me: Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” was playing in the cab we took to JFK; our Pan Am flight to Paris was choking in cigarette smoke. On our first morning in Saint-Raphaël, Christine gave me a ride from our sagging hotel to the course on the back of moped and through a misting rain. Breakfast was a chocolate croissant, out of a bag and still warm. Etc.
;)
Courtesy Ping
I met Peter. He had tiny teeth, a wide forehead and his pants were shiny with wear. His bag was filled with Ping irons, along with a Ping putter. His bag itself was a white staff bag with a single strap, stamped with his name on one side and Ping on the other. By my second week carrying it (got through the tryout with some adventure) the bag had a little dent on its side where my left hip nestled into it.
I caddied for Peter straight through summer, when the tour reached Scotland and Christine and I got off the bus. In those days, the European Tour still wintered on the Continent, in the southern parts of France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Somewhere in those weeks I started leaving my toothbrush in the House of Ping. Part of the appeal was seeing Peter use his Ping clubs so effectively. (He was making cuts.) I’ve been playing Ping Eye2s, the model Peter played, pretty much since then.
The design of Ping’s irons and putters (the Ping Anser, the Ping Pal) were once considered radical. For decades, the clubs themselves were a testimony to the vision of Karsten Solheim, the company founder, who prized function over everything else. His irons had a wide sole, a high toe, a stubby hosel and a wild amount of offset. The company’s putters, its first product, were considered freakishly different when they made their debut. But Tom Watson made his Ping Pal putter look beautiful, simply by winning with it again and again. Tiger Woods did the same with his Anser 2, going back to his amateur days. In terms of shape and utility, the early Scotty Cameron putter line is a direct descendant of the early Ping putter line. You know what they say about imitation.
I met Karsten Solheim only once, on a tour of the Ping (Karsten Manufacturing) factory in Phoenix 30 years ago. Karsten was 84 and had recently handed the company keys to the youngest of his three sons, John A. Solheim. A small group of us entered Karsten’s office, with John as our tour guide. Karsten was bent over a drafting table like a doctor looking at an X-ray. I mentioned to Karsten my affection for the Eye2 and he said, “We never made a better iron.” The others were less than thrilled but that’s what he said. Karsten, per Forbes magazine, was one of the 400 richest Americans then but his motivation in business was not primarily money. It was the pursuit of better tools for golf. His super wealth flowed from that. He lived like the GE engineer he once was.
Some months ago, I shared Karsten’s long-ago comment about the Eye2 with Robin McCool, a retired Ping sales rep and an accomplished amateur golfer. Robin, while readily acknowledging Karsten’s devotion to the Eye2, offered this addendum: “But he also said this: ‘We’ve just started to scratch the surface.’”
Enter John A., scratching. He was 50 the day of that Ping factory tour, when the company was trying to promote an iron with John’s fingerprints all over it, the ISI. That club was never a top-40 superhit, but a year or two later John’s TiSI driver was. Now he’s 80 and Ping’s chairman.
For 30 years — from 1996 to 2026, from age 50 to age 80 — John has been a steward of what his father began and then some. The business is still family-owned. The company has steadily kept its number of employees at about 1,000 with low turnover. Intensely personal customer service is still a hallmark of the company.
But there has been notable change too. In the Karsten years, there were players who left Ping after winning majors, John Daly, Mark Calcavecchia and Bob Tway among them. They wanted the guaranteed payday that comes from being a star golfer, and Karsten, a stubborn Norwegian and a child of the Depression, despised the notion of pay-to-play. His system was a bonus pool, based on what you earned on the course. John changed that policy and thereby has kept Louis Oosthuizen, Bubba Watson and others in the Ping fold. John A.’s son, John K., now the company’s president and CEO, ran with a stunning realization: Visual and tactile elements of club design — the feel of it, its finish — does in fact influence performance. Somewhere, Karsten is stroking his little Col. Sanders beard in contemplative confusion, but this third-generation Solheim is surely correct. You do have to feel good about your club in every regard. To like a club, you have to like its look and feel.
;)
Getty Images (2); Mark Peterman; Courtesy Ping
Oleksandr Usyk, the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight world champion, will soon have mandatory challengers piling up.
The 39-year-old southpaw secured undisputed status for a second time last year when he knocked out Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. The four-belt reign was short-lived, however, as he soon dropped the WBO belt rather than face interim champion Fabio Wardley.
Tyson Fury, who has fought and lost to Usyk twice and is currently shouting for a trilogy, believes a similar scenario will play out with WBC interim titeholder and mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel.
Speaking to IFL TV, Fury said his believes his old foe is not only in the sport for big money bouts.
“If Usyk fights Kabayel, who cares? I don’t care. No one cares. It doesn’t sell, no one is interested. It is what it is. Kabayel deserves his shot at Usyk but I don’t think Usyk is going to give it to him because it doesn’t sell, there’s no real money there.”
If that was to be the case, the Ukrainian would be required to drop the WBC belt. President Mauricio Sulaiman has made it quite clear that, following a voluntary defence, the champion must give Kabayel his shot.
Despite Fury’s views, which many fans and analysts may be in agreement with, Team Usyk has stated that the Kabayel fight is indeed an option, particularly after seeing his star power in Germany.
Kabayel stopped Damian Knyba inside three rounds at a sold out Rudolf Weber-Arena in Oberhausen last month, and is likely to have another fight on home soil in May. Having an international star is something Queensberry Promotions will lean into and continue to develop, perhaps going a ways to convincing Usyk – who last fought in Germany in 2017, beating Marco Huck to retain his WBO cruiserweight belt – the fight is big enough to make.
In the meantime, the unified champion moves closer to his next fight, with the frontrunner being kickboxer Rico Verhoeven.
Ben Nicholson-Smith is Sportsnet’s baseball editor. Arden Zwelling is a senior writer. Together, they bring you the most in-depth Blue Jays podcast in the league, covering off all the latest news with opinion and analysis, as well as interviews with other insiders and people around the team.
AHMEDABAD: India’s path to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinals became slightly clearer on Tuesday after Australia’s shock group-stage exit. Had Mitchell Marsh’s side advanced, they would have joined India, South Africa and the West Indies in the same Super 8 group. Instead, Sikandar Raza’s Zimbabwe will now face India on Feb 26.
While Australia’s early departure may ease the degree of difficulty, India’s camp insists it changes little. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s final league match against the Netherlands, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the team remains focused on defending its title, regardless of opposition.
“Everyone was thinking that Australia would qualify and come into our group in the Super 8s. We knew about this possibility too. But when they lost to Zimbabwe, we realised Zimbabwe might end up in our group,” Kotak told reporters. “We knew the match against Sri Lanka would be tough for Australia, looking at the conditions. I don’t think we are bothered about what happened. Either we play Australia, or we play Zimbabwe. We will just try to do our best against whoever we play.” Kotak also threw his weight be-hind Abhishek Sharma, who has registered ducks in his last two ap-appearances. The opener was unwell in the lead-up to the Pakistan game.
“He wasn’t well. In the last match he got out in the first over. We don’t overanalyse unnecessarily. He has his plans and knows how he wants to play,” Kotak said. “T20 is such a format — you can lose your wicket. That’s okay.”
With India set to play their Super 8 clash against South Africa in Ahmedabad, Kotak underlined the importance of adapting to conditions. “It would be good to get used to the conditions here. Looking at the wicket, we may tweak the playing XI. But the intensity will remain the same,” he said, adding that premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be rested for the Netherlands game. “We’ll decide later, but I don’t think Bumrah will rest.”
Kotak reserved special praise for Ishan Kishan, whose half-century set up India’s win over Pakistan. “We know how capable Kishan is. He’s very confident and natural.”
3. The Tour could (should?) own more events
The Tour maintains a considerable grip on the structures of pro golf and its worldwide audience, but for years managed only a conservative approach toward owning its own events. A significant part of the Tour’s business is dependent on sharing tournament ownership with local organizations.
As spelled out in the annual report, the Tour owned eight events outright as of year-end 2024. It has boosted than number to 10 with the formation of two more tournaments (bolded below) in the last 12 months:
— Players Championship (March)
— Tour Championship (August)
— Presidents Cup (September)
— FedEx St. Jude Championship (August)
— The Sentry (January … for now)
— Truist Championship (May)
— Baycurrent Classic (October)
— Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches (February)
— Cadillac Championship (April)
— Biltmore Championship (September)
It will be interesting to keep these specific tournaments top of mind as the Tour looks to announce a new schedule structure in the coming months, just as it was interesting when the Tour kick-started a discussion earlier this month about the Players Championship being worthy of “major” distinction.
Elsewhere, the Tour’s uncertain future in Hawaii might not necessarily spell demise for its premier Hawaiian event, The Sentry. It seems far more likely that the tournament will simply shift locations and dates, as has been reported by Golf Digest and Sports Business Journal. Considering The Sentry’s status as one of the few wholly owned and operated events, it would make little sense for the Tour to do anything else.
4. TV business increasingly massive
It goes without saying that pro sports’ billion-dollar days are made possible only by television viewership and the rights to broadcast events (TV and media acumen is a major reason why Brian Rolapp was hired as PGA Tour CEO.) But the Tour’s recent annual reports underscore that trend.
Year after year, the Tour’s broadcast arm — aka its “core business” responsible for driving the largest amount of revenue — has continued to see growth via media rights.
In 2019, the Tour’s net TV revenues accounted for roughly 48% of its core business. Just three years later, in 2022, once the Tour’s newest TV rights deal began (with ESPN+ joining as a streaming partner), the Tour’s TV money suddenly became 67% of its core business. It has settled in to a roughly 65% share of that metric in recent years.
5 reasons for golf’s colossal TV ratings jump to start 2026 season
;)
That may mimic the trend of other pro sports over the last decade, but it serves as a perfect reminder that the next few years figure to be the most important years in PGA Tour television history. The Tour itself is in the midst of restructuring its entire schedule and competitive format, which will lead to restructuring deals with TV networks. The hope, as it exists within the Future Competition Committee, is that the new schedule will be so valuable that it dwarfs the current TV deal, which is worth roughly $1 billion annually.
This, of course, presents a slight apples-and-oranges scenario for the Tour and its TV partners. Under a revised competitive format, decades-long TV partners may be expected to pay the same or more for a different product, different inventory, different stakes, etc. Golf fans will have to put their faith in the brains behind it all: SSG’s savvy sports leaders and the player-led faction of PGA Tour Enterprises’ board.
South Africa fine-tuned their preparations for the T20 World Cup Super 8s by cruising to a six-wicket win against the United Arab Emirates in their final group game in Delhi.
Set a target of 123 by the UAE, who had already been eliminated, South Africa knocked off the runs with 40 balls to spare in a match where the only thing that came close to threatening a Proteas victory was the weather.
With qualification for the next stage already secured, South Africa made four changes – resting David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj and Lungi Ngidi – and chose to field first after winning the toss.
UAE made a steady start to their innings through Aryansh Sharma (13) and captain Muhammad Waseem (22), before Corbin Bosch and George Linde struck to remove the openers.
Their hopes of building a competitive total then rested largely on Alishan Sharafu, but with wickets falling around him UAE’s innings faded away.
With Sharafu departing five runs short of what would have been his second half‑century of the tournament, UAE mustered just 20 in the final four overs to finish on 122-6.
The covers came on during the innings break as rain delayed South Africa’s response but when they did return, the Proteas were given a fast start by captain Aiden Markram, who struck an 11-ball 28.
Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis then kept pace with 30 and 36 respectively as the 2024 finalists reached their target in the 14th over.
The UAE’s only win of the tournament was against Canada while South Africa had a perfect record in Group D with four wins from four matches.
It’s a little early for the label — NFL-themed meida usually waits until the summer — but that didn’t stop FOX Sports from placing head coaches on the hot seat last week. Ralph Vacchiano identified 10 coaches with toasty buttocks, and Minnesota Vikings skipper Kevin O’Connell was not spared.
The GM reset tightens the stakes for O’Connell, and the expectations shift to postseason results as the Vikings enter a defining 2026 year.
O’Connell has led the Vikings for four seasons, banking the league’s fifth-best win percentage on his watch, but his team has not won a playoff game.
The Hot Seat for Kevin O’Connell in 2026 Is Real
The heat is on.
Fox Sports Hot Seat List: KOC Named
Vacchiano listed hot-seat coaches from warmest to hottest, and at No. 7, O’Connell got the nod. Vacchiano claimed that six other coaches are under more pressure.
He wrote about O’Connell, “He’s incredibly well-respected, has a reputation as one of the greatest ‘quarterback whisperers’ in the league, and has won nearly twice as many games as he’s lost during his five seasons.
“He just got a lucrative contract extension, too. But his boss, owner Zygi Wilf, clearly wasn’t happy with the Vikings’ 9-8 record this past season and some of their recent quarterback decisions. That’s why he fired GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.”
The Vikings very vividly preferred O’Connell over Adofo-Mensah; it’s rare for an ownership group not fire both the GM and HC as a package deal. But the Vikings are trying an experiment with O’Connell as the CEO by default.
Vacchiano added, “And while, yes, that means O’Connell emerged the victor of a power struggle, it also puts the heat on him. He’s got to prove Wilf was right, which means developing QB J.J. McCarthy and probably returning to the playoffs next season. Anything else, and who knows what Wilf will do?”
Aaron Glenn of the New York Jets led the way for Vacchiano’s hot seat rankings, with Philadelphia Eagles skipper Nick Sirianni at No. 2.
Pressure on O’Connell after the Termination of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
History suggests that retaining a head coach after firing the general manager is a recipe for failure. The “GM-only reset” often accelerates the timeline toward further upheaval, as continued poor performance often leads to the coach’s dismissal. Tennessee and Carolina have followed this pattern, and Miami nearly did in 2025 before firing Mike McDaniel weeks later.
Now, Minnesota has embarked on the same path.
With Adofo-Mensah’s firing on January 30th, O’Connell gains more influence over the roster, but this increased power also brings heightened accountability. If the Vikings, with O’Connell- and Brian Flores-influenced personnel additions, struggle to a 6-11 or 7-10 record in 2026 due to an unsuccessful bet on McCarthy, the Wilfs are unlikely to stand pat.
O’Connell is entering his fifth year without a playoff win, making a postseason appearance essential, and a playoff victory likely necessary, as few head coaches reach a fifth season without January success.
This situation leaves little room for error, as the head coach rarely survives the subsequent downturn when the general manager is fired first.
Playoffs or Bust?
To his credit, Minnesota has reached the playoffs twice in four years on O’Connell’s watch. The problem? O’Connell hasn’t logged a playoff victory yet, and that’s usually required for full job security. In fact, Minnesota hasn’t won a postseason game in six years — the game when tight end Kyle Rudolph walked off the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. Gradually, the drought is becoming grim.
So, at the very least, O’Connell must figure out his quarterback solution — roll with McCarthy or find a competent insurance plan — finish with a 9-8 record or better in 2026, and probably win a playoff game. Unfortunately for his sake, the timeline has been expedited because he hasn’t won in January, and the ownership picked him over Adofo-Mensah, putting the onus on him to deliver.
The Accolades
Here’s the case to support O’Connell as an effective head coach:
- 2024 NFL Coach of the Year
- NFL’s fifth-best win percentage since 2022
- NFL’s best defense per EPA/Play since 2022
- Sixth-fewest penalties since 2022
The pro-O’Connell crowd will maintain that he needs a steady QB1 — his teams are 37-15 (.711) when he has his QB1 in the starting lineup — and better draft picks. Adofo-Mensah notoriously and woefully struggled to connect in the draft.
Nominate a clear QB1, draft better, run the football at a normal NFL clip, and prosper. That’s how O’Connell can avoid termination in 2026.
Sports43 seconds ago
Former WWE champion suddenly references Hangman Adam Page at major non-AEW show
Tech2 minutes ago
The Raspberry Pi As A Studio Camera
NewsBeat4 minutes ago
Mortgage rates could fall after inflation rate drop
-
Sports6 days agoBig Tech enters cricket ecosystem as ICC partners Google ahead of T20 WC | T20 World Cup 2026
-
Video2 days agoBitcoin: We’re Entering The Most Dangerous Phase
-
Tech3 days agoLuxman Enters Its Second Century with the D-100 SACD Player and L-100 Integrated Amplifier
-
Video5 days agoThe Final Warning: XRP Is Entering The Chaos Zone
-
Tech1 day agoThe Music Industry Enters Its Less-Is-More Era
-
Sports1 day agoGB's semi-final hopes hang by thread after loss to Switzerland
-
Crypto World1 day agoCan XRP Price Successfully Register a 33% Breakout Past $2?
-
Business11 hours agoInfosys Limited (INFY) Discusses Tech Transitions and the Unique Aspects of the AI Era Transcript
-
Video1 day agoFinancial Statement Analysis | Complete Chapter Revision in 10 Minutes | Class 12 Board exam 2026
-
Crypto World4 days agoBhutan’s Bitcoin sales enter third straight week with $6.7M BTC offload
-
Crypto World7 days agoPippin (PIPPIN) Enters Crypto’s Top 100 Club After Soaring 30% in a Day: More Room for Growth?
-
Video6 days agoPrepare: We Are Entering Phase 3 Of The Investing Cycle
-
Tech2 hours agoRetro Rover: LT6502 Laptop Packs 8-Bit Power On The Go
-
NewsBeat3 days agoThe strange Cambridgeshire cemetery that forbade church rectors from entering
-
Business6 days agoBarbeques Galore Enters Voluntary Administration
-
Business4 hours agoTesla avoids California suspension after ending ‘autopilot’ marketing
-
Crypto World6 days agoEthereum Price Struggles Below $2,000 Despite Entering Buy Zone
-
NewsBeat3 days agoMan dies after entering floodwater during police pursuit
-
Crypto World5 days agoKalshi enters $9B sports insurance market with new brokerage deal
-
NewsBeat4 days agoUK construction company enters administration, records show