Craig Haley

Trenton

Senior College Football Editor at The Analyst

Stats Perform/The Analyst FCS Senior Editor. FWAA. Much younger, of course, but same birthday/city as Dennis Rodman! Go Reds/Red Bulls/UConnWBB/'CuseSB.

Articles

Crystal Ball: Craig Haley's 2025 FCS Football Preseason Top 25 Rankings

1 week ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

Offseason moves in college football have as manytwists and turns as the season itself. With the transferringbasically in the rear-view mirror, Craig Haley updates his FCSfootball preseason Top 25 rankings from just after North Dakota State’smost-recent national title. Change is … not good? That’s the best way to the look at the Never-Too-Early FCS Top25 Rankings, where consistency and little flip-flipping afterwardare embraced.
FCS Playoffs: Teams Seeking Their First Bid in 2025

1 week ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

The FCS playoffs are full of dynasty programs that won national championships, but also underdogs that emerged from lower seeding. The 2025 playoffs will include at least one first-time qualifier that will seek to make waves, although more are hopeful of the same. Football programs that earned their first bid to the FCS playoffs in recent seasons haven’t been just happy to be there.
How the Slow-Starting Rockies Compare to the 121-Loss White Sox of 2024

2 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

The Colorado Rockies have the worst record of any major league team through 28 games since 2003. Considering it comes one year after the Chicago White Sox set the 162-game record with 121 losses, there’s reason to believe the Rockies may challenge that futility. If the Colorado Rockies’ losing ways make you feel like you’ve been here before with bad teams in Major League Baseball, you don’t have to look back far.
FCS Football: Montana NFL Draft Picks

2 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

The Montana NFL Draft selections rank among the all-time highest of the FCS college football era. Here’s a look at the Grizzlies’ entire draft historyThe Montana Grizzlies have one of the most successful programs in FCS college football history. It’s not just in the fall, it’s with the NFL Draft as well. During its FCS era since 1978, and starting with the draft the following spring, Montana’s two-time national-championship-winning program has had 23 selections.
The Most Home Runs in a Game in MLB History

2 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Elise Oliver |Craig Haley

The home run is still one of the most thrilling feats in baseball. And when a player goes yard more than once – or twice or thrice – in a single game, people start to flip through the record books. A four-homer game is undeniably one of the greatest and most difficult achievements for a hitter, with even the most prolific power sluggers rarely hitting the all-time mark.
FCS Football NFL Draft Picks: 2025 Review

2 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

From first-round pick Grey Zabel on down, we’re looking at the FCS football selections and storylines in the 2025 NFL Draft. If you wanted an early sense of the 2025 FCS NFL Draft class, the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team back in December provided it. Seven first-team All-Americans and eight overall – with four of them offensive linemen – were draft selections from Thursday to Saturday nights.
FCS Football in the 2025 NFL Draft: Who, What and Everything You Need to Know

3 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

The 2025 NFL Draft will be held from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Offensive linemen will play a big part of the FCS football selections. Let the FCS offensive lineman step forward to flex their muscles. Once again, the big men up front are drawing the buzz of analysts and are expected to remain in demand among the FCS prospects in this week’s NFL Draft. Grey Zabel of FCS national champion North Dakota State and Charles Grant of William & Mary headline the class.
The Negro Leagues Greats Who Preceded Many MLB Stars

4 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Taylor Bechtold |Craig Haley |Ana Gonzalez |Ana González

The Negro Leagues lasted for nearly four decades and included over 2,300 players, many whom were denied the chance to play in Major League Baseball. We’re comparing some of the greats whose accomplishments matched or exceeded future MLB players. When Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound, we’ll again be in awe of his two-way excellence. His elite offensive skills are jaw-dropping on a daily basis, and he’s a shutdown pitcher when healthy – sometimes dazzling in ways that have never been done before.
The Day Montana Football Faced Jackie Robinson

4 weeks ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley |Briggs Clinard

American icon Jackie Robinson isn’t usually associated with FCS college football, but in 1939, he faced off against a University of Montana program that many decades later would become one of the top programs on the Division I subdivision level. Jackie Robinson is a sports and civil rights icon who’s forever celebrated for breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
How Can FCS College Football Stop Its Steep Decline in NFL Draft Picks?

1 month ago | theanalyst.com | Craig Haley

With the growth in players making transfers and NIL, it feels like a winless battle. But FCS college football is still trying to rally and at least stem its decline in NFL Draft picks. Even after the NFL Draft was shortened three decades ago, FCS college football has continued to reward NFL teams with standouts.