While LSU pays millions to a football coach just to chase titles, Kishwaukee College in Ogle County, Illinois, just set a school record—63 student-athletes nominated for academic honors, proving that real education still happens where working Americans actually go to school.
The contrast tells you everything about what the American academy has become. At the top, big-time college sports operate as a jobs program for coaches and a branding exercise for institutions that long ago abandoned their educational mission. Brian Kelly went 34-14 at LSU and got shown the door because it wasn't enough for the playoff. Urban Meyer, speaking on the "Triple Option" podcast, warned Lane Kiffin—Kelly's replacement—that the standard in Baton Rouge is nothing short of a national championship. "Is it national championship or bust because if it's anything less he's going to get hammered," Meyer said. He added of LSU fans: "They're nuts. He doesn't have to win it, but he's got to be within striking distance."
Meanwhile, at Kishwaukee College, Athletic Director Scott Kawall was celebrating something different: a record 63 Kish student-athletes nominated for Arrowhead Conference or National Junior College Athletic Association academic awards in the 2025-2026 season. A college-record 27 of those earned NJCAA All-Academic nominations, which require GPAs ranging from 3.6 to 4.0 depending on the tier.
"Our student-athletes continue to raise the bar each year in record fashion in their commitment in the classroom," Kawall said. "We are proud of our student-athletes who have not only excelled in their sports but also achieved academic honors. They are positive role models to the Kish community."
To earn Arrowhead Conference All-Academic recognition, students must complete at least 12 credits per semester while maintaining a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA. Among the Ogle County-area honorees: Kennedy Adamski of Chana and Macey Stoddard of Byron earned NJCAA First Team honors with perfect 4.0 GPAs. Lillie Gebel of Davis Junction made Second Team with a 3.8-3.99 GPA.
These are working students earning real credentials at a community college—not legacy admits sliding through an Ivy League backdoor, and not scholarship athletes at a program where a 34-14 record gets you fired. The Ivy League has turned athletic recruitment into a pipeline for the children of donors and alumni; Kishwaukee turns out students who had to earn both their playing time and their grades.
The question isn't whether big-time college sports will ever reform itself—the money is too big and the incentives are too warped. The question is whether anyone in power will start valuing the institutions that actually serve ordinary Americans over the ones that serve themselves.
