Longtime College Football Columnist Announces Departure Before Season Opener

With the 2025 college football season almost here, Dan Wolken has revealed that he's no longer with USA Today.

Wolken has been covering college sports and tennis for USA Today for the past 13 years. He has gone viral plenty of times for his college football work. For reasons that are unknown at this time, his incredible run as a columnist has come to an end.

"After 13 years with USA Today Sports and more memories than I deserve, it’s time to say goodbye," Wolken wrote on X. "I leave proud of the work we did together and how hard we fought every day, often under less than ideal circumstances.

"I’ll be honest: talking about this with my colleagues hasn’t been easy. This wasn’t just some job for me or a rung on the career ladder I was trying to climb. It represented a huge chunk of my life, and I poured everything I had into it because I understood how lucky and how rare it was to be in the position I was in. Getting to do a job like this for 13 years in our industry doesn’t happen for many people. But at the same time, I always figured there would come a day where I knew deep down it was time to go in a different direction. That moment recently came for me."

Wolken said he'll disappear "for a little while" but will eventually return.

His peers and fans are paying tribute to him on social media.

"Congrats on a great run, Dan," Ari Wasserman of On3 wrote.

"Dan achieved two difficult things - leaving a place better than you found it and being the best pro I've worked with. The adage is editors make writers better. But as an editor, I gained way more than whatever I may have passed on to him. Honored to have on the ride. Go crush it," Erick Smith of USA Today said.