5 questions for .... Danny Kanell

Q: Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain had a war of words this week before Michigan and Florida play. What do other coaches think of Harbaugh?

A: He was voted as the most overrated, over-hyped coach by other coaches in an anonymous poll. But a lot of it has to do with jealousy. He gets a lot of attention. I think he’s great for college football for a number of reasons. He’s a different cat. He’s weird. He likes to be an irritant. He likes to poke the bear. The SEC has been the college football king of the mountain for the last decade and one of the first things he did was set up a satellite camp in their backyard.

Q: Do you think Sam Darnold is as good as the hype?

A: This has changed in the last 15-20 years — the amount of hype and expectations we put on quarterbacks before they’ve accomplished much. Sam Darnold had an outstanding year. He was 10-1 as a starter. His accuracy and mobility are off the charts. The game he had in the Rose Bowl propelled him into this season. But let’s see a guy do it one more year. He’s losing two of his offensive linemen. Let’s see how he handles adversity if they lose a game or two.

Q: Can your alma mater Florida State upset Alabama?

A: I try to take off my homer hat, but when I look at this matchup I think it really favors Florida State. I know they are a touchdown underdog, but Alabama lost a lot of talent to the NFL on the defensive side of the ball. Florida State’s defense the last couple of years is susceptible to the big play ... but that’s not Alabama’s strength. Q: How did you deal with getting fired by ESPN? A: Getting laid off at ESPN was tougher than any of the NFL cuts because it was that surprising to me. I truly had my dream job. I absolutely loved what I was doing with ESPN. When I lost that it was devastating for me. I had never been fired with a family around me. It was hard on my wife and children. My girls are 10, 8 and 5, so they were wondering what it meant. My 8-year-old came in the first week off and gave me $3 to see if it could help in any way. Q: What did you miss most about being off the air? A: I felt like I lost my passion because didn’t have an outlet to express my opinions and interact with fans. That’s what I love about this business, getting the feedback and the conversation going on social media and the radio. Retirement is overrated, so hopefully I can do this for a long time.