And the hits just keep on coming…

at the University of Arkansas, aka The Hogtanic.

It’s being reported that Mustain has left the school.

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UPDATE: Nutt to Mustain: Vaya con Dios, my son.

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UPDATE #2:  Cleveland is staying.  Nutt is excited.  Father isn’t talking publicly.  Yet.

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We interrupt the celebration to bring you this message.

Remember that “the whole dynamic of high school recruiting in the state of Georgia has changed” post that appeared on the Georgia Tech Fanhouse blog a couple of weeks ago?

You may want to put that champagne back on ice, podna.

Mark Schlabach is reporting at ESPN.com that Brian VanGorder, former defensive coordinator at Georgia, has resigned his head coaching position at Georgia Southern and will return to the pro ranks to join the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff as a position coach – which is the job he had before he went to GSU.

Aside from what in hindsight looks like some painfully bad career choices made by VanGorder, what does this have to do with either Georgia or Georgia Tech currently? Well, as Schlabach notes, one of the leading candidates to replace VanGorder is Tech recruiting coordinator Giff Smith. Smith has played no small part in the Jackets’ renaissance in recruiting the state of Georgia.

Should Georgia Tech lose Gailey and Smith in a matter of days, I suspect that “dynamic” may run out of steam quicker than you can say “Jasper Sanks did not fumble”.

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UPDATE: Reality sets in. Hangovers can be a bitch, can’t they…

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UPDATE #2:  Tech supporters can exhale.  Chris Hatcher will be the new HC at GSU, it looks like.

Proof that the NFL should drug test management

The Miami Herald is reporting a new candidate is being interviewed by the Dolphins for the head coaching job made vacant when Nick Saban took the ‘Bama job.

The new candidate is none other than Mike Shula.

This is either one of the stupidest things ever written in a major newspaper’s sports section, or the writer has a remarkable gift for sarcasm:

… Reaching out to Shula might be a good move for the Dolphins as the franchise is seeking someone with head coaching experience but also someone who will invigorate the fan base after five seasons without a playoff appearance.

If “invigorating the fan base” is the equivalent of the peasants storming the castle in Frankenstein, then that sounds about right.

So THIS is what he gets paid the big bucks for.

Courtesy of SEC FanHouse blog, here’s a monumental story of one school’s effort to shake up the SEC record books.

A salute goes out to ” Senior Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations” Langston Rogers for his efforts. Mr. Rogers, who I suspect earns far less than his lengthy title might indicate, truly performed a selfless task for nothing more than the love of his school.

Why Coach O wasn’t available for comment on this?

Damning with faint praise, indeed

Over at the AOL Sports Georgia Fanhouse blog, Ted Kian asks the question “Is Willie Martinez the second best DC at Georgia since Erk?”

Once you see this list, that’s not too hard to answer:

Georgia has had eight defensive coordinators since Russell left after the 1980 season: Bill Lewis (1981-88), Richard Bell (1989-1993), Marion Campbell (1994), Joe Kines (1995-98), Kevin Ramsey (1999), Gary Gibbs (2000), Brian VanGorder (2001-04), Willie Martinez (2005-present).

The Goff and Donnan regimes were not exactly the glory years, were they… Marion Campbell? Kevin Ramsey (I’m still numb from the first half of that Auburn game)?

Mark Richt may not be perfect, but give him credit for realizing that the Georgia program could not consistently excel in the SEC without a high caliber defensive coach. The real question is whether Coach Martinez is that kind of coach. The 2006 season didn’t give a definitive answer one way or another as to that.

SEC vs. PAC-10 scheduling, redux

I’ve written about it. Twice.

KG at Orange and Blue Hue has chimed in.

Henry Mergz at Saurian Sagacity has had his own thoughts.

And in response to a post (or two, actually) on the subject at DawgSports, Tightwad Hill, who has a California Golden Bears blog, has contributed a lengthy analysis comparing the non-conference schedules for the SEC and PAC-10 in 2007. It’s a good read, although I question a couple of assertions in his piece.

I’ve never understood the travel criticism levelled at the SEC – as long as your schools are playing credible opponents, does it really matter where they’re located? (On the other hand, I’m still pissed that UCLA cancelled the road part of the home and home series with the Dawgs in the 80’s. I was looking forward to a trip to LA.)

And does it really matter why a school has a particular non-conference opponent on its schedule? If you’re going to discount “rivalry” games because a school has to play them, shouldn’t you also account for those games when a school gets screwed by a last minute cancellation (which is what UCF has done to Georgia and Florida in ’06 and ’07, respectively) and is forced to find any program with a pulse to fill in?

He does score a telling point when he writes

… our gimps are better than yours. If a Sagarin rating below 60 can be considered a guaranteed win for a pretty good team, then 21% of the Pac-10’s ’07 games are guaranteed wins. 54% – a clear majority – of the SEC’s ’07 OOC games are guaranteed wins.

Have I mentioned that Arkansas’ non-conference schedule for ’07 is a total embarrassment?