“… I had to go with what I know, and this is where I wanted to be.”

Three things that don’t change:  death, taxes and Nick Chubb.

Last Thursday Nick Chubb was wrapping up his second workout of the day. Typically he’d have a third, but with the NFL combine approaching, his prep training was winding down.

Nearly 30 minutes into the workout, he completed six sets of two 315-pound squats—with resistance bands tied to the bar—with ease. Then he cleaned 335 pounds eight times without a hint of sweat on his brow.

Chubb, the former Georgia running back considered by many to be a top-50 prospect in April’s NFL draft, took the 45-pound plates off the bar, ready to return them to their place in the weight room. But first he had to wait on 18 high schoolers to finish their high-stretches on the other side of the room.

Rather than training in South Florida or going to a glitzy performance facility such as EXOS or IMG, as has become the tradition among each class of draft prospects, Chubb opted for familiarity for his NFL combine prep, and that means working out in his town of fewer than 10,000 people at the Cedartown High School gym that he has to share with weight-lifting classes.

You gotta love it.

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PSA, for Dawg fans in Gator land

While the Florida Legislature apparently has put the kibosh on those awesome “UCF National Champions” license plates, it’s evidently going to allow the state to offer something of interest to us runner-up folks.

Under the measure (HB 1359) Florida would sell license plates that tout two out-of-state universities: Auburn and Georgia. Proceeds from the tags would provide scholarships to Florida residents who attend the two schools.

Wear it and be wonderful, peeps.

Georgia, still on his mind

Mark Richt’s reportedly made a hire to replace his defensive line coach who departed for greener pastures in Tuscaloosa.

InsideTheU has learned that Atlanta Falcons defensive assistant Jess Simpson is expected to be Miami’s next defensive line coach.

Simpson is billed as one of the most successful coaches in Georgia prep football history. He was the head coach at Buford High for 12 seasons and won seven state titles. The Auburn graduate spent the 2016 season as Georgia State’s defensive line/assistant head coach.

Interesting move, no?  I would assume that means Miami intends to recruit Richt’s old stomping grounds more heavily.

(h/t)

Embracing the fake juice

Please, Dan Mullen, please:  schedule a black out for the Cocktail Party.

Lotta ‘yoots in the secondary

Looking at Anthony Dasher’s preview of Georgia’s defensive backs, I count a mere four upperclassmen (juniors and seniors) out of a total of seventeen.  There are twice as many freshmen and redshirt freshmen.

It will be interesting to watch the composition of the two-deep as the season progresses, that’s for sure.

“a tougher call than you think”

Unleash the G-Day QBR hounds!

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UPDATE:  More Greene vs. Shockley here, including this great quote:

“You know how it is,” he says with a chuckle. “Whatever the shiny new toy is in town, everybody’s excited about it.”

No shit.

“It was an angsty time…”

Groo’s post is a perfect summation of why I don’t waste my time writing about the inner workings of the minds of seventeen-year old high school football players during recruiting season.

Remember, it’s all about getting these fine young men an education.

Tim Brewster’s got a mighty subtle sales pitch for recruits looking at Texas A&M now.

🔥🔥DB Alert🔥🔥 Nothing but real #Facts‼️ComeGetSomeTruth!! pic.twitter.com/adGrZRkLjI

— Tim Brewster (@TimBrewster) February 27, 2018

(Jalen Ramsey strenuously objects, but I digress.)

It’s a job.  When the coaches care as little about the educational side of college football as the five-star kids chasing their NFL dreams, it’s a job.  Sorry, romantics.

Are we in the golden age of negative recruiting?

Dennis Dodd’s just sayin’, y’all.

College football seems to be one wiretap away from the obvious becoming public: The nation’s No. 1 college sport is as crooked, scandalous and cheat-ridden as its basketball counterpart.

That has sort of been forgotten as college hoops’ culture continues to be flayed in public.

We’ve known for decades basketball had a seedy under-the-table aspect to it. The recent revelations from the FBI and media reports of its investigation have filled in the details.

But to think college football is immune to such corruption would be foolish. The sport continues to be the No. 1 economic driver for college athletics. It’s just that we’ve been distracted lately.

Hey, you don’t want to be thought a fool, do you?  After all, think about it.

The temptation to cheat is certainly there as the structure of football and basketball have become more similar. Salaries, pressure and revenue have never been higher. At certain levels of college football, you even hear of a “going rate” paid for talented recruits. In other words, the amount of cash it would take to the get in the running for a five-star recruit.

With the influence of spread offenses, it’s possible — like basketball — to change the fortunes of a team with one or two players.

Consider where Clemson would be without Deshaun Watson or Oklahoma without Baker Mayfield. Take the deep threat away from Alabama during its current dynasty run. Would it have won titles without Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley?

Whoa… Watson, Mayfield, Jones, Cooper and Ridley had “going rates”?  Tell us more, Dennis.

Editor’s note: To be clear, these are just examples of recent impact players on major college football teams. No violations are being alleged.

Oh… wait, I get it!  No specific violations are being alleged, right?  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, and all.  If I’m a superstar negative recruiter, I can work with that.  In the current climate, it’s not exactly hard to throw something out there and have it resonate.  And if you’re the subject of such a whisper campaign, how do you disprove a negative like that without making yourself look weak in the process?  Just ask Lyndon Johnson…

Booch and the glide path to rehabilitation

Really, this is almost perfect.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has been in contact with former Tennessee coach Butch Jones regarding an offensive analyst position, sources told AL.com. Jones has visited Tuscaloosa and met with Saban in person, per sources.

One can only imagine how that interview went.  I don’t suppose Saban’s got time for that Champions of Life/five-star hearts shit, but what do I know?