Kirby Smart 1, Pooling Arrangement 0

This is worthy of a separate post on HB 617.  Seth Emerson asked the question I hoped someone in the media would, and got the answer I wanted to see.

Drew is right: In fact, Georgia compliance tells me that beginning July 1 its athletes may earn compensation off their name, image or likeness, and UGA has no plans to make them wait. It will be immediate.

More coming in a story. https://t.co/lF56zW6LeX

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) May 6, 2021

It’s Branding Time in Athens!

***********************************************************************

UPDATE:  Two quotes from Seth ($$)…

… Morehead essentially confirmed that the NCAA has cried “uncle” on making its own rule on the issue: It’s up to Congress now, less than three months from when these state laws start going into effect.

The NCAA has “sunset” its own committee that was formulating a plan for NIL, revealed Morehead, who was on that committee. He’s also on the NCAA Board of Governors, which still discusses the issue regularly, but they all realize now the issue is out of their hands.

“A number of states are passing laws like this one,” Morehead said of Georgia’s law, which goes into effect July 1. “But I think long term our hope is there will be a federal solution down the road. Perhaps by July 1. It may come later. It may never come, we can’t predict what Congress will do. But I think the goal will be to see uniformity around the country.”

…

“Student-athletes may earn compensation based on their name, image or likeness, beginning July 1. We have no plans to provide for a pooling arrangement,” UGA compliance director Will Lawler told The Athletic. “In short, UGA student-athletes would not have to wait a year after they leave school to receive NIL compensation.”

The towel, she has been thrown in.  Barring something wild from the Supreme Court or Congress granting the NCAA an antitrust exemption, NIL, in one form or fashion, is here to stay.  Amateurism, redefined!

Advertisement

Quick! To the bulletin board, lads!

So, Jimbo Fisher tells fans TAMU’s gonna beat Saban’s ass.

1955 audio from Jimbo Fisher speech to Houston TD Club: https://t.co/GDCYvUwA01 pic.twitter.com/sCgG3RX7WJ

— Brent Zwerneman (@BrentZwerneman) May 5, 2021

It’s obvious from the lighthearted tone there, and Jimbo’s relationship with Saban that he’s having a little fun.  But that doesn’t stop the knicker-wadding in certain quarters from happening.

At least there’s some emotion going on there.  Contrast that with how a robot takes a shot.

"To hell with Georgia, right?"

Watch @CoachUrbanMeyer's call with WR @JalenCamp__. 📱@BOSE | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/5skOO5h5I4

— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) May 1, 2021

Yeesh.

I guarantee you after the excitement wears off, Jalen Camp is gonna be wondering what he’s getting into with Corch.

Doing something right

Call it recruiting, call it player development, whatever.

What I call this is enviable depth ($$).

4. DE Jermaine Johnson, Georgia → Florida State

Johnson quickly emerged as the Seminoles’ best player on defense this spring.

That’s right, a good Georgia player in a three-man rotation at his position moves on to an ACC school and after a month of practice, becomes the best defensive player on the roster.  Do we really care why?  I know I don’t as long as Georgia keeps doing it.

“… after Tennessee seemed to have recruiting momentum a year ago.”

Ooof, what a mess you are, Tennessee recruiting ($$).

On top of that, the numbers (No. 13 class in 2019 and No. 10 in 2020) lie here, considering the attrition through the transfer portal. Three of the Vols’ top four signees in 2019 are gone, and that doesn’t include Gray, who led the Vols in rushing and was second in receptions. The Vols’ top signee in the 2020 class, defensive back Key Lawrence, is with Morris at Oklahoma, too.

Last spring, amid the recruiting shutdown, Tennessee had the nation’s No. 2 class for 2021 and was aiming to finish in or near the top five. Then the losing started. That, combined with the coaching change, contributed to the Vols losing seven once-committed four- or five-star players from the class. Then the top two signees who enrolled early (Willis and Salter) were suspended for all of spring practice for an off-field incident. Four players who signed with the Vols during the early signing period were released from their letter of intent, including four-stars Dylan Brooks, KaTron Evans and Cody Brown. The Vols ultimately tumbled to No. 22 in the 247Sports Composite, which places the 2021 class eighth in the SEC.

That Phil Fulmer sure could pick ’em.

The best thing the Vols have going for them is the schedule.  This year’s non-conference slate is led by a home game against Pitt and goes downhill from there.  Outside of Florida and Georgia, the East isn’t overwhelming.  You could almost see a bowl game in UT’s immediate future, but you’re not the NCAA.

Gators’ gaping gaps?

The folks at Athlon get together to discuss the outcome of the Cocktail Party and the conclusion, based on stats like these…

… The Dawgs ranked in the top 40 in FBS last season in each of the five defensive metrics I look at closest: yards per play (10th), points per drive (26th), success rate (33rd), expected points added per play (34th), and yards per pass attempt (39th). The Gators ranked no better than 62nd (points per drive), and as low as No. 102 (EPA/play). Georgia also ranks No. 2 nationally in average 247Sports rating on its current roster (.9355, including transfers and other departures), and ranks in the top six nationally in every position group, including No. 1 at running back (.9548) and linebacker (.9645). In CFB Winning Edge Roster Strength, which adjusts 247Sports’ raw talent projections for experience and career production, Georgia has the No. 1 offense, No. 2 defense and No. 1 overall roster. Florida is very talented as well, but the Gators rank No. 8 in average 247Sports rating (.9120), and the gap between Florida and the Bulldogs is larger than the distance between the Gators and No. 19 North Carolina (.8921). Florida ranks 15th at quarterback (.9384) and offensive line (.8872), and 16th among defensive back units (.8937). Weighted for experience and production, Florida ranks No. 12 in Roster Strength with the No. 15 offense and No. 6 defense – very good, but not elite.

… is that Georgia is a unanimous choice to prevail.

Of course, they didn’t take into account Dan Mullen’s assurance that Todd Grantham’s fixed the Gators’ defense, so maybe we should take those stats with a grain of salt.  Or not.

Pins and needles: Kirby Smart and HB 617

With Gov. Kemp scheduled to sign Georgia’s NIL legislation today, it’s worth noting that Smart was on Finebaum and had this to say about the pending law:

“You start with education,” Smart said. “You want everybody to understand as much as we can. We don’t know the rules we’re gonna play by, so it’s like playing a game that you don’t know the rules to. So everybody’s kind of on pins and needles. It’s an education process. It’s a great opportunity for student-athletes. Where it goes, I’ll be very interested to see. Because I’m a little bit more like Charles Barkley where I don’t think everybody is gonna be as marketable as some guys. When it’s not equitable, sometimes it’s tough.”

“It’s a little like COVID. The guy that manages that best, manages the egos and the problems or benefits that may come with it is probably gonna be a little bit ahead of the opponent. We’re all trying to manage it as best we can, but right now we don’t know. We don’t know enough about how it’s gonna be enforced, how it’s gonna be enacted at the state level, the federal level. We’re gonna find out in the next couple of weeks a lot about the future.”

First off, I think Smart is being a little disingenuous with his “who knows” shtick there.  Sure, you never know what politicians, especially on the federal level, will wind up doing, but it’s hard to see how anyone will be able to stick the NIL genie back in the bottle once July 1st hits and the first wave of state laws becomes effective.  Kirby, like a lot of sharp coaches, is going to be in the bunch that hopes to manage best.  I expect to hear a lot of brand helping comments from recruits visiting Athens next month, for example.  I also believe he knows exactly what’s in the new law Kemp will sign today.

That being said, I’d be lying if I claimed I’m not concerned about his “We’re gonna find out in the next couple of weeks a lot about the future” observation.  Does that reference the pooling arrangement permitted in HB 617?  Is he telegraphing worry that Morehead intends to embrace that?  I don’t know, but I hope somebody in the media asks the same kind of questions.  Maybe today would be a good time to start, if there’s a presser at today’s signing.

************************************************************************

UPDATE:  Subtle.

Georgia gov. Brian Kemp is set that sign the state’s name-image-likeness bill here at the University of Georgia’s recruiting lounge, with a picture of Sanford Stadium as the backdrop, in case anyone misses the point he’s trying to score. pic.twitter.com/hu0LM22H4q

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) May 6, 2021

************************************************************************

UPDATE #2:  Take this for what it’s worth.

Georgia administrators, including president Jere Morehead and athletic director Josh Brooks, attended the bill signing but stood to the side of the room.

No Georgia coaches or athletes were in attendance that I could see.

— Seth Emerson (@SethWEmerson) May 6, 2021

TFW defense isn’t an afterthought

ESPN’s future power rankings return with a look at the 25 best defenses over the next three seasons: 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Last year’s rankings had Georgia first and Clemson second.  This year, that order is reversed.  Both teams look similarly built on that side of the ball:  loaded and deep front seven, with some questions in the secondary.  (Of course, that’s somewhat relative, as both programs have recruited well.)  With regard to the latter, will the transfer portal have an impact for either before August?

For all the talk about quarterbacks and offense taking over the sport, are we giving the prospect of two very good defenses facing off in the season opener enough weight?  Is it realistic to think that the first team to thirty wins?

“But, as the old adage goes, safety first.”

I’ve mentioned this before, but change is coming to fall camp.

In the last five years alone, college sports has stripped the teeth from fall camp in the name of safety, softening one of the more grueling, traditional rights of passage for NCAA football players. Officials have eliminated two-a-days, slashed practice days, added mandatory off days and reduced camp rosters.

The fifth change to fall camp in six years is expected to happen this month, as Sports Illustrated reported two weeks ago. Officials are poised to abolish long-standing collision drills, such as the Oklahoma Drill, and reduce the number of full-padded, contact practices and scrimmages that coaches can conduct in camp.

On Thursday, a subgroup of the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee is expected to recommend the changes to the Division I Council, which must okay the new rules at its May 19 meeting. Over the last two weeks, committee members have socialized the camp modifications across FBS and FCS conferences for feedback from hundreds of coaches.

As you can probably guess, coaches aren’t particularly thrilled by this.  (Then again, they’re not the ones hiring the lawyers to defend the suits arising out of head injuries.  But, I digress.)

Even former coaches aren’t particularly thrilled by this.  Welcome back a familiar, warm and cuddly face to the blog.

Enforcing these new rules could be a difficult endeavor, says Paul Johnson, the former Georgia Tech coach whose teams excelled at the triple option for decades. He calls the new rules “ridiculous” and believes that diminishing full-padded practices will not reduce contact as much as officials hope.

“If you ever go to practice, they scrimmage in shells and they play full speed in shells,” he says. “Some people are going to go by the rules and some won’t. Who’s going to stand out there and tell Nick Saban you’re over the time limit? The Alabama compliance person? They wouldn’t be there long.”

Grumble, grumble, cut blocking… something, something.  Wait, did the genius just call Nick Saban a cheater?  I’m sure Nick’s gonna lose a lot of sleep over that.

Clemson gets one back.

Just thought you’d like to know:

Clemson defensive end Justin Foster will return to the Tigers for the 2021 season, the school announced Wednesday. Foster stepped away from the team in February due to complications related to asthma and COVID-19.

The dude was a productive player, to say the least, with 66 career tackles (17.5 for loss), seven sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 756 snaps over 39 career games with 13 starts from 2017-19.

Sure, it’s a long way back to being game ready, but if he makes it, that defensive front gets a little more formidable for Georgia’s opener.