Three games already locked in: Alabama at Florida on 9/18, the Cocktail Party on 10/30 and Missouri at Arkansas on 11/26.
Daily Archives: May 26, 2021
The lessons from Greg
Seth Emerson writes a very fair column today ($$) about the tough spot Josh Brooks finds himself in with regard to Kyprianou’s pending departure. Here are the money grafs — literally.
As for Brooks, the situation with Kyprianou symbolizes the quandary he’s in as a new athletic director. He won’t get the benefit of the doubt from many people because he’s an internal hire — he knows the teams and shouldn’t need any time to evaluate — but he also wasn’t the one responsible for many of the decisions that led to the current state of things.
The lack of a master facilities plan is the chief issue. That lays at the feet of the former AD and others in Georgia’s administration who didn’t agree that one was needed. The result is a football program that is doing great — but so many others lagging behind, when a binary, football-or-bust choice never needed to be made.
That’s the problem when there’s little accountability for the AD. McGarity ignored strategic planning, was a weak defender of the program when it came to dealing with the SEC and NCAA and his hiring/firing record was undistinguished, to put it charitably. Yet I have no doubt that if it were up to Jere Morehead, McGarity would still be in Athens running the athletic department. That’s because he turned up aces on the two things that do matter in Butts-Mehre: money and football, in that order. (Luckily, the two are joined at the hip.)
Which leads me to rain a wee bit on Seth’s parade. Brooks, as he notes, is an insider. If you’ve been on the inside at B-M for the better part of McGarity’s stint, you’ve probably internalized the secret to Greg’s success. If you want to be there for the long haul, why would you deliberately take steps that might risk your future? The people responsible for stroking Brooks’ paychecks aren’t looking for cutting edge management. It’s simply not the Georgia Way.
Filed under Georgia Football
Their way or the highway
Riffing off that last post, here’s a thought for today:
There are coaches who are going to figure out how to maneuver in the new era of increased player autonomy more quickly than others and they’ll succeed. There will also be coaches who will never adapt; they’ll be the ones who will insist that the rules need to be fixed to enable their inflexibility. Eventually, that’s why they won’t be getting paid the big bucks.
Adapt or die. It’s not what a control freak wants to hear.
Filed under College Football
“Everybody is basically just suggesting, ‘I’m not going to recruit high school players anymore…'”
When I see another piece putting forth the proposition that college football coaches are facing a perfect storm when it comes to roster management, why does an image of Nick Saban doing his best Jack Nicholson impression immediately come to mind?
If the day ever comes when Saban retires from coaching, were I an AD, I’d make a call to find out if he’d be interested in doing some consulting work for my football program. Perfect storm, my ass.
Filed under Nick Saban Rules, Recruiting, Transfers Are For Coaches.
Welcome to Second Chance U.
Mike Griffith confirms a rumor I’ve heard whispered for weeks now.
The Georgia football secondary might soon be adding another body in the form of former Clemson cornerback Derion Kendrick.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Kendrick is expected to choose the Bulldogs coming out of the NCAA transfer portal on the heels of a first-team All-ACC season in 2020.
… Kendrick, originally from Rock Hill, S.C., was dismissed from the Tigers’ program by Dabo Swinney at the end of February before spring drills.
Kendrick, per the Rock Hill Herald, was charged with “unlawful carrying of a handgun” on March 12 after officers found him asleep in a vehicle with a gun in his lap. The weapon charge is a misdemeanor. He was also issued a citation after a small amount of marijuana was found in his possession.
There has been growing optimism the charges against Kendrick could be dropped, per sources familiar with the situation. That would clear the way for Kendrick to get a second chance at football while continuing his academic career.
If what I heard was true, had it not been for the arrest, Kendrick would be a Dawg already. In any event, as the first-team All-ACC designation indicates, he’s talented enough to compete for a starting job in the secondary as soon as he steps on campus.
So, he’s talented and there’s a need. On the other side, he was a discipline problem for Dabo and he did have a run in with the law. Does that make him too big a risk? I’d argue that he’s essentially in a contract year to show up big for the NFL draft and I would think Smart can use that to motivate Kendrick to excel. But I’m sure that won’t stop fans of other schools from giving Smart crap about it. I also figure some portion of our fan base won’t be thrilled. (Not that Kirby cares about either, to be honest.)
The one thing we won’t have to consider is what Greg McGarity would say about it.
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UPDATE: Since I’m rumor-mongering today, here are a couple of tidbits from Mike Farrell for you to take or leave as you see fit.
Word is that Kendrick could have a new home as early as next week. The former five-star recruit and Clemson standout has been quiet since his arrest a March 12 on gun and drug charges. Rumor has it the charges are likely to be dropped and Kendrick has been focused on finishing his classes at Clemson and looking for his future home. Georgia has been mentioned by some sources and denied by others.
It’s anyone’s guess where he will land, but he should be back in the news next week.
…The LSU tight end is back in the Rumor Mill. Some expected him to be back at LSU this week as players arrived for summer workouts, but apparently he is not. Now I hear Georgia and Tennessee rumors again and don’t know what to think. Word is some in his family are OK with him back at LSU and some aren’t, but let’s be clear — this is a college decision and not his.
Who will take a chance on him without grades and with other off-field issues rumored? Georgia is home. The Vols have Harrison Bailey. LSU is where he has ex-teammate BJ Ojulari and comfort, but this is still up in the air. And no, Gators fans, your team isn’t in this anymore.
It’s May, folks. What do you expect?
Filed under Georgia Football, Transfers Are For Coaches.
Get The Picture 