Moar COVID news

First,

Nick Saban said Alabama OC Bill O’Brien & OL coach Doug Marrone tested positive for COVID-19. “They have very mild symptoms & are home isolating while following all appropriate guidelines. We anticipate both being able to coach in the College Football Playoff Semifinal”

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 22, 2021

Shit, COVID is undefeated, even against the GOAT.  Seriously, if the program you’d have to think has taken the most serious approach to protocols can’t stop the spread, you’ve got to start worrying about the possibility that the CFP field as a whole is going to be impacted.  Hope that’s not the case, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

This ain’t the CFP, but still, it ain’t good, either.

Because of a COVID outbreak, Texas A&M is unable to play in the Gator Bowl, sources tell @SINow. Aggies don’t have enough available players.

Gator is searching for a replacement bowl team, sources say, but the only way that's possible is if another bowl is impacted.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 22, 2021

Next, Graham shares some good news.

BREAKING: George Pickens tested NEGATIVE for Covid-19 today after receiving a positive test yesterday. The initial test was triggered by close contact protocols after JT Daniels tested positive. Pickens has no symptoms at this time and will continue being tested. More to come… https://t.co/GjhNYUOsZq

— Graham Coffey (@DawgOutWest) December 22, 2021

As good as that is for Pickens, I hope it’s even better news with regard to team spread.  All we can do is wait and see.

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UPDATE:  Yikes.

Per Aggie AD Ross Bjork:
A&M is currently down to just 38 scholarship position players and the Ags have just 13 available scholarship players available on defense. That includes Covid, opts outs, transfers and season-ending injuries.

— Billy Liucci (@billyliucci) December 22, 2021

I wonder what that does to Jimbo’s bowl game bonus.

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UPDATE #2:  In case you were wondering…

.⁦@CFBPlayoff⁩ announces if team not available for playoff, team will forfeit & opponent advances to title game. If both can’t play, other semifinal would be for national title pic.twitter.com/10sUjdYiqy

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 22, 2021

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Has Kirby called Mel?

I mean, given that Michigan State is the only team to pin a loss on Michigan, you’d think Smart would want to cover all bases, especially since MSU did a good job handling one of the Wolverines’ strong suits this season.

Michigan State defeated the Wolverines 37-33 back on Oct. 30.

In that game, the Spartans did a good job against the Wolverines’ talented running game, limiting leading rusher Hassan Haskins to 59 yards on 14 carries and held Michigan without a rushing touchdown.

Bulldog defenders definitely took notice.

“I have watched some film from that game where they beat Michigan,” defensive end Travon Walker said. “I’m not sure how much the coaches have talked to Coach Tucker, but I have watched that game.”

Just wonderin’.

A look from the other side

This Georgia analysis ($$) from The Athletic’s Michigan beat writer is very complimentary about the Dawgs… well, except for one thing.

You see all this talent and ask yourself: Shouldn’t Georgia have one of the best pass offenses in the country and not the sixth-most productive unit in the SEC? Well … maybe. It doesn’t, though, and the quarterback situation is one reason why.

Saban showed the way, as is usually the case.

Michigan’s best path defensively is to borrow Alabama’s: Find ways to cloud the picture for the quarterback through coverage and blitz disguise/variance.

… This, for Michigan, has to be the blueprint. Win situations. Find ways to clog windows in obvious throwing downs, especially in the red zone, and make whichever quarterback Georgia starts have to think about a lot more than he wants to. And when either Bennett or JT Daniels (both do this) offer up opportunities, Michigan has to pounce.

He seems to think that Daniels is slower making his post-snap reads than is Bennett, a take I find puzzling, to say the least.

In any event, he seems to believe that’s where the game will be decided.

The only unsettled spot on the field for Kirby Smart and Georgia is at quarterback. That’s a problem.

The formula to stump Georgia offensively has been clear since the opener:  play soft coverage so that Monken can’t call anything to beat you over the top and hope your defensive line is sturdy enough to limit Georgia’s running game without needing to bring extra numbers on a regular basis.  Does Michigan have enough game to do just that?

Feelin’ it… or nah?

Thought it might be a good time for a blog poll to gauge your collective temperature.

Feel free to elaborate in the comments.

“The game has changed all over the field except in the box.”

Meet the guy whom Nick Saban calls in when he needs a fix for his defensive line.

During these trips, Jenkins doesn’t work with players. That’d be an NCAA violation. Instead, he coaches the coaches. He identifies technical weaknesses from watching hours of Alabama practice and game footage of its defensive line before making suggestions using his own teaching methods and videos. Those who have been around Jenkins call him the best teacher they have ever seen, a master of detail on the most granular level, right down to the positioning of a defensive line coach during a drill.

“He has to stand here,” Jenkins says, “so he can have the best angle to evaluate his players’ techniques!”

“He’s had average college players and made them great college players,” says Terry Bowden, who hired Jenkins at Auburn in the 1990s. “Nick appreciates teachers of the game and people that have the knowledge and authority. He teaches kids to be fundamentally sound.”

Saban’s not the only coach who consults with Jenkins when the need arises.

Jenkins really began his college consulting service after his three-year stint with the Eagles ended in 2009. In all, he’s been hired by 41 college programs. He’s visited eight programs in the past year and three of them are in the Playoff: Alabama (three visits), Georgia and Michigan.

I’d love to hear what Kirby thought needed touching up.

TFW you can’t cash in on NIL

An enterprising youngster…

Jackson State football player Abdul-Malik McClain was arrested in Los Angeles on Monday after being indicted on charges of fraud relating to COVID-19 unemployment money.

McClain, 22, surrendered to federal law enforcement and was arraigned in U.S. District Court, where he pled not guilty to being the ringleader of an alleged scheme that raked in at least $227,736 in unemployment payments…

McClain, who transferred to Jackson State last December, is charged with 10 counts of mail fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft that occurred while he was a member of the Southern Cal football team.

Needless to say, they’ve no longer heard of him at Jackson State.

McClain is accused of causing “at least three dozen” fraudulent applications to be filed with the California Employment Development Department during the summer of 2020. The fraudulent applications sought at least $903,688 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, according to the news release. The payout was at least $227,736.

“While a member of his university’s football team, McClain organized and assisted a group of other football players in filing fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits, including under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program established by Congress in response to the pandemic’s economic fallout,” the release states. “The indictment alleges that the claims … contained false information about the football players’ supposed prior employment, pandemic-related job loss, and job-seeking efforts in California.”

Sounds like Lincoln Riley may have a small problem on his hands.

Hello, COVID.

While I was out and about last night, Graham dropped this little bomb on us.

BREAKING: Multiple sources have confirmed that JT Daniels has tested positive for Covid-19 and entered quarantine ahead of UGA’s CFP semifinal with Michigan… Other members of UGA’s QB room are in close contact protocol but have tested negative so far. Daily testing will ensue

— Graham Coffey (@DawgOutWest) December 21, 2021

My first thought upon seeing that was to hope that if JT has any symptoms, they’re mild at worst.

My second thought?  Welp, that was answered pretty quickly.

Jake Rowe:

Mike Griffith:

Georgia quarterback JT Daniels and receiver George Pickens are among UGA players who have been placed in COVID protocol, per sources. Daniels is vaccinated but Pickens’ vaccination status is unknown.

The Georgia football medical staff will be offering its players booster shots on Wednesday amid the recent surge in COVID-related cases across the sports landscape. Coach Kirby Smart is not expected to be made available to the media to update player statuses until the team arrives in South Florida on Sunday.

So, it’s spread among the team and staff and we won’t get any definitive answers on the health front until next week.  Oh, and everyone gets to go home for a couple of days for the Christmas holiday before heading down to Florida.  Needless to say, the timing on how long players who test positive have to sit before being allowed to hit the field gets pretty tricky from here.

At least that will take our minds off fretting about whether JT or Stetson should start at quarterback against Michigan, right?

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UPDATE:  One side note from Anthony Dasher…

Georgia only tests athletes if they are symptomatic or unvaccinated.