Ain’t this a punch in the nuts.
So much for the Quarterback Whisperer.
Daily Archives: April 20, 2022
The state of Gator recruiting
This, about Florida scheduling its spring game for a Thursday night, strikes me as both practical and sub-optimal: “The Gators moved the game from Saturday to Thursday in part so they would not have to compete for recruiting visits against exhibitions at Georgia, Alabama, Miami and elsewhere.”
Tell us you’re not ready to compete with the big boys without saying you’re not ready to compete with the big boys.
The sad thing is, the general perception is that recruiting is on the upswing in Gainesville.
It’s clear that Napier emphasizes recruiting in a way his predecessor, Dan Mullen, did not. We’ll see if the results follow.
Talk about your low bar.
Uh, while we’re on the subject, does this count as emphasis?
Get in on the ground floor while you can, kids. Florida football is going places.
Filed under Gators, Gators..., Recruiting, Stylin'
There’s NIL and then there’s NIL.
David Hale had a thoughtful Twitter thread yesterday about NIL compensation. Matt Brown neatly summarized it this way:
That is so true. And it leads to a few thoughts of my own:
- Actual marketability is more sustainable than recruiting inducements. It may take a while to sort out (and I don’t discount the insanity of some boosters), but at some point in time, it will dawn on more and more folks that handing out six and seven-figure deals to recruits who have a significant fall out rate is not the highest and best use of their money.
- That being said, it’s the real market for some players that enables the space for recruiting inducements. Shut down NIL compensation entirely and you’re screwing over college athletes in non-revenue producing programs who have managed to make something real from their brand. Bitch about out of control boosters all you like, but that ain’t right.
- Of course the real bottom line problem is the gutlessness of the NCAA/schools. There’s plenty of complaining about recruiting inducements, but nobody has the stomach to do anything about it, other than hope for Congress to step in. The only real world option I can see that would have some actual effect would be to create some sort of collective bargaining framework to bring some measure of control to this, but for most I suspect that’s a bigger anathema than what boosters and collectives are being allowed to do. What a mess.
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UPDATE:
Filed under It's Just Bidness
Is Sam Pittman college football’s biggest masochist?
Jeez, have you looked at Arkansas’ schedule this year?
While Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had a hell of a 2021, he’ll need to eat his Wheaties to have major success in 2022. Looking at the Razorbacks’ schedule, they could easily face seven ranked opponents. Like Mississippi State, Arkansas will face half of the 2021 College Football Playoff field. The season starts with one those foes in Cincinnati. With contests against South Carolina, Texas A&M and Alabama by Oct. 1, the Razorbacks won’t be able to ease into their schedule. The non-conference slate not only includes a participant in last season’s playoff in Cincinnati, but contests at BYU and against a good Liberty program.
- Sept. 3 vs. Cincinnati
- Sept. 10 vs. South Carolina
- Sept. 17 vs. Missouri State
- Sept. 24 vs. Texas A&M (Arlington)
- Oct. 1 vs. Alabama
- Oct. 8 at Mississippi State
- Oct. 15 at BYU
- Oct. 29 at Auburn
- Nov. 5 vs. Liberty
- Nov. 12 vs. LSU
- Nov. 19 vs. Ole Miss
- Nov. 25 at Missouri
Woo, boy. Good luck with that, Coach.
Arky won nine games last year, against one of college football’s tougher schedules. If the Hogs manage that again, it’s time to give the man some serious head coach of the year consideration.
Filed under Arkansas Is Kind Of A Big Deal
PAWWWLLL!!! has some advice for Kirby Smart.
Georgia football aims to defend its national championship by running things back with Stetson Bennett at the quarterback position. The Bulldogs will likely have to get by Alabama once or twice to win another national title, and Bennett would have to play a big role in that. Kirby Smart’s quarterback still has some skeptics, including Paul Finebaum.
“They are not my favorite — Alabama is,” Finebaum said Monday of the College Football Playoff, when asked about Georgia’s spring game this past Saturday, on WJOX-FM’s Cubelic and McElroy. “And I think they are clearly the (SEC East) favorite to get to Atlanta, but again, I’m basing a lot on Saturday — which I try never to do. But I think they’re a legitimate top-four team, maybe top-five. But do they have the weapons? And you laid out a really good case — I think, offensively, they do. Defensively is another question.
“And I think the Bennett conversation is going to go on and on and on. And I know, Greg, you got a much better insight than I did, having been there. But regardless of what Kirby Smart says, I think there is still going to be the chatter — it may not be legitimate chatter, but it is still chatter. And I would advise Kirby Smart to quit trying to defend Stetson Bennett.”
You’ve got to love the whole “I’m basing a lot on Saturday — which I try never to do” vibe there. Who knew Finebaum was into G-Day QBR?
I’m sure Kirbs will take all that deeply to heart.
Filed under Georgia Football, PAWWWLLL!!!
The gap, she is still wide.
At Georgia, they’re talking about what might be the greatest tight end room in college football history, while at Florida… the big news from the spring is that a converted defensive lineman is currently the Gators’ number one at tight end.
Filed under Gators, Gators..., Georgia Football
Embracing the suck
This is one helluva flex, SMU.
I never thought I’d see the day when Eric Dickerson’s TransAm would become an honored part of SMU’s history. Major baller there.
Filed under Stylin'
Blinged
You know, it’s Central Florida honoring a Gasparilla Bowl win with a ring, so that’s two strikes against it…
… and, yet, somehow it still works. Go figure.
Filed under Gators, Gators..., It's Not Easy Being A Mid-Major, Stylin'
Get The Picture 