Got some talent rankings for you

As you look at the top of the 2022 247 Sports Team Talent Composite, keep in mind something.

The Most Talented Alabama Team in History

Last year, Georgia and Alabama were the first teams in Team Talent Composite history to eclipse 1,000 total points in the rankings. Alabama did it again this year, setting a record with 1,016. The Crimson Tide have also smashed a record with their average prospect ranking being 94.7, up from 94.3 a year ago.

Alabama’s recruiting success and roster building prowess can have a numbing effect. Just don’t lose sight of how loaded this roster is in comparison to previous years. For example, the Tide’s 2015 national title team had an average prospect ranking of 93.1. It was 93.3 for Alabama’s 2017 title and 93.5 for the 2020 national championship.

This Crimson Tide roster is LOADED.

Georgia’s Still Stacked

The Bulldogs might not be historically talented like they were a year ago, but they’re close. Georgia’s average prospect ranking of 93.4 is the fourth highest in history and is higher than every No. 1 team in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite prior to the 2021 campaign. So, while Georgia lost a ton of production off its national title-winning team, the 2022 version of the Bulldogs is no less talented. Georgia should be right back in the mix for a national championship.

Nick Saban had to dip pretty significantly into the transfer portal pool to maintain that position, while Kirby Smart stood pat.  Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that and the result is that Saban’s roster is, indeed, loaded, but it is an indication of which coach had more confidence in his recruiting.

As a side note…

… purely from a talent aspect, it sure looks like one can make an argument that the top of the SEC East has caught the top of the SEC West.

You have your freedom, but you don’t have much time.

You know when you’ve got Jere Morehead making expansive declarations like “The decision to adopt the transfer proposal today reflects the Board’s commitment to enacting transformational changes in college sports,” it’s big, baby.

Transfer windows are coming to college sports.

The Division I Board of Directors officially voted to approve three notification-of-transfer windows, one each for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports.

For college football players specifically, there will be a 45-day window beginning the day after the College Football Playoff field is announced as well as a window from May 1 to May 15. The Board also said there would be “reasonable accommodations made for participants” in the CFP and FCS championship games. They will need to notify their schools in writing during the window.

Although at least I give him credit for not claiming to be doing it for the kids.  I just wonder how long it’ll take for coaches to come back bitching about the new rules.  Because, coaches.

The Dawg that didn’t bark

Something unusual about Georgia’s offseason, you say?  What might that be ($$)?

Georgia: Before you start yelling, see my upset prediction below. It’s not an accident that Georgia didn’t take any transfers this offseason. Despite losing 15 players to the draft, Kirby Smart looked at his roster, looked at what was available and said, “I think the players I have are all better.” That should scare the hell out of the rest of the SEC.

Georgia: Kirby Smart did something this offseason that I don’t think many people noticed. Georgia did not sign any players out of the transfer portal. Not one. Coming off their national title, I’m sure they could’ve brought in almost anyone they wanted. Didn’t need ‘em. What does that tell you? It tells me Smart really likes his roster and doesn’t see big deficiencies that can’t be solved by the Bulldogs’ young blue-chip talent. I’m not too worried about whether they’ll be able to reload and find some new stars on both sides of the ball.

That makes two… er, three of us.

Burned that sucker to the ground

The last time Vanderbilt scored 63 or more points was November 22, 1969 against Davidson.

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) August 28, 2022

Whoa.  Who could’a seen that coming?  Well, now that you mention it…

That seems… unfortunate.  How did that happen?

Since November, Hawaii has seen 12 players, including a half-dozen starters and two out of three captains, jump into the transfer portal.

You might think that was driven by players thinking head coach Todd Graham is a dick (to be fair, they’re not the first bunch to feel that way about Graham).

Multiple current and former Hawaii players are speaking out and alleging mistreatment and abuse at the hands of head coach Todd Graham, according to a report from SFGate.com’s Marc Delucchi.

Hawaii players who played under Graham alleged Monday that he is running a toxic program in which he demeans and verbally abuses players and coaches and ignores them completely.

Last week, leading rusher Dae Dae Hunter announced he was transferring, as he felt it was “best for my future and my mental health.” Starting quarterback Chevan Cordeiro followed suit.

“Me and a lot of others can truthfully say Graham has killed our love and passion for football,” one player told SFGate on the condition of anonymity.

Things were so bad, they actually had legislative hearings about it.

We make jokes about Agent Muschamp, but it takes real coaching talent to eviscerate a program to the point where it loses to Vanderbilt by 53 freaking points.  At home.  Todd Graham, I salute you.

Fun times coming

Holy “I didn’t see that coming”, Batman.

The Division I Council is recommending that the NCAA get rid of the “one-time” part of its transfer rule.

Anyone would be able to transfer and have immediate eligibility, if they meet academic standards. Athletes could transfer multiple times and play right away.

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 21, 2022

“Okay, coaches, we’ll give you those limited transfer windows you’ve been jonesing for, and how about this to boot?”  I never thought the NCAA had a sense of humor until now.

Seriously, talk about your unforeseen consequences…

The new, improved transfer windows

Here we go.

Division I college football players would have two periods of time — one in the winter and one in the spring — to enter the transfer portal and be immediately eligible to play if a proposed rule change gets final approval.

The Division I Council endorsed on Tuesday several of the Transformation Committee’s initial proposals and passed them on to the D-I Board for approval.

… Athletes in winter and spring sports would be required to provide written notification of transfer for 60 days following the NCAA championship selections in their sport.

In fall sports, including football, there will be two entry windows.

The first would begin the day following championship selection and last 45 days. The second would be from May 1-15.

What are the odds that, a season or two after these are implemented, the coaches are back whining about a new set of unforeseen consequences?  And cloaking those in concerns about the players?

Today, in doing it for the kids

Pearls of wisdom from Coach O:

“First of all the game is changing. And if you want to have success, you better change,” Orgeron said. “Number one, you’ve got to find a way to compete at the highest level. And now it’s different, it’s a different lay of the land. But, my own personal opinion, they don’t care about it but I will say it anyway: They have to govern it. There’s got to be something, and I think the players would appreciate it.

“The players that get way too much money in the beginning may not be as hungry, and maybe not in the end get all that he needs to get. So, I think the players will learn to appreciate it, that you’ve got to earn things. I’m not against them getting money, but I think there needs to be some kind of governing.”

… Orgeron said that he’s always been in favor of graduate transfers, but expressed hesitation about the effects the transfer portal and immediate eligibility have had on the sport.

“It’s like free agency—it’s moving too fast,” Orgeron said. “For me, I was all for the graduate transfer portal. I think once you’ve graduated, hey, you’ve got a shot, go take another shot. It was good for Joe, thank God we had him for two years. But I think this transferring, hopping from school to school, especially within the conference and within your division is a little tough. You wear one uniform, the next day you’re wearing your rival’s.”

No doubt that sounds more profound in the original Orgeron-ese, but, still, it’s a beautiful encapsulation of the “fine for me, but not for thee” mindset that passes for wisdom among a certain set of college head coaches.  It’s for the best, right?  After all, the players would appreciate it.

Today, in doing it for the kids

You said, “when college athletes are employees, that means they can just be fired by their coaches, ‘ya know?”

And I said, “been there, done that“.

With the 2022 football season around the corner, the Florida Gators were sitting at 90 scholarships. New head coach Billy Napier and the Gators need to be at 85 before fall camp, which is scheduled to start in August. Wednesday, Gators Online learned that three players were cut by the first-year head coach and are expected to enter the transfer portal.

Safety Mordecai McDaniel, defensive lineman Chris Thomas, and safety turned receiver Fenley Graham. Florida recently updated its roster online from the 2022 spring camp roster to a fall roster and those three players were excluded from the updated roster.

… NCAA Bylaw 15.5.1.7 is named “Aid After Departure of Head Coach.” It, essentially, allows a first-year head coach to not invite an athlete back to the team the following year.

What I really love about that is a new coach gets a special rule allowing him to cut players, but players don’t get an automatic right to transfer if their old coach is fired.  Symmetry, baby!

No portal for you

Here’s an interesting trivia question for you:  what do Georgia, Army, Navy and Air Force have in common?  Per 247 Sports’ transfer portal database, these four football teams are the only ones on the FBS level that have not added a single player via the transfer portal this offseason.

If you read the linked piece, there’s definitely a sense the coaching staff was somewhat surprised that fewer players opted to hit the transfer portal than expected. (And don’t forget a certain five-star offensive lineman who dipped his toe in the portal and then decided to stay after all.)

I had heard whispers earlier in the spring that they were looking to add maybe three players from the portal, but now, it appears that there won’t be any new faces coming in.  The staff and the players obviously have a lot of confidence in each other.

Standing pat

A friend of mine asked me about this last night — as of yesterday, the only SEC team without a player coming in this season via the transfer portal is Georgia.  To put that in perspective, half the teams in the conference have at least nine transfers coming in, led by Ole Miss with 16 and LSU with 15.

That is some statement by Kirby Smart, who essentially is telling us he really, really likes his roster without saying he really, really likes his roster.  And that’s after 15 players left for the NFL draft.

That sound you hear is Dan Mullen, shaking his damn head somewhere.