College Football offseason (non recruiting) discussion.

[JPhillips]

I have a friend that teaches theatre at Clemson. She posted on Facebook that Kelly was a pain in the ass in her class.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by clemsonfan

I'm not sure why I'm so upset over Chad Kelly. Maybe it's because I'm a mom with two boys so I'm looking at the situation from a mom's eyes. Anyway, I wish him the best of luck and hope he gets the counseling he needs. I know his uncle's sick and that can help the matter. I know he also got dismissed from his football team in high school so he has a pattern of behavior here. I just can't help but feel bad for the whole situation.

Wait? There's another female on the board who posts besides tk and saldana?

SI

[clemsonfan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Wait? There's another female on the board who posts besides tk and saldana?

SI

I post fairly rarely here but I lurk often.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Wait? There's another female on the board who posts besides tk and saldana?

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by clemsonfan

I post fairly rarely here but I lurk often.

Don't worry, it was just another saldana joke - sorry to drag you into it

SI

[Butter]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Don't worry, it was just another saldana joke - sorry to drag you into it

SI

Those still aren't old.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by clemsonfan

I'm not sure why I'm so upset over Chad Kelly. Maybe it's because I'm a mom with two boys so I'm looking at the situation from a mom's eyes. Anyway, I wish him the best of luck and hope he gets the counseling he needs. I know his uncle's sick and that can help the matter. I know he also got dismissed from his football team in high school so he has a pattern of behavior here. I just can't help but feel bad for the whole situation.

Let me make you feel at least a little better abot the Chad Kelly dismissal.

He was actually kicked out of 2 HS. He was kicked off 1 team and expelled from school at another not during a football season. He finished up HS at a private school where he was coddled and actually had 2 1-on-1 classes.

Clemson coaches sat him down and explained while they wanted him at Clemson he would have to keep his nose clean

Prior to arriving at Clemson he went on a social media blitz saying how he couldnt wait to beat out Tajh and Stoudt as both were sub par QBs and "the real gem was about to fil the crown in Tiger Town"

Clemson coaches sat him down and explained the value of teamwork and supporting not dividing a locker room. They also banned him (and all football players) from Twitter and Instagram during the season. That ban was a direct result of CK's behavior.

During his first summer camp he got the absolute hell beat out of him by back up OT Spencer Region after he tried to pick up Specner's GF. Telling her to "ditch the fattie for hottie...and my family is rich" she laughd him off. He "allegedly" grabbed her butt and made some lewd comments. Spenceris a big ole boy. His GF is smoking hot. Spencer gave an old school behind the barn whipping to Chad and left him with 2 black eyes and a huge knot on his head. CK ran to Coach Swinney and said Spencer jumped him unprovoked. Region was nearly kicked off the team rather than rat out teamate. Finally another OL (now graudated Dalton Freeman) stepped up and told the coaching staff the truth.

The coaches sat CK down and re-enforced the team mate speech and he was on double secret probabtion his freshman year and ran a lot of gassers after practice.

After the Citadel game last year Kelly had an absolute blow up about not getting enough playing time. (Yes it was a walk over but it was Tajh Boyd's last career game in death valley and he was left in until nearly the 4th Quarter and then 2nd stringer Stoud got the action) he destroyed his locker, threw a temper tantrum and generally acted like an out control child.

Clemson coaches sat him down and told him he was treading on thin ice.

This year during spring practice he blew up at Coach Jeff Scott over a dropped ball. Told him to "get off his lazy ass and teach a WR how to catch"...among other things.

Dabo sat down with him in his office and chewed his tail and told him to get with the program.

There had been an orchestrated gag order regarding the QB battle. The guys were coached on what to say in interviews as far as who the starter was. (For those who dont follow the program Kelly is a dual threat guy who may be a better runner than a passer while 5th year senior Cole Stoudt, himself the son of a former NFL QB, is a drop back passer) The coaches wanted to keep UGA wide open as to what their offensive gameplan was...Stoudt repeatedly toed the company line, "We are just competing our tails off and each of us is hoping to win the coach's favor. Beyond that you will have to ask the coaches who is leading." Kelly went on the offensive trying to sway team mates and reporters bragging to everyone who would listen about how he was clearly the better QB. Last Thursday he stepped over the line telling reporters that OC Chad Morris had told him in confidence that he was leading "by a mile" and asked that he not repeat it but "really the truth needs to be out there so Cole can start dealing with the let down now and transfer or whatever he wants to do." Local reporters protected the kid and didnt print the story, the Clemson director of media relations however was within ear shot and brought it to the atttention of Coach Swinney.

On Friday Ck came to a meeting in Coach's office "very sick and vomitting"...team mates suggest he was hung over Chad assures everyone it is the "24 hour flu" he was given an IV for fluids and read the riot act by Dabo and told he is nearing the end of his rope, that he could not tell lies to the media and his actions were divisive and must stop.

Saturday during the Spring game he wanted to go for it on 4th and 3 late in the second quarter. It was the spring game. They sent out the punt team. He went off on OC Chad Morris calling him a pu**y and stated "that is why we have lost 5 in a row to SC because of your BS offense and scared pu**y play calling" WR coach Jeff Scott tried to calm him down and he told him "go blow Coach Morris some more and get out of my face."

Dabo stepped in and told him to take his helmet and pads off he was done for the game.
[ The Clemson coaching staff privately thought CK was better physically than Stoudt but weaker mentally. He knew the playbook but let bad plays beat him multiple times and came unravelled in the face of adveristy. They "may" have stacked the cards to ensure he faced more pressure than normal and "may" have intentionally given im a weaker WR corps to see if he could be a leader. In short they "may" have tested Chad and he did fail.]

Monday Ck was called to Coach Swinney's office. The intent of the meeting was to inform Chad that he was being moved to 3rd team on the depth chart based on his out burst. That he would be given every opportunity over the summer and fall camp to win the starting job, but he had to grow up. He was going to be "suspended" from team activities and be given a much shorter leash. They didnt get that far. When Dabo informed him he was being demoted he blew up, jumped up, flipped a chair and got in Coach's face. He let loose with a string of insults at how Dabo was "just jealous of him since Dabo grew up poor and was a walk on and he was rich and a HS All American and scholarship player." Dabo assured him he was jealous of no one and that he was a self made man while if CK didnt change his attitude he would do nothing other than ruin his family's reputation. With this Chad made the fatal flaw and took a swing at Coach Swinney. Coach dodged and "pinned" CK to the ground and he was escoretd out of the WZ by police.

Unrelated to all of this is the Ali Rogers incident. Sometime over the weekend Chad's car was backed into Ali's car in a parking lot (both the day the incident happened and who was driving Chad's car is disputed) it was a minor incident but did crack the bumper of Ali's car. She wanted to call the police and get an accident report. He got belligerent and told her not to because "his uncle had cancer and the family didnt need this drama. They would just pay to fix the car" Ali was hesitant and suggested it would be best for all involved to get a police report, at which point CK slammed his fist down into her car (and casued more damage with his hand than the original accident caused in the first place.)..This also had got back to the coaches.

Everyone is sympathetic to the emotional struggles he is under. In fact during at least one of the coach meetings it had been asked if he needed to take a semester off and take care of his family. Ultimately he was given every chance to save face here. Until the moment that he took a swing at Coach Swinney he was getting more and more rope...at that point it was game over.

I am disapponted. I have been outspoken for some time that while Dabo is a fine Christian man and the kind of role model you want for your children I thought the football team needed more of an edge...more fight in the dog so to speak. I wanted Chad to be JFF...however there is a line you can not cross. The right decision was made here.

But dont be shocked if at some point in time...

[clemsonfan]

Wow. Thanks for filling us in. I do feel better about it. I knew Dabo had to have had a really good reason.

[HomerSimpson98]

fuck that guy. thanks for the insight.

Cliff Stoudt the daddy?

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by HomerSimpson98

fuck that guy. thanks for the insight.

Cliff Stoudt the daddy?

Yes.

and Jim Kelly is the uncle of Chad Kelly

[Simbo Klice]

Damn! I love it when CU Tiger delivers a scoop. Sounds like a real prick.

[vex]

That's crazy, CU Tiger. Thanks for posting.

[Buccaneer]

SU unveiled its new uniforms. Syracuse's major announcements: New uniforms, LSU visiting the Carrier Dome in 2015 and more | syracuse.com

Warning: if the following statement gives you nightmares, "Nike was on campus last summer to talk ...", don't click the link.

How long will it be before Nike dresses up all of the college teams in clown colors?

[cartman]

Compared to most of the new unis, those are actually a bit understated.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

SU unveiled its new uniforms. Syracuse's major announcements: New uniforms, LSU visiting the Carrier Dome in 2015 and more | syracuse.com

Warning: if the following statement gives you nightmares, "Nike was on campus last summer to talk ...", don't click the link.

How long will it be before Nike dresses up all of the college teams in clown colors?

As an admitted outsider - i.e. someone with no affiliation or deep love for Syracuse - I think they look pretty good other than the weirdly shaped typeface they used for the numbers.

[Lathum]

Minnesota State, Mankato players refuse to practice for former coach - ESPN

Interesting story. Sounds like this coach got railroaded and the players need to grow up and realize in life more often than not you don't get to chose who your boss is.

If what the coach did is a crime I would be going to prison as well.

[Lathum]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/co...icle-1.1760450

Surprised this isn't getting discussed here. I don't think it is the place of a coach to push his beliefs so heavily on his kids, assuming the story is accurate, which who knows.

What if he was muslim and doing the same stuff? People ould freak.

[Lathum]

dola- I will say I think this likely goes on at a lot of schools and Clemson was targeted a bit unfairly for whatever reason.

[CU Tiger]

I am going to comment, though I recognize my opinion is biased.

Under former coach Tommy Bowden chapel service was mandatory. If a student didnt want to attend, his parents had to send a letter and have "a legitimate reason" I as always uncomfortable about that.

With Dabo it is 100% optional and we have had some star players in the last few years who chose not to attend. It did not alter their playing time in any way.

Dabo is upfront with his religious beliefs,if you spend much time talkig to him it is ingrained in who he is.

[CU Tiger]

This is an article written by a Clemson beat writer I greatly respect.
I think it summarizes it better than I could.

CLEMSON -- In 2005, Clemson won convincingly at N.C. State on a Thursday night and to that point it seemed the Tigers never won on Thursday night.

So the next day, in a routine media teleconference, a reporter who happens to be Jewish cracked a joke to Tommy Bowden.

"Coach, any coincidence that your Thursday-night losing streak was snapped on Yom Kippur?"

Bowden, who happens to be Christian, laughed and cracked a joke right back:

"That just goes to show you that Christianity always wins in the end."

That anecdote is brought up to present an unmistakable contrast between how Bowden publicly conducted his spirituality and how Dabo Swinney conducts his. There was nothing really wrong with how Bowden responded to the question, in large part because the question playfully injected religion and Bowden simply responded in kind.

But Bowden was more public with his beliefs, more forceful with the imposition of those beliefs on the football team he led. And given that the football team he led happened to operate at a public university, it created some uncomfortable situations and opened up Clemson to some legitimate scrutiny.

The most uncomfortable that comes to mind now, at least in the mind of this writer, was the mandatory attendance at chapel services late in game weeks. Players could opt out of it if they chose, but only if their parent or guardian called Bowden and provided an acceptable explanation. Not good.

Bowden's successor has been on the job for five full seasons, and by now we've gotten a pretty good window into how he handles the thorny issue of religion on a college campus. And the feeling from this corner is that the recent missive to Clemson from the Freedom From Religion Foundation is misplaced.

According to a report in The Greenville News, this Wisconsin-based group of atheists and agnostics wants to protect players' constitutional rights by eliminating the culture of Christianity within the Tigers' football program.

The group says it arrived at its position by submitting open-records requests, and reviewing e-mails and published articles. Perhaps the group should do a little more homework and spend some time around this football program, or any major college football program.

The traditional sights, sounds and standards of higher education -- the sweater vests and the highbrow conversations and the pursuit of enlightenment and sophistication -- are often a world away from the facts of hard life that permeate a locker room. Many of these kids do not have fathers. Many of these kids come from the roughest of rough neighborhoods. Many of these kids would not be on a college campus if not for the games they play. Many of these kids don't ardently pursue a degree so they can climb the ladder to some executive boardroom; they chase graduation so they can avoid a return home (or what passes for home).

For so many of these athletes, the opportunity to go to college is much more of a way out than a way up into a higher tax bracket, into acceptance at the ritzy neighborhood country club. So many of them need father figures. So many of them need substance and direction in their lives. And yes, so many of them need spirituality. How do we know this? Because they say so. They voluntarily seek it when they're trying to decide where they'll play football.

The voluntary part is vital because this is still a public university and if this stuff goes down forcibly it's bad news for all involved. In all of his public statements explaining his stance on how he handles religion with his players, Swinney indicates he has a firm grasp of this. Last November, he was quoted in The Chronicle of Higher Education as saying he's had "Muslims, Catholics - I've got two Mormons on this team right now."

"When we get out on the football field, it's not about if you're a Christian. It's about who's the best player."

Swinney had a similar message of inclusion two months ago in the wake of Michael Sam's revelation that he is gay. In the midst of all the controversy and arguing that followed that news, Swinney might have presented the most refreshing and eloquent take of anyone when he was asked about the topic during an interview with an Atlanta radio station.

"To be honest with you, I don't get into all that stuff," Swinney said. "I don't think it is anyone's business what their sexual orientation is.

"Again, you have respect for each individual and their personal beliefs. It's just like there are different religions. I'm a Christian, but I've coached and played with Muslims and all kind of different religions. It's not about any of that. Those are personal decisions that people have to make. I mean everyone is going to be judged one day, but it's not up to me to judge somebody."

And this:

"A football team is just a reflection of society. It really is. You've got 118, 120 guys on the team. You've got a little bit of everything. That's your job as a teammate, your job as a coach to bring all that together. It's not just sexual orientation. It's religious beliefs, it's background, culture.

"That's what makes football great. Football is the ultimate team sport. There is nothing that brings race, religion and all that stuff together like the game of football."

Not a Constitutional scholar here, but Swinney's description of a football team as a melting pot sounds kind of similar to the Founding Fathers' vision of a nation as the very same thing.

There's no indication thus far that Swinney isn't practicing what he's preaching. So maybe the Freedom From Religion Foundation should go preach to someone else.

[clemsonfan]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

This is an article written by a Clemson beat writer I greatly respect.
I think it summarizes it better than I could.

I just got chills reading that. I love that coach!

[Butter]

I bet you won't so much if he loses to SCAR for the 6th straight time this year. That's getting old.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

I bet you won't so much if he loses to SCAR for the 6th straight time this year. That's getting old.

That shit got old 3 years ago...

[Matthean]

Michigan Leaves Out ‘Michigan’ When Playing MSU On In House Schedule [PHOTO] « CBS Detroit

I find it odd since I have referenced MSU as State a number of times for awhile now and thought nothing of it. Now it is like, "OMG, they left out Michigan."

[CU Tiger]

Paul Johnson, the Bell Tolls for the.

117 fans attended Georgia Tech’s spring game? | Crystal Ball Run

Couldnt happen to a nicer guy, imho

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Paul Johnson, the Bell Tolls for the.

117 fans attended Georgia Tech’s spring game? | Crystal Ball Run

Eh, nobody in their right mind would have sat out in that weather (the game was played Friday night instead of Saturday afternoon), one of the players summed it up well when asked whether he would have come to watch "The game was on ESPN3 right? That's all I'm gonna say"

[tarcone]

Iowas lead recruiter resigns to open a Culvers near Nashville, TN.

Strange time to leave. But I guess he was done with football.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Eh, nobody in their right mind would have sat out in that weather (the game was played Friday night instead of Saturday afternoon), one of the players summed it up well when asked whether he would have come to watch "The game was on ESPN3 right? That's all I'm gonna say"

Understood, and if you told me there were 1,700 fans there I would bat an eye.

But less than 200?
There are 124 players on that team.
That means the every player couldnt even average 1 parent to come watch them play for free.

One of my friends is a die hard GT alum, he drove the ramblin wreck during his time there or had something to do with it. Ive never really asked but he has a lot of photos of him on the field pre game...this would have been during the mid 80s.

He isnt buying season tickets for the first time since he graduated.


I like CPJ and hope he stays right where he is...I think the chances of that long term (more than 2 years) are very very slim. Or as a good friend recently said "If I was laying odds on the 2016 head football coach at GT I would put CPJ slightly behind John Heisman returning."

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Understood, and if you told me there were 1,700 fans there I would bat an eye. But less than 200? There are 124 players on that team. That means the every player couldnt even average 1 parent to come watch them play for free.

From the printed roster online, there's 112 players listed ... 68 from in-state, 44 from out of state, so they [i]got almost 2 parents per player within the state

He isnt buying season tickets for the first time since he graduated.

Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would want to suffer enough to own season tickets at this point. Other than to give them away for business purposes anyhow.

I think the chances of that long term (more than 2 years) are very very slim. Or as a good friend recently said "If I was laying odds on the 2016 head football coach at GT I would put CPJ slightly behind John Heisman returning."

I see nothing there to disagree with. He can't recruit for shit & has shown little ability to form a staff that can coach players up. The only justification for him staying around at this point, afaic, is the inability to pay his buyout.

[CU Tiger]

Jon,
Interesting discussion this morning on the Clemson board.
Can GT , in your opinion, get back to consistent sustained Top 30 status, or has the ship sailed?

I've got a HS coach and friend in Atlanta who was telling me that GT coaches have lamented privately about having to recruit kids to play football in Atlanta, when "Georgia State can sell the same thing, easier classes AND playing in the GA dome."

If GT is competing with Ga State for players, well thats not the recipe for long term success.

For selfish reasons I want a good GT program, a rising tide raises all ships and such, but I am not sure given the current financial status if that is feasible within the next decade even.

You are obivously much more plugged in than I to GT so whats your opinion?

[digamma]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Understood, and if you told me there were 1,700 fans there I would bat an eye.

But less than 200?
There are 124 players on that team.
That means the every player couldnt even average 1 parent to come watch them play for free.

There were about 1500 there.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Jon,
Interesting discussion this morning on the Clemson board.
Can GT , in your opinion, get back to consistent sustained Top 30 status, or has the ship sailed?

I've got a HS coach and friend in Atlanta who was telling me that GT coaches have lamented privately about having to recruit kids to play football in Atlanta, when "Georgia State can sell the same thing, easier classes AND playing in the GA dome."

If GT is competing with Ga State for players, well thats not the recipe for long term success.

For selfish reasons I want a good GT program, a rising tide raises all ships and such, but I am not sure given the current financial status if that is feasible within the next decade even.

You are obivously much more plugged in than I to GT so whats your opinion?

The recruiting thing is not new. You can count on one hand the number of top 25 recruiting classes GT has had in my lifetime (I'm 38).

Johnson received some concessions from the administration and was allowed to hire a recruiting staff last year. This year's recruiting class was significantly better.

People act like the sky is falling, but Tech has been remarkably consistent since 1988, with one notable outlier in the good direction (1990) and one in the bad direction (1994). Other than that, they're still going to be a top 35 team, with good years in the top 20 and bad years outside the top 40.

Johnson's seat is not as hot as people think it is.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

Jon,
Interesting discussion this morning on the Clemson board.
Can GT , in your opinion, get back to consistent sustained Top 30 status, or has the ship sailed?

I've got a HS coach and friend in Atlanta who was telling me that GT coaches have lamented privately about having to recruit kids to play football in Atlanta, when "Georgia State can sell the same thing, easier classes AND playing in the GA dome."

If GT is competing with Ga State for players, well thats not the recipe for long term success.

For selfish reasons I want a good GT program, a rising tide raises all ships and such, but I am not sure given the current financial status if that is feasible within the next decade even.

You are obivously much more plugged in than I to GT so whats your opinion?

With the current staff, no, I don't believe there's any reason to hope for a meaningful football program able to compete with legitimate teams. Now whether or not that equates to "top 30 status" I dunno. And then there's the whole "get back to it" part of the question. I mean, prior to CPJ's first two seasons, the team hadn't finished the year ranked since the O'Leary/MacWhorter team in 2001, which was the last of 4 straight years ranked in the top 25. Prior to that they hadn't ended up ranked since the national championship in 90. In other words, they'd only been in the top 25 7 out of 23 seasons ... 6 unranked, then a string of 5 in a row ranked, then 6 unranked, then 2 in a row ranked, now 4 straight unranked. The performance is really about "Tech normal"

Could they manage a sustained run of success with a different scheme & a different staff? Maybe.

As for Georgia State, I don't see them being a factor once the current failed regime is gone. The Dome factor is pretty overrated IMO considering a lot of kids here play in front of bigger crowds on Friday night than the Panthers manage.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by digamma

Johnson's seat is not as hot as people think it is.

Which is the biggest problem of all, and why I'd rather see them competing for a SoCon title instead of continuing the charade of being a meaningful D1 program.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

With the current staff, no, I don't believe there's any reason to hope for a meaningful football program able to compete with legitimate teams. Now whether or not that equates to "top 30 status" I dunno. And then there's the whole "get back to it" part of the question. I mean, prior to CPJ's first two seasons, the team hadn't finished the year ranked since the O'Leary/MacWhorter team in 2001, which was the last of 4 straight years ranked in the top 25. Prior to that they hadn't ended up ranked since the national championship in 90. In other words, they'd only been in the top 25 7 out of 23 seasons ... 6 unranked, then a string of 5 in a row ranked, then 6 unranked, then 2 in a row ranked, now 4 straight unranked. The performance is really about "Tech normal"

Could they manage a sustained run of success with a different scheme & a different staff? Maybe.

As for Georgia State, I don't see them being a factor once the current failed regime is gone. The Dome factor is pretty overrated IMO considering a lot of kids here play in front of bigger crowds on Friday night than the Panthers manage.

I WOULD agree on the dome factor, but again those words came fromthe mouth of a CURRENT Gt coach who said he was losing recruits to GA State for that very reason.


Maybe I am guilty of a biased view here. For 20 years GT was a game, as a Clemson fan then player then employee now booster actively fretted about. They were a tough out year after year. The last 3 years they have seemed to ebcome an afterthought. I suppose that could be short sighted as Clemson has been on a string of nearly unprecedented (for them) success the last three years, or at a very minimum not seen since Max Lennon rail roaded Danny Ford out of town in 1989, but when I talk to HS coaches I see and hear GT as a laughing stock these days.

I hear coaches in the college game talking about financial "ruin"...

I just am not close enough to know if thats legit, slightly exaggerated, over blown or down right erroneous.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by digamma

The recruiting thing is not new. You can count on one hand the number of top 25 recruiting classes GT has had in my lifetime (I'm 38).

Johnson received some concessions from the administration and was allowed to hire a recruiting staff last year. This year's recruiting class was significantly better.

People act like the sky is falling, but Tech has been remarkably consistent since 1988, with one notable outlier in the good direction (1990) and one in the bad direction (1994). Other than that, they're still going to be a top 35 team, with good years in the top 20 and bad years outside the top 40.

Johnson's seat is not as hot as people think it is.

I don't expect GT to have Top 25 recruiting classes year over year, their academic requirements largely preclude that. However I think it is reasonable to have 1 or 2 NFL players on the ROSTER every year. Next January, if GT has a pro day I doubt anyone shows up unless they have a Kicker or Punter Ive missed.

Tech has some nice facilities. They have a very good S&C guy. They may have the best OC and (IMO) certainly have the best offensive play caller in the country (too bad he charades as the HC) Rivals rated their most recent class 47th.

Which would be bad enough if it wasnt a dramatic improvement from an 85 ranking in '13 and 57 ranking in '12.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I WOULD agree on the dome factor, but again those words came fromthe mouth of a CURRENT Gt coach who said he was losing recruits to GA State for that very reason.


Maybe I am guilty of a biased view here. For 20 years GT was a game, as a Clemson fan then player then employee now booster actively fretted about. They were a tough out year after year. The last 3 years they have seemed to ebcome an afterthought. I suppose that could be short sighted as Clemson has been on a string of nearly unprecedented (for them) success the last three years, or at a very minimum not seen since Max Lennon rail roaded Danny Ford out of town in 1989, but when I talk to HS coaches I see and hear GT as a laughing stock these days.

I hear coaches in the college game talking about financial "ruin"...

I just am not close enough to know if thats legit, slightly exaggerated, over blown or down right erroneous.

I think your orange colored glasses are coloring your view.

Three seasons ago, GT whipped Clemson 31-17 in Atlanta, and it could have been much worse.

Two seasons ago, you won 47-31 at home and the score was that wide because Dabo poked one in instead of downing it with less than a minute left. GT had the ball with a chance to tie in the fourth. That was in Clemson.

This past season, you blew us out, again in Clemson, due to a quirk in the ACC schedule. Still, GT scored 31 points in the game.

Johnson still hasn't lost to Swinney in Atlanta, he just hasn't gotten to play him there since 2011.

The challenge at GT is not Johnson. He's crusty and quirky and rubs people the wrong way. Fine. It's the money and academics all tied together. The football operations budget is a fraction of what it is at Clemson and FSU, much less Alabama, LSU or Georgia. That's not a Johnson problem.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I don't expect GT to have Top 25 recruiting classes year over year, their academic requirements largely preclude that.

Considering Stanford's success, I'm not sure why this is an excuse.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Considering Stanford's success, I'm not sure why this is an excuse.

Proximity of qualifying athletes almost certainly heavily in favor of Stanford over GT.

[digamma]

The big thing is the limited curriculum rather than qualifying requirements.

[Breeze]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Proximity of qualifying athletes almost certainly heavily in favor of Stanford over GT.

And the budget for Stanford is significantly higher...There is a reason they win the directors cup every year...

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by digamma

I think your orange colored glasses are coloring your view.

Three seasons ago, GT whipped Clemson 31-17 in Atlanta, and it could have been much worse.

Two seasons ago, you won 47-31 at home and the score was that wide because Dabo poked one in instead of downing it with less than a minute left. GT had the ball with a chance to tie in the fourth. That was in Clemson.

This past season, you blew us out, again in Clemson, due to a quirk in the ACC schedule. Still, GT scored 31 points in the game.

Johnson still hasn't lost to Swinney in Atlanta, he just hasn't gotten to play him there since 2011.

The challenge at GT is not Johnson. He's crusty and quirky and rubs people the wrong way. Fine. It's the money and academics all tied together. The football operations budget is a fraction of what it is at Clemson and FSU, much less Alabama, LSU or Georgia. That's not a Johnson problem.

Fair enough regarding Clemson v GT.
You can turn it round though that GT hasnt beated Clemson since Kevin Steele and his jazz Hands defense was run out of town either. Lol.

We just have to agree to disagree regarding Johnson. I think he is, again, the best play caller in college football. A great tactician but a horrible face of a program. A Head Coach in the modern NCAA landscape is much more a CEO, fund raiser, politician than game strategist. John excels at stratgey and coaching but manages to piss off everyone around him in the process.

I understand GT has 2 feet in the hole starting with the money and academic requirements, they also happen to be centered in the largest city in the Southeast. The hotbed of college football recruits, and the capital city of the 3rd or 4th at worst most loaded state in the country in terms of available talent. They have a nice stadium and campus to sell and a very good tradition. They simply dont have a salesman to sell it.

I'll leave you with this anecdote. 4* RB (and HS option QB) Adam Choice committed to Clemson last cycle. However, there was a strong attraction to following in his brother's foot steps. Inback to back calls one night Clemson Rb Coach Tony Elliot pitched the idea of "blazing his own trail" "being his own man" "making his own legacy"...Choice hung up the phone a tad preturbed because Dabo was supposed to be available but wasn't. (Choice called an hour later than scheduled and Dabo had left for Wednesday evening church service) he called Johnson right after getting off the phone with Elliot. According to someone who ws with him when he made both calls Adam said he was calling Johnson to commit. After the initial hello(s) Choice lamented on the decision and how conflicted he was with where to go, he confided in Johnson. Johnson (allegedly) replied, "Look this is a great problem for a young man to have. Which free education does he want. When you decide where you want to go call me but I've got to run into a meeting. " with that he hung up...without saying bye, without asking him his thoughts, without anything. Adam committed to Clemson that Saturday.


Thats one of the stories Ill share. Dropping a drinking and letting a GD bomb slip on ain home with a family with a 4' tall crucifix hanging over the kitchen table was another.

If you talk to high school football coaches in the state, many are hesitant to rip the guy as they like picking his brain at coaching clinics etc. But there are some doozy of stories out there about Johnson.

[panerd]

Not enough Mizzou talk. Here's a pick I thought Mizzourah, MBBF, KCChief, and others might enjoy from last weekend's spring game. Me, my son, and Mizzou QB Maty Mauk. I need to edit out the stupid binkie.

[Logan]

Very excited to hear that the first B1G game for Rutgers against Penn State will be an 8pm start.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

SEC decides to stick with 8 game schedule, but mandates that all teams must play at least one game each year against a BCS conference team.

Oh, and nice pick Panerd! Bet it was a lot of fun!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

SEC decides to stick with 8 game schedule, but mandates that all teams must play at least one game each year against a BCS conference team.

Oh, and nice pick Panerd! Bet it was a lot of fun!

Well lemme see here ...

UGA has Tech, SC has Clemson, Florida has FSU. Kentucky has Louisville I guess (didn't think of that one at all until I saw it mentioned by ESPN who noted that "Only four teams -- Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M -- won't play a game this coming season against an opponent from one of those four power conferences")

Let's see here, skipping over the ones who have a permanent rivalry that qualifies, let's see what history looks like for the others. We'll go last five years, skipping over the coming year since that's been addressed above.

Bama - played Va Tech 2x, Penn State 2x, Michigan 1x
Arkansas - played Texas A&M as non-conference opponent 3x, None 2x
Auburn - played Wash St 1x, Clemson 3x, WVU 1x
LSU - played TCU 1x, Washington 2x, Oregon 1x, WVU 2x, UNC 1x
Miss St - played Okl State 1x, Ga Tech 1x, None 3x
Ole Miss - played Texas 2x, None 3x
Tennessee - played Oregon 2x, NC State 1x, UCLA 1x, None 1x
Vandy - played Wake Forest 4x, Northwestern 2x, Ga Tech 1x

The two that don't fit neatly into that history are of course the newcomers

Missouri - played Indiana 1x, played Arizona State 1x, was in Big 12 3x but played qualifying non-SEC opponents each year (Illinois 2x, Arizona State 1x)

Texas A&M - played None 2x, played SEC opponent (Arkansas) as non-conference 3x.


So what really changes here? Other than basically telling Ole Miss & Mississippi State (and maybe Arkanas and A&M) to step up their scheduling, not much difference that I see, which is fine by me since the new rule also included permanent cross-division rivalry games, preserving Bama-UT and Auburn-UGA.

[Matthean]

Twitter: Indiana answers Pat Forde’s jab in style « Big Ten Network

[Logan]

Interesting to see what comes of this...

Attorneys: James Franklin contacted victim in Vanderbilt rape case

Franklin's statement:

“The allegations that I did something wrong are simply not true," Franklin said in a statement issued by Penn State late Tuesday evening. "I have cooperated fully with the authorities in this matter but, out of respect for the legal process, I am not able to comment any further."

The phrasing seems to indicate he doesn't deny being in contact with her.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by Logan

Interesting to see what comes of this...

Attorneys: James Franklin contacted victim in Vanderbilt rape case

Franklin's statement:



The phrasing seems to indicate he doesn't deny being in contact with her.

Two things:

First, Franklin was informed who the alleged victim was and learned that it was someone he knew. So now the Defense Attorney in this case is trying to cause a stir saying and trying to get the case thrown out.

Second, The DA in Nashville is on the record saying that Franklin did nothing wrong in this case and that he is in the clear.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Twitter: Indiana answers Pat Forde’s jab in style « Big Ten Network

I actually feel much better about IU football than I do about IU basketball these days.